Hanson jerked her thumb at the couch and the two other mercs who were supporting him manoeuvred him onto the couch as well, dropping him on the last free space on Amanda’s other side.
He adjusted his position with a low grunt. “Gotta smoke, Steve? I lost mine.” “Sure thing.” The ginger one produced a smoke, lit it and handed it over Amanda’s lap to his comrade who took it and leaned back into the cushions with a little groan of relief.
Amanda looked back and forth between the two, and although the doc had washed her face she still looked dreadful. At that moment the leader of the troupe, the greying guy with the drooping moustache and sideburns, came over and looked down at her. She looked up and could read the truth in his eyes even before he spoke. She bit her lip even as he opened his mouth. “I’m sorry kid”, he said in a low voice. “There was nothing we could do for them. We brought them back, though, so you can bury them. Found the brahmin, even. It’s down in the pen. Sorry for not giving you better news.” She swallowed but was unable to hold back her tears. “Thank you”, she whispered. “I don’t know... I don’t know how I can...” “It’s all right, kid. We’ll worry about it later.”
He left her then and as he passed Harkness, lighting up a smoke, the chief nodded at him and gave him a pat on the arm. “Thank you”, he said. “I admit I wouldn’t have expected something like this from guys like you. No offence intended.” The merc finished lighting up his smoke and shrugged. “None taken. I know the reputation mercs usually have, but not all of us are assholes that people need to be afraid of.” “I know.” He lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t pursue it further.
Watching him go, Harkness thought back to the other two friends he had had, and lost, a long time ago. Wasteland mercs too, both with a colourful past, and both of them, while still tough as balls, had been men with a strong sense of honour and with hearts of gold. And as Harkness looked back at Amanda, he suddenly realised what he should have seen before.
They were there. All three of them. Sitting side by side on the same sofa as they had so many years ago. He couldn’t say why he had failed to spot this before, but looking at them now, it was as clear as rain to him.
Then the memories came back, unbidden as usual, but this time, he didn’t send them away.
Stronger than death itself 2d/?
He adjusted his position with a low grunt. “Gotta smoke, Steve? I lost mine.”
“Sure thing.”
The ginger one produced a smoke, lit it and handed it over Amanda’s lap to his comrade who took it and leaned back into the cushions with a little groan of relief.
Amanda looked back and forth between the two, and although the doc had washed her face she still looked dreadful. At that moment the leader of the troupe, the greying guy with the drooping moustache and sideburns, came over and looked down at her.
She looked up and could read the truth in his eyes even before he spoke. She bit her lip even as he opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry kid”, he said in a low voice. “There was nothing we could do for them. We brought them back, though, so you can bury them. Found the brahmin, even. It’s down in the pen. Sorry for not giving you better news.”
She swallowed but was unable to hold back her tears. “Thank you”, she whispered. “I don’t know... I don’t know how I can...”
“It’s all right, kid. We’ll worry about it later.”
He left her then and as he passed Harkness, lighting up a smoke, the chief nodded at him and gave him a pat on the arm. “Thank you”, he said. “I admit I wouldn’t have expected something like this from guys like you. No offence intended.”
The merc finished lighting up his smoke and shrugged. “None taken. I know the reputation mercs usually have, but not all of us are assholes that people need to be afraid of.”
“I know.”
He lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t pursue it further.
Watching him go, Harkness thought back to the other two friends he had had, and lost, a long time ago. Wasteland mercs too, both with a colourful past, and both of them, while still tough as balls, had been men with a strong sense of honour and with hearts of gold.
And as Harkness looked back at Amanda, he suddenly realised what he should have seen before.
They were there. All three of them. Sitting side by side on the same sofa as they had so many years ago. He couldn’t say why he had failed to spot this before, but looking at them now, it was as clear as rain to him.
Then the memories came back, unbidden as usual, but this time, he didn’t send them away.