by Michael Todd
Hearing the word “plant” made the bear snarl and show its teeth. Billie stopped for a moment and then continued, moving her foot forward a few inches at a time. She knew that there was no way around it if the bear attacked. The least she could do was try to get to the Pitas and show it she meant no harm to the plants themselves. She wasn’t sure if the animals were intelligent enough to understand, but she wasn’t going to underestimate them again.
The bear’s heads made low growling noises as she continued to inch closer to the plants. They didn’t flinch, though, they just turned with her as she moved. Everything in Billie wanted to hurry, but she knew any sudden moves might set it off, and that was the last thing that she wanted. She was so close to her destination she could literally smell it. As she reached the edge of the flowering plants, she put up her hand and slowly got down on one knee.
She held up the bag to the bear, and it sniffed the air without getting any closer. The head on the right snorted and looked uninterested while the one on the left kept its golden eyes directly trained on her. Slowly she lowered her hand to a flower and looked at the bear, lifting her eyebrows. The bear snarled and stepped forward, so she pulled her hand back.
She looked up at the canopy, noticing that the stars were getting harder to see. Daybreak would be coming soon. She needed to get out of there before anyone found her. “I’m just taking the petals. I promise, just the petals.”
She reached back down and plucked a petal gently, putting it in the bag. The bear narrowed its eyes, but took a step back and sat down. It puffed out its chest and Billie let out a deep breath, nodding her head. “That’s right, just the petals, and then I leave the Zoo.”
The bear sat there watching every petal she plucked. It kept its eyes trained on her hands, waiting for any sign that she was going to try to pull a plant. Billie wasn’t going to lie; the thought had crossed her mind before she had entered the Zoo. Having a plant would solve the whole problem—provide the petals for the salve and the plant for the main cure. With the bear watching with his two heads, she knew there was no way she was getting out of the Zoo with an intact plant. She would have to make do with the petals and hope that Holly would be able to use what she plucked.
Billie was no expert on Pita plants. She had never actually gone into the Zoo for one. But she did her best, remembering watching the mercenaries in the past gently pull the petals, trying not to bruise them. She looked down at her bags and sighed, seeing that she was only halfway through. She needed to pick up the pace.
Putting the bag down, she started using both hands. The bear sniffed, about to stand, but relaxed as he watched her work. Billie found it strange that the beast had no problem with her plucking the petals of the plant. It was like their god, the thing that made all their lives possible, but he was okay with her taking its flowers. It made her think there was a reason—or maybe the bear just didn’t want another fight. She didn’t know, nor did she care all that much.
Finally, she finished filling the last of the bags. She carefully sealed them and put them in the pouch on her waist, then slowly stood up, putting her gun on her back and nodding at the bear. Billie walked slowly past it and over to the dead one on the ground. The bear watched as she took a knee and crossed herself.
She wanted to show it respect, so she recited the only prayer she knew—one from her youth in Catholic School. “Into your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but the fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.”
She crossed herself again and looked at the other bear, which was watching her with more curiosity than malice. Billie slowly stood up and grabbed her HUD, carrying it at her side instead of putting it back on. She walked to the veil of vines she had initially come through and stopped, looking back at the bear. They made eye contact, and Billie would swear, just for a moment, that she could see intelligence in its eyes.
Her feet carried her forward even though her eyes were glued to the bear. She stepped through the veil of vines, which woke and began to shrink upwards from the confusion. The bear watched her leave, and Billie could feel its eyes as she headed out of the Zoo. The beast stood on all fours and walked over to the dead creature on the ground. It lowered its heads down and sniffed the body, and then the ground where Billie had knelt.
Slowly the bear picked up its heads and looked through the jungle at Billie, who was weaving through the trees.
Chapter Nine
Amanda walked the half-block to her shop, twirling the keys around her finger. She whistled to herself as she went, looking at the bright sky overhead. It was a beautiful day, and the wind had finally died down. When she reached the door, she put the key in and turned, hearing the lock click. She opened it and turned on the light, putting her things down behind the counter.
Yawning, she went to unlock the shop door, but it opened as soon as she touched the doorknob. She stopped for a moment, thinking about the night before. She always locked that door, but at the same time, she had been in a hurry to go have a drink with a hot Hispanic man from the American side. She shrugged and walked inside, still whistling as she walked across to the lights. As she approached, she slowed her steps, looking around in the dark.
The smell of dirt and soil permeated the air, and the stench of dried blood pierced her nostrils. She slid her hand down and gripped a wrench on the table beside her. Reaching up, she flipped on the lights and whirled around, bringing the tool up in front of her. She stopped, frozen in her place for several moments. All sorts of things had been running through her mind, but what she was seeing was not any of them.
She slowly lowered her tool, whispering under her breath. “El fantasma del zoológico.”
Leaning against a table was Hickok, looking somewhat worse for wear. Chuckling, Billie shifted, knocking her HUD to the floor. “The ghost of the Zoo. I heard they call me that, but I hadn’t actually heard it from anyone.”
