And from the way the six-legged machine is poised, they have noticed us too.
One moment, it’s standing there, its hull shining under the sun like the scales of an old god, and then the next, it’s gone. It disappeared like a mirage.
We’ve been expecting it. The Bug has a reputation for vanishing into thin air, thanks to an unknown technology.
Jude pulls out a white flag with Helios’ name painted on it. It’s the only thing he could think of to get his friend’s attention. They haven’t seen each other since Bunkertown.
It must be working because moments later the Bug reappears on the mountaintop.
“Stay here,” Jude tells me.
I get a hold of his hand, unsure. What if Helios doesn’t have good control over his new lover? What if the Devil of the Wastes smells me on Jude and kills him on sight? Or decides to get revenge for the hurt I did to Helios?
I can’t lose Jude. I just can’t.
“If he touches you…” I start.
“I’ll be fine,” Jude says, smiling. “The Devil has been known to rescue slaves for years. And Helios has told me so much about him during that short time when we were together. I’ll be fine.” He squeezes my hand, and I have to let him go.
Jude steps away from theFireflyand raises his arms above his head. He walks for a good minute on the desert ground before the Bug finally makes a move. It climbs down the mountaintop.
They meet halfway, a few hundred feet from my position. The Bug dwarfs Jude. It truly does look like a man-made old god. I pace in front of theFirefly, keeping the urge to run to him in check.
A hatch opens from the side of the Bug, and a man jumps out with ease. Even from a distance, I would recognize that man anywhere. He’s the one who owned my heart and soul for years. Who made me believe in love in the first place. And yet, I never loved him the right way. Helios throws himself into Jude’s arms. My new lover spins him round and round.
I tremble as I watch my ex-lover and my new one reunite. Both men should want me dead.
The Devil of the Wastes steps out of the Bug. He’s much taller than Jude and Helios, and twice as wide. My mutant brother is unnaturally still as we observe the reunion. Even from a distance, I can make out the two horns rising above his head. They seem smaller than they were during our fight.
Jude and Helios turn to him, and Jude shakes hands with the Devil. They start talking, and I have never wished more to be able to hear in the wind.
At some point, the Devil takes a quick step forward, and Helios puts himself in his way. This is it. He might come and fight me here and now. I have decided that if he does, I’ll let him kill me this time. There can’t be a fight with Jude and Helios involved. It would have to be over quickly. This conflict will have to end, one way or another. And if my death is the price, so be it.
Jude would try to avenge me, but Helios will make sure he stays alive. From what I’ve witnessed since I captured him half a year ago, he hasn’t changed. Helios has a heart bigger than the whole world.
But the Devil doesn’t come running. He stands still as the two men talk to him. A statue in all aspects. Except his horns already look longer. They curve above his head. A stark reminder of the old god he shares his DNA with.
I start pacing around theFirefly. This was a terrible idea. What if they convince Jude to walk away with them? And he would be right to do it. I’ve spent my life fucking things up. It’s about time I paid the bill.
Maybe I should have taken the craven way out of this. We could have moved to the south or farther north. To the lands where the Bug is rarely seen.
I shake my head. This is not what Jude wanted. He needed to see his friend again, and I needed to be able to move on, one way or another.
They talk for an eternity, and I’m losing my mind.
Until, at last, Jude hugs Helios one last time and walks back to theFirefly. I hold my breath as he crosses the desert back to me.
Jude laughs as he sees my face. “You look a little pale,” he jokes.
“What did they say?” I ask.
“They don’t forgive you, but they consider that the debt is paid since you almost gave your life to protect them from Maeve. They heard rumors of a fight between two mutants at the Hoover Dam six months ago. Well, Griffin—the Devil—still wants you dead, but Helios seems to have a good sway over him, and he won’t kill you because it would mean going against Helios’ will. As long as you don’t bother them, they’ll be happy to let you live. I can still hang out with Helios from time to time. We’ve decided on a channel to contact each other. The Bug is actually called theBeetle. Figured.”
“Helios…agreed to let me live?” I ask.
Jude nods.
“But why?”
