by Rohan Healy
A tired smile spread across Miles’ face, he hadn’t felt this satisfied at a job well done for at least five years. He chuckled to himself at the irony, in the place that people are sent to suffer and die Miles felt more fulfilled and alive than he had for many years on Carthage. Since meeting the likes of Adara, Galand, Adam and Miriam, Miles’ opinion of Gyaros had begun to shift. Although he still yearned deeply to be with his wife and son, to sleep in his own bed, to see the warm and familiar faces of his old friends Clark and Candice, he acknowledged that he had developed an affection for many of the characters on Gyaros. These were not the blood thirsty monsters he’d read about on Carthage, these were ordinary human beings simply doing what they had to in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. Gyaros had its share of nasty characters, Miles knew that better than anyone, but it was not the hell he was lead to believe it was. There was great kindness and laughter amongst the pain and suffering.
Miles made a solemn pledge as he walked back to Adam’s house that day; ‘When I get back to Carthage I won’t take a single thing for granted. I won’t let my life simply waste away and I won’t make a fuss over insignificant things.’
Miles had learned a lot about people since arriving on Gyaros, namely that there are two distinct types. Those who rise to meet the challenges of what the moon presents, determined to keep their humanity intact and those who lose their soul, get swept under and become just another part of the death and destruction. Miles was so close to being dragged beneath the waves of inhumanity but Lucy changed all that, she gave him a second chance. A second chance that Miles promised himself he would not waste.
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Chapter 22
They arrived back at the house at 20:45 to be greeted by Miriam and Lucy who were both relieved that they had all made it back alive and that the Wilhelm station had been successfully repaired. After much needed showers and tending to the various cuts and bruises acquired during the excursion, the rest of the night was spent relaxing in the living room with a few drinks and recalling the events of the day.
“So then this little one flew up and grabbed onto my arm!” Maxen explained animatedly as Lucy listened closely with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape in excitement.
“I slammed it into the side of the elevator shaft, BAM!” Maxen swung his mechanical arm around, re-enacting the scene as he told the story, “the bastard put up a fight but I wasn't gonna let some skinny ass bird get the better of me, so I held it against the wall like this 'til it choked out and fell all the way to the bottom!”
“That's awesome!” Lucy said, jumping up and down on the sofa, “what happened after that?”
Maxen went on to tell the rest of the tale as the hours grew later and the collection of empty beer bottles on the table grew more numerous.
“Well,” said Adam clapping his hands and rubbing them together after a long night of storytelling, “I think it's about time we all got a little sleep.” He stood up out of the soft armchair where he had been sitting and yawned.
“I really can't thank you boys enough for repairin' that station today. I'll start work on Lucy's arm first thing tomorrow.”
“Fixing Lucy's arm is more than enough Adam. It feels good to have been able to help get the station back up and running for you and Miriam. Must have been a nightmare living under that!” said Miles as he also stood up.
“Yeah, we should be payin' you! That was fun, right Miles?” Maxen said with a laugh, slapping Miles on the back.
“Well...” Miles was completely drained from the terrifying ordeal but looking back, he was glad that he got to experience it, travelling through a rich, green jungle, battling huge flying creatures, standing at the peak of a Wilhelm station, parachuting back down into the valley. Back on Carthage, adventures like that only existed in eStories or visor vision shows. That night, Miles fell asleep almost instantly on the sofa and didn't wake until morning.
The next day, Miles opened his eyes to the Powell’s living room which was illuminated by the artificial daylight from the repaired tower seeping through the blinds. He was so stiff that he could barely move but he managed to climb out of the makeshift bed. Lucy was apparently already up as the sofa she had slept on was empty with the blankets tossed to the side. Miles yawned heavily and looked up at a clock that hung on the wall opposite him, it was already 12:30 in the afternoon.
“Oh, you're awake!” Miles heard Miriam say as she entered the room, “you look like you could use some coffee.” Coffee, Miles had almost forgotten that the drink even existed, the last time he could remember actually having a cup was on his last day of work at The Energy Department, the day his life changed forever. How distant his old life seemed now, not only in physical kilometres but after everything Miles experienced over the past weeks it felt like a different lifetime entirely.
