I watch her getting dressed in a hurry, grumbling the whole time.
Does she always do that—even when she’s alone? Babbling nonstop? What a strange little Human.
Before we leave, I swing by the washroom. I relieve myself quickly and grab a large, dry towel.
I resist the temptation to shower—I'll need it way more when I get back than I do right now.
A few minutes later, I’m sitting behind her on a snowmobile. The cold stings, and I’m actually glad I put on those weird boots.
My sharp eyes catch movement—small animals darting between trees. I say nothing, but my muscles twitch with anticipation. I take mental notes of their locations for later.
We finally stop at the edge of a vast white expanse.
The lake is completely frozen over and stretches out farther than I expected.
There's no way I’m going to locate my wreck under such a massive surface.
A discouraged sigh escapes me.
“Come on, follow me!” my little Human urges as she hops off the bike.
I pull off my boots—they’re more of a hindrance than anything—and follow her out onto the ice.
I grin and run back to shore, Neela right behind me.
I shrug off my coat, hand her the towel and the rope tied to the snowmobile. Then I grab a good-sized rock and head back.
“What are you doing?! Are you insane?” she yells, seeing me smash the ice. “You can’t go in there! The water’s freezing!”
I throw her a smirk and dive through the hole.
She’s right. It’s freezing. But I can’t wait for the thaw. The wreck’s already been down here for days.
I toss her one end of the rope and tie the other around my wrist.
“By the shield of Ares… I’ve found a complete lunatic,” she mutters.
I tap her cheek gently to say, “I got this,” then slip under the surface.
The visibility is awful, even with my night vision. But I get lucky. The Bakartia’s outline appears below. I pull myself down—maybe 30 or 40 feet.
There’s the hatch I used to escape. Still clear.
I surface for air. Neela visibly relaxes. I wink, then dive again.
Inside, it’s a mess. My suit is floating mid-room. My boots are still by my bunk. I open a compartment, grab a weapon and a few protein bars, and stuff everything into the suit.
The rope on my wrist tugs—she’s getting nervous. I head back up, lungs on fire.
As I break the surface, I wheeze hard.
“What the hell were you thinking?!” she scolds, unloading my stuff. “You’re barely recovered, and now you risk your life again? For what? A coat? Mine wasn’t good enough? You could’ve just said so. And by the way, I didn’t mind you being half-naked around the house. Not one bit!”
I say nothing and follow her to the snowmobile. Her words echo in my ears.
Just as we’re about to leave, a low growl rumbles nearby. I know that sound.
I turn. Two golden eyes, just like mine.
