by Riley Hunt
“Do ya want somethin’ to chomp on?” She grinned and revealed a toothless mouth that looked like a putrid black hole. “We only serve the best.”
Vex sat straight up. I didn’t even think about asking if he was hungry. Did he need to eat? Reapers didn’t have to, but I liked to indulge on occasions. Especially with chocolate.
Now that I thought about it, I could use something to eat.
“What do you have? Any chocolate? Or something sweet?” My stomach rumbled at the thoughts of the half-eaten box of Oreos I had stashed in my apartment.
“Chocolate?” The woman squealed as spit flung out of her mouth. “What da ya think this is? A Lord’s palace? Some screws must be loose in that purty little head of yours.” I was one minute away from making my dagger appear and showing this creature that I was more than a pretty face.
Once again, Vex rolled up his sleeve and showed the women that godawful mark. Her eyes grew wide before she bowed her head down.
“I’m sorry for me… my…” The woman kept her eyes glued to the rickety wooden floor.
“No harm done,” Vex said. “Just tell us the specials.”
She nodded. “I have fried gargoyle wings, battered cockroaches, and the best blood pudding you can find in Helius.”
My nose crinkled at each option, and the small part of my appetite disappeared. But Vex looked like a kid in a candy shop.
“I’ll take the wings.” He looked at me, and I shook my head. There was no way in hell I was going to eat any of that. “Suit yourself.”
“Free of charge for Lord Davos.” The woman refused to look Vex in the eyes as she handed him a bowl filled with miniature grey scaly wings before she scurried down the hall. The wings were nothing like how the humans depicted the monsters in stone. They were closer to the size of a bat. The contents of the bowl looked as though they would come back to life and fly away at any minute. He grabbed the first wing and nibbled on jagged arch. The crack and crunch of his teeth digging into the snack broke the silence. I couldn’t help but to stare as he gnawed his way through it.
“Are sure you don’t want a bite?”
I shook my head. “Hell no.”
“You’re missing out,” he said in a singsong voice as he moved on to the next wing. My nose crinkled as I stared out the window. The train finally to came to a complete stop and someone called out, “Nessus.”
“That’s our stop.” Vex abandoned the bowl on the empty seat next to him.
“What? You’re not bringing your snack?” I snorted, thankful that I didn’t have to listen to the sickening crunches any longer.
“Nah, someone who is hungry can have the rest.” He hopped off the seat, wiped his hands on the sides of his legs, and headed to the hallway and out of the train.
Vex hadn’t been joking about the heat. For the first time in my life, the glisten was a full-blown sticky shine as it enveloped my skin in uncomfortable excess. I peeled my clothes down to a tank and jeans. Luckily, I’d been smart enough to ditch the leather jacket at home prior to jumping into the portal. We were surrounded by jagged bare plains as far as the eye could see, with chasms that ripped into the parched ground. Only a few monumental rocky hills blocked out the blazing sun.
“That’s where he is.” Vex pointed to an entrance in the closest hill. There was nothing to announce that this was the home of Adam. No guards nor signs.
“They leave him out here all by himself?” My head whipped around, looking at the horizon, but it was too bright to see if anyone else was here.
“Where else are they going to put him? No Daemon likes travelling this far from the towns. It’s a good way to get kidnapped.” I followed him into the cave, and the temperature seemed to drop as we entered. Inside was nothing like the barren wasteland; it held an almost cool sleekness to the walls, like marble. It reminded me of the one time that I had seen the inside of Eve’s structure.
It always made me wonder why they nicknamed the device that ran Helius as Adam, and the one that ran our department Eve. One would think it would be the other way around. Eve had been the one tempted by the darkness into eating the forbidden fruit first.
As I walked around Adam, who sat on a flat boulder, I noted the surrounding dark, damp room. It mimicked a cave without moisture while the warm stone sizzled beneath my feet. Adam was silent for some reason I hadn’t figured out yet.
