The woman curled up, too fearful of receiving a punch, but Hunter froze still, looking at this beautiful mistreated woman, who only knew pain and torment all through the four years she spent with her Captain.
«Dont» Hunter saw the woman flinch. «Dont be afraid of me. I wont hurt you, I promise.»
It took Serena a few long moments to look up at him, fear lingering in her grey eyes.
«What did he do to you?» Hunter asked, seeing how nervous the woman was.
«It doesnt matter»
«I want to help.»
«If you want to help, then help me load the gold before some other scrapper comes and takes it.» a sudden anger rose in Serena, making her clench with even more fear, as she got used to being beaten for such a tone.
Hunter sighed heavily, realising he wont get any answers from her.
«Does this scrap bucket have any living quarters at all?» Phers voice sounded from down the corridor, and Hunter turned to his friend, seeing Cipher walking not far behind.
Serena noted how much better the man looked after his visit to the infirmary.
«Thank you.» Cipher stepped up, offering his hand for a handshake.
Serena flinched at this unusual gesture, but Cipher calmly froze, until she finally clasped her palm in his.
«I know the circumstances of our meeting werent» Cipher paused, searching for appropriate words. «Werent the best, but lets make everything better, shall we? I assure you, captain, we will do our best to help around the ship while we are your guests. If theres anything we can help you with, just let us know.»
Hunter met his friends gaze and nodded towards the bay:
«Loading the gold would be a good start, dont you think?»
«Right!» Cipher threw a frowning look at Pher. «Lets get to it, before some other scrapper teams find this location, shall we?»
Pher grimaced and followed Cipher, heading to the bay. Serena and Hunter stepped behind them, silent and uneasy.
The woman was weary of the three men however glad she was that they helped her get rid of the Ol Fart, they could really follow their own agenda and go back on their words to help her and split the profit from selling the golden ingots. Serena knew very well that greed could drive men mad, so she wasnt sure she would walk away with her life, not mentioning her cut of the treasure.
Passing through the cargo bay, Serena unloaded her anti-gravitational cart from the bits she collected before, and activated a few more carts, knowing that there is too much to get from the vault to carry in one. The carts immediately headed after her, as she walked into the building.
«These are small well have to make a few trips to get everything.» Pher moaned, realising how much work they will have to do.
Serena stayed silent, knowing how wrong he was. Cipher, however grunted at his friend and shook his head:
«Work with what youre given!» he said.
Pher fell silent and Serena thought again that Cipher could be the leader of this trio. However raggedy they seemed, they carried expensive weapons and remnants of Company soldier uniform.
«Ill give you some inconspicuous clothes after were done.» the woman said, not really thinking.
Pher darted around, making her stop, and the fury in his blue eyes burned her. Hunter caught Phers arm before he could strike the woman.
Serena lowered her eyes, feeling even more nervous than before:
«Your clothes give out who you are. I suppose you dont want to be found, so youd better change as soon as possible.» she pushed through the men, forcing them to step aside for the carts to follow her down.
Cipher and Pher exchanged heavy glances, but followed her and Hunter, who seemed to be falling even deeper in thought.
Reaching the vault, the men noticed how Serena began loading the ingots onto the carts, ignoring the injured limb, as if the pain in her broken arm wasnt affecting her at all. Nevertheless, joining her, the men also noted how she concentrated on the task at hand, though her forehead began glittering from sweat. Every now and again Hunter, helping her, would notice a barely noticeable wince the woman showed before stopping for a short break to massage the casted arm.
He dared not to say anything, fearing that his comments could drive her angry. Cipher helped as he could, stopping for rest much more than the others. But, having loaded all the ingots onto the carts, they finally finished.
«How did you know five carts would be enough to carry all of this?» Hunter asked Serena, as she was strapping the tarp over one of the carts, so that no one would see what they were carrying, if someone were to be in the vicinity.
«Experience.» the woman stepped to the second cart, doing the same.
Other carts were already tarped, so it was time to leave the vault.
Serena glanced around inside the vault, noting the old, rotting stacks of paper on the shelves, and wondered how the people of old times used to have paper for money. Now every currency was electronic and stored in special chips, implanted inside the body. She suddenly realised that she never took part in dealings and never had any money to go around. It might as well be that she didnt even have the chip. Serena looked at her hand, wondering if the Ol Fart ever thought of this.
«Is something wrong?» Cipher stepped up.
Serena flinched and shook her head, heading out without a word.
They returned to the ship without any trouble, leaving the carts in the cargo bay. Serena locked the airlock and headed towards the living quarters, understanding that the men needed to get some rest. Passing through the three rooms that were empty all the time she was on the ship Lyssa she gestured to the doors.
«You can have these.» the woman said. «Bathroom is down the corridor, on your right.»
She pointed out the little sign hanging from the ceiling. Stepping forward, she was stopped by Pher, who smiled at her like before:
«Why dont you join me for a shower, girl?»
Serena gasped, feeling the urge to answer rudely, but Hunter stepped up and shoved Pher into the wall, growling into his face:
«Why dont you stop harassing her, Pher, before I go through with my threat to break your arm?»
Pher chuckled, raising his arms, as if to say he was only joking. Serena walked around the men, deciding not to engage in this quarrel. She had too much on her mind to meddle with them.
The woman collected her thoughts, getting into her usual routine. Get to the bridge, check the systems, set their route She almost stumbled at the last thought, stopping mid-step and realizing what her new role entailed. The route. She was never present when the Ol Fart sold their findings. How would his usual contacts react to her appearing on his ship? And how would she collect the pay?
She looked at her hand again, caressing the tiny scar, where people usually had their funding held on a special implant.
Shaking off this stupor, she continued her path, feeling more and more unnerved.
Arriving on the bridge, she noted the captains chair, which was never used, and took her usual seat on the secondary pilots place.
«I advise you to take your rightful seat, Captain Serena.» the AIs voice sounded. «Piloting is more accurate from that angle. I am sure you will find it more accommodating.»
Serena swallowed another lump in her throat, feeling herself on the verge of crying. Four years she followed the rules of a sadistic man, who did everything he wanted with her and beating her for any fault he could think of. Taking his seat the one he never used was an offence he could easily have her hand cut off for.
She hesitated, trembling and looking at the comfortable seat in the middle.
«I can pilot you from here» finally, the woman exhaled, forcing words out of her mouth.