Chapter 41…
Ashley rubbed her hand against her chin as she slowly rotated her head. The dark haired woman moved her neck side-to-side in gentle motions, slowly undoing the knot that her pillow had left there.
Although her head and neck were moving, Ashley kept her eyes still so that they were looking straight ahead. She was peering into the somewhat filmy bathroom mirror that her room has come with. Ashley took note of her bloodshot eyes and the somewhat pallid colouration in her cheeks.
"Fuck…" Ashley breathed out in a low tone. She didn't have anyone to say the word too… but it still felt good to get it out.
Removing her hand from her chin, the dark haired woman braced herself against the bathroom sink. She inhaled slowly and carefully with well-practiced motions, banishing the last of the pain in her neck.
Well not exactly… but it certainly hurt less than before…
Ashley pushed herself off of the sink and traipsed over to the closed bathroom door. The dark haired woman pulled her single jumpsuit off of the door's coat hook and slid her limbs into the garment. Ashley's body still felt a little cold from the quick bath she had taken only ten minutes before; but the thickly lined interior of the jumpsuit helped to even out her body temperature and make her more comfortable.
As she adjusted the sleeves by rolling up the fabric, Ashley craned her neck down to sniff her jumpsuit's collar. Her nose wrinkled in distaste when she detected the sour scent of perspiration. She would have to wash the article at some point - perhaps give the fabric a scrub in the tub. Either that, or she would have to budget her savings and buy some new clothes.
With her jumpsuit and boots on, Ashley left the small bathroom and re-entered her room. The dingy little space has seen little change since Ashley moved in two weeks before. Shoved in the corner of the room was her bed, which she had done up to look somewhat presentable.
Approaching the bed, Ashley got to her knees and peered underneath the piece of furniture. She reached in one arm to grasp at a dusty floorboard and quickly pried it loose. Beneath the board, Ashley had hidden the majority of her earned credits. The dark haired woman eyed the small piles of currency briefly, mostly to ensure that they hadn't been tampered with, before sliding the loose floorboard back into place.
Remaining on the ground, Ashley craned her head up to peer at the room's wall mounted clock.
She still had a little bit of time…
Ashley reached back under the bed and withdrew the object that she didn't consider worth hiding. Holding the bottle of cheap swill in her hands, Ashley uncorked the bottle and took a very light swig of the amber liquid. The alcohol burned her throat but satisfied the gnawing sensation in Ashley's chest; her head did not feel as foggy as it did then when she woke up either.
Ashley withdrew the bottle from her lips and closed her eyes for a moment. She shook the bottle gently in her hands, feeling the remainder of its contents gently swish around. Hesitating for a moment, Ashley recorked the bottle and haphazardly rolled it underneath the bed.
Not wanting to stay for a moment longer than was necessary, Ashley stood up and promptly exited her room - locking the door with her guest key as she did.
The dark haired woman walked down the wooden steps and into the main lobby of the inn. Ashley left a sum of money with the desk attendant to secure her room before leaving the establishment.
It was still early in the morning, but Antheia's single sun was already blaring overhead. The warm rays brought Ashley a little bit of comfort, but in a few hours the heat would become wholly unwelcome. The citizens of Okraina ignored the lone woman as she walked down the main street and out of the town. They puttered by in their outdated vehicles or silently walked past her.
It took Ashley about thirty minutes to go from the town to the sawmill. As Ashley crested the hill overlooking the area where the mill was located, her gaze was briefly drawn to the shed on the nearby hill. From the distance she was at it was hard to spot, the overgrowth of vines on the structure certainly wasn't helping.
Ashley tore her gaze away and kept walking.
Feeling her back begin to strain a little bit, Ashley picked up the pace. The woman felt the muscles in her biceps burn a little as she heaved the chunk of log onto a waiting pile.
Taking a moment to breathe; Ashley raised her arms to begin shuffling the wood around. The stacking pile she had made was structurally sound, but there were plenty of irregularly shaped pieces that made further stacking difficult.
After rearranging the pile Ashley took a short break. Taking a few moments to breathe in and out, Ashley walked away from the pile to retrieve a broom and dustpan. The dark haired walked around the area, sweeping up wood dust and loose chips as she did; leaving the wood dust lying around was a fire hazard, and the chips could easily be turned into mulch.
It was on the fifteenth of sixteenth sweep that Ashley heard whispering.
Lifting her head in surprise, Ashley raised a hand and stuck her finger into her ear. She maneuvered the tip around gently to feel the shallow interior, but the whispering persisted.
Turning her head, Ashley looked to the far end of her workstation. It was there that she found the source of the whispering. The source was several of her fellow workers, who were standing around in a small huddle. They looked away as soon as Ashley had turned in their direction; but the dark haired woman could still spot the side-eye they were giving her.
Ashley considered leveling a glare in their direction but decided against it. Despite working at the mill for two weeks Ashley's Russian had still not improved; in truth, she had no clue what the men were talking about.
