Next Step

Grasslands. One of the largest fields in the lands which were once called Montana. Telia stood in the middle of the field taking in the sun's heat. Her sweat rolling down her body making the shirt cling against her body. Engineering work would have to wait. The parts for the skyship wouldn't arrive until the day after and there was no other work needed to be done. A few free days to absolutely do nothing. 

"Really wish business wasn't so slow," said Telia. "Might have to charge them triple."

Telia returned to the grassland after finding a large stump within the area. She had just started in her second bottle of whiskey only to trip and slam her hand on a large stump. She earned three broken fingers and a dislocated shoulder that night. It held up her job on the last hover cycle she had to give the guy a discount. Regretted the decision the moment she said, "How about…" 

"It felt to smooth to be such a jagged stump," said Telia. 

Monty nudged her back. A large quadruped with a long body and and short neck. It's face was a little long as well as though it had a large snout with it's teeth under it's nostril. Telia's grandmother had once told her that horses were not quite as large as they once were but could be just as friendly and docile. Sometimes. 

"Thanks Monty. I just wish I had some help. It thought I told Ave and Lunet to meet me here today. Might be an undiscovered hatch. Or with my luck, a piece of garbage."

After a few minutes of staring at the ground she moved to the fields edge taking a seat under a tree. The wind shifting in the air. The smell of rain on its way. 

Nearby the sound of two people arguing was overhead until they broke through the tree line. They stood near Telia's right as they continued arguing. 

One was tall with brown hair. Known as an Ursus this species derived from a lineage of bears. Next to the Ursus was a woman, who barely reached the bears chest. Even as she nudged him in the shoulder. They wore simple shorts and a shirt, which barely covered the bears stomach. The woman had goggles over purple-green hair and a mask with small tanks on either side of her mask. Her caramel skin almost seemed to glow under the shade. She wore a tank top and cargo pants with a heavy duty utility belt. Various boxes and tools hung around her waist. She opened a pouch pulling out a small tank cartridge and attached it to her face mask. 

"Seriously Lunet you need to stop inhaling those." 

Lunet looked to the Ursus and raised her hand. A large middle finger underneath the bears chin. "Fuck off Ave." 

Ave lowered his head. Even through his bear features there was clear anguish on his face. Lunet walked around taking out the cartridge and putting it back in her pouch. She took a deep breath through the mask. She walked up to Telia looking at her arm and lowered her goggles. 

"Why do you do that to him?" Telia asked Lunet brushing her hair back. "He cares for you more than-" 

"Which is why," Lunet took a deep breath, "I push him away." She breathes again. "Keeping our distance…is safer for us…both."

"And when are you finally ready to admit you actually like being around him? Maybe help him find someone instead of just-" 

"So what are we doing here again? I had to convince the council members to postpone my own meeting back a few days," said Ave. "I wish not regret today's decision." 

"Smell my ass and start sniffing around for any lingering scent. I can't seem to recall where I fell," said Telia.

"Do I…" Ave looked to Lunet then Telia. Even through his animalistic features ge showed a clear look if concern in his face. "Do I really have to sniff your ass?"

Telia smiled as she pulled away from Lunet. The sound of swears was easily overheard as she walked up to Ave. She looked up to him, barely reaching his chin, and gave him a small poke on his nose. She turned around, bent over revealing the crack above her shorts and wiggled her butt in front of him. 

Ave stared wide-eyed as Telia continued to wiggle her butt. Ave closed his eyes. “I really can’t believe I’m doing this for-”

Telia stood up. The sound of air escaping blowing between her butt cheeks. “Damn. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’ll have to think of another punishment.” She walked back to the tree picking up a purple and orange cylinder capsule no longer than three feet. A foot in diameter and surprisingly light.

“Nice duffle, but why those colo-Punishment?”

“I don’t like it when you two fight.” Telia looked between Lunet and Ave. “I know you two do it more when I’m not around. Whatever your reason this time just wait until we’re done.”

Ave looked to Lunet and gave each other a nod. They turned to Telia bowing their heads and looked up both sticking their tongues out and gave ridiculous faces. Telia burst out laughing instantly. Their movements were in perfect unison. They tried making the same face as best they could. They practiced this more than once. Telia laughed.

After a few minutes of catching up Telia finally took out a pair of pants and small square plastic item no bigger than her fingertip from the capsule.

“Smell those pants. It should have the scent of lavender from a field of flowers. You think you can smell them and find my scent in the field?” Telia gave the plastic piece to Lunet. She turned her arm over as a small compartment opened and placed it inside.

“How long ago is the scent?” Ave asked.

“A week ago-ish.”

“A week? A whole week-even if the-maybe if there’s…if it didn’t rain any day then maybe I’ll have a chance.”

“It rained all week.”

Ave lowered his head giving a low growl. He tossed the pants back. “What am I looking for exactly?”

“It  looks like a metal stump. It was dark when I tripped on it so I don’t know the color.” 

“And you couldn’t look for this thing yourself?”

“Broken arm, doped on meds, and it rained all week.” Telia’s tone sounding sarcastic

Ave lowered his head and turned heading into the field on all fours. “By the way, I could smell those things before you even opened the capsule. Smells like they haven’t been washed in over a month.”

“Two months,” whispered Telia. 

Lunet stood next to Telia as she inserted the chip into a slot within her wrist. “That seemed a little…uncall-uncalled for.”

“Yeah…I have a fresh batch for him as thanks. So what were you two fighting about this time? Shipments? The festival? The new tanks you’re using? Yeah I noticed them-”

“Wedding plans.” Lunet closed her wrist and leaned on Telia. “His marriage is coming up soon and that pig just won’t…she wont leave…”

“It’s peace between beasts and species and most importantly nations.Thats what the feeds keep saying.”

