"Don't worry, Cricket, I won't give 'em the chance again."

Palmer relaxes, appreciating the comforting gesture. He still remembers the blasts of gunfire and the sounds made by the creatures.

"I shot one of 'em. The one that was laughing at me - I figure I wasn't thinking when I did it, I just got mad and let my handgun take over. I think I was able to show 'em James Palmer wasn't about to be easy prey. First time I hurt somebody on purpose."

At least Furiosa and Harley had seemed to appreciate Palmer's burst of courage, something which wasn't lost on the mechanic. He'd carried himself a little straighter ever since he came back from the expedition.

"It was a little disappointing. I was hopin' there was a way to talk them down, or at least find out why they're giving us such a hard time. I mean, we Nexus people didn't do anything to them, at least as far as we know. I thought it might be a misunderstanding. But you got a good point about the scorpion thing. Some folks are just not good or reasonable, I guess." Palmer hadn't tried talking to the Thing, but if he had known it took human form he may well have tried. That almost certainly would have ended badly.

He manages to crack a smile. "That scorpion in the story sounds like a jerk."