Chapter Forty-Nine (2/2)
”Are you sickie?” She asked.
”No sweetie, I'm just overheated,” The metal man said. ”Keep your eyes closed, hold onto your doll.”
”He's Mister Kikik,” the podling said.
”Hold onto Mister Kikik,” The metal man said. He started walking, then running. It felt like she was flying, being held by the metal man, as he ran through the streets. He suddenly stopped and there was the noise of glass breaking and metal tearing.
She was carefully set in a chair. ”OK, sweetie, you can open your eyes.”
She looked around. It was a food shop, where masters and important people that you did what they said right away would eat. The big metal man had moved over to a food dispenser and had ripped open the front of it.
”It's nutripaste,” he said, letting it pour from the broken machine and into a big bowl.
”You're gonna be in trouble,” She said. ”I don't want you to be in trouble.”
”I'm already in trouble,” The metal man said.
”OK,” the little podling said, and started slurping down the nutripaste. It didn't taste like anything but it made her tummy feel better. The metal man moved over under where water was falling from a pipe, standing in the water. Pieces popped up with a hiss and she saw steam start to come off of him. She chewed a little on the bowl to ease the ache in her gums, watching. After a bit the pieces closed again and the big metal man came over to her.
”We need to move, kid,” The metal man said. ”The Precursors are all over the place. We need to get out of city. I'm hurt inside, I can't use my slush, can't run a diagnostic.”
”Will a hug help?” She asked. Broodmommy would hug her when she was scared. The metal man didn't have a broodmommy with him.
”It won't hurt, kid,” The metal man said. She grabbed his thick leg and hugged it, feeling how warm it was and liking how it vibrated. She let go and looked up.
”Will you carry me?” She asked.
The metal man nodded, picking up her and Mister Kikik. She went out in the street and started running. She felt like she was flying again as they ran. He kept dodging around the stuff that loomed out of the smoke, jumping over some of it.
The podling suddenly felt embarrased.
”Metal man?” She said.
”Yes, sweetie?” The metal man said.
”I pooped myself. I'm sorry,” she said. She rubbed her fur and some came off. Her skin was red looking and hurt. ”My fur's coming off.”
”You'll be all right. It's rad-sick, I'll get you to the medics and they'll patch you up,” The metal man said. Somehow he ran faster.
He started stumbling, staggering, and the podling looked up at him. His green eyes, glowing in the dark, were fixed ahead.
”Are you all right, Mister Metal Man?” The podling asked.
”The goo around my thinky stuff is running out. I'm leaking, kid,” the metal man said. ”Medics. Get you to the medics,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the war torn city.
They kept moving, the metal man lurching side to side, getting warmer and warmer. The metal man suddenly stopped, pushing the podling under a car.
”No come out. No look,” he said. He stood up and she heard it.
A monster.
”Here! Here! Right here!” he yelled.
There was a crash.
”THREE THREE TWO INFANTRY!” the metal man roared.
There was the bright light, blue, and more light, some of it red, some green.
”KILL YOU!”
A giant hand hit the street next to the burn out car and the podling closed her eyes, holding tight to Mister Kikik.
”SKIN YOU!”
There was another crash. A loud shriek and a clap of thunder that hurt the podling's ears.
”EAT YOU!” the metal man bellowed.
There was a heavy crash, then silence.
The car suddenly flipped off of her and the podling screamed, looking up.
The metal man stood there. His head was smushed, one eye popped out and dangling from wires. His body looked smashed, wires poking out and goop leaking out.
”Podling,” The metal man rumbled.
The podling held her arms up, Mister Kikik in her hand.
The metal man reached down, picking up the podling. The podling noticed that the big knife was broken, part of it bent away from the metal man's hand.
”Medics,” The metal man said, his voice squeaking at the end.
He cradled her close and started running.
She looked behind her. It was another metal man, all brown metal, covered in holes, its head twisted off and a burning hold in its back. One foot was kicking but it didn't move.
It was really big.
”Podling,” The metal man said as they ran through the smoke.
”Yes, Mister Metal Man,” the little girl asked.
”Sick. Medic. Run,” He said.
”Yes, Mister Metal Man, broodmommy said run,” she said. She hugged the metal man's arm, feeling how hot it was. His chest was warm too, like broodmommy's.
”Run,” Mister Metal Man said.
They kept running, through the streets, around the burning cars.
”Sick. Medic.”
The podling hugged the metal man. Goo had oozed out of him. Some red, some pink, some silver, some blue.
”Podling. Sick. Medic.” he kept repeating as he ran.
She hugged his arm tight. Once she threw up on him. Still she hugged him, willing him to be OK, willing the hug to make him all better.
The metal man stopped, looking up with his one green eye. He put his hand up and fired that bright blue light. Once. Twice. Three times.
The howl of a vehicle sounded, the vehicle coming closer. The metal man shot once, twice, three times again, straight up in the air.
The vehicle landed. More metal men jumped out. They had flashing red lights on their shoulders.
”Poooooodliiiiing,” metal man said, the word drawing out and like a moan.
The vibration stopped. She looked up. His eyes were dark.
The new metal men ran up, red shapes on their chests. They had to pull Mister Metal Man's arm away, and they took her to the flying vehicle. She cried, reaching out for the metal man, as the vehicle went up in the air. She cried out for him, as they stuck a needle on a tube in her arm. She struggled, holding onto Mister Kikik as they put a mask on her face, reaching out for the metal man as the vehicle rose into the air.
He stood in the middle of an intersection, unmoving.
The smoke swirled around him, and he was gone.
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She came there often, after she was named, after she grew up. She had looked it up, where Lance Corporal Char-3381 of the Terran Confederate Marine Corps had finally died.
She would stand on the corner, staring at the middle of the street as the ground-cars went by.
She never forgot him. Even when her patchy fur turned gray. Even when her whiskers drooped. Even when her own podling's podlings had to help her go there.
And she took Mister Kikik with her each time.
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TERRAN CONFEDERATE MARINE CORPS
Lance Corporal Char-3381 is post-posthumously awarded the Marine Silver Star, for actions above and beyond the call of duty. Charr-3381, severely wounded, carried an orphaned Telkan podling suffering from radiation poisoning, beyond the city of Shur'rima'an, signaling a passing medical evacuation unit to the podling's distress. During his travels he engaged two super-heavy Precursor infantry units, upholding his duty, defeating them single-handedly in defense of the podling.
Despite a cracked brain case, despite being out of neural fluid, he kept moving, and by his valor and actions, the Telkan podling was evacuated from the city.
Lance Corporal Char-3381 was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was recovered and his tissue remains were buried with all Marine Corps honors on Terra.
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