“Hey Nora, what’s up?” Jennifer asked as she came wandering down into the kit.

  The tall girl at the table looked up from her tablet. She brushed her curly brown hair out of her heart-shaped fad smiled. “Hey squirt, long time no see. Just doing some samurai work, very important,” Hoppy replied with a crooked grin.

  “It ’t be that important if Teddy’s involved,” Jennifer snorted.

  “I heard that, you brat! You keep that talk up, and there’ll be no samurai-grade desserts for you tonight,” I called from where I was, eyes closed, colpsed on the couch.

  I didn’t have to sit up to know that Jennifer was rolling her eyes. We both k was ay threat. “You want to have a quick self-defense lesson?” Hoppy asked. “I think we’re due for a break anyway.”

  “ we?” Jennifer was trying to py it cool, but I could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “Fine,” I ceded. “We’ve made some det progress.”

  “Yes! I’ll go get ged and see if the others want to join,” Jennifer cheered before charging down the hallway.

  “You know, before you came around, that girl only used to get excited about dinner and disassembling engines,” I said as I sat up, looking over the back of the couch.

  Hoppy, or Nora Thatcher as my family knew her, smirked. The two of us really hadn’t had much of a ce to get to know each other in the caverns, not with all the fighting and surviving we had to do at the time. After we got back though, I opened my doors to the girl, in case she ever wao talk about what happened or wanted samurai-reted advice. I don’t think I ever said anything to help her deal with the trauma of what we faced down there. Her talks with Jane probably helped more, but I liked to think I gave her det samurai-reted advice, and she liked the kids, so she popped by fairly regurly.

  “That’s because both you and Jane are b adults,” Nhed.

  “I really wish that I could dispute that,” I muttered back.

  “How many more of these ons do we have to check for sabotage anyways? I’ve done over a hundred already,” Nora asked as she stood up, put her arms above her head, and stretched. Her well-defined arm muscles twitched for a few seds before she lowered them again.

  “Over the ey? Thousands, but we’re not in any rush.” I pushed myself to my feet and stared up at the much rger girl. Nora ushing nearly six feet. I guess that was a result of a lifetime of kickboxing practid good geics. It was still annoying to have to k my neuch to talk to her face-to-face when we were standing. She was nearly twice my height, for fuck’s sake. I much preferred when we were all croug and c iunnels. “I’m not even sure what we’re looking for. Broken wires? Ripped out servos? Fucked if I know. I’m sure that if I didn’t ect the beavers to our session, I’d never notiy issues.”

  “At least we do most of the work from your pce, and don’t have to travel to eadividual empt. That’d be hell.”

  I nodded and wandered over to the fridge. Thanks to the hydroponics b and food processors built up iower, we had a steady source of det food now. It wasn’t the five-star, fru-fru stuff you could get in the upper city, but it was still better than the kids were used to before. I browsed for a minute befrabbing a nutriblod a couple bottles of water before flipping oo Nora.

  She rolled her eyes when she saw what I was snag on. “How you still eat that shit? All that’s in that is the food waste the corps literally ’t sell anywhere else. It has no nutritional value.”

  “Empty calories,” I nodded before taking another bite. “I know it’s bad for me, but I survived ohings for years. Every on a while, I still crave the uexture.”

  Nora frowned. “That’s disgusting.”

  “Both I and the kids take samurai-grade nutritional supplements, so I afford to treat myself every on a while,” I insisted.

  Nora cracked her water bottle. “Most people crave dy, or ice cream. You’re the very first person I’ve ever met that craved dirt,” she said before taking a sip.

  “There’s no point in arguing with her, she just wont stop eating that junk,” Jane decred as she stepped out of the hallway, followed closely by all the kids. I didn’t see An, but everyone else was dressed in quality exercise clothing, a present from Nora. Turns out when even a small-time sports star bees a samurai, a lot of corporations jump all over themselves to give them a clothing bel.

  I was super-suspicious when she first annouhe deal, but apparently both Nora and her AI had gone over all the offers with a fiooth b, until they found ohey liked. It took less than four months for ‘Hop Around’ to bee the most popur sports clothing brand iy.

  “Kick time! Hoo Hah!” Issi yelled, as she jumped out of the corridor and puhe air.

  “Only for self-defense!” I called to the tot, who immediately nodded. Eddie snickered, so I shot a look his way. He immediately stopped.

  “Are you going to join us today? From what Jaold me you’ve never had any serious self-deferaining,” Nora asked me.

  I shook my head. “Naw, although what you teach is impressive, it’s not that practical fhting antithesis. At least, not unless you have a pair of bat-grade cyberics, like you,” I said, purposefully looking at her legs. “Besides, I wouldn’t trust myself during a sparring match. The st time my adrenaline spiked, I actally ripped a doorknob off.”

  Nora looked at me suspiciously, “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely! I’m going to tinue cheg the empts for now. Still a lot of work to do,” I insisted.

  “Alright… if you say so. e on, crew! Time to work out!” Nora cried as she led everyoo the garage. A couple months ago I totally would have prevehat, but after a while I softened up and put a small py area right o the reside’s not like anyone could sneak away with that many bears watg the area.

  Once everyoepped out, I wandered into the living room, slipped into the chair closest to the bedrooms and closed my eyes. It was only a minute or two until I heard a door open, and someone slowly made their way towards the kit.

  I waited until An had passed me before I spoke up a him know I was there. “Still avoiding me? I told you to stop that,” I said softly. Despite doing my best not to startle him, An still jumped and turned on the spot.

  “I’m not avoiding you. I’m just busy tely,” An replied, head down.

  “Bullshit, you waited until you thought everyone was outside before you came out. Still avoiding me!” I insisted. “When are you going to stop this? I know you’re ashamed that you got caught by Helen and her goons because you went out despite my warnings, but you ’t live in your room forever. Didn’t you learn your lesson?”

  “I did, that’s why I’m not going out anymore,” An mumbled.

  I sighed. “That’s not the lesson you should have learned,” I growled as I bouo my feet. “The lesson is you o listen to me! I’m doing my best to look after all of you. I told you months ago it was safe to go out again. It’s safer than it’s ever been, but you tio mope.”

  An mumbled something under his breath, so I moved closer and held a hand up to my ear. “What was that?”

  “I don’t deserve it! I screwed up and I should be punished for what I did. If you didn’t find me, one of the others could have gotten hurt!” An snarled before turning away in shame.

  I stepped right up to him, reached up, and bopped him one. “I don’t kly what sort of punishment you expect to give out, but it seems like you’ve punished yourself enough, you moron,” I grumbled.

  An shied away slightly but didn’t move far.

  “You want a punishment? Fine! From now on, you’re not allowed to skip any of Nora’s workout sessions or say no when Issi asks you to py,” I decred. An looked at me in horror. “If you refuse, I’ll remove the door from your room so EVERYONE e see you whehey want,” I threatened.

  An looked at me suspiciously for a minute. “Fine, I do that,” he finally agreed.

  “Good.” I smiled. “Everyone’s outside w out with Nht now, and you’re te, so hurry up and ge!” I yelled, shooing An back down the hallway. He was bewildered at first, but finally headed to his room on his own. Ohe door was closed, I hopped back over the back of the coud id down again.

  “If only all my problems were so easy to solve,” I grumbled as I pulled up the squirrel feed again.