(Day 26- 1129 Words)
The shuttle to the hospital was running late, so Mike was already outside when they arrived. He was in civvies, but at his height he still stood head and shoulders above most of the hospital crew and people going in and out, so he was easy to spot. They walked up to him and Thom shook has hand and gave him a bro-hug, and Shae gave him a real hug.
“You are looking so much better,” she said.
“I hope so, I’d hate to think that after all the surgery and rehab that I’d look worse!”
“The rental is over here, I just got the message,” Thom said. He motioned to the overflow parking lot.
“You all got a rental for me?” Mike asked. He looked surprised.
“Nah, I got it for my lady here.” Thom put his arm around Shae’s shoulders possessively. “And you are certainly not my lady.”
All three of them laughed. They crossed the street and over to the Zip car that was parked there and whose top lit up when Thom put in the code. It was a tight squeeze for Mike, so Shae sat in the back behind Thom, to give Mike the most leg room possible.
Thom drove them to the Sakamichi restaurant, which was one of Shae’s favorites though it was fairly expensive. Mike had mentioned liking it, as well, when they had visited him previously in the hospital, and set up the date to pick him up. Both Thom and Shae wanted to give him a proper thanks for what he did that night at the diner.
They were right on time for their reservation, which apparently Thom had made earlier in the day, as Shae hadn’t know about it. The food was delicious and they all laughed a lot. Shae did bring up the colony ship that Maricia had mentioned as part of the conversation and how it would be great to run away to a new life sometimes.
“Yeah, but those colony ads always stick you with a lot of debt,” Mike said.
“I don’t care, it’s not like I would actually go, it’s just nice to dream.”
“I might go,” Thom said, surprising Shae. “Depending on where, and what kind of technicians they might need. I’ll bet you could buy yourself off a lot faster if you were needed personnel or had certifications they wanted.”
“True, they are always asking for police and guards for those things. Both for the trip, and for colonizing on the planet, too. And if it’s second wave, some of the worst is already over, because they’ll have some basic foundational systems in place already.”
Shae thought Mike seemed pretty knowledgeable about the colony ships.
“You seem to know a lot about them,” Shae commented.
“I thought about it hard for a while. Had a girl that was a biologist that was really wanting to get out in space and discover new things. So, I looked into it on the patrol side. Most of them are barely above scam or indentured servitude. But, there are some that are pretty decent, at least talking pay and housing and such. At the time, I was up for promotion and I just didn’t want to risk that and my sister was getting married just a few weeks later, so, in the end, I didn’t go. She headed off on her own. She’s married now and has a kid. She sends a letter back now and again.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you were engaged, Mike” Shae said.
“No, not engaged, just a girlfriend, we hadn’t gotten to the engaged part. But if Thom doesn’t hurry up, I just might ask you for your hand. If it wasn’t for the fact that Thom would brain me with his been stick after breaking both my knees to get me down short enough.”
Shae and Mike laughed. Mike didn’t seem to notice that Thom had picked up his water and drank just then. Shae knew he was hiding his face from the sorrow that evoked. She was more determined than ever to get his multi-tool back.
They finished the meal and headed out to the Zip car. They had to get Mike home and then get the car back to a shuttle station before it was called back to base or it charged another rental fee.
They had just gotten to the doors of the car when a line of light bounced off the top and barely missed Mike. A second line followed it, but all three of them had already ducked. Shae was crouched with her hands over her head and Thom’s arm over her shielding her with his body.
None of them had weapons to return fire.
“At least three gunmen,” Mike said at a low whisper. “Not in the same place. I think they are shooting at me, so if you two headed between the rows and keep low, you might get away to call for help.”
“When they hit the Zip, it activated the emergency beacon, according to my watch, so help is already on the way. Besides we aren’t just going to leave you to be cut down again.”
Shae was happy that Thom hadn’t decided to just run and leave Mike alone.
“Then, Shae, you need to get out of here.” Mike seemed determined to get at least one of them out of direct fire.
“What and then get captured by who ever it is and be tortured for information? I don’t think so. I’ll stay with you all.”
“D--, Thom, get her to leave, I can’t protect everyone.”
“I have an idea,” Thom said. He opened the door of the car carefully. More lasers flashed out, scoring other vehicles nearby. At least they weren’t the blasters that were shooting in the diner. Thom crawled partially into the driver’s side and started fiddling with something under the dash.
“Okay everyone, open the door closest to you, count to three and slam it. Stay low. Then roll under the vehicle to the outside. I’ve got it set, I hope, for the car to head off to the police station instead of back to base. Hopefully, they will follow it, thinking we are ducked down inside,” Thom whispered fiercely.
“And if they don’t?” Shae whispered back.
“At best they will, or it will split their forces. At worst, we are no worse off than now. And they be a little distracted,” Mike answered.
“Open it now.”
Mike and Shae opened their doors. Thom slid back out of his and on three they all slammed their doors shut and rolled back and sideways under the closest vehicle. Laser fire was already flashing out before the doors were closed, some of it reflecting far too close.