“Most of that is true but-buuutt…is there a virus on this list?”

“Stop trying to divert the topic, and maybe. Haven’t updated my own software in awhile.”

“Why are we searching this field for a hatch?”

“If it’s a hatch then that means a hidden area. A hidden area means undiscovered location. Undiscovered location means random shit that was left behind. And the older the random shit?”

“So it’s a treasure hunt.”

Telia looked disappointed. “Yes, we’re on a treasure hunt.”

Lunet remained quiet as they looked in the field. Ave’s tail raised higher than the grass. The grass was higher near the middle. Telia hummed a tune randomly changing pitch quickly that made Lunet think she was trying to be annoying on purpose. It did break the silence only to make her smile twitch.

“How are the wastelands?” Telia stopped her humming and pulled out a small translucent ball and popped it in her mouth.

“You shouldn’t be taking those. They’re addictive,” Lunet grabbed Telia’s chin making her open her mouth. She took the ball out and tossed it in the field.

Telia kept her mouth open as she followed the ball in the field. “The drugs are yellow and pink. That was my nutrient meal. Strawberry chocolate cheesecake was the desert.” Telia sniffed wish it was allergies.

“I am going to pay you back. A case worth. On me.”

“Yeah. You will.”

Lunet gave her a hug then returned looking into the field. “Supplies from the northwest tribes are running low. My cities just brought a new shield online and created extra defenses against those flying lizard things.”

“Wyverns.”

“Goddess bless you. Then the Animal tribes are trying to gain territory from the west.”

“Ave’s people would never do something like that without notifying you first. We both know how he-” 

“It’s not the Ursus, or the Felonians. Hell it’s not even the Canites.I wish it was the Rodences. It's the damn Reptiliacs.” Lunet opened a pouch and gave Telia a small cartridge with a mouthpiece. “Supposedly there’s been talks with negotiations and then a fight broke out. That’ll help numb the pain. I know how hard meds are now. Then there were a few riot breakouts and some high end break-ins on some weaponry. It’s still looking like cyborgs and animals can’t coexist properly.”

“You two make it work.”

“He’s getting married to the Princess of the Porcians.”

“Is she cute?”

“Full figured and big. Jealous in every thickness.”

Telia laughed. “So you’ve seen her?”

“She’s beautiful, and they get along well.”

Telia looked at Ave’s tail as it wagged  in the air. She grabbed her friend and embraced her in a hug, as hard as she could with one arm and someone made of seventy-three percent cybernetics. “You two were perfect.”

Lunet leaned her head against Telia. “Thank you.”

“FOUND IT.”

The two ran nearly tripping over the other. Farther in the field they began to move closer to the left side near the tree line. Clouds began to form overheard. The sunny open field suddenly becoming dark and disturbing, a sense of an ominous foreshadow. The first few drops slowly coming down. They came up Ave hovering over a brown metallic stump.  

Not exactly a tree stump. A perfect circular top leading down slowly widing. Similar to a cone missing its point, and most of the cone. Lunet pushed Ave away as she kneeled next to the stump. She placed her left hand down on the stump, pressed the side of her wrist as it detached from her hand. Wires still connected but allowed her to stand. Her eyes displayed various holograms of code as she began working through literal lines of code.. 

 “Ancient coding. No colors or shapes to hide the actual information. Take a few seconds to dec-Done.” Lunet whipped her wrist as her hand reeled back in, backwards. She turned it around clicking it in place.

The ground shook around as the grass and dirt slowly separated. A large hatch appeared opening up. Rusted interior with steps leading down into a surprising dark abyss. The rain increased. The sound of thunder echoing throughout the area. 

“By the Gods I miss doing this with you guys,” Telia yelled. “Just like when we were kids.”

“I like to point out the fact that we shouldn’t go down a dark creepy hole. I know what I said,” said Ave. “But if there’s a golem down there or a damn drone, then i'm out.” 

“Ave…I had a failed shipment. A delay on repairs that I had to give my customer a major discount. I broke my arm after having make-up sex with my shitty of an ex-girlfriend. Yeah, I haven't had a chance to tell you about that nightmare yet. Spoiler, we are still not back together, and yes, it’s a good thing. My parents still wont answer my calls after the pie incident.. I may lose the travel station that I worked my ass off to save up the money. Now my two best friends are arguing with each other because they’re not taking the time to actually talk to one another.” Telia yelled. The sound of the wind and rain becoming louder making it harder to hear. “This is an old school treasure hunt. This is a weird ass coincidence.”

Ave laughed as he came in hugging Telia. Wet fur pressing against her face. “That was extremely random and somehow strange to say in the middle of a storm.”

“It’s been a long few months.” Telia hugged Ave. “I missed you guys.” Lunet came covering behind Telia.

Lunet stared down blinking a few times as her eyes illuminated the stairs leading to a corridor. Lowering her goggles the are was completely engulfed in light. She took a few steps down testing the stairs. “It might hold your weight, Ave. No guarantees.”

Ave took a step testing the stairs. After a few creaks and a slight shift it held his weight. “Yep, just like old times. Wish I had my-”

Telia pulled out a plastic bag and tossed it to Ave. “Fresh shorts and a much bigger shirt. Might want to wait until your fur drys a little.”

Ave held the plastic bag. “How did you know a hatch was here? They’re extremely rare.”

Telia held up her arms. “Lucky in the end I suppose.”

“Like old times.”

“Old times.”

Telia pushed passed Ave as they headed down into the unknown.