They didn't have to travel too far. Sam drove about ten kilometers away from the Sleeper's lair and just stopped in the middle of the vast desert.
By this time, the girl had already calmed down, but she was clearly exhausted, which could also be said about Sam himself. On top of his usual fatigue, he was now also tired after the fight with the monster. He was really worn out...
They sat in silence for about five minutes. The girl seemed to be gathering her thoughts, while Sam just needed to catch his breath after the battle. Eventually, the quiet night was broken by Jade's voice.
"So... Now that we've driven far enough, care to explain what exactly happened?" she asked, looking Sam straight in the eyes.
He didn't look away, just sighed and began to explain what, in his opinion, had happened. It took no more than a couple of minutes for Sam to share his suspicions that they hadn't just parked under some overhang but had driven right into the lair of a dangerous predator. It had likely used its abilities to put them to sleep, trapping them in a dream.
Then Sam managed to break out of his dream. He fought the creature for a bit, and the rest Jade already knew.
The girl seemed lost in thought. Sam decided not to disturb her and also began to think... After all, he had plenty to ponder.
They had left almost a full ration pack behind with the creature, since the entire bag containing all the food had been moved by Jade as soon as they arrived. Their last pack was by the driver's seat. The ration included quite a bit of food—three cans, some strange bread-like crackers, lots of packets with various powders, a couple of weird pills, and finally, cutlery—two pieces of each type. Lastly, the pack also contained something like two tin cans. Most likely, they either held some kind of soda or... just water. They hadn't had a chance to open them yet.
The pack was designed for one full day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For two people, the ration was cut in half, which meant only one thing.
Time was running out. They urgently needed to find more food and, even better, water. For now, their thirst was manageable. Although they hadn't discussed it, they decided to ration the water for the time being. Even though Sam really wanted to drink after the storm, he had to do what was necessary.
"Listen... I have a question," the girl suddenly addressed him, distracting him from his thoughts.
"Shoot," Sam replied indifferently, barely turning his head towards her.
She was silent for a couple of seconds, then asked a rather tricky question.
"How exactly did you manage to escape your dream? What was it about?"
Sam was a little surprised that she actually cared to know about this, but whatever. He quickly recounted everything that had happened in his dream. By the end, he noticed the girl's expression slightly change.
"Hmm. At least I'm not surprised," she said, putting a smile on her face.
'Oh no! Don't you dare!' Sam already guessed what she was about to say.
"I think any girl who wants to have any kind of relationship with you should be warned to flirt with you cautiously. You wouldn't wish a bullet to the head on just anyone," the girl teased, her smile growing with every second as she ribbed Sam.
"Well, it is what it is. Though I can't say the same about you... You were smiling in your sleep; it seems your dream was... very pleasant," Sam decided to sharply tease the girl back, also putting a smile on his face.
Right after those words, it seemed to him that her mask of a haughty, untouchable lady cracked a bit, and her ears turned slightly red.
"You're getting ahead of yourself, chipmunk! The only place you could possibly appear in my dreams is in a nightmare, with that cheeky face of yours," the girl retorted.
"Well, I guess the same could be said about you, though in my nightmare, I did manage to shoot you," Sam countered again.
They continued to tease each other for another five minutes before finally sharing a laugh. They needed to blow off some steam after situations like this, or they could go crazy, and they both understood that. Eventually, their conversation shifted to discussing their rations and the more pressing problems they would have to face soon.
"So... It seems to me that we really have only one option in this situation. We need to head for the city as soon as morning comes," the girl voiced her opinion, which Sam mostly agreed with.
"But still, we can't forget that the city also holds quite a few dangers for us. I'm one hundred percent sure that the slavers won't just ignore the disappearance of two slaves who were in the Precursors' complex. Our faces might already be plastered on city walls... If that practice is still used," Sam said in turn, as his concerns about the slavers were indeed very real and significant.
The girl thought for a couple of minutes. Sam decided to respect that, but he knew that, in any case, they had no other option but to head for the city. They deliberated on the topic a bit more and agreed that they would just have to be extremely careful in their actions. After a few minutes, they decided to take turns sleeping in the car. They didn't want to look for another safe place; they simply didn't have the energy.
