Queen's note: I completely blame my friend for my new favorite phrase of downing in healthy. It's all DC's fault, and might come back. No it will. Lol Also I've hit the last of the pre-written chapters now, almost done with chapter 9, but these won't be popping out as fast.

Garnets

Chapter Eight:

Spaaace

Coming online was surprisingly pleasant, Riggs could run an inspection over his digital self. Finding a few edits in his programing but it was to streamline his code to his new system. There was his whole memory, no evidence of tampering, and to him at least another AI nearby.

Vega was not the first larger complex AI that Riggs had worked with. His own programming was made for smaller areas to control, rather than a whole colony.

No…

Not a colony.

Interesting!

Vega had been responsible for a colony, and where they were definitely could be a small colony. If there had been enough people.

Fortress.

Vega helpfully supplied the name of the place, starting to settle his own systems around Riggs. The two AIs examined each other properly and found where they could be 'comfortable' so to say. Riggs found that where he had been placed, was semi isolated and tired to life support.

Riggs was allowed access to the cameras, older recordings and sorted through them going backwards from when he woke up to when Vega did. It took a grand total of five minutes for Riggs to settle in his new system.

Someone typed in the console in the greenhouse-like garden.

"Hello Slayer." Riggs spoke, finding the room, its camera and speaker. Already absorbing the information Vega gave on the Slayer's way of communicating. Noting that the man was out of armor and dressed in some dark leggings and a sleeveless green shirt. Oddly no shoes.

Did he have proper shoes out of the armor?

The Slayer looked up, first at the speaker, then scanned to look for the camera. You okay?

There was a two second pause before Riggs spoke. A little more used to civilian humans and had learned how to interact with them. "It's strange here, but I think I will be fine in this new system. Vega is teaching me how to manage the life support system."

Small flower safe. The man signed as he stood from the Argenta computer panel he had been working on to splice the human technology into it. You're going to keep her safe. Here.

"I will do my best to always keep miss Lily safe." Riggs said promptly, already out of the storage hard drive for his transportation. Watching it get set aside in the panel before it was closed. "Even before Dr. Hawkins made that my top priority, I had agreed to do the same."

Good. The Slayer signed, stretching his back. The movement was oddly fascinating as he started to walk out of this inner area, not detecting really much sound despite his size. I'll get her. The flower.

Riggs pinged Vega, watching the Slayer as far as he could, did the Slayer mean Lily?

Vega checked and confirmed, not fully sure if the Slayer knew the right sign for a lily. Likely just resorting to 'flower.'

It was true, but the Slayer at least was making sure not to sign Daisy. The demigod made it back to the medical area where he had left Lily to recover after coming out of the pod and clearing her lungs.

He reflexively caught the thing thrown at him once the door opened. Blinked at seeing it was the now empty plastic cup that he left. Considering there was not that much force behind the throw, but it was still a good throw.

The slayer grinned, looking into the room at the grumpy human sitting up in the bed she had been left in.

"I don't remember much, but I remember you holding me under water." Lily squinted, gripping the light, gray blanket to her, with her left arm. The wrapped right cradled against her front under the blanket as if that would help protect it.

"The fluid in the stasis pods is not water-" Vega started to explain, possibly not the first time before being interrupted.

"He drowned me!"

It saved you. The Slayer signed as he set the cup down. Feeling oddly calm despite the anger shown from the human. The man was surprised that he could recognize the fear under that anger was not fully aimed at him. Got the bad air out.

"Although… unorthodox, it did help clear all of the toxic gasses out of your lungs." Vega spoke, as the Slayer came over to the smaller human. Placing a hand over her head with a half smile.

"You're horrible!" Lilly was trying to keep her anger, pushing the big hand that seemed like it covered her whole head.

The hand lifted to sign, the unarmored man giving a huff like chuckle, I healed you.

