"Ouch" Flexing his fingers suffering from the aftereffects of being on the wrong end of a live wire, his right arm spasmed briefly before he reached back into the den of brightly tangled wires as numerous as the hairs on his head.
It heavily resembled a wire bird's nest weirdly enough.
'So am I picking out bird eggs?' Thinking amusedly about that fact as he continued to rummage through the dense plastic and rubbed wiring that once held their medical supplies, Ester frowned when he touched onto the very same live wire.
He really should find out where that was connected to before it caused a fire.
Shaking off the lingering tingles travelling up his arm, his stomach thought it was the right time to voice its hunger just as he was about to reach into the nest once more.
*Gurgle
Pausing in his motions as his stomach seized the opportunity to make its case known, Ester let out a sigh as he was reminded once again of how deep of a hole was forming within his stomach.
At the rate things were going, the pit that was nearing rock bottom would soon turn to breaking down his muscles for proteins and essential nutrients.
And on this trash planet, it was hellishly difficult to find the excess material to find excess food that could be turned to fuel the building of muscle.
It took over nineteen years to build this body and Ester wasn't going to let it all go to waste today.
Feeling his stomach let out a gurgle that challenged his declaration, Ester thought about it for a brief moment before he abandoned the search for the long lost medical supplies within the bundle of wires messed up by the n times 360 degree flipping of the Driller.
The live exposed wire might be something that he would regret not fixing in the future but that was a problem for future Ester to solve.
A future Ester that had his stomach filled with something that was preferably not going to give him the runs.
'I wonder if she found something that wasn't broken when the Driller flipped through the air?
[Yo E-Ester! Come over here! I need you for something!]
'Speak of the She-Devil and she shall appear.'
Feeling the emptiness within his stomach lighten up slightly as he leaped up, Eva's head popping up in his vision as he reached the back section of the Driller.
Glancing back as she heard his footsteps, Ester greeted her.
"What's up Eva? Please tell me its something that I can eat before I eat you."
[Are we talking suggestively or literally?]
"It really depends on the mood." A loud gurgle interrupted his words as it filled the space.
Ester's face grew red. "Currently I think its the literal version of eating you."
[Kek]
Letting out a hiss of air that was distinctly amused at his honest admission, she pointed to a series of pipes in less than optimal condition. [Well if you want a bite of my ass you better work for it.]
[For example, help me fix up the filter system so that I can have some clean cooking water.]
"As the lady demands."
Giving a short bow, Ester turned to look at the monstrosity formed from soda cans, duct tapes, plastic pipes, plastic wrap and hopes and dreams.
Ironically enough, the last part was what seemed to be holding the entire thing together.
It just went to show how horrible it had become when the Driller flipped over.
'How in the Void are you still working?'
Wondering that as he wondered where in the void he should start from, Eva snuck up behind him right before slapping his back,
[Hey Ester.]
He tore his gaze away from the filtration system and greeted the suddenly near Eva. "Hello Eva."
Eva held up a resealed metal can bearing the image of stylized skeletons in lingerie. [Do you want to play a game with me?]
"Uh..." Ester slowly pushed her head away from his own, belatedly noticing that she was a bit taller than him, maybe ten centimeters taller? "Why are you mimicking that dated old world movie?"
[Partially because I'm bored.] Eva admitted before continuing. [But also because I'm bored]
"Those are both the same thing...?"
[Exactly why we need to have this game so that I don't become bored.]
"Well I can't argue against that logic."
Nodding his head at the infallible logic, Eva explained the terms of the game.
[So here's the terms of the game, you win when you finish fixing all of the filtration systems, I win when I'm able to make some nutrient solute.]
"Is there a prize?"
[Is there a what?]
"What's the prize when i inevitably win?" Ester reiterated, a smug smirk on his face as Eva's eyes turned bright with glee.
[Oh that's simple, the prize can be a favor that we can ask the other party anytime they want, anywhere, for anything.]
"Well that's interesting." Hearing the prize, a grin appeared on his face as he stepped backwards.
"Well prepare to do the most embarrassing things known to man Eva."
[There's nothing more embarrassing than to lose to a guy like you Ester.]
"Then you should probably get to cooking since I've already started fixing the water filters."
[Ah] Briefly freezing at his statement, Eva soon returned to life to curse at his dirty tactics as she returned to transforming whatever was in her hands into an edible meal.
It was a task that was harder to do than it looked on the surface.
On a trash planet where the predominant element in both the air and the soil is plastic and inorganics, it went without saying that what little life that sprouted here without being crushed by the trash rain would grow up by feeding on said plastics and inorganics.
