Chapter 21: A Deal Among Scientists
The cold started to seep in shivering Astra to her bones yet she stood strong, the scent of burnt powder still lingering between the trees as the winds carried it along.
"You want me to what?" Astra hissed, her knuckles whitening around her grip She took a half-step forward, dirt lifting up slightly under her boot. Her eyes flicked to the gun—her gun—now humming ominously in his grip.
"Astra, there’s—" Celi tried to speak, only to be cut off by her.
"Not now Celi!" she snapped, clearly on edge with the problem in front of her.
Belk’s lips quirked. With a deliberate click, he thumbed the safety off, the sound sharper than a distant thunder. "Oh, this?" He raised it, letting the barrel drift casually toward the treeline. "Took it off your corpse-wannabe self. Fixed the power core, using amber as—"
"Stole it," Astra cut in, her voice a blade.
"—salvaged it," he corrected, unflinching. The gun dipped, now aimed at Celi’s bound form. The Neo wolf froze, her mechanical growl stuttering. "Fully functional now too. See?"
Without hesitating he shot near Celi’s ear, burning the tips off her fur. The sudden fire caused Astra to flinch, her heart dropped as she watched the beam barely miss her furry companion.
"Look, I don’t expect you to do it for free, I can make your troubles a whole lot easier," He shoved the gun back into his pouch, his arms crossed as he spoke. "If just me can wipe out your army of muts then imagine an even larger army of Alevarians,"
Astra’s eyes widened slightly, her gaze falling to her feet as she thought about his warning. His words make sense, though she wasn’t too sure.
"You expect me to trust you?" She pondered, her question more rhetorical than anything, inciting a sigh from the young scientist.
"Trust’s a luxury, otherworlder," He snorted, holstering the gun with force that betrays his calm, rubbing the nape of his neck, leaning his head to the side as he got to a hard to reach spot, his posture surprisingly relaxed in front of his foe. "Don’t you see? I’m offering leverage, monkey."