After peeling myself from the ladder, I cast my eyes about the brightly-lit workshop. In the corner of the room waited several unconventional vehicles of different shapes and sizes. The purpose of several of them wasn't at all readily apparent. Paradoxically, the less functional they appeared, the more aesthetically pleasing they were.
A row of well-stocked shelves lined every wall, filled to excess with gadgets, wires, and miscellaneous scraps of all varieties. Some were run-of-the-mill objects like remotes, charging chords, and car bumpers, while others were strange of appearance, with unknown makeup, and equally unknown purpose.
"This way, Baird." Aaron called, snatching me out of my silent scrutinization of his workshop.
"Y-yes, of course." I answered, taking my place in the back of the line following him.
We walked down the length of the large workspace, and I continued to study the shelves as we went. As I glanced over a half-finished drone, I realized the shelf ended there, and the room with it. We stood before a wall, and Aaron stared up at it for absolutely no reason.
"What's this?" I asked, "You took us down here to see a wall? Cool."
Aaron glared at me as the wall slowly rose up and revealed another section of the workshop beyond. "No, you idiot, I was doing a retina scan. This is where I keep my real treasures."
"As if all those vehicles back there aren't treasures..." I muttered to myself.
Only Hannah heard me, and she gave me an exaggerated roll of her eyes. After we continued walking for a bit, she gasped in delight and broke out of the line to study a black robot of humanoid build. On its chest was engraved the following letters and numbers: "43-S1LA-36".
The robot whirred to life and took a step forward. The clank of its metal foot hitting the concrete drew Aaron's attention and prompted him to spin around.
"You're sleek, what's your name?" Hannah asked the robot with a high-pitched voice as if she were talking to a baby.
The machine refrained from answering, but instead mechanically rotated its head to face Aaron.
"That's 43-S1LA-36." Aaron answered proudly.
Hannah smirked. "I dunno 'bout all that." She turned back to the robot. "I'ma just call you Sila."
"But that's a '1'." I remarked.
She shrugged. "So?"
I turned to Aaron. "Anyhow, what's it do?"
"It's still a bit of a work in progress, but I intend to make it a doctor robot, of sorts. See, living out here has its benefits, but it does mean we're far away from any convenient medical facility. Risky, at times."
"Wait a minute, but you made this thing. Can it really do any more procedures than you can?"
"Well, I'm developing a learning system for it, where it can watch footage of a thing being done, and immediately be able to do it for itself. That way, I don't have to watch the gruesome surgery videos, but instead make...Sila do it, and then before long, we've got a medical professional in our very home."
Khemera and I exchanged a skeptical glance, but offered no further objection.
"Anyway," Aaron began, "that's not what we were here for anyway. Let's carry on."
With that, we reformed a line and followed the brawny engineer. Heavy, metallic footsteps behind me informed me that Sila had decided to follow as well. We passed by a row of worktables, each having a spotlight hanging above it, and each with the pieces of an ongoing project sprawled across them.
Finally, Aaron stopped before a rack holding a manifold variety of weapons. Some were guns, though of course not of the conventional kind. Others were ancient weapons like axes and spears, but augmented by various modifications and additions. One sword in particular drew my attention. It bore a lightning bolt engraving on the flat, and had a fascinating, curved hilt.
Without thinking, I reached out to grab the sword, but Aaron smacked my hand away. "Don't touch that!" he exclaimed, "I haven't finished confining the current flow to the blade!"
"Whatever that means." I muttered.
He ignored me and turned to Hannah. "What's your favorite color, sweetheart?"
"Purple!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Alright, then." Aaron grabbed an ugly, brown gun with a very wide barrel and grabbed a small device sitting beside it that resembled a miniature flash drive. He inserted it into a slot in the back of the gun, tapped out a sequence on the device's tiny buttons, and pulled it back out.
Before my eyes, the muddy brown morphed into a vibrant lilac hue. Hannah's countenance brightened as Aaron tossed the weapon into her hands.
"What's it do?" she asked as she admired its now glossy surface.
