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My head pressed against her fingers. Enjoying the peace they brought with them.

Not much of worry out here.

Not a human in sight.

Just the clouds passing above us.

I could hear a strong wind approach, before I could feel it across my skin. The roar of the rustling leaves sent birds to the skies.

By how Valeriy wasn't blowing at her hair to move it off her face, she was likely asleep again.

And again, Ixie and Zephyr had found a comfortable spot. Their heads resting on our stomachs.

Everything felt warm. Outside by the sunrays. Inside by those around me.

The moment my eyes grew heavy, a sharp grating beeping pattern cut through the peace.

Valeriy blindly answered the call. Making use of the earbud she usually wore. A grumble escaped out of her throat as she rolled into my side.

"Everything's fine," were the first words blurted from the other side. Female.

"...Sparks... why are you calling me?" she said slowly, sitting up. All the seriousness she held the night before returning to her posture.

"Amber told me to call. She wanted you to know that she returned home fine."

"Oh-okay.... Thanks for letting me know."

"Nothing happened the whole trip. No dangers popped up but I got to say, she's far better behaved than your family ever was."

Valeriy's shoulders shrugged. "Sorry?"

"...Are the two of you fighting? She's always made this call."

"Huh? I've got no bloody idea as to what the hell you're going on about."

A lie.

Her voice was steady, but the rest of her wasn't.

"I just thought – forget it. Do you have any more injuries since I last saw you?" the other woman questioned.

Valeriy looked at me with an apology written across her brow. "Nothing because of him. He prevented a few of my... cooking mishaps? I've learned I don't know how to cook."

"...."

"Thanks for checking in." She hung up with a heavy sigh.

I could hear every strand of her hair snapping when they tangled into the joints of the metal cast around her right hand. Before she could run her hands through her hair again, I placed mine on her back. Her warmth bleeding through the thin fabric of her shirt.

"...I wish the rest of the world would just melt away..." she mumbled with a heavy sigh.

"We can stay here a little longer," I suggested.

"...I have to get back to work. I'll be broke in about an hour or so.... Stay and enjoy the sun awhile, Bucky. If you want. Just retrace your steps to get back to Soteria, or follow Ixie," she said, picking up the controller off the dirt.

"Take what she gave me."

"Huh? Eve gave you what?"

"The gold she talked about. For finding the flaws in your security plans."

Valeriy laughed, turning away from the monstrous machine in front of us. "I can't take that."

"Why not?"

"You earned that."

"I don't know what to do with so much."

"Squirrel it away for a rainy day? You don't even know what I need money for."

"If it was to finance an assassination, you would have told me to stay out of it. Whatever it is, it's important to you."

"...You trust me a little too much, Bucky. What if the important thing to me was a shit load of heroin?"

"You've said you're an addict and in the last five days, you haven't eyed your pain killers once. It's about those children from last night, isn't it? If there were landmines... they're hurt.... You want to help them. Even before last night. I saw you looking up psychiatrists in the motorhome. Everybody you greenlit is young. Very young. Or at least looks young. Younger than you do."

Her shoulders shrugged. "...Figured they're probably sick of adults. Snatched up every baby-faced head doc I could.... Now they need some miracles. But you've bought them a good chunk of time. Thanks for doing this, Bucky."

There was more. There was more she wanted to say in the way her fingers fidgeted. Yanking up blades of grass. Flicking little pebbles towards the cliff. A couple of them managed to fly over it.

The huge octopedal machine stayed perched with five legs over the cliff, it didn't move when a pebble hit it. Barely swayed in the wind. No signs of tipping over.

"What is it...?" I asked, tugging on a lock of her long hair. Watching the sunlight turn it so very red.

As her mouth parted to say something, another sharp beeping of a different pattern cut through the air. "Not a sound, Bucky." This time, she answered it while scrambling for the eight legged ride. "D'amour."

I raced after her. Not believing that she wouldn't topple over the cliff's edge right with the machine she was clambering up. Her hands clung onto the rungs when I tried to pull her off the thing.

"Sparks."

'Why is she calling again?'

When I managed to get her to let go, the platform swung down. Scooped us right up and the legs pushed off into a jump.

"Am I needed?" Valeriy demanded.

I tried to keep her from sliding off as the legs landed and sped along the cliff side. Going far faster than before. All the while, she struggled to keep the controller away from me.

"No. There's no horrible situation going downhill at the moment... that I know of.... Are you in the middle of something? I can call back."

At those words, Valeriy slowed down the beast. Just barely. But enough for the dogs to eventually catch up. Wherever they were, I could no longer see them.

"Whatever it is, spit it out, Sparks."

"So..." the librarian started, "...I've been looking over last night's operation in Congo.... There's nothing that you could have done to change what happened. Those deaths aren't on you."

Valeriy huffed a forced laugh. "Costa, Sarkisian, Tran, Pandev.... All of them would be alive if I hadn't put you on Mochi. You and the one Eve won't tell me about."

"The one who has me working up a sweat to keep my title as best Puppet? That person? We would have made little change. Maybe Costa might have survived. Tran would have still pulled that hot headed stunt. The children and the Puppets killed by the landmines would still be dead. Nothing anyone could have done."

"Next time we deal with children, remind me to have them strapped onto our backs."

"I feel that would prove more of a hindrance.... A few of us will be spending our free time cleaning as much money as we can of any connection to Ayers. The name can't be tied to helping the children. But they need all the money they can get."

"Thanks for lending a hand."

"If you can't get enough, I suggest you use the Ayers system put in place to find your replacement. Call Cookie Dough..." the librarian hedged, "...She... She knows someone...."

"I guess you're not the only one with somebody after their job."

"You should get on with DeLafée and Éclair's last minute changes. They're getting upset with the little vacation you've taken, and you're the one who has two contenders for their job. I've just the one."

"Is that all?"

"Oh, I almost forgot, Mochi's been delivered safe and sound."

"Thanks for reporting in. I'll see what money I can funnel your way."

"We have some to work with. A bunch of us pitched in."

With that, the line went dead and another heavy sigh escaped the young woman beside me.

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Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

This part was edited by the Anonymous Second Beta and the new beta TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/).