“Um, you know, I don’t think I ever did.” Now I feel a little silly. “It’s unfinished?”
“Yeah, and I always wondered about that. But you know most of the cave is super smooth. So I figured that when they left here, they probably cannibalized a lot of the computer parts to make rock cutters, and the computer told me I was right. I guess they just ran out of juice when they got to our cave.” She shrugs. “So I thought I’d see if we could put together some new cutters in order to hollow out a few more home caverns for people, since we’re so crowded.”
That’s so thoughtful of her. And here I was just having sex and thinking about myself. “You’re wonderful, Harlow. You know that?”
A surprised smile crosses the redhead’s face. “Thanks,” she says shyly. “I was just trying to think of ways I could help out, you know? My dad was a mechanic and so I know my way around a few things, but I have to admit that all of this is baffling to me.” She spreads her hands out and gestures at the metal junk on the table. “Luckily there’s lots of pictures on the computer, so I’m mostly going off of that.”
“Smart,” I say, examining the table. All of the pieces look like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Even the drill Harlow is using isn’t exactly normal looking.
“How’s your ear?” she asks, picking up a piece of metal and holding it up to get a better look at it.
“Better. Translator’s all gone.” I hesitate, then ask, “You get what you came for?”
Harlow gives me a guarded look. “More or less.”
I can take a hint. She’s clearly still not talking about whatever it is she tagged along to find out. I understand that sort of thing, what with my infertility and all. Some things just aren’t open for sharing with strangers, and I don’t know Harlow as well as I know some of the others. There’s always just been so many people around that we’ve never really gotten to bond.
I feel guilty about that.
“You need help?” I volunteer. “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but maybe another pair of hands can’t hurt?”
“You sure?” she asks. “This isn’t a fun job and I don’t even know if it’s going to work at the end of the day.”
I shrug. “Aehako’s still asleep and will be for a while, I imagine.”
“Mmmhmm. Yeah, I heard you guys down the hall. So you and him are a thing?”
My face feels white hot with embarrassment. It never occurred to me that someone might be able to hear us. “He decided I’m his mate,” I say, moving closer to the table. “And I decided he was right.”
“If you’re happy, I’m happy,” Harlow says, and runs her hand over a bunch of small pieces of copper-colored metal.
“I am happy,” I tell her, and it is true. Other than the nagging worry about the Little Green Men returning, I’m incredibly happy. My translator’s gone, and I have…Aehako. Big, flirty Aehako who treats me like I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Really, it’s the other way around. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I think even if I were offered a ride home back to earth tomorrow, I’d decline, just so I could stay with my big alien mate.
Maybe that makes me crazy. But what did I have back on earth? No one that cared about me, an entry-level job in finance, and a mountain of student debt. Here I have an entire tribe of people, and Aehako.
“Let me know if you see a silvery-looking cross-shaped piece,” Harlow says, picking through the bits. “About the size of your pinky.”
I nod and start at the other end of the table. My fingers brush over the different kinds of metals, and there seem to be hundreds of pieces here. Harlow’s set herself up with a daunting task…and I notice she hasn’t had any help until now. “Have you seen Haeden?”
Harlow snorts. “He’s guarding the entrance. I think it’s just an excuse to get some alone time. He’s not that good with people.”
“I noticed.” Aehako mentioned to me that Haeden has a sad past. I guess he can’t really move past that. I find a cross-shaped piece and offer it to Harlow. “This it?”
“Yup,” she says, plucking it out of my hand and taking it to another table. “Let me solder this bad boy on and we can move forward.”
? ? ?
The time with Harlow passes surprisingly fast. There’s a schematic projected on one of the walls, and if it flickers every now and then, it’s still better than consulting a paper version. Harlow’s a genius with the metal parts, piecing things together and soldering, drilling, and basically making me feel like a useless hack. To pass the time, we talk about our old life back on earth. Harlow’s dad ran a car garage and fixit shop in Minnesota, but passed away last year. No mother in the picture, and she’d recently sold the business and wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. Turns out that isn’t an issue anymore, I suppose.