by Magus Tor
Oh dear. This is going to be a bit delicate, Aurelia thought. But necessary. “I need you to help me out of this uniform; I need to see what's going on under there. Can you do that?”
He blushed but nodded.
It was somewhat of a painful struggle, but eventually they got the uniform off. Aurelia found it easiest if she relaxed and let Nicholas do the pulling, but since Nicholas was obviously trying hard not to look at her bare skin, this proved a lengthy process. In the end, she was lying naked, propped up and able to see herself at least from the front. Nicholas had his back to her and was ostentatiously staring out of the dome. Which was opaque.
“I hate to tell you this,” said Aurelia. “But not only are you not looking at anything out there, but I'm reflected in the dome anyway, so you might as well turn around and help me.”
He did turn but kept his eyes averted. “What do you need?”
“Have you got any medical supplies?”
“Basics,” he said and started rummaging around in a pack. Eventually he came up with disinfectants, a few bandages, and some pain patches, which he pushed vaguely in Aurelia's direction, still not looking at her.
“Look, Nicholas, this is ridiculous,” she said, unable to reach the supplies that he'd pushed to her. “I need your help; you're going to have to look at me sooner or later. I realise that this probably makes you uncomfortable, but could you see me as a patient for a little while, rather than as a girl?”
His face was a deep crimson now, but he did look at her hesitantly. Aurelia guessed that that was as good as she was going to get right now. She'd get him busy; he'd forget his embarrassment over time. It wasn't like she was loving this, but she knew that if she had injuries she didn't treat, then she could end up being in even worse shape than she was in now.
“Alright, we start from the top,” she told him. Due to the scarring blisters on her shoulders, she couldn't move her arms up as far as she needed, so she instructed him in what to do. “I need you to gently feel around my skull. You're feeling for dents, depressions, any sign of bone that's flexible or moves under the skin, got it?”
He nodded and took her head in his hands. She felt his long fingers palpitating her scalp.
“Nothing,” he said after a moment. “It feels good and solid, and I didn't feel any bumps.”
Thank the Gods. The last thing she needed was a skull fracture out here. “Right, next look at my face.”
Nicholas grimaced. “There's a lot of injuries,” he said.
“I know, but I don't think there's anything serious.” She managed to feel her face, herself, and her nose, cheekbones, and jaw all seemed in good shape. She ran her tongue around her mouth, but there were no loose teeth. “Do you see any signs of infection on my face: redness, swelling, yellow patches, anything like that? Do any of the wounds feel hot?”
Again he checked her and shook his head.
“Awesome. Grab a disinfectant pad and wipe the wounds clean, please.”
He did as he was told.
And so it went on. As she'd feared, she found at least one broken rib. But her breathing was steady, although deep breaths hurt, which meant that at least the rib wasn't poking into a lung. Her stomach was badly bruised where she'd been kicked, and there were lacerations on her arms and legs, but these were easily dealt with. She found no more broken bones and considered herself lucky. The worst by far were the blisters on her shoulders from carrying that heavy pack.
The wounds had festered. They felt hot and were leaking a yellow, creamy fluid. Worse, fibres from her uniform and breathing suit were stuck inside. By carefully lowering her head to each side, Aurelia could just get a glimpse of the injuries, and she knew that they were bad. They needed treating before the infection spread, but she couldn't do it herself.
Nicholas looked at her worriedly as she told him what she needed and what to do. He wasn't squeamish by nature, but as he found metal pincers and disinfected them, he didn't look happy. He began to carefully remove the foreign material from the blisters, his face screwed up in concentration.
“You know,” he said, as he finished with the right shoulder and started on the left, “I think I prefer it when you operate on me. Can we have an agreement that you're going to do the med stuff from now on?”
Aurelia smiled, then bit her lip as he reached for another fibre. “It's a deal.”
Once the blisters were as clean as Nicholas could get them, he disinfected them and lay clean gauze bandages over them.
“Okay?” he asked.
She nodded. But the pain had drained her, and she could feel her consciousness slipping away. She heard the sounds of Nicholas rummaging around again and then felt him place a blanket over her. Before she finally slept, he crawled up next to her, curling his body around hers. She was glad of his warmth.
Aurelia had no idea how long she had slept, but Nicholas was already up and around, preparing food when she opened her eyes.
“Hungry?” he asked.
To her surprise she found that she was starving, and she accepted the bowl that he handed her eagerly. She was even able to feed herself, a definite step forward.
As Nicholas joined her to eat, he asked her how she was feeling.
“Better, I think. And we need to decide what we're doing.”
“I think we're going to have to wait here for at least a couple more days,” Nicholas said, taking a mouthful of soup. “You're in no condition to move yet.”
“Agreed,” she said. As good as she was feeling, she knew that she wasn't capable of walking, maybe not even standing. “How far are we from the dome?”
Nicholas paused to think. “I'd say about three days’ walk. Maybe five, given that you won't be able to move at full speed.”
Damn. That was further than she'd thought. “And once we're there, can we get back in?”
Nicholas shrugged. “I think so,” he said. “Bryn would probably help us if I can get hold of him, but I can't contact him from here.”
