I drifted in an empty space for a while, not exactly filled with nothingness. It was more like an unfocused static that I couldn’t adjust, just beyond clarity. A haze.

Then, as if by the snap of a finger, my eyes shot open, a worried Kuros standing over me.

“Well, it’s good of you to join us again, little miss. Wasn’t too sure you would there for a bit.”

I tried to sit up, but the ache returned almost immediately. A cat’s paw pressed against my shoulder, pressing me back down to the bed.

“How long have I been out?” I asked.

“About a day and a half,” Kuros said. “These cat docs sure know their stuff, and they’ve got all these… gadgets and medicines. I reckon you’d be dead if you was dependin’ on us to fix you up. Said your sternum has been busted apart for days now, and got worse when you were hit with that… repulsion plate? I reckon that’s what they called it. That thing the machine knocked you away with. Broken arm. Broken ribs. They had to slice into you and fit some of your bones back into place. You were in a water tank thing for a day, and it beats anything I’ve ever seen, but they’re swearin’ up and down your bones are fixed now.”

“Amazing, all the technology PanTech hoarded and kept for themselves, isn’t it? No, amazing isn’t the right word to use. I’ll not use the right word, in case there are children in hearing distance.”

Kuros grinned. “Well… you said it, not me. Your crew’s already gone in and started disassembling the spiders they turned to scrap. We won.”

I tried again to rise up, startled by a sudden returning thought. “The town! The virus!”

A cat’s paws returned to my shoulders, as he leaned over me with a scowl that would rival my mother’s. He pushed me back down to the bed.

“Ghost, that talkin’ bird friend of yours. Well, he’s somethin’ else. He already took the dogs and cats to your transportation thing and they’ve been giving out vaccines for a full day now. Ghost’s been runnin’ the show. I gotta tell you, a few days ago a talkin’ bird ordering everyone in town around would’ve never flown… no pun intended, but after everything we’ve seen? I guess they’re just too shook up to care.”

“Ghost is brilliant. If he’s showing them what to do, I really can take it easy for a bit.”

I sighed, relaxing just a bit.

As if summoned, Ghost appeared, wearing his usual stoic expression.

The only expression a falcon is capable of wearing.

“You’re awake. Good. Humans once called those who performed miracles saints. I think that’s how they’ll remember you. These new arachnid unit models are significantly upgraded, but we’re staying a few steps ahead of them. It’s impossible for anything to eliminate all weaknesses. As soon as one is remedied, we find another.”

“So… we’re winning?” I asked.

“No,” he responded coldly. “But… we aren’t losing. The dogs and cats are considering long-term strategies. It will involve them creating their own settlements and giving real thought to the need for future generations. Otherwise, all that’s organic will die and rot away. The machines, if they aren’t destroyed, will last hundreds of years. They have to be hunted and destroyed without mercy. We can never let up.”

This was the most Ghost had to say in as long as I remembered.

“And the virus? What do we know?”

“The virus here is another anomaly, but nothing unheard of. Just a worst-case scenario.”

“Oh, only a worst-case scenario. I’m relieved, then.”

“Is this sarcasm?” he asked.

“Yes, it is.”

He stared at me blankly for a while.

“We’ve already vaccinated almost half the population, and a few members of Explorers League will stay behind to collect data on how the vaccine affects those who were already showing symptoms, as well as help the town get back on its feet and make sure they can sustain themselves with necessities.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“How many dead?”

Ghost opened his beak, but Kuros shook his head.

“Make sure we have everything we need to depart soon, Ghost,” I said, leaving the matter unanswered, but still feeling the weight of it. The lack of answer still told me everything I needed to know. The losses were catastrophic. There was a long road to recovery ahead. Everyone here had been through so much. At least the worst of it was finally over…

“Certainly. I’ll see to it,” Ghost said, hopping down from the bed.

“Daisy’s really taking charge,” Kuros said, changing the subject.

“That’s something long overdue, isn’t it?”

“It sure is. First lady mayor we’ve had in this town too. Another thing I don’t reckon would’ve gone over so well even a month ago. People don’t care anymore. They just want the right people doing the right thing.”

“Sheriff Kuros?” I asked.

He laughed at that one. “Ma’am… not for all the money in the world. No, I don’t reckon I’ll ever be drawing my pistol again if it can be helped, and this town don’t need a sheriff that don’t know if he can even rise to the occasion when its needed. Clarence is takin’ over that job. On the condition he stay away from the alcohol completely. Not even a sip for the man, I’m afraid, according to Daisy.”

“Think Clarence can live with that?”