He looked like an ordinary man with black hair, a muscular but slim build, and a plain face. Nothing particular stood out about him except for the sheen of his skin. God had made him that way to mimic his favorite creation. I always wondered why he had been created like a human. Why not just a machine? He was closer to software than a person. His brain could compute any sort of mathematical problem and held all the knowledge of each realm.
I glanced over at Vex, who stood behind me with his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark jeans. His gaze darted around furtively. He was nervous. The tension was thick in every muscle of his body, his posture rigid and the muscles visibly tight. The veins in his neck protruded like steel cords.
“Should we be worried?” I called over to Vex as my fingers gently grazed Adam’s surprisingly cool surface. My eyes caught a glimpse of something shiny and ebony dancing with a soft glow just behind Adam’s back.
“They only check on him every once in a while to make sure he isn’t broken, but you never know when they’ll show up.” Vex’s eyes darted back and forth across the cave. “There isn’t a schedule, you know, being that Helius isn’t recognized for their organization skills.”
I moved around Adam, noting at once that there was a cliff behind him that was more of a hidden hole. Beneath the hole was a river of molten lava. It glowed fiery and unnatural, probably because it was Helius born. I shuffled away from the hole. There wasn’t much that could kill us, but a burn would be a different story. The lava would probably hurt like Helius.
“Adam, it’s time to wake up,” Vex commanded in a silky manner, as if he were speaking to a cherished friend, “and smell the sulfur.”
Adam lit up immediately. His brown eyes blinked but held a strange vacancy. He didn’t smile or hold any sort of emotion—exactly what you’d expect a machine would be like.
“It is good to see you again.” Adam had a deep voice, the imitation of the voice of the first man, and he spoke with the same adoration that had been laced in Vex’s words. “I’ve missed you, friend.”
Vex didn’t seem surprised, nor did he meet my eyes. Instead, he inched closer to Adam, his hands still shoved deep in his pockets, but his stance was more relaxed. How was this possible? If Vex was a nobody, why would he be visiting Adam? More questions to be added to the never-ending mystery of that man.
“Adam, are you well?” Vex shifted his weight as if deciding what his next question would be.
“Of course, all of my systems are functioning,” Adam responded, but not once did he look at me. “May I ask who your friend is?”
I moved around Adam, farther away from the dangerous gaping hole, to stand beside Vex. “Hi, I’m Ana.”
“Hell… An… A…” His voice shuttered. “Hello, Ana. How can I help you?”
I pulled the file from my pocket and started to record. The Angels needed to see this.
Chapter Ten
Vex
“Adam, could you run a diagnostic for me?” I asked while I circled around the machine, spotting no visible signs of tampering or corruption. He looked completely normal, except for a twitch in his fingers that didn’t seem to slow. He tapped the side of his leg over and over.
“The next scheduled diagnostic is in 66,666 days.” Adam stared at the wall without even blinking. “66,666 days,” he repeated.
“66…” Adam continued.
“Stop, Adam.” I commanded, and the machine did what I said. “That is enough.”
Ana and I stared at each other. By the look on her face, this was bad. It didn’t make sense. The few times I’d ventured to visit Adam, he was clear and concise.
I used to enjoy hearing all of his Earthy knowledge.
“That isn’t right,” Ana said, her voice thick with worry. “The way the Angels programed them… He should run weekly maintenance updates and diagnostics.”
“Could you change the schedule and run a diagnostic for me?” I crouched down and looked into his eyes. Adam was looking back at me, but there was no soul inside. Nothing, just emptiness.
“C-c-c-certainly.” His gray eyes shook back and forth. The shaking quickened. “R-r-running diagnostic.”
Adam stopped moving, his arms dormant against the side of his legs. His mouth was frozen but still held the shape of an ‘O.’
“What’s wrong with him?” Ana asked. “Don’t they have a restart button or something?”
“I have no bloody idea.” I waved a hand in front of Adam’s face, but he didn’t react—not even a blink. “I’ve never seen any controls or anything like that.”
