Cloak & Laser: Episode VII

Episode VII:  Cowboy Mystique

     Before heading back out to the main room, Zella went to the bathroom to brush her hair and freshen up. Among all the ado, she had forgotten that she needed a shower as well despite the cryosuit having kept her clean. She decided to take one after eating.

     Zella was a bit nervous about meeting Jaiko and Gresh again. As nice as they seem, she wasn't convinced that they are pure of heart. She began to wonder if they're not scavengers or Terran traffickers. As she approached the corner in the hallway, she was surprised at how quiet they were being.

     When she turned the corner, Jaiko was getting some water boiling while Gresh was setting the table. Gresh gave her a big smile when she came in that she returned with not so big of a smile. She tried to make it as friendly as possible, but was sure that it seemed lackluster. She was happy to see that they had cleaned the table and chairs.

     After getting the burner on, Jaiko turned to see Zella standing by the table watching Gresh finish setting it for the meal. "Welcome, Zella. Please, have a seat. What kind of meal would you like? I assume you know what's been packed here."

     She turned and smiled as she grabbed a seat to pull it out. "Did you find any red beans and rice?" she asked while sitting. "I need a good hearty meal."

     "Hmm, let me see," he answered, turning to look in the crates that Gresh had moved closer to the kitchen.

     As Zella watched him rummage through the crates, the questions accruing in her mind began to get the better of her. They would not let up on tickling her sanity and her typically virtuous patience had been worn thin. "What year is it?"

     Jaiko continued to rummage through the packages of meals, being careful not to disrupt how they were packaged in the crate. "It's the year 1110 B.D."

     Zella went to relax more and put one leg over the other, but stopped herself when she heard the strange year number. It was 2153 when her and Gregg went into cryostasis. Her brow furrowed while she took a deep breath, finally crossing a leg over the other and sitting back. "What does B.D. mean?"

     Jaiko suddenly paused and turned to her. It seemed a bit dramatic to Zella. "It stands for Beyond Destruction."

     Zella quickly became embarrassed and looked away at the metal plate on the table in front of her. Even though she knew it wasn't directly her fault, she was a part of the civilization that scarred Terra forever. Her eyes glazed over. Even the intricate way that Gresh had folded the napkin on her plate couldn't distract her from the thought that she had been asleep for over a thousand years.

     She was snapped out of her trance when Jaiko let out a short wheek. "I found your meal!" he said excitedly. He shook his head about in joy.

     Zella wanted to giggle, but only let out a short huff as her gaze trailed off. Knowing she had been asleep that long raised so many more questions. Now, however, she was a bit more afraid of the answers. Answers that she would have to come to grips with, whether she liked it or not.

     Jaiko looked at her, expecting her to look at the packaged meal in his hands. He was disappointed that she didn't look, but he was quick to understand her plight. He couldn't imagine sleeping for a hundred years let alone a thousand. In her case, the world changed even more drastically than just time passing. He set the meal down and turned to see that the water was beginning to steam.

     When he looked back at her, she hadn't changed, still staring off into the distance. He let out a quiet but frustrated sigh. From what he knows of her time, this world is so drastically different that, he wouldn't know where to start. Then he suddenly remembered something he had found in the cryostasis room. "Oh, yes. Zella, I found a tape with your name on it."

     Zella whipped her head in his direction and hastily walked over to him as he was reaching into an inside vest pocket. "What is a tape?"

     Jaiko gasped and froze for a moment, startled by her sudden closeness. He managed to pull the tape out and handed it to her. "It's a type of medium from your time. I found one years ago that had a movie on it."

     Zella took the tape, and indeed, it had her name on it, although she didn't recognize the handwriting. Below her name it said, 'Please watch after you awaken.' She then let out a light giggle. "I remember Gregg talking about one of these that had an old western movie that was famous from its time. These are... I mean were, almost 200 years before my time. I'm not even sure how I can watch this."

     "I know a guy who has a VTR, though, it'll cost you."

     "Hmh. I have a feeling my money won't do any good. What currency do you use now?"

     "Oh, well, here in District 4, most people just barter, but we use precious metals in various weights such as, gold, silver, and tungsten." He went to turn to check on the water when he noticed that Gallagher had entered the room and he froze in awe of his getup. He had never seen clothes like that.

     Zella noticed Jaiko's awe and turned to see Gallagher. The cowboy hat and the dim lighting caused the shadows to play tricks with his face, and for a brief moment, she thought she saw Gregg. She could remember when he had gotten that hat.

     They were visiting her uncle who was a collector of ancient treasures. Her uncle claimed that it was worn by Flint Eastwood in one of his movies and Gregg ended up winning it in the final hand of their poker game. She honestly can't remember ever seeing a bigger smile on his face, except when she agreed to marry him, which happened to be later that night.

     "What do you guys think?" Gallagher asked them, holding open the trench coat so they could see the whole outfit.

     There was a long pause of silence before Gresh began to clap while smiling and nodding.

     "Well, at least someone likes it," Gallagher said as he approached the table.

     "I definitely like it, Mr. Gallagher. You look... well, I don't even know what to call it. It's impressive." Jaiko then went to turn off the burner.

     Zella had to shake her head. She was not only speechless from her brief hallucination, but also from how much more attractive Gallagher had become. The clothes looked a bit tight, but he wore them well. She turned to him as he stood next to the chair adjacent to hers and began to take the coat off. "I like it, too. It just caught me off guard. The last time I saw that outfit, my husband had it on."

     Gallagher paused as he put the coat on the back of the chair. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine being in your shoes. I wish I could remember if there's someone I'm supposed to be missing."

     A jealous flare flashed through Zella. She couldn't understand why, though. Maybe, she thought, it's related to the hallucination. Maybe her subconscious mind has already decided that he is a desirable mate. "I couldn't imagine being in your shoes either. You are missing something, though," she said with a smile and hopped out of her seat to rush over to the desk. She pulled open the large bottom drawer to pull out a bandolier filled with bullets. She grabbed the revolver before heading back over to him.

     "What is that?" Gallagher asked as he watched her return and get behind him.

     "You'll see. Put your arms up."

     Gallagher furled his brow, but did as he was commanded. He leaned his head down to watch her wrap the bandolier around his waist and struggle a little with the buckle before cinching it tight. He's not sure what caused him to do it, but he grabbed her hands with his and was suddenly accosted with a memory.

     Just as Gallagher had grabbed her hands, Zella caught a whiff of her husband's cologne still embedded in the fabric of the shirt and this sent her down memory lane as well.

     Gresh cocked a brow, confused by their behavior. As far as he knew they didn't know each other before today. He snapped his fingers, which sounds more like a dull clap. This was to get Jaiko's attention, and when Jaiko turned to look, Gresh knew something was wrong seeing the look on his face.

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