Page 44 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly (Tyton #1)
U
gh, why does everything taste like cellulose?” Sesi threw the remainder of the protein bar across the room.
“But it didn’t used to taste like cellulose.” Sesi wiped her mouth. “I think something’s wrong with my tongue.”
Siku put the page down. “No, you’re just pregnant.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Siku stared blankly. “Did you do no research into this?”
“I did a lot of research!” It came out a lot more angrily than she had intended. “Sorry, she muttered. Just not this part of it, I guess.”
“What part did you research?” Siku narrowed his eyes.
“The science part of it. I guess I thought the pregnancy part would do its thing until labour.”
Siku grunted.
“Well, if you know everything, what am I supposed to do now?”
“Eat.” Siku shrugged. “Or don’t. I have no idea what people do in the city. We could ask Cat?” he suggested.
“What do people do outside of the city?”
“Qimmiq said he had to go fishing every day when Ananaksaq was pregnant with mom. He said that’s why we liked the water.”
“I thought he said we liked water because we were born under Usruutaattiaq.”
Siku grunted. “I’m pretty sure Qimmiq just told us whatever he thought was funniest to say at the time.”
“Fine. You ask Cat, I’ll go fishing.” Sesi turned and headed to the door.
“You can’t go fishing,” Siku said, alarmed.
“Why not?”
“You’re eight months pregnant!”
Sesi looked down at her swollen abdomen. Everything felt weird and itchy. She felt unbalanced. And she felt like she wanted to murder everyone who tried to help. “Well , I’m not eating this shit anymore.” She waved toward the half-eaten protein bar in the corner.
“I’ll ask Cat.” Siku caught Sesi wincing. He sighed. “You really want fish, don’t you?” Sesi nodded.
July 23 2269
“How far out are we going?” Callie stepped out of the transport and attached the mask to her magstrip.The ground was too soft to continue driving.
“Far enough that Sparx gave me this.” Talia pointed to the rucksack.
“His survival gear?”
“He said it was a tent. Have you ever set one up before?” Talia handed Callie a Hexcel map.
Callie eyed it dubiously. “I’ve seen pictures of them. I can tell you when it looks like the picture.”
Talia arched an eyebrow. “You look at pictures of tents?”
“What do you look at pictures of?”
Talia flashed her lopsided smile. Callie shoved her. “Wait until the tent looks like the picture.”
Tundra swamps stretched out as far as Callie could see.
“This is very different from when I was out here in the winter,” she muttered.
Her boots sank deep into the mud. She lifted her knees to her elbows.
Foul-smelling roots and slimy plants clung to her feet.
“Did Sparx say anything about snowshoes for swamps? Swampshoes, maybe?”
Talia shook her head. She didn’t complain, but her posture betrayed her disgust. She marched on ahead.
Callie followed, feet squelching with every step. “How are you not sinking?”
“I am. I’m just moving quickly enough that I don’t sink as far,” Talia called from several metres ahead.
Callie grumbled and picked up the pace.
The sun began to set and the insects descended like a dark cloud. Even Talia’s stoicism broke. They ran, mosquitoes quickly filling up the viewports of their masks and a string of curse words trailing behind them.
“Oh my god, I’m sweating so much,” Callie heaved.
“Keep your suit on!” Talia yelled. “Sparx said these things suck blood.”
“What!” Callie shrieked. “How do people live up here?”
“Maybe it was better before the climate catastrophes?” Talia suggested. “How far are we from the river?”
Callie pulled out her sat receiver. “It’s not going to be that accurate because we’re using the geostationary system,” she warned.
“Just give me an estimate,” Talia sighed, exhausted.
Callie fiddled with the screen for a few moments. “Uh, another day, I think?”
Talia’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” Callie put the receiver away and looked at Talia, hoping she had an answer. “I saw a bigger rock over that way. Let’s set up the tent.”
An hour later, the tent still did not look like the picture.
“At least there’s still light?” Callie attempted to break the tension.
Talia sat hunched over on the ground, attempting to pound a stake into the rock. Callie swatted at the mosquitoes landing on her back.
“Fuck it.” Talia swore, storming off. Callie panicked for a moment, thinking that Talia was abandoning her out here, but she returned carrying a large stone.
“You’re good at knots, right? Tie the rope to the stone. I’ll go get more.” Callie felt a spark of hope. If Talia was still dropping innuendo, she couldn’t be that angry, could she? She busied herself tying the rope. Talia returned with another large stone.
