by Sandra Bard
"And would that change anything?"
"That would make your actions right now at least partially rational instead of downright stupid."
"You really don't want me as your stepfather." Mark looked preoccupied with his feeds, but Kaishi knew better.
His mother had gotten to her feet, ready for her speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today you'll be witnessing another step in the Luna Program, the recruitment and reassigning of criminals for better purposes. The person in front of you, formerly known as the fearsome space pirate King Croinsky —"
"He really called himself that," Kaishi said in disbelief.
"—volunteered to undergo our new treatment rather than be transferred to the Alama Prison colony. We have modified his personality, given him an upgrade in appearance." She paused to let the audience laugh politely. "I present to you the future."
Croinsky was covered with enough flexi-armor to make a special force trooper look underdressed, and his face was carefully concealed behind a mask with eye-slits. Kaishi had heard second-hand from a lab tech it had been his mother's design. She'd wanted to cover as much of the person underneath as possible so people watching would react to a mechanical monster rather than the pirate underneath.
"With superior strength and firepower, and under our control, I give you … Atlas."
Trust his mother to go for theatrical. She had finally gotten what she'd wanted. Earth wasn't willing to interfere with the Moon on certain points. Especially not for a space pirate condemned to a lifetime on a prison planet with a lifespan of months at best.
"She's using you," Kaishi said. "You really should …"
Mark wasn't even paying him attention; engrossed in his display, he pressed on a couple of settings with his thumb, exerting more pressure than was necessary on the sensitive screen.
Kaishi pulled himself up and peered over, craning his neck to see what had Mark so enraptured. The display was flashing red.
"A malfunction in the controls?" he said hopefully.
"I wish," Mark said through gritted teeth, mashing into the screen harder. He got to his feet jerkily. "I don't have enough power here; he's overriding the commands. I'm going to need the main controls—"
He was about to get to his feet when Atlas roared, throwing back his—its—head and exposing its chest, the only flesh visible.
Atlas turned towards his mother, and Kaishi realized the glass wasn't one way.
"—the dual guns mounted on the shoulders of Atlas—non-operational now, but we will be—"
Atlas jumped at the glass and brought down two armored fists, cracking it. The audience gasped. Mark, frozen next to Kaishi, swore and started to move towards the centre aisle where Kaishi's mother stood. The glass was supposed to be strong enough to stop a small meteor.
"We have to call security," Kaishi said, restraining him. "And you can do more in your lab than—"
"Yes, yes, but—"
Atlas broke through the glass and grabbed Kaishi's mother in one smooth move. Then he backed into a corner, back to the wall, and looked at the audience.
"His voice was surprisingly smooth voice. "The mayor won't be talking for a moment. I want a small ship to my destination and once that's been provided, I'll leave."
Atlas turned and smashed his fist against the viewport glass, cracking it with sickening ease. The alarms in the base started to blare and the countdown for the section lockdown began.
"We have to leave." Mark grabbed Kaishi's arm.
"My mother—"
"Has an emergency depressurization suit under her clothes. We're the ones who need to leave."
Kaishi had been on the Luna base since he was a four. He knew the procedure inside out. Mark started to pull Kaishi towards the exit, which was blocked by the crowd trying to escape. The only reason no one was shouting or screaming was because they all had their emergency helmets on and were conserving their oxygen like good spacers. There was no way they were all going to make it to the main dome.
He turned to Mark, who was still staring at his mother in the hands of Atlas.
"He wouldn't hurt the only bargaining chip he has," Kaishi said. "Would he?"
"No, but he will—what type of emergency suit does Abigail have?"
"A P-150, I think." Kaishi had the same thing sitting in his room, a gift from his mother for his new body. "Military grade."
"So it can survive five minutes outside."
"Yes, but why …"
"The observers from Earth came in a craft that is actually visible from the—"
"She's wearing heels, not Luna boots," Kaishi said weakly. "They'll never make it—"
"The suit will expand to cover all exposed areas," Mark said as the second layer of glass gave way with a small crack.
