by Eve Langlais
Ursy dangled just under it, and he saw the blue flare of a torch.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to look for a door?” he asked as he ran and leapt for her dangling rope. He caught the end and began to climb, hauling himself easily hand over hand.
Ursy snorted. “Doors are for guests. I like going in the back way.”
“So do I,” Zak lamented. “Then they get mad and claim I hit the wrong hole.”
The groan was universal.
Zak’s love of sex was well known. The fact that his sister heard him bragging about his conquests didn’t slow him one bit.
“We are coming through the hole,” Ray announced.
Zak snickered. “So many things I could say right now, including ‘nice ass.’”
Jwls didn’t have to look around to understand the noise he heard was the pair of them scuffling.
Wulff sighed. “Why me?”
“Because you’re a glutton for punishment,” was Ursy’s reply. “Anyone going to join me? I’m inside.”
“I’m right behind her,” Jwls announced, reaching the lip of the hole she’d cut.
“Holy seventh tit on the goddess, that’s a lot of cogs,” Zak said with a whistle, having obviously entered the main room.
“But not the ones we came for,” Jwls reminded. “Entering the pod. No sign of anything yet.”
“Right behind you,” Wulff announced. A peek out the hole showed the big fellow climbing fast up the rope.
Jwls glanced around. “Looks like I’m in some kind of a workshop.”
At his words, he heard Ursy snicker. “What gave it way?”
“The sign.” Which read, Snype’s Workshop. But even without the words, he would have known. Chunks of metal in bins all over the place. Scattered tools with teeth. Files for sanding. Jwls ran his fingers through the dust and debris left behind. Brought it to his lips. “Whoever this dealer is, he’s been playing with latmevilium.” The only metal living machinery could be made of.
Ursy was the one to make the connection. “He’s a creator.”
When a part broke, or became too worn out, the remnants were brought to those who could manipulate the stuff. Melt it down properly and then form it into something new. Known as tinqqers, a fancy word for one who could create, those with a true skill for the craft were rare.
Also very guarded and kept secret. So why was it so easy to get to this one?
A frown accompanied Jwls as he stalked through the workshop to the stairs in the middle of the room leading to the next floor. A giant bedroom with bed, carpet, and not much else. Not even an android servant.
No one at all.
The flight of stairs brought him up another level, dining and leisure, then one more to reach the top of the pod, a large open space where he saw Ursy standing still and a second person wearing a floor-length robe.
“I’m on the top level, and we have company,” he whispered, despite knowing he’d be heard. He kept his voice low mostly out of awe, because there, floating above a single pedestal, the machine of all machines. Intricate enough to excite a male who still had room in his body for one more.
He couldn’t help but stare. Almost drool. Even get a slight erection at the sight of the complex network of gears meshing into cogs. Add in a few pistons plus some tiny little metal pieces that together formed…
The God Gear. And the biggest payoff of their lives!
Mesmerized by it, he had to wonder if this could be the thing missing in his life, the machine to fill the empty space inside.
Because, despite all his upgrades, he still needed something.
Looking at the pretty, shiny things suspended in the air, slightly spinning and glinting in the light, it wasn’t hard to believe he’d found it.
Treading softly that he might flank the figure and show support to Ursy, Jwls said, “Hey, you. Might as well give up now. My friends are about to join us, meaning you are very outnumbered.”
“Because you totally need help subduing that.” Ursy jerked her head and snickered.
A taunt that irritated, as the slight figure—dressed in a plain, gray robe, standing alongside the pedestal with the cog of all cogs—paid him no mind.
“Weren’t you the one who taught me small is mighty?”
“Just last week as a matter of fact. How is your left buttock?”
Fine now, but the bruise had made it hard to sit for a day.
Since he considered her a younger sibling—an annoying one—Jwls felt perfectly comfortable flashing his hands in a universal gesture that said, I will urinate in your mouth while you sleep.
Ursy blew him a kiss.
Their antics drew notice because the man in the gray robe suddenly lowered his hood. The stranger clapped his hands and blinked at them from behind goggles that enlarged the size of his eyes. “About time you arrived. I was beginning to think I’d put out too many droids. Useful things they are for protecting privacy. Expensive, though.”
“Enough with the jabbering, old man.” The honorific used for someone of elder years. Although, if it were untampered biological years, then Jwls might just be older than the fellow. He saw no signs of enhancement on his skin. Not a single gear or wiring tattoo.
