Yvonne’s not tall enough to crawl out the viewport on her own, at least not without struggle. I’m still more concerned with her skinned knees than perhaps I should be, but I ignore that line of thinking while I step onto the control panel and give her a boost out of the broken and mossy glass onto the ship’s roof.
Her hand stays on my shoulder until I boost myself out and she can’t hold on anymore.
The nosey woman on the ground blinks. Her eyebrows shoot up and her gaze stays firmly on me, but there’s no panic and no hostility. Well, maybe this’ll go fine. Maybe we can just leave without incident. Doesn’t hurt to hope.
When we finally crawl off the rocks, she asks, “What are you two doing out here?”
“Just passing by,” Yvonne says again, fiddling with the sleeves of my old jacket.
Her eyes flicker between the two of us. Bluntly, she asks, “You need help?”
Yvonne doesn’t seem to grasp what she’s asking, then blinks a few times. “Oh! Hah, no. Not from him.”
She ruffles my hair like I’m a puppy, and I hunch my shoulders without meaning to, barely managing not to shove her with the woman staring at us. The stranger’s expression stays a little strained until Yvonne puts her arm around my waist. What the hell is she doing? The woman’s expression clears, but I’m unsure what I’m supposed to do now. Maybe say something, but knowing me, I’ll make it worse. I avoid eye contact and the urge to pick Yvonne up by the arms like she’s a toddler and move her away from me. It’s not as if she hasn’t done this before, but this woman is staring. At least she doesn’t look remotely fazed by the sight.
“You both look like you could use some help,” the woman says as if she weren’t just trying to ask Yvonne whether or not she was being held against her will.
Yvonne gives a nervous laugh and pinches me a little. Right, I suppose I should say something.
“Do you know of any good places to stock up on medical equipment?” I ask, clearing my throat. “Not a big hospital. People get the wrong idea about me.”
The woman raises her eyebrows, then glances back at the ship, probably wondering about Bat. “There are a few, I could mark them out on your ship’s map if you’d like. Though I’ll tell you cyborgs aren’t really smiled on around here.”
I shrug. They aren’t smiled upon anywhere. “That’s fine. If you would show us, that would be great.”
She twists her mouth thoughtfully. “I mean it. The governor here actually outlawed any unregistered numbers landing or living here. Most security officials are too nervous to actually do anything about it individually, but they’ll call in backup.”
Well, that’s a little overboard. At least we’re being warned. “We’re not planning on staying. We’re trying to pick up some supplies and head out.”
She nods, then looks the way of my ship. It isn’t visible from here, but if she saw us she definitely saw the others on her equipment. “What kinds of medical supplies? Emergency?”
I shift. Yvonne still has her hand hooked around my side, pressed against me. I don’t want to be aggressive, but I also kinda want to shove her on her ass.
“Burn kit, more gauze, stuff of a similar nature.”
She raises an eyebrow, eyes flicking across both of us. Looking for burns, maybe.
“Not for us,” I amend, not that she necessarily needs to know.
“Running from the law?” she asks blandly.
No good lying if she can just look us up. “In a manner of speaking.”
She takes a long breath. “Suspected as much. I have medical supplies back at my place, more than I need at the moment. Bring your ship over that hill, my house is in a clearing on the other side.”
I stare at her, then glance at Yvonne as if she can help me interpret the situation. She glances up and shrugs.
“I’m not going to turn you in,” the woman says.
“Why not?”
She shrugs. “If you’re on the bounty charts, I don’t need money. If you’re dangerous, my gun is sitting over there, you both have yours and haven’t made a violent move. And evidently, one of you needs help.”
“Yeah, well, that’s all nice and sappy and everything but—”
Yvonne elbows me. “That would really be wonderful. Ignore him, he’s not used to people.”
I narrow my eyes at her before remembering I’m trying not to look too much like a threat. I’m gonna get her back for that remark.
The woman only looks amused, pointing to one of the forested hills behind her. “I’m over that hill, head that direction, it isn’t far.”
Picking up her rifle with the care of someone ensuring she doesn’t look threatening, she points to the mountain again and heads back into the greenery. Once her footsteps have entirely faded, I give Yvonne the shove I’ve been holding back. It doesn’t do much with her holding onto me. I don’t really have the heart to tell her to stop touching me.
