CHAPTER SIX
The Diviners gave her, Ethan and Ackles a ride back to Town, but to Mackenzie's dismay, they weren't allowed inside the truck.
"Rhiannon only lets Diviners inside her," Bell had grinned, while Lowe failed to hold back his laughter. "You three can just dry-hump her thighs."
So, Mackenzie and Ethan had tried to find a foothold and something to grip on the side of Rhiannon, while Ackles took a place at the rear of the truck, holding tightly to whatever he could wrap a hand around.
It was a scary ride, what with Bell driving at seemingly top speeds while Mackenzie, Ethan and Ackles all held on tight with arms that were still quivering from a day of use on the firing range. Despite the fear of falling, though, Mackenzie had to admit it was exhilarating. She had never moved so fast in her life and as she looked into the wind and let it ruffle her hair, she couldn't help but grin.
"Woooo!" she cheered, pumping a fist into the air towards Town while holding tight to Rhiannon with her bionic hand.
"Hold on!" Ethan shouted at her, holding on to the truck tightly with both hands.
The ride was over far too quickly, in Mackenzie's opinion. She could have ridden the side of the truck for hours, so she was visibly disappointed when the truck came to a steady halt and Bell shouted out the window to get off her "baby."
The Diviners quickly departed and Ackles walked away on his own, though not before shooting Mackenzie and Ethan an arrogant sneer.
"Doesn't say much, does he?" Ethan noted, watching Ackles saunter off.
"Something tells me we don't want him to," Mackenzie said snidely.
Ethan chuckled by way of agreement and the two of them began to walk home. As they lived fairly close to one another, they walked together.
"Man, my arms are killing me," Ethan groaned, rubbing his biceps. "Who knew shooting a gun was such hard work?"
"Tell me about it," Mackenzie agreed, rubbing her own arms.
"Hey, uh..." Ethan started, but Mackenzie already knew what he was hesitant to ask.
"You want to know why I put my own name on the list, right?" she interrupted.
"Well... yeah," Ethan admitted. "You never said anything about wanting to be a Diviner before."
"I never thought it was an option before," Mackenzie replied. "You know, my hand and all. You definitely need all your limbs to do that job. But this hand you made for me - which is totally awesome, by the way - actually made me think about what I want, you know? And this seemed like something that really mattered."
"I get it," Ethan nodded. "Which reminds me, you should clean that hand after today. There could be dust and stuff that might damage it."
Mackenzie looked down at the hand, the thought of the thing breaking after such a short time causing her a moment of near panic. She wondered if her father wasn't above sabotaging it to keep her from training with the Diviners.
"Hey, why was your name called?" Mackenzie suddenly asked Ethan.
"Wow, thanks," Ethan frowned at her.
"No, you know what I mean," Mackenzie said, smiling apologetically as she placed a hand on Ethan's arm. She felt him tense up at her touch and loosened her grip, figuring she had hit a sensitive muscle after the long day on the range. "Demelza and I work in hydrology, I think I heard someone say Ackles was in training to work in the wells, but you're a tech-head. You work with machines and gadgets, why would they call you to be their water specialist?"
"Well, you know all those machines and gadgets that you use to do your job?" Ethan smirked. "Where do you think they're built? The shop builds all the stuff you use to test and purify water, all the tools the Diviners use to find it, everything. I've built too many to count myself, so I guess that's why they called me. I might not know as much about water toxicity and waterborne contagions as you do, but I at least have a complete working knowledge of the tools you would use to figure it out."
Mackenzie noticed they were almost near her small home, where her parents were undoubtedly waiting for her, Lorelei ready to burst into tears at the sight of her, sick with worry at the prospect of her daughter entering the most dangerous profession in the world, while Joseph was most likely waiting to say to Mackenzie all the things he'd had all day to prepare. Mackenzie hadn't had the time to spare a thought for what she was going to say to them and now that the moment was here, she wished she was still out in the desert being berated by Jesse Greaves.
