Topside. A Malfunction Trilogy Short Story

Topside

   Had she done something wrong? Maybe they had found out about her and Viktor. But how? They hadn't done anything that could have exposed their unconventional relationship.

G5S89 stared at the dark, glossy eyes reflected back to her from the inside of her helmet. Tears? Were those tears?

Her breath echoed through the close-fit helmet, joining into the thump of her pulse in her ears.

In front of her, Viktor's shoulders were squared but his hands shook at his sides. He'd tried so hard. She still had a scar on her shoulder where he had stabbed her last time so she couldn't pass the medical check.

They were all out of favors to call in, though. And he couldn't even say goodbye to her.

589 looked down the line of biobots waiting to be Connected to their Users. Two were Generation 3 biobots. Ten years older than her, they had been to the surface a few times. G3S30 had the scars to prove it. A Wrecker had torn his arm clean off, and the silver scar from where they'd sewn it back on served to remind everyone who looked at him of the powerful aliens that waited above.

The Biobot beside her was one of her generation. G5S04 was small for a biobot. He fumbled with his helmet for a moment, checking the straps one more time. His bionic spine stood out, stark against the golden skin at the base of his shaven head. He tucked his full lower lip between his teeth and shot 589 a brief, terrified look.

Like her, he'd somehow managed to avoid going through that airlock before now. G5S369, on the far side of him, had already gone up twice. His helmet was settled firmly in place and he stared ahead, immovable. The way 589 should have been.

Viktor pressed the comm receiver adhered to his Adam's apple spoke, his voice too low for her to hear. A moment later he pulled open the door and waved them forward. 589's stomach dropped to the floor. She wasn't ready to die. She was only nineteen.

She clenched her eyes shut and took a step forward, but before she could step through, a hand fell on her arm. Her mouth went dry. Viktor wasn't supposed to touch her. If anyone saw them, he was going to get in trouble, maybe even get kicked out of the Guard. She couldn't survive without him. If he left the Compound, if she couldn't see his strong shoulders and smooth back in that gray uniform in front of her every morning, she wouldn't be able to breathe anymore.

"Dennis is on the cams." He kept his voice low as he pulled her to the side, away from any watching eyes. "He said he'd give us a moment."

589 let her fists unclench. Worry lines creased Viktor's brow. He hadn't slicked back his hair today, and the waves fell loose and black around his ears. A few days' growth clung to his normally boyish jaw. "Ella..." The whispered name planted a shard of warmth in her heart as he slipped his hand down her arm and gripped her fingers tight. Only the second time he'd held her hand. He wasn't willing to risk anything else, even when she wanted to. "I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to stop it."

"We both knew it was coming." She squeezed her eyes shut to battle the increasing pressure building behind them. It wasn't fair, that she had to make him feel better right now. He got to stay where it was safe. That wasn't entirely right. Viktor cared about her in a strange and beautiful way, and somehow his fear was just as real as hers.

Viktor pulled the helmet off her head. He let it hang from one hand and traced the tip of his finger down her cheek. Her skin tingled with the warmth of it.

"You told me once that you wanted to kiss me," he said.

Ella let a smile tug the edges of her lips. No one was watching. This was the best goodbye she could have wished for. It wasn't every day she got a moment of freedom like this.