The dark haired woman was about to return to her sweeping when she felt a hand tentatively tap her on the shoulder. Ashley turned around in response and found herself staring into the whiskery face of her superior.
"Need something?" Ashley asked. She continued to move her arms as she talked, sweeping a spray of wood dust into a neat pile.
"Sort of…" Anatoly answered quickly. The man shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet for a moment. "Me and some of the other men are going to go cut a new tree. We're looking for an extra hand…"
"Me?" Ashley paused her sweeping. "What would I have to do?"
"We just need you to help with the labour…" Anatoly answered. "It's hard work but we give bonus pay-"
"Say no more…" Ashley held up her hand. "When do we leave?"
"Within the hour…"
"Sounds good to me," Ashley mumbled as she attached the broom and dustpan together by the handle clip. The dark haired woman set the tools down to the side and took a moment to brush the dust off of her jumpsuit. After a moment, Ashley realized that she could still feel her superior's presence next to her.
"Is something wrong?" Ashley asked, lifting her head again to look into her superior's face.
"Nothing," Anatoly frowned, his whiskery mouth shifting. The man leaned in and lowered his voice a few octaves. "Well, I am just curious about something…"
"Yes?" Ashley swallowed.
"Why have you stayed here?"
Ashley felt her heart rate increase, the question had caught her off guard a little. The truth was that she had nowhere else to go and no money to speak of - but there was no way that she could make that known…
"The… town is nice enough," Ashley settled her face into a stony look. "And I still owe the doctor plenty of money-"
"Then why not return to New Vladivostok?" Anatoly pressed further. "You said that you came to Antheia for work; certainly you already had a job offer there, yes?"
"No… I was looking for contract work… freelancing, y'know?"
"On Antheia…" Anatoly frowned and crossed his arms. "Why? There are better planets with more options…"
"Are you calling me a liar?" Ashley changed her tactics and lowered her tone. Her accusation seemed to work, as Anatoly looked a little shaken.
"No…" Anatoly's frown deepened. "I am not calling you a liar…"
"Then why the interrogation?" Ashley kept her tone low and settled her face into a glare. "I work hard, don't I? You've seen me working here for the past two weeks and I haven't complained once."
"Yes, yes," Anatoly huffed. The man held up his hands and leaned backwards a little. "No more… I'm sorry…"
"Good…" Ashley felt her nostrils flare a little. The dark haired woman brushed off her jumpsuit one last time before gesturing to her workspace. "Just… let me know when we're leaving."
Cutting the trunk of the tree had taken only minutes; but dragging it back to the mill took several hours. The original plan had hinged on using an old pickup truck to haul the large log back to camp; but this plan was foiled by a combination of muddy conditions and a blown truck engine…
In the end, Ashley and the other men formed a dragging team. Several chains were wrapped around the log's girth and the ground was wet with water to keep the mud slick.
It had been dirty, tiring work… and Ashley would have found herself worn out in the first hour if she hadn't gone through the rigors of pilot training. The woman kept her breathing steady and tugged when it was required; after a few hours of filthy pulling the log was close enough to the mill that it could be cut.
Most importantly though, Ashley had seen first hand what a lack of titan was doing to the mill's production…
Floating the logs down the river current wasn't an option due to the chemical contamination in the water - which posed a great risk to the workers. Without a loading titan, the only option had been to pull the trunk manually.
The entire experience had given Ashley newfound appreciation for Okraina's logging industry. She had also validated Anatoly' complaints of slow production by experiencing the work firsthand; if every tree in the mill had been cut and transported manually, Ashley was shocked that the mill workers could ever fulfill even a single order.
Thankfully, Ashley did not have to walk home that night. One of the workers owned a truck and allowed several of the workers to hitch a ride in the vehicle's cargo bed. Ashley took a seat on the open tailgate - feeling the extra credits in her pockets jingle whenever the truck hit a bump in the path. True to his word, Anatoly had indeed paid her extra for the day, a welcome twenty percent. Ashley had a good idea about where the extra credits could go...
Soon, the truck entered down and came to a grinding stop.. Ashley thanked the driver before sliding off of the tailgate. She watched the truck accelerate out of sight before heading off in her intended direction.
Ashley's steel toed boots made a loud thunking noise as the women ascended the wooden steps to the clinic's porch. The dark haired woman stopped before entering the building and patted at her dirty jumpsuit - futilely trying to pat off the worst of the mud and grime stains.
Not even close to satisfied, Ashley frowned and entered the infirmary anyways.
The lobby was empty, which was a good sign for a hard rural town. Approaching the unattended desk, Ashley found the small silver summoning bell on the counter and pressed the device.
After a few seconds, the man Ashley had come to see walked into view.
"Ah! Hello, Ms. Ishikara," Doctor Aleksandr Fedorov greeted. The man's beard and hair had grown longer in the last few weeks, but he was still recognizable.
"Hey, doctor…" Ashley cracked a small smile. The woman leaned her bare forearms on the lobby's counter for a moment.
