The Aethernet Falls

Chapter 15 - Fight - Part 2

Boros awoke to Clarissa’s smiling face. For a brief moment the corners of his own mouth turned up, then she thrust a vitamin slurry pouch into his stomach. He sat up abruptly, not entirely sure of the time, but it was bright and coughed. He climbed of the hard sofa, slurry in hand and followed his sister to the atrium.

He sipped at the pouch on the way, still slightly groggy. Clarissa outpaced him and reached the Atrium before he was halfway through the corridor. When he finished sucking on the flavourless slurry he tossed the foil pouch into one of the doorless office spaces and carried on. He felt a tinge of guilt for it, but dismissed it quickly. The apocalypse was not the time to be worrying about such things and the observatory was a dump anyway.

He could hear Clarissa and Greco talking about something beyond the door to the Atrium, but his mind couldn’t quite figure out what it was they were talking about. He felt stretched and temporary, though he didn’t belong here. Like he should be somewhere else doing something else. He assumed the others felt the same.

When he opened the door he learned two things, Clarissa had become extremely comfortable hauling around the assault rifles they had appropriated from the team of men that had burst in on them earlier. And she and Greco were arguing.

“We need to cover that door so no one gets in.” She was now shouting, centimeters from the politician’s stubble dappled face.

“Like hell we do,” He managed to keep an even tone in spite of her, “Just how long do you plan on staying here. I say we leave now.”

Boros moved towards them. “We’re here until I find out what I need.”

“Exactly.” Clarissa chimed in, backing off slightly.

“Here we go again.” Boros could see the other man getting flustered, almost like he was worried about something, like he wasn’t telling them everything and it was weighing on him. “I knew I should have left while you two slept. Big man here with his hero complex and his little sister who, we can all see, is about to crash hard from some sort of,” He took a pause to think over his choice of words, “Indulgence.” It all came out with a sneer.

But Boros, for whatever reason, could see past it.

Clarissa raised her rifle at the man. He was likely still carrying the chromed, pocket pistol he had used the day before, but wouldn’t be able to get to it in time if Clarissa felt inclined to simply squeeze the trigger and send a burst of hot fire at the man.

Boros stepped between them, “Just yesterday you were the voice of reason, Sasa. And you, Greco, you slimy piece of s**t. Every time I think I’ve been wrong about you, you go and prove me wrong.” He wasn’t exactly shouting, but he was loud. Louder than he thought he could have been with his mind feeling like static.

“We saved your life!” His sister shouted for him. “And you want to repay us by trying to jump ship the first chance you get.” She lowered the rifle and spat. Boros had never seen his sister like that. He didn’t know she even had it in her. Maybe everything was getting to her worse than he thought.

“Corporal Harding is going to kill me!” Greco shouted. No sooner than he finished, the unpaved parking area outside crackled under tires, loud enough to be heard from deep inside the observatory.

Everyone stopped abruptly and dropped low. In the sudden stillness, a sound almost like purring came to an abrupt halt.

“See.” Greco whispered, crouching behind a work station and grabbing one of the rifles.

“We have to go now.” Boros said rushing for the third rifle that was stashed near the terminal he had salvaged.

Clarissa only glared at Greco, an unspoken question hanging between them, but neither chose to acknowledge it.

The door swung open and something arched its way through, clattering on the floor. A moment later the room was filled with white light and an impossibly loud bang. Then came the smaller pops of gunshots spraying over the room in tight, controlled bursts.