Saxifrage Fire

0010

Thea ran her hands over her lap to smooth the wrinkles in her white uniform. It was a perfect mimic of Mother's work uniforms. She'd never given much thought to Mother's work, until now. Mother was a field scientist at the NESP Facility- the death camp. She hadn't told Ezi and Hitoshi yet. What if Mother was there? What if she saw her?

"You okay back there?" Ezi asked, turning around to peer at her with wild, adrenaline-bright eyes.

She only nodded. Mother didn't usually work late hours so it likely wouldn't be an issue.

Hitoshi parked the truck at the base of a cliff by the cover of the mountain's first pines, and they got out and started hiking.

Oshi crouched by a formation of rocks that blocked the road and checked his watch.

"The parade should be here in ten minutes. I've got the flicker." He held up a small device that allegedly messed with the vehicle's computer system turning off the lights for a few seconds, making the drive think they accidentally bumped the switch. He looked to Thea. "Ever rolled under a truck?"

She stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Who did he think she was?

"No, I can't say I have," she said in an overly cheery tone.

Hitoshi looked to his snickering sister for direction.

"It's probably the best option," Ezi admitted. "We could jump in the back with the haul but the driver behind might spot us even with the flicker."

Thea groaned at the thought of a wheel running over her skull.

"What a stupid way to die."

"You won't die." Hitoshi pulled up an image of a standard hauling truck on his holographic watch. He zoomed in on the underside frame. "Look at the frame. Grab the vertical sides and twist to loop your feet in the horizontal bar to face the ground."

Ezi grabbed his wrist to pull him closer.

"Your car vernacular is pathetic. I'm surprised you can even drive." She pointed to the autonomy of the vehicle to clarify the instructions. "These are your grab-points. Your arms are gonna burn but just hold out, okay?"

Hitoshi yanked his wrist away, rubbing it.

"You heard her accurate vernacular- the 'grab points."

Ezi smirked and smacked his shoulder.

Thea eyed them both curiously. It took her a moment to decode their behavior as sibling rivalry. As Sera as she'd been, she'd taken playful jabs at Alex from time to time. It was only natural. 

Hitoshi pressed a finger to his lips and tilted his head.

"Seems our party is a little early."

Thea tensed, feeling her heart start to rage in protest against her pending stupidity. She tried to catch her breath, but it was getting away from her.

Ezi grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, don't hesitate and you'll be fine.  It's easy- I promise!"

She nodded.

Hitoshi hit the flicker and the first truck's lights went out. He tossed the item to Ezi and lept out rolling into the middle of the road and disappearing beneath the darkened vehicle.

Ezi went next, tossing the flicker to Thea who fumbled it.

She shut her eyes and counted to three then hit the flicker and crashed onto the road rolling under the last truck. She lunged up grabbing frame and straining to pull her body off the grinding road. She rotated to wedge her feet in the correct 'grab-points' as the siblings had so accurately instructed and caught her breath once she was secure.