Unavoidable

Month 9 Day 6

(Shore Leave Day 7)

1439 Hours

Smythe

Smitty glanced at the man reading in the beach chair next to his. How can he read in a place as noisy as this? He cleared his throat. “I would think your hotel room would be more conducive to reading.”

MacGregor turned off his pad as he looked up. “Probably.” He glanced up at the sky - what appeared to be the sky. “This isn’t what I expected. They must use a lot of power simulating a sun and wispy clouds.”

Oh, there’s lots of ways they could do it. Smitty leaned his head back to consider the blueness that seemed to go on forever, and the flimsy bits of white that only added to the illusion. He realized Drake was speaking again, and lowered his head. “What?”

“I said, I was surprised to hear from you. Jane gave me the impression you were solidly booked this shore leave with a paid companion. She wasn’t even sure you’d remember we have a contest scheduled.”

Smitty’s mouth thinned as he remembered how... disappointed he had been with Caroline. He had cancelled the rest of the booking and sent her back to her agency after breakfast this morning. Still don’t know what I was thinking in the first place, but... none of it was her fault. “I’ll be there.”

“Good. Because I expect Wilson will be on the other team.”

“Probably,” Smitty agreed. “And she’ll be a force to reckon with. For me. Not your field, of course.”

“It’s a team effort.” Drake set his pad aside. “You know what? There’s no UV in this manufactured sunlight, so there’s no reason to sit under these trees, whether they’re real or not. Seems a shame to not even get wet. A dozen different water slides here, and I feel like trying every one of them. Join me?”

I think I’ve had enough jolts of adrenaline running through my nerves these last few days. “Not in the mood for that, but you go ahead. I think I’ll try the river.” He stood up and looked around, wondering which direction it might be in.

“The lazy river?”

“I am here to relax.”

“Well, to each their own. I find the lazy river boring. After the slides, I’ll probably try out the not-so-lazy river.”

“The what?”

“It’s a stronger, faster version of the lazy river. I understand you can put on feet protectors, stand in the river and let the current push you around the course while you try to dodge squirts of water and islands.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Probably not,” Drake responded. “Can’t go injuring your customers.”

“Maybe. But I can’t do either one if I can’t find them.”

“Same for me with the slides. Come on. There’s a sign over there that will point us in the right directions.”

Smitty followed his friend, but the sign split them up. The slides, it seemed, were forward and right, while the rivers were to the left. Smitty walked quietly, noting various types of flowers, bushes and trees. And occasionally, an off-color leaf on the ground. He wondered if Drake would notice those signs that the plants were real. Or maybe he doesn’t really care.

The sound of laughter caught his attention, and he raised his head to look over the bushes, found himself walking between 2 ‘rivers’. On his left, smiling guests rode a gentle current on several different designs of flotation platforms. But most of the laughter came from his right, where the current was notably faster and all the guests wore flotation vests as the water propelled them forward. Some tried to stay together by holding hands, but that didn’t seem to last long. Still, the rapid pace produced squeals and laughter from everyone.

Smitty paused to watch. That must be what Drake was talking about. What did he call it? The not-so-lazy river? Good name for it. Everybody seems to be enjoying it. Maybe -

“Hey, have you see Mac?”

Smitty winced. I should have known. I can’t get away from her, no matter what I do.

“She has more friction on her water shoes,” Abdulla answered Bugalu, and grabbed hold of the curbing opposite from where Smitty stood “She might be with Tall Bear.”

“I thought I heard her call me,” Bugalu stated, grabbing hold also and working his way back toward the woman.

Abdulla grinned. “She probably wants to finish your milk shake you had her taste.”

“Too late, it’s already gone,” Bugalu replied. “Although I wouldn’t mind-“

“Medic!” came a clear call from somewhere ‘upstream’. The voice was definitely that of Nurse Temple; Smitty had heard her use that tone during one or two medical emergencies. He saw Bugalu heave himself onto the bank and help Abdulla out of the water, but Smitty was already headed back along the path, hoping he wouldn’t have to force his way through too many bushes to find the nurse.