Callie wasn’t sure how someone with her wiry frame could lift it without a strength amplifier patch, but the feat caused her no small amount of issues concentrating. She snuck another glance as Talia walked away to find another.
Another hour passed and the tent stood adequately enough. “Does it look like the picture?” Talia sat on the rock, thin legs akimbo.
“Yes,” Callie lied.
They crawled inside, lugging the survival gear with them. Talia demagged her mask and the mosquitoes that had followed them inside immediately attacked her. She waved her hands in a futile effort to kill them. Callie blasted her in the face with a spray of insecticide.
“Ohmygodimsorry” Callie sputtered, hurling the can across the tent like it was glowing hot. Talia squinted her eyes shut and wiped furiously at her tongue. “What the fuck, Cal?”
Talia had spent decades being enraged. Anger had fuelled her every thought. Her every action, but she had never lost control. Today that might change.
Talia tried to look around, but her eyelids felt like someone had stapled them together.
Only a sliver of bloodshot pink remained visible.
Callie grabbed the bottle from her hip and sloshed Talia’s face.
Talia sputtered and swatted her away, trying her level best not to say anything mean.
Callie backed off and she tried to let her eyes adjust. Everything was tinged red and blurry.
Callie demagged her mask and stared up at her apologetically. Even blurred, it was the most pitiful thing Talia had ever seen. She moved to embrace her when a mosquito landed on Talia’s ear and Callie slapped it, knocking her head to the side. Talia shrieked and fell backward.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Again!”
Talia’s wide pink eyes reminded Callie of something from a horror movie and she cowered, afraid Talia would kill her.
Talia burst into laughter instead, tears streaming down her cheeks. Callie’s expression dropped from horror to relief. She scrambled toward her and they collapsed into an exhausted fit of giggles.
“Sesi had better appreciate this.” Talia grumbled, still half laughing.
“Be sure to tell her that during labour.”
The absurdity and exhaustion caused them to start laughing all over again.
They unrolled the thin mattress. Callie peeled off the survival suit Sparx had acquired for them. Talia flared her nostrils and frowned.
“Yeah, we do smell pretty bad,” Callie admitted, even though her heart fluttered at Talia’s adorable button nose wrinkling.
Callie did some quick addition. “If we use the water we have to wash, what do we do for the other three days?”
“I think there’s a water purifier kit in here somewhere.” Talia rummaged through the survival gear. Callie blushed.
“Stop staring,” Talia scolded. Her wiggle as she emptied the contents of the rucksack said something different. She found the purifier kit. It smelled strongly of plastic. She nonetheless held her prize aloft and handed Callie the instructions.
“This says it’s going to take an hour.”
“So, I should get some water now?” Talia unrolled the water bags.
“Not like that! You’ll be eaten alive!”
Talia flushed. Callie giggled.
“Stop it!” She shoved Callie. “Or we’ll never get this damn fish!”
“Right,” Callie tried to restrain her face from bursting into laughter again. “And Sesi will yell at us.”
“I don’t think she’ll yell at us, but I don’t want to have spent the night in the swamp for nothing either.
” Talia found her survival suit bunched up in the corner.
“She’ll yell at Siku instead.” She tried to pull it over her legs, but it clung to her, still wet.
“Oh my god, I can’t begin to describe how disgusting this is,” she whined.
Callie rushed over to her survival suit and found that hers too still dripped with sweat. “What do we do?”
“Find the infrared heater and we’ll turn them inside out. That might help for tomorrow.”
By the time Talia lugged the two water bags into the tent, Callie had the infrared heater set up. Talia’s face scrunched up in revulsion as she removed the suit for the second time. “I have never been as repulsed by the smell of a human body as I am right now. And I’ve nicked a colon.”
Callie found the bathing supplies and handed her a rag.
“Oh my god, I love you,” Talia had never been so grateful for anything so simple. When she finished wiping her face, she caught Callie’s wide grey eyes staring at her in silence.
It dawned on Talia what she had just said. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Callie knew already. They were having a baby.
But she still felt like the slip-up had torn a giant hole in her carapace. And now Callie could say anything in response. Or nothing. Talia had lost control.
Callie crossed one foot over the other, lowering her gaze. She knew Talia. Even the parts Talia didn’t want known. Callie wasn’t a threat, but she was also overjoyed hearing the words. “No take-backsies?”
Talia’s face relaxed. She only allowed herself to blush in response and she finished wiping off. Callie knew it had been the perfect thing to say.
And when the wound had healed over and the sun had risen at an ungodly hour, Callie whispered “I love you too” against the shell of her ear and Talia pulled her tighter.
July 25 2269