The sun was making a lazy arc. With its light shadowed, the coming breeze cooled the forest.
The Mechanic was a bit of a broken one. He seemed oblivious to the juxtaposition of his presence in a backwater. Wentworth wondered what the man was running from. The grasses in front of him cast long, sharp shadows. The whole landscape was distorted with lines of cutting dark.
He sighed, and stood up. He didn’t need his Datapad to tell him that he’d better get moving if he wanted to eat a warm dinner tonight. Within minutes he’d packed up his kit and shouldered his duffel bag, turning south for the walk back.
Damn, but he wished he’d grabbed a ruck sack before leaving.
Alright, Mad Dog mouthed the words silently to himself, if that hill’s over there — he glanced up, and the tower’s back over there— looking up again he saw Falcon staring at him.
“Falcon, what’re ya’ looking at!”
“Wanted to see if you needed help with anything, Mad Dog.”
“Yeah, top off your canteen then go and fill the jerry here.”
Falcon shook the jerry on the back of his quad, “It’s still pretty much full, Mad Dog.”
“‘Scuse me Falcon, is that what I asked? I said go fill it in the stream there — you’ll be glad when we don’t see no water for a while!”
He looked back down at the map, and Falcon left to fill the jerry. Mad Dog’s brows furrowed; the man hadn’t said anything to acknowledge his command. “Sheik!” he shouted, “Git yer ass over here!”
“‘Sup, boss?”
“You see this right here?” he pointed at an orange square on the map.
“Yuh-huh.”
“It looks real interesting to me. See, it’s one of them old guvment buildings. That’s where’s we’re heading, lad. Now I’m wondering if you can tell me where it is?”
Sheik squinted and scratched at the scruff growing on his chin. He looked out over the rest of the Hellhounds taking their meal break, and scanned the contours of the hills. “Now see, Mad Dog, what I’m thinking — I’m thinking that the blue line there is this stream here — and that hill there is maybe this one here on the map. So maybe this place ain’t too far off.”
“How far ya thinking?”
Sheik shrugged. “Pretty close. What, four, maybe five klicks?”
“Attaboy, Sheik. Falcon! Maybe you could learn a thing or two from this bro! Alright, Dunzer, Chain — get your boys mounted up! You too, Sheik, you got point on this one — you want the map?”
“Nah, boss, I got it all upstairs. You want I should bring Falcon with me?”
“Yeah, I like that idea — you heard him Falcon — tail on to his boys and watch what they do.”
Raxx caught himself just as he was about to knock on her door. He shook his head. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel so out of place? Christ, this was juvenile.
Whatever. Connie was smart, even if she was a local. He chuckled at himself. “Bite the bullet, old man,” he said, and knocked. He heard shuffling inside, and the door opened.
“Oh!” Connie’s mother looked shocked to see him standing on her front porch. Her tattoos knitted up on her brow, looking like an exclamation mark.
“Lady Mabs?”
Her face relaxed, and she laughed, adjusting her shawl, “Raxx, always the charmer! What have I told you about that? I suppose you’re here to see Connie?”
“Yes ma’am. I’ve been a bit worried about her, you see.”
“Well, come on in and I’ll see if she’s up for company—” she leaned close and whispered, “She’s been just dreadful with the flux, you know. But I just made her a bowl o’ stew for dinner, and I think she’s still up. Just give me a moment, boy, and I’ll make sure she’s decent.”
Raxx came in, and sat down on the wooden bench in the sitting room, while Mabs went off towards the back. He sat, hunched forward and tense; something about Mabs’ attitude was putting him off. Probably just worried about her daughter, he decided. But his shoulders didn’t relax.
“Ai, Raxx, she’s all ready to see you — and wondering why you haven’t been visiting her more!” She smiled at him, but the smile stopped at her cheeks, never making it all the way to her eyes.
Raxx stood up and forced himself to smile down at her. Why did he feel so out of place? She was just worried. “Been working too much, I guess,” he held his hands out in a placating gesture, “but I’m going to make it up now!”
“Well, you know where her room is — I got to get back to prepping for the smokehouse.”
He nodded his farewell, and made his way down the hall. Floor boards squeaked as he walked by and the drywall showed stains from where the roof was leaking. He thought about the improvements he could make, treading slowly to her door, about the chemicals that could be ordered to sustain the wood. He paused at her door, taking in a deep breath. He wanted to savour this moment.
His rap broke through the cloistered air. Connie’s voice was subdued, “Come in!” He peeked his head around the corner, a wry grin on his face.
“Is this the right room?”
She giggled, then broke out coughing. Raxx stepped in and kneeled by her bed. Despite the cough, her health was improving; her face was ruddy with mirth, and her tattoos were a brilliant dark blue.
“Raxx!” she said between fits, “It ain’t fair to make me laugh right now!”
“Hey, I’m just here to make you feel better!” He grinned with foolishly, and dropped his gaze for a second. “I, uh — got something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace he’d bought from Vince.
Connie’s eyes glazed over for a second as she looked at it. “Is that..?”
“Yeah, it’s that Yorker jewellery you like.”
“Oh!” she leaned forward and pulled him into an embrace. He gripped her and held her tight. The muscles of her back weren’t as thick as they ought to be, and her arms trembled. “Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!” She pecked him on the forehead, “Oh, I’m just gonna give you the flux too!”
“Nah, don’t worry; I’m good.”
She leaned back anyway, head tilted up as she clasped the necklace.
“Raxx… it’s been so boring being sick all this time — I haven’t had any of your stories to keep me going! What’ve you been up to? I want to hear everything you’ve done!”
Raxx launched into an explanation about the stranger, and what he’d been doing with the man’s motorcycle. He gesticulated as he spoke, glowing inwardly as Connie looked up at him, but with a serious expression on his face. Her head was tilted to the left, nodding at his words.
This was why he’d been ranting at the stranger — because he was missing this. During the winter months Connie wove; she was an artist who cared about her craft, and that allowed her to understand his in a way none of his customers did. The whole reason for the work was appreciation — wasn’t it? The warmth in Connie’s deep blue eyes filled him with hope. It reminded him of why he’d moved to Blackstock in the first place.
He caught himself disappearing into technical details and stopped himself short.
“Heh — you catch any of that, what I was just saying?”
Connie shook her head. “One of these days I’m going to make an Afghan about what you do, Raxx — a whole wall!”
They kept talking. Raxx told her about what was going on with the farmers and the merchant, and she confided in him that her cousin had a crush on one of the guards. Their conversation was interrupted when her mother arrived to bring them both a glass of water, and Raxx took advantage of the break to ask her the question he’d come here to ask.