For a moment, I half expect a cyborg to step out, but it’s just a man. Alone. Standing on the ramp out of the airlock, looking rather full of himself, hand in his pockets. Some of the dogs run up, wagging tails, but don’t try to go up the ramp.
At least he’s by himself. I’m not opposed to taking a single shot if things go to hell. I’d rather not, but this isn’t nearly such a deadly situation as back on Lee’s ship.
“How are things, Lex?” the man asks. He has the same unfamiliar accent.
Lex has stepped off the porch, arms folded, entire posture screaming annoyed though I can’t see her face from this angle.
“Same as it always is,” she says dryly.
There’s a pause, the official staring at her as if she expects her to say more. Is this the normal interaction? He isn’t looking around like he’s suspicious, and that ship of his has pretty small guns, but I don’t like the dead silence.
Finally, Lex says, “Do you want something?”
“Had any visitors here recently?”
“No.” She sounds entirely bored, but I can’t help my own nerves. I really don’t want another blow-up. “Why?”
“There’s been some crime on the nearby planets, we’re always a good hiding spot, just seeing if anything suspicious passed you by out here.”
Abraham looks at me. I glance over at him. I half expect him to look alarmed, though I don’t think the official is talking about us. Instead, the cyborg looks like he wants to laugh. We’re both criminals to a certain extent. I glance at Lalia, but she only looks amused as well. Anya is eyeballing me. I put my finger over my lips so she doesn’t think about talking.
“There’s always crime on the nearby planets,” Lex sighs, half sighing as she speaks. “My house is hard to find, no one ever stops here.”
The official must know all of this, but Lex seems comfortable if annoyed, so I try not to be too anxious about the situation.
If push comes to shove, we can just leave, I remind myself. It’s nice here, a peaceful place to stop, but that doesn’t mean anything. We should think about leaving anyway since Zane is stable enough to be sitting up and walking with help. Staying in any one place too long increases our chances of being caught, even if it seems doubtful Lex would cause us any trouble. I don’t exactly like the idea of landing on Zar with Zane still injured—that isn’t a place to go if you have an injured criminal with you—but there are other planets we can hop to. We’re not in a hurry, really, just trying to lay low.
The official steps down off the ramp, eyes flicking over the house, opening his mouth like he’s going to say something.
Lex says, “Myrk, I’m busy, if you’re just here to be nosey again I have things to do.”
“What kinds of things?”
I honestly can’t tell if he’s suspicious or likes her. I glance at Abraham, but he looks bored. I might have to ask one of the humans.
“Maintaining-my-large-property-by-myself things. Lots of chores.”
The man glances around. Is he suspicious for any particular reason, or is this the normal amount? It’s odd that he’s decided to pick on her simply because there’s a crashed Amerov ship in her vicinity. Especially for years. I watch him glance around. At least she won’t let him come in the house. The old robot might be suspicious, and there are signs of her having visitors inside.
“If you see anything out of the usual—”
“I know, call it in. Maybe by the time I’m 100, there will be something to call in.”
Oh, she’s so over his crap. Next to me, Yvonne giggles softly, hand over her mouth.
The man is still lingering. I wonder if this would bother Lex more if she were actually living alone. For some reason, I doubt it. She seems pretty handy with that rifle she was holding, at least perfectly comfortable with it, and something about her seems like the kind of woman to threaten anyone who’s asking for it.
When the man continues to stand at the top of the gangplank, Lex sighs, “Do you want something or can I get back to work?”
“You should just be careful. I mean it when I say there are a lot of…issues going on in neighboring space.”
I’d think him just a concerned guy if he didn’t look quite so self-important, chest puffed out, hands hooked in pockets. Maybe he’s nice and just looks too full of himself. I’m sure I look a lot meaner than I actually am. At least, I look a lot meaner than I’ve been the past few weeks, it seems. I glance at Anya, but she just blinks at me.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Lex says, not exactly friendlier, just even-toned. Even if he’s just trying to help, I’m sure I wouldn’t like to be babied in Lex’s position, especially when she’s definitely been dropping aggressive hints she doesn’t want or need him around.
