Chapter 107: Fragment Of An Old Past

“Adey,” Machina said, her hands on the stone railing. “Do you really think that we should let someone like that in this city? You encountered those time wraiths, and you know how much of a trouble they are until that day. Sigh, we really do owe that War Maiden now.”

“I don’t judge people by what they are or what they have been through. Do you think that I would?”

“No, you won’t, Adey,” her lips curved. “You unearthed an ancient vampire, a destroyer of worlds, and yet you never look at me other than a person—a being you could talk to. Five hundred years, and I think that it wasn’t a mistake making you my partner in crime.”

“You are okay,” Adey said. His eyes stared straight at the cavern ceilings, bland and cloudy as ever.

“Still, it was odd that you were okay with his sufferings. Five hundred years of being trapped as a battery, we really took that easy.”

“I’ve seen you being trapped on a metal pod, do you really think that would be weird?”

“But you know that we aren’t the same, Adey.” She folded her arms and stared at the cityscape. “I was on a pod that allowed me to sleep well. It was a beautiful dream while for that guy, it was a nightmare.”

“He’ll be fine.”

“He was just vomiting at the thought of his days as a battery. Does that look fine to you, Adey?”

“No,” Machina leaned her elbows on the stone railing. “I can tell a troubled soul by a mile. Those eyes are not that of a grateful human – it was more like he was unsatisfied that he wasn’t dead.”

“Is that really it?”

“I have seen things in this life. I know what a suicidal person is, but, he’s one of those people that would rather wait for death, a person that does not have the courage to kill himself, a fool waiting for death. Maybe, we should give him that relief?”

Adey stared at her eyes.

“What?” She tapped the stone railing before folding her arms. The bright light from a passing train lit her face for three seconds. “It would be far easier to do it, you know?”

Adey palmed his forehead, his right hand then striking like a snake to Machina’s forehead. Machina’s face crumbled, her head was cocked backward, her eyes turning into that a demon.

“Idiot, don’t decide for the life of anyone unless they are an enemy, you should know this well, you hag.”

“Hag?” she hisses like a snake. “Do I look like an old lady? Do you see any wrinkles on this beautiful face? Do you, Adey?”

“Nice magic, let me learn it.”

“That's it Adey, dae ye want to fight me that bad? Seems, ye forgot who yer master is, ye goddamn git, square up, shag, I'm going to teach ye what it's fancy to chevy chase this lady!”

“You might hurt your back, Machina.”

“That's blinking it, ye goddamn git, ol'? I'm not ol', and if I m then I wouldn't be as beautiful as I m today, so ye better take that back ye git, why dae ye hae to be fancy that? Oh, don't give me that shufty ye stone chevy chase boobarse, dae ye really want to square up? Come on, I ain't backing down, come on! I'll brawl ye mucca, I'll feck yer chevy chase up, and then ye’ll lick my shoes, begging me to stop!”

“Can you talk normally?” Adey went past her, his hands inside his pockets, his eyes pointed to the two-wheeled vehicle parked near the stone steps.

“Afraid? I know yeh are, yeh bloody boobarse, that's what yeh are, afraid! I know yeh don't hae the guts to chevy chase this master of thine, and hence all bark and no bite, what a cowardly git! Come on, I'll boink yeh up smashing, make yeh remember who the real master here, yeh stoic git!”

“I really do wonder what you real country was?” Adey said, his hands searching around his pocket.

“That's...Ah feck, I really hate thou, thou bloody git. Die in a fire. No, I want thou to die--I give up. It doesn’t matter, you don’t fight me, you don’t fight back even when I punched a hole through you once, and you accept it with the same expression as usual. Can we go to the tavern? I want a good drink, it has been hard, from that dungeon, to dealing with the burrows from eight to five, and then dealing with new technology for this damn city, ah, the ventilation, I should take care of that. Oh, if I had beaten you, oh my goodness.”

“Do you mind getting on already?” he twisted the keys on the keyhole and revved up the engine. “I still have a work to do, papers to sort, and an annoying night lord to drop on her apartment.”

“You realize that we are roommates?”

“Semantics,” he sped up along the asphalt highway.

“Hey,” Machina said, leaning her back against the wind.

“What? You might have superhuman abilities, but hitting the asphalt at this speed would still ruin that pretty face of yours, that you are so proud off.”

“Fine, I’ll hold on to your waist then.”

“That’s good, but try not to break my ribs. Will you? I got your regeneration powers now, but I rather not have Dedra scolding me, that succubus.”

“You know that she’s not a succubus, right?”

“A metaphor,” Adey said. “Also, can you not push your face on my back? You’re bothering my balance, and we’re speeding up.”

“Whatever,” she said. “Also, do you really think that Tania could do it? Can she really close the rift? We’d been safe since the War Maiden annihilated the time wraiths. But to hold down the fort in order to banish them from this era. Man, what a tiresome duty.”

“Still,” Adey’s tone changed. “You know what you can do, right? I saw it for myself, and if things come to it. Would you still not act?”

“The time for saving has ended. I am merely a fragment of an old past.”