Page 47 of Alien's Heart
Nox was in love.
Being an antique vehicle, it had a charging port. Nox dug through nearby boxes until he found the charging cable. Corrosion spotted the connectors, but the cable was in better shape than expected. The building sheltered the hypercycle and equipment from the worst of the weather, but it was hardly a controlled environment. Damp lurked in corners.
Rather than search through the musty, stifling building for the hypercycle’s charging station, Nox rolled the vehicle to the house. Grid systems were basically the same. At least where he came from. Interstellar Union regulations required universal standards for essential systems, like a solar array that powered the house. Corra being Corra, though, who knew what he’d find? Proprietary parts and ports that only fit a certain model no longer being produced would not surprise him.
What did surprise him was the embedded screen flickering to life once he hooked the hypercycle up. The old beast still had some life in it. While it charged, he filled a bucket with hot water and did his best to mitigate years of neglect.
“What is that?” Dressed for an afternoon in the fields, Ruth wore a sunhat and heavy boots and had a satchel over one shoulder.
“Strider in the Night? I found her in storage.” He took a step back to admire his handiwork. “She’s a beauty.”
Ruth circled the hypercycle. “First, that’s a terrible name. This is clearly an Agatha. Second, boys are the same no matter what planet they’re on. You love your toys.”
“Agatha is not a toy. She is a classic hypercycle,” he said, thoroughly pleased at the name. It sounded refined and too stubborn to quit. Agatha was the epitome of Agathaness.
“It’s a hunk of junk. Does it even work?”
Nox grinned. “Let’s find out.”
He unhooked the charging cable and scanned the small dashboard. Being a classic, Agatha had toggles and buttons rather than a touchscreen.
“You’ll be lucky if you don’t blow yourself up,” Ruth said, taking a generous step back.
He pressed the ignition button. When nothing exploded and he confirmed his lack of being aflame, he sighed with relief. The engine sputtered before catching.
“You waste your time doubting me?” Nox said. He straddled the seat and gripped the handlebars. Agatha felt powerful, the entire vehicle vibrating. The engine required servicing. Fluids had to be checked. Settings needed to be calibrated. Nox was not a mechanical expert, but as he discovered over the past weeks, he could learn from experts on the network.
“Is it supposed to sound like that?” Ruth asked.
“Yes. It is marvelous.” He twisted the control on the right handlebar, and the engine revved. “What are you waiting for? Climb on.”
She gave Agatha a borderline insulting glance. “Don’t we need helmets or safety gear?”
“Live a little.” He revved the engine again.
Ruth was not impressed.
“I doubt Agatha will be able to go very fast or far.” Although he certainly wanted to push Agatha’s limits. He’d likely end up pushing the hypercycle back. The engine sputtered and sounded exactly as he’d expect an engine to sound after years of storage in subpar conditions. It starting at all was nothing short of a miracle.
Ruth put her fingers on the strap of her satchel, considering. “Fine, but go slow. No showboating.”
“I would never.” He totally would, but for Ruth’s peace of mind, he would not.
Nox patted the space behind him on the seat. She secured her satchel over her shoulder, climbed on, and wrapped her arms around him.
“You’re such a bad influence,” she said, her voice barely audible over the engine.
He released the brake and the hypercycle rolled forward. She gasped and tightened her grip. Slowly, ever so slowly, they made their way down the gravel drive. Agatha was finicky. The engine alternated between sputtering out and surging forward. Every time the engine accelerated, Ruth made a panicky noise, which pained Nox.
By the time they reached the main road, the engine had worked out the worst of the chugging noises. Gradually, he increased the speed. The wind whipped his hair. Ruth’s arms remained tight around his abdomen, but her posture relaxed as she leaned against him.
He felt lighter. The vehicle was small and swift. There was no room for worries. For past mistakes. For grudges. There was only room for his mate and himself.
When they reached the neighboring property, they had stayed at during the storm, he turned the hypercycle around.
Instead of returning to their home, Ruth tapped him on his shoulder and pointed to a cluster of trees on the other side of a grassy field. “Can this go off-road?”
“Let us find out.” He steered the cycle off the road and across the field. The tires kept decent traction. He increased the speed. Tall grass lashed at his legs. He gave a shout of joy.
