Chapter 38: Volume II: Chapter 5: Lute

Mic switched his monitor to view the infirmary as Eelock stormed onto the ship’s bridge. Will and Chleo sat next to her dad relaying their latest close call. The two had an annoying habit of attracting trouble.

“What happened?” Eelock asked a dangerous edge to his voice. The purple flowing off his skin burned bright in the small space. Mic clenched his teeth the same anger mirrored on his face.

“It was Lute himself,” he bit out. “He must have known you were here, otherwise why make the trip?” They shared a knowing look. “He made it absolutely clear what would happen if any humans showed their faces.”

Eelock scoffed. “The Pride reported their departure not long after you reported back. They’ll be safe in the village. No true Neon will give them any trouble.”

“You may want to tell them that,” Mic said tilting his head toward the monitor. Will’s voice carried onto the bridge questioning whether he should still attend training the next day with the Pride recruits.

“That’s ridiculous, of course he should. The village would never stand with Lute and his ilk. Nothing has changed.”

Mic raised an eyebrow. “You know that, and I know that. Even D… Jack knows that.” He caught himself, knowing he no longer had the right to call Jack anything but his name after… the incident. “But the kids?” He turned back to the monitor watching them worry over their new place in the ‘verse. “This is all new to them. How would they know there aren’t others who would throw them to the fires, especially after everything on Luna?”

“Lute’s group aren’t Scorps,” Eelock said, “They’re just… mislead.”

Mic watched as D… Jack reached for Chleo’s hand, trying to explain the complexities of what they just saw. He listened as he explained why they shouldn’t be afraid, that they were safe with friends. His temple started to throb as a memory fought for attention.

“I was mislead once,” he told Eelock refusing to look away from the monitor. “It didn’t lessen the pain I caused.”

He heard Eelock shuffle. If he looked, he would probably see his hands clasped behind his back, a compassionate glint resting in his eyes. Mic kept his gaze locked on the screen.

“Have you tried to talk to him?”

Mic gave a half shake of his head gritting his teeth around regret. “He wouldn’t want to talk to me.” He stared at the miniature image of Jack as he consoled his daughter and her friend.

“How do you know if you don’t try?” Eelock asked. When he didn’t receive a response he added, “Just think about it.”

“Is that an order?” Mic asked a teasing lilt to his voice as he fought the memory pounding against his temple with flippancy.

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Eelock chuckled. “If you need it to be.”

The pounding increased. He closed his eyes begging for a distraction. Finding one, he popped them back open.

“I almost forgot,” he said, rummaging through the junk he kept under his desk. There was something comforting about the controlled chaos the odd bits and ends created. He dropped a metal device on the control panel nearest Eelock. “The square’s blocker. I had to pop it out so we could hide.”

Eelock’s mouth fell open. “You stole…” he stopped himself pressing his thumb and fore finger to the bridge of his nose. “Of course, you did.”

Mic balked at the disappointment in his tone. “Come on, Eelock. It’s a dumb superstition. It’s not tech’s fault some idiot forgot to program a ceremonial flame exception in his fire detecting drones.” He continued under his breath, “If it were so important, you’d think they would have caught it before deploying.”

“The village’s fields were barren for two centuries.”

“No, they were barren for two decades, and only because the villagers sprayed them with, and I quote, ‘the tears of Namo,’ to fend off the curse.” Mic knew his voice was reaching exasperated. “You’d think farmers would know spreading salt water over their fields would kill everything.”

Eelock stalked over swiping the blocker from the panel. He pointed the end at Mic. “Don’t do it again. That is an order.”

Mic held his hands up in surrender, “You got it, Cap.” Eelock gave him a look before storming out the same way he came in, his purple glow going with him.

Leaning back, Mic flicked his gaze back to the monitor. Chleo and… Jack were laughing while Will reenacted a story. The memory returned, pounding a familiar beat behind his temple no longer deterred by a distraction.

Mic leaned his head against the chair closing his eyes. A younger Jack Mathews bled from the pressure in his head. He stood with his arm around Melody, their proud faces looking down at Mic as he showed them his latest project.

His eyes jerked open. Coffee, he needed coffee. He stood almost fleeing the bridge. Dai wouldn’t mind if he used her new machine. He’d even clean it. Anything to keep the memories at bay.

Yes, coffee should do it. With the special beans and milk they picked up during their last trip to the Tail and the powdered root they found at the little shop on one of the Legs. He couldn’t see it, but his Neon companions swore that Terra’s continents looked like a ‘Torr’ prompting the names of the regions. He and the Mathews had lived on one of the Horns before… everything.

Mic’s steps quickened. He’d use the beans he bought yesterday, fresh almost straight off the plant. Dai was right, coffee was, by far, the best contribution the humans brought with them. He swept into the cafeteria two steps ahead of his demons. With a full mug and a session with Chleo’s hover board on the books for later, he should be able to outrun them a little longer.

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