“Yeah, uh...yes please,” Miles replied as he rubbed his eyes, not yet fully awake. Miriam returned to the kitchen as Miles stood up and dressed himself in the spare clothes that Adam had given him, a red t-shirt with a circular logo that said Grosso Motors and a pair of loose fitting, slightly torn, blue jeans. Miriam soon entered again with a large mug of steaming hot coffee in her hand.
“We grow the beans ourselves, hope you like it,” she said with a smile, setting the mug down on the table.
“Thank you,” Miles replied, he could now hear Lucy's cheerful voice coming from the next room, he picked up his coffee and made his way through an open doorway which lead to what looked like a workshop at the northern side of the house with tools and parts filling the various shelves and tables of the room. Adam was measuring Lucy's remaining arm and writing down numbers in a note pad.
“Papa!” Lucy shouted excitedly as Miles entered the room.
“Mornin' Miles,” said Adam with a nod.
“How's it going in here?” Miles asked looking around the room.
“Good,” replied Adam, “I've almost got all the measurements I need. I'll be able to start on the arm soon, should have it done by tomorrow.”
“That's great,” said Miles before blowing his coffee and taking a sip, it was much stronger than any coffee he had ever drank on Carthage and had a powerful, bitter flavour. Just about all plants and creatures on Gyaros had mutated or evolved due to exposure to Chimerium and other elements used in terraforming over the years which made the locally grown coffee beans quite different to the ones back home.
“Oh, you'd probably want some breakfast, huh?” Adam queried, setting his note pad down on the table in front of him and turning his attention to Miles.
“Well, now that you mention it, I could use something to eat,” Miles replied, noticing his hunger as his body started to fully wake up.
“We haven't got a whole lot but you can help yourself to whatever you find in the kitchen and if you want a hot meal I'm sure Miriam would be happy to throw somethin' together for you.”
“Thanks Adam,” said Miles before kneeling down in front of Lucy. “So, I bet you're pretty excited about this new arm,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah, it's gonna be so cool!” said Lucy, grinning excitedly. “Hey, Mr. Powell, can my arm have a cannon like Uncle Max's?” If she considered Miles to be her “papa” it seems that she now thought of Maxen as something of an uncle.
“Well, I'm not sure,” replied Adam with a chuckle, “what do you think, Miles?” he added.
“Um, that seems kind of dangerous, you could really hurt yourself with something like that,” Miles answered, looking back at Lucy with concern in his eyes.
“Awww, but what if I learn how to use it properly? Uncle Max could show me!”
“This is really your decision, Miles,” began Adam, “but that may not be such a bad idea, this is Gyaros after all, might be handy for her to have a decent weapon and know how to use it.” Miles considered the proposal, he wasn't so much worried about Lucy's safety as he was the safety of the people around her, he had seen Lucy become a totally different person on two occ
asions. The cold murderous look in her eyes that day as she held him against the floor with her hands around his neck in Guppy’s Gas n Grub still haunted Miles. He had also witnessed Lucy freely obliterate two men without lifting a finger, there was a side to her that could wield incredible power but it seemed that for the most part she had no knowledge of how to tap into that energy, or even that she was capable of such things. A weapon that she could wield in her regular, controlled state would be quite useful and might just save her life someday.
“Well...alright but only if Maxen agrees to train you,” Miles said with a serious expression after thinking the proposal through carefully.
“Awesome! Thank you so much Papa!” Lucy squealed and hugged Miles tightly, “let's go find Uncle Max!” She then ran out of the room, filled with excitement.
“I guess I'd better go with her,” Miles chuckled, leaving the workshop to aid Lucy in her search for Maxen. Miles followed Lucy out the back door of the house and down to a glistening blue pond lined with tall reeds and dappled with bright green lily pads where Maxen was fishing relaxedly with a simple wooden rod on the grassy bank. Birds could be heard chirping merrily in the tree tops as the morning sunlight cascaded down upon the verdant garden. Crickets and cicadas hummed and tweeted, and a soft breeze made the wind chimes hanging from the veranda twinkle and resonate. Miles breathed deeply taking it all in, enjoying every second of this beautiful and peaceful moment.
