The Girl in the Container

Zephyr raised his hands in a placating gesture, doing his best to indicate he meant no harm.

"Hey there. Did you need help with that?"

The squatter stood there as if in a trance, short auburn hair tousling in the breeze. She was wearing an oversized brown coat that covered most of her body. Her most striking feature were her amber-gold eyes. They were big, almost innocent-like; but beneath them was a wariness that reflected the world's harshness. They narrowed as her hand tightened on the bike's frame.

"W-what do you want?" she asked hoarsely, like it'd been a while since she had last used her voice.

"Um, I'm not here to cause any trouble. Just saw the open container and wanted to check it out."

He stopped short of ten feet from her—enough to give her some space.

"It's not safe to be out here, especially for a kid. You could get seriously hurt."

"I… appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself." She suddenly lifted her left arm as if proving a point. Her sleeve slipped down to reveal glinting metal. With a whir and a soft mechanical hum, she over exaggeratedly balled her prosthetic into a fist.

Zephyr eyebrows raised. Bionics weren't rare per se, but they weren't exactly something you saw every day either—especially not something as extensive as that. It was the most he'd ever seen on a non-veteran. Her figure shifted a little more, revealing a prosthetic right leg and metal at the top of her spine too.

He took a breath, trying to find the best way to approach things.

"Look, given what you have set up here, I don't doubt that you can. However, it's not safe. You're going to get hurt once they start shuffling out these containers."

Her shoulders tensed, halfway to bristling.

"I told you, I'm fine. Besides, they won't move this one."

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause I've been here all week. They've always left this container alone. Now leave. I see that look; you probably think I'm just some freak."

Zephyr sighed and shook his head at the comment.

"No idea where that last part came from, but listen, kid. You need to find a new place. I'm serious."

"Why should I?"

"Because they reorganize everything in the scrapyard on a weekly basis. If you stay here, you and your entire setup are going to get mangled. In fact, you're lucky they haven't already gotten to it today."

Silence gripped the girl, and her eyes narrowed. Eventually though, she relented and deflated a little.

"You seem pretty familiar with the way things work around here. What's your deal?"

"I'm just a local. Run a business that upcycles old stuff into something useful again. Like the stuff here."

"Upcycling… is that like recycling, but fancier?" One hand moved to rest on her hip as she thought.

"Something like that. I take something old and make it better, or I use it as material for something new."

"Huh… Wait, you just said 'I'. Are you telling me you do it all yourself? Like, you're not a part of a big company?"

"Pft, big company? Don't think my place even counts as a small business, honestly. I'm the owner, operator, janitor, and everything in-between," he said with a chuckle.

"Is that why you're out here on the weekend?"

"You're observant. Yeah, just trying to find some stuff I can use. It's easier for me to look when no one else is around, you know?"

"I guess."

Her wariness slowly melted into a muted awkwardness. "Well, uh, thanks for letting me know. But you can just leave now. Goodbye."

"Wait, hold on a sec. Since I've shared a bit about myself, how about you introduce yourself?"

"…Me? Why?"

"Just curious."

"Curious? About what? I don't even know you. Just ignore me like everyone else."

"I'm not going to just ignore you, kid. Especially not someone who was brave enough to squat in one of these containers."

"Brave? Really? You're not going anywhere by buttering me up—"

She stopped abruptly with a blink, her lips forming a tight line as if unearthing a hazard.

"Hold on. You're just trying to distract me, aren't you? Y-you called the authorities!"

"Authorities? Kid, if I wanted to call them, I would've just done it and left. No, I'm more concerned about you. Can at least make sure you get to one of the orgs in the city. They help people like you—"

"Not a chance!" The girl backed away. "I'm gonna make a new life for myself here. No handouts, no strings attached, especially not from some random guy like you. I'll pack up my stuff and get out of here like you asked, but I'll do it on my own terms. Capiche?"

"Alright, alright, was just trying to be nice. Don't bite my freaking head off. Listen, I get it. You want to be independent, and that's great. But there's a difference between being that and—"

"Cut the lecture. I already said I'm not going to any orgs! Also, stop calling me 'kid'. I'm fifteen, and my name is Audra. A-U-D-R-A."

