The Clockwork Chimera Series Books 1-3 Box Set

by Scott Baron

Shut up, Sarah.

  “Maybe I was a cyborg. Have you thought of that?”

  You weren’t a cyborg. I would have known.

  “You so sure about that?”

  Daisy picked up a bracelet from her desk. A slender thing, made of a few braided wires from a scrapped sanitation unit. A silly little gift from Sarah one day after they’d been forced to crawl through a particularly foul-smelling bit of the Narrows they both hoped to never revisit.

  With a heavy heart, she slid it over her hand. Despite the almost non-weight of the thing, feeling it gently touching her skin was comforting.

  Would I have cared if she were a cyborg?

  The thought was disturbing one.

  Would she have cared if I was?

  “You know I’m not prejudiced,” Sarah’s voice answered. “You, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about.”

  A dark, creeping thought kept forcing its way into her mind. Something she was horrified to even consider. It was all rumor, really, but what if?

  There were stories of experimental AIs. Machines who were unaware of their true nature. Cyborgs who thought they were human, programmed to perceive themselves as such. She had always passed the idea off as impossible. After all, how could a machine not know it was one? But if the programming was good enough, and its perception filtered by coding, could it be possible?

  Daisy swallowed hard, the knot in her stomach tightening as an unwelcome thought floated back to the surface of her worrying mind. She knew about the others, she had their scans right in front of her, but she had neglected to test the one person she took for granted as human.

  Herself.

  This is nuts. There’s no way… but deep down inside, the seed of doubt had been planted. If she didn’t deal with it now, that seed would quickly sprout roots and grow into a tree.

  Only one way to be sure.

  Daisy got up and pulled on her sweatpants and a T-shirt, then opened her doors and stepped into the hallway.

  Just go. It’s better to know than not.

  She clenched her jaw and started walking with a deliberate stride. As she made her way down the corridor, a flash of doubt crossed her mind. A need for comfort. She found herself pausing in front of Vince’s door, wanting desperately to talk to someone about the dilemma racing through her thoughts. She placed her hand on his door chime touchpad, then hesitated.

  I’m being ridiculous. Get moving, Daisy. This is something you have to do. Stop procrastinating.

  “Hello?” Vince’s voice called out through the tiny speaker. “Reggie, are you messing with me again? Helloooo?”

  Shit.

  Daisy stayed tight-lipped and lifted her hand from the touchpad, then quickly turned, making a beeline for the galley doors. A minute later she found herself standing outside of them, hesitant.

  Go time, she thought. Just do it already.

  Steeling herself, she keyed the pad beside the double doors and opened the galley’s airlock. Her sensor array was quietly waiting for her, right where she’d put it. After a moment’s further pause, she moved forward.

  Daisy had only just stepped inside when she was roughly grabbed from behind, a pair of powerful arms wrapping around her.

  “What the hell!”

  Vince pulled her close and silenced her with a kiss as the door closed behind them.

  “Vince, what are you—”

  His hand slid deftly between her legs, her knees going momentarily weak at his expert touch. With his free hand, he paused the airlock cycle.

  “A little privacy,” he said in a husky voice. She looked down at the bulge in his sweatpants visibly straining the material.

  “Seriously, we can’t,” she said, only half believing her own words.

  “Uh-huh,” he said, spinning her to face the wall as he pulled down her pants and freed himself from his own. Daisy felt her pulse spike as his hand snaked up inside her shirt, letting out a hot breath on her neck as he slid inside her from behind.

  They both quivered with pleasure, then began frantically grinding against one another, the taboo, public nature of the deed arousing them even further and quickly bringing them both to a rapid climax.

  “Holy hell,” Daisy managed, fine beads of sweat clinging to her brow and chest.

  “You said it,” Vince replied with a happy sigh.

  “What got into you? That was so hot.”

  “I told you I’d make up for the other day when we had time,” he said with a wicked grin. “Someone hit my door comms. At such a late hour, I figured it was either Reggie being a dick, or you wanting one.”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. Seriously, Vince?

  “When I saw you way down the corridor, I figured, hey, it’s been a couple of days, so I’ll just come to you. I heard you were upset earlier today, and I thought maybe you could use a little, um, distraction with all that’s been going on.”

  “You thought right.”

  “So, what, you swung by my place, then thought better of it and decided to come down here? I’d like to believe I’m a better option than a midnight snack? You know I can always think of things to do with your nighttime hours.”

  “Well, I was feeling a little hungry,” she lied. “But now I’m feeling pretty exhausted, thanks to you, though a snack actually sounds really good right about now. I hope you don’t take it personally, but after that, I think I need to get a little food in me and then catch some shut-eye.”

  He studied her a moment.

  “Of course, whatever you need. Grab a snack and get some sleep, babe. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”

  “You not coming?”

  “I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that,” he said in his best robotic voice.

  “Dork, you know I didn’t like that movie.” She chuckled, then whacked him playfully. “Okay, go to bed, then. I mean if you’re just going to use me and toss me aside…”

  “Oh, I’ll be back for more.”

  “Right answer,” she said with a smile. “Okay, get moving, sexy boy. Sleep tight.” She gave him a tender kiss, then he turned to leave.

