Transformation Space - Marianne de Pierres [21]
Randall forked some steaming farfalle into her mouth and took a moment to savour the taste before she answered. She gestured up with her thumb. ‘Go look in the meeting room up there.’ Then she added, ‘Might wanna let your food go down first.’
Jo-Jo wasn’t sure if she was serious, or just provoking him. Either way, he’d finish his exploration after he’d eaten.
Between them, they ate the entire pot and drank another bucket of water. Meal finished, Catchut stretched out on the floor and fell straight asleep.
Randall, though, got down on her hands and knees to search the bottom shelves of the cupboards. ‘Gotta be some … Knew it!’ She slid out two big flasks. ‘The other good thing about Latinos. Araldisian red.’ She unscrewed the plug and drank deeply. Her satisfied glugging made Jo-Jo’s mouth water. How long since he’d had a drink?
She belched, plugged the flask and threw it to him. ‘A few hours ago I figured never to taste this again.’ Her bloodshot eyes sparkled as she watched Jo-Jo twist the cap off. ‘Been in plenny of tight spots over the years, but never come so close to losin’ it as I did in that Extro ship.’
Jo-Jo took a swallow and nodded. ‘Weird stuff, all right.’
‘I said I’d never forget the fact you got me out of there, and I won’t.’ She opened the other flask and sucked in some more. ‘Can’t think of a much worse place to die than in that goo. Even the vac’d be better. You did all right in there, Rasterovich.’ She tapped her temple.
Jo-Jo shrugged, not wanting her to make something out of it. ‘More to do with how the Entity fucked my head over back when I discovered it than anything else. Made it easier for me than for you to think.’
They sat in silence for a while, drinking.
‘You think she’s still alive?’ Randall asked him.
‘Mira?’
‘No, the fuckin’ Extro queen.’
She was baiting him, but he laughed. It felt good to be alive. ‘Yeah. I do. Might just be wishful,’ he said truthfully, ‘but she’s a survivor.’
‘Like us?’
‘No. She’s smarter than that.’
They both laughed this time.
Then Randall’s expression sobered. ‘I shouldn’t have left her alone on Rho Junction,’ she said. ‘Thought she’d be OK. We were so damn close to the ship. Didn’t expect anything to happen. Bethany was with her too. Beth’s got smarts.’
‘No. You shouldn’t have,’ said Jo-Jo. ‘And I won’t fuckin’ forget it till we find her alive.’ It was the first time the mercenary had admitted guilt at Mira Fedor’s kidnapping.
Randall stared at him. ‘Figured as much. I don’t give a fuck about your forgiveness, though.’
Jo-Jo didn’t like the direction of the conversation, so he hauled himself to his feet, then bent down and rubbed his shins. ‘Gonna find somewhere to sleep. I’ll finish looking around in the daylight.’
Randall nodded. ‘Thinkin’ the same way. Don’t change the shade settings on the windows, and stay away from them once it’s light. Might be that the Extros in that big ol’ flying drum were happy to get rid of us, but the Saqr might fancy a bit of fresh brain juice.’
‘Hear you,’ said Jo-Jo. ‘Where da ya think we’ll find a flyer?’
‘There’re buildings all over the mountain. If we go out at night, we should be able to cover most of them. Could be, we get lucky and find one that hasn’t been damaged.’
‘Or?’
‘Could be, we spend the rest of our days eating pasta, right here. Until it runs out.’
‘I think we’re gonna get lucky,’ said Jo-Jo with a certainty he didn’t feel.
‘Sure,’ said Randall. ‘And OLOSS is gonna fly right in here and take Araldis back. Mira Fedor will be with them. She and I’ll fly off into the black together and get rich.’
Jo-Jo gave her his best scowl. He didn’t like that scenario much better than the first.
MIRA
‘Your placenta is breaking down. We must take the baby from you soon, or it will starve.’
Mira felt vulnerable lying on her back, covered by a translucent membrane and under the scrutiny of an array of sensors. The clinician – Dolin, he introduced himself as – was like all the others who had come to examine the odd Latino woman carrying a child of indeterminate biology: