by G. X. Knight
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METAL DEEP
a series by:
GX KNIGHT
Copyright 2012, 2013 Kindle Edition
(So if you see this anywhere else in the near future… It’s a fake!)
All rights reserved.
(I have no idea what this means except that I think you can’t steal it.)
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used whatsoever without the express permission of the author except for brief quotation necessary for review.
(If you want to write in my world, with my people, or my places, ask… and then pay… simple.)
All characters in this publication, other than those of public domain, are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
(I made it all up. Except for a few cases of popular reference. There are no evil characters based on Aunt Ruth or my former jackass boss, though there should be.)
Further updates and information can be found at:
www.gxknight.com
Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gxknight or @gxknight
“Like Knight” on FB at www.facebook.com/gxknightwriter
Shoot an Email: [email protected]
Those Who Make This Happen
Story and Concepts: GX Knight
Edits and Critiques: Aaron Salt and Emily Hale
Art and Cover Format: Andre Frattino and GX Knight
Official Music: Drew Hale (Collide)
Technical Support: Bane-Tech.com
Publicity: Brian Barber (Author of LYCCYX) and Kathleen Barber
Guerilla Marketing Advisor: Jacob Stokes
Contributions: Libby Ludwig, Michelle Downing, Rachel Avant, and Shery Butler
Moral Support and Inspiration: GX Spartan
Author’s Note
This is a continuously evolving edition of the METAL DEEP series. I have tried my best to create something that everyone can enjoy, while offering the most professional experience this amateur can muster. With that I ask: Please be patient with the formatting. I and my friends have scoured each and every piece to make sure the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been observed to the best of our limited ability. We will no doubt miss something… Okay, probably a lot of somethings. We all work full-time jobs and my help has graciously volunteered hours of their free time to make this a reality for me and for you. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. Should you find glaring faults, please feel free to visit www.gxknight.com and leave me a message. I would be happy to make necessary applicable changes for future updated editions.
Now that’s out of the way… I hope you enjoy the adventure!!!
THANK YOU
G.X. Knight
PS - If you really like what you read, please help spread the word and leave those 5 Star ratings on Amazon. If you don’t… Ummm… How about we just keep that between us, okay?
What’s Been Happening
Contest Winner
eBookBuilders.com
Favorite New Indie Author Vote – 2012
What they’re saying about METAL DEEP…
“If you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy then you should definitely check this series out. I laughed, I cried. And I absolutely can't wait for the next installment.” –Ryan
“I really enjoy the pace of the series … like someone's pressing hard on the accelerator.” –Julie
“It's a wonderful read, especially for the price. Highly recommended!” –M.E.
“I'm not gonna lie. I'm not usually a sci-fi reader, but, I heard about it and wanted to check it out … Seriously, it's great!” –Sarah
“Everyone should read this! It is fabulous! I just want more! But isn’t that the point?” –Rachel
“Strong story line, wonderful character development, and a witty sense of humor makes the Metal Deep series a must read.” –Anthony
“Fast paced read, draws you into the story immediately … I AM HOOKED!” –Michelle
“[GX Knight] has two things that every author needs: a story and a voice. Now I'm proud to be a part of the third thing every author needs: the audience.” –Jacob
Metal Deep is an ongoing novelette/novella series. It is not necessary to have read previous episodes to enjoy the current, but it is suggested. All episodes can be found on Amazon by searching “Metal Deep” or “GX Knight,” and they are conveniently linked on the Metal Deep home website: www.gxknight.com.
Episode 1: DAMSELS IN DISTRESS
Episode 2: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
Episode 3: INFINITE AND FOREVER
Episode 4: SOUL ON FIRE
EPISODE 3: INFINITE AND FOREVER
MY NEW LIFE
For a warrior woman trained in multiple art forms of hand-to-hand combat, I had expected she would far outlast me when it came to stamina. But my victory was solidified as Maeve bent to perch on her knees while she sucked in a few gasps of air after we finished running up the steep quarter-mile trail which led to our alone spot for the evening. She was tired, but smiling when she pulled a bottle of water from our picnic basket I carried.
We had raced up an old woodland path that would have once sent me into a coronary about five steps in. This afternoon I owned it with ease –and with picnic supplies in tow as well. It was one of the advantages of being part machine. While much of me still remained human, there were aspects of my biology, even on the cellular level, that operated with a mechanical precision and durability that would make the most celebrated of athletes jealous.