"Don't worry about your dad," Ethan said, as if reading her mind. "He'll come around. He's probably calmed down by now and sees it your way."
"You wanna bet on that?" Mackenzie sighed.
Ethan chuckled as Mackenzie peeled away from him to head back to her house.
"Hey, um, Mackenzie?" Ethan began, sounding hesitant.
Mackenzie turned around to face him, letting the setting sun warm her back. Ethan was shifting uncomfortably on his feet as Mackenzie watched. She noticed he was doing that thing he did when he was nervous, where he would rub the tip of his thumb across the tips of each finger in rapid succession.
"Are you..." Ethan began, still sounding hesitant and awkward. "Are you, um... sure this is what you want?"
Mackenzie thought about it for a moment before answering. She could see how people would doubt this was a sincere desire, what with how sudden it was. She'd never really expressed any wish to be a Diviner before. Although, she had always wanted to do something really important with her life, make a difference and be remembered, like her grandfather Captain Stephen Miller was still remembered by everyone. But after a day with the Diviners, training under them and learning how to be one, Mackenzie's vague wish to make a difference had taken on a tangible shape.
"Yes," Mackenzie finally replied, smiling at Ethan, but speaking firmly to show she was serious. "This is exactly what I want."
Ethan nodded, but still looked distracted by some thought or another that was running around his head. Mackenzie waited for him to come out with it, but he never did. He just smiled back at Mackenzie, and she could tell he was forcing the unspoken thought from his mind for the moment.
"All right then," he said, suddenly jovial. "Well, we better do what Vasseur said and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
"G'night," Mackenzie waved, turning back towards home.
Ethan watched her for a moment until she disappeared inside, his smile gone and a look of worry in his eyes. Then he also turned and headed home.
Inside Mackenzie's home, it was as she had expected. Her mother was distraught with worry at the thought of Mackenzie potentially becoming a Diviner, begging Mackenzie to quit, fuming at Joseph for allowing it to happen. Joseph was also angry, though not as much as that morning. He seemed more weary than anything else, but he was still making his opinion quite clear, also wanting Mackenzie to drop out in the morning and resume her work in the wells.
"If you really want to do something else," he tried to bargain, "I can check the rosters and see if we need help in agriculture. We always need to grow more food. Maybe we can even try to round up a few gozards and start a herd."
"No," Mackenzie said firmly as she stood around the kitchen table with her parents. "First of all, you know that's stupid because gozards refuse to stay in one place for too long. They always break down whatever fence we've made and keep migrating. Secondly, have you both forgotten that this is my life? Worry if you want to, but don't you dare tell me how to live!"
"Mackenzie, please," Lorelei begged. "We only want what's best for you."
"No, you want to baby me," Mackenzie snapped. "Both of you. You think I can't handle myself because of only having one hand. Well, I could do this even without the bionic! And you need to at least let me try! For once, let me try something!"
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off to bed. She would have slammed the door, but that would have made her seem petulant. Also, the hinges were already loose and she didn't want to reduce the impact of her dramatic departure by the door falling off the frame.
She l
ay awake for a long time that night, despite her physical exhaustion. After the adrenaline of the day and the argument had worn off, Mackenzie simply felt sad and deflated. Her mind, however, was still buzzing. She felt bad for Demelza, being kicked out on day one, but wondered if maybe Jesse had had a point by doing so. Their job was rough; the roughest, in fact. If simple mistakes could get someone killed, wouldn't Mackenzie want to take every possible step to prevent that from happening?
Then again, Mackenzie thought as she stared up at her dark ceiling. Jesse was still a prick about it.
When Mackenzie finally fell asleep, it was to the image of what Jesse's smug face would look like if she made the squad.
When, she corrected herself, smiling into her pillow. When I make the squad.
"Oh God, why... did I... agree to this!?" Mackenzie gasped between pants, holding a stitch in her side with one hand.
"You didn't have a choice, Miller!" Lowe bellowed from within the truck via the external speakers. "Now keep moving! We're catching up to you!"