Sighing, the man—Myrk—finally says. “Your neighbors saw you walking around in the trees with someone. You don’t have any visitors or anything?”
There’s enough of a pause my stomach twists. I glance at Abraham, who’s grimacing just as much. Someone spotted the two of them walking? How close are their nearest neighbors?
“You came out here because one of my nosey neighbors saw me walking in the trees with someone? Even if I were, can you explain to me how that’s any of your business?”
Myrk’s expression twitches visibly even from this distance. “They said the other person didn’t look human.”
“Excuse me?”
“They said they looked like they were part metal.”
Abraham’s expression darkens. There isn’t much of him that’s obviously metal. Someone must’ve seen him quite up close.
“Myrk,” Lex says, sounding fully angry now. “I don’t know what you or they are going on about, but I suggest you get off my property if you’re going to act like an ass.”
That probably did nothing to get rid of this man’s suspicion, but Lex plays righteously angry very well. She sounds the right amount of pissed off for if she were being unjustifiably accused.
Myrk doesn’t say anything but casts a final look around the property before heading back into his ship. Not even an apology. I watch the ship rise with a wave of heat along the grasses, heading lazily back over the mountains, not passing over the hills where we have our ship stashed. Though it wasn’t too terrible of a threat, I let out a long breath.
Abraham rolls his eyes, mutters something I don’t catch, and heads back out of the cellar. None of us move. Zane still has his forehead in his hand, looking pale and a little sweaty now that he’s had to exert even a small amount of energy. Yeah, I definitely don’t want him around Zar. Even if he were to stay in the ship—and I don’t believe he’d listen to me—I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
I’m getting more paranoid. I recognize a good bit of it is not knowing what I’ll do if I’d have to come back to the ship while he’s hurt and tell him we’re not related, that all this was one big mistake. Maybe it’s cowardly, but I don’t want him barely able to sit up for a few hours if I have to tell them something like that.
“I don’t think we should go to Zar until Zane is better,” I say, taking a seat beside him.
“Sounds like a terrible idea,” Bat agrees, nudging Zane’s arm with his nose, which is about as much contact I’ve ever seen him willingly make with one of the humans.
“Why?” Anya asks.
“It’s lawless, chaotic, the humans are dangerous, the cyborgs even more so, and I know if I park there Zane’s going to try to tag along regardless of his inability to walk upright for any length of time.”
Zane scowls at me.
“You know I’m right,” I tell him.
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” he mumbles, closing his eyes.
Yeah, he’s definitely in no position to go to Zar.
“So we’re just staying here?” Yvonne asks.
I shrug. “I guess we could… Though any more than a few days and I’ll get nervous. I don’t like that official being suspicious of Lex to begin with.”
“We could go to Hytha,” Zane says.
He’s looking at me from the corner of his eye. Last time he brought it up, he’d been cheerful and pretty understanding of me not wanting to go. I still think he understands, but he looks exhausted, just staring at me like he doesn’t know what else to say, and it’s harder to outright say the idea is a bad one.
Hadn’t I been thinking about it just yesterday?
“What’s that?” Anya asks.
“Their home planet,” I say. “Mine too, technically. Though there’s a bit of debate on where on the planet I came from.”
Anya looks confused. I’m not sure she knows all the details of what’s going on here, but I know she knows the siblings think I’m theirs, and that we’re getting my DNA tested on Zar because I don’t remember any of it. I don’t want to explain anything more, not right now.
“Do you think there are people on Hytha who will test your DNA without reporting you?” Lalia asks.
“I have no idea. But that’s a populated planet, and I don’t have any contacts there. I haven’t even been back. Zar pretty much has a criminal on every corner who wants as little to do with Amerov or Clock as we do.”