“Young people, always so impatient,” chided the male in the robe. “Have we forgotten our manners? Shall we start with introductions? I am Marius Snype—”
“Tinqqer and antiquities dealer. We know,” interrupted Ursy with a bored sigh. “We’re just here for the mecha parts. So kindly step aside or I will go through you.”
The most bloodthirsty of their group. Woe to the man or woman she finally settled down with.
“Such eagerness and for something you’ve never seen before. Let me ask you, why do you think it’s valuable?” Marius tucked his hands behind his back and cast only a sparing glance at the God Gear.
Ursy shrugged. “Look at it. Pretty obvious.”
A trite answer but true, the intricacy much more complex than any of the machines Jwls had seen inside anyone else. So many moving parts.
When you considered most people started their upgrades with one single gear…just one…they looked upon unmentionable wealth.
Taking a few steps forward, Jwls could feel the draw of the machine. His eyes were hypnotized by the intricate and fine-toothed cogs, the long, lean allure of shafts joining them, the potential he could see.
Feel.
Wanted...
“We’re taking it,” Jwls announced.
“To do what with?” Marius asked, sounding genuinely curious. “There is only one full set. And how many of you?”
Ursy had crept close. “We only need one buyer to split the result.”
“So you’re saying none of you are tempted to own it?” Marius asked with the smoothness of a salesman.
Yeah, the temptation was there. That hole inside. It needed something to fill it. But that hole could be filled with the many gears and machines he’d buy with the money they’d make selling this one.
“What does it do?” Jwls asked, having never seen such complexity. What would it be like to wear even just one of the parts. He thought the gears and cogs he’d acquired over time high end, but this…it outshone them all.
“It can do almost anything you like.” An answer that didn’t reply to the question at all.
He stood across from Ursy, within reach of Marius and the gears. On the periphery of his vision, he could see Zak and Ray circling around, weapons in hands, ready to provide backup, which meant Wulff was clearing them a path out of here. They might be exiting hot.
“If it’s so magical, how come you’re not wearing it?” Ursy pointed out.
“I did. For a while.” Marius tucked his hands in his sleeves, and his expression turned rapturous. “I had strength beyond imagination. Size, too. Taller, broader. I couldn’t be truly injured. I didn’t even need air to live.”
“Everyone needs to breathe.” Whether they did it via their mouths or absorbed via the skin.
“Mere mor
tals, perhaps, but when I wore the machine, I was more than that. I became a repository for knowledge. Remembering everything I’d ever seen or heard in my life. The information all there for simple extraction. I knew the answer to everything.”
“Sounds fucking amazing,” Jwls muttered.
The words caused Marius to zero in on him. “Do you know what happens when you excel at everything? When nothing thrills you anymore? You go looking for things that make you feel.” Marius fixed them with a blue gaze that was almost translucent it was so light. “I craved more. I did everything too fast. Driving, flying. Jumping off things rather than climb. I had no fear of breaking. Why would I when there’s a gear in there that is capable of repairing any damage?”
The words were enough to make Jwls slip a few gears in excitement. “It makes you into a god.” Which was what all Siyborgh strove to become. On his planet, the upgrading of parts was religion with devout followers such as Wulff, whose main goal in life was to get closer to their mecha gods. As for Jwls, it wasn’t religious fervor that drove him. He just wanted the shiny new parts.
“Yes, you become a god, which was the problem.” The washed-out eyes fixed on him. “I am not a god.”
The old male couldn’t handle it. Understandable. Greatness could be a burden, but Jwls was ready to give it a try. He frowned as Ursy stepped closer.
Marius ignored her. “All those gears you’re drooling about? They’re beautiful. And powerful. But there’s one thing they can’t do.”
What?” Jwls asked. What freaked out Marius so much he’d shed the gears? Which made Jwls wonder, how had he removed them? Were these surface versions? Those were usually the cheapest kind, gears that sat atop skin and required the filament tattoos to connect them to the actual body. Easily removed should you find a better upgrade.
“Being omnipotent doesn’t make you happy. Which is more important than you’d think.”
“I’m already happy,” Jwls boasted. He had a ship. Friends. Wealth. Even more wealth once they got their hands on the treasure.
“Are you?”
The gaze pierced him, and it felt like it knew the lie. As if it saw the hole in Jwls.
“I am perfectly content, thanks for asking.” Ursy stepped forward to reach.