He saw 2 lifeguards ahead, just a few feet off the path at a point where the river curved away. They seemed to be trying to pull someone out of the water. One of them grunted. “Heavy.”

“She’s a heavy-worlder,” Temple explained. “Bear-“

“Got her,” Bear answered. Smitty could see half the man’s head above the bushes, then he dipped, and there was lots of splashing as he lifted someone to the bank. “Beth, she didn’t even struggle.”

“Can’t you hear her wheezing?” Beth answered as the AmerInd helped her onto the bank. “She’s barely able to breathe. I’m Head Nurse of the SS Fireball. This woman is a crew member. What’s your protocol in these circumstances?”

“Is she asthmatic? COPD? Allergies?” one lifeguard asked. The other was preparing a stretcher.

“No, no and none listed,” Beth answered. “What’s next?”

“Has she eaten anything that might have become lodged in her throat?”

“All she’s had since she got to the park is half my milkshake,” Bugalu called from the other bank.

The 2 lifeguards shared a glance, and the one asking questions opened a first aid pouch on his chest. “What flavor?”

“Uh... something local. Oyrt berry?”

“That figures,” the lifeguard stated, and pressed something against Mac’s neck. “That should help, but we’ll need to get her to the first aid station, get her checked out. Occasionally, an off-worlder is allergic to oyrt berries, which are native.” Bear had moved the redhead onto the stretcher, and the other lifeguard strapped a mask onto her face. “Sath, I’ll take her to the station. I won’t be long.”

“Right.”

The lead lifeguard glanced at Smitty and set the controls on the stretcher, which started to rise on an anti-gravity field. “Did you need something, mister?”

“Smythe, of the Fireball. That’s one of my subordinates. How fast can you get her to a doctor? Our chief medical officer is in the park, is there a way to find him? Come on, don’t dawdle! She needs medical care!”

“Smitty, she’s breathing easier,” Temple broke in. “She’s not as blue...”

The lifeguard adjusted the stretcher controls so the stretcher would float over the bushes and started to steer it towards the pathway. “The medicine works pretty well,” the young man said as Smitty followed him. Beth was only a step behind. “And the mask is giving her a heavy dose of oxygen to keep her system oxygenated.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you warned people of the risk of those berries,” Smitty growled.

“Hardly anybody is allergic,” the youngster replied. “And if you’ve never had them, how would you know you’re allergic? So a warning doesn’t do much good.” He started down a small incline, the stretcher tipping downward as it followed. Colleen’s hands rose in the air and Smitty hurried forward, afraid she might roll off. But her hand grasped his wrist and she settled down. Temple moved forward on the other side and put a hand on Colleen’s shoulder.

“Your ship’s doctor is in the park?” the young man asked over his shoulder. “If you’re sure, I can make an announcement that he’s needed.”

“He was going to the slides,” Smitty stated. “Dr Drake MacGregor.”

The lifeguard pulled something else from his first aid pouch and spoke quietly into it. Not more than 2 steps later, a very loud voice reverberated throughout the park. “Dr Drake MacGregor of the Fireball. Please report to the First Aid Station. Dr Drake MacGregor, you are needed at the First Aid Station.”

“Okay, here we are,” the lifeguard said as an unmarked door opened before them. But the room inside was small, hardly large enough to accommodate 2 stretchers and a handful of pedestrians. The door closed and the elevator started down.

Seeing Double

Month 9 Day 6

(Shore Leave Day 7)

0754 Hours

Abdulla

Yellow Dog was rotating her ankles under the table as Abdulla joined her at the ‘sidewalk’ cafe on Level 1 of the Grand Ulsess Mall. Has she been up all night or something? I find myself doing that when I’ve been on my feet for an entire shift. “How’s your shore leave been so far, YD?” she asked as she studied the menu.

“Yes,” was all the AmerInd said.

What does that mean? Sometimes I don’t understand YD at all. Mac, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have any difficulty understanding her. I’m jealous, if Mac doesn’t need the other person to say anything at all.

“Temple,” YD called out suddenly, and raised a hand to signal to the nurse.

Beth approached and sat down. Her hand shook a bit as she stabbed at the button to activate her own menu holograph.

