*
An hour later, Barsch was roused from his fitful sleep by Kingston’s voice. When he had last seen him, the old man had begun systematically going through the Station’s cupboards, a determined expression on his face. That expression had now been replaced by one filled with anger.
“It’s not here!” Kingston shouted, slamming a cupboard door shut.
Throwing his light blanket off, Barsch stood and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m missing one of the medicines! Without it, the mixture is useless!”
“Calm down, I’ll help you look. What’s the name of the drug?”
As Barsch rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he could see that Kingston had turned the Station upside down while searching for the medication. Cupboard doors hung open, and stacks of invoices lay scattered across the room.
“Methotrexate, it should be in a white bottle with a blue lid.”
They spent the next two hours carefully combing through the Station’s stores, going through the inventory lists and searching for hidden containers with no success. The only clue they managed to find was an invoice for the medication, which detailed an order for three cases made out to ‘C.C Pharmacy’.
“C.C? Any idea what it stands for?” Barsch said, as he and Kingston rested in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Outside, the sun had finally made it to the horizon, casting a crimson shadow on the room.
“Hmmm, given our current location, I would guess that it stands for Carçus City. It’s further up north, about a day’s journey, but it’s a dangerous place. I would rather avoid it altogether, if there was any other medical station within a hundred miles we could go to.”
“Kingston-
“I know what you’re going to say boy, but I’m not foolish enough to turn around after coming so far. If you are still willing to travel with me, we’ll head to Carçus City in the morning. And if we don’t find the medicine there, then I’m taking you back to Genesis Station, agreed?”
Barsch knew that if they couldn’t find the medicine in the city, then Kingston would probably not survive the month, but he agreed all the same. Even if he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain, he needed to show Kingston that he would follow him.
“What about Alza? You saw what she did…”
Kingston leant back in his chair, closing his eyes. It was then that Barsch saw just how weary the old man had become, and how much of his strength the journey had taken from him. This was a man who had seen almost everything, a man who was tired of trying to make sense of the world. A man who was almost ready to give up completely…
“Lad, I’ve witnessed a lot of things that I can’t explain, and been in more strange situations than I can remember, but that girl is something else entirely… For the moment, I don’t think she poses a threat to us, but remember one thing: she’s dangerous. Until I can absolutely guarantee that we won’t end up like that poor re-mech, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on her. And if I decide that she’s an enemy, then I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Remember that, Barsch La Tergan…”
For a moment, Kingston’s face changed, going from kindly old man to merciless soldier. An instant later, his past faded from his features, and the compassionate hermit was back.
“Now, I think it’s time we turned in. We will need all our strength for whatever Carçus has in store for us. So, sleep well…”
Leaving Kingston to his dreams, Barsch stood and walked back to his bed, passing Alza, who had yet to awaken. A few days ago, he had thought of her as a beautiful, but somewhat cold young woman. Now, she was something to be feared. But, looking at her sleeping face, Barsch found that his feelings about Alza had not changed. Even if she could disable a re-mech without touching it, she was still a young woman who had forgotten her past, and he would protect her, no matter what.
Before he climbed onto the hard mattress, he fetched another glass of filtered water, along with a few preserved fruit bars they had found during their search. Laying them on the small table beside her, he slipped under the scratchy covers. The last image he had was of her peaceful face, which he now knew hid untold secrets… secrets that could help them, or destroy them all…
Awakening Page 44