“We’ll see,” Kuros said, not fully convinced, but clearly confident in his friend.

The next one to interrupt our conversation was Daisy.

“News travels fast,” I said, smiling.

“In a town this small? I reckon so,” she said, leaning over to give me a hug.

“Easy,” the cat nearby warned. “She’s healed, but she’ll be sore for the next couple of days.”

Daisy slowed down, as if cradling a baby made of glass, her hands more hovering than touching.

The cat frowned, unsure of whether he was being mocked or if she was simply following his instructions that carefully, apparently deciding on the latter.

“How’s the morale?” I asked.

“Well… it’s going to take time to repair, just like the town itself. Everyone’s lost something, but we’re all working together to get it back.”

A different cat came over, interrupting our conversation. They really didn’t practice any kind of etiquette. Clearly, Ghost had rubbed off on them.

“You should be stable enough to sit up now. Don’t stand too quickly, or you could fall. We don’t know anything about this armor you were wearing, but it almost seems to have a brain. We had to lock it up to prevent it from returning to you. It clearly saved your life, but… we think it’s dangerous. Professor, be cautious when using it. It took time for some of your bodily functions, even those without injuries, to normalize without the armor.”

“Frelya gave this to me, and I trust her,” I said, a little too quickly. Was I just being sentimental? No, it really had saved me. Even if there were drawbacks, which there were with every type of advanced tech, I needed to continue using it.

I nodded to Kuros and Daisy, and they understood.

“Bring it to me,” I said, drawing the curtain to give myself some privacy.

When I was handed the sealed box, I opened it. For a moment, the armor appeared quiet, and certainly harmless. It wasn’t until I removed my clothes and began to put it back on that I could feel it spring to life again. It slithered across my body like a snake, slowly readjusting itself to every contour again. It wriggled, loosening and tightening in every space where it needed to loosen or tighten. Yet, the sensation didn’t frighten me. In all likelihood, it was simply “breaking in” as often needed to happen with new equipment. It was tailoring itself to me. But… it did remind me of Frelya. It comforted me to have it, making it seem as though she was by my side again. Like her hand was on my shoulder, supporting me. Protecting me. It made me feel warm and safe. That couldn’t be bad, right?

Even if it was, I needed all the protection I could get. After dressing myself again, I pulled the curtain back, emerging with a renewed focus.

“Well…” I said, looking to Kuros and Daisy. “It’s time to say our goodbyes.”

“Huh? Already?” Kuros said, frowning intensely.

Daisy reached out, grabbing my hand, squeezing it gently. “You will always be welcome back to our little town, Taylor. If you’d ever like to visit it someday, by yourself, or maybe with a special someone, we will give you the hero’s welcome you deserve.”

I returned her smile. “Thank you, Mayor.”

I turned to Kuros, offering my hand, which he shook.

“Good luck out there, little miss.”

Before I could make it out of the room, Clarence appeared, blushing as he nearly ran into me.

“Oh! Sorry, ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat. “Glad I caught you. I brought you something. A parting gift.”

He stretched the wrapped object toward me, which I accepted with a smile. Unwrapping it, I nearly allowed my tears to escape. I recognized it immediately.

“Thank you, Clarence…” I said, holding the pearl-handled, engraved revolver in front of me, inspecting it. “I will cherish it.”

He nodded with a smile. I held out my hand, but he stepped forward, surprising me with a big, fatherly hug.

“I promise I won’t slip back into my old ways,” he whispered. “Thanks to you and that old man, I reckon it’s a promise I can keep.”

I patted him on the back and pulled away, patting him again on the shoulder.

“You’re a good man, Clarence.” He fought back tears as he nodded, and I reached out and flicked the gold star on his vest. “Good luck, Sheriff.”

Ghost was waiting for me as I stepped outside.

“Preparations are made. Where to next?”

“Ever done any sailing, Ghost?”

“I’m a bird,” he answered, coldly, as though that answered anything.

“Well, I hope you’re ready to spend a lot of time on my shoulder. You and I are going to be pirates.”

“I suppose I’ve endured worse.”

“Oh, come on!” I said. “Maybe it’ll even be fun.”

“It will not be ‘fun’ at all, but I should be able to stay with you this time. The machines aren’t going near large bodies of water… for now.”

“One less thing working against us, I suppose. Are you ready?”

“Ready,” he said, flying toward our vehicle.

I also doubted ‘fun’ would be how we’d describe our next adventure, but someone had to do it.

I turned briefly, waving at the townspeople who had gathered, then faced ahead and took the next step forward.