And because most carbon based races like the humans that Ester and Eva both were couldn't subsist on a diet of plastics and inorganics, they had to develop specific techniques and processes to make meals all the more edible.
And voila, the nutrient solute is born.
Made from a complicated series of processes meant to purify and filter the solute of any microplastics, bacteria and other unwanted things, although it was tasteless and not exactly filling, it was the best choice they got if they didn't want to die from a disease ripping apart their insides.
"So you better not cheat and bring up unprocessed foods Eva!"
[What do you take me for Ester? I'm not a fragging idiot like you.]
Rolling his eyes at the statement, Ester's hands continued to unravel and ravel the filtration system, forcefully ripping apart parts of the filtration system that had already seen one to many water cycles.
He probably could have left the old stuff in as is if he wanted to beat Eva, but just as she wouldn't do shoddy work and poison him with bad food, he couldn't hold his head up high if the repaired filtration system acted like a needlessly complicated set of pipes without filters.
It was a matter of personal code.
Tossing away a can bearing the symbol of some sort of religious group that was unrecognizable from the numerous taped up holes on its surface, Ester hurriedly connected the plastic pipe to where the soda can previously was.
Grinning at how well everything was going together and wiping the significant amount of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, Ester's grin disappeared just as quickly when his stomach reminded him of the ticking clock.
'Architects it feels like my stomach is suddenly holding a revolution in my body.'
Grunting as he clutched his stomach, Ester forcefully erased the angry sensations ringing in his mind as he replaced the last of the water filtration pipes connected to the food system, raising his arms in celebration.
"Finally! I finished my task first!" Glancing at Eva with a smug look of success, Eva's eyes curved smugly.
[No. I don't think you did.]
"Eh?"
Waggling her finger around as her other hand ground whatever was in the machine to a liquid paste, Eva's shoulders rose with mischievous pride.
[You should've listened to my words earlier.]
"...You know I still finished first right? What the void are you talking about?"
[I said you have to finish repairing all of the filtration systems didn't I?]
Ester's eyes widened as Eva continued.
[That definitely includes the air filtration system, Respirators, Medicinal centrifuge, among other things... Right?]
"You witch." Staring aghast at the woman who was more of a devil than he already thought she was, If Eva had a mouth to smile with she would be wearing the largest, smuggest grin ever to walk the Architects master plan. "I suddenly feel the urge to hate you."
[Aw... I love you to.] Eva cooed, a harsh hiss of joy escaping her throat.
---
"So are you prepared?" Ester asked while adjusting the straps of his frame and making sure that the straps weren't broken.
[As prepared as I can be] Eva replied, her eyes locked onto the Respirator locked onto her chest. The several valves humming and hissing as they sucked in air and spat it out with every breath. [How's the outside?]
"Same old same old" Ester grunted while pulling on several more layers of clothes to shield him from the harsh environment outside. "Cold as death, Violent as a drunk and Angry like I just killed their mother."
Eva adjusted the Respirator so that it lay snug against her chest. [You think that the fire in the sky that Z guy was talking about made it hotter?]
"I wish." He rolled his eyes, double checking and triple checking all their gear to make sure it was all in tip top shape. "Higher chance that the Rocket blasted a hole in our atmosphere and what little heat's still here is making a break for it."
[Mhm] Giving a acknowledging hum, Eva rechecked her belt filled to the brim with various drugs rescued from the depths of the knockoff wire nest guarded by a particularly angry lightning snake.
Thankfully, they wouldn't be worrying about the lightning snake anytime soon.
Shaking his hand which still tingled from the Lightning snakes electric bites that caused the lights to flicker, Eva spoke up.
[Nothing you're forgetting?]
"Nope" Confidently replying to Eva's question, Eva swiftly shattered his confidence.
[Then you should recall that we are currently buried underneath a gate right?]
"..."
[You forgot didn't you?]
"Eva, I like you and all, but I have to point out that you suggested we go out to check how damaged the Driller is."
[I can cash in my favor to force you to dig a way out of here with your bare hands if you don't drop it.]
"I admit I've done a few wrongdoings in my life but you just plain cheated with that wording back there."
[Not my fault you didn't read the terms and conditions properly, its how those mega corps get you.]
"Fair point actually."
---
1 DAY SINCE THE PLANET STARTED TOWARDS DESTRUCTION BY VOID
+++
Part 1 of the fruit of my efforts for forgiveness from my poor as hell planning
Tree
[Rewrite]