nodded. He gripped the handrails to climb into the tractor, looking quizzically at the meter long cord he was holding in his hand. Kebe noticed the cord, but decided to ask later. Nero put the cord in his mouth and held it between his teeth while climbing.
Kebe found a coffee maker in the cabin. Soon she was sipping from a cup of hot and horrible coffee while driving. Nero drank tea while the tractor trundled along. His left ear had stopped bleeding, but he complained of being giddy.
"The morphiates in the patch on your neck will do that," said Kebe. "Exposure, too. You’re in mild shock—and I'm not doing too well myself."
Kebe started weeping, rubbing her nose with her hand.
"It's over, Kebe. We're safe and warm now."
"No, we're not," she said. "We're not!" Kebe sniffed and told him the story of her attempted murder; told him about the gunfight outside the hangar, and about the Cheshire embedded in his head when she found him. Nero looked at her, sporting the same stare he offered to the first Cheshire he ever saw.
"Are you serious?" He said.
She threw a laser beam gaze at him. "I'm not going to strangle you for saying that, not until we leave this place for good. But I'll do it if you don't apologize! How dare you?"
"OK, OK, I'm sorry. This is totally new. Nothing like this ever happened." He sipped. "I’m so sorry. Must have been terrible."
"What's that rope you have in your hands, Nero?"
"This?" He raised the cord from the seat. "Don't know. Found it in my hands." He looked at it in the dim cabin. "Tasted funny when I had it in my teeth, though. I can't believe it tried to kill you. Why?"
"You tell me."
"Are you sure murder was the motive?"
"What else?"
"It didn't kill you after all. You don't even know the one outside the hangar was hostile."
Kebe paused, aware of the unemotional facts. "No, it didn't kill me."
"But it could have."
Tears started dripping down Kebe's cheek. "Yes." Kebe released the impossible pressure from the latest events, letting herself weep. She sniffled and whined. Nero leaned against her. Kebe's release was controlled, her back was straight, her arms relaxed on the armrests, fingers gently playing the controls that ran the tractor while tears washed her cheeks and her mind clean. Her release reached a climax, and the tears stopped. She sniffled once more.
"I'm better now."
"Good," Nero said.
"If it didn't mean to kill me, what did it want?"
"Maybe it didn't want anything... Communication?"
She looked at him. "So that I'd come and help you."
"Nights are cold, I was lucky you came."
"But then, why? Why are you so special? Don't misunderstand me, but—why would they do this for you?"
"Maybe it's not me, Kebe."
"What do you mean?"
"At the generator, two Cheshires were..." He looked at her: "The generator! Did you start it?"
"No."
"We've got to go back and start the generator."
"Are you insane?"
"How long, Kebe? How long before they come for us? Can we afford to wait?"
"Hell-shit! Merde. Elephant turds!" Kebe drove the tractor in an ample U-turn across the hauling road, back to the hangar. "I don't want to go back. I've had enough of that place. I've had enough of this planet!" For an instant, only the hum of the motor broke the silence.
"There were two Cheshires in front of me, they were so close I passed out. Two of them," Nero said.
"Why?"
"Beats me."
"Guess then," Kebe said.
"Pook was getting lonely. No clue, dear."
"Yes! Lonely."
"Nonsense. They're not human, Kebe, don’t give them human emotions."
"Got a better idea?" Kebe said.
"You said you shot a Cheshire?"
"I'm pretty sure I hit it between the eyes—so to speak."
"That's unheard of." Nero said.
"I got it."
"Lots of first-rate gunslingers tried to shoot Cheshires—none of them ever succeeded, Kebe. I'm sure at least some of them were as good as you are." He looked at
Kebe found a coffee maker in the cabin. Soon she was sipping from a cup of hot and horrible coffee while driving. Nero drank tea while the tractor trundled along. His left ear had stopped bleeding, but he complained of being giddy.
"The morphiates in the patch on your neck will do that," said Kebe. "Exposure, too. You’re in mild shock—and I'm not doing too well myself."
Kebe started weeping, rubbing her nose with her hand.
"It's over, Kebe. We're safe and warm now."
"No, we're not," she said. "We're not!" Kebe sniffed and told him the story of her attempted murder; told him about the gunfight outside the hangar, and about the Cheshire embedded in his head when she found him. Nero looked at her, sporting the same stare he offered to the first Cheshire he ever saw.
"Are you serious?" He said.
She threw a laser beam gaze at him. "I'm not going to strangle you for saying that, not until we leave this place for good. But I'll do it if you don't apologize! How dare you?"
"OK, OK, I'm sorry. This is totally new. Nothing like this ever happened." He sipped. "I’m so sorry. Must have been terrible."
"What's that rope you have in your hands, Nero?"
"This?" He raised the cord from the seat. "Don't know. Found it in my hands." He looked at it in the dim cabin. "Tasted funny when I had it in my teeth, though. I can't believe it tried to kill you. Why?"
"You tell me."
"Are you sure murder was the motive?"
"What else?"
"It didn't kill you after all. You don't even know the one outside the hangar was hostile."
Kebe paused, aware of the unemotional facts. "No, it didn't kill me."
"But it could have."
Tears started dripping down Kebe's cheek. "Yes." Kebe released the impossible pressure from the latest events, letting herself weep. She sniffled and whined. Nero leaned against her. Kebe's release was controlled, her back was straight, her arms relaxed on the armrests, fingers gently playing the controls that ran the tractor while tears washed her cheeks and her mind clean. Her release reached a climax, and the tears stopped. She sniffled once more.
"I'm better now."
"Good," Nero said.
"If it didn't mean to kill me, what did it want?"
"Maybe it didn't want anything... Communication?"
She looked at him. "So that I'd come and help you."
"Nights are cold, I was lucky you came."
"But then, why? Why are you so special? Don't misunderstand me, but—why would they do this for you?"
"Maybe it's not me, Kebe."
"What do you mean?"
"At the generator, two Cheshires were..." He looked at her: "The generator! Did you start it?"
"No."
"We've got to go back and start the generator."
"Are you insane?"
"How long, Kebe? How long before they come for us? Can we afford to wait?"
"Hell-shit! Merde. Elephant turds!" Kebe drove the tractor in an ample U-turn across the hauling road, back to the hangar. "I don't want to go back. I've had enough of that place. I've had enough of this planet!" For an instant, only the hum of the motor broke the silence.
"There were two Cheshires in front of me, they were so close I passed out. Two of them," Nero said.
"Why?"
"Beats me."
"Guess then," Kebe said.
"Pook was getting lonely. No clue, dear."
"Yes! Lonely."
"Nonsense. They're not human, Kebe, don’t give them human emotions."
"Got a better idea?" Kebe said.
"You said you shot a Cheshire?"
"I'm pretty sure I hit it between the eyes—so to speak."
"That's unheard of." Nero said.
"I got it."
"Lots of first-rate gunslingers tried to shoot Cheshires—none of them ever succeeded, Kebe. I'm sure at least some of them were as good as you are." He looked at
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