Season 04 - Episode 11

‘of us either’

”It was incredible!” cries Si to the rest of the table, almost bouncing in his chair. “It was like some kind of magic. Ny just spoke to the EnFo for like two seconds and got him to abandon GovCo completely! He saved us all!”

“We got lucky,” says Ny darkly, shaking his head.

“Luck had nothing to do with it!” says Si. “Seriously though, how did you know his gun was empty? Like, could you tell it was too light from the way he was holding it or something?”

“If that lad had had hair on his chest and bullets in his gun,” sighs Ny, irritated. “He wouldn't have warned you about the knife. He'd have shot us all the moment you drew it. You could have got us killed.”

“Nah,” says Si, stiffening a little and cooling. “We were done for anyway. Better for us all to go down swinging.”

“That's decision you make for yourself, Si!” Ny snaps, stunning everyone around the table. “Not for everyone else! Besides, I haven't saved us, I've just bought us some time.”

“What do you mean, Ny?” asks Es, ignoring Si who has folded his arms to fume.

“We avoided GovCo learning about us and the projectors for now,” says Ny glumly. “But they're still an EnFo down. Just means they'll come looking for him instead of us. Either way, they're coming.”

“I thought GovCo doesn't care about EnFo's,” says Si acidly. “Wasn't that your point?”

“They care about deserters though,” says Ko quietly. “They can't just let their people walk away. They have to make examples of them to keep the rest in line.”

“Exactly,” says Ny.

“So what do we do?” asks Clo. “What's the plan?”

“We fight!” says Si. “It was always going to come to this anyway. We use the projectors to lay ambushes, take the fight to them.”

“No!” cries Ny, slamming his mechanical hand on the table so that it leaves a dent.

Thick, heavy silence rushes in around them and everyone holds their breath.

“We can't win that way,” says Ny eventually, quiet once more.

“Ok,” says Es then, slowly, carefully. “I don't disagree but, what else is there? What? Pack up? Shut down? Hide? What happens to the people then?”

Another silence arrives, this time thin, empty and desolate.

“I have an idea,” says Ko.

Everyone turns to look and listen.

Ko pauses, suddenly self conscious, then takes a deep breath.

“They're looking for a deserter,” he says. “So we give them one.”

“Hand over the kid?” gasps Clo, appalled.

“No,” says Ko, shaking his head. “We send someone else in his armour. Ny's right, they don't care about the EnFo's as people so they probably don't know what he looks like.”

“But GovCo will execute them,” says Ny, aghast. “Whoever goes in his place. It's a suicide mission. We can't ask someone to do that.”

“But if there's no other choice,” says Es sadly. “If it's one life against thousands...”

“I'll do it,” Ko whispers, his voice not quite making it out of his throat.

“We could draw lots,” says Si. “Make it fair.”

“I'll do it!” says Ko, firm and loud.

For several seconds everyone stares at him but he refuses to flinch.

“Ko,” says Ny, his voice cracking slightly. “No, you don't have to do...”

“It's the only way,” says Ko, sitting a little straighter in his chair.

“But..” Ny tries again.

“I say if, he...” Si, interrupts, leaning into the last word spitefully. “Wants to do it then let him. Better than asking someone who doesn't.”

Ny stares around the table at each face in turn, his mouth open, his wide eyes filling with tears.

“It's fine, Ny,” says Ko, reaching over and placing his hand on Ny's metal fingers. “Really, it's fine.”

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