Artificial

15 | Glow Berries

The sight of Elias kneeling in front of me, using the scraps of his shirt to wrap my ankle is something my brain is incapable of processing. He'd made it clear from day one that he didn't want to hurt me, but somehow it isn't until now that I fully believe him. This Elias, the one who gave me his jacket, made me food, and protected me, isn't the one my father had warned me of. The differences don't line up.

I close my eyes, waiting for him to snap, and reach for my neck. He doesn't though, and the worst part is I know he won't. I don't know how to deal with Elias' kindness. Heavy silence fills the cave as Elias tries to rub warmth back into my hands and arms. Elias hands me a metal water bottle, filled to the brim with hot water, pestering me until I drink the entire thing. My teeth stop chattering after an hour, and the snowstorm outside has only gotten worse.

"We should go deeper into the cave," Elias says after a couple snowflakes drift near us. He leans closer into me, pressing his hands into my forehead and neck. "How are you feeling, Mira?"

"Better," I answer after some hesitation. Elias is appeased by my answer, and in the next moment I'm hauled up into the air and against his chest. Part of me wants to demand he put me down, but the other, more traitorous aspect of myself wants to bury my head in his shoulder. My ankle isn't broken. I'm more than capable of walking by myself, but I don't say anything.

I take a peek over his shoulder into the bag he brought, and my jaw drops. Chunks of metal, broken off ship parts, and chips are layered neatly within the bag, along with MRE packets, more metal water bottles, purifiers, and even a book.

With my added weight, Elias had carried no less than 250 pounds through the snow for god knows how long. Not a single drop of sweat dots his brow, and I wonder if he had been modified with strength, or if this was something he had worked for at the gym.

"Why did you bring so much junk?" Along the cave walls, vines and greenery fall from the ceiling and drape every surface. Large yellow fruits hang from the vines, glowing, and growing in number as we continue deeper.

"Junk?" Elias just laughs. "Take a closer look at what I brought, Mira."

There are stacks of wires, scraps of metal, lithium ion batteries, an antenna and router- "Router? You're going to make a wifi source?"

"We're making a wifi tower. I don't have half the brains you do," he says in jest. "I trust you remember how to make one?"

I just scowl at him, because making a wifi source out of scrap from a wrecked ship is something we both know is a stretch. But it isn't like we're drowning in options, and I have to admit it might be our only shot at calling for help.

We reach the end of the cave, and I pause, taking my surroundings, slack-jawed. Greenery drapes the walls, and soft moss lines the ground beneath us and in the far corner, sits a pool of water. Dim, yellow light fills the room, coming from the berries.

"How did you know this was here?" Elias sets me down on a patch of moss, then moves over to start unpacking our things.

"The rhodium you and your friends tried to take was an investment towards the terraforming of this planet, Kepler-2810d. I wouldn't be a very good investor if I blindly invested without research." He reaches up, then grabs one of the glowing berries from a hanging vine.

"Those are edible?" Glowing things in nature, never spelled out safe. Elias looks amused that I asked, and shakes his head sadly.

"Unfortunately not edible." Then he walks back over to me. "Take off your clothes."

"W-what?" Immediately, I grab my layers and hold them tighter to my chest. Had I misunderstood why he brought me to this cave? Was I going to have to fight him after all?