“Is something wrong?” Abdulla asked. “You look as if you’ve seen an impossibility.”

Beth gave her a quick glance and cleared her throat. “Maybe not, but... something I certainly never thought I’d see!”

“Well, it must have been something truly strange, because we’ve seen a lot of odd things during our travels.”

“It was,” Temple agreed. “But... I don’t want to gossip, so let’s get started with our day.”

“Sure, we can order breakfast,” Abdulla agreed. “YD didn’t wait for us, and I imagine Mac will be here shortly.”

“Or she won’t,” Beth muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“I came in on the 2nd floor of this restaurant. That’s where Mac is, in a private booth. With... a man.” Abdulla gave her a sharp look of interest. “Don’t ask questions, because I won’t answer!”

“Not Mac,” YD stated.

“Certainly I never expected it, but that red hair of hers is hard to miss,” Beth responded.

YD raised one hand, snapped her fingers and pointed down the shopping mall corridor. “Mac.”

Abdulla turned to look, and at first couldn’t find the younger woman, for she saw no fiery hair. Then her eyes settled on a short young woman dressed in boots, dark pants and a flowing top of black lace over a blue underlayer. The woman’s red hair was snuggly confined under a scarf and couldn’t be seen, and her pale face was overwhelmed by a pair of large, dark glasses. “Well, that’s a look I haven’t seen on her before.”

Beth stared at the approaching woman as she entered the cafe’s patio and took a seat at their table. “Guess I’m late,” Mac stated and smiled.

“How did you get down here?” Beth asked. “Out here? And... you didn’t have a scarf!”

Mac’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Down here? Out here? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“She says she saw you upstairs, the upper level of this cafe, in a privacy booth,” Abdulla explained.

All the color drained from Mac’s already pale face. “Oh.” She activated her own menu.

“You don’t seem surprised,” Abdulla observed.

“Not really,” Mac said quietly, and a moment later, she sighed. “I suppose I’ve been waiting for something like that. Because I was mistaken for her earlier on this shore leave.”

Abdulla blinked. “You mean, there’s somebody who looks just like you on this planet?”

“I guess so. It took a bit to convince - uh, him, that I wasn’t her.”

“Who would have thought?” Abdulla wondered. “Although, I have heard that with the human population as large as it is these days, everybody has at least one doppelganger in the universe.”

“I find it kind of... creepy,” Mac stated, and pressed buttons to place her order.

“You didn’t seem to mind when the other ‘you’ was Kolla,” Beth commented.

“I knew which one I was,” Mac answered. “Besides, her coloring was a bit off.” They all chuckled.

“You knew which one you were?” Abdulla asked. “I seem to remember you said something else to the captain.”

“I did?” Mac sat back and took off her sunglasses as she thought about that. “I guess so. It did get confusing after we separated. I had memories of life within both bodies. Not just memories, but knowledge and skills. It was disorientating. But the other one of me that’s here; I’ve never seen her, don’t know anything about her. But I... keep wondering what it would be like to be in her shoes.”

“You mean, is she also the baby of a big family of boys? Did she grow up with an over-protective father? That sort of thing?”

“Um, yeah. That kind of thing,” Mac agreed. She watched as Abdulla and Beth finished placing their orders. “Okay, this shopping mall is huge!. I hope we don’t get lost. I saw a shop on the next concourse that had bikinis, but I don’t think that’s the kind of swimsuit I want. Plus, I want a new work-out suit. And hobby materials. Other than that, this shore leave has been pretty expensive, and it’s making me a little uneasy.”

“We can look at that swimshop if anybody wants to,” Beth stated. “But I’ve heard the best place to get a swimsuit is in the basement. A huge shop just before you enter the water park, with thousands of suits of all designs, and each one in a dozen colors.”

“Really?” Abdulla returned. “It could take us a week to decide which one we want.”

“Possibly,” Beth agreed. “The best part is the prices are half what you’ll find anywhere else.”

“Okay. I have got to see this place!” Abdulla declared. “And I, for one, have not even touched my credit yet.”

Mac sat up straighter. “Credit! I forgot all about my credit line! I’ve never used it!”

