Repairing
***
Blackheath was already arguing with the Healers. I made sure Dorsey got away with Alex, then went to see what the problem was. Bhask insisted on tagging along with me. I didn't have the heart to refuse him.
"I'm not going." Blackheath was saying.
"You can't stay here, you need further treatment. The Healing Centre is not very far and-"
"I don't care. I don't care," he said, "I'm not going back there." Too late I remembered he'd already been implanted once.
"This is ridiculous! I can't stay here and argue with one person when I've got a whole hospital of people to look after in the city. And he can't just stay here." Falling Smoke was getting angry.
"Leave us til last." I said, and the Healers filled other people into the waiting ambulances. I froze, noticing seven black body bags laid on the sand beside them, horrifying in their stillness.
"If you go in they can multiply your muscle and skin cells then spray them back on. You'll be healed and out in days," Shepherds Sound said.
"If you say here," I added, "you'll die."
"Well kill me now then. I'm not going."
Shep and I looked at each other.
"We can't just let him die," I said, "Can we?"
"If you can show me when to use the medicines, I can stay with him," I suggested. Shep shook his head.
"You need to know the signs to look for, and for infection as well, the amount of protein to give… I'll stay with him."
"Falling Smoke's not going to like that."
"He'll like a solution that resolves the problem without loss of life," Shep said, "The way I see it, if we don't heal him, we might be creating another Kelly."
"If we don't heal him, he dies."
"Alright, his family then. Or friends, whatever."
I wondered doubtfully if Blackheath had friends. "But if we do heal him, maybe we'll create another…" Shep searched for the right word, "…another Alex." I thought about this and nodded.
I went to find Joan to ask if we could stay on their land, as Shep went to talk to Falling Smoke. I could see him shaking his head at Shep's words and then come marching over.
"We'll have all our supplies here, we wouldn't need anything from you," I was explaining to Joan.
"You won't be safe here. At least go into the caves with the others," Falling Smoke said. But Joan shook her head.
"I can't watch everyone in the caves. You'll be safer out here. We'll keep an eye out for you."
"Can one of your people stay with us, in case someone else comes along?"
"I can ask, but I don't think you'll have any takers. People want to be with family right now. Besides, you're not on a route to anywhere. There's no reason anyone would run into you. Plus you'll be able to see them coming for miles."
The shelter emptied as we pulled down the least damaged parts to patch together shelter over Blackheath. Soon the desert stretched emptily around us, radiating heat as the morning warmed up. Bhask helped Shep finish covering Blackheath in bandages as an ambulance returned with our supplies. I stood up in surprise to see Melts Blue Ice get out and start unloading.
"I thought you'd gone to be with Diane and Cara," I said.
"I did go; they're fine. Now I'm back." Melts Blue Ice said "What's going on?"
"He won't go into the city. He's afraid he'll be implanted."
"But there's the moratorium now."
"It still stands?"
"Of course."
"Well, he won't trust us."
"Well, I guess you'll need this then." He pulled my holster complete with gun from the back seat of the car. I buckled it on gladly, feeling safer already with the familiar weight on my hips.
"Wait, you're a Seeker?" Blackheath, said, sitting up.
"Yup."
"Seekers weren't allowed. It was one of the rules."
"Flame's not your ordinary Seeker. I can't remember the last time she brought a human in." Melts Blue Ice said affably. "Actually, I think the last time she turned up for work she was breaking a human out."
"Hey, he was wrongfully remanded," I protested, "he didn't need improvement."
"Oh right, he's perfect. You don't think you might be a bit biased in this case? No, of course; you were just before your time."
"Yeah, she's the model Seeker for the new age," Shep said. I smiled and shook my head, showing Blackheath the empty grip and handing him the clip.
"What's this?" he asked, without taking it.
"The bullets. It doesn't do much without them."
"You keep the bullets; give me the gun," he said. I laughed.
"No that's the whole point, see. I'm supposed to look like a big bad Seeker, means I've got to have some pretty mean weaponry in plain view. But, if you've got the bullets," I pushed them into his hand, "I can't actually shoot anyone unless we're in agreement. Ok?"
He nodded, his hand curling around the sleek clip.
***
I sat in under the shelter, peering out into the desert haze, looking consecutively at the four directions around the camp. Nothing changed. Nothing even moved. I rolled onto my belly, but the view was exactly the same.
"Not really all that much for us to do, is there?" I said to Bhask, "We'd be able to see anyone coming for miles."
"Unless they were crawling on their belly," he said.
"I don't know, they'd still kick up dust."
"Not if they crawled slow enough."
"You go try, I'll watch."
