The Zenith base was on an island off the Tenakth Lowland Clan southern coast. When the Zeniths had landed, they used the ruins of an old world building as the foundation for their shiny white and gold base. Much of the outlying elements, power generators and the hangers where Spectres, the Zenith’s machine choice were printed instantly and released from, had been destroyed in the attack that wiped the Zeniths out. However, the tower, the lift and the rocket still remained.
Previously they used a tunnel to get to and from the island but now that they had Stormbirds, they could fly to the platform where Aloy had battled a mechanised Tilda. Two sets of curved steps went from the back of the teardrop shaped platform up to the entrance to the rocket. Aloy slid off her Stormbird and helped Beta to drop down.
“You okay?” She asked when she saw Beta’s expression.
The last time she was there, Beta had learned some terrible truths about her existence, about Tilda’s ‘compassion’ and had been tortured to bend to the Zenith’s will.
“I’m fine.” She said quietly.
“Ugh…” They turned and looked at Tomas who was bending over, fighting a wave of nausea.
“I wonder if Ted Faro ever got sick on flights around the world…” Erend chuckled.
“It’s not the flying,” Tomas argued, trying to stand upright, “it’s the thought about the sudden stop at the end of a fall long enough to contemplate my existence that makes me queasy.”
“You think too much.”
Aloy smiled then looked at the rocket. “Can you double check it’s good to go?”
Tomas activated the Zenith’s computer. “There’s been no sign of illegal attempted access…no other warm bodies…and the rocket is ready to go.” He looked at Aloy. “All you need to do is strap yourself into the cockpit and hit ‘return’. The automated systems do the rest.”
“Great,” Aloy shook her head, “to be honest, I half expected Sylens to have tried to steal it.”
“There’s been no sign of him since he left.” Zo promised.
“I need to get going.” Aloy licked her lips, sensing that the line of people standing on the platform were waiting for something from her. “Look…I’m not sure what to say…”
“I do,” Erend shook his head and chuckled, “thanks.”
“For what?”
“For not giving up on an inebriated, melancholy drunk and for making me think I’ve got something to contribute to all this.”
Aloy shook her head, her hands on her hips. “Bet you never thought meeting a random Nora with a penchant for old world head jewellery would have brought you so far.”
“Not just in distance,” Erend admitted, “I know you’ve been so busy you probably haven’t noticed…but I’m not drunk anymore.” Aloy’s eyebrows raised and Zo coughed something incoherent. “I didn’t say I don’t drink…but I’m not sodden and useless.”
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“You were never useless,” Aloy insisted and Erend’s expression face with the impressive facial hair creased into a sincere smile, “and I think you were always capable of more than you thought you were.”
“You and Ursa.” Erend nodded, mentioning his deceased sister’s name without grief. “Oh…and this one, here.” He jerked his head towards Zo.
“Doesn’t she drive you crazy?”
“I think the feeling is mutual,” Zo said dryly then paused, “however, not as much as he once did.”
Aloy swallowed, looking at Zo’s belly. “Look after yourself and stay out of the fighting.”
“Look after yourself and succeed so there’s no more need for fighting.” Zo returned the challenge.
“Deal.” Aloy allowed Zo to hug her. She was never quite sure what to do with hugs. Zo didn’t hang on but let go stepping back with a wink. Aloy looked at Tomas.
“Do us a favour and don’t attempt to say something sentimental when we both know, you and I aren’t friends.” Tomas said before Aloy could speak.
“It’s statements like that which make it difficult to like you…but not impossible.” Tomas snorted and looked aside. “Make good choices, Tomas.”
“You mean, better than Ted Faro?”
“Honestly…I don’t think you would make the same choices as him…just live a better life than him.” Aloy insisted then looked at Beta. “Beta…”
Beta wrapped her arms around Aloy and hugged her tightly. Aloy held her close, feeling the tightness in her embrace, a symptom of the fear she was barely keeping in check. She wondered if she’d have to disentangle herself from Beta but her sister drew back on her own accord, breathing erratically and sniffing.
“Make it back alive,” she ordered in a wavering voice, “promise me.”
“I’ve got slightly better than average odds and the Sobeck constitution for stubbornness.” Aloy smiled at her then unhooked the pendant of earth from her belt. “Here…this was our mother’s.”
Beta took the sphere, her fingers lightly tracing its surface. “I can’t believe it survived all this time.”
“It’ll go on surviving, I promise.” Aloy put her hand over Beta’s and gave it a squeeze. She took a deep breath and looked at Kotallo. Tomas and Heph had surprised him with a new, artificial arm. Tomas had the schematics for biometric connections, allowing it to work like a normal arm but with Heph’s machine assistance, it was fifty times stronger. Kotallo had been reluctant to wear it after his other arm tried to kill him but it had the same repellent virus that would protect it from being infested by Nemesis, at least long enough for Kotallo to remove it. There hadn’t been time for him to paint it in the Tenakth manner so it was black and silver, stark against his skin and faded Marshal colours. “Kotallo…”
“I will complete my task and return to base to protect Beta.” He said almost coldly but Aloy knew him better than that. It was his way of dealing. Kotallo was a soldier and when social convention failed him, he fell back on his ingrained training.
“You’re going to Tilda’s mansion with a squad of Tenakth.”
“Yes.”
“Watch out,” Aloy warned, “she’s not to be underestimated.”
“Understood.” Kotallo replied and Aloy wished she could touch his cheek.
Instead she stepped back and nodded. “Well…that’s it. Get to your assigned tasks and look out for each other.” She picked up her swag, slung it over her shoulder and headed for the stairs. As she did so, she felt her heart sinking in her breast. There would be no more chances, no opportunity to say goodbye or what was really going on inside her head. She reached the bottom of the stairs, her feet like lead.
“If not now…” She whispered and dropped her swag. She turned and strode back to Kotallo as fast as she could and without hesitating, took his face in her hands and kissed him. There was the briefest pause before she felt his arms, natural and artificial, wrap around her waist, her arms snaking about his neck, their bodies so close there was no room for air.
It had only been a few months apart and only after a few weeks of their initial relationship yet the kiss was like coming home.
Aloy couldn’t understand why she had let him go.
And now…she had to do so again.
She drew back, her forehead pressed against his, her body trembling, filling her lungs with his breath and her nose, with his scent before she pulled away, turned and almost ran to the stairs.