Ancient Hunter

I ran my finger along the surface of the kitchen counter leaving a trail in the thick dust. It was going to be a bigger job than I had anticipated. Glancing at the box of cleaning materials I surveyed the environs of my apartment. It was on par with the chalet I’d stayed in on Alfheimir but without the partitions. It made the place seem roomier but it was an illusion. The bed was directly opposite the door and the L shaped couch lined two walls. The kitchen area consisted of a cooker, refrigerator, and a couple of other devices. A counter separated the space between the kitchen and the rest of the apartment. Only the shower room cum toilet was enclosed. I took note of the walls a good lick of paint would revive them. I glanced again at the box of cleaning materials wondering if I should have bought more. I should have paid more attention the last time I was here. I hadn’t bothered only thinking I’d be here no more than a few weeks. Now I was back here and deeply regretting not doing anything to the upkeep of the apartment. I was currently debating where to start the kitchen or the bed. Luckily I had bought fresh linen I wasn’t looking to share my bed with what creepy critters that had moved in during my absence.

I stepped back and regarded the only window in the apartment. Last night’s dinner had been a constant surprise. It was a pleasant with Ana fussing over me I think Ljufu must have said something to her. I even got to read Juliet a bed time story. With a regretful sigh I turned my attention back to my current predicament. I threw myself into the task knowing I had to get it done. I vacuumed everything that could be vacuumed and even opened the window to let in some fresh air although it was a struggle to open the window in the first place. Suddenly the door chimed. All thoughts of cleaning went out of my head. Ljufu knew I would be here I’d told her that last night and I sincere doubted Ana would show up on my doorstep. I grabbed my Seven Double ‘M’ and went to answer the door my gun held behind my back. I opened the door ready for anything it slid open to reveal a dark haired young woman.

“Monica!” I said shocked. Her hair was shorter than I’d last seen her and she looked less careworn and had filled out a bit.

“Gwen,” Monica replied relieved to see me. A lot had happened since I last saw her. She and Alicia had been enjoying a night out on Davenport before we headed to Saros.

“What are you doing here?” I know I’d sent them to Saros but I hadn’t been expecting her to turn up on my doorstep.

“Commander Weredale.” She grimaced at that. “Told me you’d be here.”

“Best come on in then,” I said to her. “I have to warn you this place is a mess.”

Monica followed me in. She raised an eyebrow when I put my gun away but said nothing. I saw her glance around.

“Oh I see what you mean.”

“I’m in the process of cleaning up.”

“What happened Gwen?”

I thought she meant the apartment. “Years of neglect.” Then I realised she was talking about my disappearance.

“No at the club when you left to powder your nose?”

“I was kidnapped by some Valkyrie.” That was the simplest explanation I could give her. Things were a lot more complicated than that.

“Valkyrie?” She sighed. “At least that explains much. Davenport Security weren’t very co-operative when you went missing.”

“Tell me about it.”

Monica gave me an odd look and continued. “As I was saying they didn’t seem bothered that you’d gone missing. From what I could tell they seemed glad you were gone.”

“Now that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. They are very anti-Imperial.”

“Please I, we need to know we felt abandoned. Alicia wanted to stay and look for you. I just wanted out.”

“And where is Alicia?” I did wonder why she wasn’t here.

“She couldn’t come she has to work although she’ll be here later.” Monica picked up a cloth and some cleaning fluid. “Let’s get this started the sooner we start the sooner we get finished?”

We sent several hours getting the apartment liveable at the least there was still much work to do but it looked a better than it did. It would have taken me a lot longer to get it to this state than if I had done on my own. Monica sat on the couch and looked nervously at me. From the expression on her face she felt guilty about not saying something earlier.

“Gwen I’ve been to see Vanessa.” She hesitated biting her lower lip. “She doesn’t recognise me at all?”

Monica had been Vanessa’s lover one that had been in an abusive relationship with Vanessa as the abuser. The final straw was when Vanessa sold her to some rogue Orsini. They had tortured her, their intention was to have a lot of fun until she died. Then they intended to burn her body and then grind up her bones to decorate their armour. That could have been me as well if Vanessa hadn’t hit me over the head and left me for dead. The reason the Orsini hadn’t done that to me was that I wasn’t considered a legitimate kill. I woke and killed the one the Orsini about to rape my ‘dead’ body and using the gun he had killed the others. If Solstrid hadn’t given me her knife on a whim I still could have died. Monica and Alicia would not be alive and considering what happened to them after the Valkyrie had dumped them on the first available Confed world. Someone a Black Stripe no doubt had taken them to Davenport to the secret lab where the guards had constantly raped them. That was until I came and freed them.