“Never?” Beth repeated. “Well, my advice is to try to go easy with it. You don’t want to spend an entire year paying off one shore leave.”

“Why?” Mac asked. “How often do we get one?”

Abdulla paused. From what Bugalu says, Mac had a very sheltered childhood, and because of her previous captains, she still doesn’t really know how life works. “The length of them varies, the time between varies, but they average out to about 4 weeks a year.”

“Wow. It would be hard to enjoy another shore leave if I’m still paying off this one.” Mac shook her head “So I still need to be... cautious. I’m surprised Bugsy hasn’t warned me about that.”

“Bugalu makes more than you do,” Beth stated. “More seniority. But it’s a fact that might not have occurred to him.”

A waiter arrived with their breakfast, plus a fresh glass of juice for YD. As they ate, the talk turned to other shops they wanted to visit before going to the water park.

Breakfast for 2

Month 9 Day 4

(Shore Leave Day 5)

0745 Hours

McGregor

Drake pulled a shirt over his head as he walked across his hotel room to open the door. “Come on in. Breakfast should arrive shortly,” he told the redhead and watched in confusion as she walked in slowly, woodenly. He glanced out into the hallway, but saw no one else, so he closed the door. “Are you uncomfortable, coming to my hotel room alone?”

Mac stopped near the sofa and rotated to face him, confusion on her face. “Do you have another woman already here?”

“No. Did you expect I would?”

“I was hoping you didn’t. That could be awkward, if you had someone here who looked like me.”

“If you’re thinking about last shore leave, when you showed up before my date had left...”

“No, actually, I wasn’t,” Mac answered, and her face contorted as she slowly sat down. “Never mind. Somebody... mistook me for someone else, and it’s kind of been on my mind, the idea of another me running around on this planet.” She glanced out the glass door to his balcony and the thin line of the space elevator in the distance. “Anyway, you invited me for breakfast, which sounded good, although I’m not sure I’ll be very good company.”

Drake took an easy chair across from her. “Is something wrong? You seemed reluctant to walk in.”

A corner of her mouth curled sourly. “Not reluctant, Mac. Stiff. Sore. My entire body can hardly move. Especially the bottom half.”

“But this planet doesn’t even have a full G of gravity. You should be bouncing around.”

She gave a wry grin. “I was, before the braves got hold of me.”

“Braves?”

“Yellow Dog devised a challenge for Tall Bear. They included me. Not sure why. And I was idiot enough to agree.”

“What kind of challenge?”

“We spent a day running 100 miles.”

He stared at her in shock, waiting for her to grin and say she was kidding, but she didn’t. “That’s insane.”

“Eventually, I discovered that. Unfortunately, we weren’t done running yet, so all I could do was keep going. I’d never really tested my stamina like that before.”

“And now you’re paying for it,” he guessed. “First, you have to give your body a chance to rest-“

“Yes,” she agreed. “I caught 4 or 5 hours of sleep at the ranch, slept on the shuttle back to town. Couldn’t check into a hotel in mid-morning, so we went to a park and I slept under a tree until mid-afternoon. Caught a sandwich on the way to the hotel and then slept until... well, about 2 hours ago. It took me that long to get dressed and get here.”

Someone knocked on the door. “Room service.”

Drake stood up. “Thought we’d eat on the balcony,” he stated as he let the hotel employee in.

“Very good, sir,” the man stated, and pushed the cart across the room.

Mac clamped her mouth shut, pushed herself up from the sofa, and they adjourned to the balcony. She landed in one of the iron balcony chairs rather heavily and watched as the food and other items were transferred to the table.

“Who won the race?” Drake asked.

“It was a tie,” she answered, and her green eyes twinkled at him. “I kind of lost my footing at the last minute and forced it to be a tie.”

“I can’t imagine either one of them expected that.”

“No. But once they realized neither of them had put me up to it, they accepted it. Decided to keep it a friendly rivalry.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you and your lady?” the employee asked.

“Mac? I wasn’t sure what you’d want.”

“This is great,” she answered. “Normally, it might be too much, but I’m starved.”

