Sang the Stray (Completed)

44. Blackjack

My heart was in my throat, or so it felt.  I stood just outside a large hangar bay filled by dozens of Taren space craft.  Tsee Blackbourne escorted me this far and was called up to some meeting.  He had left with an encouraging smile and instructions to locate Bay Ten Five Two and the tanz operator named Jer. 

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned.  A rotund young man with a ruddy complexion stood grinning affably. 

"Marry me?" He asked, shocking me.

"What?" I mumbled, taking a step back. "I, uh, don't think..."

"Stop scaring away the pretty girls, Mike," another lanky guy called out as he approached.  "Sorry, he's just kidding, mostly.  I'm Jer, can I help you?"

"Oh, um, yes.  I am look for Bay Ten Five Two.  I am look for Tsen North Taylor," I said.

"Yeah," Jer said, his face looking a bit nervous now.  "Follow me. And, Mike, go get that replacement for the flux capacitor on Six Nine Three."

We walked down the line of ships, most with gleaming silver hulls.  Several had various panels removed with electronics bared as technicians ran diagnostics and made repairs.  Metal shavings littered the floor here and there. Parts and tools appeared to be meticulously organized and hung or stored accordingly.  The smells of machinery and electronics tickled my nose.  We finally stopped before a ship with the rear segment gutted.

Jer looked at me in concern and said, "So, yeah, here it is.  Uh...just dodge any flying metal objects or bottles of fermented klavi."

I don't think he had much confidence in my coming out of this unscathed.  He gave me a nod, then turned and hurried off.  I sighed.  No better time than the present, or so I've read somewhere.  I listened and followed the sounds of banging and cursing.  He wasn't on the outside, so I climbed a ladder into the underbelly of the ship.  A trail of empty klavi bottles and discarded tools led me to North tucked under a control panel of sorts.  At first, I thought he might have noticed me when a hand reached out, but I side-stepped just in time to avoid a wrench that zoomed by.  His hand closed over the tool and disappeared back into a tangle of wiring. I doubted he would hear me over all the noise, so I used a toe to nudge the side of his exposed foot.  Nothing.  I decided a good kick to the shin should gain his attention.  It worked.

"Fucking, who the..." He shimmied out from under the panel until he saw me.  His eyes narrowed and he said, "Oh, you," then pulled himself back under and started fumbling with wires again.

Desperate times...desperate measures.  I wasn't sure if this would work, but I remembered what Sean said about abilities and intention.  I freed my hand of the glove and placed it against a bare patch of skin near his ankle.  I focused all thought on one word...Fire. 

Whoosh.  He was engulfed in flames, just as had happened in the enhancement testing.

"Fucking shit," he shouted, scrambling out to stand.  "What the fuck?!" He struggled to pull back the flames, patting down his arms and legs. He stared at me, mouth agape.  "I can't believe you fucking did that!"

"I am ready to talk," I said as calmly as possibly. 

"Talk?! You just lit me the fuck on fire and you want to talk?!" He railed at me, the last spark on his shoulder dying down.

"Yes, I am sorry I walk away earlier. I need time to self, now am ready to listen and talk about what happen," I said back, still as evenly as I could manage.

He blew out a breathe and ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I don't understand you sometimes," he said. 

"I knew I made mistake, feel so stupid.  I not want to talk about...then you and Victor argue," I stopped to breathe a joden, recognizing that I was fumbling with the language again. Slowing down I said, "I need time to think, to be angry at myself first and not see you guys fight each other.  That was most upset thing."

He reached out hesitantly, stopping short of touching my cheek.  I leaned into his open hand.  "You are not stupid," he grunted at a lower volume, his features softening as the anger melted.  He dropped his hand to capture mine, interlacing our fingers.  Then leaned in and pressed a second kiss to my forehead, then another to my temple, then trailed his lips down to my cheek where he pressed a kiss.  My heart raced, skin burning with a different kind of fire.  He pulled back slightly, eyes darkened and intense.

"Sang, Baby," he whispered with our faces only inches apart.  I waited in anticipation for him to close that gap.

"Oy, Luke!  Trouble is in here," Gabriel's voice rang through the small space, echoing against the metal surrounding us.  He and Luke's faces popped up through the opening at the same time.

North pulled back threatening under his breath to kill his brother and friend.

"Join us for dinner?" Luke asked, climbing in. 

North and I exchanging a glance.  "Sure," he replied, then looked down and around at the mess.  "I just need to..." He trailed off and waved his hand a bit.  Everything, and I mean every little bit and piece, started moving...the ship repairing before my eyes.  We got out and stood watching wires and pins and things all slide back into place. In only a few minutes time the ship was ready to go.  I stared at the ship in amazement and Jer, who had returned cautiously, stared at me. 

"That was incredible," I heard Jer say.

"Yes, how he fixed the ship," I replied.

"Oh no, he does that all the time.  I meant how you just went in there and..." Jer stopped talking as North's eyes narrowed and arms crossed.  "Anyway, nice meeting you, Sang.  Come visit anytime," he threw out quickly and retreated.

As we all walked to the dining hall to collect meals, I opened an Interface channel.

Interface Channel: private
Users: S💝, N😠rth

S: Do you like me?

N: Yes.  Do you like me?

S: Yes.💝

N:😏

S: But I also like 😻. Still, I promise to be more careful.