Hasta La Vista, Solvay. P1 - Lakes and Ladders

Refectory

Seymour had decided that after their recent perplexing spell on the planet, what the crew really needed was some nice, reassuring counselling. So everyone, bar Alex, Bedge and Plisken, was engaged in a compulsory group counselling session in the refectory. He was letting Phi lead it, interrupting when he thought it necessary. Which was fairly often.

“And how did it make you feel, being a watch?” She was asking.
Justin blew a motorboat through his lips. “Well, to be honest, pretty smegging frustrated.”
“Mmm hmm. And why was that?”
“Because everyone else was stuffin' their faces and shagging their cocks off.”
Phi took a step back.
Seymour coughed loudly. “Okay, why don't we let someone else have a turn? White Wolf?”
“Actually, I had quite a nice time.”
“Right, well. Good. Phil?”
“Me too.”
“Hm.”
“Well I wasn't too impressed.” Said Cass.
“Nor was I.” Agreed Katrina.
Jay looked up at the sound of Cass's voice, why wasn't she in her room? But he was too wiped out to complain. Phi had given him some vitamin shots to give him a boost but he was knackered. Perhaps his blood tests would show something but she hadn't processed them yet.
Holly coughed politely.
“Oh sorry Holly...” Phi said. “How did you feel about the boys' trip to Belhaphasar?”
“Well, to be honest, I missed the lads.”
There was a chorus of “awww”s.

--

“Cahm on, Bedge. Sooner we get there, sooner we can get the work done and get back. I wanna see what's going on with the others.”
“Shorry Marster Solvay, I was just examining dis mechanism an-”
“Well don't.”
“Hrmph.”

The Solvay Master wasn't bossy with the others, why was he bossy with Bedge? It wasn't fair. Oh sure, he was usually sort of rude to people, true he often hit Pancake – not that Bedge blamed him - but it seemed there was a special place reserved in Solvay's soul for being extra stern and severe with Garr.

“It's 'cos of Gomez, in't it?”
Alex scowled but didn't break his stride.
“What you on about?”
“Dat is why you hate me.”
“Don't wanna talk about that.”

And that was all Bedge could get out of him.
The simulant thought of Gomez's disc which he'd stolen and stashed away, he wondered if he should do something with it. It was confusing. He'd been more at home ripping humans heads off, now he'd turned domestic he had to try and navigate their complex emotions. Hard work that was.

Fifteen minutes later they'd reached the conduit they'd been headed for and clambered into it. They sloshed through its shallow water till they came to a hatch.

“Got a wrench?”
“OI didn't mean to kill him” Bedge blurted. He thought about it. “Well, oi did mean to kill him, but it waszh only because-”
“D'you want me to deactivate you? Gimme a wrench.”
Bedge recognised the warning tone and did as he was told.
Alex forced the stubborn hatch open and they made their way down a very, very long ladder into a large, dank, dark, rusty space. “Smeg knows why Seymour wanted us to bother with this.” Alex grumbled, more to himself than Garr.

Bedge trundled placidly along behind Solvay, who now stopped to squint between two large metal containers. “Think it's down here. Can't see a thing though.” His eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the gloom.
“Where's this bloody-”

Bedge waited for the end of the sentence but it never came. He tilted his head, and his forehead crinkled as Solvay gasped and dropped the tools he'd been carrying.
“Marster Solvay, what are you doin'?”
The man staggered backwards a couple of steps, hands clutching his left lower abdomen. His face was surprised and confused, as if someone had just hurt his feelings. Bedge's own face wrinkled in bafflement, but then he saw blood bubbling through Alex's fingers. The human was injured.

A huzard leapt out from the dark alleyway between the boxes, hissed and waved its spear which was dripping with Solvay's blood. Its reptilian gaze flicked nastily between the simulant and the man. One hand still to his wound, Solvay pulled a rather small screwdriver from his belt and held it threateningly towards the creature. The Huzard jumped on to the top of one of the containers. Bedge grasped what was happening and launched himself at the Huzard, grabbing it by the ankle. He yanked it from the box and slammed it to the floor.

“'OW DARE YOU!” He yelled.
The Huzard hissed up at him and tried to attack.
Bedge was having none of it, and easily broke the Huzard's arm. “You lizard barshtard!!! Dey might be filfee derty 'oomans, but they're MY filfee derty 'oomans!”
The Huzard's tongue shot out and slapped into his face, it surprised him and he lost his grip. The creature took the opportunity to scamper out of his hands and off up the long ladder.
“COME 'ERE!” Bedge stomped after it and began to scramble upwards, but the ancient rusted ladder groaned under the assault and peeled away from the wall.
Bedge fell and landed heavily. He picked himself up and stared impotently up at the Huzard as it escaped through the hatch. There was nothing he could do.

He turned to Solvay who was now standing next to him, also gazing up at the hatch and still holding one hand to his wound. He tossed the screwdriver to the floor and wiped some sweat from his lip with the free hand. “Think that was our only way out.” His eyes screwed up and he pressed the free hand back on top of the other. Bedge noticed there was a dark stain growing on the blue coveralls beneath them.
“Bedge...” His voice was a pant.
“Yesh?”
“... Wait, just gotta...”
He sat judderingly down, back against the wall near the broken ladder. Bedge sat next to him.
“Bedge... You got any medical files?”
Bedge scanned his database looking for something that might help. “No. Only files on how to kill, not to heal.”
Alex laughed without humour. “Figures.”
He felt his top pocket, fingers groping for his default pack of cigarettes but they weren't there. Of course, he'd been trying to keep up the good work started on the planet. He quickly pressed his hand back to the wound. His hot blood still gushed. Oh shit.
“Wish I had a fag, Bedge.”