“Uncle Max!” Lucy shouted happily as she approached Maxen who turned around with a smile and waved.
“Hey kid, how's that arm comin' along?” Maxen asked, placing his fishing pole on the ground beside him and turning his attention to Lucy and Miles.
“Mr Powell says he'll build a cannon into it just like yours but only if you teach me how to shoot it.”
“Wow,” said Maxen, his eyebrows rising in surprise, “that's a pretty big gun for a little girl, you cool with this, Miles?” he added, turning to Miles for approval.
“Adam and I both agree that it would be a good idea for Lucy to have something to protect herself, Gyaros isn't exactly the friendliest neighbourhood,” Miles replied.
“So will you teach me?” Lucy asked anxiously.
“Hell yeah! I ain't got much else to do 'round here,” Maxen said with a smile, patting Lucy on the head.
“Alright!” said Lucy, throwing her arm around Maxen, “this is gonna be so awesome!”
Miles smiled and put his hands in his pockets. It warmed his heart to see Lucy so happy. After what she’d been through it gave Miles great pleasure to watch her hop about and play around the way someone of her age should.
“Hey, how do you actually fire that thing anyway?” Miles asked, realizing that he had never even thought about how Maxen operated his mechanical limb.
“Huh, well it's kinda hard to explain,” Maxen replied, twisting and bending his robotic arm, “took me a while to get the hang of it but it just feels natural now, I don't really think about it too much though, it just, you know...works.” He looked back at Lucy and added, “it might be a little different for her though, since she's a whole lot more machine than I am.” As Maxen finished the sentence, the fishing rod on the ground began to move, he reacted swiftly, turning around and grabbing the wooden pole with both hands. The water began to splash and bubble as a decently sized fish could be seen thrashing wildly below the surface of the pond.
“Woah, that looks big!” Lucy exclaimed as she watched Maxen struggle briefly with the fish before pulling it out of the water with one powerful swing. The fifteen inch long fish now flopped around desperately in the grass. It was bright purple and had large spiky fins. Maxen took the fish by its tail fin and held it up proudly.
“I'll call you Dinner,” he said jokingly. Miles stomach began to rumble.
“Speaking of dinner, I haven't even had breakfast yet!” he said with a laugh.
“We should head back to the house anyway,” suggested Maxen, “I bet Miriam can cook up somethin' real nice with this tonight.” The three made their way back inside where Miles prepared himself a sandwich with some slices of dark meat that he found on a plate in the Powell's refrigerator. Miles thought it looked like roast beef. He had no idea what animal it really was, but it didn’t matter, to Miles is was roast beef, end of story. Maxen had the same, only for lunch instead of breakfast as he hadn’t slept in like Miles had. Miriam seemed pleased with the fish that Maxen had caught and decided to make her secret chilli fish recipe for dinner later on, which Maxen explained to Miles was probably the best thing he had eaten on Gyaros so far. After eating, Miles, Maxen and Lucy went in to check on Adam's progress. The arm was already beginning to take shape although at that point it still looked like little more than a heap of wires and metal with only a vague resemblance to a human limb. Miles was surprised at how fast Adam worked, putting together such an advanced piece of machinery in a couple of days was impressive to say the least.
Leaving Adam to work in peace, Miles and Maxen went back into the living area to discuss their next move while Lucy helped Miriam prepare the fish for dinner. It was the first chance Miles had gotten to talk to Maxen privately since the Wilhelm station.
“So,” Miles began, sitting on the sofa, opposite Maxen, “what's your plan from here?”
“Well, since I didn't think I'd be seein' you again, I was on my way to New Fortune to try and make some kind of a living, probably end up joinin' one of the syndicates. But now that you're here...” Maxen leaned in close to Miles and lowered his voice, “you still think there's a way back?”
“That's what I'm hoping to find out in New Fortune,” Miles quietly replied.
“What about that token of yours?”
“I still have it,” said Miles, patting his top left pocket.
“Alright, and that guy you're supposed to find, uh, what was his name again?” asked Maxen.
“Mesa,” replied Miles. “I have no idea how or where to find him though, Ryker just told me to ‘Get to New Fortune and find Mesa.’ I don't know any more than that.”
