Page 63 of Ava Greasemonkey

Vox grabbed it from his hands. “I will take management of her.”

Ava flushed at his words and the hidden meaning. She saw her heart rate spike on the monitor, which made her blush even more. That thing was going to be a complete pain until it got taken back out.

Embarrassed, Ava quickly changed the subject. “Did you find anything I can use?” She pointed to the bag Ebel had brought up from the engine hall after going there with Lirell to scrounge for useable parts.

Ebel let go of the tracker, leaving it in Vox’s hands. “Yes, I have some cutters for the vents and a few items that could be repurposed as weapons. I take it you have some of the Tuxa’s phasers already?”

Ava glanced at Vox, who nodded. Erox moved back to the screen and started reviewing the scans he had gotten earlier from Ava. He’d made use of the time waiting for Ebel and Lirell to come up from the engine hall by mapping Ava’s nervous system.

Vox stayed by her side, out of patience with the continual medical exams. He had begun flashing a muted purple every time Erox positioned her for various scans. Ava didn’t complain, despite her distaste for them. The more information Erox gathered the more he could send off so the Vorbax could start creating a database about Humans. She looked at the Phor file on Humans he was reviewing, her eyes only able to skim as he scrolled through the data quickly. It was woefully inadequate in terms of information. Most of it had been added by Ava herself over the years as she noticed different things about herself that were interesting.

Erox scanned her arm again after noting a foreign piece inside her, in the opposite arm of where the tracker was. “What is this?”

Ebel looked up at the screen, frowning. Then moved closer. “I do not know. It must have been placed in her before she came to live here.”

Ava put her head in her hands, rubbing her hand down her face uncertainly. She shrugged back at them. She didn’t remember either. There were so many scans and things that happened before she arrived. She held out her arm to Erox, curious herself, and he scanned it again. She definitely remembered pain from something there, but she also had the translator implanted during that time. The fear and uncertainty back then overpowered everything else in her memory.

Ebel began pulling out the items he had gathered and put them on the medical desk next to the seat Ava was on. The dingy gray metal tools looked out of place in the sterile environment.

Ava watched, a bit on edge with how much he was taking out. There was no way she would be able to carry all of that with her.

She voiced her concerns a second later, her tone strained as she expressed her fears. “Ebel, I can’t carry all of that plus the weapons.”

Ebel chittered, a sound Ava hadn’t heard since before the Vorbax took over the ship, bringing joy to her heart. “I am condensing them. I brought everything that could be useful to see what is best.”

Ava leaned in to Vox’s side as she watched Ebel sort through the items, changing out battery compartments and inspecting the blades of the various implements. Vox had taken the tracker and wound the cord so it lay flush on his arm, tight. He stroked Ava’s hair as they waited. Ava caught Erox watching their every move, a smile on his face. Heat rose to her cheeks.

Finally, Ebel came up with two blades and told Ava to test them out, pulling one of the metal chairs toward her. Ava stepped away from Vox reluctantly and stood up. She took the cutter from Ebel, surprised by how lightweight it was for its size.

It took a few tries to engage the trigger, made for stronger hands than hers, but the blade cut through the chair easily and silently a half second later, leaving a smile on her face. It was easily the most destructive item she’d ever wielded before.

The smaller one did the same but was much less powerful. It would be good to have both in case one didn’t work.

“They can double as weapons in a pinch as well,” Ebel said, looking pleased with himself. Ava grinned back, testing the weight and how easily she could manipulate the controls.

He turned around and began to rummage in the medical cabinets. They were already stripped by the Vorbax, but he managed to come up with a small oxygen tank and mask. Putting it on Ava, he checked the seals. “When landing, I would wear this until you get into the filtered areas, where the air is breathable.”

Ava nodded, anxiety blooming thinking about that part. It was one thing to plan here, and another to realize that she was actually going to be doing it.

She took the mask back off and placed it on her growing pile of tools. To it, Ebel also added a few magnetic tools to open fasteners from the inside and her magnetic hooks that she used to climb the vents here in the ship.

Last, he added a basic com device that she strapped to her wrist immediately, taking it out of the pile. It was like the one she normally wore, except this one was linked up directly to the tracker Vox held in his hand. The little com had a locator as well, with the unpleasant reason that if she was caught they would take this small one from her, not realizing she had the backup implant as well.

Ava left her normal wristband in her engine room. It was useless right now with the ship’s internal communications still down. Who would she message on the ship anyways?

Ebel stood back, looking at the pile and at Ava. His air of determination faltered a bit as he said, “That should . . . that should do it.”

Ava leaped up and hugged Ebel tightly, ignoring Vox’s soft grunt. “I wish you could come with me and not have to leave.”

Ebel looked torn. “Part of me wants to stay too. You’re . . . family.” He glanced at Vox, who stared back at him impassively. Erox was at the computer still examining the scans. “But I can’t work with your new allies, who hurt the rest of the ones I loved.”

Ava nodded, nibbling the bottom of her lip. She understood.

Ebel continued, holding the tablet in his hands, “I understand wanting to find your Human family though. I hope you are successful.” He looked up and searched Ava’s eyes with his convex ones. He poked the tablet a little longer than necessary before shaking his antennas and putting the tablet down. “You deserve that, Ava.” He was still gazing at Ava speculatively when he picked the tablet back up, then turned and looked at Vox meaningfully.

Vox, shining, looked at the tablet Ebel had grabbed again, then back to his convex eyes. “Thank you. We will make use of the gift you are giving her if we are able.” His voice was sincere. Ava couldn’t make sense of the exchange, narrowing her eyes at them both.

Ebel just nodded, looking away, as he continued to click on the tablet.

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