Bedge looked at the Solvay Master, his face was pale, he looked very delicate. Oh why did humans have to be so easily damageable?

“Dere must be some way to get out and fix you. Carn't we call Holly?”
“Too far out of his sensor range, mate.”
“... 'mate'.”
“Huh? Uhhh. This really smeggin' hurts.”
“I imajin it would, yes.”
Alex exhaled hard.
“You're a funny smegger.”
Bedge didn't know what to say to that.
Alex winced then shook his head, trying to clear it. “Okay. I'm in shock. Gotta try and stop the bleeding.” He undid his coveralls, took off his t shirt and began tearing it into strips. Bedge looked at the ragged, vomiting wound, it was a wound he'd have been proud of inflicting himself, once. Now, on one of his humans, he thought it was probably not something to be proud of. He noticed, as he had the other day, that the man had lots of scars over his body, he'd obviously been hurt before quite a few times and recovered. Maybe humans weren't as delicate as he thought. A tiny spark of hope ignited in him. Perhaps there would be a chance to repair him yet.
“I am goin' to look for a way out.”

He hauled himself up and for a long time he explored the room, heaving the containers out from the wall in case there was a door behind them. Nothing. He wondered if he could push the ladder back up but the broken section was too high to reach. He tried bellowing, vocals on Max Vol, but nobody came and nobody replied.

“'Ny luck?”
“No. I am very shorry.”

He went and sat next to Alex again. He was even whiter. He'd torn some of his clothing and tied it around himself but blood was now staining that too and still came through his fingers. There was only so much blood in a human and they needed quite a lot of it inside them to work properly. His eyes didn't look like they were focusing very well, either. He was obviously malfunctioning. He was shivering uncontrollably. Bedge helped him pull his coveralls back up, hoping it would warm him.

“Marster Solvay, are you going to die?”
When he replied, Alex's voice sounded rough “... Kinda looks that way, don't it? 'Less you got Phi stashed in your pocket?”
Bedge bowed his head. “I do not.”
“Then I'm probably smegged.” He swallowed but it was difficult because of the lump which was forming in his throat.
“Oh dear.”

They sat in silence for a while. Alex's harsh breathing the only notable sound.

“I just...”
“Wot?”
“I jus' always thought I'd see them again, y'know? Somehow.” He sucked air through his teeth at a twinge in his side. “… And we were so close, with the time drive and all.” It was almost a whisper.

He forced himself to focus and carried on. “We used to play in the park on a Sunday. Me, the kids, Bingle – that was our dog – and Jess.”
“Jess?”
“Jess was my wife.”
“Oh.” Bedge couldn't imagine Solvay with a wife.
“The park was real nice, posh, you know? Had a lake. With ducks and toy boats...”
Bedge liked the sound of the park. “Yeah?”
“An' the benches were on the east side, so you could watch the sun set over the lake. The reflection would make the water glow. And...” He chuckled “... And Seren really believed the sun was disappearing into the trees behind, to go to sleep for the night.” He smiled, face illuminated by some inner light for an instant. Even here, even now.
It was a weird thing. Bedge suspected there was more to humans than met the eye.
“And?” He pressed.
“And I messed it up, because I'm a selfish bastard, but awh Bedge,” his voice became raspy, “I loved them so much.”

Bedge looked at him and blinked in disbelief. Solvay loved someone? Solvay was... “Are you crying?”
“No.”
“Den your eyes are leaking.”
Solvay laugh-sobbed.
“I don't cry, Bedge.”
Bedge studied him to see if he was lying. His expression was nothing like Bedge had ever seen on him before. Usually firm, set, unreadable, angry, now it was soft, hopeless, and afraid. His eyes were deeply sad.
It gave Bedge such a jolt inside that he wondered for a moment if he were malfunctioning himself.
“Are yoo scared?” He asked, quietly.
“Yeh... I wanted to say sorry. Now I never will.”

Bedge grunted. A sweet and sour sensation was permeating his being. He thought about what Alex had just said. Did all humans have these powerful feelings? Even the ones like Solvay who didn't seem to have feelings? All the humans he'd killed... were they all like this?.. Filled with this immense, unfathomable... love. Alex wouldn't ever get to tell them how much he loved them. For a moment he understood.

“I fink I now know why you cry...”
“Don't give me that Terminator crap.” Alex chuckled gently, knowing he wouldn't get the joke. He'd given Bedge a hard time, but he knew he wasn't all bad.
A pain in Solvay's side, and a sickly faint feeling, reminded him he was dying, so he'd better talk while he still could.

“Bedge...”
“Yesh?”
“... I don't hate you” he muttered, almost unintelligible now.
“Pardon!?”
“You said I hated you.” His voice sounded slurred, quiet. “I don' 'ate you.”
“Fank you. I do not hate you either.”
“I know, mate. I kn-.” His voice tailed off and his eyes closed.
“Marster Solvay? Marster Solvay?”
But he wasn't awake any more.
“Marster Solvay!”
He shook the man but he may as well have been a piece of dirty laundry, limp and unresponsive as he was.
“Oh NO! Are you dead Marster Solvay? Don't be dead. Who will push Marster Seymour's wheel chair!?”

-
<Continued in Part 2, next --->>
[Yes, I find it irritating when I do 2-parters too. It's a strange new affliction. My apologies.]