There were ten minutes between arriving, and me being placed on an operating table.

  Silver was right next to me the whole time, reassuring me through the tablet. I would only let them inject the anesthesia into me.

  I woke up in a fluffy bed back in our room. Zero had the good stuff. There was no grogginess when I woke up, no confusion. It was like I just woke up from a deep sleep.

  The first thing I heard was Silver’s voice, unfiltered through my broken ears.

  “How do you feel?” They asked.

  I shrunk back in fear.

  “Why are you yelling?” I jumped at the sound of my voice, far louder than I expected. “Why am I yelling?”

  “It’s just your new ears.” Silver whispered. "Sorry, I was warned you might need a while to adapt, but I didn’t realize they would be so sensitive. You’ll get used to it. For now though, turn your head please.”

  I did so slowly, and Silver shoved some cotton in my ears.

  “Is that more manageable?" They asked. Their speaking voice was still loud, but it wasn’t painful.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Your brain will adapt to the sensitivity over time, trust me.”

  I’m not sure I believed them, but I nodded.

  I interrupt the story.

  “Why did you get such powerful ears?”

  “Silver felt bad, and paid for top-of-the-line-replacements. Since my ears are permanent, they spent a lot of money on them. My legs, on the other hand, were pretty cheap since I was still growing.” Cassie says before diving back into her memories.

  “Your surgery was a success by the way.” Silver said.

  “I can walk?”

  “As long as you take things slow.”

  I threw back the covers and took in what I saw. My legs looked normal, indistinguishable from anyone else’s. I reached down and touched them, feeling the fake skin under my hands, but nothing else.

  I hated them. It felt wrong, like they were trying to hide something wrong with me.

  “I can’t feel anything.”

  “We wanted to avoid a deep brain surgery. It’s very easy for things to go wrong. Instead, it’s going to report details about each joint through your existing nerve bundles. It’ll take a while to get used to, but you’ll adapt to that too.”

  Silver helped me to the edge of the bed, and let me try to kick my legs. I’m sure you can guess, but they wired me up wrong. The wrong muscle signals got sent to the wrong joints.

  I had to relearn how to walk. It was slow, trodding along the bedroom while Silver held me up. Like I was a toddler again.

  We went for a few hours, at my insistence, before Silver physically picked me up and put me back on the bed.

  “You really need some food and water. I’ll go get you some.” They left a tablet on the bed before heading into the living room.

  I left the tablet there and drew my knife. I tore into my artificial skin, peeling it off my prosthetics. The bare metal felt more correct, more true.

  Silver returned not long after, catching me in the act. They froze for just a moment. I think that’s the only time I’ve ever seen them genuinely surprised.

  “What’s going on?” They asked.

  “I- don’t like the skin.” I shrunk back.

  “Alright.” They shrugged and didn’t hesitate to get to work helping me.

  Things felt better after we were done. I didn’t feel like I was hiding anything, like I should be ashamed of my legs. Skin is supposed to feel, steel doesn’t. Or, at least, I guess some does, but not mine.

  Cassie glances apologetically towards me, and I give her a reassuring smile. My skin plates are aluminum anyway, so even if she was trying to offend me, it wouldn’t have worked. Not to mention the fact that it’s a membrane that feels touch, not the metal.

  Anyway, point is it was better. I downed my breakfast and got back to work learning how to walk. It was that, or wallow in my misery.

  We didn't get much time before I heard a door open and froze.

  “Silver!” Mara yelled, the sound splitting open my head.

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  “Give me a minute.” Silver placed me on the bed, and left through the door, closing it behind them.

  I instantly tried to climb down the bed to keep walking, although I ended up falling flat on the floor.

  I could hear their voices clearly through the door.

  “Are you still with that fucking kid?”

  “I did my job.” Silver replied. “I thought that's all you cared about.”

  “If we're in the field and you can't leave her behind-”

  “Then it's a good thing I'm building her independence now.”

  Things went silent for a while. Not a single word was said between anyone before Silver re-opened my door.

  They didn't so much as hesitate for a moment before helping support me.

  I spent every minute I was awake getting used to my legs. I'd walk or just lay on my back and just move them in the air.

  In a week I could shuffle around with a walker. It was actually really nice, and Silver thought ahead. The walker’s legs ended in skids, so it'd even be useful in the desert.

  Mara, when she was home, was always on the living room couch. The fucker glared at me every time I dared to walk to the bathroom.

  We didn't stay in Vegas for very long. The Bitch was getting antsy. Silver sat me down for a conversation over breakfast before we left.

