With more time to look around TO and Mira found a couple of abandoned empty beds for the night. While this provided a place to sleep, it didn’t help TO that much. The lights overhead were still too bright and flickered too much for their comfort, and the sound of so many people just existing around them, breathing and snoring, was too much for their sensitive ears. Pulling the thin covers over their face helped a little, but the air was stuffy and they kept alternating between pulling the covers down to breathe, or pulling them up to stop the attack of noise and light.
Several times, they considered taking the chance and sleeping under one of the curtained beds. However, as soon as they considered sleeping under a bed, they could clearly see that awful bug so close to their face and instantly changed their mind. At any rate, it wasn’t just the environment keeping them from sleeping; Their worry for Pearla and GiDi ran around their head, and they could feel the space next to them where DH should have been, curled up against their back, wings draped over them and their gentle chirping in TO’s ears.
DH’s chirping was so much nicer than the rough snoring that echoed through the dormitory. It was soft and comforting in stark contrast to the grating and disordered growls and roars that came from everyone around them.
Their chip went off. The only hint to it was a flash of light that TO saw out of the corner of their eyes, but they quickly hid their hand under the blankets just in case anyone saw that flash. They didn’t have their communicator anymore, so they had to use their chip and while that was far more reliable, it was also harder to use secretly. Still, they needed to know what was in that message. They pulled the covers over their face again as they had done at least a dozen times in the last half hour and activated their chip. The projection hovered before them, half of which was cut off by the blanket but they could see the message if they maneuvered themself and the screen just right.
== Lockdown is lifted. Orders should be set for tomorrow morning, and job assignments should be back in place. I’ll alert you as soon as we have Pearla. Let us know as soon as we’re ready to go on your side - Vik==
They’d feel better if Pearla was already gone from the center, but at least this was something. At least the lockdown was lifted and they could start things in the morning.
If they were lucky, they’d be home–At DH’s side–by noon.
They deactivated their chip and sighed as they pulled the blankets down once more. Now the excitement of seeing their mate again was running through their mind; another thing to keep them awake.
After another minute of laying there and staring at the bunk above them, they took the pillow from under their head, turned on their side, and wrapped their arms around the pathetically thin thing as they buried their face into the slightly mildew-smelling fabric. For now, maybe they could pretend it was DH. As small and cold and uncomfortable as it was, maybe they could trick their mind into believing that they had DH in their embrace. Maybe, just maybe, their mind would be too exhausted to fight that lie.
======
“Are you sure you slept at all?” Mira asked as TO yawned a sixth time while in line for their breakfast.
“A bit.” TO grumbled. “The lights and noise kept me up.”
“Maybe you’d have been better off with the pillow over your eyes.” she said with a teasing lilt in her voice, though she said it casually enough. TO’s ears warmed and dipped slightly at the reminder that Mira woke them up and found TO spooning the pillow.
Spooning; a new term they had learned today thanks to Mira. Apparently, that was their default sleeping position with DH.
“Can you drop it?” TO hissed as their wings tightened around them.
“Fine, fine, sorry.” Mira said, “Didn’t mean to actually upset you. I’ve just never seen you sleep before and didn’t expect one of you to be the kind to hug your pillow. It was cute.”
TO still wasn’t sure if it was unexpected of them to have been hugging the pillow at all, or if it was just because they were a synth.
“Anyway.” TO said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Is everything else… ok?”
“Of course.” Mira said, glancing around and lowering her voice, “The lockdown is lifted, and I got word that everything is ready to go. Vik uploaded names, work orders set, deliveries are ready, and supplies are being packed up right now.” She scanned the room, and as TO followed her gaze they saw it land on Leanaran. Mira waved, and Leanaran gave a wave back, along with a brief, nearly imperceptible nod.
“What about them?” TO asked. “And what about the thing with Outis. Leanaran wanted them to go with us-”
“It’s set up.” Mira said, “I don’t like it, and I don’t know why Leanaran wants them to come with us, but I’m not going to be the one to tell them no. We still need them.”
“... You’re still here.”
The voice behind them took TO by surprise, but once they turned they saw Beck, already holding her food and looking up at TO.
