Luna was still uncertain of Todd, it all seemed too good to be true. Could it really have been that simple?
Even using the name Todd seemed strange but sounded far better than droid.
She backed away quickly after shaking his hand. He seemed a little light-headed as he lost his balance stepping backwards and falling onto Luna's pile of scrap metal and parts.
He looked bewildered like a deer in headlights. Luna walked a little closer to him, concerned.
"Are you feeling ok Todd? This must all be a lot to take in" Luna brushed her hair from her face and got down onto the cold bunker floor sitting with her legs crossed. This was her first conversation in a long time. It felt bizarre. Like she had forgotten how to hold a conversation.
"I feel strange, I don't understand what has happened to me?" His head tipped back against the pile of scrap as he ran his hands through his black hair.
The look in his eyes could have torn a huge hole in Luna"s chest as she watched him. He was truly scared and unsure of everything. Lost.
Luna reached forward and touched his arm giving it a small squeeze. It felt so foreign- the small gesture of touch, reassurance. It was like she had to learn how to human again.
"Hey, I can help you find out who did this to you?"
Todd tilted his head up again and looked at the green-eyed girl who was sat on the cold floor in front of him. The girl who had not only saved his life but had released him from the prison he was in.
He could see she was still nervous around him. He didn't blame her. He couldn't even trust himself.
She cleared her throat as she looked at him "Can you remember anything?"
Lucky came over rubbing her fur against Todd and then over to Luna trying to get attention. Luna lifted her into her lap.
Todd closed his eyes making Luna's skin crawl a little. It was the only thing she would never get used to.
As Todd tried to meditate Luna wondered if maybe she could change that. Maybe she could correct the way his eyelids shut. Why did they even design it that way? It made Luna wonder what Todd could see through his eyes? Was it still working?
Todd opened his eyes with a pensive look. "Nothing, It's just nothing but darkness. I don't even know who I am, my real name"
Luna could see he was really trying, she fidgeted onto her legs as her bottom went numb from sitting on the cold floor. Her stomach growled fiercely making her cheeks flush a little.
She quickly stood and went rummaging through her food storage.
"You-" She quickly paused thinking about the question she was going to ask.
Does he even eat food?
She shook her head and continued to rummage until she found the perfect snack, an old packet of crisps. Years past there sell-by date but still delicious and crunchy.
She sat back down and opened the packet as her stomach let out another growl. She quickly pulled out a handful and crushed them into her mouth trying to enjoy the taste.
Todd watched her hiding his smile. Even though he had no memory he loved that everything about Luna was-
so human.
She offered the packet to him just in case.
"What are they?" Luna tried to quickly swallow the large crisp mound in her mouth before talking.
"They're crisps, made from potatoes and they taste incredible" Luna wiped the crumbs from her mouth as she held the packet out again raising her eyebrows at him.
Todd took one from the packet and examined it holding it up to his nose. He placed it on his tongue and made a loud crunch. Luna nodded at him enthusiastically.
His lips stretched up into a long smile that reached all the way to his bright blue eyes. His jaw moved crunching the food loudly.
"Wow, they are incredible" crumbs shot from his mouth as he talked.
Luna let out a little giggle covering her mouth. It was the first time she had seen him smile and it was so human, but what hit her hard like a sucker punch to her stomach was, this was the first time she had laughed in a very long while.
Life for her had become all about survival, every ounce of energy she had was put into surviving and nothing else. She had forgotten how to live.
She took another large handful and then handed Todd the packet. "Enjoy"
He smiled as he crunched the crisps enthusiastically.
He stared at Luna, he couldn't help but notice the way her lips lifted upwards all the way to meet her green eyes, they were piercing green against her wintery pale skin. An unexpected memory of dark green moss in the most beautiful forest flashed in his mind, surprising him.
Despite all that she had been through trying to survive she still smiled, she still trusted and that sent a warm feeling that trailed from his stomach up to his eyes.
"Thank you, Luna. Thank you for trusting me and helping me"
Luna turned to face Lucky looking down "It's ok, you didn't really give much of a choice. You followed me from the city"
Todd sat up straight "I came from the city?"
"Yes, you had been shot and I tried to help you but couldn't out in the middle of the city, so you somehow followed me" Todd rubbed his arm as she spoke catching his control panel by accident. His eyes froze as lights lit up all over his arm. He stood up quickly panicking.
"Its ok Todd, it's your control panel. It won't hurt you" Luna stood and pulled at his arm touching one of the interfaces "See, you just press like this and the information comes up"
Todd looked petrified as the realisation sank in, he was part machine now. He would have to learn how to live like this now, no longer human but some half breed machine.
Something popped up in his vision like his eyes were looking through a camera lens. A small red alarm of some kind, it flashed frantically as other symbols ran across his vision.
He covered his eyes closing them trying to stop it. It was no use.
His heart sank as he looked at Luna his eyes full of concern his voice broken. "I think I have to leave Luna, you are in danger. I think they can track me"
Luna's eyes darted at him. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? of course, they would track you. How do you know?"
He hit his forehead resting his face in his hands.
"Just now a warning light came on" Luna hopped over the furniture grabbing a large bag, throwing supplies into it as fast as she could.
"I'm not leaving you, Todd, we will find another safe place. We will need to remove that tracker before we leave though"
Todd swallowed nervously "How?"
Luna quickly collected her medical supplies and threw them in a bag just keeping a small knife and bandage out.
" I have an idea. Most humans had trackers inserted years back before they left in the Exodus. It was a legal requirement. They were all inserted in the same place, so let's hope they just upgraded yours"
Luna pulled his opposite arm toward her this time. She pressed down firmly along his arm until she felt it "Got it"
His sapphire eyes were met with storm clouds as he looked back at Luna petrified.
Luna's hunch was right it was exactly where the others had them.
Making a small smooth incision she dug her finger into his blue blood again but this time she had to be quick.
She pulled the small chip from his arm and set it on fire then stamping on it. Todd didn't know how to thank her, she kept saving him.
She wrapped the bandage around his arm tightly smiling to herself once she had finished.
As Luna's gaze met Todd's the ground trembled under their feet like an impending earthquake. They were too late, whatever was tracking them was here.
************
A/N
Hey, Thank you for reading and hopefully voting.
I added the music video as a contrast to what problems humanity used to have in comparison to now, Luna life. And yes also because I'm addicted to Dermot Kennedy :) (That's actually the truth)
Let us know your thoughts on the chapter guys?