Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 30

We were hovering above the spot to meet up. I knew she could land this thing, but I don't think she wanted to land it because we were just hovering, not getting any lower.

"Are we not going to go any lower?"

"We could, but where's the fun in that?" she asked, standing up once more.

"Aloy," I said, getting worried.

"Here, let me help you," she held out her hand.

I grabbed her hand, carefully and slowly standing up next to her. She wrapped her arm around my waist.

"Better grab on as well," she said.

"What does that supposed to mean?" I asked and wrapped my arms around her neck.

"Try not to scream," she said and we jumped off the Sunwing.

"Aloy!" I watched as the ground get closer, but something opened up and we were carefully gliding down to the ground.

I looked up to see it was like a hangglider almost. We landed and it disappeared.

"That was cool," I said.

"One of the rebels that was part of Regalla's army, he had it on him. After he was defeated, I grabbed it from him. I thought it might come in handy."

"It definitely has come in handy."

"I didn't mean to scare you there," she nervously laughed. "I'll let you get settled from that while I call the others."

She tapped her Focus and reached everyone.

"Alright, everyone. I'm at the meet up point. I'll see you guys soon."

I walked over to the shore and sat down, watching the water slowly come in and then recede back out. Aloy walked over and sat down next to me.

"When I was still at the base and reading over some information, GAIA told me about the tides and the currents. I had mentioned to her that living within the tribe, all the water we really found were creeks. I never really got to see a beach as they call it. She told me that there are four tide currents. Two high tides and two low tides. It's amazing how this world works, but it kind of puts us into perspective. We're just a small group of people in this huge world. Who knows what else is out there."

"A lot more than you can image," she said and tapped her Focus, pulling up a hologram of the globe. "We're here," she pointed to a coast off of the United States. "In a state called California. Do you remember the bridge that we saw in the distance?"

"Yeah?"

"That was the Golden Gate bridge. A highlight of California, placed in San Francisco. And where POSIDEN was," she zoomed in on the map, showing a different state. "Right next to California, is Las Vegas. I heard people traveled there because it had a building called a casino. Where they gamble their money."

"With my luck, I would lose it all," I chuckled.

"Some days are better than others," Aloy said and got rid of the hologram.

The two of us looked out at the ocean, watching as the sun was slowly starting to set. Since they were going to be traveling on foot or on a machine, we were most likely going to be heading into the Zenith base in the morning.

"You might as well get comfortable here," Aloy said. "We're going to be waiting for a while."

"You hungry, Aloy?"

"Not really, but I should eat something."

"There is an ocean beyond us. I'm sure we can find something edible."

"Just make sure you scan the fish first before you bite into it," Aloy chuckled. "You were lucky that the creek back in Meridian had edible fish."

"You're saying I could have died eating the wrong type of fish?"

"Yes."

"Damn it, Aloy," I said and stood up, getting my bow.

We both slipped our shoes off and we were scanning the ocean for fish we could eat. There were a few and once we caught a couple for us, we walked back onto the shore and got a fire started. I had skewered them and waited for Aloy to come back with the wood. She piled them together and then lit it on fire. I stuck them into the ground near the fire. She came over and sat down beside me. I leaned over and rested my head on her shoulder and she rested her head on mine.

"I'm a little scared, Aloy."

"If anything happens, I'm going to be right by your side," she said and placed her hand on mine. "There's no need to worry. I understand you're nervous since you had a near death experience. If I am going to be honest, there was a time when I thought I had lost you. When the Shadow Carja attacked The Proving and you were shot off the mountain, that was the day I experienced true fear. Not to mention a near death experience."

"You seem to have those more often than others," I chuckled.

"That's what I've got to do, though. When saving the world, I know the biggest risk out there is my life. But now," she looked down at me and I looked up at her. "The biggest risk is not only my life, but yours."

"If anyone is going to make it out of a sticky situation it's going to be you, Aloy. You've seen so many things that I probably never will. You've experienced different things that I may never. You and I, we're similar in ways, but different in so many. Why would you want to fall for someone who is not even half of what you are?"

"It's like you said, we're similar, but different. I'm not really too well versed with dating and romanctic anything. We should both talk to Zo about dating," Aloy chuckled. "But the reason I fell for you was you were there for me when no one else was. Everyone back at the tribe treated me like an outcast. Now people treat me like a savior since I saved Meridian and now I need to save the rest of the world. Some people I met while I was out getting the subordinate functions only saw me as the new Elisabet Sobeck. People see me differently and therefore treat me differently. But you, you only see me as is. You see me as your friend. You see me as someone you knew before everything came after and you still see me as that. You don't see me as a savior, as the new Elisabet Sobeck. You see me as Aloy."

I looked up at her and smiled as she looked down at me, "I'm always going to see you as Aloy. You're a whole lot more, but you're still Aloy."

She smiled and rested her forehead against mine, "Thank you, Y/N."