Her armor clanked and sparked on her body, lights flickering red and yellow on the control panel on the front. The armor had been torn back, and wires stuck out. Some were slashed, while others sat quietly in their stations, not connected. A small plume of smoke came from the section of her shoulder where the whole suit armor had been ripped off.
Billie grunted as she straightened. “I heard you were the best armorer in the business, or in town at least. I saw you had a drop-off, but this armor isn’t something I could just leave here without an explanation.”
Amanda swallowed hard and looked over to the door, then hurried across and shut and locked it. Turning back, she put the wrench down and walked over to Billie, staring in bewilderment. “I have heard many stories of the ghost of the Zoo, but I thought they were all bullshit.”
Billie lifted her arm and then let it fall. “Seems not, though this time I got pretty banged up, not going to lie.”
Amanda crossed her arms. “So you are Wild Bill Hickok. That’s crazy. And before you say it, I assume you don’t want anyone to know you’re here.”
Billie smiled. “That would be nice. Thanks.”
Amanda took a deep breath, raising her shoulders and letting them fall. She began to circle Hickok, looking at her armor, then whistled loudly. “What the fuck did you get into a battle with?”
Billie chuckled. “Some sort of large furry animal with two heads.”
Amanda nodded, smacking her lips. “A duo bear, or so they’ve nicknamed them. I’ve never seen anyone come out alive after battling one of those.”
Billie nodded. “Well, there were two, but I only battled one. The other let me do my business and leave.”
Amanda circled back around to her front narrowed her eyes. “Are you serious? It just let you leave?”
Billie shrugged. “Maybe it’s just my lucky day.”
Amanda pointed at her gash. “Not too lucky.”
Billie looked at the suit. “So what do you think? Can you fix me up?”
Amanda lifted both eyebrows, examining the claw marks down the side of the suit among the rest of the terrible damage. She picked up the HUD and looked down at it. “This is some seriously advanced shit.” She ran her hand down the claw marks. “I am guessing you were never here, and I’ve never seen this? Because to be honest, I never have seen this kind of armor before. I don’t think there is a single person in this town, military included, who has gear like this. It looks custom-made, and some of the parts I’ve never seen before. ”
Billie chuckled, nodding. “Let’s just say we would both be in a bad place if anyone found out about this. This is the perfect time to really take me being a ghost seriously. I am not here, even when you are facing me and talking to me. If you’ve heard the stories, most likely what you have heard is true, especially the older ones. They usually hit the nail right on the head. In and out, covert, no ties—that’s me.”
Amanda crossed her arms over her chest. “But why? Why not get your team to fix it? I mean, you work on your own, but there is no way you don’t have a team of people behind this suit.”
Billie shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Amanda lifted an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. “Look, you landed in my shop. I am all about keeping secrets, but I won’t do anything for someone who keeps me in the dark. I like to be in the know for my own protection. I’ve worked on covert suits before, and it never turned out well. There was either a problem with the wearer or a problem with the pay. The pay is one thing, but my safety is a whole other level. And I can tell you right now, there is no other fixer in this town who will keep your secret.”
Billie sighed and put up her hand. “All right, I get it. I don’t get caught very often between a rock and a hard place, but today would be that day, I guess. The truth is, I’m not supposed to be here, exactly. This operation is off the non-existent books. If I go back, I won’t be coming back with this armor. I am here to help a friend who did me a favor many moons ago. When I am done, I’ll be gone, but I am going to need this suit again before that happens.”
Amanda stared at her for a moment and pursed her lips. “Do you have anyone who can vouch for you?”
Billie thought about it for a second and then pointed at the ceiling. “Your tenant, Holly. She knows I’m here, and she knows why. But no one else can know. This is important; otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
Amanda took a deep breath. “No shit. This is probably one of the weirdest things that has happened to me since I got here. And I used to go into the Zoo, if that tells you anything about the mundane nature of my life.”
Billie laughed. “I’m starting to like the idea of mundane.”
Amanda snickered. “I don’t blame you.”
The armorer took a deep breath and examined Billie’s suit from top to bottom. “There’s only one group I know who works with this stuff. They are the only ones I know I can trust…”
Hickok groaned as she pulled herself into a semi-sitting position in the bed. She tried to keep all wounds off the linens since she knew Holly might have an aneurysm. She had left her suit with Amanda and made her way up to the apartment, Amanda opening the door for her this time. She didn’t have it in her to go through her magic routine.
Carefully she took a shower, trying to rinse her wounds as well as possible without passing out from the pain. She had been injured numerous times in combat situations, but she always had somewhere to go to get taken care of. One time she hadn’t, but that was exactly why she was there—to pay JB back for him and Gabrielle saving her life. That was the one time she knew that without help, she would not have survived.
The jingle of keys caught Billie’s attention, and she tried to sit up straight in the bed as Holly walked through the door. She glanced at Billie and shut the door behind her, tossing the keys on the table. “I guess I need to get her a key,” she mumbled to herself.
Putting down her bag, Holly sighed and walked over to the bed, really looking at Billie for the first time since she had walked in. “Holy shit!”
Billie blinked and grinned at her. “Yeah, things didn’t go as smoothly as I thought they would.”
