*
Trusting Maloch's judgement, the group headed down the west-facing path. As they walked, Barsch allowed himself to fall to the back, ending up beside Alza. Although he had never seen her display her emotions, he sensed that something was bothering her.
Mentally searching for a topic with which he could approach her, he eventually settled on, “Um, Alza? This might be a little bit late, but... thank you for your advice back there, in the Waterworks.”
She looked at him as he spoke, a look that could have meant anything at all. A minute passed, before she replied, “Advice? Think of it what you will, but I was merely ensuring my own survival. If you had not helped the old man and the re-mech, we would be still there, at the mercy of this Station's A.I.”
“But... even if that is the truth, you still helped me. I think... that the you I met in the glade, wouldn't have done the same.”
Alza did not stop, but her walking pace slowed to a crawl, allowing a sizeable distance to form between her and Kingston. “Why do you think that? I am the same person I was back then. I have not changed since you found me.”
“No, I think you have... when we were in Kingston's hut, you were cold... colder... towards us. Since then, to me at least, I think you have begun to open up a little. I know that you might not see it, but I think that you know I’m right.”
Alza did not respond for several heart pounding seconds. Barsch wondered if he had gone too far. If he had said too much.
Eventually, she said, “You are... mistaken. Everything I have done since I have met you, has been in the interest of my own self-preservation. I travelled with you, because it was safer than travelling alone. I fought alongside you, because you would have fallen without me. I assisted you, because it suited my personal goals. That is all.”
“But... Then why are you still with us? I know how strong you are, so I don't think you need us in order to be safe. Kingston and Maloch are also strong, stronger than when we met, so I don't think your absence will put us in danger if we have to fight again. And as for your goals, whatever they are, I don't know if you can achieve them if you stay with us.”
For the first time since meeting her, Alza looked lost for words. The silence lasted far longer than it should have, and Barsch was considering leaving when she said, “My goal... is to find out who, and what I am. I have an entire past that I know almost nothing about, and that... is not a nice feeling. From the moment I awoke in Kingston's room, I have been searching for answers. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Where did I come from? And when I met you, it felt like those things did not matter as much as they should have. I stopped thinking about where I had come from, and started thinking about where I was going. You called me cold, but I think, that I'm just... empty. So, until I find out more about myself, I will stay with you, and with the old- with Kingston, and with Maloch.”
Barsch walked in silence, Alza's words still swirling around in his mind. He still did not know what she truly thought of him, but for that moment in time, it was enough.
“Barsch, Alza, we've found something,” called Kingston suddenly from up ahead. Barsch was glad for the interruption. His heart couldn’t take much more.
Quickening their pace, the duo quickly caught up with Kingston and Maloch, who were standing next to a door marked, “STORAGE ROOM C2”. When Barsch and Alza arrived, they cautiously pried it open, ready to react at a moment’s notice. However, nothing came flying out at them, and no alarms began their shrill whining; so they proceeded inside. It was obviously one of the less-used rooms in the Station, evident from the thick layer of dust that made a grey, fluffy blanket for the mountain of boxes inside. They were labelled such things as, “PROCESSED MEAT” and “REFURBISHED WATER”.
“What do you think?” asked Kingston.
“It'll do,” replied Alza, all traces of her recent change in attitude gone.
Closing the thick bulkhead-like door behind him, Barsch entered the room, noting that it was just big enough for all of them to sit comfortably. Moving aside some of the boxes, they began to divide up the room. After bedding had been acquired –from boxes labelled as such-and laid down, the four unlikely allies gathered around the unopened boxes.
Kingston was the first to tear open a box, his reason being, “It's not like they'll be needing it any-time soon.” Inside, he found several bottles of an amber coloured liquid. Squinting to see the printed labels, he read, “Orange Fizz, fizz up your life! Well, it looks drinkable, here.” After distributing the bottles equally, he tore into the second box, which bore the label, “VACUUM-SEALED BEEF”.
“Now we're getting somewhere! I haven't seen real beef in decades!” What came out of the box did not look like beef, or even meat for that matter, but Kingston assured Barsch of its viability. After going through a few more boxes, they gathered up the food and ate. It was a meal that would have been seen as a light snack before the Great Sleep began, but to the hungry, weary party, it was a feast.
After they had eaten, it was decided that Maloch would take the first watch, with Barsch relieving him after two hours. Mere minutes after the order was decided, the mostly human occupants of the room were asleep, leaving Maloch alone with his thoughts.
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