  “Hey, Vince,” she said as he stepped back into the passageway. “Who told you I was upset?”

  “Barry did. It was the weirdest thing. I was taking a quick catnap in engineering, and when I opened my eyes, he was just standing there, staring at me. Said he didn’t want to wake me but thought I should know something.”

  “That’s pretty creepy.”

  “I know, right? Anyway, you know you can always come to me if you need to talk. Or more than talk,” he said, flashing a wicked little grin.

  “That’s abundantly clear. And thank you, babe. I guess I really did need the release.”

  Vince gave her a final kiss, then slowly walked back to his quarters. Daisy stepped into the galley and pocketed a power bar and electrolyte pouch to take back with her. She paused and looked at the refrigeration unit. Come to think of it, she was a little hungry, thanks in no small part to her boyfriend’s efforts.

  She took a few fresh strawberries from their cold bin and placed them on the counter. She then retrieved a small pot and some oatmeal from the storage compartment beside the convection heating unit. Twenty minutes later, she sat in deep contemplation, slowly eating her midnight snack straight from the pot.

  “You know you should be using a bowl for that, right?”

  Daisy jumped.

  Where did he come from?

  “I mean, I know you’ll wash it, that’s not the thing. It’s just that food tastes better when you properly plate it.” Finn gathered up the open oat container and replaced it in the storage shelf.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Yeah, you were totally zoned out over there. Everything okay? I know a bowl of oatmeal, even my special oatmeal, isn’t good enough to make a woman glaze over like that. Though a fella can wish, can’t he?”

  “Couldn’t sleep, is all,” she replied. “I figured I’d come down here and get a snack. I guess I wound up kinda absorbe
d in my own thoughts a bit.”

  “Well, at least I’m not the only one who can’t sleep,” he said. “Been having weird dreams since the accident.” He tapped his metal arm with a spoon, then began placing ingredients on the counter. “I mean, I know we wiped it and did a clean reinstall, but in my dreams, it’s like the arm has a mind of its own. It wants what it wants, and the two of us are bickering over who’s going to get their way.” He tossed some thick-sliced bread on the counter, along with a container of ship-grown eggs, ship-grown milk, and ship-grown ham and cheese. He then dug up powdered sugar and oil from a storage bin.

  “Finn, is it you, or is it your rogue arm that’s gotten totally confused with ingredients over there?”

  “Sometimes the most unlikely of combinations make the most wonderful of meals,” he answered. “Monte Cristo sandwich. It’s a ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese sandwich, battered and fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Some folks use jam or syrup, but I prefer honey and a little mustard.”

  “That sounds… interesting.”

  “I’ll let you try a bite. Trust me, it sounds off-putting, but it’s really quite nice.”

  He began preparing his snack, but Daisy noticed something unusual. His arm was moving at normal speed. Human-slow.

  “Finn, what’s up with your arm? You’re usually much faster.”

  He looked at his appendage with a questioning expression.

  “I’ve been trying to control it,” he began. “Make it act more like a human arm.”

  “But I thought you enjoyed having a super-speedy robot arm.”

  “Daisy, I’m a chef. By my very nature, I love chopping things up into little pieces at high speed. It’s something we all do regardless of whether our arms are metal or not. But the thing is, sometimes I just want to feel like a normal human, ya know?”

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “We weren’t supposed to be awake this long before arriving. It makes things a bit weird sometimes. Lonely, even. You’re lucky—you’ve got a real connection on board. That in itself will ground you. The rest of us, well, we’re all a bunch of roommates and friends, but without any benefits.” He fell silent, staring at the wall.

  Finn quietly went back to preparing his meal, and didn’t speak another word until he was done.

  “So what do you think?” he asked as Daisy chewed a slice of the unusual sandwich.

  “Actually, quite tasty.”

  “Told ya.” He had begun warming up again once he got into his cooking rhythm. They both loved Sarah in their own ways, and her loss was a common source of grief that brought them closer.

  “Finn, how do you feel about all these replacement parts?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In the context of humanity. Like, we have the technology to grow and repair living tissue, yet whenever someone is injured or ill, the AIs automatically go to the replacement part option. It’s like they don’t even want to try to make you normal.” She blushed. “No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  “Like, what’s the next step in our evolution? In theirs? Are they trying to bastardize mankind until we are as much machinery as they are? And why do humans have exposed metal, while full-on robots are covered with flesh?”

  “They’re probably just trying to make us feel comfortable around them, is all. Familiar faces and all that.”

  “But why cyborgs? I mean, take Barry for instance. He’s basically a sentient toaster covered in steak—”

  “I think he might take issue with that description.”

  “You know what I’m saying. Why not let robots be robots and people be people? Or is it that they strive to be human? Are they jealous of us?”

  “I don’t know, Daisy, but I do know the AIs have humanity’s best interests at heart. You’ll just have to trust me on that.”

  “I wish I could be so sure.”

  A short while later, after their impromptu discussion on artificial intelligence and its role in human society, Finn finally downed the last bite of his sandwich and rinsed off his plate.

  “All right, gonna go try to get a few hours of shut-eye before the breakfast rush.”

