Page 74 of The Fall

Time passed. Her and Lusa worked security together and there were no more incidents. Only because Alana never dropped her guard.

Another depression smacked her hard. Her hip bones would be feeling that tomorrow. This detour made no sense. Talia was also half-way here. Why hadn’t she asked for her?

Grateful to pull up next to the tent, Alana finally managed to stretch her legs. Red rays had turned yellow and a gentle breeze blew in from the East as the air warmed, but the tent remained still and quiet. Lusa tended to be up before dawn and given the urgency of the situation, Alana worried this might be a trap.

She adjusted her aural processors, hoping they hadn’t been damaged after all that jostling. Alana approached cautiously, though her heavy rubber soles still made too much noise against the flat rock. The tent shivered in the breeze, but nothing stirred inside. Hearing only breathing, she confirmed her processors were fine.

Walking back to the rover, Alana grabbed her rifle and checked the magazine. Scanning a second time for signs of an ambush, she found nothing. Alana sighed and returned, this time with a bit more annoyance, to the tent. If she was needed so urgently, Lusa had better be awake.

She peeled back the corner of the entrance flap. Peeking in, Alana immediately snapped her head back, muttering expletives. Two sleeping bags, only one occupied. At the noise, a girl’s head popped out, black hair plastered to her face and more freckles than Pinga. Alana quickly raised her rifle.

“Who the fuck are you? Where’s Lusa?”

Lusa’s head joined the girl’s, with roughly the same hairstyle. “Alana!”

“Who is this? Why is she here?” Alana nudged her rifle at Lusa’s new fuckbuddy.

“This is Caoi-Kerr,” Lusa stammered. “It’s a long story and the geostat window was short. I could only get a quick message out.”

Exaggerating a gag, Alana holstered her pistol. “Wash first. Both of you. This tent smells like a brothel.”

A few minutes later Lusa emerged from the tent, head low. “Thanks for coming.” Lusa may be an adult, but she couldn’t help but see her as an overgrown teenager. Getting old sucked.

Occupying herself with the pan of deer bacon, Alana handed Lusa a metal mug of Koffi. “Stretch your legs. Can’t have you walking sideways into whatever shit you’ve gotten us into.”

Annoyed, but still needing caffeine, Lusa took it. “I didn’t ask you here to comment on my sex life.”

Alana glared before turning back to the pan. “I don’t know how you and your mom drink that awful sludge.” Alana flipped the deer bacon with a fork. “Where’s your friend?”

“She’s scared of you.” Lusa waved a hand over her face. “For good reason. There’s beef between Chargers and Styx.”

“Ah. Maybe you should have warned her, then.” Alana sipped her tea and put the mug down. “I’ll deal with it. And then you’re going to explain why I’m here.”

“Don’t kill her. This is Pinga’s fault.” Lusa tensed, ready to stop her if she had to. Alana had seen her in action and had no doubt that she could, but she had no intention of harming the girl. Yet.

Alana handed Lusa her fork. “Don’t let my bacon burn.”

Thankfully the flap lay on the ground, the tent airing out. Alana had no desire to stew in the aftermath of whatever they had been doing in there. Lusa might not be blood related, but the Lake was a strange experience. The last twenty-something years watching the same group of kids grow up made them all yours to some extent. It made navigating everything awkward on both sides.

She checked the safety and threw her rifle in the tent. It landed softly on the sleeping bag. Kerr’s eyes flew from the gun to Alana’s unnaturally green irises.

“That could have gone off.” The girl opted for bravado, but she was clearly terrified.

Alana held up the magazine.

“Fine, come in.” Kerr pulled her legs into her body, as if they might shield her.

Alana ducked into the tent and sat on the sleeping bag opposite. “Did Lusa hurt you?”

“What?” Kerr screwed up her face.

“Lusa has been known to hurt her partners. She hurt Danica.”

“Dani…”

“My daughter.” Alana picked at the sleeping bag. She’d provided an egg and Cam had borne her. This girl wouldn’t know that, though and Lusa wouldn’t have been stupid enough to tell her. She hoped.

“You’ve had a kid?” Kerr blurted out. Alana should be annoyed, but her freckled face and mussed up hair was sufficiently disarming.