The Space Spoon novel Chapter 49

E00 left Hanga’s memories and waited for him to come back. It was an exhausting activity, and he felt worse every time he did it. Except for the energy loss, he also hated barging inside his crewmates’ minds and witnessing their breaking points. That wasn’t a great way to make friends.

Dropping on the floor, Hanga gazed up at the grey, dull, metal ceiling. "I see Maya everywhere I look. I can't face losing her all over again."

“I don’t understand what’s with all this fuss about memories. I can access my memory files and relive anything anytime.” C1313 shrugged. “If I don’t like a memory, I can always delete it. Well, sometimes it’s tricky because some rather peculiar protection mechanisms can trigger a full shutdown.” She looked at Hanga. “But I guess no one cares about my issues.”

“Not now, C1313,” E00 said. “But after this situation is resolved and we safely get the Transcendents to their new home, feel free to talk to me about your problems. Maybe I can help.” He paused for a few seconds before he continued. “Hanga, get up. The droids need you. They look up to you.”

“Really?” Hanga raised his head, his eyes beaming with hope. “Do you hear their thoughts?”

E00’s voice came into the room once more. “No. But I knew that would give you some pick me up.”

“Bastard!” Hanga wasn’t yelling, but he had cranked up the volume. “If you had a body, I would have kicked your ass.”

“Maybe. We’ll never know.”

C1313 grabbed Hanga's arm and pulled him up. She examined him from head to toe, keeping an arm's length between them. "His vitals are presently stable. E00, go to the next."

Hanga huffed at her but didn’t add anything.

For a moment, E00 observed Hanga. He looked well, maybe a bit confused. The lingering sadness about him had deepened, reliving a loss that broke his heart. E00 only knew the surface story and wondered if the Valerian wanted to talk about it. But E00 didn’t know how to ask without risking making things worse. So, he decided to do what C1313 nudged him to do, to go in and drag another crew member from the memories.

Only Cato and Jackeye were left. They both looked pretty stable up to the point when Jackeye started twitching. His whole body shook while his eyeballs moved under his eyelids. Something was happening with him, and E00 couldn’t decide if he should enter his mind now or let him stabilize before that.

Jackeye gasped and blinked open his eyes. C1313 darted in front of him, inspecting his face. Hanga approached them, his expression filled with anxiety.

“Are you alright?” Hanga asked.

Jackeye heaved a frustrated sigh. “By now, I’m able to tell the difference between reality and other worlds. And also how to get out of any construct.” He shrugged. “Okay, almost any construct. But sure as hell, I won’t be trapped in that pile of shit that’s my past.”