“So, our plan is to get closer to the dome, camp out there, and get Bryn to let us in. Alrighty, I like it. Simple.” Now that they had a goal and she had hot food inside her, Aurelia was feeling more optimistic than she'd felt in days.
They spent a couple of hours playing chess. Nicholas had brought a small set with him, and after eating again, Aurelia was feeling stronger. She had Nicholas help her to stand and found that she could take a couple of steps without too much pain, though the effort it took was immense and she needed his support. Thinking that at least it was a start, she let Nicholas lower her back to the ground.
“Not bad,” she said.
“Not great,” he responded.
“You're such a worrier sometimes,” she told him.
In truth, she enjoyed the time that she spent with Nicholas. He was intelligent, a good conversationalist, and an excellent chess player. He was also funny and good company. It was just as well that they got along, because it would be another three days before Aurelia could get around on her own. In the end, they used the bandages they had to strap her chest, which prevented the broken bones from moving too much and at least made it bearable to walk.
“We're going to be slow, but I think we can go tomorrow,” Nicholas said, watching her walk around the perimeter of the small dome.
“Agreed,” said Aurelia, smiling. “A good meal and a good night's rest and tomorrow I'll be even better than today. Let's do it.”
She was anxious to get moving, anxious to get back under the dome, though she'd given little thought to what they would do once they got back inside. She realised in horror that she'd been gone for a week and a half, and she could only hope that things at the hospital had gone on without her. Thank the Gods for Jason, she thought. He'd have handled things, she was sure.
The next morning they pulled on breathing suits, Aurelia struggling a little and finally sitting on the floor to dress herself. Nicholas packed up the supplies they had left into one big pack, which he shouldered. Finally, there was onl
y the dome left. Making sure that both breathing suits were powered on, Nicholas reached up to a hidden control panel and hit a button. With a faint hissing noise, the dome began to dissipate. All that remained of it was a small black box, which Nicholas shoved into one of the pockets of his pack.
They were so busy making sure that everything was packed that they didn't notice the two men until it was too late.
“I believe that you have something of mine,” said a voice.
Aurelia recognised it immediately. Garda.
Nicholas turned around. “What?”
“You heard me.”
Garda stood, stunner raised in his hand. Another, taller man stood a step or so behind him.
Aurelia looked on helplessly, begging Nicholas with her eyes to help her.
“I'm afraid that Aurelia won't be going with you,” the Clone said.
“Look, Clone, let me take the girl and you can go on your way. No problem. Don't make me shoot you with this thing,” said Garda, waving the stunner.
“She doesn't want to go with you,” Nicholas said.
Aurelia wondered why he wasn't fighting, why he hadn't pulled out any of the Military combat techniques that he'd said they all learned. Garda took a step towards Nicholas, who held up his hands.
“Just leave now,” Nicholas said.
His eyes were flashing, and Aurelia could see that his muscles were twitching with the effort of holding himself back.
In a flash, Garda was on him, flinging himself at the Clone and wrapping him in a headlock. “I say you and me fight it out like men, then,” he said, bring a fist around to connect with Nicholas's cheek.
Nicholas struggled but still didn't attempt to fight.
“Aurelia,” he said quietly, “I need you to tell me to hurt them.”
What the hell? Nicholas had relaxed his body so that the choke hold was loosened.
“Aurelia,” he said again, equally calmly.
Sensing movement behind her, she tried to turn but was too late. The other man already had her wrist and was twisting her arm back behind her, tearing at her chest.
“Aurelia, tell me to hurt them,” repeated Nicholas.
An arm came around her neck, a hand cupping her chin and pushing her head up, and Aurelia didn't know what was happening anymore. She screamed, and the hand began to squeeze. She couldn't get a breath, and her eyes began to dim.
“Hurt them!” she heard herself cry.
It seemed like minutes but must have been only a second before the hold around her was loosened. She turned just in time to see the tall man fall to the ground, Nicholas standing over him. She sank to the ground, herself, looking over to see Garda equally incapacitated.
“What...” she began.
“They're out of it but not dead,” Nicholas said curtly. “I've tied their wrists; should take them a while to get free. In the meantime, we should walk.”
He pulled his pack onto his shoulders and set off, not waiting to see if Aurelia was following him or even how she was feeling.
She dragged herself up and began to walk, wondering what the hell had happened and why Nicholas was suddenly acting so strangely. She found that as her muscles loosened, she could fall into a rhythm and walk fairly easily, though slowly. Nicholas set a medium pace but kept a few metres between them.
She stared after him. Fine, then. Let him be that way. Whatever had happened, he was sulking and didn't want to talk to her. Whatever. She gritted her teeth and concentrated on walking.
After a couple of hours, Nicholas stopped and allowed her to catch up. He didn't speak, just handed her a canister of water, made sure she drank, and then set off again, still keeping a distance between them.
It wasn't until they stopped late in the day, when Nicholas had already begun the process of setting up the dome, that he finally spoke.
“It'll be about an hour before the dome's solid. You can't take your breathing suit off,” he said.
