U.S.S.A HellField

Chapter 12 A fond memory

She really has changed so much, the Alice I knew would never be this calm and confident after something like this. Wait...where is she going? Alice went around a few destroyed rooms to a wall on the ground, she lifted up the wall that was covering a bathtub, this was our bathroom. - "I left the robe I was wearing in here after the explosion, it's a damn shame what happened...I don't think we should live around other people, it's too dangerous." She said softly. I put my hand on her shoulder and took my helmet off. - "We had no idea this would happen, but yes, we should find someplace where it's just the two of us. I was trying to save our money up to pay for a way off-world, I think we're going to be here a while longer, but at least we're in this together...right?"  She stopped picking up the things I got for her, looked at me with a soft smile, and then began to put the robe back on. I went to find the money chest, it was sticking out of the ground where I had left it, barely moving an inch from the blast. 

I wiped the rubble and soot off and attached it to my back, kind of like a rucksack but much heavier. I looked back at Alice, she had the robe on, it had taken some damage judging by torn fabric and burn marks, I guess I will have to get her a new one after all. After we got everything, we left for the guild before any guards or fire response arrived to question us. Alice could hide behind the hood of her robe, I, on the other hand, stood out like a giant purple bruised thumb. There were crowds of people looking at the flames of the sundered motel from the market district, more people had stepped outside their homes to look on at the billow of smoke. We arrived at the guild building late in the night, the place was mostly empty, aside from a few bounty hunters. I didn't see that strange alien girl around, I asked one of the other receptionists, a reptilian alien, the same kind as the motel owner. - "Hello, is Ifra'Nyah here?"  They looked at us with one eye moving independently. - "No I'm afraid not, she's off right now, are you one of her regulars? She kept talking about a large purple armored man who killed the Blood witch." They said with a high-pitched, somewhat effeminate voice.  

I wasn't sure if I should answer that, but I don't think I was being given much choice. - "Yes, that would be me."  She turned her full attention to me. - "So how may I help you? It is rather late to be taking a job though."  Yeah, the question I wanted to ask has nothing to do with that. - "We're not here for a job actually, our... previous residence is no longer available to stay at, so I wanted to know if there are any homes for sale? Strange question to ask someone in your profession I know."  I asked politely. - "Oh, well I think there are some places for sale on the edge of the market district, if you have the coin it should be no problem, especially for someone as well off as you are. But if you need lodgings, we offer rooms for members"  Being complimented by a lizard alien was strange but I'll take it. - "Thank you for the info, are there any rooms open?"  She opened a ledger and looked at what I assumed was the guest list. -"We have several rooms open."  Before I booked a room, I needed to ask about the bed situation. -"Do any of the rooms have reinforced beds?"   

The receptionist shot me a surprised look, I don't know why, maybe I don't look that heavy. - "Have something in mind? We could break it in."  Alice said, suggestively raising her eyebrow. I nearly choked on my spit when she said that, this was beginning to be a habit for her now. - "This armor is very heavy and I can't fully remove it."  I tried to explain to her. -"We have one room for larger species. The price for a room is 80 Helva, will that be all sir?"  I nodded and then paid for the room. "Your room is number 4, just up the stairs over there."  I looked up and saw a door with a bronze alien number on it. We entered our room, and there in the middle of the place was a large metal-reinforced bed. -"Wow, that's gotta be at least a cal king."  She said, then flopping herself on the bed. The place was nothing fancy but it was better than the motel. - "So what do you think?"  Alice rolled around in the bed and then got under the sheets, she was certainly getting comfortable. I detached the chest from my back and placed it on the floor, I walked over to the bed and sat down, the bed only creaked a little bit. -"What do you think Metis?"  I asked. - "It's not too shabby, I guess it's better than the old place." 

I just realized I haven't lain down in a bed for over a week now, this armor isn't what I'd call comfortable sleeping, though maybe our motel getting destroyed wasn't the worst thing ever. I looked over to Alice on her side, with her eyes closed, she must've been exhausted, and so was I. I took my helmet and my gauntlets off, I was at least able to remove those, I could smell fire smoke on both of us. I brushed Alice's hair gently then pulled the cover up more. - "Are you going to sleep too?"  Metis asked quietly from my helmet. - "Yes, maybe you should too."  Metis was silent for a moment. "I can't, at least not like you, I'd have to be powered down. Tell me, what is it like when you dream? I can read your brainwaves whenever you're awake or sleeping but I can't see what you're dreaming about, what is that like?"  I wasn't expecting a question like that, I should've figured It was going to start asking existential questions like that, Metis was essentially a child without a living body or a body in general. - "Well I'm probably not the best person to ask, it's kind of like real life but the world is more vivid I guess, events aren't always clear and things can be hazy. Dreams can be nice or they can be horrible, maybe Alice could describe it better than I can."

The eyes on the helmet looked up like it was thinking, not that I said anything really worth thinking about. - "Thank you for telling me that, maybe I will ask her."  Metis said, its voice trailing off slightly. - "Do you want me to power you off? To see what it's like?"  I wasn't sure how to do that but maybe Metis knew how to. - "No thank you. And besides, you wouldn't be able to without deactivating your armor since the helmet is powered in proximity to it."  Well, that explains it. - "Goodnight."  I pulled the cover over and closed my sore eyes.  - "Goodnight Damien, sweet dreams." Hopefully, tomorrow will bring us closer to finding a way off this planet and be less chaotic.

I was doing my rounds, patrolling through the many decks of this old rust bucket, thankfully I wasn't usually the one doing the delivery boy tasks, that was something for the greener marines. They always had me go through the seedier parts of the ship, the places where you'd want the meanest-looking person you have going through so no one would think about violating any of the rules. I think a lot of the contractors they hired for the Umbra were less than reputable, which would explain why parts of the ship were always breaking down and needed constant maintenance, especially on Deck 13. Deck 13, there were few places; land, or space that were as dank and unsettling as that place. Just within the six days, I served there, there had been several accidental deaths that occurred, all randomly and horribly. One person had been electrocuted due to a faulty power socket and possibly carelessness,  another one fell down a maglev shaft, and then the infamous airlock incident. At the time I paid no mind to what the cause was until that monster showed his face, then it clicked, I hope he's rotting somewhere deep and dark.   

Things were becoming hazy and difficult to keep track of, I found myself patrolling through the small park I often detoured through on my way to Umbra security HQ. I saw Sergeant Ross in his civilian clothes, walking with his family along the sidewalk, he recognized me as I was coming their way. "Kurosawa, is that you?"  He said in a friendly and more relaxed manner than usual. - "Sir, just making the rounds."  I saluted. - "Good, if only most of the marines did their job as diligently as you do, maybe we'd have fewer stowaways still aboard and get more things done. Anyway enough boring you all with work stuff, this is my wife Mollie."  She held her hand out to shake mine, I shouldered my rifle under my left arm and then shook her hand. - "Pleased to meet you, Damien. My husband likes you."  She whispered. - "And this here is Emily."  She stepped away from her parents toward me. -"Hi."  She looked up and said shyly. little did I realize that this wouldn't be the last time I would meet Emily. if only it were under less tragic circumstances.