I looked out the cockpit window feelin’ tired. “I got a call from the Blue Sun office sayin’ Somethin’ was left for me there….. A blanket and a nest….. All I could think of was Lily…… I went down into the Mines…. Musta fallen asleep….. Woke up to Xoxo yellin’ at me….. Said I needed to head to the old relpicant order power core…. Wait for her there.” I rubbed my chin, then my eyes. “I waited…… Then Xoxo came…. And Lily….. Lily had to shut her friend down for a short time. While everythin’ played out how they aught to’ve been the first time. I don’t know if I had much part in anythin’ but getting’ in the way….” There was the small pile of ruined curcuit boards. The EMP pretty much destroyed the equipment in the Shadow.
“Then it was over. Lily was gone. Then Xoxo handed me a note….. I read it and did what was asked of me. Had to make a distance flight….. then had to head back to the Drift. Kitten…. She sent me a wave…. Up out of the black. She told me Lily was ok…. But I saw her get taken by the core…..” Diggin’ into the Cockpit console, I pulled another dead board. This was startin’ to get frustratin’. “I hid for days. But I knew I had to let Brooke and Dex know I was ok, I just needed time. There were other thing’s needin’ my attention. I didn’t have enough time to deal with my grief……Spent a few nights tryin’ to make contact with someone ‘bout this packet what needed delivery. I did….. finally. But it was a hard thing to do….. You hang onto somethin’, you start thinkin’ you don’t want to do the delivery……. “ I frowned at the growin’ pile of stuff I was needin’ to replace.
There was goin’ to be a lot of salvagin’ to find what I’d need to make all the repairs. “Desmond, come ‘round a couple odd days ago. He found Gallagher’s brain. Then Lily and I had to get Diesel and knock him down. We both got beat good in the process….. But we got the gorram ‘bot. Desmand took care of puttin’ the brain into the bot….. Who knows how Gallagher’ll take it. One thing down…. How many more were waitin’ to happen…..” Pullin’ open another panel, there was more dead ‘lectronics to rip out. I sighed unhappily. I hated bein’ grounded.
Throwin’ down the last panel board, I slammed the main colsole with my hand, “I went back to make sure….. Had to deal with a few things……Xoxo was back on me ‘bout stuff… Not unusual for her. Seems she can find somethin’ to give me grief over most times. I decided to head for the last place of peace of late. I was too tired to be flyin’….. The mines. Went down there to be left alone……. It’s where Kitten and Bram found me….. Don’t remember much of the convo…… Then later, I was hallucinatin’…….. Lily on a white horse….. in the mine?...... Now I know I was seein’ things.” Getting’ up, there was a lot more panels to pull and rip electronics out of. “Last couple days been havin’……. To deal with whether it was a dream or a hallucination from lack of sleep and not eatin’….. Then there’s been the waves……. Short bursts only…… But I knew who and what they were……. Knew all too well……. Damn Xoxo……”
"Then Kitten was startin’ to act strange…. Yeah… I know, she’s not right…. But there’s a difference…. And it ain’t good. She’s been eatin’ worms… Testin’? Some sort of test she’s bein’ told to do. And she’s got a chip in her head too now…. Dylan found that out…. He’s a reader who can sense stuff like that….. Then Kitten was activated…. Started with blind sidin’ me. I don’t know if Gallagher went after her, but he was there when I come ‘round….. Then it was Brooke, Bram and me tryin’ to get Kitten and kill the chip in her head….. We set the small EMP off in the Shadow…… I knew we’d lose evrythin’ inside… But better that then Kitten killin’ everyone….. Chip was dead, but her objective wasn’t….. Gorram painful too..... Got bit and kicked……. Then she got my pistol…… I don’t remember too much after…. As for body armor?.... It don’t hold up well at point blank…. Woke in the clinic. Seana patched me up…… Then Brooke, Dex and their friend come in…. With Kitten…. They got her… But it was lily what shut the controls down on her……. And Jai was there too…..”
Not a good thing to do.. set off an EMP inside a ship. Kills everythin’. “Now Dex’s missin’… Brooke’s real worried….. Lily’s startin’ to become human….. She don’t believe it though…… Kitten’s fightin’ with another reader what showed up….. She knows her……. Then last night…….. Lily’s tryin’ to say she’s cuttin’ me lose…… And goin’ to get fixed by Krenshar….. more like dismantled…… I couldn’t let that happen….We had a discussion in Seana’s office….. Didn’t go too well……Was getting’ real riled over Xoxo and her rules….. Kept tryin’ to tell Lily to hold off from destroyin’ herself. Just a little longer……. That’s all I was askin’ for….. A couple days…. Just that…….. I said somethin’ Maybe aughtn’t’ve…. Ra ra boo….. It was all I had left to offer Lily….. Most like, Xoxo’ll have me ended for it….. I don’t care much…… If Lily’s gone….. and the future waitin’ on what I can’t give now…….” Somethin’ rattled ‘round in my head after that……. A mother and daughter readin’ their book...... together……… Its a story….. still bein’ written….