A side of the wall started to buckle as the chairs were sucked into the vacuum outside. People started to fly towards the crack in the room while Atlas stood stock still, Kaishi's mother in his grasp. Kaishi could see the helmet around her head and the suit spreading over her exposed arms—she was safe for the time being, but … He turned around and caught Mark as he was about to fly off into the vacuum.
Just as Kaishi had suspected, his body was stronger—he could feel the pull of depressurization but he wasn't being dragged into the lunar landscape outside. He manually switched on his helmet as a series of metal partitions came slamming over the exits, sealing the viewing area from the rest of the dome. Kaishi grabbed Mark and looked around, trying to remember where he was in comparison to the exit. He wasn't wearing his depressurization suit, a petty rebellion he'd made against his mother which he was starting to regret. He didn't have much time left and neither did Mark—he was already bleeding from the nose.
He hauled Mark up and jumped into the viewing area Atlas had been in, through the same hole in the glass he'd come out. The sealing of the viewing area had been compromised when Atlas had come bursting through, but there was an emergency exit for venting unnecessary things into the Moon surface. He grabbed Mark, hooked a leg around him to stop him from flying off and started to open the airlock manually. They needed to get into the midchamber of the airlock, and they'd be safe.
Then Mark made a sudden spasm, going into shock, and Kaishi pulled the airlock door open. He pushed Mark in headfirst and squeezed into the single person airlock and slammed it shut. The space inside the airlock was tight, but he was grateful for it. He punched the button for the air to pump in and leaned back, closed his eyes and sighed.
"I can't believe you'll be callous enough to abandon my mother."
"Luna security will save her," Mark said. "Atlas can't hurt the only hostage, and if he hurts the mayor, he'll be without a bargaining chip."
"But if he gets to the spaceship, he'll fly away—"
"With your mother." Mark rounded up on his feet, eyes bright, and Kaishi could see red where his capillaries had burst. "He needs her."
"Why would he …"
"It's the only way to stop Luna defense from shooting his ship down."
Kaishi swore. He hadn't thought of it.
"On the bright side, he'd have killed her if he'd thought she was of no further use."
Kaishi swore again, wondering what to do next. Perhaps he'd been wrong. Mark didn't sound all too in love with his mother.
NOW
"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye."
"Believe me when I say very few eyes are involved in this."
"So do I get to sample all the flesh?"
"Do you want to? He doesn't seem all that real."
"Ah, wondered if you'd noticed that. Even with the cushioning gel he couldn't have survived some of those turns."
"Yes, thank you. Now I'm busy, go away."
"How can you ask you to go away?"
"The inspector's mine now, let me enjoy the moment."
They didn't say much apart from 'your room's closer' followed by a couple of 'oof's as Tyler pushed Hideki against walls on their way to the room.
> Once they were against the wall, Tyler used Hideki's shoulders to pull himself up and wrapped his legs around Hideki's waist. Hideki rolled over a couple of data cubes he'd knocked onto the bed as they landed on the bed, their hands collectively scrambling at their clothes. Tyler was hot, mouth insistent, and Hideki was still hyper from his near death experience.
Hideki remembered little of their coupling—if it could be called that. It was rough, with very little tenderness, nails scratching each other, biting rather than kissing, fighting to see who would come out on top. Hideki had no lubricant and they used none, Tyler insisting they could manage with spit alone. Hideki would have questioned the decision if Tyler hadn't chosen to bottom.
Tyler was as skilled in bed as he was in his MAU and he had excellent muscle control, both inside and out. Half dressed, rolling in the small bed, Hideki felt like a sprinter dashing to the finish line, muscles burning, breath coming in pants as he pounded into Tyler, who clung to him, matching him beat for beat. Feeling like he was fighting rather than having sex, Hideki's orgasm ripped through his body with surprising intensity.
