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5. Cid
Cid's head jerked up.
"What is it?" asked the princess.
"Get inside, quick." He shoved her the way you weren't supposed to shove royalty, but she didn't reprimand him. "Here, kid." More gently, although that wasn't saying much, he guided the cadet into the co-pilot seat and buckled him in, talking through each action so the kid wouldn't panic at being touched. The last thing Cid needed right now was someone having a freak-out. He was close enough to his own, thank you very much.
"Where do I sit?" the princess asked.
"You don't. You gotta stay here, by the hatch, an' lemme in if I make it back in time. This is the control panel for the door." He pointed at it on the curved inner wall. "This here opens it, this extends the walkway, this retracts it again an' this one here shuts her up tight."
"But…" The princess nibbled her lower lip.
Cid remembered that scream he had heard and turned away from her. "It's all pretty simple. If I don't make it back, the ship is set to take off in thirty minutes." Well, just short of that now, he amended to himself.
He had never flown the Highwind since making the alterations to turn it from a defunct airship into a Gummi Ship, but he knew the electronics for the door and walkway worked. It had been a labour of love, trying to save his first ship from ending up in the scrapheap after the war. She wasn't what she had once been, but he was glad now he had carried on experimenting with the material called 'gummi', which had fallen out of the sky several months ago and flummoxed the court magic-types. It may not be much of a chance, but escaping in the Highwind was the only one they had.
"That's not it!" the princess protested. "I can't reach the panel!" Her little pink pumps, stained with black dust and dirt, made a 'flumph' noise as she jumped to demonstrate. she was several inches shy of the buttons.
"Damn it!" Cid cursed. He looked around, fixed on a toolbox he had been using just yesterday, and dragged it over for her to stand on. The top of the box was narrow and uneven, but to her credit, the kid had perfect balance. "Better?"
"Yeah. You better go see who screamed now." She stared at his shocked expression. "You think I didn't hear it too? Go already!"
Cid shook his head – Precious brat! – but did as he was told.