Bhask ran off into the desert. Shep looked at me, alarmed. Souls shouldn't voluntarily be leaving the safety of the camp. I probably shouldn't be encouraging Bhask to do things Boy wouldn't be comfortable with. But I wasn't going to stop Bhask acting human for Boy's sake. He'd had to be a Soul for long enough. I watched amused as Bhask belly-crawled through the sand, twisting around to see if he raised any dust.
"You still think the danger is out there don't you," Blackheath said, resting his chin on his good forearm and watching me.
"What are you going to do, bleed on me?" I answered. Falling Smoke would have loved that, I thought, with a pang of sadness. Blackheath scowled.
"There aren't any humans out there interested in us," he muttered.
"My son is human," I said.
"No, he's not."
"Right. Well, he used to be. That was not meant to happen."
"We can hear you!" Bhask called. I cringed.
"Sorry, Boy," I called back grudgingly.
"I can't wait til I get Bhask back," I muttered.
Shep looked shocked and Blackheath looked at me appraisingly.
***
Time passed pleasantly slowly after the madness of the last few days. Bhask gave me a haircut so the short burnt bits didn't look so obvious, then I took it in turns with him dozing and keeping watch. Shep steadily healed more and more of Blackheath throughout the day. In the evening I was woken by a hiss as Bhask lit the gas stove. As the little ring of flames roared into life, I closed my eyes against the sudden image of people burning. I could smell burning flesh.
"Just tea for me thanks, I'm not really hungry," I murmured, turning my back on dinner. The others seemed to have to no problem, and afterwards Bhask came to sleep beside me.
"Is Dorsey going to be ok?" Bhask asked softly. I pulled him into my arms.
"She'll be ok."
"And Alex?"
I kissed his forehead.
"Yup."
He didn't seem convinced, fidgeting.
"Alex grabbed me and got me out of there. But some roof fell on Dorsey. He went back and covered his hands with a rug, tried to pull it off her. But it kind of pulled off her skin too."
I hugged him tight, trying to squeeze the memories away.
"They'll be fine. Falling Smoke will look after them."
***
Alex, Dorsey, Bhask and I were sitting like a little group of pyramids, legs crossed, faces impassive. No one moved. I couldn't move. It was dusk, but the setting sun was a ball of fire lighting rivers of flames through the desert. I watched, unmoving, as flames licked up from the earth onto our legs, up our sides. We were burning, faces turning black, peeling, crumbling into charcoal.
A hand shaking my shoulder woke me up. It was Blackheath.
"You're waking up your boy," he whispered.
I pressed my hands against my face, pushing away the dream, feeling my features hard and real beneath my fingers.
"Bad dream?" he asked. I nodded. I was not keen on going back to sleep. Didn't seem like Blackheath was either.
"You know Shep has something for that. To stop the dreams," he said.
"Yeah," I replied, turning to lie on my back and stare at the stars, "But I want to be able to wake up quickly if I need to. In case."
"In case I murder you all in the night?" he said. I smiled, shaking my head.
"You're not going to kill us," I said. It seemed easier to talk to him in the darkness somehow.
"Why not? I could." This was an insane conversation, I thought. But better than sleeping. Better than dreaming.
"Coz then you'd be stuffed," I replied.
"How did you get so badly burnt anyway?" I asked, "Sorry, you probably don't want to-"
"Kelly and I didn't get along. I guess she wanted to make sure she got rid of me."
"Really?" I would have thought they had a few things in common. But maybe Blackheath didn't get along with anyone.
"She doesn't consider me a… pure human," he muttered, "She thinks I've been contaminated."
"Because you were implanted?"
He stiffened, then nodded.
"Better keep her away from Alex then," I said to myself.
"He's been implanted?" Blackheath asked, surprised.
"Yeah, with me," I said.
"What are you still doing here then?"
"Oh… long story."
"I'm in no hurry," he said eventually. I tried to think of a short version. He was silent as I talked. The darkness obscured his face so I couldn't see his expression. I waited patiently for some kind of reaction, and ended up falling asleep.
***
We watched the cars driving across the desert for a full minute, glinting sharply in the early morning sun, before they were close enough to see who was in it.
"Alex!" Bhask yelled, running over to him. I followed walking, drinking in the sight of them together, stretching it out.
"What are you doing here?"
"Checking up on you," he said, hauling an esky out of the car, "You always get into trouble when you're left alone." Lying human, I thought smiling. I admired his healed arms, running my fingers over the healed skin.
"How's Dorsey?"
"Much better. She thinks she's fine, the healers disagree…" he shrugged.
"Sounds like fun."
"How much longer are you going to be out here?" he asked.
I shrugged.
"He's healing pretty well. Good thing he was fit to start with."
"He's got a name, you know" Blackheath called out. His irritable disposition had returned with the sun.
"He sounds charming," Alex said, raising his eyebrows, "You don't have to be out here you know."