Mackenzie continued running, baring her teeth in agony as she tried to stay ahead of the truck, which Bell was driving right behind her, Ethan, and Ackles. The two boys seemed to be struggling just as much as Mackenzie, if not more. Ethan was wheezing as he struggled to keep breathing and Mackenzie suspected his chest was similarly on fire as hers. Ackles, despite his athletic physique, was almost doubling over as he ran, his arms pumping weakly, his mouth wide open as he gasped for air.
Both Ethan and Ackles had taken off their shirts in a weak attempt at cooling off, but their chests, backs, stomachs, arms, all glistened with sweat. Ackles had tied his shirt around his forehead like an oversized bandana, while Ethan had his tied around his waist. Mackenzie had also taken off her shirt, but still wore her singlet, which was originally white, now dark and damp with hot sweat.
What truly concerned Mackenzie though was how much they were all dripping with perspiration. Each drop that ran out of their bodies was just another measurement of water that was escaping them, which would need to be replaced. How much water had they just lost? How much would they need to drink when they were done? Surely this wasn't safe. There was no way this could be allowed.
This is how I die, Mackenzie thought. Running around Town, chased by an Australian woman driving a truck named Rhiannon. Who'd have guessed?
"I know what you're all thinking," Lowe said conversationally through the truck's speakers. "You're wondering just what the hell running the perimeter of Town while we follow you in Rhiannon has to do with surviving in the deserts. Well, to be honest, not a damn thing! But this is about you! About how bad you want to be a Diviner. About what you can take! How much you can withstand! When you know your limits, you know yourself. And when you know yourself, you know what you can accomplish!"
"Enough fortune cookie rubbish!" Bell shouted gleefully out the window. "Run, rookies, RUN!"
"Almost... there," Ethan panted, barely able to draw enough breath to get the words out.
Looking ahead, Mackenzie could see Vasseur, Jesse, and Abbas all standing together where they had started several hours ago. Mackenzie didn't know exactly how long it had taken to run the perimeter of the Town, but she knew when they had started the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Now it was high in the sky.
Ackles suddenly stumbled and fell to his knees, but he was quickly up on his feet and running again before anyone even had time to react. Mackenzie felt like if she didn't get to rest soon, she might just fall down and never get back up.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mackenzie, Ethan, and Ackles jogged weakly past the Diviners and Bell stopped the truck. Ethan doubled over and vomited, while Ackles fell to his knees and closed his eyes, panting up towards the sky as sweat ran rivers down his body. Mackenzie simply let her body go limp and she fell flat on her back in the dirt, arms spread wide as she gasped deeply, her eyes closed, trying to keep her breathing slow, but failing.
"All right, are we?" Vasseur asked with a tone of insincere pleasantness that made Mackenzie immediately start to worry. She opened her eyes to see Vasseur smiling at her and the others and Mackenzie's first thought was of the Cheshire Cat from her old Alice in Wonderland stories. "Well rested? Got your breath back? Good. All of you, on your feet."
Mackenzie, with immense difficulty, forced herself up off the ground and stood between Ethan and Ackles, facing Vasseur with as much dignity as they could all muster.
"Good work," Vasseur said crisply. "I expected you to all give up an hour in. But you all surprised me with a job well done. And a job well done deserves a reward. Now, look over there."
Vasseur gestured away from the Town and farther out into the desert. Mackenzie looked and saw something small set on a stone, about a hundred metres away.
"That right there," Vasseur began, "is a three litre jug of water. On our last outing, we found a small pocket of water trapped underground. Not enough for a new settlement, but enough to keep us alive while we searched. You all know how tight rationing is right now, so you should all thank whatever God you pray to that we have it. That water is for you. But..."
Mackenzie had been expecting a catch, but she still had to stifle a groan. She saw out of the corners of her eyes both Ethan and Ackles' shoulders slump in disappointment.
"But," Vasseur continued. "Only one of you gets it."
"What?" Mackenzie cried. "No way!"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Vasseur asked quietly.
