Chapter Six: Tit for Tat — Part 5

Spunky lazily orbited Orchid’s head, spinning in an erratic fashion while moving in an ellipse set at a sloppy angle to the ground. It also moved in a wobble that occasionally put it into Orchid’s peripheral vision, causing her to look up or left or right out of instinct. When it became obvious to Orchid that Spunky’s sole intent was to bother her and thus require she take her focus from her work, Orchid paused from her project, her entire body language an expression of impatience. She snapped around quickly, staring at the annoying orb, waiting for it to talk. Spunky floated quietly, not saying a thing.

“What?” Orchid demanded, knowing that if she went back to work, Spunky would just start bothering her again.

“An orb broadcast to me a message from your mother.” Spunky said, after spinning at an odd angle. “She seems to feel it important that you respond. Shall I relay it to you?”

Orchid had no desire to talk to her mother, and turned away. This time it was her who would say nothing. Orchid went back to work, and Spunky returned to annoying her. After her return from Pablo’s offices, Orchid had taken a long shower to help clear the psychological ichors of being in close proximity to the gangster, of coming so close to killing a man who made killing his living. Since that time, Orchid had spent a couple months of quiet recovery with her brother, tending to the asteroid’s ecological systems and to her brother’s various botanical experiments while her brother regained his strength. Time passed relatively quickly, each of them buried in their personal projects, each lonely, neither able to help the other with many aspects of their lives.

Bamboo thought of Jun constantly, though he didn’t know why. He got the feeling that she had suffered horribly after his leaving her, and though he knew better than to return to Zon, considering the politics of the place, Bamboo missed Jun and wanted to apologize for any harm his presence might have caused her. On one particular night when he was trying especially hard not to think of Jun, Bamboo sat near Orchid, working over some complicated tactile puzzle, the pieces of which were designed to lock together until it formed a specific complex shape. His own bender clicked annoyingly around his ears, disrupting his concentration. Finally, he slammed his work down, sending pieces everywhere and spoke out with considerable anger.

“Let’s hear what the bitch has to say.” Bamboo just about screamed.

After being ignored for close to two hours, Spunky broadcast a clean image of their mother into the center of the room while Glyph broadcast her voice. Bamboo listened and Orchid watched with shared offense. Amber’s face was older than Orchid remembered. Amber, with big breasts and pale, comfortable features similar to both her children, put a single finger up, smiling, as if even in a recording, she knew the two would be angry at her and talking over her.

“If I can have a moment of your time.” She began. “I would like your company on Earth, as soon as is humely possible. Beds have been set and dinner tables are waiting with empty chairs just for you. Please come to Earth, and then follow the detailed map sent along with this message to the Eighth Point of Entry.”

Orchid dropped her head for a moment. “She really doesn’t get how much we hate her for leaving us, does she?”

“I don’t think she gets anything. At least we know where she’s been hiding out for fifteen some odd years.” Bamboo rocked a little as his anger sunk in. “Think she’s in trouble or something?”

“Who cares?” Orchid paced. “I doubt it. This sucks. I say we blow her off. It’s not like she’s ever been there for us.”

“She didn’t actually say anything, now did she?” Spunky said.

“Perhaps this is because she couldn’t say anything.” Glyph added, with some bit of concern.

“You two stay out of this. Where Amber is concerned, neither of you can be trusted.” Bamboo Snapped.

“Fucking traitors, both of you.” ORchid countered.

“I am merely saying,” Spunky continued, “that we cannot know what she wants or needs if we don’t go to Earth. Glyph, on the other hand, is simply being its usual paranoid self.”

“It may be that she will finally have an explanation for why she left the two of you to grow up in our care.” Glyph added.

Orchid’s eyes turned to dangerous slits. “It would be so nice for both Bamboo and myself to know why a perfectly healthy woman left a blind boy and a helpless girl —”

“Don’t you think helpless is pushing it a bit?” Spunky countered, sounding a little on the sardonic side.

Orchid talked over Spunky, ” — to grow up alone with nobody but each other and a couple combat-grade banders to rely on.”

“I would like to know that as well.” Bamboo said.

“Very well, then.” Orchid said, “We’re going to Earth. But not because she asked us, of course.”

“No, of course not.” Spunky said, without a hint of emotion.

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