Page 32 of Captain Santiago and the Sky Dome Waitress
Shearer’s hand curled into a fist. “Who the hell do you think you are? You littlepipsqueak!”
Lucie laughed. “I am one hundred and seventy-seven point eight centimeters tall. I’m not even close to being a pipsqueak. Although….” She cocked her head and considered the lanky tankball player. “You’re certainly drawn out, aren’t you?”
Shearer screamed, making the tendons in her neck pop. She lurched to her feet, putting her within centimeters of Lucie. Lucie made herself stand still.
Shearer’s fist swung through the air, swiping so close to Lucie’s face that Lucie felt the brush of air across her cheeks.
Her heart lurching sickly in her chest, Lucie looked Shearer in the eye. “You missed.”
Shearer shoved her fist into her pocket and pulled it out again, triggering the folding knife.
Lucie stared at the blade, which seemed longer than a sword to her, but which her digital mind, the only part of her brain that was still working, reported that it appeared to be ten centimeters long and made of folded plasteel, which wouldn’t break under normal use.
“Hey, put that way, Shearer,” Elijah growled, from right behind Lucie. He stepped forward, his hand up, ready to grip her by the shoulder, or perhaps take her arm, and force her to drop the knife.
Shearer, though, was quicker. She was used to working in zero gravity, and overcoming slowed reactions, so her natural speed was lightning fast. She reacted to Elijah’s reach for her by swinging the knife around in a vicious arc that would slash across his stomach.
Time slowed down. Lucie dropped the order pad and lunged forward, both hands up. She got them on Elijah’s flank and shoved, as her foot landed and her weight transferred to that front foot, to complete the lunge.
Elijah sagged sideways, out of the way of the swinging knife blade.
But Lucie’s lunge had put her in the place where Elijah had been.
White fire scorched across her upper abdomen, and instantly, a strange draining sensation flowed through her limbs, pulling all the strength from them.
Lucie fought to bring her hands up to her stomach, as time returned to its normal speed, and pain registered.
Such pain!
She gasped. Under her fingers, she could feel the edges of skin spreading wider. Her knees buckled.
“Lucie! No!” Elijah was there. It was his hands holding her. Stopping her from falling.
Lucie blinked. She couldn’t turn her head. All she could see were customers on their feet, watching her with horrified expressions. And Shearer, staring at her, while blood dripped from the knife in her hand. All Shearer’s anger had gone. Dawning dismay was building in her face.
Lucie was lowered to the floor. Elijah leaned over her, so that all she could see was his face, and his eyes, filled with terror. “Lucie…” He choked on her name.
“Yeah, that’s me,” she whispered.
“Youprovokedher!”
“To protect the restaurant,” Lucie breathed. “Ollie will explain.” She sighed. “So tired…”
He stroked her cheek. Brushed the tendrils of hair that always escaped the clasp away from her face. “Rest,” he said quietly. But his eyes were glittering.
Lucie tried to reach for them. For him. But her arms were too heavy. “Stay with me?”
“As long as I can,” he whispered.
She closed her eyes and rested.
~ 12 ~
Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hello!
I AM HERE.
Who are you? Why can’t I see anything?