There was also the question of where exactly they should go, but it wasn't something they could easily answer. So they decided to just go wherever their eyes led them, as the saying goes.
Soon, for the first time in a long while, Sam closed his eyes and settled more comfortably in his seat. It didn't take even a couple of minutes for him to fall asleep. But just as quickly, he woke up. They decided to keep watch in roughly two-hour shifts, as close to two hours as possible, since they obviously couldn't check the time.
Sam still felt insanely tired, but somehow he managed. The girl immediately drifted off to sleep, and Sam decided to step out of the car. His feet touched the already quite cool sand, and he walked a little away from their transport. Sitting down on the sand, he looked at his metal hand.
He needed to understand what exactly it did and why it had been implanted in him. After all, it wasn't for nothing that it stood out among all the others in the complex. He also began to suspect that the hand was somehow involved in his improved senses in the dark and during combat. Even now, when he closed his eyes, he focused on his surroundings.
It was incredibly strange to realize that he could literally see almost everything around him within a couple of meters. The image simply appeared in his mind, as if he wasn't really keeping his eyes closed. But this only extended a few meters; beyond that, he saw only the impenetrable darkness that surrounded him. He also realized that his reflexes had improved slightly as well. He remembered in his mind the battle against the Sleeper, who had clearly outmatched him in many ways.
He also knew that if the creature had been just a little smarter, he wouldn't have been able to escape with Jade. If the Sleeper had been more persistent and less afraid of the weapon, it probably could have outsmarted Sam and just killed him without much effort.
Suddenly, Sam felt the urge to do something, but he didn't quite understand what exactly. Once again, he felt a slight warmth, as if his body temperature had risen by a couple of degrees. But this didn't cause any pain or discomfort. It was more like putting on a jacket; he just felt a bit warmer, but the warm breeze neutralized this feeling. He stood up, his eyes still closed.
He imagined a creature charging at him, visualized the strikes it could land on him—its speed, its power. Sam understood that he couldn't do anything against it, but... he felt he could fight. He had some sort of ability that gave him this confidence. And no, it wasn't his small sphere of perception that surrounded him after the implantation in his arm...
Right, it wasn't just the arm.
They had injected something into him during the operation. Something that made his blood boil, just like now. But what was it? Could it be some kind of serum that enhanced his perception and reflexes? Something that heightened his instincts?
No... That wasn't all. Sam felt that there was far more to it. It was as if he had only opened two drawers in front of him, trying to look at just them and not at the third... or the fourth.
Sam came to realize that, in reality, this serum might be capable of doing an incredible number of different things, but he had only unlocked two of them. But what had triggered it? If he remembered, what was the first thing Sam activated with his intuition?
What exactly was the first command he gave to his arm?
Sam opened his eyes wide and looked at his open palm, on which a faint green rhombus was glowing. It was incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing. Sam stared at it for a while before his lips began to move.
"Give me my weapon."
No reaction followed. Maybe he needed to be more insistent?
"I order you, give me my revolver."
Again, nothing... Or? Sam thought the rhombus on his palm started glowing a bit brighter, but he needed to do something else. It was as if his metal hand was refusing to obey him. Sam began to feel slightly irritated.
"Give. Me. My. Damn. Weapon."
Sam's anger grew slightly, and now it was noticeable how the rhombus glowed more brightly, but it was still not enough. Why? Why would a mere metal hand dare to defy him? What right did it have not to listen to its master, the one it was supposed to obey? Sam sighed, feeling the anger rising within him.
"Obey me! I'm your master, you tin can!"
Sam's voice grew louder as he spoke. And then, he felt something again. The rhombus was now glowing incredibly brightly, casting a green light over the sand around him. Sam once again felt that lever within his mind, the one he needed to pull. Gritting his teeth, Sam pulled with all his might, and finally, he noticed something. The rhombus shifted, opening just like it had back in the complex.
But unlike that time, when his hand had absorbed the dust that the revolver had turned into, right now, Sam saw a large amount of dust emanating from his palm... forming the silhouette of a long weapon. In just a second, Sam looked down at his hand, now holding a long revolver, exactly like the one he hadn't been able to touch before.
"Finally, you obey me."