"You drowned me to do it!" Lilly pulled her legs up, still holding her blanket as a modesty shield. Not that her chest was bare with a simple wrap covering it and a pair of shorts from her clothes on. With her right shoulder wrapped up and other scraps and cuts treated, it was likely nothing was much of a mystery. Her last real memories were of the storm and coast, then coming to for a moment being held under…. "I don't understand, he fucking drowned me in… healthy? And it worked?"

The Slayer laughed, the sound thunder deep and raspy. It made Lily jump, wincing as she jarred her right shoulder, then wide eyes stared up as the Slayer stooped to reach out.

Lily twitched but found herself suddenly lifted. Mildly betrayed by herself that the semi want to kick, only the uncoordinated attempt let her slide down into a better position in the Slayer's arms. The blanket was pulled along with, and in a way that seemed entirely unfair he could hold her up with one arm while wrapping the blanket around the young woman.

The human burrito squinted up at the Slayer as he tilted his head back, then just turned and walked. It took a moment, maybe five, before Lily was breathing normal, not wanting to admit that being held, if not slightly squished, but her sore shoulder being free.

It was oddly comforting.

"...are we really in space?" Lily finally asked, looking around at the hall that seemed to have been carved out of solid stone and metal molded into it. She realized it definitely was no human architecture, but still an oddly beautiful mix of simple yet far advanced technology and an almost primal-gothic feel to it. A mix that should not work but distinctively did.

The Slayer paused his steps, looking around as if realizing that the few ornate arches that were like windows opened only to solid, if polished stone. He thought for a moment and turned around, going back and then past the doors to medical. His strides were long, but surprisingly not that jarring as he came to a set of spirally stone stairs.

Lily sucked in her breath as her attention was grabbed by one of the wide 'open' windows in an observation like area under the stairs. With an old, low couch or bench there and none of the stained glass windows she was just noticing. There was definitely something there, Lily could not bring herself to sort out what it was other than not glass.

Stars.

Away from the lights of the hall as the stairs blocked it, Lily was held near the 'window.'

It was a serial moment. Minute? Hour? Whatever length of time, Lily was in an odd state of thoughtless wonder, being held not unlike when a child. Seeing the expanse of stars and the edge of the moon was impossibly large to the left of the window. Not weightless like some stations where, or half gravity on others she had read about. Yet supported nonetheless.

A low, neutral grumble of humm vibrated through the young woman as the Slayer shifted around the low bench. It was an interesting way to help ground Lily without startling her out of the state of calm she was now in.

The Demigod sat down not on the bunch but almost against the window. Careful not to shake or hurt the girl's shoulder, watching the human as she stared out the window. He saw the moment when she seemed to remember the rest of where she was. Hazel eyes staring up at eerie blue.

"...holy shit," Lily spoke in a soft voice, looking back at the window, "We're in space."

The Slayer chuckled with a lopsided smile, and nodded. Letting Lily slide down into his lap to free his left hand, signing a simple. Yes.

Lily shifted only a bit, staying as relaxed as she could but could not help rubbing her right arm. The bandage on her left bicep pulled, yet she could hold her arm better. "I'm…really off the sea platform."

Why did her eyes have to burn?

Lily looked back at the window as if that would help hide that. She could still see the bigger man nod though. All at once, Lily went limp, sagging as if someone unseen had cut a string on her. Still looking out the window as the young woman just, not giving up but letting that constant tension of survival ease. Leaning on the bigger Slayer as she watched the edge of the moon slowly getting a little bigger in the corner of the window.

"You… you said to trust you." Lily spoke, and finally looked up, rubbing at her face as her eyes still burned. Not letting herself cry yet, it almost seemed like it was wedged just under her throat. "I'm still mad about the 'drowning in healthy' thing."

The big man huffed a chuckle against her.

"...thank you…"

He almost missed the soft words, peering down until Lily looked back up at his face again.

"I trust you." Lily spoke up, seeing the blink back, "Please don't… don't hurt or make me regret doing this."

She let out a squeak as Lily was promptly enclosed in the massive arms. Lifted and held again as the Slayer leaned down to press his head against hers. Careful of the right shoulder but she was not expecting to be suddenly trapped in a… well. A massive hug.