"I hope that you are not injured," Fedorov frowned, scanning Ashley with his blue eyes.
"No… nothing like that…" Ashley muttered. The dark haired woman moved one hand from the counter and towards the breast pocket of her filthy jumpsuit. Ashley removed several plastic chips - representing about twenty credits, and laid them down on the counter. "I managed to get some bonus pay; so you're getting a little more than usual."
Doctor Fedorov wordlessly scooped the credits into his hand. He used his other hand to open up a small change drawer on the lobby's desk.
"What was this bonus pay for?" Fedorov asked absentmindedly as he sealed the currency up in a small envelope. His blue eyes snapped up to observe Ashley's mud-splattered face and clothes.
"Dragging a freshly cut log…" Ashley answered, rubbing her scarred forearms gently as she did so. "It wasn't easy work…"
"Out here… there is no such thing as easy work," Fedorov closed the change drawer and adjusted his coat. "Is there anything else you need? How do your scars feel? And your other wounds - no irritation at all?"
"I'm fine, doctor," Ashley slipped her hands into her pockets. "But… could I ask you something?"
"Yes, of course."
"The man with the broken leg," Ashley lifted her dark eyes to view Fedorov's face. "Is there any chance I could speak with him?"
Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, but Ashley felt the room grow a few degrees colder.
"Why?" Fedorov answered in a somewhat harsh mumble. His eyes had a slightly colder quality that Ashley hadn't seen before.
"I-"
"No…" Fedorov answered, his voice firm.
"You didn't-"
"He needs his rest," Fedorov deadpanned, his eyes still cold. "What did they tell you about him? About what happened?"
"What you didn't," Ashley frowned. "I know about the titan-"
"Ah yes, the titan!" Fedorov smiled, although there was no warmth behind it. "The titan that demolished a building, does not listen to instructions, operates without safety restraint or consideration for human life, and is responsible for the man with the badly infected leg in the other room?"
"Doc, I-"
"Bol'shoy Ivan… Big Ivan," Fedorov's face twitched. "That titan, yes?"
Ashley gulped and straightened her back. "Yeah."
"Look…" Fedorov released a long sigh. "I don't know what you were told or how much you have seen… but stay away from that machine. Ever since Ivan died that titan has been unpredictable… and I have treated enough injuries from it to know that it should be forgotten."
"That's fair," Ashley swallowed. "Sorry, doctor. I didn't mean to make you upset…"
"I'm sorry if I was harsh. But please take my advice and forget what you have heard…" Fedorov adjusted his glasses. "I need to get back to my patients…"
"Of course. See you around…"
"Yeah…"
Ashley straightened her jumpsuit collar before awkwardly walking out of the clinic.
Thankfully, the half of Antheia that Ashley was on was currently going through its summer months. The light pollution in Okraina was relatively minor and not strong enough to hide the nighttime stars.
In the dim night air and guided by starlight, Ashley carefully walked to her destination. Her freshly washed jumpsuit and boots still smelled a little like sweat and mud; but the cloth felt cool against her skin.
Ashley wrapped her fingers around the gnarled wood of the shed's door. Her tired muscles ached as she tugged the door open and slipped into the building. The dark haired woman closed the door behind her to ensure some level of privacy; just before turning around to spot her reason for coming.
Big Ivan, the infamous titan, was curled up exactly where he had been two weeks ago. The titan's massive metal body shone in the dim light of the shed; it's dull yellow paint helping it stand out from the darkness and gloom.
Stumbling around the dark room for a moment, Ashley ended up bumping into a workbench. She ran her hands along the surface of the bench until she found what she was looking for. Pressing in a small button, Ashley activated the bench mounted lamp. She picked up the light and shone it around the room - although its range was limited by it's mounted wire.
Propping the light up so that it was shining in the titan's direction, Ashley left her spot by the bench.
Placing her hands against the cool metal of the titan's chassis, Ashley began to climb. The dark haired woman stopped once she reached the cockpit, coming to a stable rest near Big Ivan's optic.
Slowly, tentatively… Ashley placed her hands flat against the surface of the titan's large optic. In an instant, Ashley felt a jolt, and a humming sensation filled her fingers and palms. The humming was slow and steady, with the occasional pulse…
… almost like a heartbeat.
Ashley cautiously removed her hands from the optic. She could feel the humming in her skin and joints linger for a moment before finally subsiding…
After a moment's hesitation, Ashley crawled down the titan's chassis to the safety of the floor. Wordlessly, the woman approached the dusty diagnostic equipment that had been left plugged into the titan's side.
Ashley wiped her hands against the equipment's glass monitor - leaving a clear smear; she then pursed her lips and blew the dust off of the waiting keyboard.
Pressing the "on" switch, the dark haired woman felt anxiety churning in her gut as the diagnostic equipment began to wake up from its hibernation. The loading screen and directory menu were, unsurprisingly, in Russian.
"Of course…" Ashley mumbled as she began fiddling around with the keyboard. "Because nothing can be easy…"