“We could just get it tested on Hytha then take off,” Yvonne says, smiling a little. “That would only report to Captain that you’re there, not that you’re staying there. Would probably piss him off.”
After the other day, I’d think she’d be off the idea of enjoying annoying Captain. Though I suppose she’s afraid of ForceZero, not Captain. And she’s in a lot less danger from those cyborgs than I am—they can’t just shoot her in the face like they can with me. My temple throbs.
“No,” Lalia mutters. “I don’t think we should bring Captain right to the doorstep of our parents. Right now, they’re not affiliated with our crimes. If Captain finds out we land there, he might arrest them just because he’s angry.”
Yvonne grimaces. “Right, didn’t even think of that.”
“We could just land there, though,” Zane says. “Our house is pretty secluded, not close to any cities, kinda like this one. No one bothers us out there.”
“Zane, I already told you why I think this is a bad idea,” I tell him, though much gentler than before. His face is drawn, sad, and I don’t want to make it worse. But I don’t think visiting their parents without concrete proof is gonna improve any of this.
“I know,” he says. “And I know you think it’s a bad idea, but I think you’ll remember if we go home.”
He isn’t usually this stubborn or this illogical about…well, anything. I’m sure a great deal of it is being injured. I know humans get a little funny in their emotions when they’re badly hurt. Really, I’m sure I do as well, but I haven’t gotten taken out as hard as Zane has, at least not since I was a kid.
Lalia isn’t saying anything, not backing me up that it’s a bad idea, but at least not agreeing with her brother. Even the idea of meeting their parents—who might be mine—makes me want to throw up.
“Look, we’ll think about it, alright?” I ask. “There’s no harm in staying here an extra day or two. We’ll think about it, try to look at it with a level head.”
Zane nods once, eyes downcast to the dirt-packed floor. I know I’m not the one being illogical about this, it feels like I’m the only one trying to make this as painless as possible, but I can’t help but feel as if I’m letting both of them down.
For a moment, I half expect a cyborg to step out, but it’s just a man. Alone. Standing on the ramp out of the airlock, looking rather full of himself, hand in his pockets. Some of the dogs run up, wagging tails, but don’t try to go up the ramp.
At least he’s by himself. I’m not opposed to taking a single shot if things go to hell. I’d rather not, but this isn’t nearly such a deadly situation as back on Lee’s ship.
“How are things, Lex?” the man asks. He has the same unfamiliar accent.
Lex has stepped off the porch, arms folded, entire posture screaming annoyed though I can’t see her face from this angle.
“Same as it always is,” she says dryly.
There’s a pause, the official staring at her as if she expects her to say more. Is this the normal interaction? He isn’t looking around like he’s suspicious, and that ship of his has pretty small guns, but I don’t like the dead silence.
Finally, Lex says, “Do you want something?”
“Had any visitors here recently?”
“No.” She sounds entirely bored, but I can’t help my own nerves. I really don’t want another blow-up. “Why?”
“There’s been some crime on the nearby planets, we’re always a good hiding spot, just seeing if anything suspicious passed you by out here.”
Abraham looks at me. I glance over at him. I half expect him to look alarmed, though I don’t think the official is talking about us. Instead, the cyborg looks like he wants to laugh. We’re both criminals to a certain extent. I glance at Lalia, but she only looks amused as well. Anya is eyeballing me. I put my finger over my lips so she doesn’t think about talking.
“There’s always crime on the nearby planets,” Lex sighs, half sighing as she speaks. “My house is hard to find, no one ever stops here.”
The official must know all of this, but Lex seems comfortable if annoyed, so I try not to be too anxious about the situation.
If push comes to shove, we can just leave, I remind myself. It’s nice here, a peaceful place to stop, but that doesn’t mean anything. We should think about leaving anyway since Zane is stable enough to be sitting up and walking with help. Staying in any one place too long increases our chances of being caught, even if it seems doubtful Lex would cause us any trouble. I don’t exactly like the idea of landing on Zar with Zane still injured—that isn’t a place to go if you have an injured criminal with you—but there are other planets we can hop to. We’re not in a hurry, really, just trying to lay low.