This was bad. If Adam wasn’t working properly, how could the souls be processed? How would anyone know if it was time for them to ascend? No wonder his gates barely functioned anymore.
The machine was broken, and who did you complain to about this? I doubted the Angels cared about the well-being of Helius. They would let us rot here if they could and keep their precious Heaven free of our taint. That nagging voice inside of me was screaming that Helius was in big trouble.
Chapter Eleven
Ana
“It’s odd… that one minute he was working he talked with you, and now he’s stalled. Is it even possible for them to break?” I leaned in close to Adam’s face as I caught a whiff of the familiar smell of an electrical charge that accompanied all computer-driven entities. The front of his sleek black cylindrical body displayed the digital screen where his face was
His almond eyes were a warm caramel and his skin a milk chocolate umber, yet his black hair was shiny, long, and stick straight, cascading down toward invisible body parts. His lips were large, his nose broad and flat. His face was still frozen oddly, his features exaggerated.
I stood there, unable to break away from scrutinizing that face, that familiar face. Eve and Adam were no longer a part of the circular wheel of life and death. They had ascended a few thousand years ago, give or take, but their original likeness remained in the operators. Another fun fact: they created Eve first. It took Eve and Adam longer to make it than the souls created after them because of the deep guilt they had carried into their lives from the biggest mistake in all human history. They had robbed their descendants of paradise.
I was lost in thought so deep that when Vex cleared his throat, I barely registered it. He did it again but this time louder. I turned to see that he was gazing at me in expectation.
“I’m sorry.” I shrugged, waiting for him to repeat himself as I realized I had missed something.
The air, already stifling, began to feel as if it had thickened. The pungent aroma that clung to the outskirts of Helius seemed to increase suddenly and choke any further words from both our lips. I watched as Vex tightly closed his mouth from what he was going to say. His back went pencil-straight, and he moved like lightning, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the shadows.
Putting his finger on my lips, he leaned into my ear, so close I felt the heat of his breath. “Quiet. Someone’s coming. They’re going to see us, so go along with what I’m about to do.”
Before I could ask what, he pushed me back against the rock wall, leaving me mostly obscured by the shadows, grabbed me by the ass, and lifted me up to wrap my legs around him while his lips descended on mine. I didn’t have time to think or protest, but my body quickly eased into his.
I kissed him back even harder, melting against him, like butter in a hot pan. For a brief moment, I lost myself, forgetting where we were and what we were doing. The only thing that mattered was the feel of his lips on mine, and the press of his warm body.
I’d experience nothing like it before, and I’d been around since the beginning of time. My heart thrummed against the wall of my chest like war drums.
Apparently, he felt it too, because he pulled back and his smoldering pupils dilated as they met mine. Did my eyes look the same? I didn’t have time to ponder that thought as his lips pressed onto mine once again, and a strange warmth flared against my cheeks.
And then I heard the shuffling as someone entered the room.
“Holy fuck. What the Helius do you think yer doing?” a stern, garbled voice demanded from the entrance.
“Whatever you do, don’t look up,” Vex mouthed against my lips. Then he let out a frustrated groan. “Just needed a place to impress and maybe get lucky,” he grumbled to the Daemon behind him. Vex pressed my face into his chest, so I could neither see nor be seen.
“Vex, is that you?” the Daemon asked as his heavy feet shuffled closer and then stopped, as if he’d thought better of it.
“Uh…yeah. We’ll leave soon, once I’m done,” Vex snickered in a cocky voice over his shoulder. “You know how these Daemons are…they always want to see new places.”
“All right,” the unknown daemon answered in a strained voice. “Take yer time. I know how it is.”
Vex turned his glowing emerald gaze back to mine, his eyes traveling to my lips. It made me arch my back against him in response, and he let out a moan.
The Daemon grunted and then chuckled, but he shuffled some more around the room behind Vex and didn’t venture any closer.