"Yeah, I do," I said, but I knew his heart wasn't in it for arguing, "You want me to just leave these guys out here defenceless?"
"Well I brought you something to hurry it up," he said, hefting another esky out of the car. Shep got up, looking interested as we opened it.
"Spray-on skin!"
"Cool!" Bhask said.
"And a car to get back in," he said, handing me the keys, "For when you're sick of playing martyrs out here in the desert."
"Yeah, Mother Theresa, that's us."
"Well, not too far off anyway. You could be helping me keep Dorsey tied to her bed."
Blackheath scowled.
"All well and good of you to pretend to be some human-loving do-gooder," Blackheath muttered, "but I don't see you practicing what you preach. If you really wanted to help, you'd stop oppressing that body, get out, and go away."
"Flame inhabits an empty shell," Alex said coldly, "There is no one there for her to oppress."
"How very convenient," Blackfield replied. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, I thought.
"Yeah, well if it wasn't for Souls like her and Shep, you'd be dead." Actually, I thought, he'd be happily hiding out somewhere and would never have been burnt.
"Why don't I take Bhask back at least, he must be bored stiff out here," Alex said, putting my hands around his back. I looked at Bhask but he was making mournful eyes back at me.
"It's not boring," he said, "Shep lets me help with the healing."
"I only just got him back, don't take him away so soon."
"Fine," he said, kissing me goodbye, then whispering my ear, "There's a present from Henry in the red backpack." I opened my mouth to protest but he kissed me again.
"Just look after yourselves, ok?" he said normally.
"Yes, Boss," I grumbled and he smiled. I watched appreciatively as his body loped through the sand back to the car.
"You love him?" Blackheath asked, watching me carefully.
"Yeah, I suppose I do," I sighed, still smiling.
"That's weird."
"Doesn't feel weird," I shrugged. Feels just about perfect, I thought.
***
Over the next week Blackheath regenerated enough muscle to get function back in his legs. Shep sprayed skin over the remaining burns. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Blackheath practiced walking back and forth. It was like magic to see functioning flesh where just a few days ago there had been nothing but charcoal.
Shep declared him ready to go home and finish healing there. But when I asked him where we could drop him, he wouldn't answer.
"I let you know when we get there," was all he would say. We gave up and started packing up the camp into the car. Blackheath cooked us to dinner.
"To say thank you," he said. Shep and I glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. Maybe he was changing. Blackheath served us each personally, ladling out a wonderful smelling rice dish. It was good, and afterwards I was so full I crawled slug like straight to my sleeping mat. The others were the same. For once, I slept deeply without a single dream. It was the harsh light of late morning that finally woke me up. I sat up groggily, rubbing my head. Then I noticed the car was gone. And no sign of Blackheath at all.
I laughed. Blackheath hadn't changed a bit.
Shep was distraught. I think he had visions of us being stuck in the desert forever. I had other plans.
"Joan will be watching out for us. Besides, I think Alex was going to come check on us today anyway," I said, pulling on the red back pack. "We're not going to die of thirst in a few hours. Come on, Bhask let's go for a walk." Shep looked at like I was insane. I could almost hear him thinking: This is no time for a walk, woman!
We walked til Shep was a smear in the heat haze, then I showed Bhask how to set up the radio. I listened in for a while, but nothing important was being discussed, just friends catching up. I waited for a suitable pause.
"This is a message for Margie," I said finally into the transmitter, and waited for a response. I hoped there weren't a lot of Margie's around. I was about to repeat it when the reply came.
"Hello?" Margie's voice said cautiously. Bhask and I grinned at each other. That was our Margie. She knew as well as I did that, as a Soul, I wasn't supposed to be using the system. So she sounded cautious because she didn't want to give me away to the others. Good ol' Margie.
"Can you pass a message on to Alex?" I said. There was a pause.
"Ok..."
"Can you tell him we need a lift?" There was a longer pause.
"That's it?"
"Yup."
"No problem."
"Thanks Margie."
We packed up the radio and went back to camp, still grinning.
A few hours later, we cheered at the wonderful site of a car barreling towards as through the sand. And even better, Alex was driving. But it was Falling Smoke who got out of the car first.
"Alex!" Bhask and I ran over to him gleefully, before he'd quite managed to get out of the car.
"I thought we knew he was coming?" Shep said, frowning.
We hugged him tight, by-passing Falling Smoke.
"Why, Scarlett! Is this any way to greet a returning warrior?" Falling Smoke said in a mock aggrieved tone. I left Alex to Bhask and gave Falling Smoke a hug too.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to have a look at the patient before he was released back into the wilds."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. He released himself last night. Took the car too," Shep said.
"Well he must be feeling better then."
"Feeling more himself, that's for sure," I laughed. We packed the dregs of the camp into the car and started off for the city.