Fools of us All - Chapter 45

CAZ

I sat up suddenly. My stomach heaved, but there was nothing in it to expel. I took several deep breaths and closed my eyes until my head stopped spinning. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and looked around. There was not much to see in the gloomy light that was shining through a single window set high in the wall. I was in a room, lying on a pad on the floor. The walls were damp there was an unpleasant odour in the air. I wrinkled my nose and then made an attempt at standing.

A jolt of pain spread from my shoulder, but I gritted my teeth and leaned on the wall, waiting for it to subside. My arm was bound against my body, keeping it immobile. My artificial leg was stiff as I walked around the room.

When the door opened a few minutes later, I was poking at some of the electronic innards of my leg. It needed a good cleaning, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage. I replaced the skin and winced as I could feel it self-healing.

“Here’s some food,” said Spin. He brought over a hunk of bread with some meat and cheese.

I ate in silence, accepting the small flask of water and washing down my impromptu meal. “Nothing for you?” I asked, wiping the crumbs on my pants.

He shook his head. “I already ate,” he said, falling silent again.

We stared at each other in the gloom. “How long was I out?”

“About two weeks.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Long enough for you to heal I guess.” I stared at his arm. There seemed to be no bruising or anything, and he was moving it freely.

“Yeah, well,” he said. “So I’ve been getting information, at least as best I can, and something seems to be happening that I don’t understand. I thought you could help.”

I studied him intensely for a moment. He didn’t want to tell me something, but I was not sure what that might be. “What,” I asked wearily, deciding not to press the point.

“The news has been reporting possible alien contact in the mines. It‘s put the story of two fugitives stealing valuable archival material off the front page.”

His words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I slumped against the wall and slid to the floor. “Daddy?” The word slipped out without me meaning to say it. I jumped suddenly to my feet, all other considerations forgotten. I had a question that needed answering, and it needed answering now.