Surface R: Reunion

Part 05.3

::THOMAS::

"Thomas,"

I waved vaguely to let Nina know that I need some more sleep. It can't be time to get up yet. My Shift doesn't start till noon, and I know it isn't noon yet cause I didn't hear the buzzer. It's been quiet, too quiet actually—

"Thomas, you gotta get up, please."

I blinked rapidly, and let my eyes stay open. There's grass in front of my face.

Oh...

"Morning Cody," I said, yawning, and rolled over. "nice morning, just a touch early, don't you think?"

Cody shook his head, "We can't waste day light." He smiles sheepishly. Up all night, and he looks wide awake.

Damn, I thought. I should've offered to take turns keeping watch... Whether I'd be as reliable or not is the question.

Cody's crouched next to me, one hand on my plastic-encased shoulder to shake me awake. He notices me looking and pulls it back. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I tell him, "I don't mind being touched, it's Sean who's sensitive about it."

A brief flash of unhappiness passes over his face.

"Why is he like that? Is it something I said? He says he hates this place and hating it means including me." Cody whined. "But I don't understand."

I took a look at his face—open, honest, and very trusting—and sighed. He can't understand that kind of resentfulness, he probably never felt it. I doubt he ever hated anyone, because he doesn't seem to hate Sean—more like he wanted his approval. And if he can't despise that jerk, he couldn't possibly hate anyone.

I envy him. He doesn't understand Sean's hostility but I'll try to explain it to him anyway.

"Sean wasn't what you'd call a normal human being," I begin.

Cody raised a brow.

"Uh, just try to get the general idea, kid." I said, sensing his confusion. "you remember the machines that you heard when we were underground?"

"It's so loud. I don't think I can forget."

"Well, they run the whole Underground." I explained. "So they're pretty important." I grinned wearily at myself. Pretty important... Yeah, they're only what keeps everybody living down there alive. "And Sean was in charge of keeping them running, you could say he was the machine. He's been doing that sort of things his whole life, so this is a huge change. He's not going to adjust well right away, no matter what we say or do."

Cody appears to think about that. "But why is he up here if he's so important? Trey told me only kids they don't need are sent away."

Wow, I thought. Just how much of a big deal is Trey to this kid? I decided to think on that later and answer the given question. "Because it would've killed him."

Cody didn't like that, if his grimace was anything to go by. I think I wouldn't mind, even if I did agreed to take him with me to save his skin. Lindsay had no clue that he was a lot of baggage.

"Another year, he'd be dead. He still doesn't believe that, but it's the truth." I continued. "It happened once to his brother, Luke. The machines would've drained him completely. Nina was training to be Sean's replacement, and that's how we found out."

Cody nodded slowly. "So he's... running away?"

"Oh, no." I laughed. If only it were that simple. We wouldn't be having this conversation now. "we're carrying him away. He's being dragged, kicking and screaming."