I struggled to pay attention to the man’s footsteps but Vex stole my entire focus when he deepened the kiss, pressing his body into mine again. My skin tingled as I could feel every single curve of him.
It was dangerous, invigorating, and just damn hot, but then the Daemon left, dragging his feet slowly out of the cavern
Vex pulled back, a pained look on his face/features. Both of us stayed there for a moment, our foreheads pressed together and our breathing hard while we tried to regain our composure. Vex released his hold on my backside, allowing my legs to slip down onto the hard ground.
“That was… ” Vex paused, and then he shifted his weight off me.
“Yeah,” I agreed breathlessly. It was hard. Sensations still pooled in areas of my body, and an embarrassing flush of warmth spreading up from my groin followed. Shit. “Awkward.”
“You took the words out of my mouth.”
I darted around Vex, rapidly putting my back to him as I moved toward Adam again. Adam was back online, the frozen face gone, but he appeared to be waiting. Waiting for what?
Vex was beside me a few moments later, obviously needing a bit more time to recover.
“Ah, it’s good to see you again, master.” Adam’s eyes brightened, and his lips parted into a wide, toothy grin full of perfect, brilliantly white teeth.
“Master?” Vex asked. He leaned over and rested a hand on the side of the capsule that contained Adam. “I’m no one’s master. It’s your friend, Vex.”
“Ah, yes. I meant friend.” Adam’s lips twitched in what I caught as a micro-expression. Apprehension set in the tilt of his lips but never reached his eyes.
I didn’t think machines could have micro-expressions.
Maybe one that was evolving into an emotionally sentient being could, though.
“Adam,” I said, pausing until he turned his digital head toward me. “Do you know who I am?”
Adam paused his study of me, leaving his expression neutral. “You are Analise, but you go by Ana, and you work for… .” He stopped and turned back to Vex, not finishing his sentence.
“You are not to tell anyone she was here,” Vex commanded, narrowing his eyes.
“Of course not, friend Vex.” Adam nodded.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked again.
But Adam stayed silent, still staring at Vex as if he were waiting on something. Vex nodded, and Adam turned toward me.
“Absolutely nothing. I’m feeling splendid.”
And then it happened again. He stalled, his eyes flashing blank and vac
ant before the screen went dark.
“Well, that’s an obvious lie,” I muttered, turning to face Vex, trying not to think about his lips on mine just moments before.
“Helius, friend,” Adam said again from behind me. “It has been a while. How may I assist you?”
I didn’t turn around. It was pointless. We had our answer. Someone had corrupted Adam. The how remained a mystery.
“Shall we?” Vex motioned for the door and angled his body toward mine.
Things had changed between us. There was a clear awkwardness, a tension. A thickness hung pregnant in the air.
He reached for me, lightly gripping my elbow, and escorted me from the room, a necessary thing since only those assigned to Helius and, from what I thought, only part of the upper level could be allowed in to see Adam. I hadn’t questioned it at first, but now, the thought poked at my brain. I lowered my brows and avoided looking at him as he pulled me through the doorway and into the long hallway.
Who in the Helius was he, really? The word ‘Master’ echoed in my mind.
Chapter Twelve
Vex
I don’t know what the Helius was going on with that Daemon and Adam, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The afterlife wasn’t supposed to be riddled with glitches and mistakes. The Angels were pure and heavenly, made from God. They couldn’t screw up. Why the Helius were they going to call me something else? Did they know me from before? I had never seen them before.
Or maybe I had?
Master. Whose Master was I? I was nobody. I had no name or legacy, yet they called me that. There was no way both of them would be mistaken. I was…
I am…
Someone’s Master.
No.
It couldn’t be.
“Vex?” Ana’s soft voice called to me.
I was Vex Azura. Master of no one.
I attempted to think about it, but an intense thrumming started to flare up in my temple. My jaw clenched as the dull, nagging discomfort shot down my spine. This time was different.