Michael Siemsen - Exigency

If this family actually represented some leap in Hynka evolution, the Greaters were still the prevailing force—a crushing foot upon any subversion by passive progressives of either breed. Harsh reality: nature troubles not with justice.

Inside the cave, Minnie highlighted a precarious slab in the roof. “Bad. Fall.”

Leeg rested her legs in a large nook at the deepest end, leaning on a shoulder. “Stay here.”

Minnie knelt down and brushed some rocks aside. A thin sheet of ice lay above sandy soil. She broke the ice and examined the soil. Saturated.

“Bad cave,” Minnie said. “Water come from there. Big water.” She mimed a crashing wave and water rushing in.

Fitchsher copied her wave gesture. “Rwitz pyj. Pyyyj.”

She added pyj:wave to the DB. “Yes. Bad wave. Water close bad.”

Onjr pushed a mass of smooth rocks gathered along one wall into a pile at the cave entrance, building a small wall. He looked at Minnie and hung a hand a meter above the mound. “Wall. No wave.”

Minnie stepped to the outside of the pile, gently pushing the loose rocks with her boot. “Wave strong. Wall weak.”

Onjr snorted and swatted the top of the heap toward Minnie. A dozen strikes against her legs; only a clap against one kneecap smarted.

“No!” Fitchsher barked at his father.

Onjr grumbled and went to Leeg.

“Onjr stop,” Minnie said. “Minnie show no fire.”

Hearing this threat, Fitchsher tramped to Onjr. “Nnn-nee show no fire! Onjr bad!” He shoved Onjr’s back with a violent shoulder, inadvertently pushing him toward Leeg. Onjr stopped himself with a foot against the wall.

Crap, not another fight.

“Minnie show fire!” she announced as Onjr righted himself. “Show fire now. Come.”

Both males stared at her with glistening eyes.

“Show fire now?” Onjr said.

“Yes. Come.”

As if the conflict had never begun, Fitchsher strode toward her, and Onjr aided Leeg to her feet.

Epsy’s first dysfunctional family.

With the morning sun in their eyes, they exited the cave.

An eager Fitchsher gestured to the ground between them. “Fire here?”

“No.” She picked up a rock and asked what it was called. “It?”

“Khohsh.”

“Rock fire no.” She pointed to a band of brown soil up the cliff face. “Dirt fire no.”

He understood. “Yes. Fire no.”

Minnie attempted to mime blowing wind. Fitchsher didn’t get it.

“Tcheesh,” Onjr explained to Fitchsher.

Fitchsher jolted a little, mouth wide, and made his own blowing wind motions. “Yes! Tcheesh! Tcheesh! ”

Minnie smiled, despite her exhaustion. Fitchsher reminded her of her ferret, Noodle. “Yes. Small wind fire yes. Big wind fire no. Here fire,” she indicated the entire beach, “big hard.”

“Rock no, fire no, big hard!” Onjr groused. “Where fire yes ?”

ALERTS: Direct Connect request from Aether.

What the—?

Alert from what? Something wrong with the skimmer? A DC… Why would it say Aeth—

Minnie looked past Fitchsher, down the beach, then turned to the ocean. Only blinding sun and glinting water. Nothing in sight… No, something —an odd shape beyond the cresting waves and swells. A white arch—the top of an EV—no, a skimmer. A skimmer. A SKIMMER!

Breakers fell, swells shifted, and a jumble of silhouettes bracketed the skimmer. She zoomed in, light sensors struggling to balance the sunlight, focusing. Where… Where was she… Where was—

Aether.

And right there, standing tall on the skimmer, Aether wore an expression that erased any ridiculous fear of manufactured love.

Minnie’s knuckles cracked in front of her. Her fingers had smashed against something hard. The helmet. Visor.

Wow. And she saw that.

Laughing, Minnie looked up and saw Aether doing the same.

Now what? What was Aether waiting for? She was on an afvrik. Threck busying themselves. Pablo, too! This was real. This was happening. What did Minnie need to do? Why no instructions? Why—

Oh jeez… the DC. Haven’t accepted it.

What to say? What had she planned before? There were perfect words to be said. Aether would have perfect words. Minnie accepted the DC request, tossing out the chaotic jumble in her head without thinking.

MINNIE: No wrds

MINNIE: o.M

MINNIE: OMG

AETHER: Well hello, stranger.

She felt like her throat would seal up, her brain about ready to hang the CLOSED sign, BACK IN FOUR MONTHS—mind employees letting the heart folks know their shift’s about to begin—all before she could even wrap her arms around that woman. Why the hell was Aether just standing there? She should be flying the 300 damned meters between them, jumping off the skimmer, and into her effing arms!

MINNIE: GET THE EFF OVER HERE, YOU.

MINNIE: Before I swim out there. I swear I will.

AETHER: You made some new friends…

New fr—Crap! Of course!

The world around her, the ground beneath her feet, all reappeared. Fitchsher was staring at her. Had he been talking? It didn’t matter. They had to go. They’d have to figure out fire starting on their own time.

“Minnie clan here,” she explained. “Clan see Greaters only. See Fitchsher, Leeg, Onjr, Greaters. Clan kill Greaters.”

Onjr stiffened, his hulking body growing even larger, and he moved closer to Leeg.

“Where clan?” Fitchsher asked, perplexed. Minnie pointed. He scanned the horizon. “Water clan?”

“Clan come here?” Leeg said.

“Greaters no,” Fitchsher said. “Nnn-nee clan, show clan Greaters no. Leeg Greater no more.”

Onjr began tugging Fitchsher’s arm.

“Come!” Onjr barked, and trod away with Leeg.

Fitchsher stumbled backward a few steps, then gawked at Minnie, unsure. He wasn’t ready to leave her. No goodbyes, if he was aware of such a thing.

Onjr called back, mushing Fitchsher on.

Minnie whispered behind her visor, “Sorry.”

AETHER: We’ve got some jumpy Threck over here. You’re buddies going to scram or what? Tell me what we should do.

Handled. Now get your butt over here.

MINNIE: All clear. My camp is inland. Tons of supplies. Or should I leave them? I honestly don’t care at this point.

AETHER: Where’s John? Ish?

She didn’t know. Of course she didn’t. How would she?

MINNIE: It’s just me.

Aether’s body seemed to deflate. A hand went to her neck. She looked lost.

AETHER: Are you sure?

What to say? She didn’t want it to be true. This shouldn’t be happening over M’s. Minnie couldn’t go to her. They couldn’t go to each other in that second.

MINNIE: Yes. I’m so sorry.

MINNIE: I have something to give you from him.

Some sort of commotion, Aether arguing with one of the Threck. Tentacles waving about. Something had gone wrong. The afvrik was hurt. One of the Threck missing. No, something to do with Aether, Pablo, Minnie. She’d said the Threck were worried about the Hynka. Could that be it? They’d seen Minnie with Hynka and interpreted some sort of alliance? Such theories seemed below the Threck.

Or not. Minnie watched with horror as Aether and Pablo were lifted into the air, walked to the edge of the afvrik, and hurled out to open water.

The tip of the skimmer vanished below. Two helmets bobbed at the surface.

Boots glued to the beach’s rocks, Minnie began a new M, interrupted by one incoming.