Holly looked down Billie’s body, noticing the startling bruises at first and then the gaping gashes on her shoulder. They weren’t bleeding anymore, but they looked bad. Holly raced into the bathroom, looking at the blood in her shower and on the floor.
Billie yelled from the bed, grimacing, “I’m sorry. I promise that as soon as I can move my arm, I will clean the hell out of your bathroom.”
Holly came around the corner with a first aid kit and shrugged. “It’s not like you had a party. You were wounded and bled in the bathroom. Don’t have to apologize for that. Jesus.”
Billie looked at Holly as she pulled out gauze and other things. “Really, all of this isn’t necessary. It’s just a flesh wound; it’ll be fine. I just need to rest and let it heal.”
Holly lifted an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I can see bone. That needs to be sewn up and bandaged so you don’t get an infection.”
Billie nodded toward the fridge. “We have other sick people, someone sicker than me, to worry about. I put the five bags of petals in the fridge. I can’t promise they aren’t bruised since I was under a bit of pressure while I was picking, but they were healthy plants and there seems to be a lot of goop.”
Holly looked at the fridge and back at Billie. “They can wait a little longer. Seriously, what did this to you?”
Billie sighed. “Apparently it is called a duo bear. It has two heads, and there were two of them. One I killed, the other I bargained with.”
Holly poured peroxide on a square of gauze. “You bargained with it?”
Billie nodded. “Well, kind of. I promised not to take the whole plant and told it I didn’t want to kill it, so it watched me pick the petals and let me go.”
Holly shook her head, pressing the gauze to the wound and ignoring Billie’s gasps of pain. “You can’t do anything without it being legendary, can you?”
Billie chuckled through the pain. “Nope. What would be the point of that?”
Holly smiled and pulled out a suture. “I don’t have any pain meds, so...yeah.”
Billie took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the headboard. “I’ve had worse. Just do it and get it over with.”
Holly was impressed by how Billie handled the pain. She moved as fast as she could, not going too deep with the needle, but deep enough to ensure she would keep the sutures in. Billie had closed her eyes and gone into a meditation of sorts, trying to block out the excruciating pain.
Holly finished the last stitch and tied the knot, dropping the needle with her rubber gloves into the box to throw away. “There. You can’t fight duo bears with those stitches, but you should be able to lift a glass. I covered it with gauze and cream to prevent infection, but it needs to be changed at least once a day.”
Billie nodded. “Thanks, Doc.”
Holly groaned as she got up from the bed and disposed of everything before thoroughly washing her hands. She went over to the fridge and pulled out the bags of petals. She yawned, putting her hand on the edge of the counter to hold herself up.
Billie chuckled. “Was it busy at the bar?”
Holly looked back at her, rolling her eyes. “Oh, yeah, and it got busier after that group of mercs you helped came back with stories of the ghost in the Zoo. You apparently killed a whole bunch of crocs? With a dagger?”
Billie laughed. “Yeah, that was me. Had I known I would be fighting a hell-bear later, I would have saved my energy. But hey, it is what it is. They needed the help, so I helped.”
Holly piled up the bags and put them back in the fridge, realizing that she was just too exhausted from her shift at the bar to even think about working with them. Billie had paid a high price for them, so she
didn’t want to screw it up. “I am going to need some sleep before working on the salve.”
Billie nodded. “How is JB?”
Holly laughed as she went over to the dresser and pulled out her pajamas. “He was fidgety and grumpy. Then, when he was finally able to get up out of the chair, he paced around the bar, just staring people down.”
Billie leaned her head back and laughed. “That sounds like him. He never liked idle time.”
She changed right there, not wanting to go back into the bloody bathroom. Holly pulled on the polar bear fleece pants. “Well, he was driving me and Paula nuts by clinking around and staring at us. After about four hours of that, he came back and told me to go the fuck home. He wanted to work a shift, so I will go back tomorrow to relieve him so he can go home and get some sleep. The man is like a fucking vampire, only without healing abilities.”
Billie shook her head. “I mean, I can’t blame him. I’m the same way. I’ve always had something to do. Another mission to go on, another hideout to get to. I have never been very good at just resting.”
Holly waved her hand. “Move your broken ass over. I need to lie down.”
Billie groaned as she moved over in the bed and pushed the covers out from under her. Holly paused as she folded back her side and fluffed her pillow. “Are those my clothes?”
Billie looked down at her t-shirt and sleep shorts. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I needed something light to put on when I took my suit off. I should have asked first, but you weren’t here.”
Holly shrugged and climbed into bed with a loud yawn. “I don’t have the energy to care. Not that I do. Use whatever you need. I am just going to take a short…nap…”
Before she could get the sentence out, Holly was fast asleep. Billie smirked and rolled her shoulders, looking out the window as the sun was going down. She hadn’t ever been there long enough to notice that the town was real and the people in it were actually pretty cool. Then again, she had never been anywhere long enough to notice anything like that. She was a drifter, a ghost in the night, a spirit among the living. She had always assumed that was what she would be for the rest of her life.
