"But why? I thought our doctors were ready to deal with any kind of emergency! Labs should be full of their machinery and their sophisticated equipment to make all that scientific and medical shit! What if that compromises the mission?" Layton replied, who began to think seriously about that story.
"Compromising the mission? And how? Come on, don't be ridiculous, these are things that can happen. Surely they will know how to eliminate the virus permanently... we, meanwhile, should just focus on our work and keep everything clean!" she replied, dipping a slice of hot bread into the mushroom soup, which looked decidedly more appetizing than Layton's salad.
"What if I tell someone? I mean... to a big shot, like the captain of the Voyager or some of his petty officers..."
"Eh? What are you babbling, Layton! Do you want to risk your job for such bullshit?!" she exclaimed, realizing that she had raised her voice a little too much and looking around, trying to figure out if anyone had heard her words.
"And what should they do after I'll be fired? Would they send me home? Oh no, wait... they could put me in a capsule and throw me into the infinite space, floating and thinking back to my mistakes" he continued, making a disappointed expression, disagreeing with Faith's hypothesis.
"Lay, I'm sure you understand what I mean. First of all, a formal meeting with the Captain or the high charges of the ship is an impossible thing to get. Following the official bureaucracy and everything, it would take weeks, and maybe you couldn't even achieve your goal... and secondly, who will believe you? Why would someone who really matters on the Voyager believe the words of a janitor? No offense, but you know better than me the way they discriminate us in here, you're too smart to tell yourself such a lie" Faith repeated, trying to be as sincere as possible.
"Yes, maybe you're right. I said bullshit, I got caught up in the rush. I don't know, but something smells really bad in here. This mission means everything to me and beyond... the future of the human race depends on the finding of the Behemoth, we cannot risk wasting more than six months spent here!"
Faith slid her hand on the table and gently placed it on that of her friend, which was slightly stretched forward, drawing his gaze.
"Do you think it's only important to you? Our crew is one of the most numerous in the history of the W.O.U.S. and of humanity! The goal of all of us is to work together to make everything easier and more efficient! The task of us janitors is also very important, you should learn not to think so reluctantly about your job! Look, I've noticed how you behave… you can't wait for it to end!"
After the words of his new friend, Layton took a few seconds of silence and paused to think: not being used to the company and not talking to anyone on the ship apart from old Sam, he was not used to all that sincerity, but at the same time he knew that this was good for his spirit.
Having a loyal and honest person like Faith by his side meant constantly getting involved and living the remaining days on the Voyager with serenity.
"I'm sorry, you're right... you've just arrived in Sector B and decided to make friends with the most disliked and lonely person in the entire crew! I feel like shit right now..." he whispered, confessing with embarrassment what he was thinking.
"But look, you seem really credible! Stop whining, no one needs innocent victims here! There's a mystery to be solved!" she smiled as she continued to squeeze his hand.
Unexpectedly, Layton reciprocated the handshake, turning his hand and looking into the girl's eyes.
"A security guard!" he said, without adding anything else.
"Uh? What are you talking about?"
"We could say what we heard to someone that works in the Security! Maybe we can extrapolate some more information. And we also should tell Sam, he always knows what to do" Layton continued, explaining his idea.
"You really love this Sam, don't you?" she replied, leaving his hand and continuing to eat the mushroom soup before it cooled down.
"Old Sam is the only one who has been kind to me and who understands my character. One of the few smart people in this metal cage."
After that statement, Layton glanced quickly at Faith, letting her know that she was part of the group of people he considered 'smart'.
The two friends continued the conversation in silence and trying to talk about something else, they finished dinner.
Faith spoke to Layton about her past story and he did the same to her, learning that the red-haired girl, like him, had decided not to continue her studies after high school to follow her dream, to become a successful writer.
"A writer?" he exclaimed, squinting as he heard that word.
"Yes, I know... it's not a real job and it doesn't suit me. My father always told me, he wanted me to study law and become a good lawyer like him" she replied sadly, looking into her empty plate and thinking back to some past episodes.
"Well, I don't think so. If you gave me the chance, I'd read all your books! What genre do you write?" he asked, genuinely interested in the subject, which made Faith even more fascinating in his eyes.
She waited a few seconds to answer, but when she noticed that her interlocutor was not joking, she was happy to say: "I write fantasy novels and other kinds of stories. But I'm just a novice, I'm not a professional author... probably readers wouldn't like my stories... that's why I never let anyone read them."
"Do you have any copies here on board the spaceship?" Layton asked again, who briefly forgot about everything else.
"Uhm... yes, I should have some of my novels in my room... why?" she said, so embarrassed that her cheeks turned red like two tomatoes.
"Are you asking me why? I know you wouldn't say it, but reading is my biggest hobby! I've been alone on this ship for months, ignoring everyone and isolating myself in myself and in my books, which I've read dozens of times... and now... I know a beautiful and intelligent girl, who writes books! This means that I too can be lucky, every now and then!" he exclaimed aloud, galvanized by what he had discovered and excited to read new books, knowing the author.