Six on Sunday - RUNT, a Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance

Six on Sunday - Six paragraphs from RUNT, a Sensuous Sci-Fi Romance

1. She touched her jaw, wincing from the twinges that continued to plague her. Getting up, she went over to fetch the tray and take it back to the blanket. It took some doing to keep it balanced between her hands, but she was able to set it on the floor before sitting back down. Sitting with her legs straight out in front of her, she picked up the bowl with both hands and noted the warmth coming off of it. She tried to pick out some of what was floating around in it, but her fingers weren’t that good at grasping. So she placed the bowl against her lips and tilted it the way the instructions that had been fed into her brain instructed her.

2. “I dunno,” Axel answered truthfully. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I’m coming back aboard with our passenger. I want a planet or moon located and locked in by the time we get there,” he ordered, and glanced down at the barely visible young woman still sleeping or unconscious through the visor in the helmet. “There’s gotta be a damn good reason why you stole this ship,” he murmured. “And I can’t wait to hear what it is.”

3. He straightened and bit his lower lip. After another few seconds, he got up from his chair, then bent over to look at her. “You’re a guest on this ship. I don’t condone what those men were trying to do, selling you off to the highest bidder. You’re welcome to help yourself to whatever we have to offer. Food, water…” He gestured outward. “This cabin. Once we finish with that ship, we’re heading to a little place where we’ll sell what we’ve salvaged. Maybe by then you’ll have an idea where you want to go. We can either take you there, or we’ll give you a few creds so you can catch a shuttle.” He pointed to his face. “Is there anything you can do about that, so it’s not so obvious you’re a cyborg?”

4. Up ahead, Axel picked off what he could see. Several times he accidentally stepped on one of them. They made odd gurgling noises and tried to attach themselves to his boots, but he shook them off or stomped on them before they had the chance. She kept her eyes focused on the path he was clearing for her and Vassidy until one managed to fasten itself on the bottom of the container. The sister rammed the butt of her rifle into it, smashing it to pulp.

5. He became serious. “You’re what?” She reached up and touched the mechanical side of her face. Axel grimaced. “If you think that makes any difference to me, I wouldn’t’ve kissed you. Or want to keep kissing. Or needing to hold you.” He lightly tapped her metallic temple. “You have a human brain, right?”

6. Runt’s eyes roamed between the three of them, but most of all she studied Axel’s face. He was worried. Afraid. All of them were, and all because of her. If she hadn’t been a problem, they wouldn’t be in this mess. They wouldn’t be stranded. They wouldn’t be facing imminent death.

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