“Hmm, well it's still our best lead I guess. I say we keep headin' to New Fortune and check it out. That token should get you in good with The Machine, Mesa's probably an agent for them or somethin'.”
“Yeah, that sounds like our best shot,” Miles replied as Maxen looked over to the kitchen where Lucy and Miriam could be heard talking.
“What about the girl?” he asked, turning back to Miles.
“She can't come with us, it's too dangerous,” said Miles, lowering his voice even more so Lucy wouldn't hear them from the kitchen.
“You sure? After she gets that new arm and I've taught her how to shoot she might be a helpful addition to the team,” Maxen suggested.
“No,” replied Miles, sternly, “she...look, I can't tell you everything right now but Lucy can't get involved with The Machine in any way, it's...complicated. But more than that she’s just a kid, she’s already seen more than any child her age should and I can’t put her through any more. I was going to ask Adam if she could stay here, where she’ll be safe.”
“Huh, fair enough I guess,” said Maxen, respecting Miles’ decision not to elaborate further regarding Lucy and The Machine, “now, we're gonna need some money too, New Fortune ain't the kinda place you wanna be broke.”
“Good point,” Miles said, “any idea how we can make some cash?”
“Yeah, back in The Dustbowl I heard about this arena around seventy kilometres south of New Fortune, they say there's a lotta money in it if you make it out alive, figured I'd stand a pretty good chance.”
“If you say so I guess, but you know I’m no fighter.”
“That’s cool, you let me handle the fighting and in return you help me get back to Carthage with you,” said Maxen standing up, “so that’s the plan, we'll spend another week here, I'll train Lucy and then we're on our way.”
“Right. And please, don’t mention any of this to Lucy,” implored Miles, also rising to his feet. The two me
n nodded and shook hands. Miles then went to check on Lucy and Miriam in the kitchen as Maxen returned to his room upstairs. Miriam was in the process of descaling the fish with a sharp kitchen knife, resting the now gutted fish in the kitchen sink under a running tap as she held the tail and slid the knife down its body, removing the scales with ease while Lucy watched closely. Both turned to greet Miles at he entered the room.
“How's it going?” asked Miles as he approached the kitchen sink.
“Good,” replied Lucy. “Cooking is hard work...” she added, Miles and Miriam both giggled.
“Well it looks like it's coming along nicely,” Miles complimented.
“It won't be done for another couple of hours,” Miriam replied, rinsing the knife under the sink before turning the fish over to descale the other side.
“That's alright,” replied Miles, “I've gone longer without eating on Gyaros. Is there anything I can do to help?” he added, hoping for something to keep him occupied.
“Hmm, oh, I forgot to pick a few lemons earlier, could you go get some for me?” asked Miriam.
“Yeah sure,” Miles agreed.
“Thanks,” Miriam chirped with a smile, “the trees are just out the back there,” she added, pointing out of the kitchen window at a collection of yellow fruit bearing trees beyond the pond where Maxen had been fishing.
“Alright, I'll go get 'em,” said Miles, heading out of the kitchen and towards the back door. He walked at a slow and steady pace, enjoying every moment in the gentle, warm breeze and shining sun of this green, life filled oasis in the otherwise harsh and formidable wastelands of Gyaros as he retrieved three abnormally large lemons from one of the trees and brought them back to Miriam. She needed no further assistance in the kitchen and told Miles and Lucy that they were welcome to have a look in Adam's old shed for anything fun to pass the time while they wait for supper. Leaving Miriam to finish the dinner alone, Miles and Lucy made their way to the side of the house where the small steel shed was located, inside was a random assortment of items ranging from rusty machine parts to worn out toys from Adam's childhood, among them was an old skateboard with large brown wheels which Lucy took and examined inquisitively. The black grip tape on the top, designed to keep the rider's feet securely on the board was peeling back around the edges and there were several chips and scratches in the wood, the graphic on the underside of the board, though hard to make out due to severe wear was a black panther bearing it's fearsome teeth and reaching out with its sharp claws, the letters “N” and “A” could also be vaguely seen through the scratches.
