I opened my eyes, and found myself staring into what looked like the sun. But it was night time. How can the sun shine at night? I blinked, and the sun became a floodlight, the world swirling into view around me. I sat up a bit, and looked around myself, which I found to be atop another building. Next to me lay a small first aid kit, with its contents sorted out around it. My head throbbed, and, as if by cue, I noticed a small bottle of water next to the first aid kit, and I drank it immediately, feeling better once the cool liquid touched my parched lips. I turned around, and saw the Starship Ranger, standing under the light, back turned away from me, talking into a radio.
"Pick up from 219/a1, rooftop. Approximately 200 feet from the site of the attack." The radio jabbered back, and he continued, "Expect minimal survivors, about 10 or so, I'd say." Again, the person on the other side replied something inaudible. "Garrot was down there. No doubt he managed to get someone out alive."
I wanted to hear more, but he signed off and put the radio away. He stayed facing away from me a while, watching the horizon. From where I lay, I could just make out the roofs of neighboring buildings, but my own position was hard to tell. I tried to stand up, but the world swirled beneath me, and I plopped back down onto the ground. This got his attention, and, with a start, he rushed back to me.
"Stay down," he ordered. "You lost a lot of blood."
I shook my head. "What you said on the radio…"
"Hmm?"
"You said there would be survivors."
He nodded briefly. "Yup."
"You told me there wasn't a chance of that." He passed me the water bottle again, and I take another sip.
"I lied," he said simply, standing back up and turning away again.
"Why'd you do that? We could have helped."
Up was quiet for a moment, then he sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're fifteen. Too young to understand."
New anger flared inside of me. "I'm smart. I'm mature. I just watched my family get slaughtered before my eyes, and you have the gall to dare and try to treat me like nothing more than a child?" I could almost laugh at his absurdity. "Listen here, Starship Ranger, I'm not some toddler who can't cope with reality."
Again, he was quiet for a time. I almost repeated what I'd said earlier, but he replied. "My mission was to protect you," He explained. "That's what I did. Garrot's mission was to ensure the safety of rest of the civilians. That's what he was doing. And I'm sure he saved somebody. He's a good soldier."
I processed this. "He had to protect everyone. You only had to protect me… What makes me so special?"
He was smiling a little when he turned around to answer me. "Your party."
I blushed. Of course. Leave it to my father to give me a gift like that. My own personal body guard for the party. I ignored the fact that my father was probably dead now, and focused on the fact that everyone thought I wasn't strong enough to get out on my own. That I needed a person specifically to protect me, when the rest of them shared one shield. I shook my head again, in an attempt to clear it. It didn't work.
It made me even angrier with myself. And, because he was there, I was angry with the Starship Ranger as well. "If you're a Starship Ranger, shouldn't you be on a starship?"
"You've got to start on Earth, then work your way—"
"What's your name, anyways?"
He looked a little puzzled by the question. "Um… Up."
"Yes, yes, but is that your first name? Or your last name? What?"
He laughed. "It's—"
I continued to speak. I wasn't in the mood to listen yet. "It's not even a name. It's a word. 'Up.' The hell kind of name is that?"
"Well you can talk, with a name like 'Tasia'—"
I cut him off. Something reawakened inside of me. "Call me Taz."
"Taz?"
I nodded. "I've always liked it better than 'Tasia.' Too formal. 'Taz' is good."
"Fine, then, Taz." He rolled the name around on his tongue, and the way he said it made me crack a smile.
We were both quiet for a moment, and I asked, "What happens now, then?"
"A squad will come to get you. You should be safe here until then. It'll only be about ten minutes." For the first time, I noticed that he was packing up the first aid kit.
"You're going?"
He nodded. "You're safe now. But you'll need to rest. Those robots were tough, especially for the first time you ever came in combat with them. I need to go down and assess the situation down at the attack site."
"What about the robots?"
"That building is on fire. They're all scattered. You'll be safe here. Just drink that water and don't over-exert yourself." Then he turned towards the stairwell, and made to leave.
But I wouldn't have it. How dare he just leave? I heaved myself after him, "I'm okay. The robots weren't too bad." My footing wasn't too sure, and my head began to swim as soon as I stood. Up turned back to me and caught me by the arm, and lowered me back to the ground.
"They tried to string you up and beat you like a piñata, all while you were unconscious," he said, with something like a laugh, setting me back down again. The sky was turning slightly lighter, the promise of sunrise. But the day was still a while off.
"But they didn't. I can come with you. See it for myself." I had to see what happened. See the damage for myself.
But Up was stubborn. "You are to wait for the rescue squad here. That's an order." He turned away again.
Once more, I struggled up, trying to seem stronger than I felt. "Wherever you're going, Starship Ranger, I'm coming, too."
He looked me in the eye, exasperated and slightly amused by my persistence. "You. Nearly. Died. You can hardly walk. And you aren't trained. You'll be safe up here. The rescue squad will be here any minute. Now stay, Taz."
He just had to call me Taz. I know I told him to, but I hadn't expected what it would feel like for someone other than mi abuela to call me by that name. It had always been hers. But now it was everyone's. I sighed, and sat down and curled my legs under me.
"Fine. I'll stay here." And, as he walked away, I called after him, "But If I die up here, it's on your hands!"
I thought I could hear him laughing on his way down the stairs.