“Go ahead and start, then. Leave the coffee pot, please, and the pitcher of juice.” The man nodded and left the cart in the interior room as he left. “What else have you been doing with ‘the braves’?” Drake asked.

“Oh, I only spent that one day with them,” Mac answered. She put a bite of egg in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. “I made sure I left the ranch before either of them could see the kind of shape I was in. Mac, I was sure sleep would help me recover, but I’m still really stiff! I don’t know what else to do!”

“You’re on the right track,” he told her. “Some heat would help the muscles relax, so a steam room, hot tub, anything like that. Maybe a massage...” No, wait, she can’t let anybody touch her. “Start using the muscles again.” She groaned at the thought. “No, I don’t mean run another hundred miles. Take short strolls. Stretch your muscles out. That sort of thing.”

She poured syrup on a pair of pancakes and drank half a glass of juice. “I’ll try. But what I really want is to not be in pain.”

“It will come. Alternate stretching, heat and rest,” he suggested. “If you have anything else planned today, postpone it. And don’t accept any more challenges like that unless you’ve had a chance to train for it!”

“All I’ve got planned for today is a hot game of cards at my hotel room.” At the uncertain look he gave her, she added, “Solitaire.”

He nodded. “That should work. Try my suggestions today, and tomorrow, you might even be able to walk fairly normally.”

“Tomorrow is movies and pizza,” she stated. “Bugs has 4 different movies picked out for us.”

“You do that on the ship. Couldn’t you find anything else to do on shore leave?”

“We have. He’s just giving me a couple days to recover. Because the next day, I’m going shopping with the girls.”

“Sounds like I’m lucky you could fit me into your schedule.”

She paused her eating to give him a tremulous smile. “I’ve never had an uncle who wanted to spend time with me, Mac. Or maybe Pa didn’t want any of my uncles to spend time with me. But your kind of ‘uncle’ is like Bugs’ kind of ‘brother’. And I like that. So... I’m happy to spend time with you.”

“Well, I can guarantee you I won’t expect you to run a hundred miles!”

She chuckled and buttered a slice of toast. “Good. I mean, I guess it’s something I can do, but... I don’t really want to try doing it again. Besides, I’m sure pa would think it very un-ladylike.”

“I hope you don’t take this wrong, but I don’t think I’d like your father.”

She shrugged and winced. “Even my neck is sore,” she muttered. “Bugs has been saying that for years. And... well, I don’t like the way my father has treated me. Seems like I’ve missed much.”

“Before you leave, let me run a quick medical scan. Tenderness in your neck might mean a slipped disc. Or just an overly tired muscle.”

“Something serious, you think?”

“Let’s do a scan and make sure it’s not,” he suggested.

“Okay,” she agreed. “The food tastes good. Thanks for inviting me.”

“To tell the truth, I was getting a little lonely for a familiar face. Try the marmalade on your toast.”

Close Call

Month 9 Day 3

(Shore Leave Day 4)

0651 Hours

Smitty

Smitty impatiently pulled Caroline onto the shuttle and tossed their bags into a bin while she made her way to a seat in the front. As he followed her, he unthinkingly glanced around the shuttle’s passenger area, and then sighed in relief. Apparently, they were the only ones leaving the dude ranch this morning. Mentally congratulating himself for a successful get-away, he sat down beside Caroline and activated his safety restraints.

“Now can you please explain why you’re in such a hurry to leave this morning?” Caroline asked reasonably. “You ordered room service, but, I barely got a few bites of breakfast eaten. Did those 2 shipmates you saw last night rattle you that much? I thought they were underlings.”

“They were. Are. They startled me, true enough.”

“I understand. I suppose you thought if they were here, then my original was probably here, too. But I thought you calmed down later. Like you said, if she wasn’t with them, then she probably wasn’t here. But you got us up and out in record time this morning, so now I’m confused.” Her not-quite emerald eyes waited for an explanation.

This whole thing was a bad idea. Can’t imagine why I ever thought of it. But it isn’t her fault, so I shouldn’t treat her as if it is. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” he reluctantly confessed. “So I went to the lobby in search of a nightcap. As I was drinking it, your… original… arrived.”