One day while out on a run far down the beach from our little clubhouse, I spotted a sweet little overlook that gave an awesome vantage point for an upcoming firework festival that was to be displayed off one of the connecting islands that linked with ours. We were somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico not far from mainland USA. Our house on the water was too far down on the “quiet side” to enjoy the fireworks, plus I really wanted to go somewhere alone with Maeve. I didn’t want to have to worry about Largo, Kata, and Sway popping in during our alone time. So, when I saw this grassy ledge nestled into the side of the rock face, I knew that was going to be our spot.
I had already scouted the site, and found the old trail that led to the top easily enough. Unfortunately, it seemed like it hadn’t been used for quite some time, so we got a little dirty on the way up trudging through low branches, jumping fallen tree trunks, and scampering over large rocks. It might have been easier for her to have just flown us up with her Spiritan Armor. Next time we’re doing that.
I wasn’t complaining, and not because I made the trip up with little effort. Nor because I was about to chow down on an epic amount of home-grilled cheeseburgers while I enjoyed an awesome firework show, but because I knew we would have that little tucked away ledge of grass all to ourselves.
Every day it had been the same cat-and-mouse routine. For breakfast we’d try to steal away to the beach or hide in one of the common areas, but her gothic Elvish powers (beside her brain and propensity for partying) must have had been forged from some Hellish soul-sniffing bloodhound. Sway always found us, and without hesitation, she would launch into a flurry of harassments about my hair, clothing-choice, or complete inability to use the Dragonstones Largo gave me. It’s always fun to be berated in front of the
girl you have a crush on. She insisted that I had a responsibility to not be so inept if I were going to continue to remain in the company of those as socially adored and envied as Kata and herself. She called the instructions “Fitting-In Class.” But by the sheer bad timing of it all, I called it “Cockblocking.”
The hours surrounding lunch, consisted of various classes and training with Largo helping me adapt to the new Amalgam societal dynamics I’d be facing. Certain underworld cultures had very specific “outsider requirements.” These oh-so-riveting talks about proper fork usage, correct knee posturing, and lip placements for Purie-ass-kissing always burned most of the good daylight. I had almost no spare time before dinner, where our maid, Mary the Mistress of Doom, served whatever new concoction she could invent with her personally-engineered and homegrown Diablo Peppers.
Our post-dinner ritual saw the girls off to some club while I hung out with a video game for continued recovery and “me” time. Maeve often tried to hang back, but the three of them were becoming something of a trifecta of party-royalty on their night scene. Reluctantly she went. I was always invited, but as much as I wanted to hang with Maeve, I was more fearful about being around people. Sure, I could “disguise” my Cyborg parts easily enough with a sleeves, glasses, and gloves, but I wasn’t quite ready to venture too far away from the security of the Harbor House.
Maeve joined me at the edge of our cliff as we stared down into the graying water that washed along smooth white sands. The hot-ember shade of her hair seemed to almost give off its own light as it played freely in the pre-twilight breeze. She picked a stray leaf that hitched a ride on her black and silver running shorts. She released it over the edge, and whispered, “Make a wish.”
It came true. I smiled when she let her hand slip comfortably into mine as the wind sang between crevices of the cliffs beneath us. She had recovered from the trip, and her gulps had slowed to small bird like breaths that I barely heard as she moved in closer so that my arm could find its way around her back. The shirt had two holes on each shoulder, and my hand rested on one of the fashioned openings. I still marveled at the subtle warmth of skin that I could feel with my Cyborg senses, but I marveled even more over the fact that she had yet to pull away from the cool hard touch of my metal skin.
Below, a couple of boats zipped out toward the small island where people started to gather to eat, drink and party. They were far off in the distance, and would have been just dots to the normal eye, but my vision allowed me more detail than what Maeve was seeing. We stood there above them all. We were aware of their existence, but we were too far away for them to know or care about us. And why should they? They were living their lives, doing their thing, and happy to have another day on this planet.
Is this how most Amalgams viewed the Slate world? -Small faceless people scurrying about far beneath? When one rose so high that those under looked to be the size of ants, it would be easy to treat them as such. I never wanted to become so disconnected. I thought I was better than my Dad. I paid the price with his blood, and my own flesh forever scarred. I didn’t really care about what happened to me anymore. I had a newfound love in my life. I didn’t want to do anything that might endanger her in the same way.
We kicked off our shoes and laid out the picnic spread. Thanks to the Mistress of Doom, we had enough burgers to feed a couple of armies, minus the Diablo Peppers ... I hoped. The smell of freshly cooked meat tickled my nose and wet my lips. Maeve poured herself a mug of Dwarven Ale. I had yet to develop a taste for it, so I ganked her bottled water before digging out for my first burger.