  “We're going to have to head out, and that means more fighting. You deserve an easy life, I can set you up with some friends who-”

  “You said I could get revenge. I want to learn to fight.”

  “You'll be safer here.”

  “I don't care!”

  Silver nodded, fully understanding how I felt.

  “Soon as you can run, I'll teach you. You've got to be fast to use your knife.”

  I nodded about as seriously as a ten year old could.

  “If my training is too tough though, just know that out there will be tougher. If you change your mind, we’ll find somewhere safe for you to settle down. Hell, I might even join you.”

  “Ok.” My confidence wavered, but only for a moment.

  I kept walking while Silver packed both their stuff, and the few sets of clothes for me they ordered from Zero. My walker had a little hook on it that could carry my backpack, so at least I didn't have to feel like I was a massive burden. No, Mara did that all on her own.

  The look she gave me, a kid who lost everything. You'd think I spit in her mouth with every word and crushed her toes with every lumbering step.

  The only nice part was that we had two cars. Silver and I took one, Vince and The Bitch the other.

  I got lost in Silver’s books. They were probably Clover's, actually, but Silver never mentioned her. I think I would have broken the tablet.

  I ended up being dragged around while they did work. I hid safely in the cars with a book in my hand while they fought. Or, when they needed the car, I'd curl up on the floor, hiding the best I could.

  Silver often came back bloody. I was never sure if it was theirs or someone else's, and I never asked.

  When we stopped, I'd walk more, out of sight of Mara when I could manage it. Silver and I started a game. They’d hold up their hands, and I'd have to touch their palm with the front of my feet. I started out just flailing at them, but it wasn't long before I could do it reliably, although not quickly.

  In one month I swapped out the walker for a cane. In a second I could walk on my own. And a third? I ran for the first time.

  I'll never forget that moment. The wind in my hair, the sand giving way under my feet, only to hold firm when I press. The rush of emotions, emotions I still get remnants of every time I sprint.

  “That's it Cassandra!” Silver was just as excited as I was.

  Turning was still a problem. I ran straight into a wall, barely catching myself on it.

  I slid down the wall and cried happy tears. I did it. I looked the world in the eye, gave it a big ‘fuck you’ and ran anyway.

  Silver hurried over and held me close. The two of us stayed there for a while. They eventually broke the moment and pulled me to my feet.

  “Alright, I made a promise.” Silver put a rounded, wooden copy of my knife in my hand and stepped back, drawing their own. “You can learn to shoot tomorrow, but today, you're learning how you use your knife.”

  I crouched down, ready to sprint into them.

  “In a knife fight, nobody wins. Your only goal is to lose less than the other guy. You're going to get stabbed. Make sure you get hit someplace that's fixable, and hit an artery on the other guy. You get in quick, and you get out quicker. Or better yet? You step back and shoot him in the head. Now come on, stab me.”

  I kicked off the ground and lunged.

  Silver was so much faster than me. I wasn't even sure what happened, only that I ended up in the sand with their fake knife pressing against my neck.

  They stepped back, and I just looked at them, stunned.

  “Come on, stab me.” They repeated.

  I lunged again, and again I missed. I tried again and again to land anything on them.

  “How are you so fast?” I yelled and attacked again.

  “Divers can process everything faster than you can, and my cybernetics are better than yours. And you know what? None of that shit matters in a real fight. Come on.”

  I hit the sand again.

  “How can I beat you?”

  “Be smarter.”

  Again.

  “Stop trying the same thing over and over.”

  Again.

  For hours I tried. I worked myself to the bone. My skin was rubbed raw by the sand. And I couldn't land anything.

  “I can't do it.”

  “Then you’re going to die out here.” Silver said casually.

  Again I hit the sand.

  “I guess Mara was right. She said you'd never walk. She said you'd never run. She said you can't fight. I'll take you back to Vegas and-”

  I cut them off, fighting once again. Of course I didn't hit them, but I kept going. I started to get better, to stumble where I once fell.

  They never once let me get an easy hit. They never once treated me like a dumb kid. They just encouraged me to keep fighting, and I did.

  I tried to push myself off the ground, only for my arms to give out.

  “That's a good start. Get some rest.”

  They came over to help me up, and I lashed out with my knife. Of course I missed, they knew exactly what my plan was. They just moved their leg out of the way and kept helping me up. I could see it in their eyes though, their pride. Fighting underhanded? Doing whatever it took to win? That's what they were trying to teach me the whole time.

  They carried me back to the car and began to read. That was the first night my nightmares didn't bother me.

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