Silence, for a moment. “Dear, I think you were dreaming,” Caroline eventually stated evenly. “She can’t have arrived during the night. The shuttle only brings visitors twice a day.”

“No, I didn’t mean she arrived on a shuttle. She was-“ He jumped as the door from the cockpit opened.

A tall woman in a flight suite emerged, smiled at them. “As soon as I close the door, we’ll take off.”

Smitty nodded as the woman moved on. Caroline searched in her handbag for something, and the conversation was over.

Behind them, heavy mechanical joints moaned as the door started to close. Outside, a distant voice called, “Hold on!”

Smitty stiffened. It can’t be.

Footsteps pounded up the gangway. Without turning around, Smitty heard someone enter the shuttle, breathing heavily, then bags settled into a bin and bodies landed abruptly in seats.

“Anybody else?” the pilot asked.

Bugalu gasped out, “Just us.”

Who’s with him? Capac? Or… Colleen?

The door slammed, machinery moved and locked it tight. The pilot walked back to the cockpit, but tossed a quick, perplexed glance at Caroline as she passed. A moment later, the engines started to push the shuttle up from the ground.

“Okay, Mac,” Bugalu began. “Why are we leaving? You obviously need more sleep.”

“Lots more sleep. Wake me when we land.” The voice wasn’t just quiet, it was almost inaudible. As if she’s just worked around the clock, and now she’s been called back to the bridge.

“You could have kept sleeping here,” Bugalu pointed out. “Neither of them were in the dining room, so they’re probably still sleeping. There was no sense getting up so early.”

“Please, Bugs, let me sleep,” she returned. “Why won’t this seat recline?”

“Don’t recline yet, eat a little bit first,” he told her. “The kitchen packed fried eggs, toast, bacon and orange juice. Hmm, but no silverware. Okay, so it’s an egg and bacon sandwich. Eat what you can before you fall asleep.”

“Oh, that smells good,” Caroline whispered, and started to look back between their seats at the other couple.

“Don’t look,” Smitty told her as softly as he could. At her questioning look, he explained, “The woman is... her. I don’t... want either of them to... see you.”

“I see.” She faced forward again and settled into her seat. “Well, that could be difficult, once we reach Ulseess City.”

“I know. I’ll... think of something.”

Several minutes passed in relative quiet as the shuttle sped through the air. “I suppose we could just sit here and take the shuttle back to the ranch,” Caroline suggested.

Smitty nodded, acknowledging the suggestion, but didn’t really consider it. There’s others at the ranch I don’t want to see me with a look-alike for one of my underlings. And it‘s entirely possible some of those might ride the shuttle back to the city later today. I don’t know if there’s any way out of this for us.

Eventually, he thought of one remote possibility; to have the pilot let the others get off first, and allow he and Col -  Caroline to disembark after the other couple were gone.

Welcoming the Rivals

Month 9 Day 3

(Shore Leave Day 4)

0031 Hours

Bugalu

Capac was sitting across the small table, his head propped up by his arm. He might be dozing, it’s hard to tell in the dim light. Maybe I should have let him go back to his room. Tall Bear would wake him up – probably – when he gets there after the race, but I wouldn’t have to -  Well, I probably would hear about it, back on the ship, and who knows how long Capac would spend on it? I’m not-

The front door suddenly opened as a local ‘horse’ chuckled. A wizened old man propped one side of the double door open, then the other side. “Lights!” he requested as he stepped inside and raced to the drink dispenser.

Capac snorted and lowered his head to the table. Bugalu’s eyes burned at the sudden brilliance, but he noticed the man sitting at a corner table, formerly hidden by darkness. What’s he doing here? Looks shocked by the cowpoke’s arrival and the sudden light. Who would have thought a dude ranch to be so popular among the crew of a space ship?

The local cowboy got 4 glasses of clear liquid from the dispenser and brought them to a table in the middle of the room, then stood watching the open doors. Outside, an orange-red qwilla shook its head, humped its back - which brought its middle legs off the ground - and snorted. “You just wait half a minute, Rusty! Take a lesson from Rose!” Further out, another qwilla – this one bright red – planted all 6 feet firmly and shook its entire body in slow motion.

