Shadow Walker

Planning

"Rain! You're awake! Thank the sun for that."

Teegan appeared atop those footsteps, accompanied by the smell of something sour, slightly rancid. In her arms were two canvas bags, bulging with mysterious, oblong objects. She wore the same tea-stained lab coat from the night before and the dark pillows under her eyes suggested she was still running on old adrenaline.

Her gaze trapezed from Dec's open shirt, to the way his hands clutched his neck, down to the shattered trackpad, and up to Rain's wide open expression. Folding her arms across her chest like a school teacher bearing down a disruptive student, she repeated, "What happened?" and her gaze settled and narrowed on Dec.

Dec fumbled with his shirt buttons, while considering his answer. Should he tell Teegan the truth of what had happened with Rain?—How she'd called him hi-young and ranted like a mad person before demanding a patent and attempting to choke him to death? As he replayed the scenario in his head, he knew she wouldn't believe him. He would hardly have believed himself had he not had a set of bruises to remind him.

Rain watched him struggle for words and the intensity of her gaze caused him to fumble even more. The dagger-sharpness of that look bled the lie easily from his throat. "The trackpad slipped out of my sleeve while I was sleeping." The words glottal-stopped against his swollen voice box and he paused to ask himself, Why am I lying for a Northerner? before he swallowed and continued, "Rain just woke up then."

Teegan dropped the canvas bags, which made a suspicious clanking noise and took a few steps towards him. "Your neck," she exclaimed, fingers reaching to touch his bruises. "How did you get them?"

Dec pushed her hand aside and shrugged. "Back at the city. The police. It's a long story." He tried to distract her attention by pointing to the canvas bags on the floor. "Where have you been?"

"I went over the rise to get some supplies. There's a dump out there with hidden valuables if you're willing to look." She turned to Rain, who remained bolt upright in her stretcher, eyes tracking their every move, and said. "We needed that trackpad, right?"

Instinctively, Dec rose on his toes and took a step towards the chemical engineer, just in case Rain decided to try and choke her too. But Rain didn't seem to notice, nor did she appear to be the same barren-eyed stranger from only moments before. Instead, her gaze had filled with a watery glaze, which she stared through with such intensity, it was as though she was trying to see something far in the distance—so far that blinking would only get in the way. Her mouth opened and closed exactly five times before the words, "The trackpad isn't important," slipped between her lips. "I remember..." Her voice trailed away.

Dec and Teegan exchanged confused glances.

"Remember?" Teegan said.

Rain's head snapped up and she blinked, expression clearing. She rose from the stretcher and began pacing the cramped space, wincing every now and again when the movement tugged the clamp on her stomach. "We don't have much time," she said, addressing everyone and seeming noone. "Did you tell Declan about the luminite?"

Dec frowned.

Teegan replied, "Not yet. He seemed ... stressed. And I didn't want him to do anything stupid."

Rain nodded and resumed her pacing. "Better tell him now. If he tries anything, at least there's two of us to stop him."

Dec flung his arms in the air. "I'm right here, you know." He winced as the words chaffed his throat.

Both Rain and Teegan's heads snapped towards him, as though they really had forgotten he was there. Teegan pulled out a small plastic packet from her lab coat pocket and held it out. "Dec, do you know what this is?" she said.