"Do you have any idea how much water our bodies just lost?" Mackenzie cried again. "If we don't all get some water, the ones who don't will succumb to heatstroke or collapse or God knows what else!"
"Then you better make sure you're the one who reaches it first," Vasseur said flatly. Then, raising his voice, he shouted, "GO!"
There was a heartbeat of hesitation from the three recruits where they looked blankly between one another, then they were all running with renewed energy. Their arms pumped and their feet kicked up the sand and dirt, their fatigue all but forgotten as they focused on that sweet water that was only a short run away.
Mackenzie was gasping for air, as were Ethan and Ackles on either side of her. She drew breath in a short, wheezy, sucking sound, but she fought to ignore it as she ran to get that water.
Ethan suddenly began to fall behind, his eyes closed tight in agony and deep, rattling gasps emanating from his throat. Ackles kept pace with Mackenzie with what seemed like ease. Despite his fatigue, he wanted that water as much as anyone else, perhaps more.
Digging deep, Mackenzie put every ounce of energy she had into running faster, concentrating on the movement of her legs and the rate of her breathing. Slowly, so slowly, she began to pull ahead of Ackles. She could see his snarl of contempt out of the corner of her eye as she pulled ahead. The water was so close now. She was going to reach it first!
Suddenly, Ackles swung his foot wide and kicked the back of Mackenzie's heel. Her foot caught on the back of her other leg and she felt herself no longer running, but flying. She threw her arms forward to try and stop the ground as it rushed towards her, but she hit with such force her face still smacked into the hard dirt and scraped the skin from her cheek.
Dazed, Mackenzie looked up to see Ackles sneering back at her over his shoulder as he continued to run for the water.
"FREEZE!" someone suddenly screamed.
Mackenzie glanced backwards and saw Vasseur with a pair of binoculars, shouting and waving a hand in the air. He shouted again to freeze and Jesse was taking his rifle from his back.
Ethan had already stopped dead in his tracks behind Mackenzie, looking confused as to why they had to stop. Mackenzie suspected it was something to do with what Ackles just pulled. She looked forward, still lying on her stomach, to see Ackles still running for the water. Either he hadn't heard the order (doubtful) or he wanted to get the water first.
"I SAID FREEZE!" Vasseur shouted, louder this time and a lot more urgent.
Ackles reached the jug of water and grinned triumphantly. He grabbed hold of the handle with both hands and began to lift it from the rock that acted as a serving tray, panting hard.
Suddenly, Mackenzie saw movement from the small amount of shade cast by the rock. Something small, about the size of a ferret or small cat, with short legs thats jutted out from the side of a scaly body. Mackenzie saw the blue and red scales that covered the creature's whole body, saw the pink eyes glinting in the light, the tail that stuck straight out. Tiny claws punctured the stone as it climbed towards Ackles' hands, its wide reptilian mouth already open as it hissed angrily.
At the precise moment Mackenzie saw it, Vasseur shouted as loud as he could, "GAPER!"
The lizard-like creature, named for its wide gaping mouth, climbed to the top of the rock in a flash. Ackles saw it and finally froze in horror. The gaper glared up at him, its mouth still wide open, wide enough to swallow a pigeon whole. On its back and down the sides of its body, their were tiny quills, no larger or thicker than hair. Mackenzie knew from school, though, that these quills were filled with a deadly poison. One single prick and you were dead in less than 5 minutes. The quills were vibrating against one another, making a sound like wooden wind chime rattling in a breeze. Ackles and the gaper stood in a frozen standoff, neither moving, neither looking away.
The gaper was a vicious animal, attacking anything that moved near it, including far larger animals. If Ackles tried to move, the gaper would attack. Probably by biting into his throat with its powerful jaws, or clawing out his eyes with its surprisingly strong and sharp claws.
"Jesse, have you got a shot?" Vasseur asked.
"Ackles is in the way, sir," Jesse replied, peering through the scope of his rifle as he aimed on one knee. "I could hit him."
