The Way It Is

seriously? - part 2

It took us almost fifteen minutes to clear the building. It had been some sort of shopping centre. However, where there should have been an entrance to the underground tunnels, there was a giant pile of crumbling stone blocks and debris.

Damn it.

We stopped four hours and over a dozen buildings, later for a quick snack and to find some shade. I checked in with Syndicate quickly, but she assured me all was fine with the ship, and there was nothing to report.

This day was beginning to get on my nerves. Even Britt had lost his good humour from earlier.

There is a dry layer of dirt on us from head to toe, with only streaks of sweat breaking through where our skin is exposed.

I feel my undergarments sticking unpleasantly to my skin with sweat, and I hate to admit it, but I am getting a rather nasty stink on. Fuck this planet.

We pack away our provisions and step back out of our meagre shade shelter, a half-crumbling wall, and back into the hot sun. I put on my goggles, keeping the fine sand out of my eyes and pull my scarf over my nose.

I've resorted to wearing a hat to keep my bald ass head from burning in the hot sun. I usually never burn, but I am focusing so much of my body's energy on keeping itself as cool as possible that I don't have any extra energy to stop my skin from getting burned. My skills in organ control only venture so far, apparently.

Looking over at Britt, I notice he isn't doing much better. His hair is soaked with sweat, and his face is scrunched as he breaths in the hot air through his scarf.

He taps the side of his goggles, setting them to tint, so the sun isn't so bright. He looks up into the sky, gauging how much daylight we have left.

He is trying to decide how much farther to go today—neither of us wanting to go anywhere.

We had checked just over half the places Britt had marked the day before. Thankfully we started at the furthest one away, working our way backwards. At least if we don't finish today, we won't have as far to go tomorrow.

"Let's do this one."

My microband lights up, and the area Britt is talking about zooms into place. He synced our maps, so I see what he sees now. Giant ape apparently doesn't trust my skills with this new tech. I can't blame him.

He places our next marker on an area about twenty-three clicks away. It will take a good fifteen minutes to get there, even with the little hoverbikes that Armada had so graciously provided for us.

They are the craziest things I have ever used. You carry a long rod on your back, a little thicker than my lower leg in size, and light too. When you needed it, you unfolded two arms from either side, placing your hands on the soft sensors or the soon-to-be handles. Then straddling the long rod, you press your thumbs into the sensor's soft material and bam! Your super compact hoverbike unfolds under you.

It doesn't have much for a seat, so you need to have strong legs, but other than that, it's epic! Pretty sure one of these will be missing after the mission—just a feeling.

"Ok. Then we call it a day?" I am so done with this weather, and I don't even try to hide the whine in my voice.

"We'll see. But ya, sounds about right."

It takes us a little longer than expected. We end up making an eight-block detour due to a huge building that had fallen over, covering a large area with a mountain of rubble and debris.

The hoverbikes are compact and make for fast travel, but unlike a transport pod or a proper ground vehicle, they can't go over large obstacles. Still, I love them.