Chapter 174: Afterword

Chapter 174: Afterword

Afterword

Something felt odd. I could feel something, for one thing, and that was certainly a change from... from... I'm not sure. I'm confused. Was I dead? It felt like I was supposed to be dead. I think. I'm not sure. Didn't I already do this? Something tells me that I've been here before.

"I think he's waking up!" I heard a muffled voice, like it was miles away.

I tried opening my eyes. The sterile chrome roof above my head was blinding. Everything felt fuzzy. But I could definitely hear a steady beeping, and it felt like I was covered in... wires? Where am I? Am I in one of the Big MT labs, or...

A hand squeezed my own. I looked down and tried to focus...

"Bout time yer crippled ass woke up," Cass said from my side, smiling at me and holding onto my hand tightly. Her hat was nowhere in sight, and her messy red hair was hanging loosely around her smiling face. That just made me even more confused. Where the fuck was I? I think I'm lying down on something soft. Was I on a bed somewhere?

"Whu happen'd?" I muttered, trying to blink away the haze. "Am... m'I dead?"

"Very nearly," a familiar male voice said from the foot of my bed. I looked up and saw Christopher, his eyes still hidden behind those reflective sunglasses of his, smiling broadly at me. "If you were anyone else, then you probably would be dead, considering the state you were in when you arrived."

"Where is here, exactly?" I coughed out, the world finally coming into stark focus. I was pretty sure I knew where I was, since Christopher was here, but no harm in asking, right?

"You're back on Mothership Zeta!" Moira said from my right. The frizzy-haired mad scientist pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and waved at me awkwardly, still holding onto the end of the stethoscope sticking out of her ears. "Hello!"

"Y'know, getting your intestines skewered and utterly ruined like that isn't generally something most people can just walk off," Chris said with a laugh. "But you've got a lot of fight in you. I knew you wouldn't let a mosquito bite like that slow you down any." Cass chuckled, squeezing my hand tighter.

"Well, if I'd known that you guys were gonna go up against another Enclave super soldier, I'd have shown up earlier!" he said. "I mean, by the time I got down there, I'd already missed all the fun!"

I just stared at him with a look of exhaustion and annoyance for a few seconds.

"Tell you what: you can get a spike in the stomach next time. Sound fair?" Chris let out a bellowing, raucous belly laugh.

"Sure thing!" he said with a wave, walking away. "Well, I'll leave you two alone." He gave me one last thumbs-up before walking through one of the nearby circular doors. I turned back to Cass just as she took my face in her hands and planted a kiss on my lips.

"Thanks," I whispered, resting my forehead against hers. "Thanks for looking out for me." Cass smiled.

"Hey, don't mention it," she said, kissing me again. "If I ain't gonna look out fer ya, no'ne else will." She chuckled. "Hell, you sure won't!"

"Yeah, you're probably right..." I sighed, gently brushing her hair over her ear. "I love you, Cass."

"I know," Cass shot back, smiling and sticking out her tongue. "Love you too, y'big lug." I pulled her closer, into a tight embrace, and she rested her head against my chest. The two of us held each other like that for a while... just content that we were together. For the first time in what felt like a very, very long time, there was nothing for either of us to worry about, and the two of us could simply relax. Eventually, Cass was the one to break the silence.

"So... what'd you wanna do now?"

I grinned at her like the Cheshire Cat.

"Let's go somewhere."

THE END