Mackenzie didn't know what she should do. Every instinct she had told her to remain completely still until the gaper got bored and left, but she knew that wouldn't happen. The gaper had located a threat, and gapers didn't leave threats in their territory. It was going to kill Ackles, sooner or later.
Carefully, moving slower than she ever had before, Mackenzie pushed herself off the ground and rose to her feet.
"Mackenzie!" Ethan hissed at her. "What are you doing? Stay still!"
Ignoring him, Mackenzie began to move gradually forward, crouching slightly as she tried to keep her footsteps as silent as possible. She kept her eyes locked on the gaper, just in case it decided to attack her instead.
As if it heard her thoughts, the gaper turned its head slightly and locked its pink eyes on her. It stared at her with its mouth still wide open. Mackenzie could see the back of its throat and the tiny little teeth that could bite through human bones. She was only several feet away now and the gaper had decided she was a second threat.
Still moving slowly, Mackenzie reached out and placed a hand on Ackles' shoulder. Mackenzie whispered as quietly as she could, barely moving her lips as she spoke.
"Move very slowly," she breathed. "Back away towards me. Don't break eye contact."
Ackles appeared to be frozen out of sheer terror, however. Despite Mackenzie's instructions, he remained precisely where he was, staring down at the gaper with wide eyes, his face ghostly white. He was still grasping the water jug in his hand, having frozen before lifting it off the rock. The gaper sat atop the rock within a foot of Ackles' dirty fingers.
"Listen to me," Mackenzie said between barely parted lips. "Slowly let go of the bottle. Then back away with me. Very. Slowly."
Mackenzie saw Ackles' throat work as he swallowed hard. He nodded once almost imperceptibly. Slowly, so slowly, he began to loosen his grip on the water jug. His fingers moved like slugs, taking a long while to unravel from the handle of the water jug. The gaper noticed the movement, though, fixing its pink eyes on Ackles once more, but it did not attack. It bristled its quills again, showing Ackles a clear view inside of its large mouth, but did nothing else.
Ackles finally released his hold on the jug. He began to draw his hand back, moving just as slowly. Mackenzie's heart was pounding in her ears and she couldn't take her eyes off the gaper. The blue and red scales shone bright in the sunlight and the tiny hairlike quills still quivered and ground together.
As Ackles withdrew his hand, Mackenzie heard him breathe inward sharply, a tiny noise of fear emanating from within. At the same time, his hand shook. Nothing more than a tiny twitch, but the gaper noticed.
The gaper hissed loudly, then launched off the rock, jumping with surprising strength. It flew up and directly towards Ackles' exposed throat. Frozen with fear, Ackles simply stared at it as the gaper lunged.
Reacting on instinct, Mackenzie reached out and snatched the gaper out of the air in her bionic hand. She grabbed it around its slender body, just behind its front legs, right where the quills were.
Mackenzie momentarily was convinced she was dead, that she had poisoned herself on the tiny quills, but then remembered the bionic hand wouldn't be affected by poison. The gaper was hissing and spitting and kicking its legs as it struggled to free itself from Mackenzie's grasp, turning its head left and right, flicking its tail in agitation.
Ackles staggered back at the sight of the gaper's jaw only inches from his face, falling into the dirt and scrambling backwards on his hands and feet.
"Whoa," Mackenzie gasped, staring at the creature she held. The gaper fixed its pink eyes on her and hissed again. Grinning to herself, almost laughing out of sheer relief, Mackenzie looked over her shoulder and held the reptile up for everyone to see. "I got it!"
Suddenly, the gaper twisted in her grip and was able to bend its neck in a way that allowed it to reach her fingers. It clamped down hard on the steel and its powerful jaws pressed together like a vice. Mackenzie heard, rather than felt, the steel beginning to bend and the telltale crunch of something in the hand breaking.