“... We are.” TO said, their ears twitching as they wondered why Beck was talking to them. She wanted to keep her distance, and given that TO hadn’t seen her since she directed them to Leanaran, They figured she was avoiding them.
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“I thought you might not be here.” She said as she lowered her voice, “You know… the lockdown and everything.”
“Yeah, well, don’t worry about that.” Mira said, “I know you don’t want to be involved.”
“Hey, look.” Mira said as she lowered her voice and came closer to them. “I don’t… but I want you to know I didn't say anything. I didn’t report anything or tell anyone! I was as surprised as anyone else at the lockdown, so I just wanted you to know that-”
“It’s fine Beck.” Mira said with a sigh. She leaned back and crossed her arms, “We know what happened, and we know it wasn’t you.”
Beck released a relieved sigh, “Good.” She said, “I just don’t want trouble, you know.”
“I know.” Mira said, glancing aside, “And you won’t get any from us.”
“... And what about Pearla?” Beck said. TO could see her hands tighten around the bowl she carried, and noticed that the fur on her body puffed up ever so slightly.
“What about Pearla?” Mira hissed.
“Well… she’s not here.”
“She’s fine.” Mira said, “Don’t worry about it.”
“But where-” Beck started to ask, but Mira quickly made a sharp shushing sound.
“You said you didn’t want to be involved.” Mira said. “So stop asking questions.”
Beck shrugged and backed away, “I was just worried about her.” Beck said, “She was nice.”
TO looked between Beck and Mira, both of who were now pointedly not looking at one another.
“... It’s not too late.” TO whispered, “You know… if case you’ve changed your mind.” The image of the planet under attack by some awful gas, some bio-weapon or a specialized bomb lingered in TO’s mind, along with the thought of all the deaths that would occur. The people sitting around the cafeteria, eating their food and talking to their friends could all be dead in a week–No, less than that. Four, maybe five days!–and that thought was profoundly disturbing to TO. That Beck, who had helped them and who was honestly nice enough, Could be one of them upset TO deeply. More troublesome was the fact that they knew if Beck had all the information and knew about the potential attack on Arkane, then she’d change her mind and go with them.
“No, I just don’t want trouble.” She said, taking another step back, “I’ll be fine here, right? I mean, I’ll be out in a few years if I work hard right?” She shrugged and turned suddenly, “I just came to see if Pearla was ok. I hadn’t seen her in a while and was worried.”
TO wanted to go after her as she walked away, to grab her and tell her exactly what was going to happen. Mira must have sensed their wish, or maybe TO telegraphed their thoughts in their movements, but either way they suddenly felt Mira’s thin hand on their arm, ready to hold TO back if need be.
“Bad idea.” She whispered.
“If she knew, she’d come with us.” TO whispered back.
“I know.” Mira said, “But if we tell her now, then there’s time for her to tell someone else. I’m not saying she’d report us, but maybe she knows someone who she can’t stand to see left here to die. So she tells that friend. Friend maybe tells another friend, who tells a lover, who tells someone they know…” She shook her head, “Before you know it we have people after us, asking to come with us, and when we can’t take them, who's to say that they won’t report us out of spite?”
TO watched Beck meld back into the crowd as she looked for a place to sit and eat. When they couldn’t see her anymore, they sighed and leaned back against the wall.
“I know.” They muttered. “I just don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.” Mira said. “...But Beck is on the list.”
Pearla, Mira, and TO had put Beck on their list. By the time they had all the people they needed contacted, they had just one more free spot available. While there were plenty of people who could have gone there, most either had families on the outside which the insurgency didn’t have in their protection, or would have to leave the center with at least one other person; a sibling, a child just old enough to be placed in the indebted center instead of child care, or a partner.
One seat for one person; they choose Beck. when the time was right, they’d tell her about the real danger. TO knew that Beck would listen, and would be happy to go with them once she knew the real danger.
Unless she didn’t believe them.
“It’ll be ok; she’ll come with us; it’s fine.” Mira said, giving TO’s arm one last squeeze before releasing it.
“I’ll make sure it’s ok.” TO said. If Beck wouldn’t believe them, then TO was going to make sure she got off the planet. They wouldn’t let that last seat go to waste.