"It's a laser gun, essentially. You just pull the trigger, and it shoots out a beam until you let go. The little bar at the top lets you know how much juice you have left."
"Wow, that must be a wide beam." I commented, "I mean, look at how big the barrel is!"
Aaron nodded and gave me a gratified smirk. Then he grabbed a pair of black iron gauntlets off the shelf and slipped them onto his vascular forearms. He wiggled his fingers to test the joints and nodded with satisfaction at the smoothness of their movement. As he turned his wrists, I noticed a bright scarlet circle on the underside.
Aaron stretched out his arms, wrists facing upward, and snapped his fingers in both hands. I heard a buzzing sound behind me before two small drones swooped into view and landed on the red circles. The four little legs each drone was equipped with, folded under the body and allowed them to lay flat against their resting place.
Hannah beamed widely. "That's neat!"
Aaron grinned at her. "It is, isn't it? Now guys, I kinda realized something."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"
"I'm realizing that it's kinda hypocritical of me to call you foolhardy and reckless for going on this expedition to save the Kemarian princess with so few people on your side, but yet to offer no help."
"No, Aaron, you've helped us more than enough already." Khemera retorted. "You've given us a place to stay tonight, gifted Hannah with a new weapon, and not killed Jedrek. That's more than enough assistance, and I thank you."
"Well, you're welcome, but my point still stands. You're still few in number, and that's not good. But what can you do about it? There aren't a whole lot of people I know who would be willing to risk their lives to break the law altruistically. Plenty of people break the law selfishly, yes. But doing that for a good cause? Those men are hard to come by."
"Get on with it." Jedrek muttered as he polished his revolver.
Aaron gave the treasure hunter a deadly glance before turning back to the aged martial artist. "I intend to accompany you on your quest, if you'll allow me."
A rare smile crept to Khemera's lips. "If it pleases you to do so, I gladly accept your assistance. And may you accept my gratitude in return."
Aaron reached out for a handshake. "Of course."
Khemera shook Aaron's hand, despite the bulky metal surrounding it. That done, we walked back out of the workshop and ascended into the living area once more.
The incomparably pleasant aroma of savory meat and melted cheese met my nostrils as we entered the living room, and my stomach perked up at the idea of partaking of some of it. Keira emerged from the kitchen with a steaming bowl in each hand, bringing the delightful smell closer to me. With a loving smile, she handed one bowl to Aaron before sitting down next to him on the couch and taking a bite herself.
After Keira had eaten a bite or two and made no move to reenter the kitchen, I cleared my throat. "Is...is there any for us?"
Keira frowned. "No, why would there be?"
"Well, I just thought—"
"We're only putting a roof over your heads. I never volunteered to be a maid. The kitchen's open and well-stocked, so go ahead and make yourself something. Use whatever you want."
With a bounce, Hannah rose from her chair and headed for the kitchen, and Khemera followed at a slower pace. Neither Jedrek or myself made a move to rise for about five minutes. I didn't want to be rude, but I'd never learned to cook for myself, so my chances of getting a good dinner were significantly lessened. I really could use some of Abigail's chicken fettuccine right about now. I thought, reminding myself once again of the painful separation between us. Wiping away the first tear that came to my eye, I jerked myself out of my chair and stepped into the kitchen.
As I stepped through the doorway, I noticed that Hannah was already devouring a grilled cheese sandwich, and not without great pleasure. Khemera stood before the stove and stirred rice in a pan. A considerable mound of chopped vegetables waited on the counter beside him, which I presumed he planned to add into the mix.
As I came closer, I noticed some chunks of chicken cooking in the rice as well. After watching his incessant stirring for a moment, I cleared my throat. "Are you gonna eat all that?"
Khemera glanced at me as if I was crazy. "Yes, of course. What kind of question is that?"
"I dunno, but you're gonna eat all that? That's a lot of food!"
"And it's how much I need to sustain myself."
"Okay then. Is there any chance you could...throw a little extra in for me?"
