Synth

Over recounting a very sanitized retelling of the incident in the tunnels, TO learned several important things.

First; Civilian children, for the most part, are not squeamish. Except for Rimini most of the children seemed to want the goriest of details, and seemed highly disappointed when TO refused to provide such information.

Second; Civilian children were brutally honest about how entertaining or boring they found a story. TO’s careful, precise explanation of the events as they remembered them were apparently ‘so boring’

Third; Apparently, TO wasn’t a very good storyteller. Before they had even gotten to the part where they collapsed the tunnels, the children were turning back towards Tham. He already had his wound bandaged, and trying to get the kids to pay attention to TO.

“Tham, can you tell it?” Rimini asked.

“Yeah, Tham does the voices, and he makes the explosion sounds!” Jayda said as he scooted over towards Tham.

“But TO’s already telling it.” He said.

“But you tell stories better!” Rimini insisted. “Please!?”

Tham gave an apologetic look towards TO, who could only shrug and nod in response. If the kids didn’t want to listen to them, well, TO would not force them to.

Constance put her little hand on TO’s arm, “It wasn’t that boring.” She said, with more emphasis on the word ‘that’ than TO would have liked. “I’ll listen to the rest of you want.” Though she offered to listen, she was already turning towards Tham, listening and watching carefully.

“It’s alright.” TO said, “GO listen to Tham tell it.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, already turning away from TO.

“I’m sure.” TO said, “I have a few things to take care of anyway, and I-“

“Ok, thanks!” She said, pulling herself towards Tham’s apparent reenactment in process, where he was already mimicking someone sneaking around, talking about how they crept through the low, dripping, filthy tunnels. He gave special attention to how dirty the tunnels were, and provided exaggerated descriptions of the bugs that he saw down there.

The bugs had been awful, but TO was certain there had not been giant millipedes with eggs on their back, or swarms of some strange dirt-louse. If there had been, TO would not have been in the tunnels.

“…He’s good with kids, isn’t he?”

TO jolted. They had heard someone approaching, but paid it no mind as so many people were walking around. They looked up with warmed ears at DH, who watched Tham tell his story.

“He is.” TO said. “They were all excited to see him earlier.” They looked back at Tham. “I was apparently boring them.”

DH watched Tham for a moment longer as he made loud noises, mimicking the sound the tunnel made as it collapsed. “Well…” DH said, their ears flicking down slightly, “He is a bit more animated with the kids.”

“Oh, so you think I’m a bad storyteller too?” TO said, suppressing a chuckle.

“I didn’t say that!” DH’s ears flicking down in panic for a moment before they turned and saw the amusement in TO’s ears. They huffed, their ears flicking parallel as they looked back to Tham, “Well, in that case yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying!”

TO chuckled, “you’re not wrong.” They said as they watched Tham. As he got to the part when the planetary authorities attacked them, TO’s ears flicked down and they stood up suddenly, heading away from Tham and the kids.

“TO?” DH asked as they chased after them, “Whats’ wrong?”

“Nothing, really…” TO said, “But, Tham is getting to some parts I don’t want to hear about, especially not in a tone as animated as he’s giving.”

It only took DH a moment to realize what TO was saying, and to realize that Tham was indeed approaching the bit about the actual fight. They nodded, took TO’s arm in their own, and hurried off with them.

======

A moment of time between TO and DH was all they could enjoy as both of them still had work to do. While TO found their own list of tasks growing ever smaller, they wanted to get everything done as soon as possible so they would have more time to spend with DH during their meal break, and more time to spend with their family when they were done for the day. Even as they performed their last checks, making sure everyone was ready to leave and knew the plan for the next day, their mind was more focused on planning the events for that night. A private meal with DH was doable, and while they considered asking if there was any of that berry juice around which they could enjoy they didn’t want to risk inebriation in the morning. Snacks for them, DH, and Avery wasn't an option, unfortunately, but maybe they could get a new flavour of that sugary drink. As was their normal habit, TO figured they’d all enjoy a show, but would they watch a show they already knew and loved, or watch a new one that they had been meaning to watch? What if they’d went with the new one, and didn’t like it? Then, if everything went bad, the next day the last show they would have watched as a family would be one they disliked!

It was almost relaxing to have such low-risk anxieties.

Caught up as they were in their thoughts, they weren’t paying attention to everything around them and they were entirely surprised when they saw Beck sitting on a nearby cot. The glint of the light against her claws and the whole mess that followed it replayed in their head, and they quickly dodged behind a privacy screen that was currently not in use.

