Zed yawned and stretched his exhausted body. He’d been working almost nonstop for days. He looked up at the plants being tended by robotic arms above him.

  The hydroponics bay had been the perfect place to get work done in peace. There were few people around since most of the work was handled by machines. He hadn’t even run into Johns yet, which was odd, but just as well.

  Zed knew he was going to have to ask Johns for a favor, but he didn’t want to have that conversation until he felt certain he was ready to put his plan into motion if things went sideways.

  The virtual part of his preparations was more or less finished, but there was real-world work he couldn’t do alone. For that, he needed Janice.

  He hadn’t seen Janice since the day he ate the Martian plant and upended his life in ways he couldn’t have imagined. To be fair, he’d been hiding in hydroponics, so he didn’t feel like she was avoiding him, but he also didn’t know how she’d react to the request he had for her.

  Fingers crossed she doesn’t ask too many questions, Zed thought. That felt like a faint hope, though, considering the odd nature of what he needed.

  Zed got up and took a final breath of the humid air. Time to take a walk to the vehicle bay. It was lunchtime, and he knew Janice liked to take her breaks late so she could have a few moments to work in peace and quiet while everyone else cleared out to eat. Zed definitely didn’t want anyone overhearing this particular conversation and asking questions he wasn’t ready to answer. An added bonus of it being lunchtime was that he wouldn’t have to deal with so many stares in the corridors.

  For the first time, I understand how people can become agoraphobic.

  As hoped, the vehicle bay was empty save for a lone mechanic. Janice Das sat on top of the left forward arm of the Chariot she was working on. She had one of the panels open and was sorting through a terrifyingly chaotic nest of wires.

  Zed stepped down into the pit. The smell of grease and solder was a harsh but not unpleasant change from the humid air he’d grown accustomed to in hydroponics.

  “Hey, Janice.”

  Janice turned so quickly that Zed was afraid she was going to fall. With well-practiced grace, she swung herself down from the leg strut and wrapped him in a crushing embrace.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Zed found himself overcome by emotion as he realized it was the first time someone had touched him with any affection since he’d eaten the plant. Even his own mother had kept her distance.

  “You little jerk! Where have you been? I’ve tried to visit you every day since you got out, and you never seem to be around. Even your mom didn’t seem to know where you were—or care, for that matter, which was weird considering I always saw her as the more controlling type and I—”

  “Janice, I need your help,” Zed interrupted.

  Janice took a step back. “Is everything OK? Or, I mean, less OK than normal?”

  “I need your help, and I’m begging you not to ask too many questions.”

  “Well, that’s awfully mysterious,” Janice said. “And ominous.”

  “I know. And I know this is weird. You probably don’t know what to think about me after—after everything. I don’t even know what to think of myself. All I can tell you is that I’m still me, and I wouldn’t be asking for your help if it weren’t important.”

  Janice said nothing for a moment. “Alright. You’re freaking me out a little, but I’ll play along for now.”

  Zed started to say something, but Janice held up a finger and cut him off.

  “But if I get a bad feeling for even one second, I’m out. Got it?”

  Zed nodded.

  “OK then. What super-secret thing do you want?”

  Zed hesitated. Now that it came down to actually saying it out loud, he was certain she’d think he was out of his mind.

  “Uh…could you make harpoon guns?”

  Janice shook her head and laughed as if she thought he was joking. “Harpoon guns? For what?”

  “For the Chariots.”

  “The Chariots? Which ones?”

  “All of them. But don’t install them; just have them ready to go. Preferably without anyone knowing. And I do mean anyone.”

  “Wow, Zed. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t harpoon guns. Can I ask why?”

  “No?”

  “This is super sketchy, you know.”

  “I know.”

  Janice stood silent long enough that Zed was certain she was going to say no.

  “When.”

  “What?” Zed asked, surprised.

  “When do you need them by?”

  “As soon as possible. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I…”

  “When you what?”

  “Nothing.”

  Janice put her hands on her hips and stared at Zed. He could tell the unknowns were driving her nuts, but he also knew she was in.

  “You’re driving me nuts, you little jerk. This better not be some weird insanity brought on by Martian shrooms.”

  Zed smiled. “I promise. It absolutely is not. Well, kind of, but no, I’m not crazy.”

  “You’re really bad at selling this, you know that?” Janice said. “I’ve missed you, Zed.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Janice," Zed said, and he meant it. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed being close to people who didn't give him suspicious looks. "Thanks. I know this is super weird, but it means more than you know.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Lucky for you, we already have a harpoon gun of sorts. They use them as an emergency winch in case a Monstro gets stuck. A few tweaks, and they’ll be Chariot ready.”

  Janice’s face grew serious. “This isn’t going to hurt anyone, is it?”

  “No. If all goes well, you’ll never hear me mention them again.”

  “And if it doesn’t go well?”

  “Then those harpoon guns might save us from total disaster.”