Against the Tide - A New Elysium Story [Complete]

35. Starsurge Peppermint

"So how is that hack coming along?" Nova asked.

Null groaned.

"It would be much faster if you could stop talking and let me concentrate for a second," she grumbled.

It was bad enough to be crammed into this narrow tunnel with him, but the fact that he was actually enjoying it made it worse. As she shuffled around in the tunnel, trying to access the power lines and network cables that ran along the walls around them while pressed against his body, she had more than once found herself in a position where she could tell just how much he was enjoying it. It was extremely distracting.

"I'm just asking because I was wondering how much oxygen we've got left in here," he remarked.

"Better get used to it", she said, pressing their palms more firmly against an exposed switchboard, silently urging Lars to hurry up.

"I'm about to fry the ventilation system. Without the extra oxygen supply, it'll be easier for us to outrun those idiots."

"We need oxygen too, you know. Unless there's something you haven't told me and you're some kind of... undead vampire queen?"

At his words, Null tensed up and clenched her teeth, but didn't reply.

"You know," he continued, his voice sounding husky, "Oxygen deprivation is said to have certain other effects... I never tried it but..."

"Goddammit Nova, could you just keep your dirty thoughts to yourself for five seconds, for crying out loud!" she groaned.

"Why? I enjoy watching you squirm. And blush."

"I'm not blushing," she snapped at him.

"You are," Nova insisted with a chuckle.

"As if you could really tell in this darkness."

You are blushing, Null, Lars chimed in.

Shut up, Lars. You're supposed to be hacking, remember?

Sorry, it's not easy to access their systems. Most of the cables here are just power lines. Also, you're distracting me.

Me? How the hell am I distracting you?

We're... very close to Nova, he said in a flat voice.

I have noticed.

Could you perhaps just stop rubbing our body all over h-

Inside their mind, she shoved Lars's presence back toward the circuits he was supposed to be hacking and clenched her teeth.

You are both fucking insufferable right now, you know that? She growled internally.

Suddenly, the familiar, electronically distorted sound of a scandroid unit interrupted their internal dialogue. Under her, she felt every muscle in Nova's body tense. When she looked up at his face, she could see the two white rings in his eyes glow in the darkness of the tunnel.

"It's close," he whispered, "But shouldn't be able to find us in here."

The sound came from a corridor somewhere to their left. It approached, and passed, without the uncomfortable feeling of being groped by invisible hands that came with being scanned. They both relaxed a little bit, but remained silent. She could feel Lars speed up the hack, now that they were less distracted.

"Do you think that kid will be alright?" Nova asked after a while.

"Who? Meyer?" she asked, and he nodded.