Our Favorite Finn (Pt 2)

“Joo, this is a very bad place.” Piritta did not have so much of a trace of a Finnish accent as she placed a comforting hand on Colt’s shoulder. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just don’t want to have you trying to capture me while I talk to you.” Piritta grimaced at a collar she had found amongst Colt’s gear. “I don’t know who the sick fuck is that built this place but he hasn’t been back in months, not since I found this place. I hope he’s dead.”

Colt flinched from her touch, but made his wind subside, watching her closely. “I had no intention of doing anything.” He replied, eyes still glancing around in disgust at this place. “I hate this place. I know it…I know the stink. That monster isn’t dead, but he should be…” The way his eyes kept going out of focus would tell Piritta he wasn’t truly living in the moment. He was recalling a moment he couldn’t forget.

He still hated himself for not being able to help his friend, a girl he loved like family.

Piritta was beginning to worry that Colt was about to go into shock. She kicked the gear out of easy reach and untied him. “It’s okay… you’re safe now…”

Colt sat up, shaking as he tried to send the memories away. “I couldn’t save her…it’s my fault she’s…” He thought of all the things he heard, all the pain he knew Tzeitel had been in. Plus, there was the pain of his own death that still hung over him. “I have to get it out. Get it out of me!” He looked to Piritta, pointing to the metal plate in his neck. “Get this out for me and once I’ve saved her, I’ll do anything you need me to.”

“Her-” Piritta nodded at the torn jumpsuit discarded on the floor, similar to what Colt wore. It had been Tzeitel’s. But now Colt was showing her his neck- was that a metal plate? Piritta cocked an eyebrow. “Mitä? Do I just cut that thing out?” She asked skeptically, touching the birch handle of her knife.

Colt nodded. “I can handle it.” He told her, pulling his short hair aside. He’d endure any pain he had to in order to help the person he considered a sister.

“What if I kill you or paralyze you? I’m no nurse.” Piritta hesitated.

“I’ll be fine. Just do it.” Colt told her. He knew whatever power Thrane had given him would keep him alive. The pain he was already in from the chip itself was bad enough. He needed it out.

“Fine.” Piritta splashed the knife blade and the back of Colt’s neck with some alcohol. Then she tried cutting the plate out while cutting as shallowly as possible.

Colt hissed and gritted his teeth. “Cut…c…cut deeper…” He gasped out, feeling the knife barely graze where that damned chip was.

“You’re a whiny little bitch.” Piritta said comfortingly as she cut just deep enough to hook a nail under the chip and pry it loose.

“How am I a whiny little bitch?” Colt grumbled as he felt the chip get pulled loose. The pain from it was already fading and the cut was trying to heal. He prayed Piritta got her fingers out fast. Reaching back, he grabbed the metal plate and ripped it out, not caring that blood would pour down his back.

He tossed it at the wall. “Damn you, Thrane.” He hissed.

“Kuka on Thrane?” Piritta asked, wiping the blood off her knife and hands on Colt’s shirt. He was bleeding all over his shirt anyways.

Colt’s wound was already healing, closing up as if he’d never been injured in the first place. “Thrane is the bastard who brought me back to life. He captures metas and uses us for breeding, torture…and experimentation.” He explained and pulled off the shirt, tossing it aside as well.

Piritta looked at the tossed shirt then studied Colt. “Showing off?”

“Huh?” Colt looked at her in confusion. “Can I have my sword back?”

“En ymmärrä.” Piritta said, putting the sword on her own belt. She had always wanted a sword.

<Give my sword back, please.> Colt said as he stood up and turned to her, setting his hands on his hips. All those muscles were on display right now.

“Anteeks, en ymmärrä.” Piritta said, enjoying the view. She tossed Colt his MegaCorp issued collar though.

<Don’t bullshit me! We’re speaking the same language, woman!> Colt tossed the collar away and reached for his sword.

“Low siento! Only habla espanja!” Piritta turned the hip with the sword on it away from Colt.

“Stop lying to me!” He blurted in English and tried to twist around Piritta, reaching for the sword again. “Woman, please!”

“En means no!” Piritta elbowed Colt in the stomach. “Minun miekkaani!”

Colt only grunted in discomfort, and wrapped his arms around her to grab the sword’s handle. “It was my sword first.” He replied, able to handle the hits better without that stupid chip in him now. “Let me have it back, you brat!”

Piritta judo flipped Colt over her shoulder. “Minun miekkaani!” She repeated. “The cost of my surgery.”

Another grunt was all he offered as he twisted and got back to his feet quickly, brushing off the dirt from the floor. “Are you serious? My sword?” He asked. “Can’t I pay you with something else? I need that to help my friend.” He didn’t really need it, but he wanted it back. His family had made it for him.

“Niinkö?” Piritta asked. She really liked the sword. Wrestling with Colt was not bad either.

“Yes and no,” Colt admitted. “It’s from my family, so I don’t like being away from it.” He gestured to the sword, watching her.

“Oh.” PIritta sighed and gave the sword back to Colt. She had lost her own family, her parents to the accident and the rest she avoided to keep them out of trouble with MegaCorp.