“Be nice, cyborg,” she gives me a little shove in return, heading back to Bat now visibly perched on the deteriorating ship. “You’re the one who said maybe there was a private residence we could stop at instead of a hospital. We’ll fly over, and if anything looks suspicious, we’ll just leave.”
“Everything looks suspicious, princess,” I grumble, but she only snickers, trying to find the path we took down here in the first place.
Bat jumps to my shoulder. “Lalia’s talking my ear off wanting to know what’s going on.”
“Lady has a house nearby and offered some supplies, we’re apparently gonna try flying over.”
Yvonne gives me a look like I’m being impossible. She’s the one who decided to cuddle me so the woman wouldn’t think I was doing something creepy. I suppose she has nice enough hugs.
Bat fills Lalia in over the comm while we scramble back the way we came through the greenery. I’m not certain about this, glancing in the direction of the hill the woman pointed over. It isn’t a terrible idea on the surface—get some supplies and get out—but I’m jumpy after yesterday, even moreso than usual. I comfort myself a bit with the fact we’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’ll take any planet authorities a while to get here. On the other hand, she could be calling them right now and I wouldn’t know.
Seems a bit counterproductive to warn us about this planet only to tell the authorities. If she were planning something, this is a stupid way to go about it. Then again, being stupid has never stopped anyone.
“You look considerably stressed,” Yonne says as we make it back to the top of the ridge—my legs burn enough with the small climb I know my body isn’t happy with me. “Though I suppose you always do.”
“Yeah, I keep hearing this annoying, nagging sound.”
All my insults only seem to amuse her. Both she and Bat laugh and I force myself not to sulk—it’s no fun insulting her if she isn’t going to be insulted.
Lalia is leaning out the open airlock when we return, Anya sitting under the ship, braiding strands of long grass. She looks quite content with herself. Lalia looks about as exhausted as I do. Her clothes are dirty. Right. She lost all of them in her ship, Zane too. Zane’s too broad in the shoulders to wear anything of mine, but Lalia might be small enough her different body type might not matter. I’m not sure of a good place to stop and get them more things to wear. That lady who offered her help is going to be in for more surprises when she sees the rest of our little group, Bat included.
“Are we okay?” Lalia asks. She’s biting her nails, about as nervous in her eyes as I am.
“We seem to be. Lady didn’t seem too phased by me, warned us the authorities here don’t like my kind and offered to give us some of the supplies she has stocked up.”
“Why does she have stocked supplies?”
“Not sure. She does live in the middle of nowhere.”
Lalia stares at me.
I shrug. “Believe it or not, some people are loners.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t appear any more at ease. Can hardly blame her.
“We’ll just fly down and if anything looks suspicious we’ll leave. Even if nothing looks out of place, it won’t take too long. We can pay her if that’s what she’s after.”
She folds her arms and nods, giving Yvonne and Anya a hand back up into the ship. “Zane keeps trying to get up.”
I boost myself back inside, sealing the airlock.
Bat trots back to Zane before I get a chance to. From the bunk room, I hear, “Stay down, dumbass.”
Anya giggles. I pop my head around the edge of the bunk room door and give Zane the dirtiest glare possible. He flips me off, which looks considerably less impressive with him sprawled along my bed like a wet noodle, covered in blankets. The sight of him sobers me up. I’m glad I killed that cyborg. I hate killing both humans and my own kind, but I’m glad I shot it over and over, even if Lee had to step in and finish it off.
Should’ve done the same with Kel.
Bat is curled up beside him like a loaf of bread, not touching but much closer than he would’ve been a few weeks or even days ago. Zane seems to have the good sense not to reach out and try to pet him like Anya.
“We found someone who might have some supplies to heal you up faster, we’re going to check it out.”
“I heard.” His voice sounds about as bad as his injuries.
“Don’t die in the meantime.”
“I am entirely too pissed at the last forty-eight hours to die,” he mumbles.
Given his injuries, I expect him to pull through even if we don’t get out hands on more medical supplies, but he’ll heal faster and with less perminent damage if we get something more advanced than the basics I have. If it was me, I’d never stop for more supplies. But he’s human, even as tough as he is. I didn’t exactly expect to be taking care of a gaggle of humans for this long.
“Hold tight, we’re heading over there.”
Displaying the heat signatures on the control panel, I raise the ship gently and rise us over the nearest hill.