As he fell onto the bed, gasping, he realized it was the first time he'd had sex in his new body—was it the same as losing his virginity? Tyler, still erect, rolled over him and Hideki obligingly closed his fist around his erection and gave him a couple of rough strokes, perhaps rougher than normal. He didn't want to like Tyler, not matter how much of a skilled lover he proved to be. Or a damn good pilot. Tyler came a few second later, hips moving in an aborted gesture, and it was over. They'd had sex and they hadn't even kissed properly.
Hideki collected his breath and sat up, ready to throw Tyler out. They were not going to have some post-sex cuddling session, and they both had battle data look over.
"Going so soon?" Tyler asked, sitting up as well, sweat gleaming on his body.
Hideki's body took notice and Tyler smirked.
"Impressive recovery time, Inspector."
"You should leave."
"What a lovely personality you have there," Tyler said, rolling to his feet, adjusting the emergency helmet loop he still had around his neck like a comical looking necklace. "Did it come with the body upgrade?"
"What—"
Hideki looked up as Tyler unsnapped his helmet loop and brought the sharp end down on Hideki's neck, hard. Hideki's vision swam. He struggled to get to his feet but his superior strength failed him and he fell to his knees, gasping. He opened his mouth to shout, but all that came was a hoarse gasp before his face hit the floor.
*~*~*
When Hideki came to, he was lying in bed, still half dressed, in the room assigned to him while Tyler stood over his data cubes, reading them. Hideki rolled out of bed and moved before he even thought of it, caught Tyler by the neck, pressed him against the bulkhead and pushed him up in one quick move.
Tyler's eyes opened in surprise but he didn't act as if being near-strangled pained him. "Why, you do recover fast, Inspector," he said as his left hand came down for another strike.
This time Hideki was ready, and he caught Tyler's wrist and squeezed it. Tyler flicked his hand down and an emergency hypodermic needle entered Hideki's skin neatly. Tyler grinned at Hideki through blood speckled lips and shook his head. "And not much of a conversationalist."
Hideki squeezed the wrist harder, but not an iota of emotion showed in Tyler's face. He was either not feeling the pain or was really good at masking it. Hideki relaxed his hold a little. It was either that or snap the wrist, and it was not something he wanted to do.
"What do you want?" he asked Tyler.
"Straight to the point, I like that." Tyler flexed his neck. "What I gave you is a medical grade relaxant. Your nanites won't break it down … Might loosen your tongue a little."
"You were going through my stuff."
"For an inspector of ISF, you do carry a lot of things on you that just don't add up."
Tyler smirked. Hideki stared at Tyler for a moment, at the way he appeared relaxed even when his feet were dangling above the floor, and abruptly let go of him. He turned his back to Tyler deliberately and started to strip. His clothes had semen on them, drying in white flakes. He had to be very careful about what he said.
"You know, I gave you enough juice to knock out an elephant," Tyler said.
Hideki rolled up his suit and pushed it through the laundry chute. Tyler showed no signs of damage to his throat or wrist.
"You do know what an elephant is, right? It's an Earth animal, large and—"
"I know what an elephant is," Hideki said as he pulled on some disposable underwear from the room provisions.
"Because you're from Earth?"
Hideki turned, zipping up his suit, and Tyler shook his head.
"No, you behave like a spacer, not a dirtsider. I've seen people from Earth, and they have a whole set of mannerisms they just can't shake off."
"I've been to Earth," Hideki said. "Which is more than I can say for you."
"Is it show-and-tell hour, then?" Tyler smirked at Hideki.
"You're a spacer, born in a colony, perhaps, and you came to Marion several months ago, about the same time Vincent Manning was killed. Either you are a pirate, or someone who works for them."
"Is that what you think?" Tyler's voice sounded cold. "I was here long before Manning was killed, though Florence was the one who vouched for me when I came searching for a place to live."