“Beck, look, I know you want to stay here, but there’s a good chance you’ll die, that everyone left on the planet will die!”

Their ears pinned back in irritation that they didn’t notice Petra before dodging behind the privacy screen. Judging by how low her voice was, it seemed clear that the conversation the two were having was a private one. They’d not interrupt, but while they needed to check on everyone before they left in the morning, they really didn’t want to talk to Beck. Maybe they’d just message Petra to check on her?

“I’d rather die on the planet than risk being separated from Her.”

The words hit TO’s ears just as they were preparing to move on, and for a moment they felt a pang of guilt. Her? Who was her? Was there someone that Beck was trying to find, to reunite with? If so, why didn’t she just tell them?

“Her who?” Petra asked, seemingly just as confused as TO was. She sighed, “If there’s someone you can’t leave the planet without, you should have told someday! I’m sure they would have done whatever they could to help.”

Beck gave a heavy sigh, “You don’t understand.” She said. “You can’t understand.”

“Try me.” Petra said.

The silence that formed between grew more and more tense with every second; like an elastic was being pulled to its limit, quivering and preparing to snap.

“…I can’t.” Beck finally said.

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

Another sigh, this time from Petra, “Can you at least tell me who ‘she’ is?”

“I *can’t*.” The words were desperate, and almost pleading even to TO’s ears.

“… You know.” Petra said, “My best friend has been seeing someone for months. Nearly a year. We figured she was seeing someone, but she wouldn’t tell us who it was. She’s legless, so we figured she was seeing some high up legged politician, and that’s’ why she was hiding it from us.” She chuckled, “For a time, we even wondered if she was seeing Buteo himself! I mean, he doesn’t have a partner, and doesn’t seem to have any interest in one-“

“Because he’s too busy acting like he’s actually important, and getting drugged out of his mind when he’s not ‘on’” Beck said. Well, that was news to TO, and they made a note to look it up later. at this point it didn’t seem important, but they were curious.

“But when we finally found out who it was.” Petra continued, “It turns out that her partner was a synth! The one that left Decon‘s forces and joined the insurgency. The one whose practically leading this shit right now.”

TO felt their ears dip down. Talk to GiDi being a synth hadn’t been widely spread around the civilians, not yet. Still, Beck didn't seem to respond to that.

“And… I mean, yeah, it was a surprise.” Petra said, “And we had a LOT of questions, but we didn’t get angry with her. “

“But she’s your friend.” Beck said, “You hardly know me.”

“I know you a little.” Petra said, “I’ve seen you at the shelter before, years ago. I was upset when they put you into the indebted Center… I tried to get to know you better before that, but you never really talked to anyone.”

“For good reason.” Beck muttered.

“… Look, I get if you got trust issues.” She said, “I mean, I’ve been burned plenty. But.. at this point, I promise, it doesn’t matter who ‘she’ is. Either we can help, or we can’t, but we won’t know unless you tell us.”

“The only way you can help is to get me out of the tunnels.” She said. “I don’t know why I’m being held here against my will!”

“Well…” Petra seemed suddenly uncertain, “I… I think some people are worried about your mental state.” She said.

“What?!”

“I mean, you want to stay on a planet Where Decon might end all life, and you won’t tell anyone why. You have to admit, that’s a little strange! And it’s not uncommon for people to lose their minds in the Indebted Centre.”

“Even if I told you, You’d think I’m crazy…. Or worse.”

“Or worse what?” Petra asked, “Tell me, what’s the absolute worse case scenario you can think of?”

“Getting reported.” She said. “And being taken away, regardless.”

Petra gave a sudden sharp laugh, “Man, you said I don’t know you, but you clearly don’t know me!” She chuckled, “If I watched you murder a person, I’d not report you to the authorities!” She paused, “I might try to take things into my own hands if you hurt someone I cared about, but I wouldn’t report you! Fuck that! I hate the authorities.”

“But you said those synths are your friends.”

“Yeah, but they became my friends before they were synths, and they were cool. They let me steal a bunch of food from the government building, and didn’t pursue me or report me.” The silence stretched on once more. For a while, TO thought that Petra would give until she spoke again. “Please… tell me who ‘she’ is. If I can’t help, then at least help me understand.”

When Beck spoke again, she spoke so softly that Petra had to ask her to speak up. Still, thanks to TO’s keen hearing they could clearly hear the name that she spoke. Even so, they listened again carefully when she repeated her words to Petra, just to make sure they hadn’t misheard.

“Arkane.” Beck said, “the ‘Her’ that I can’t leave… is Arkane.”