Crying out in shock, Mackenzie tried to fling the gaper loose, but even when releasing her grip, the gaper held on. It crunched hard on two steel fingers, threatening to rip them clean off. Afraid of allowing the gaper to destroy her bionic hand, Mackenzie acted without thinking. She swung her hand down towards the rock as hard as she could, the gaper's head between her fist and the stone.
"NO!" she heard someone cry out.
An instant later, Mackenzie heard the sickening crack of the gaper's skull being crushed between her hand and the stone. She felt the grip on her hand weaken and the gaper lay on the stone, its head flattened and blood spilling around it. Its legs were kicking slightly as it lay on its back.
HSSSS!
Mackenzie suddenly heard an angry hiss from behind her and turned towards the sound. She saw a second gaper scurrying quickly through the dirt near Ackles, heading straight for him.
"Look out!" Mackenzie cried.
But the gaper slid deftly between Ackles' feet and ran straight for her instead. Still hissing, its quills grinding, it leaped off the ground and flew at Mackenzie's throat with alarming speed. Mackenzie told herself to move, but she couldn't move fast enough. She could see clearly into the gaper's mouth as it flew at her, teeth exposed, claws brandished and ready to shred.
Suddenly, there was a loud shot that rang out across the desert and the second gaper exploded into blood and bone fragments, some of which showered over Mackenzie's face.
"Ahh!" Mackenzie cried, staggering backwards and almost falling over. She wiped furiously at the blood on her face, as though it might also be poisonous, but she was fine. Breathing heavily, barely able to believe she was still alive, she looked back towards the Diviners, where she had heard the shot come from.
Jesse Greaves had risen from his kneeling position, still holding his rifle ready and peering down the scope. As Mackenzie watched him, he cocked the gun and slid another bullet into the chamber, still peering around for more threats. He seemed satisfied after a moment that the danger had passed, because he slowly lowered the rifle and stared at Mackenzie with a blank expression on his face, as
though he hadn't just saved her life.
"Miller!" Vasseur barked. "Ackles! Renaud! Someone grab that water, all of you back here, now!"
Mackenzie picked up the water jug with trembling hands, the adrenaline of the moment passed now wearing off and causing her to shake uncontrollably. She quickly joined Ackles and Ethan back with the Diviners.
"You've just had your first run-in with the wildlife," Vasseur said coldly. "Gapers are hostile and territorial, as you now know well enough. You're all lucky to be alive. However, the whole ordeal could have been avoided if you had just followed my order. I said freeze, Ackles. But you kept going. You're only alive right now because Miller knew how to handle herself in a dangerous situation. You owe her your life. You got anything you want to say to her?"
Ackles shifted uncomfortably on his feet. After a moment of silence, he mumbled, "Thanks." He didn't look up from the ground when he spoke.
"Miller," Vasseur barked, making Mackenzie jump again. "What you did was very brave."
"Thank you, sir," Mackenzie replied, holding back a smile as Ethan nudged her with his elbow.
"It was also exceptionally stupid," Vasseur added, causing Mackenzie's pride to drain away. "If it wasn't for that metal hand of yours, you'd have died right along with this dipshit." He jerked a thumb at Ackles.
"Sir," Ethan began, sounding angry, but a quick kick in the ankle from Mackenzie silenced him. She didn't need him fighting her battles.
"I had to do something, sir," Mackenzie said, surprising herself with how calm she sounded. "I couldn't just let him die."
Vasseur nodded. "Yes, I know. And as stupid as it was, risking your life like that, you did save his ass. To be completely honest, it's the sort of act that I would expect from any veteran Diviner. I think that, if nothing else, won you that water you're holding."
Mackenzie blinked in surprise. "Sir?"
Vasseur smiled. "You heard me, Miller. Drink up."
Mackenzie looked down at the jug in her hands. The water inside sparkled as it reflected the sunlight, looking like liquid diamonds. Mackenzie licked her dry lips, feeling as though she could already feel the sensation of the water splashing down her throat. But she did not open the cap. She tore her gaze from the sparkling water and looked back at Vasseur, who was watching her, waiting.
"I can't, sir," Mackenzie replied firmly.
