agony.

“What’s wrong?”

“It hurts. My legs…” She whimpered as the floor vibrated harder.

The hold on her waist tightened as Flint lifted her up his body with one arm so her feet left the floor. She released him around his waist to reach up. She gripped his shoulders, climbing higher up his large frame.

The relief was instant when her feet left the floor, the pain radiating up her legs gone. Mira ended up with her arms wrapped around his neck and her knees gripping his hips. She couldn’t wrap her legs around Flint’s waist because his back was braced against the wall. She knew he couldn’t release the bar above his head. His hold on it was keeping them both from being thrown to the floor.

“Better?”

“Yes. Isn’t that hurting your legs? It felt like my bones were going to shake apart.”

Flint met her eyes. “I’m sorry. Your bone density isn’t as strong as ours and you don’t have enough muscle mass. I didn’t think it would hurt you. Is my body absorbing enough of the vibrations so you aren’t in pain?”

She nodded. “Yes. Am I holding up enough of my own weight?”

“You’re doing great.”

When the Rally stopped shaking a minute later, Flint had her ease back down his body. She was glad the floor wasn’t a big, painful vibrator anymore. She turned her head to study the cargo area, spotting three cyborgs in the cargo area that she hadn’t noticed before. They were braced against the bulkheads like Flint, gripping onto the ship to keep them in place. They had to have watched everything that happened between her and Flint. She jerked her attention back to Flint, who was watching her silently.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “We’re in public and I was just literally on you.”

His lips twitched with amusement. “This was acceptable.”

She grinned back. “I see. So you can touch me and I can climb up your body if we’re hurtling toward a planet surface?”

“Exactly.”

The Rally landed with a light bump. The strong engines powered down as Flint released his grip above his head, gently releasing his tight hold on Mira too. “Are you all right to walk? Do your legs hurt still?”

“I’m good.”

He reached down to grip his bag. She heard the cargo doors open as a loud motor sounded. Warm air whooshed into the cargo area. Mira breathed in fresh air, instantly enjoying the luxury. It had been weeks since she’d smelled anything so wonderful. A huge difference separated artificial oxygen from natural air.

The scent of life came with the real thing and she smelled it in the woodsy and terrific scent drifting into the shuttle.

Mira followed Flint out of the cargo area to a metal ramp that ran from the Rally to the ground below.

She stared in open-mouthed wonder at the sight before her. Large trees decorated the sides of the landing site. She looked up in wonder at the sun. She thought Flint had told her it was smaller but it looked bigger than the one on Earth. Flint was halfway down the ramp before he paused, turning his head to study her.

“Let’s go.”

She nodded, forcing her legs to move. “I was just looking.”

“I want to get home, Mira. You can look your fill for the rest of your life. We have a great view from our home.”

It hit her suddenly that this was her new home and it was a stunning feeling to not call Earth home anymore. She shoved her thoughts back though to follow Flint to a large open vehicle that waited for them. Flint walked up the ramp into it and turned, holding out his hand to assist her since the ramp was steep. Mira gripped his hand gratefully as he helped her walk up into the open space of the bed of the vehicle. It wasn’t like any kind of vehicle she’d ever seen before, just a box on wheels with no cab in the front and from what she could see, it had no driver either.

“What is this thing?”

“This is a completely automated transport designed for hauling cargo. When the ramp is lifted it will carry us to the intake center gate.”

He moved to the side and dropped his bag, motioning her to move closer to his side. “Hang on.”

She gripped the side of the vehicle and looked toward the Rally —from the outside, she realized it was a huge ship by shuttle standards—before returning her full attention to her new surroundings.

“Is the entire planet like this?” She motioned to the trees.