His lips curled upward at her sass. "Oookay then. It's nice to meet you, Audra. I'm Zephyr Lee, though most people just call me Zeph."

A few seconds passed between them before her head shook in defeat.

"…You're annoying, but at least you seem honest. Fine, stay if you want. Just don't get in my way."

"Erm, thanks? And I don't plan on it—getting in the way, at least."

"Good. Anything else I can help you with then, Zeph?"

"I mean if you're asking, I'd like to help you move your stuff. I don't think you'd be able to move everything in that container by yourself."

Audra hesitated. Her gaze flickered between him and the container. "Appreciate the offer, but I'll pass. Why do you think I got this bike for?"

She motioned to the hunk of junk beside her which—while in surprisingly good condition despite its age—was definitely not meant for hauling.

"…Audra, there's no way that'll work."

"It will. I'll just take it slow."

Zephyr frowned, already knowing how that would go. This wasn't how he planned to spend his weekend, but the thought of leaving the kid—Audra, he mentally corrected himself—to her fate in the middle of a scrapyard just didn't sit right.

The sun was already starting to dip towards the horizon, painting the clouds with a warm, orange-red glow. The evening chill was starting to set in.

"Alright, look. How about this: I'll help you pack your stuff onto that bike. That sound good?"

She quirked her head. "Fine, whatever. But no more questions, and no calling the authorities. Deal?"

"Deal."

***

It didn't take long until Audra finally realized that, no, she wasn't going to be able to fit everything on her bike. They'd barely made progress after half an hour, and Zephyr could tell her patience was running thin.

He watched as she tried to secure a box to the bike's frame again, only to tumble off moments later.

"Damn it! This shouldn't be hard!"

"It was a good attempt. However, I think the stove was where it started to fall apart."

Zephyr pointed at the appliance that had compressed the back tire into the ground. "It's not exactly meant to be portable."

Pride flared in her eyes before fizzling out.

"Fine, I admit it—there's no way I can get this all to work. But what am I supposed to do now? I need all this stuff to live."

"'All' is a bit debatable. Anyway, how did you even get this stuff out here in the first place?"

Audra suddenly clammed up and diverted her gaze away from Zeph, fixating on something else in the distance.

"Audra… were these things already in the container to begin with?"

"…Maybe."

Zephyr rubbed his temples. Well, that was just great.

"Can't believe I didn't think about that earlier. You realize that while this stuff is cheap, it's not free, right?"

"Um…"

"Tell me, did you pay for this? Or did you think you could just help yourself?"

She looked at the ground in shame, still not making contact.

"Audra?"

"…Sorry."

Zephyr's chest clenched as memories tugged his heart, then let out a sigh.

"Never mind. Just grab whatever you originally had, and… perhaps a couple other things that you really need. I can help you move those to wherever you're going to set up next."

He could almost see the question mark pop up over her head at the offer.

"Wait. What?"

"You still have to move your things outta here. Plus, you already used this stuff, so I'll be paying for it."

It took a few moments for it to sink in. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to make herself smaller.

"Z-Zeph, you don't have to do that. I'm fine. Seriously."

"Really? I assume that you don't have money, and if I don't pay for whatever you messed with, it'll be stealing."

"But—"

"Just accept the help. Please."

Conflicting expressions flitted through Audra. Surprise, suspicion, reluctance, then finally…

"Fine, but… just this once."

He smiled despite the situation.

"Thanks. Now I'm gonna head over to the office and sort things out with Minerva. In the meantime, you can load your things onto my truck—it's just a few rows down from here." Zephyr pointed in the general direction. "It's a two-seater, blue and black. Ah, and you'll probably need this to open the back."

He tossed her his key fob, clumsily caught with her bionic hand. The metal jingled as she stared at it, steam wafting from her head at the casualness.

"W-what?"

"Just press the black button, pretty straightforward. I'll meet you there once I'm done. Oh, and don't forget to close the container on the way out."

She sputtered.

"H-hey, hold on! You're just trusting me with this?!"

However, Zephyr had already turned and walked away.