1 day, 4 hours
Another cave.
They’d dried the rain from their clothes a long time ago, but the sun’s absence still left the stones cold. The City had left the horizon a long time ago, and out here there was little activity to speak of. No Cabal ships had been sighted for hours. This is what Europa assumed hunters meant when they said “reaching the wilds”. It felt new, lawless, and so very far from safe.
She turned onto her side, facing her younger counterpart.
“Lexi?”
His optics warmed up, and he hummed in question.
“Were you raised in a cave?”
“Mm. No.”
“Where were you raised? Do you remember?”
“I think…” He laid with his head on his hands. “I was laying down. In grass. A clearing.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It was.” He smiled minutely. “Why ask?”
“I was raised in a cave. So was Cal.” She turned on her back to face the cave ceiling once more. “And here I am again.”
He hummed. “Was it the same cave?”
“I don’t know. I always meant to ask her to describe it. Or go hunting for our mysterious respective caves.” Her throat tightened. “Too late now.”
He turned on his back, and held up his hand. When she took it, he began his knuckle-tapping once again. “The time it took for me to walk to the City was the only time I have ever known life without her.” She squeezed his hand when his voice wavered. “I never wanted to know it again so soon.”
She wiped her cheek on her sleeve, bitterly chuckling. “You’re just stuck with me and Nalim now. Sorry.”
He turned his head to look at her, red eyes terrifying in the dark if he wasn’t Alexi. “You are not allowed to die. I am the one made of metal. I take the bullets. You set the fires.”
She smiled weakly. “Good system. What’s Mom do?”
“Critique us when we’re done.” His faceplates spread in an amused smile.
Nalim snorted, gaze still out in the night. “Damn right. Could you two try sleeping?”