As a result of the Amalgamation, my appetite went into overdrive. Kata and Sway had some working theories about my abilities being linked to my food intake, but the only real way to test those ideas was for me to go hungry. Not this guy. Not yet, anyway.
The sun burned orange along a purple shoreline as we reclined on a blanket made of Chimeran fur. We ate, talked, and laughed as the stars unfolded within the violet expanse just for us. I felt as if we were the only two people on Earth. I told her how I had decided to take on the name of my ancestors: Thantosa. We discussed how I needed a first name to go with it, and she came up with a few suggestions. Some of the more interesting choices included: Haimish-the-Great, Bernardo-Beatdown, and my personal favorite, Bear-Bear. I should have just gone with the Bear-Bear to see if she would recant.
For a moment, sadness crept its way into my perfect moment as I stared up at the moon, and thought about nights with Dad when we sat and talked like this. I suppose dreaming about what-if-superpowers was kind of moot. Not that we were superheroes, but I think it was safe to say we were the next best thing. So, in honor of him, I asked something I thought he would.
“If you could choose any kind of life for yourself, right now, what would it be?”
She thought for a second and did a couple false starts of half-a-syllable before stopping to think some more. Finally she said, “I would like to be a professional singer.”
She seemed too nice and “girly” to be wielding swords and magical armor that had the potential to devastate cities … not that ripping countrysides a new-one wasn’t feminine, but she would be an amazing performer, nevertheless. She had everything she needed: talent, looks, personality. Considering the number of singers in the world, I thought it was a little odd that someone with such fantastic abilities would choose a life considered so ordinary in comparison. There are girls everywhere who would give anything to be so independent and powerful. I suppose she wasn’t that different from any “normal” person. We all seem to want what we can’t have. I was the poster child.
I would never forget her face when I watched her sing back in our stolen GTO. I’ve caught myself staring when she hums to herself while training up on the sports balcony of the Harbor House. It makes me feel all warm and stupid on the inside, but then again her reading a phone book would do the same thing. So, I wouldn’t exactly call myself “unbiased.” Nevertheless, there seems to be a place of satisfaction one finds in that thing that lets you-be-you, and I could see how music could be that for her.
Why didn’t she just do it? From what I could tell there was nothing keeping her with us. She, Kata, Sway, and Largo all seemed to be filthy rich, so money wasn’t an issue. I considered asking about what held her back from chasing her dream, or what had driven her to take up with Largo and the Party Elves, but that would lead the conversation back into some striking range of her past with Cade and the Street Vipers. The only time she gets snippy is when it looks like that subject might be broached. She had a defensive wall around the topic bigger than what fell at Jericho. No matter how many times I walked around it, there would be no crumbling that one anytime soon.
I should have known the question would get turned back on me. Asking me about the future is like asking a blind man, which I suppose biologically I was, to read sign language from across the street. I didn’t have a grasp on the present yet, much less on what I wanted to be when I “grow up.”
I gave her my best sexy-man-brow-lift with my answer, “I think I would make a good, Singer’s-Boyfriend.”
It was cheesy. But cheese is an important part of every diet. It adds calcium, nutrients … and it makes the girlies swoon. So I’m told.
Actually, I was doing that “wussy thing” guys do when we’re too chicken to actually ask a girl out. We fish to see how they feel before we make our move. It’s part of a natural anti-rejection barrier we erect early in life. I blame the middle school dance scene. I had one too many “no’s,” and don’t even get me started about when Sadie Hawkins rolled her sadist ass into town.
What was I afraid of? Why not tell her how I feel? We talk every day. We spend as much time as we can together. I’m mostly sure she feels the same. She could have been anywhere else, but she was with me.
I know the answer: I was afraid of her reply.
Surprisingly she gave an answer to my little query, and I really wasn’t expecting what happened next.
&nbs
p; BOOM!
Maeve tilted her head close to mine. My eyes burned brighter with flourishing expectation. Her Celtic radiance pierced my soul with untold promises of fire and song. “I think you would too.” She said hooking on to my “boyfriend” bait. She paused, and then moved even closer before finally landing a perfect pink-glossed kiss on my own trembling lips.
What do you do when a beautiful woman kisses you? Duh!
Our eyes closed, and we allowed ourselves to get lost in the moment. The world and our problems went away. The sounds of the ocean were distant. The boats humming past in the water were suddenly gone. Everything tuned out around us…