The Rust

Chapter 2.1

The door is sticking again. Mig shoves it open, then slams it shut. A room originally meant for a single crew member is partitioned into two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a common room that serves as a kitchen and office. Olivia's computer equipment takes up most of the space. He drops his helmet on his bed and puts a pack of groceries on the plastic stand by their portable stove.

Olivia swivels around in her chair. "Did the meat rations arrive?"

He shakes his head. "Skimmers."

"Oh."

She grabs one of her crutches and stands up. Her skin is nearly translucent while her arms and legs are disproportionately long and thin. She shuffles toward him, her hand grasping the back of her chair and then the wall. She's the only person taller than him. At full height, she's nearly seven feet. Her hair catches dust off the ceiling.

"What did you get?"

He offers his left arm as a support, which she ignores. "Some potatoes, bread, cheese, few walnuts."

"Walnuts?" She rests her chin on his shoulder.

"Grown on Earth."

Olivia plucks one from the bag. He busies himself with putting the rest in containment while her breaths become more rapid against his neck. She leans on his arm and holds it out.

"You do it."

He pops the pig-sticker hidden in his right gauntlet and pierces the walnut's seam. The weight of his suit helps. He presses methodically until the shell cracks, then widens it until it snaps open. The nutmeat inside is dry, but not rotten. She neatly reaches over, plucks half of it with her long fingers, and eats it.

"Tell me about Earth."

"You're in the way."

She nabs the other half of nutmeat and slowly makes her way back to the chair. Her crutch clacks loudly on the floor. When she sits back down, he starts prying another shell open.

"So what's it like?"

"You already hacked Leo's plaNet. Look online."

Olivia sighs. "But what's it like?"

He pauses, knife in hand, eyes distant. "It's where we fit." He clears his throat and keeps pressing. "Why're you asking?"

"It always cheers you up."

"Don't need cheering up."

She laughs. "Then you need to lie better."

"See this knife in my hand?" He holds up the black fixed blade.

"You only use that to chase my admirers away."

He moves on to the block of cheese and cuts translucent slices that curl like waves. "They're pigs."

"I don't know what that means."

"You'll figure it out."

Mig splits a slice of bread between their plates and brings them over. He sets Olivia's on her desk, then sits on his bed and starts eating. The cheese is a little chalky, but it's edible. He eats slowly and savours the taste.

"You're not having any walnuts?"

He peels off part of the bread's crust. "They're for you. Lots of protein."

She cradles a sliver of nutmeat in her palm. It looks like a slice of brain tissue. "You think my bones will be strong enough for Earth?"

Her eyes are intensely grey. The relic of an accident from her childhood.

"Eat," he says.

"Fine." She pops more nutmeat into her mouth. "What are you going to do about those blue caps? If they ID your helmet display, they'll know you stole their hardware."

He shrugs.

"You might have to do a runner, Mig. I'm serious."

"Can't. Clinic's open tomorrow."

Olivia shakes her head. "You're being stupid."

He shrugs again. There's not much to say after that.

They settle in soon after. Less power and fewer calories wasted. When Olivia curls up on her mattress, he sits on his own bed and dons his helmet. He singles out a file through his control module. It's encrypted. The last time he accessed it had been before Olivia moved in. He watches the left side of his IHD zoom in on a nondescript video icon and pauses for a moment. Then he selects it and mutes the sound.

The image swings wildly back and forth. Sky. Cloud. More sky. The top of a tree. Then it's righted and a face slides into focus. Mig's in the striking black uniform of UN tactical response. His cap sits neatly on his head and nearly blocks his eyes from the camera, but it's clear he's smiling. Then Mike pushes into view. He lugs an arm around Mig's shoulders and grins for the camera. They both beckon to someone off-screen. The image does another flip and then he, Mike, and Aiko stand together in view. She wears the black and gold uniform of UNIS—United Nation's Intelligence Service. She pinches his butt out of sight and leans in for a kiss when he jumps. When Aiko steps back, Mike plants a long kiss on the corner of his mouth. Mig makes a show of lifting them both off the ground.

The video ends and automatically minimizes. He leans back on his bed, tucks his arm behind his head, and plays the file over again.