The Space Spoon novel Chapter 61

The group entered the cave that would serve as their final night's refuge before arriving at their destination. As they climbed further into the mountains, the caverns became larger and higher, and the nights grew colder.

After everyone tucked away in their thermal blankets, C1313 rose and tried to sneak outside.

A close-eyed Tejeda whispered, “Where are you going?”

She turned and for a moment, she thought she had imagined things. He wasn’t moving an inch, except for his chest steadily going up and down as he breathed in and out.

C1313 had almost reached the cave’s entrance by the time she heard his voice again.

“We don’t know if you can withstand the heat outside. Why do you want to risk it?”

“In a few hours, I won’t be able to get up.” C1313 rubbed her hands and lowered her head. “My power supply is running low. I mean, it never happened before. I can draw energy from almost anything: light, electrical devices, magnetic fields, or even power shields.” She looked up again to find everyone gazing at her intently. “But here I had neither for days now. Only a bare minimum comes from the air I breathe. Though, that’s enough only to keep my systems from shutting down completely. Maybe I should try to get outside. I think I can withstand the heat.”

“Your components resisted my power tools.” Hanga rubbed his eyes. “It's an educated guess that you'll be able to survive in the sun of Larva 5. But I can’t vouch you’re to remain completely unharmed. Not all your body is created equal. You have eyes, hair, and maybe other parts that are of a lighter compound. What if they get damaged? Do we even have the schematics?”

"No. I mean, yes." C1313 sat down with her back to the wall to preserve energy. "I have the files, but my access is restricted. I can’t override it."

“We could ask Jackeye to hack into them.” Tejeda jumped on his feet and headed for the food supplies. “Would you consider that an intrusion of your privacy?”

“I don’t know how to respond. Let me process this for about two and a half hours.”

“How precise!” Tejeda smirked. He sat in front of her with his legs tucked beneath him. “I want you to try this.” He shoved a protein baton in her hand. “Maybe you can draw energy from food too, like biological beings. Do you have a digestive system replica?”

"Yes, I do. I'm not sure how those pieces move yet, but I'm excited to try." C1313 collected her bearings in preparation for the effort. She sat cross-legged, face to face with Tejeda, with Shayla close for moral support. She closed her eyes and chewed after taking a little bite of the protein baton Tejeda had given her. Took a deep breath. Another. She was ready to swallow after twenty rounds of regular jaw motions.

Using her neck and thoracic mechanisms to push in the food, C1313 sensed the mushy clump settling inside the small compartment inside her median part. She ran algorithms to start up new processes, feeling her tummy thrust out wide, unfurling, and stretching all at once. It felt wonderful. To her surprise, eating came naturally.

The golden radiance washed away the shadows from the cave and slashed at her uniform. C1313 squinted, raising her arms to block the aura of light from her eyes. Her eyes didn't get accustomed very easily to the light-dark changes. Maybe she would have Hanga check up on that too.

C1313 chose to go for a walk after ensuring that she was ok and that the sun would not damage her. She had been on this planet for a few days and had never seen anything like this before. The golden rays glistened on the sand particles, while the white rocks enhanced the intensity of the light.

She directed her footsteps on the path they were heading, still focused on her own self-imposed task of figuring out how she might be helpful to the crew. Scouting ahead couldn't be a terrible idea.

C1313 moved her fingers over a rocky wall and looked up at the mountain top. A small alcove carved inside the steep slope drew her interest. She took a step inside, and a low click came from her feet. Upon looking down, she glimpsed a panel just a shade darker than the rocky floor.

Her processor ignited with multiple calculations. The map was flawed, and they were much closer to their destination than they thought. This had to be Kirian’s hideout. The computations showed only two options: go in or notify the others.

Tugging the hatch open, a ladder descended and made a loud thud as it hit the rocky floor below. The base of the ladder lurked in the shadows beneath her. She clenched her fists to stem the tremors in her fingers and, springing down, caught hold of the top rung.