Page 108 of Every Almost

It looked like a point and shoot device, not a gun exactly. Well, perhaps if it was one made of Legos. There was a tiny metal square that was clamped between two metallic pieces of hardware at the end of it. The square was about half the size of Charlie's pinky nail and looked almost fleshy and organic. But Charlie could see the machinery compacted into it, miniature components and wiring so precisely assembled that her engineer brain wanted to take it apart immediately.

Before Charlie could process what was happening, the blade-woman stepped toward her and pointed the device at her head.

Charlie screamed.

Not the terror-scream from before, but one associated with the full-body, scramble-backward, what-the-fuckreaction that sent her crabbing across the floor away from both women. The blade-woman pulled back and looked at Charlie with an expression that clearly communicated, 'Are you finished?'

The first woman stood. She turned to the blade-woman and gave her a look that Charlie, even across all the barriers separating them and the complete dissolution of everything she understood about the universe, could read perfectly.

Smooth move, asshole.

She walked over to Charlie, her face calm and gentle again, just like before. That small smile present, the one that made Charlie feelokay. Charlie's pulse was hammering even now but there was just something about this woman where every time she smiled at Charlie,every single time, she just felt better.

The woman sat down slowly in front of her again, cross-legged once more. She placed her hand over her own chest, closed her eyes and bowed her head. Charlie knew what it meant immediately.

I'm sorry.

Then the woman opened her eyes, looked directly at Charlie, and then raised them up and to the side, eyeing the blade-woman from where she sat. And Charlie watched this leader roll her eyes.

Charlie chuckled softly, even with her pulse still elevated. But it was a real laugh, surprised out of her. And it caused the woman to smile warmly at her once again.

The woman turned and beckoned the blade-woman over, who came to where they were and dropped to her knees. They spoke. Then the woman who smiled turned back to Charlie. She tapped the gun the blade-woman was holding, then pointed at the device behind her own ear. She looked at Charlie and, again, made the talking motion.

"That's the thing behind your ear, isn't it?" Charlie asked, pointing behind her own ear, then at the gun, and made the talking motion with her hands too. The woman nodded vigorously, her smile spreading wide. She pointed at the gun again, then at the device behind her ear, then formed her hand and fingers into a gun shape, raised her forearm, and put the finger gun behind her ear.

Okay, now Charlie was starting to understand. But, wait. These aliens were going to have to use some sort of gun to shoother in the head so she could talk to them? And,oh, holy shit, was Charlie actually considering this?! Letting god knows who inject her with god knows what?!

She looked up from the woman's puppet display to her eyes. The woman looked at her with... understanding?

She reached out towards Charlie. Tentatively at first, showing Charlie her open hand. Slowly, gently, she leaned forward and placed her hand on Charlie's chest, along her collarbone.

Charlie gasped. Quietly and barely audible. The heat coming from this woman's hand was unlike anything she'd felt before. Not hot or feverish, but the kind of gentle radiance that meant something alive was treating you how you should be treated, and that the person behind it was offering something real.

She stared down at the woman's hand, then looked back up to her eyes. The woman held her hand against Charlie for a moment longer before pulling it away and placing it against her own chest, covering the exact same spot.

A mirror gesture.

I'm here. You're here.

Same.

Charlie looked into those golden-green eyes and felttrust.

Okay, well, obviously Charlie was absolutely, certifiably, batshit crazy. Because now she trusted this woman completely.No questions, no qualms.

Charlie took a deep breath and nodded.

The woman smiled. The blade-woman bent down again and came at Charlie with the gun. Charlie did wince, but she tried to hide it. She outright failed. However, she didn't move away.

The woman reached out and touched the blade-woman's arm before opening her palm, then closing it again, and repeating the motion. Oh, Charlie knew this one, too.

Give it to me.

Charlie watched them speak. Clipped this time in an obvious disagreement. The blade-woman clearly thought it wasn't necessary for the other to complete the task. The first woman clearly didn't care. After a short exchange, the blade-woman surrendered the device and stood, walking back to the line where the others remained.

The woman looked at Charlie. Raised her eyebrows.

Charlie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. At least no one could say she didn't take risks, because this had to be the biggest fucking risk of Charlie's life.