Monica continued. “Alicia refuses to acknowledge her. Is that wrong?”

“Alicia is her own person. Leave her to do what she needs to do.” I knew she was talking about Vanessa.

“Thanks Gwen,” Monica said.

“For what?”

“For caring about us.”

“You might not be related by blood but you are part of my family.” I took a leaf out of Admiral Komana’s book she considered all those that served under her as part of her family. “I do have a responsibility to you. I wanted to be sure you are safe after I failed to protect you.”

Monica pointed to herself. “How is this a failure?”

“I promised to see you safe to Saros.”

Monica gave me a hard look then sighed. “It wasn’t your fault you were kidnapped. “

Monica straightened up she looked more self-assured.

“All I can say is that I’m sorry.”

“Stop the pity I’ve been there.”

She was right, I decided that there should be a change of topic. “What do you do?”

“I work at the hospital picking up the career I threw away for that bitch.”

I could see she was still angry with her betrayal. I thought it better to steer her away from that. “And Alicia?”

“She works as a teacher’s assistant that way she can free child care for Gareth.”

“Gareth?”

“Alicia’s son he’s about two.”

I remembered seeing Alicia pregnant when I rescued her from that lab.

“We’re living together,” Monica said as if I’d take offence with that statement.

“Good for you. What you do is what you need. Do what you think is best for you?”

Monica breathed out like she’d been holding her breath. “I was worried you wouldn’t approve. Alicia isn’t Vanessa.”

So that was what she was worried about. I thinking that this was another abusive relationship.

“At least be happy, Mother knows you need a break.”

“Mother?”

I winced at that I shouldn’t have said that I sounded too Valkyrie again. “Sorry I’m picking up too many Valkyrie phrases.”

“I see,” she said but in truth she didn’t. “Why would the Valkyrie be interested in a mere human?”

“Because I’m technically not Human. I’m quarter Valkyrie.”

Monica stared at me as if I was lying. The door chimed preventing her from asking any more questions and from me having to answer them.

“That should be Alicia,” Monica said relieved.

I opened the door to reveal a younger woman and a child. It was Alicia looking a lot different from the last time I saw her. Her hair was longer and a shade of neon green her figure had filled out and she looked plump. She was a wearing a brightly coloured floral dress over which she had thrown a blue knitted jacket. It made her look older than her actual age over her shoulder was a bulky tote bag. He son was holding her hand. I could see he at least looked like her his hair the colour hers used to be. She stared at me her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Gwen it’s really you?”

“Come on in,” I said.

Alicia entered her son in tow. I did wonder about him, the boy was unusually silent for his age. Then I hadn’t much experience dealing with children.

“Gwen this is Gareth,” Alicia introduced her son. “He’s not normally this shy.”

“Don’t worry about that I can be a little intimidating.” Adding. “Monica already told me all about him.”

Alicia just nodded and walked to Monica and kissed on the lips. They broke apart Monica looked a little flushed her cheeks were red.

“I’ll make coffee,” she said and glanced at me. “Black, no sweetener?”

I had been drinking that way all day I fancied a bit of a change and I needed the extra energy. “White with sweetener this time.”

“Not your normal drink?” Monica queried.

“I’ll need the energy boost if I’m going to get this place in any sort of order before I go to sleep tonight.”

“We’re here to help,” Monica volunteered.

“I’ll do what I can but I need to keep an eye on Gareth.” Alicia sounded like someone was going to snatch him up before her eyes.

I sensed it something to do with the time they were in the jungle lab. Thought had me sick to the stomach. I was just glad I stopped it when I did. No one should have to go through that sort of trauma. We carried on cleaning. It was late when Monica left. Alicia had gone home earlier to bath Gareth and put him to bed. I sat on the couch and relaxed, having company was nice. It wasn’t the sort of company I craved if only Jervic was here then things might have been different. He wasn’t here and I was unlikely to hear from him again. With that thought in mind I headed to bed.