"She took you in with no questions at all. I calculated the possibility she might be a pirate placed here for the sake of spying, but so far—"
"You ever think she might have taken me in because I showed up on her doorstep with a big ass mech unit and she needed the firepower?"
"Convenient." Hideki fixed his eyes on Tyler, who looked far too composed. "It was rather nice, the seduction."
Tyler flushed. "I was going to knock you out the moment we came to your room, but—"
"I'm pleased my physical charm managed to sway you."
"Which still doesn't answer the question of who you are. If you are who you claim to be, you wouldn't have come in a single fighter."
"Is that so?" Hideki walked towards Tyler. "Why don't you ask the ISF about me and …"
"We did," Tyler spat. "The moment you entered our space, we did, and you know you passed that test with flying colors. However, things are just too off about you." He sauntered closer to Hideki until their faces were almost touching.
"We?"
"People in general."
"You drugged an ISF inspector. It'll take more than a quick fuck to overlook that."
"Like you've never given a blow job then talked like a space pirate," Tyler said, though his face burned red. "But for the record, this is my idea, not anyone else's."
"So when I arrest Florence Tan for—"
"No!" Tyler reacted quickly, his body tensing, his spine straightening. "Fine, I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry."
"Really." Hideki found it hard to believe. Tyler looked about as sorry as someone who'd accidentally dropped an egg on the floor.
"I was just making up the plan as I went … I wasn't thinking about what to do next." Tyler swayed forward and caught Hideki by the shoulder. "Just don't do anything to her—she's the one who runs this place, and …"
Hideki took a deep breath. Despite everything, the anger at having being drugged and his things rifled through, he still felt drawn to Tyler. A quick roll in the bed hadn't cured him of it. In fact, it had made it worse.
Still, Tyler had thought he had come to take over Marion, with the right connections but not ISF. And the easiest thing for Tyler to do would have been to kill Hideki. Bodies floated far in space, and the chances anyone would find him were very small.
However, Tyler hadn't done that. Instead he was standing in front of Hideki, hands held before him, speaking.
"What?" Hideki said, realizing he hadn't been paying attention.
"I said you can arrest me now."
"What's with the arm thing?" Hideki ask
ed, pointing towards Tyler's outstretched hands.
"So you can cuff me."
"Not really my thing." Hideki watched Tyler's face tighten with anger and humiliation. "Tell me, who did you think I was?"
"I thought you were a pirate," Tyler said. "And then after you shot at them, I thought you were from the Alpha Mechs, coming to take my MAU away."
A more important question was whether Tyler walked around with such drugs on him all the time or whether he had planned to drug Hideki before the pirate attack started. Hideki made a quick decision tell Tyler of his mission: he didn't want to be mistaken for an agent from Alpha Mechs. "I'm here to shut down Marion," he said.
"That sounds very final. I mean, I thought inspectors usually came to assess the station, and then send the details and—"
"I'm from the ISF, but I'm not a part of it. Think of me as an independent agent—"
"An assassin or a saboteur. Is that what you are?"
"Not my original plan," Hideki confessed. "But I need to move this station, and the only way to do so is by evacuating everyone aboard."
"Why?"
"Your station is providing cover to a pirate base. The asteroid field outside means none of the military can bring in their fighters, the three planets flanking on the side mean …"
"The ISF plans to bring in the Space Cannon Fleet," Tyler said in a slow whisper. "The new fleet's got a wider coverage."
"A recent attack at the Luna base brought to light that the pirates have become a problem in space, far too close to Earth at that, and the only way to get around it is to get rid of them forever." Hideki took another breath before continuing. "The ISF plans to use the cover of the planets and fire from that direction towards the asteroid field."
Tyler obviously knew that the Space Cannon Fleet would obliterate everything in its way, from the asteroid field to the space station. Hideki had watched the simulations; the only way to destroy the main pirate base was by firing through the space where Marion was currently located. Even if it wasn't directly aimed at Marion, the aftershock of the cannons and the debris from the asteroid field would tear it to pieces.