Yvonne’s not tall enough to crawl out the viewport on her own, at least not without struggle. I’m still more concerned with her skinned knees than perhaps I should be, but I ignore that line of thinking while I step onto the control panel and give her a boost out of the broken and mossy glass onto the ship’s roof.
Her hand stays on my shoulder until I boost myself out and she can’t hold on anymore.
The nosey woman on the ground blinks. Her eyebrows shoot up and her gaze stays firmly on me, but there’s no panic and no hostility. Well, maybe this’ll go fine. Maybe we can just leave without incident. Doesn’t hurt to hope.
When we finally crawl off the rocks, she asks, “What are you two doing out here?”
“Just passing by,” Yvonne says again, fiddling with the sleeves of my old jacket.
Her eyes flicker between the two of us. Bluntly, she asks, “You need help?”
Yvonne doesn’t seem to grasp what she’s asking, then blinks a few times. “Oh! Hah, no. Not from him.”
She ruffles my hair like I’m a puppy, and I hunch my shoulders without meaning to, barely managing not to shove her with the woman staring at us. The stranger’s expression stays a little strained until Yvonne puts her arm around my waist. What the hell is she doing? The woman’s expression clears, but I’m unsure what I’m supposed to do now. Maybe say something, but knowing me, I’ll make it worse. I avoid eye contact and the urge to pick Yvonne up by the arms like she’s a toddler and move her away from me. It’s not as if she hasn’t done this before, but this woman is staring. At least she doesn’t look remotely fazed by the sight.
“You both look like you could use some help,” the woman says as if she weren’t just trying to ask Yvonne whether or not she was being held against her will.
Yvonne gives a nervous laugh and pinches me a little. Right, I suppose I should say something.
“Do you know of any good places to stock up on medical equipment?” I ask, clearing my throat. “Not a big hospital. People get the wrong idea about me.”
The woman raises her eyebrows, then glances back at the ship, probably wondering about Bat. “There are a few, I could mark them out on your ship’s map if you’d like. Though I’ll tell you cyborgs aren’t really smiled on around here.”
I shrug. They aren’t smiled upon anywhere. “That’s fine. If you would show us, that would be great.”
She twists her mouth thoughtfully. “I mean it. The governor here actually outlawed any unregistered numbers landing or living here. Most security officials are too nervous to actually do anything about it individually, but they’ll call in backup.”
Well, that’s a little overboard. At least we’re being warned. “We’re not planning on staying. We’re trying to pick up some supplies and head out.”
She nods, then looks the way of my ship. It isn’t visible from here, but if she saw us she definitely saw the others on her equipment. “What kinds of medical supplies? Emergency?”
I shift. Yvonne still has her hand hooked around my side, pressed against me. I don’t want to be aggressive, but I also kinda want to shove her on her ass.
“Burn kit, more gauze, stuff of a similar nature.”
She raises an eyebrow, eyes flicking across both of us. Looking for burns, maybe.
“Not for us,” I amend, not that she necessarily needs to know.
“Running from the law?” she asks blandly.
No good lying if she can just look us up. “In a manner of speaking.”
She takes a long breath. “Suspected as much. I have medical supplies back at my place, more than I need at the moment. Bring your ship over that hill, my house is in a clearing on the other side.”
I stare at her, then glance at Yvonne as if she can help me interpret the situation. She glances up and shrugs.
“I’m not going to turn you in,” the woman says.
“Why not?”
She shrugs. “If you’re on the bounty charts, I don’t need money. If you’re dangerous, my gun is sitting over there, you both have yours and haven’t made a violent move. And evidently, one of you needs help.”
“Yeah, well, that’s all nice and sappy and everything but—”
Yvonne elbows me. “That would really be wonderful. Ignore him, he’s not used to people.”
I narrow my eyes at her before remembering I’m trying not to look too much like a threat. I’m gonna get her back for that remark.
The woman only looks amused, pointing to one of the forested hills behind her. “I’m over that hill, head that direction, it isn’t far.”
Picking up her rifle with the care of someone ensuring she doesn’t look threatening, she points to the mountain again and heads back into the greenery. Once her footsteps have entirely faded, I give Yvonne the shove I’ve been holding back. It doesn’t do much with her holding onto me. I don’t really have the heart to tell her to stop touching me.