  “Finn, it’s eight people.”

  “Fine. The breakfast meander.”

  He walked out the main doors and left Daisy alone with her thoughts, which turned back to her task at hand. The chat had been a nice distraction, and that, along with her little quickie with Vince, had really helped loosen that ball of stress that had been weighing her down. Finn was right, she was lucky to have a real connection on board.

  The warm feelings quickly melted away as her real task pressed back to the forefront. Daisy may have been more than momentarily distracted, but she had done what she came to do, albeit in a rather unintentional manner.

  Got laid and got scanned. Not bad, Daisy. Helluva night.

  She cleaned her dishes and headed back to her quarters, the anxiety that had temporarily left her once again building as she worried about who she was and what the readout would reveal. Though she felt sure she was human, all the way down to her bones, a little splinter of lingering doubt nagged her nonetheless as she walked.

  It was time to find out what she really was.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The flashing light on the tablet pulsed in a steady rhythm. Daisy eyed it warily, torn, hoping for the best yet fearing the worst.

  Naturally, it was the first thing her eyes fell on upon entering her quarters. She hesitantly picked the device up, then sat on her bunk, staring at the dark screen. It would be so easy to turn on, just a few quick taps and the answer would be there, plain to see.

  Come on, she chided herself. You have to know. Whatever it says, you’re still you.

  She steadied herself, then keyed in her password, the screen illuminating with new data.

  Oh, it had actually powered up enough, she noted as the unexpected images flashed on the screen. Finn had inadvertently provided her with a scan of himself after their little chat. The device showed her nothing unexpected, however. She had already known he was human. At least, she had been almost certain. Now there wasn’t a doubt. One arm, and three fingers, and that was it. Finn was one of the least modified of the entire crew.

  Daisy swiped his information off the screen and scrolled to the second most recent scan. The moment of truth. She only paused for a second, then forced herself to reluctantly tap the screen. What she saw both thrilled and horrified her.

  Her scan showed a perfectly normal human female, not a single metal bit or replacement part on her. She was the picture of perfect human health, confirmed in glowing color on the screen in her hands.

  The other scan was not so straightforward.

  Vince looked normal on the outside, as you’d expect of a flesh-and-blood man with a beating heart. Unfortunately, only part of that was the case.

  Daisy nearly vomited at the sight of his cybernetic skeleton, the advanced composite matrix of metal and bone grown together into a sturdy framework, hidden beneath his muscles and organs.

  Metal in the bones means built. Metal doesn’t grow.

  She flipped the image and looked closer at an unusual spot on the back of the skull. From what she could tell, a small AI unit was lodged in his cranium, a mix of human brain and computer controlling his every move. The rest of him seemed relatively normal, though rather augmented. He was made of real muscle, but it was denser and stronger than average.

  Jesus. I was fucking a machine. Tears flooded her eyes in shock as she stifled a grim laugh that threatened to send her over the edge of sanity.

  No wonder he had so much stamina, she thought with a morbid chuckle, remembering her many late-night girl-talk conversations with Sarah.

  “And here we’d been joking about Barry’s junk,” her dead friend grimly mused in her head.

  “Not now, Sarah,” she told her imaginary companion.

  “Sorry.”

  Daisy forced herself to look at the pictures in detail. This was
not the time to freak out. She needed to understand exactly what it was she was dealing with. Ignoring her own scan, she dragged the image of her lover to the center of the screen and zoomed in.

  Not a full-cyborg. Some kind of weird hybrid, maybe? I don’t understand why, though. A real heart, real muscles. She looked closer. Some of his organs seemed enhanced as well. Not artificial, just different. Designed for efficiency. Everything added up to less oxygen consumption.

  Daisy snatched up her notepad and began running calculations. She took into account his size and the newfound data on exactly how much of his mass was metal, and how much was merely different. The numbers matched.

  Vince wasn’t using enough air for a man his size. At least not for a fully human one. He was the anomaly she had been looking for, and he was right under her nose. Literally, at times.

  But they built him with a heart, she kept thinking, horrified. Every single person on this ship is modified to some degree. They’ve all got replacement parts in them, and some even have minor AI helping operate them, but who is in on this? For sure, the captain has detailed crew files, and so does Doc McClain, but what about the rest? My God, does the whole crew know?

  Across the pod, her door began to cycle. Only one other person on the ship had access to her quarters.

  The inner door slid open.

  “Hey, you! I couldn’t sleep, and I figured maybe you’d still be hungry, so I made you a sandwich,” Vince said merrily as he offered her the plastic-wrapped snack.

  Daisy wiped her eyes quickly and took his offering, shying from his touch, unsure and freaked out.

  “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so hot.” He laughed, flashing her a bright smile. “No, wait, that sounded wrong. You always look hot—I mean, just look at you. But seriously, are you feeling all right?”

  “My boyfriend is a computer,” she muttered.

  Vince laughed it off. “Yet you still beat me at chess. Pretty shitty computer, if you ask me. Must be a programming glitch, but at least I have a beautiful singing voice.”

  “Don’t, okay? Just don—”

  “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do. I’m half-crazy, all for the love of you—”