"This is the last of the rice. I'm sorry, Baird, but my meal is my meal. You can cook your own as well as I can."
"No, I can't, actually! I've never cooked a single thing in my life!"
"I pity you then. There were containers of almond butter and jam in the refrigerator when I looked, so you can make a simple sandwich if you want."
"Not a nourishing meal, but it's something, I guess." I muttered bitterly as I slapped some bread down on a plate.
After smearing some almond butter and grape jam onto the bread, I slammed the halves together. Then I snatched up a big bag of potato chips and rained a pile down onto my plate. Finally, I grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and headed for the table.
Hannah glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. "You okay, Baird?"
"No, I'm not okay! This stinks!"
"What stinks? Your attitude?"
"Good one." Khemera called from across the kitchen.
"Oh, shut up!" I shouted after taking a sip of my soda. "You guys are lucky you can make actually tasty food!"
"Any food's tasty if you make up your mind to enjoy it." Hannah remarked.
"Well, some food is beyond the realm of enjoyability."
"Not in mah experience, but whatever, man. I hope you enjoy your brooding." she said before tossing the last bite of her grilled cheese into her mouth and rising to clean her plate.
Aaron appeared in the doorway. "Is there a problem here?"
"Yeah," Khemera answered ahead of me, "Baird's dissatisfied with the service here. As if being provided refuge out in this dangerous canyon at night isn't enough for him."
"It's just...I would think Keira could've just made a few more portions!" I shouted at Aaron.
"Yell at me again, and you're gonna regret it." Aaron said. "Now, my sister isn't some slave to be used for your pleasure."
"But she is a slave for her own brother's pleasure?"
Aaron took a few long strides over to me and slapped me in the back of my head. "She's not my slave. She's my sister. And it pleases her, in fact, to give her brother tasty food. Humble yourself."
"As if I'm not humbled enough by this bland, generic meal." I complained as I popped a chip in my mouth.
"Well, I'll humble you still more!" Aaron shouted as he snatched the plate from before me. "If you're gonna act this way, no more food for you!"
"Okay, fine, I'll be grateful!"
Aaron dropped the plate back in its place and exited the room, shaking his head in disapproval the whole while. Khemera slipped into the chair beside me with a steaming bowl of rice, vegetables, and well-seasoned chicken. The aroma of his meal wafted into my nose continually as I ate my flavorless sandwich and made jealousy rise up in my heart.
Khemera bowed his head in prayer before he dug in, and he ate his meal with gratefulness and even a bit of humility. I had no idea what it was, but the way his manner contrasted with mine, my heart was bitten with conviction, and I could maintain my haughty attitude no longer. Suddenly, the sandwich tasted better to me, and even though there were certainly tastier meals to be eaten, I found myself content with the food I had before me.
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A/N: Well, this was an interesting chapter, wasn't it? First, we got to check out Aaron's workshop, and then we got some...admittedly unflattering Baird moments. 😂
If you enjoyed that, don't forget to vote and comment. Thanks!
So, speaking of Aaron's workshop, what do you think of it? And how about 43-S1LA-36, or Sila?
(Speaking of Sila, I would add that robot to the cast list, but since it's a design I made up and wouldn't be able to find on the internet, I'll just say something here. That robot is dedicated to parv779. My violent, knife-weilding friend, there's never a dull moment talking to you, and I really appreciate that. Also, your dedication to success is inspiring and honestly a bit humbling.)
Anyhow, seeing Baird here, does anyone else think he's a bit of a lost cause?
Well, finally, time for my random question of the day: What fictional villain (in a book, TV show, movie, anything) gets you the most triggered?
(This is really hard for me. I think it could possibly be Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars? After all, he's basically the definition of evil. But then again, I like to hate him, so I don't think that counts. In the end, I could change my mind, but I may pick Thanos. Because he thinks what he's doing is perfectly logical, and he doesn't act evil, per se, but rather, he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish his ultimately inhumane goal.)
Alright then, that's that! I hope you have an enjoyable day! And I'll see you later, in Friday's update!