Chapter Fifteen – A Difference of Opinion
“Hold on,” shouted Carrie to her orange-jumpsuited replacement. “Wait for us. We’re coming, too.”
The blur of the mechanical alien sharpened as it came nearer. It was slowing and angling its flight towards the woman, who hadn’t reacted to Carrie’s shout.
“I said, wait.” Carrie was running now, with Dave close behind.
Glancing over her shoulder and back up at the guard, the woman looked as if she was hoping it would arrive before Carrie did. The air began to vibrate with a low, barely perceptible hum as the alien drew to a halt. It hovered just above the ground a short distance from the woman, who was now walking towards it.
“Stop, don’t leave without us,” yelled Carrie.
Not stopping, nor even pausing, the woman lifted her foot to step into the placktoid’s centre when Carrie’s dive almost, but not quite, knocked her off her feet. Carrie bounced and fell.
“Wow, you’re solid,” she said as she sprawled on the ground.
Staggering upright, the woman frowned. She stepped away from the paperclip and folded her arms. “What on Earth are you doing?” she asked, curling her lip.
“We’re coming, too,” said Carrie. “I’m a space liaison thingy as well. I’m going to speak to Gavin, or the placktoids.”
“Er, no, I don’t think you are.” She turned towards the waiting placktoid.
Carrie leapt up and stood in front of the woman, her arms straight by her sides. “What are you doing here, anyway? I’m the person responsible for settling this conflict.”
“Not any more, you aren’t. Now, excuse me please, I have a job to do.” The woman side-stepped Carrie, who reinserted herself into her path.
“No, you haven’t. It’s my job,” she said.
Dave lingered close by.
“It was your job,” said the woman. “You failed, and now I have to come in and clean up your mess.”
“That’s not true,” exclaimed Carrie. “I haven’t failed. I was just...I was just...gathering information from the custard, I mean, the...” she waved towards the ocean, “the oootoons.”
“Hmpf, you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about, or what you’re doing. And, by the way, it’s oootoon, singular. Please step aside, the placktoids are waiting.”
“We were calling them to get us...anyway. I have important questions for them.”
“Oh really. Where’s your equipment? And why aren’t you wearing your uniform?”
“I—I— ” Carrie’s shoulders slumped. The woman smirked. Carrie’s mouth shut like a trap and stamped her foot. “Dammit, that’s none of your business.”
Her expression softening, the woman smiled and leaned down. “Look, it’s all right. Not everyone is cut out for this job. You toddle off home now and get a good night’s sleep. In the morning you can pretend none of this happened, and you can continue your boring little life in whatever boring little corner of the world you come from. Okay? Do you want me to ask Gavin to open a gateway for you?” She reached into her bag.
Carrie pushed up her sleeves and clenched her fists. “You aren’t getting on that paperclip without us.”
Tipping back her head, the woman laughed. “And I suppose you’re going to stop me? Like you did just then? Or are you going to get your boyfriend here to do your fighting?”
Dave tutted and rolled his eyes.
“I was trying to avoid hurting you then. But now I’m warning you, I’m trained in Bagua Zhang. And Dave isn’t my boyfriend.”
Momentary indecision flickered in the woman’s eyes, then her expression firmed. “I don’t care what you’re trained in. You’re still a little pipsquea—”
The air rushed from the woman’s lungs as Carrie jabbed her in the stomach with rigid fingers. She staggered, her mouth open and gasping.
“Carrie,” exclaimed Dave, “I don’t think there’s any need for that kind of behaviour.”
“It’s okay, I’ve just winded her. Come on.” She went to board the paperclip.
But Dave walked over to the woman and put a hand on the shoulder. She was bent double, her hands on her knees, struggling for breath. “Are you all right?”
“Dave,” shouted Carrie.
“I’m just checking you haven’t hurt her.”
“She’s fine. If I’d wanted to hurt her, I would have. Let’s go before she recovers.”
Dave hesitated. “If you’re sure...she looks a bit pale.”
Flinging back her hair, the woman bared her teeth at Carrie as she took in great gulps of air.
“Come on, Dave, quick.”
“I really think we’d better—”
A fluorescent orange blur flew at Carrie, who side-stepped the woman’s force and caught her off-balance with a shoulder to her middle. The woman lifted into the air and glided over Carrie’s head, landing on her back with a whump. She lay at Carrie’s feet, winded again.
“Whoa,” said Dave.
“Now, will you—owww!” The woman had sunk her teeth into Carrie’s ankle through her trouser leg. “Arghhh...let go.” She shook her leg, but the woman clung on. Carrie reached down, grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm. With a cry, the woman released her bite and leapt to her feet. Carrie stepped back. The two women began to circle.
“Back off,” said Carrie. “I’m not playing anymore.”
“You caught me off guard. You won’t get away with it a second time.”
“We only wanted to hitch a ride with you on the paperclip.”
“It’s a placktoid, you idiot. Stop calling it a paperclip. Better yet, go home, where you belong.”
Dave stepped between the women, both hands raised. “You know, I’m sure we can talk about this, if we all calm down and behave reasonably.”
“I’m not the one being unreasonable,” said Carrie. “I only wanted a lift.”
“Give up and go away,” said the woman through gritted teeth.
Carrie darted forward, and Dave jumped out of the way. She threw out her foot, trying to hook the woman’s leg from under her, but she scooted back. They circled again. As Dave backed farther away Carrie dashed in once more with a kick, but the woman grabbed her foot and dragged her forward, hopping. She wrenched Carrie’s leg so she was forced to hop closer, and swung a fist, but Carrie leaned back. The fist missed her jaw by a hair’s breadth.
Dave put his hands to his face. “There’s no need for all of this. You’re both totally overreacting.”
Carrie was still hopping. With a grunt, she leapt and turned 360 degrees in midair, breaking the woman’s grip. As she landed, she leapt again, flinging her leg upwards and kicking the woman in the head. After landing heavily on her bottom, the woman sat swaying and blinking.
“Dave, come on,” called Carrie as she turned and ran for the placktoid.
He was just behind her as she jumped into the centre. The forcefield gripped them and they floated, bouncing gently to and fro. Their entrance seemed to trigger a reaction in the mechanical alien. Its humming intensified, and it began to rise. A few feet away the woman lurched up, wobbling. She shouted something, but the sound didn’t penetrate the forcefield. Her long stride brought her over quickly, but not quickly enough. Leaping, she reached for the edge of the placktoid as it ascended. Her fingers grasped air, and she dropped to the ground.
Carrie and Dave watched her figure grow smaller as she shook an angry fist at them. Carrie smiled and waved. Dave frowned at her. Carrie tried to look serious, but her smile broke into a grin. “You’re both totally overreacting,” she said. She put a hand over her mouth, and with a great snort, she began to laugh. She bent double and gripped her sides.
Dave’s lips twitched, his frown melting as a smile forced its way onto his face. His smile broke into laughter, and as the alien zoomed upwards, Carrie and Dave clung to each other in fits of giggles, wiping their eyes and struggling to draw breath.
Above them, the black shape of the placktoid spaceship grew larger, a beam of brilliant light shining from the open hatch in its base. Carrie and Dave were still laughing when the alien disgorged them into the loading bay of the spaceship. They collapsed to the floor, gasping and groaning.
Gavin was awaiting them, his hundred eyes fixed on their rolling forms. Carrie caught sight of him, and her giggles weakened until they finally faltered and died.