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When we stepped out of the mobile HQ and back into the staging area, I felt a little lost for a minute. I’d been running around with a clear goal for several hours now, and now that we were done I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself.
“Shall we head home?” Skyler asked as she slipped her arm around mine. “I’d suggest we call your car, but I don’t think Howie will fit.”
I groaned. “My car… I forgot! That asshole damaged it so I couldn’t leave, it’s the whole reason I got swept up in everything today. I’ll have to send someone to collect it, and fix it.”
“Considering everything that happened today, I’d consider that a minor inconvenience at best,” Skyler replied lightly as she glanced around. “Maybe if we head over to those transport trucks, we can find someone to help us.”
I nodded lightly, and the two of us set off towards the far side of the staging area. As soon as we left the central area the omnipresent street and flood lights faded away, leaving us walking through the darkness. Skyler rested her head on my shoulder, so leaned in closer and rested my head against hers. That’s how the two of us arrived at the truck parking, snuggled together, enjoying each other’s presence.
We managed to get a couple meters from the trucks before someone stopped us. “Excuse me ladies, but this is a restricted area, and not a place for civilians to have a romantic stroll,” one of the nearby soldiers announced. “How did you get in here?”
“I’m Meiyo Aru Kaze and this is Cleansing Rain,” I announced. Skyler giggled at the use of our new samurai names. “If you didn’t realize by the big ass floating robot behind us, we’re samurai, and we’re looking for a ride. Can you arrange something for us?”
The man paled for a moment, then snapped to attention. “Sorry ma’am, I didn’t recognize you,” he stammered. “I’m sure we can arrange something, just give me a moment to run it past command.”
“Take your time,” Skyler said as he ran off towards a nearby radio.
As the two of us stood there, snuggling together, I couldn’t help but feel the eyes of the rest of the soldiers on us. “Don’t they have anything better to do than stare at two women cuddling?” I muttered.
Skyler snorted. “It probably has more to do with the fact that we’re samurai, and less to do with the cuddling,” she whispered, before pulling me closer.
After a few minutes the soldier came running back, another female soldier in tow. “I’m so sorry for the delay,” he said apologetically. “Command has authorized whatever transport you need. Private Perez here will be your driver.”
“Just a truck will be fine,” I replied as I looked at the petite young woman. She stared at us with awe in her hazel eyes, her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her clothes were clean. Since most of the crew appeared to be mechanics, or assisting with the maintenance, they must have decided she was the least offensive one to escort us.
Not sure why they thought we’d care, both Skyler and I were filthy, even after cleaning up with the ultrasonics earlier.
“This way!” the girl exclaimed as she headed towards the row of trucks nearby. They appeared to be older, modified transport trucks with just a canvas tarp over the back. As she approached the closest one she paused, and turned back towards us. “Do you need help loading your robot ma’am?” she asked.
“Howie can load himself,” Sklyer replied with a smile. “But thank you for asking.”
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The girl nodded, then ran around to the driver side door excitedly.
“She seems very excited,” I remarked as the two of us separated so Skyler could direct Howie.
“How often did you get a chance to see a samurai prior to being chosen? How about the ability to help one?” Skyler replied as she struggled to align Howie so he could slide sideways into the back. His hover jets apparently weren’t meant for precise movement while further off the ground, so it took a few tries for him to slide in. Skyler huffed, “I really need to make the next version of Howie smaller, he’s such a pain to move right now,” she grumbled when she finally managed it. “And he needs some direct fire weapons, so I can follow you into buildings and keep you from getting in trouble.”
“When have I ever gotten in trouble?” I asked innocently as I threw my arm around her waist.
“Every time!” Skyler immediately shot back, with mock indignation. “As soon as you wander out of my sight you kick some antithesis, or fight a Fourteen. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you going forward,” she declared as she pulled me closer.
We both laughed lightly as we made our way around to the front of the truck. Since the truck only had one large bench seat, so I hauled myself up first, and slid towards the middle before grabbing Lala from Skyler’s outstretched hands. The little kitten was quiet, probably sleeping after such an exciting day.
Perez let out a tiny ‘eep’ as I slid closer to her. “Ummm… where are we heading?” she asked.
“The South Shore residential district, Elysian Heights building,” I replied as I fastened my seatbelt. When I finished I realized Perez was just staring at me. “Is that a problem?” I asked.
“No, not at all!” she replied quickly as she started up the truck, and put it into reverse. The truck bounced wildly, as she maneuvered it across the lot and out onto the road. All this rough, ground based travel I’d endured today put a new appreciation of hover vehicles in me. I really needed to get my car fixed ASAP.
“Did you tell your mother you awakened yet?” Skyler asked sleepily as she leaned against me.
“Not yet,” I admitted after a moment’s hesitation. “I sent grandfather’s ashes, and momento, to her a couple hours ago, but I didn’t want her to worry.”
Skyler sat up and shot me a disappointed look. “And you think that sending that stuff to her, then disappearing for several hours will alleviate her concerns? She’s going to be furious with you when we get back,” she said.
“I know! I figured it was better to have her furious when I got back, than having panic attacks the entire time I was gone!” I countered. “Doesn’t matter now. We’ll be home soon.”
“Mhmmm,” Skyler muttered as she settled back against me.
Once we were back on the main roads the trip became much smoother. The slight rocking put Skyler to sleep within minutes, and I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open.
“What’s it like to be a samurai?” Perez asked suddenly, snapping me out of my sleepy haze.
I glanced over at her, taking a minute to figure out the best way to summarize my day. “It’s extremely difficult, I feel like if I make a single mistake and I’ll end up dead, but it’s also extremely rewarding. We saved lives out there today,” I told her. “Honestly, even though we have all this responsibility, and power, now we’re still regular people.”
“How can you say that? You’re a samurai, one of the few people with the strength to fight off the antithesis. You’re a hero!” Perez replied.
I snorted. “Maybe, but Skyler and I are extremely new to this, and I can assure you I certainly don’t feel like a hero after what we went through today. I’m doing my best, but I have a long way to go,” I said.
Perez nodded, a puzzled look on her face. She probably wanted to hear how superhuman, and infallible we were, but I wasn’t going to lie to her.
As the truck slipped into the South Shore district I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, and nudged Skyler awake. Elysium Heights building stood out, even among the other high end residential buildings in the area. With a hundred floors it towered over the smaller buildings around it. It was only a couple years old, and had the newest service and antithesis defensive tech. The entire building could be locked down, with armored shutters over all the windows, and most apartments had automated defenses. The exterior was all polished stone, and most suites had real wood floors.
From what I heard even the smallest suites went for several billion, and there was a massive waiting list to get in if and when a spot opened up.
Perez stared at the opulent building as she slowly pulled up to the ground entrance. This might have been the first time I’d entered the building this way. There wasn’t any ground traffic here, because everyone had personal hover vehicles, and private garages.
After thanking Perez, Skyler and I slipped out the passenger door. I stared up at the imposing mega structure for a moment, while Skyler went around back to unload her bot. “Home sweet home,” I muttered.