*
“Barsch m'boy, can you hear me?” Kingston's voice, filled with concern, suddenly entered the world. Barsch, still half-asleep, tried to answer, but found that his mouth refused to release his words.
“I do not detect any internal injuries, and externally he has not suffered any serious abrasions. Apart from a few bruises, Barsch has not received any more wounds. He should regain consciousness momentarily.”
Less than a minute later, Maloch's prediction was proven to be true, as Barsch, blinking away the darkness, re-joined the waking world. Crouched over him, like two guardian angels, were Maloch and Kingston.
“What happened?” he asked, once he regained control over his vocal chords.
“We were hit by the pressure wave from the reactor's explosion. The train sustained minimal damage, but you hit the window pretty hard. We've been trying to wake you for the better part of an hour. How do you feel? Dizzy? Light-headed? Any strange sensations or pains?”
It was then that Barsch remembered the wall of fire colliding with the train, and his short-lived journey towards the rock-hard window. Surprisingly, he was in almost no pain, and aside from a slight headache, he was in remarkably good condition.
“I'm fine, just a little dazed I guess.” As Barsch looked around, he finally realised what was missing from his surroundings. “Wait... what about Alza? Was she hurt?” Barsch tried to get up and look for his missing friend, but Kingston's firm hand and strong gaze kept him down.
“She's fine. I think that she was far more tired than she was letting on, though, because the moment I assured her that you were alive and well, she collapsed and fell asleep. I moved her to one of the seats at the back of our car. Do you want to see her?”
Barsch very much wanted to go and see her, to make sure that she was well, but a part of him knew that she needed some time alone... they all did.
“No, it’s alright. As long as she is safe, I'm happy. And, as you said, she probably needs her rest.”
Maloch suddenly stood up, and, apparently satisfied with Barsch's condition, returned to the front of the train. Once there, the re-mech sat down and began imputing commands into the console. A few quick keystrokes later, a digital map showing their position appeared on one of the screens. The map was a basic outline of the surrounding landscape, with geographical features like rivers and mountains marked and noted.
A blue, pulsing line ran diagonally across the map, showing the route they had taken thus far. At several places along the line, white circles had been placed to mark the locations of the Stations. Revelation Station 52 was located in the northwest, while Ezra Station 98 was found in the centre of the map, followed by Genesis Station 13. A small green dot, overlying the blue line, showed their current position: they were on route to Genesis Station, having just passed by the Ezra Station.
“I have calculated that we will arrive in approximately two hours and thirty-nine minutes. I will keep watch in order to ensure our safety, and I will alert you when we reach the Station.”
Accepting his offer, Barsch settled into his seat, fully intent on finally getting some much needed rest. However, after a few minutes of tossing and turning, he came to the realization that, in his current state, sleep was impossible.
“Can't sleep?” asked Kingston, settling into the seat beside him. The old hermit bore a look of immense fatigue: his eyes were rimmed with black bags and his smile, while still visible, was barely there.
“Yeah, I want to, but...”
“I know. You have been through a great deal, especially in the last few hours. It's only natural that you would not be able to rest easily.”
Barsch nodded, accepting the old man's wisdom. “What is going to happen now?” he asked.
“I... I'm not entirely sure m'boy. For now, I think that returning to Genesis Station and checking on the people frozen there would be the wisest thing to do. After we have made sure that they are unharmed... well then, it's up to you. With Maloch's help, I might be able to reconfigure the cryogenic system to readmit you, or, if you want, you could come with me...”
The sadness in Kingston's eyes was almost unbearable. The thought of him going back to his hut to live and die alone, without ever seeing another human, after all they had been through... was gut-wrenching.
Until a thought occurred to him, one that he should have had a long time ago. “Wait! What if you come back with me? We could find you an empty pod, and you could get frozen along with us!”
What happened next was something Barsch could never have predicted: Kingston laughed. “Ah,” he said, when he finally calmed down, “That is a very kind thing to say, but I am afraid I will have to decline your offer.”
“But why?” Barsch said, exasperated.
“There are two reasons why I cannot go with you. Firstly, I have been exiled from that place, and only circumstance has forced me to return. Even if I wanted to, I am forbidden from entering that place. And secondly, I made a vow to a very important person, that I would watch over the sleeping inhabitants, and keep them safe. And so I will stay alive, for as long as I can, as a guardian for those who cannot guard themselves. This is why I cannot go with you, Barsch La Tergan.”
Barsch wanted to shout, he wanted to argue, to make Kingston see sense, but the old man had made his decision. Even if he begged and pleaded, his lonesome friend would not relent. Instead, he tried to show his support, and said, “I... I understand. Well, maybe I don't have to enter my pod right away? I mean, if it was okay with you? You still owe me a chess game... and you'll need someone to help you replant your garden... right?”
The smile that formed on Kingston's tired face was one of purest happiness, and it's very appearance helped to relieve some of Barsch's fatigue. “Yes, I think that your assistance would be greatly appreciated.”
With the lull in the conversation, Barsch had a chance to look back towards the rear of the compartment, to where Alza now lay. Although he could not see her sleeping figure, he took solace in the thought that she was safe now. With her madman of a father and her psychotic brother gone, she might finally have a chance to be free. She knew who she was, and where she had come from, and now, she could create a new goal, a new path.
Kingston, noticing Barsch's gaze, asked, “What will you do, about her?”
Barsch, confused, replied, “What do you mean?”
“Now that you know what she is... and how she came to be, how will you treat her?”
“I think... that Alza... is Alza, and that her origins don't matter. It doesn't matter how she came into this world. Whether she was born or made, the only thing that matters is what she does now. And whatever the future holds, whatever may come to pass, I will stand by my promise to protect her. Even if she does not want me too... I will protect her.”
Kingston, understanding that Barsch, in his own way, had made up his mind, merely nodded. He had treated Alza with scorn out of fear of the danger she had posed to Barsch, but, after seeing his resolve, he decided to treat her as Barsch did. At the same time, several rows behind them, a still awake Alza smiled to herself.
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