The official steps down off the ramp, eyes flicking over the house, opening his mouth like he’s going to say something.
Lex says, “Myrk, I’m busy, if you’re just here to be nosey again I have things to do.”
“What kinds of things?”
I honestly can’t tell if he’s suspicious or likes her. I glance at Abraham, but he looks bored. I might have to ask one of the humans.
“Maintaining-my-large-property-by-myself things. Lots of chores.”
The man glances around. Is he suspicious for any particular reason, or is this the normal amount? It’s odd that he’s decided to pick on her simply because there’s a crashed Amerov ship in her vicinity. Especially for years. I watch him glance around. At least she won’t let him come in the house. The old robot might be suspicious, and there are signs of her having visitors inside.
“If you see anything out of the usual—”
“I know, call it in. Maybe by the time I’m 100, there will be something to call in.”
Oh, she’s so over his crap. Next to me, Yvonne giggles softly, hand over her mouth.
The man is still lingering. I wonder if this would bother Lex more if she were actually living alone. For some reason, I doubt it. She seems pretty handy with that rifle she was holding, at least perfectly comfortable with it, and something about her seems like the kind of woman to threaten anyone who’s asking for it.
When the man continues to stand at the top of the gangplank, Lex sighs, “Do you want something or can I get back to work?”
“You should just be careful. I mean it when I say there are a lot of…issues going on in neighboring space.”
I’d think him just a concerned guy if he didn’t look quite so self-important, chest puffed out, hands hooked in pockets. Maybe he’s nice and just looks too full of himself. I’m sure I look a lot meaner than I actually am. At least, I look a lot meaner than I’ve been the past few weeks, it seems. I glance at Anya, but she just blinks at me.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Lex says, not exactly friendlier, just even-toned. Even if he’s just trying to help, I’m sure I wouldn’t like to be babied in Lex’s position, especially when she’s definitely been dropping aggressive hints she doesn’t want or need him around.
Sighing, the man—Myrk—finally says. “Your neighbors saw you walking around in the trees with someone. You don’t have any visitors or anything?”
There’s enough of a pause my stomach twists. I glance at Abraham, who’s grimacing just as much. Someone spotted the two of them walking? How close are their nearest neighbors?
“You came out here because one of my nosey neighbors saw me walking in the trees with someone? Even if I were, can you explain to me how that’s any of your business?”
Myrk’s expression twitches visibly even from this distance. “They said the other person didn’t look human.”
“Excuse me?”
“They said they looked like they were part metal.”
Abraham’s expression darkens. There isn’t much of him that’s obviously metal. Someone must’ve seen him quite up close.
“Myrk,” Lex says, sounding fully angry now. “I don’t know what you or they are going on about, but I suggest you get off my property if you’re going to act like an ass.”
That probably did nothing to get rid of this man’s suspicion, but Lex plays righteously angry very well. She sounds the right amount of pissed off for if she were being unjustifiably accused.
Myrk doesn’t say anything but casts a final look around the property before heading back into his ship. Not even an apology. I watch the ship rise with a wave of heat along the grasses, heading lazily back over the mountains, not passing over the hills where we have our ship stashed. Though it wasn’t too terrible of a threat, I let out a long breath.
Abraham rolls his eyes, mutters something I don’t catch, and heads back out of the cellar. None of us move. Zane still has his forehead in his hand, looking pale and a little sweaty now that he’s had to exert even a small amount of energy. Yeah, I definitely don’t want him around Zar. Even if he were to stay in the ship—and I don’t believe he’d listen to me—I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
I’m getting more paranoid. I recognize a good bit of it is not knowing what I’ll do if I’d have to come back to the ship while he’s hurt and tell him we’re not related, that all this was one big mistake. Maybe it’s cowardly, but I don’t want him barely able to sit up for a few hours if I have to tell them something like that.