Then 3 human figures appeared from the darkness, all jogging resolutely for the open doors. Bugalu wasn’t sure which one was ahead of the others, but as they passed the rust-colored qwilla, the one in the middle seemed to stumble or mis-step and reached out to grab the arms of the other 2. Between their speed pulling her forward, and her drag pulling them back, all 3 entered the building at the same time.

They came to a shaky halt at the table. The cowboy picked up one of the glasses, and Bear and Dog did also. The middle one removed a glove from the survival suit she wore and picked up the last glass. “I didn’t think none of you would make it,” the cowboy admitted. “Not in just 1 day! Guess you showed me something! Drink up! You sure have something to celebrate!”

The hood of the survival suit opened and Mac asked, “What is it?”

“Water,” the cowboy returned, sounding surprised. “Figured you could use it.”

Grunting their agreement, they all drank, and emptied their glasses.

“Are you okay, short stuff?” Tall Bear asked

“I’m fine,” Mac answered, removing her other glove. “I just didn’t want anybody to win. I want your rivalry to continue to be friendly.”

Tall Bear turned his attention to Yellow Dog. “Did you put her up to that?”

Yellow Dog gave him a look that implied she suspected the reverse. Mac began unfastening her suit.

Bugalu stood up to approach them. “I might have. Not intentionally. But I think I said it would be a shame if you 2 ever let your rivalry get in the way of your friendship.”

The 2 AmerInds considered each other. “That would be a shame,” Bear agreed. Yellow Dog nodded.

The orange animal snorted again and stuck its head through the doorway.

“Rusty! You get back outside!” the cowboy yelped at the beast. “Excuse me, folks, I need to take care of my hosses.” He hurried for the door.

Dog grabbed Mac’s arm as the short woman struggled to remove her survival suit.

“Take the boots off first,” Bugalu suggested, and tried to help her tug the suit down. “You’re soaking wet!”

“The suite was to protect me from the sun,” Mac told him. “It lets air pass through, but it isn’t air conditioned. Air conditioning wouldn’t have been fair to Bear and Dog.”

“Yeah, I don’t suppose your hat would have done you much good,” he answered.

Tall Bear shuffled over and placed a heavy hand on Capac’s shoulder. “Can you wake up long enough to get to the room?”

“What? Oh, you guys are back? Did you win?”

“It was a tie. I’m going to bed.” Bear moved toward the hallway, with a half-awake Capac following.

“Did good,” Dog told Mac.

“Thank you, TD. Those are the nicest 2 words you’ve said to me today. Wait.” The redhead frowned. “Those are the only 2 words you’ve said to me today.”

Dog grinned and moved toward the hallway, pausing to refill her glass as she passed the dispenser.

Bugalu helped Mac finish removing the survival suit, and brought her another glass of cold water. “You look exhausted,” he told her softly.

“Yeah,” she admitted in a whisper. “But don’t tell them. Just leave the suit here. The employees will take care of it.”

She must be exhausted! “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I know, but that’s what they kept telling me: ‘When you get back, don’t worry about the suit. We’ll take care of it.’ So let them.”

“Okay.” She’d still fold it neatly atop the table. But not this time. He took a step for the hallway and looked back. She hadn’t moved, still stood clutching the tiny table. “You coming?”

“I hope so.” She took a deep breath and took a tiny, sliding step toward him, pulled the other foot to join the first. “One.” She still clutched at the table and the closest chair.

Going back, Bugalu slipped an arm around her to offer his support, ignoring the wetness that soaked into his clothes. She seemed unable to raise her feet off the floor, and paused after each step for a deep breath. They moved so slowly, he managed to get another glass of water for her as they passed the dispenser.

“Thanks.” It was barely a whisper, and she moved even slower now, pausing every couple of steps to drink.

Eventually, they reached the edge of the darkened hallway. Bugalu glanced back, noted the angry glare in Smitty’s eyes. “Lights off,” he told the building, and he could no longer see the man, nor his glare. He concentrated on getting his exhausted sister to the room so she could rest.