She nodded, sitting in what would become the centre of the dome, glad to be resting her aching feet.
“Nicholas,” she said.
“What?”
“Stop it and come and sit with me.”
He had been arranging supplies, but when asked, he stopped and came to her. He sat opposite her, his head hanging down, and she knew that he was ready to speak with her now.
“What's wrong?” she asked.
“I'm embarrassed,” he said.
“Why on earth are you embarrassed?” Aurelia knew that she didn't always understand men, but he had just rescued her, after all. And then he'd spent the rest of the day sulking. Well, not sulking apparently, but being embarrassed.
“Because I couldn't fight for you,” he said.
Okay, now she really didn't know what was going on. “Er, I think you'll find that you did fight for me,” she said. “Which is why I'm sitting here with you instead of being beaten up in Garda's tent again.”
“No, you don't get it, Aurelia.” He looked truly miserable.
“Damn right I don't.” She was starting to get a little annoyed. “Why don't you explain things to me?”
“Fine.” He looked at her defiantly. “I couldn't hurt them until you told me to do so.”
She let that sink in for a minute, but she still didn't understand. “You're going to have to do better than that,” she said.
He sighed. “You really don't get it, do you? And here's me acting the idiot all afternoon, thinking that you'd done it deliberately.” He picked up a stone and turned it in his fingers. “I can't fight until I'm told to do so; none of us can. It's a sort of safety device, something implanted into us. We can only injure or kill humans when expressly ordered to do so by another human.”
Aurelia looked at him. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. It stops us rebelling and makes us easier to control on the battlefield. After all, you don't want thousands of highly trained Clone soldiers able to kill humans, do you?”
“I guess not.” She was quiet.
“We can act in defence of ourselves if necessary, but that's pretty much it. Anything else, we need a direct human order.”
She shook her head in wonder. “You really are designed as tools, aren't you?”
He nodded, still looking miserable.
Then she had a thought. “And you thought that I deliberately didn't give you the order to hurt them to humiliate you or make you look bad?”
“I…” But he didn't finish, just nodded.
“Gods, Nicholas, you really do have to trust me. I had no idea; why would I?”
“I forget that you're so new to all this sometimes.” He reached for her hand. “Forgive me? I know that I'm an idiot, really, and I'm sorry for sulking all afternoon and not taking care of you.”
She smiled. “Forgiven. Is there anything else that I should know about? You know, like you've got pistols hidden in your chest or knives for fingernails or something?”
He grinned. “My biology is...”
“Exactly the same as mine,” she finished for him. “With the exception of whatever it is that stops you from hurting humans.”
“I guess.”
The dome was beginning to form over them, the sky shimmering.
“If you forgive me, I'll show you something,” said Nicholas,
“I've already told you I forgive you; don't push your luck.”
He pulled her up by the hand and stepped gently through the edge of the dome. Aurelia felt a mild pressure as she stepped over the threshold, and there was a brief snap as she pulled free of the dome itself.
“Okay,” said Nicholas. “Close your eyes; it's just about time.”
She did as she was told and felt his hands on her shoulders turning her on the spot.
“Right, now open,” he said.
She opened her eyes and took a second to adjust her focus before she saw it. On the very edge of the horizon was a small, curved sliver of colour. It reminded her of something. But what? Sunrise. That's what it was. But this
wasn't the sun. She concentrated, peering closely, and then it hit her.
“Earth.”
“Earth rise,” said Nicholas, putting his arm around her shoulder.
She watched as the curve of the planet appeared over the edge of the lunar landscape, the familiar blue-and-white swirls of her home gliding into view. And then she found that she was crying. Not sobbing, but a quiet, slow release of emotion. Nicholas said nothing, just hugged her as they watched until the full planet was in view. Aurelia took her fill of the sight, then sniffed and leaned her head on Nicholas's shoulder for a brief moment.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You're welcome,” he said, just as quietly.
She pulled herself together. “Come on; the dome will be ready, and I'm starving.”
“Me too,” said Nicholas, turning back.
Aurelia took one last, long look at Earth before she joined him, feeling her homesickness swell in her chest before she swallowed it back down and went back to the dome.
On the second day the walking was a little easier, and by the third day Aurelia was walking almost at normal pace. Her chest still burned if she overexerted herself, but she could keep up with Nicholas. It was close to lunchtime when they saw figures.
“One, two, three,” counted Nicholas.
“What do we do?” asked Aurelia.
“Wait until we can see them better, I think,” he said. “There's little point in running, and if they're brigands then we'll find out soon enough.”
The figures had seen them and adjusted their direction slightly to turn towards them.
Quietly, Aurelia and Nicholas waited as the forms grew larger.
“Er, Nicholas,” said Aurelia after a minute or so.
“Mmm?” He was watching the horizon.
“Can I give you, like, pre-emptive permission to hurt them if necessary?”
She heard him chuckle. “Yeah, but that's a bit dangerous since you don't know who they actually are. You don't want to give me permission to hurt people that might want to save you, you know?”
“Right.”
They went back to watching.
When the figures were close enough, the leader put his hands above his head. Looking over, Aurelia saw Nicholas do the same.