Despite herself, Lily felt that moment of insecurity fading.

After a minute she absent mindedly kicked a leg in the air. Not held as tight but still comfortably squished. "You don't have a lot of personal space huh?"

The Slayer snorted with a full smirk, finally watching out the window too.

"I apologize, he does not." Vega put in, his voice semi distant as this was supposed to be a quiet area.

"I guess it's okay for now." Lily said, resting her head against the broad chest again. Watching as the moon drifted more into view, fascinated by it and the scattering of lights. She could make out a surprisingly amount of color, and a milky splash just on the other edge of the window. "Space is cool. It's like watching things move in the bioluminescent plankton… but more."

The Slayer loosened his hold only a little, letting Lily relax and breathe a bit better than when squished. Definitely no personal space, but oddly comforting to sit together and watch the clear view of the stars. Long enough for a good quiet time, long enough to eventually realize the needs of the body.

"...I'm hungry."

The big man gave one of those broken chuckles, shifting to get ready to get back up. Pausing though as a hand grasped his own for attention. Peering down.

"How bad does the earth look?" Lily asked the thought that had been lingering in the back of her mind once able to focus after… space.

The Slayer pressed his lips together and then started to sign before stopping and shaking his head.

"That bad?" The young woman asked, watching his face and expression.

The demigod freed a hand to hold it flat and tilt it back and forth, before getting up with Lily still being carried. This time he walked to the command room, it took a minute before he got there. Letting the young woman look around at the more blatant Argenta technology before realizing there was an even bigger 'window' along the back wall of the room, past the teleporter and command area.

Lily sucked in her breath, holding it for a few moments as she saw the wide horizon of her home world taking up half of the view. When the Slayer stopped on the lower section behind the command ring, he stooped. Far too gently setting the young woman down on her own feet on the smoother part of the deck edge.

Lily hugged her right arm to herself, keeping the blanket wrapped around her while staring up at the vast horizon. Unable not to compare it to pictures she had seen in the not so distant past to the scarred, cracked world that was before her.

It looked like the world itself was bleeding, the red and orange colors of…not lava? Maybe in some areas, as a volcano seemed to just be erupting, but the deep cuts into the land looked like open wounds. Other areas had an orange, almost fleshy looking 'bloom' that was spiraling out like an infection.

There were storms, like the hurricane that hit her once home platform off of Canada. That gray splotch that was dispersing looked like it had been the storm that hit her. Other storms were still going, starting or failing part way through forming.

"Gods," Lily breathed, putting her left hand on the smooth railing. "Mom wasn't exaggerating. This really is a mass extinction event. I couldn't see the mainland very well, and there was so much happening when we evacuated-"

She turned, finding that the Slayer was watching her again intently.

"Can we really survive this?"

The Demigod nodded firmly.

"...can we ever thrive again?" Lily could not help but ask, glancing between her savor and the horizon. "It's not just humans, we need plants and animals-"

Large hands closed carefully over her shoulders, almost no pressure on the right one. Bringing Lily's attention back to the Slayer, when he knew he had it the man let go to sign carefully, slowly in the basic human signs. Yes. Human will thrive. With time.

There was a pause as the big man flashed a full grin. I am stronger than hell.

"I hope you are." Lily said softly, looking back at the window, and then made a point to turn her back to it while hugging herself again. "I think I want to cuddle my cats now."

"You should try to eat something as well." Vega spoke up, watching the two.

Lily did not look so sure about that, glancing up as the Slayer offered both hands. She looked at the grate like decking a step away from her spot and nodded at the offer. Being picked up like she was a kid again, or weighed next to nothing.

For the first time, Lily wondered how much weight she had lost over the last near year. Definitely lost muscle tone after the first exposure to the toxic gasses the demons produced or let through.. from hell? The young woman rested her head against the Slayer's front, trying not to look back at what was still happening to her homeworld.

"...okay I might need a hug again-" Lily started to admit but was cut off as she was promptly squished tight.