“Be nice, cyborg,” she gives me a little shove in return, heading back to Bat now visibly perched on the deteriorating ship. “You’re the one who said maybe there was a private residence we could stop at instead of a hospital. We’ll fly over, and if anything looks suspicious, we’ll just leave.”
“Everything looks suspicious, princess,” I grumble, but she only snickers, trying to find the path we took down here in the first place.
Bat jumps to my shoulder. “Lalia’s talking my ear off wanting to know what’s going on.”
“Lady has a house nearby and offered some supplies, we’re apparently gonna try flying over.”
Yvonne gives me a look like I’m being impossible. She’s the one who decided to cuddle me so the woman wouldn’t think I was doing something creepy. I suppose she has nice enough hugs.
Bat fills Lalia in over the comm while we scramble back the way we came through the greenery. I’m not certain about this, glancing in the direction of the hill the woman pointed over. It isn’t a terrible idea on the surface—get some supplies and get out—but I’m jumpy after yesterday, even moreso than usual. I comfort myself a bit with the fact we’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’ll take any planet authorities a while to get here. On the other hand, she could be calling them right now and I wouldn’t know.
Seems a bit counterproductive to warn us about this planet only to tell the authorities. If she were planning something, this is a stupid way to go about it. Then again, being stupid has never stopped anyone.
“You look considerably stressed,” Yonne says as we make it back to the top of the ridge—my legs burn enough with the small climb I know my body isn’t happy with me. “Though I suppose you always do.”
“Yeah, I keep hearing this annoying, nagging sound.”
All my insults only seem to amuse her. Both she and Bat laugh and I force myself not to sulk—it’s no fun insulting her if she isn’t going to be insulted.
Lalia is leaning out the open airlock when we return, Anya sitting under the ship, braiding strands of long grass. She looks quite content with herself. Lalia looks about as exhausted as I do. Her clothes are dirty. Right. She lost all of them in her ship, Zane too. Zane’s too broad in the shoulders to wear anything of mine, but Lalia might be small enough her different body type might not matter. I’m not sure of a good place to stop and get them more things to wear. That lady who offered her help is going to be in for more surprises when she sees the rest of our little group, Bat included.
“Are we okay?” Lalia asks. She’s biting her nails, about as nervous in her eyes as I am.
“We seem to be. Lady didn’t seem too phased by me, warned us the authorities here don’t like my kind and offered to give us some of the supplies she has stocked up.”
“Why does she have stocked supplies?”
“Not sure. She does live in the middle of nowhere.”
Lalia stares at me.
I shrug. “Believe it or not, some people are loners.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t appear any more at ease. Can hardly blame her.
“We’ll just fly down and if anything looks suspicious we’ll leave. Even if nothing looks out of place, it won’t take too long. We can pay her if that’s what she’s after.”
She folds her arms and nods, giving Yvonne and Anya a hand back up into the ship. “Zane keeps trying to get up.”
I boost myself back inside, sealing the airlock.
Bat trots back to Zane before I get a chance to. From the bunk room, I hear, “Stay down, dumbass.”
Anya giggles. I pop my head around the edge of the bunk room door and give Zane the dirtiest glare possible. He flips me off, which looks considerably less impressive with him sprawled along my bed like a wet noodle, covered in blankets. The sight of him sobers me up. I’m glad I killed that cyborg. I hate killing both humans and my own kind, but I’m glad I shot it over and over, even if Lee had to step in and finish it off.
Should’ve done the same with Kel.
Bat is curled up beside him like a loaf of bread, not touching but much closer than he would’ve been a few weeks or even days ago. Zane seems to have the good sense not to reach out and try to pet him like Anya.
“We found someone who might have some supplies to heal you up faster, we’re going to check it out.”
“I heard.” His voice sounds about as bad as his injuries.
“Don’t die in the meantime.”
“I am entirely too pissed at the last forty-eight hours to die,” he mumbles.
Given his injuries, I expect him to pull through even if we don’t get out hands on more medical supplies, but he’ll heal faster and with less perminent damage if we get something more advanced than the basics I have. If it was me, I’d never stop for more supplies. But he’s human, even as tough as he is. I didn’t exactly expect to be taking care of a gaggle of humans for this long.
“Hold tight, we’re heading over there.”
Displaying the heat signatures on the control panel, I raise the ship gently and rise us over the nearest hill.
