Tool

Chapter Seventeen

She gasped and winced as he held her tightly.

"Aurelia, are you hurt?" he asked, voice full of concern.

"A little. We'll talk later. What are you doing here, Jonathon?"

"It's not just Jonathon," said Nicholas, coming to her side. "I think I recognize Elza in there, too. Am I right?"

The woman smiled behind her suit. "It's me, and this is Jason; I don't know if you've met?"

Nicholas shook hands with the young med Worker.

"Would now be a good time to set up the dome?" he asked Aurelia.

She nodded, and he set to work. Jason went to help him, and Elza busied herself unpacking what looked like food.

Jonathon took Aurelia into his arms again.

"I'm extremely sorry," he said, holding her.

"About what?"

"About calling the sec Workers and putting you in this position and not helping you help Nicholas and . . . everything."

"Jonathon, I understand." She said. "You took actions you had to. But so did I. Now, don't you think that you should explain what the hell is going on here? What are the three of you doing out here?"

"Best wait until the dome is set up, and we can all explain everything to everyone," he said.

"Hey, Aurelia!" shouted Nicholas. "Do you see it?"

He was pointing behind them, and Aurelia turned to see the sliver of Earth rising again. She stood with Jonathon, holding tightly onto his arm and watching the another earthrise, content to be with him, to stand next to him, to feel him. They were both silent, enjoying being together. Aurelia watched her home climbing from the horizon, and the only thing that marred her happiness was when she looked at Jonathon, she didn't see a sense of wonder in his eyes that Nicholas enjoyed. Jonathon had no attachment to Earth, despite his politics. He might want to save the planet from enslavement, but he was pure Lunar, born and bred.

With a sigh, Aurelia turned from the beautiful sight before her. The dome was stable, so she led Jonathon back to the others.

Fitting all five of them inside was quite a squeeze, and the confusion of all trying to get rid of their breathing suits at the same time resulted in Nicholas accidentally cuffing Elza around the head, and Jason grabbing onto Aurelia's arm as he almost toppled over. Aurelia finally got her suit off and turned to face the center of the dome. Jonathon took one look at her face and growled.

Before Aurelia knew what was happening, Jonathon was clutching the front of Nicholas's uniform, pulling his fist back, and connecting. She gasped, but Elza was faster, yanking Jonathon's shoulders as Jason pulled Nicholas away from him.

"Now what in the hell was all that about?" Elza asked, as calm as ever.

Nicholas turned his head and spat blood onto the ground.

"Have you seen her?" Jonathon said, pointing at Aurelia. "Seen what he did to her?"

"I didn't do that!" Nicholas said, indignantly.

"Then you let it happen. Even worse. See?" hissed Jonathon. "What you're good for? You can't even defend a woman. What happened—she didn't give you the order to hurt anyone?" He was jeering now.

"Whoa, whoa," said Nicholas, holding his hands up. "That's not what happened at all."

"Yeah, right . . ." Jonathon started.