Tilted Axis (Orion Axis Book 1) by David Ryker & Daniel Morgan

Author:David Ryker & Daniel Morgan [Ryker, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryker's Rogues
Published: 2019-04-26T04:00:00+00:00

17

The city stayed on their right-hand side and faded into the distance.

Cootes had given Ward the coordinates for the dropped satellite, and he’d set his heading, barreling out into the plains with everything the bike had, unable to outrun Klaymo’s words.

Arza clapped Ward on the shoulder after nearly an hour of hammering along dirt roads, and he let go of the throttle.

The bike slowed, sinking into the dry dirt, and came to a halt.

“You good?” Ward asked as she climbed off, stepping into the thigh-high grass and staring off into the distance, the yellowed sky featureless and long across the flat horizon.

She kept her back to him, just looking out.

“Everything all right?” he asked, coming up beside her.

She nodded. “Yeah, just numb is all — not exactly the most comfortable ride.” Her voice seemed hoarse. Maybe just dry from the dust, maybe something else. “You ever consider getting a car?”

“No.”

She laughed. “Figures.” The grass brushed against their legs and tiny birds fluttered and chirped around them, leaping out and diving back under the waving green sea. “Ward?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Why do they call you that? Ward?” She seemed almost wistful.

“It’s my name.”

“Your middle name.”

He shrugged. “Still my name.”

“Michael Ward Miller. Michael Miller.” She leaned down and pulled a thick blade of Martian plains grass out, stripping it into fine strands, letting them fly away on the gentle breeze.

He sank his teeth into his tongue. He never liked this conversation when it came up. “What’s your point?”

“Don’t you like your name? Michael?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “Just don’t.”

“Michael’s a nice enough name.”

“For some people.”

“Not for you?”

He knew there was no getting away from it, and her butt wasn’t numb. She’d wanted a break — too long alone in silence. She’d been thinking about this.

“No,” he sighed. “Not for me.”

“Why did your parents choose Michael?”

“After Saint Michael.”

“Saint Michael?”

“Some Humans believe in these things called saints—”

“Canonization. I’m aware of how Catholicism works — even if it doesn’t make any sense to me.” She shrugged now, picking up on his way. He watched her do it, Klaymo’s words ringing in his head. He was rubbing off on her.

“Saint Michael was one of the big ones. Patron saint of mariners, police officers, soldiers… Lots of them wear him on a pendant, around their neck,” he said, gesturing to his collar. “Supposed to watch over them, or something. I never bought into it.”

“You don’t like the religious aspect?”

Ward grumbled to himself. “No, it’s not that. My parents chose it — or, my dad did is probably more accurate… We’re a military family. My dad. My dad’s dad. My mom’s dad. Hell, even my mom was an army surgeon.”

“And they thought you’d follow the family tradition.”

“Well, I did.”

She nodded slowly. “Saint Michael — humph.”

“Guess they thought it’d help me be safe if I did decide to follow their lead.”

“Has it?”

“I’m not dead yet.”

She laughed strangely. “But you don’t go by it? Because of your dad? Because he chose it?”

She was prying now — drilling for oil she knew was there.

“Yup,” Ward said plainly.

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