"You can't?" Vasseur repeated, frowning.
"No, sir," Mackenzie insisted. "Not unless Ethan and Ackles can drink, too."
Vasseur stared at Mackenzie silently for a moment, as though studying her, trying to determine if she was joking. Mackenzie simply stared back, waiting. Finally, Vasseur smiled and nodded.
"That's the right answer," he said. "I'm not always a son of a bitch. You were all getting to drink anyway, I just wanted to test your character. By all means, share. But you drink first."
Mackenzie nodded, smiling widely, surprised that it was just another test and pleased with herself for responding the way Vasseur wanted. She removed the cap from the jug and lifted it to her lips, then poured the water into her mouth.
Oh, it was more satisfying than Mackenzie had anticipated. She couldn't remember the last time she had had more than one mouthful of water in a single drink, and she gulped down several cups in one go, greedily swallowing and worrying that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from drinking the whole jug.
When she had finished her share, Mackenzie lowered the jug and sighed audibly, taking a moment to remember the feeling of not being thirsty. Then she went to hand the jug to Ethan, but he shook his head.
"Ackles first," he said. "He nearly died today. He should drink before me."
When Mackenzie handed the jug to Ackles, he took it without making eye contact and muttered, "Thanks." Then when he was done, Ethan took his share. He looked as though he had just tasted the greatest thing in all existence.
"I hope you all enjoyed that," Vasseur said, suddenly sounding stern again. "Because I'm about to bring the mood down. Ackles. What you pulled out there showed not only a complete disregard of my command, but also for your fellow recruit. You tripped Miller when you saw she was going to beat you."
"No, I-" Ackles began to argue, but Vasseur cut him off.
"I don't want to hear your excuses. You're out. Be grateful I let you stay long enough to get some water. Now get out of my sight."
Ackles glared furiously at Vasseur like he wanted to throw a punch. Mackenzie tensed up, ready for if a fight did break out. She noticed that Jesse was tightening his grip on his gun, which he still held in his hands.
It seemed that Ackles noticed as well, because he glanced at Jesse and then relaxed, the fists he had made at his sides slowly unfurling. Ackles threw a dirty look at Mackenzie and Ethan, then stormed away.
"Any complaints about my decision?" Vasseur asked the group loudly, looking between the Diviners and the two remaining recruits. When nobody spoke up, he nodded once and said, "That's what I thought."
"Sir, I have one question," Ethan began. "When the second gaper attacked, why didn't it go for Ackles? He was closer, he was moving more. He should have been the first thing the gaper went for, but it attacked Mackenzie. Why?"
Jesse took a step forward, glancing between Ethan and Mackenzie as he replied. "Gapers mate for life. They're fiercely devoted to their mate and will die to defend them if attacked. It's possibly a part of why they're so territorial. But if you kill one, then its mate will hunt you down and kill you. It will track you for miles, never resting until its avenged its mate. That's why the second gaper went straight for Miller. She killed its mate."
Mackenzie didn't know how to feel about this information. She'd done what she had to do, she knew that. But knowing that the gapers only attacked out of some kind of animalistic love for one another? It made her feel uncomfortable and she squirmed at the thought.
"That's why you shouted no, isn't it?" Mackenzie asked Jesse, realizing that it had been him. "You knew a second gaper was out there."
"I couldn't see it, but yes," Jesse replied. "There's almost always two."
"I think that's enough for now," Vasseur said. "You two, take a break. I want you both back here in one hour, though. Miller, you might want to see if Renaud can do something about that hand of yours. It looks like the gaper did some damage."
Mackenzie looked down at her bionic hand. To her horror, it was bent and dented, and two of the fingers seemed unable to bend. Ethan took it gently in his hands and studied it closely.
"Doesn't look too bad, considering," Ethan said. "Looks like a couple of snapped synthetic tendons is all, some bent pistons, exterior damage. Shouldn't take long to fix."
"Good," Vasseur nodded. "We've already lost one recruit today. Let's not make it two."