“I don’t think we should go to Zar until Zane is better,” I say, taking a seat beside him.
“Sounds like a terrible idea,” Bat agrees, nudging Zane’s arm with his nose, which is about as much contact I’ve ever seen him willingly make with one of the humans.
“Why?” Anya asks.
“It’s lawless, chaotic, the humans are dangerous, the cyborgs even more so, and I know if I park there Zane’s going to try to tag along regardless of his inability to walk upright for any length of time.”
Zane scowls at me.
“You know I’m right,” I tell him.
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” he mumbles, closing his eyes.
Yeah, he’s definitely in no position to go to Zar.
“So we’re just staying here?” Yvonne asks.
I shrug. “I guess we could… Though any more than a few days and I’ll get nervous. I don’t like that official being suspicious of Lex to begin with.”
“We could go to Hytha,” Zane says.
He’s looking at me from the corner of his eye. Last time he brought it up, he’d been cheerful and pretty understanding of me not wanting to go. I still think he understands, but he looks exhausted, just staring at me like he doesn’t know what else to say, and it’s harder to outright say the idea is a bad one.
Hadn’t I been thinking about it just yesterday?
“What’s that?” Anya asks.
“Their home planet,” I say. “Mine too, technically. Though there’s a bit of debate on where on the planet I came from.”
Anya looks confused. I’m not sure she knows all the details of what’s going on here, but I know she knows the siblings think I’m theirs, and that we’re getting my DNA tested on Zar because I don’t remember any of it. I don’t want to explain anything more, not right now.
“Do you think there are people on Hytha who will test your DNA without reporting you?” Lalia asks.
“I have no idea. But that’s a populated planet, and I don’t have any contacts there. I haven’t even been back. Zar pretty much has a criminal on every corner who wants as little to do with Amerov or Clock as we do.”
“We could just get it tested on Hytha then take off,” Yvonne says, smiling a little. “That would only report to Captain that you’re there, not that you’re staying there. Would probably piss him off.”
After the other day, I’d think she’d be off the idea of enjoying annoying Captain. Though I suppose she’s afraid of ForceZero, not Captain. And she’s in a lot less danger from those cyborgs than I am—they can’t just shoot her in the face like they can with me. My temple throbs.
“No,” Lalia mutters. “I don’t think we should bring Captain right to the doorstep of our parents. Right now, they’re not affiliated with our crimes. If Captain finds out we land there, he might arrest them just because he’s angry.”
Yvonne grimaces. “Right, didn’t even think of that.”
“We could just land there, though,” Zane says. “Our house is pretty secluded, not close to any cities, kinda like this one. No one bothers us out there.”
“Zane, I already told you why I think this is a bad idea,” I tell him, though much gentler than before. His face is drawn, sad, and I don’t want to make it worse. But I don’t think visiting their parents without concrete proof is gonna improve any of this.
“I know,” he says. “And I know you think it’s a bad idea, but I think you’ll remember if we go home.”
He isn’t usually this stubborn or this illogical about…well, anything. I’m sure a great deal of it is being injured. I know humans get a little funny in their emotions when they’re badly hurt. Really, I’m sure I do as well, but I haven’t gotten taken out as hard as Zane has, at least not since I was a kid.
Lalia isn’t saying anything, not backing me up that it’s a bad idea, but at least not agreeing with her brother. Even the idea of meeting their parents—who might be mine—makes me want to throw up.
“Look, we’ll think about it, alright?” I ask. “There’s no harm in staying here an extra day or two. We’ll think about it, try to look at it with a level head.”
Zane nods once, eyes downcast to the dirt-packed floor. I know I’m not the one being illogical about this, it feels like I’m the only one trying to make this as painless as possible, but I can’t help but feel as if I’m letting both of them down.
