“Of course I am. Thank you for noticing.”
I grin and close the door to the bathroom. A delicious smell of toast wafts down the passageway, and I can no longer ignore my hunger.
I walk down three steps and land in the living area where I first set foot the previous day. It’s a circular room three times the size of the bedroom I slept in. The place isn’t large, but I’m used to small quarters on the Traveling Market, and it looks like a palace in comparison. It’s cozy, with the green velvet couch in the middle and leather chairs. Lush green plants gently balance with theBeetle’s motion in flower pots bolted to the walls. Above my head, a skylight allows the sun to shine inside the room.
The temperature is comfortable. Of course, an incredible machine like theBeetlehas air conditioning.
“Man, this is the coolest day of my life,” I say out loud.
“Undeniably,”says Beet.“Now hurry and join them for breakfast. You need healthy nutrition to finish your growth.”
I glare at the ceiling. “I’m twenty-two! I’m just small.”
“Oh.”
Just like Vex, Beet can show an impressive array of emotions in her tone of voice. And her little ‘oh’ packs a punch of embarrassment for the both of us. I stomp all the way to another passageway, following the smell of food.
The galley is another circular room, smaller than the living area. Wood covers the walls, giving it the feel of a cabin in the forest, with plants growing along the walls again. Helios and Griffin sit around a bolted-down table.
“Good morning,” says Helios brightly. “How are you feeling?”
I smile. “Much better, thank you.”
Griffin nods, looking uncomfortable. He mustn’t be used to having strangers invading his home. It makes me wonder howHelios managed to find his way into his life, but I have my suspicions.
I try my best to avoid staring at Griffin’s little horns. I find them adorable, but I doubt he’d be pleased to hear it.
Helios hands me two slices of bread and different jars of delicious spreads. Peanut butter, jams, almond paste… all these things cost a little fortune on the Traveling Market.
“Strawberries?” I shout when I notice the plate with the bright red fruits. I bite into one slowly, and the sweet and tart flavor explodes on my tongue.
“Cool, right?” says Helios. “Griffin grows them in our hydroponic gardens.”
“You have gardens, too?”
He points to the ceiling. “On top of theBeetle. It’s more like a small greenhouse, and we can only grow small plants and trees, but it provides us with enough fruits and vegetables to last weeks in the wastelands. And we trade the seeds and seedlings with communities. Although Beet’s sub-function managing the greenhouse is giving us trouble lately. We have to monitor the humidity level and test the soil manually.”
“Oh, maybe I can help with that,” I say. “I’m a hacker and an engineer. I help maintain the systems and AIs on the Traveling Market.”
Griffin perks up at that, and his red eyes finally find mine. “Could you help with lines of code?”
I grin. “Of course. That’s what I do.”
We spend the rest of our meal discussing the reasons why the greenhouse is malfunctioning. Griffin offers me brief insights into how theBeetlewas built and who the scientists who raised him were. It’s fascinating.
Until Beet interrupts our peaceful morning.
“Guys. We have a problem,” she says over the speakers.
TheBeetlehas stopped moving. Griffin is instantly on his feet, striding out of the galley. Helios follows close on his heels, and I find myself alone at the table.
“Shit,” I say, finishing my toast in record time before leaving. If we’re in trouble, I want to be ready, too.
The main hatch in the living area is open, and the two men are already outside. I wince as I jump out of theBeetle. Beet has lowered the giant body closer to the ground, but it’s still quite a jump. We’re standing in the middle of an ocean of green grass dancing in the wind, surrounded by mountains. I almost tear up from the beauty of it all. It feels nice to see something different from the desert I’m used to. I wish Stellan were here with me.
Helios and Griffin have walked between theBeetle’s giant legs to get to the other side. I jog in the tall grass to reach them.
Griffin raises his arms to stop me. “Be careful,” he says in his deep voice.
