Cure for a Nation

Chapter Eight

Claire helped Daniel distribute the medicine and supplies they had brought to the village and it was late in the night by time they were done. She sat down on the steps to her mothers porch and sat back to watch the last few villagers return to their homes. Soon, the street was empty and the village had fallen silent once more. She looked around for Daniel but didn't see him. "Where could he have gone," she muttered underneath her breath. She walked out onto the street and sauntered slowly, looking left to right for the Imperium soldier. Finally, she found him. He was leaning against the wall of a building at the very edge of town facing west. He looked at the gauges on his gauntlet before he noticed Claire and flicked the panel shut. "What are you looking at," Claire asked as she leaned against the wall next to him. He shook his head and crossed his arms. "Just power levels," he dismissed. There was an awkward silence between them until Claire decided to break it. "I haven't seen you take your helmet off since this morning. Why is that?" She asked.
"I can't risk contracting the plague. What use will I be then?" He countered. Claire nodded. "I should get going," Daniel said suddenly, pushing himself off of the wall.
"Where are we going?" Claire asked.
"You're going to stay here and take care of your mother. I'm heading west for the Steel Imperium's factories, try to find some answers..maybe other survivors.." Daniel answered. Claire stared at him in disbelief. "I want to come with," she protested.
"You cant. It's too dangerous," Daniel replied.
"I'll protect myself!"
"You won't know how, Claire."
"Then you'll protect me! You owe me this, Daniel. You wouldn't have made it if it weren't for me. We're in this together now. You and me."
"But your mother..what if she need you while you were away?"
"She has uncle. She'll be fine. I just can't sit here and watch her die while I wait for a cure! Please..Daniel..take me with you."
Daniel looked down at her. Her pleading green eyes glinted in the moonlight and her blue hair looked almost silver. She won't take no for an answer, Daniel realized. "Fine," he grunted. Claire shouted and leapt, pumping her fists into the air. "But you listen to me if we get into trouble, got me?" Daniel added. Claire smirked. "Only if we leave tomorrow. You need rest, we had a pretty big day," she countered. Daniel sighed and agreed to her terms. "Come on," Claire said cheerfully, "I'm sure there's a room at the inn for you to use."

Daniel walked into the room lent to him, turning as he did so. The inn keeper was more than happy to give both him and Claire the cleanest room he had considering they promised to save them from the plague. Claire closed the door behind her and looked at Daniel who was staring at himself in the mirror. There were two separate beds in the room and Claire wondered if Daniel would break his bed or not with his armor on. "Wow," he said to his reflection, "you look like death." He started to move backwards to sit on his bed but Claire rushed to him, shouting. "Wait!" She yelled. Daniel jerked up before he could sit and reached a hand behind his back. "You'll break the bed in all that armor," Claire explained. Daniel relaxed and started to sit down on the floor. "What are you doing?" Claire asked him, head cocked to the side.
"Uh..sleeping?" Daniel said uncertainly as he laid back against the floor.
"In your armor? On the floor? Haven't you been doing that for seven years now?"
Daniel shrugged. "Why not take it off?" Claire asked softly.
"Because.." Daniel said dejectedly.
"Don't tell me you're naked under the armor," Claire teased.
"No, it's not that. It's just..it's been keeping me alive so long that I'm worried about what will happen once I take it off."
"You won't know until you try. Come on, I don't think you'll be hurt. I'll help you."
Daniel looked uncertainly at Claire and back at the bed. "Well..it has been a long time since I've even touched a bed.." Daniel admitted. He stood up and Claire smiled. She watched as he opened the panel in the front of his armor and flicked several switches in a combination, before a small button lit up blue. "Well," Daniel said, finger hovering over the button, "here goes." He pushed the button and the armor fell silent for once and the light on the side of this helmet shut off. His voice was muffled within his helmet without his microphone to help him and he removed it. Claire set it on a nightstand that was between their beds for him. "So far so good," Daniel assured, "but man have I forgotten how heavy this armor is." He undid a pair of buckles on his gauntlets and they slid right off, falling to the floor. Claire collected those as well and put them nearly next to the helmet. Daniel looked at his bare hands, at the oil, grease, and calluses that covered them. "Whoa," Claire teased, "you're human." Daniel shot her a look and tried to unbuckle the plates covering his biceps. Claire helped him with those and slid them off of his arms and put them away as well. He was wearing a jacket the same color of his armor and she could see the Steel Imperium's insignia sewn onto the shoulder. "The chest plate is the trickiest. A little help?" Daniel asked. While he was still a large person, he looked much smaller without his armor. Almost normal, Claire noted. She followed where he was pointing and grabbed two handles above his hips. "Ready?" She asked. Daniel closed his eyes and nodded. Claire pulled the handles towards her and the armor opened down the sides with a loud hiss. Daniel gasped for breath, feeling his lungs expand fully for the first time in years. "Wow..oh wow," he kept saying as he breathed. He helped remove his chest piece and dropped it to the floor with a heavy thud. Claire laughed at him gulping for breath and stretching. "I'll let you figure the pants out. I'll see if I can find you a hot bath," Claire said as she left him alone in the room. "Hot bath?!" Daniel asked in disbelief.

The next morning, Claire woke up to Daniel's deep snoring and she turned over in her bed. Across the room, he was sprawled out on his bed and seemed to take up every inch of it. Claire smiled. He's earned it, she thought. She rose from her bed and went to the mirror. Her short hair was a mess and she did her best to fix it but gave up instead. She straightened her jacket and pressed the wrinkles out of her shirt and her pants. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. She rubbed her stomach thoughtfully and closed her eyes. "Damn this plague," she said quietly to herself. Behind her, Daniel snorted and shot up in his bed squinting and searching the room. "What's happening," he said groggily. Claire smiled sadly and looked at his reflection. "Nothing, Daniel. I'll see if I can bring breakfast to you, you just get dressed," Claire said soothingly.
"I'm not hungry," Daniel said defensively. His stomach growled, sounding like the engine of a Destroyer class Battle-Walker. "Please and thank you," he said cheerfully. Claire rolled her eyes and tried to guess how much food it would take to fill him up for at least an hour.