Another day, another chapter. Cheedo doesn't have much of a speaking role in the film so I'm sort of making her up as I go along. Oh, and why is everyone skipping chapter 7? is there a formatting problem with it or something. Next chapter things are going to get weird (said in a sing song voice).

"Ok." I said apprehensively. In my experience, nothing good ever came of the words 'we need to talk'. I stepped down the last of the stairs to join the three at the bottom.

With a graceful movement, Capable sat down in one of the chairs; the rest of us followed her lead, pulling them around so that we sat in a loose circle.

"We told her about you," she looked at me. "Of course, she doesn't believe it. But she trusts Nux, so she'll let you try."

I glanced at Nux, who was nodding eagerly. Thanks a lot, my inner voice berated him. Whether it worked or not, it seemed like a bit of a no-win situation for me.

Cheedo eyes were darting around the group curiously. "What's going on?" she asked Capable suddenly.

Capable gestured towards me. "Nux thinks Rachel can fix her – Furiosa, I mean."

Cheedo clasped her hands together between her knees, her eyes sparkling. "What, like the Organic Mechanic?"

"No, no, better'n that!" broke in Nux.

Capable put her finger to her lip and looked upwards thoughtfully. "More like a faith healer I think. You know, like Miss Giddy used to tell stories about." She fixed me with a penetrating gaze. I'd thought her a bit of a silly girl earlier when she was all over Nux, but she seemed a lot calmer and more practical now.

Again, I was getting the feeling that it was being assumed I could and would do this, but I didn't want to disappoint Nux, or forfeit the goodwill of these women. I toyed with one edge of my wrap skirt, trying to think what best to say.

"I don't really know how it works." I started slowly. "It just seems to happen sometimes. I'm not sure I can do it on command. And it hurts me." I added, glancing at Nux. "I thought I was going to die when it happened with Nux."

Capable's brow furrowed and she clasped one knee in both hands, swinging her lower leg thoughtfully. The other two looked at her respectfully. "Can you describe it?"

I grimaced, remembering. "I touched his hand and it felt like it was glued there, and then everything just sort of started draining out of me." I finished lamely, and then recalled the scav I'd killed. "But it goes the other way too."

Nux gave me a sharp glance, and I shrugged apologetically.

"I forgot about it sorry, things were a bit chaotic. When those…scavs? attacked you, I tried to trip one, and touched his leg, and, well, I think I killed him."

Capable sat up straighter, her blue eyes glowing. "Right, so that helps." She started ticking off points on her fingers. "First, we know you need skin contact. Second, it can go both ways." She stopped, and then asked me curiously, "Did you want to save Nux?"

I shook my head. "I just felt sorry for him," I cast him a sad look, "I thought I was comforting someone who was dying."

Nux smiled back at me. "You did, and more." He reached out, and touched the back of my hand gently with his fingertips.

Capable looked from me to him and back again, but her solemn expression didn't change. "Soo," she said slowly, "intent sort of matters? It's never happened again when you've touched him?"

I shook my head, chilled a little by the sudden thought that I might've drained the life out of him again during our desert journey.

As if her mind were made up, Capable got to her feet, tossing her red hair so that it shimmered in the sunlight. I saw Nux looking up at her with something close to adulation, and felt that same tightening of disappointment in my chest. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at me.

"I have an idea." She fiddled with a lock of her hair while she spoke. "You need to do two things; touch her, and want to heal her. Want it as much as you can." She smiled suddenly. "I know you're afraid, but we can help with that." She gestured to Nux and Cheedo.

My mouth closed in a tight line, but I said nothing. I hadn't thought it was obvious that I was so reluctant.

"We'll hang on to you while you're doing it." She continued. "That way we can drag you off before it gets too much, and maybe you can take some…" she paused, searching for the right word, "life? Energy? From us, while you're giving."

I felt a slow smile spreading over my face. She was smart as well as beautiful, and now I could see more why she had the name she did. I nodded my approval.

Suddenly Cheedo broke in. "What if it doesn't work?" she asked.

Nux shrugged before answering her question. "Wasted some of her time then, that's all." He stood up and pulled me up after him with a hand under my elbow. I caught Capable's eye and glanced away, slightly embarrassed. Nux seemed to be completely oblivious to the awkwardness he was creating between me and Capable.

Cheedo bounced to her feet, almost dancing in anticipation. "Let's go, let's go!" she urged. "This is so exciting!" She dashed away and stopped by the open door. For the first time I saw that it was massive and round, made of metal. It looked for all the world like the door to a bank vault.

Nux, Capable and I followed Cheedo as she trotted through another very strange room; it had the same open concept ceiling but the entire interior was hung with a complicated system of vertical plant holders, strung one on top of the other, so that they looked like huge window blinds made of vegetation. They were constantly being rotated by some unseen machinery creaking out of sight. A fine mist of water sprayed over them once they reached the top, before they continued on their downward path around the room.

Looking around me in wonder, I lagged behind a little bit, and had to run to catch up as the others left this room. We came out directly into another adjoining area; a round room with one wall mostly open to the air, a large crude stone throne sitting in front of it, facing outwards.

Around the edges of the room ran a continuous stone bench, with large glass containers hanging from the walls, long tubes running down from them. In the centre of this room was a large circular bowl shaped structure, filled to the brim with churning water. It was bigger than a generously sized hot tub. Sitting on the stone seat which surrounded this structure was a massive woman, trailing her fingers dreamily in the water. She was the epitome of a mother goddess, all boobs, belly and bum. Her skin was dark olive, her black hair thick and luxurious, trailing to her waist. She was clad in the same trailing white cloth that Cheedo, Capable, Toast and now I wore.

At first I thought this must be Furiosa, but my companions merely nodded to her and kept moving. Her languid dark eyes followed us as we passed, a slight smile twitching the corners of her lips.

We entered another adjoining room, one that had a massive bay window as one wall. It also had a throne hewn out of rock, but one that faced inwards. In this seat sat a woman, surrounded by other women of various ages and appearance. They ranged from mother goddess types wearing diaphanous white to older ones resembling the brown warrior woman I'd seen much earlier. But they all had one thing in common; they looked towards the woman on the throne with deference as we entered.

This woman captured my attention instantly; there was something about her which made her the focal point of the room. She was long-legged and wiry, sprawled there in the seat. She had a buzz cut, not quite as close shaven as Nux's, and the fuzz on her scalp was dark blonde. Her clothing was that of someone active; tight brown trousers, black motorcycle boots and some kind of white sleeveless top cinched by a faded black leather bustier with lots of belts and buckles.

One hand gripped the armrest of the throne, but her other arm ended in a stump halfway down the forearm. Her eyes were the most intense I'd ever seen; blue like many of the people in this world, but with a piercing quality which transfixed me the moment they turned in my direction. Tall and androgynously dressed as she was, her face was beautiful in its femininity, the harshness of its expression only accentuating the delicate angles of her bones and the rose of her lips.

But it was obvious at first sight that she was in a bad way; her skin had a waxy pallor and her rose lips were tinged with blue, great dark circles surrounding her lovely eyes.

"You must be Rachel," her voice held the tones of someone accustomed to command, but with a bitterly wry undertone, "here to bring me back to full-life."