“I’ll be even happier with those gears.” Ray had gotten close enough that he stepped into the light.
Only Zak remained out of reach and snapped, “You are both idiots. Get your hands away from it. Don’t you think it’s weird this Marius guy isn’t moving?”
At the statement, Jwls frowned. “He’s right. Why hasn’t he done something other than talk?”
“Because he’s stalling,” Zak observed. “He’s probably got reinforcements coming.”
Marius didn’t even deny it. “Not so much stalling as trying to discern who among you is worthy enough. Not just anyone can handle it. Only the strongest and wisest should ever be allowed near the God Gear.”
“I guess that leaves you out of the running,” Ursy purred, baiting her brother.
“As twins, I do believe you just called yourself stupid and weak as well,” Zak retorted with a snort.
“Don’t be mad I got all the brains and good looks.” His sister smirked as she dropped her goggles over her eyes. “No force fields showing on any of the energy spectrums.”
“What’s under the robe?” Jwls kept his attention on Marius.
“Not much.” The old man beamed. “Shall I show you?”
He did and at least proved he kept fit. Of more interest, Marius had unmarked skin. Not a single tattoo, not one visible gear.
“Did you remove all your tech?” Jwls asked.
“Every last piece. It’s time this fleshy machine wound down. Which is why you’re here. There should be a successor to my knowledge. Perhaps I was wrong to keep it to myself all these years. Could be the people need a god. A strong god. A good god. Or”—Marius’s expression turned sly—“someone bad. A despot that will jolt them from their apathy. Make them feel again. A shame I won’t be around to see which it is.” The robe hit the floor, and the old fellow spread his hands. “Goodbye and good luck.”
Which sounded kind of final and usually meant a suicide bomb, which was why Jwls dove at Marius, ready to use his body to shield his friends.
Except he soared right through. Unexpected. He would later admire the very convincing hologram. First, he had to recover from landing on his face, legs and ass scooting up as he dug his cheek into the floor.
His ill luck struck someone as hilarious, and they laughed. He had enough wits left to shoot the universal gesture for “impale yourself on something sharp.”
Jwls bounded to his feet, shook himself, and rolled his shoulders working out kinks. Feeling the throb on his chin. Making him wish he’d gotten Wulff’s iron jaw.
The hologram-version Marius smirked. He’d not left after all and stood there naked. “As you might have just noticed, I’m not here. I’m in a better place. A happier place.” Marius swept his hand, and the scene changed to a translucent sea, so clear they could see the reefs and fish swimming, the sandy grains washed clean of color allowing them a view to the core of the planet. A fireball of pure white. The image focused on Marius once more.
“I don’t need the God Gear anymore. Which is why you’re here. To bear witness to the quest.”
“Quest? What the fuck is he talking about, a quest?” Ray asked with a frown.
“Shut up and you’ll find out.” Bushy brows pulled together in a glare as Marius fixed them with a cranky stare. “I’m not just going to hand the machine to you. You’ll have to find it. Only the strongest and wiliest must ever get their hands on my most incredible and terrible creation.”
“Or we’ll just grab it now,” Ray grumbled and, ignoring Zak’s warning, stuck his hand into the light sheathing the pedestal and its treasure. His hand began to close around a gear, and Jwls wondered if he held his breath, too.
Ray pulled out his hand and held out the piece, murmuring, “So shiny.”
“Let me see.” Zak reached for it, and Ray growled, “Mine,” as he held it out of reach.
Things might have escalated between them except a sudden whirring filled the air. Looking up, Jwls saw dozens of mechanical insects, their wings fluttering, their bellies full of dials. One swooped and, with metal pincers, plucked the piece from Ray’s hand. He gaped in surprise. They all did before Jwls thought enough to yell, “They’re going to take all of them.”
That caused a mad scramble. The crew dove at the pedestal, hands reaching, but so did metal claws.
Jwls pulled back a hand that stung. He’d reached with the wrong one, his fleshy hand. He thrust his other arm back in and grabbed hold of a gear already being pulled away by a drone.
They played a tugging war, the drone much stronger than it should be, and he worried about damaging the gear. Then he worried about something else. A peek overhead showed why the room was vibrating.
“The dome is opening.” Inviting inside an atmosphere they could not breathe. The seal on the underground building was broken, and air began to suck out.
With regret, Jwls had to release the drone with its treasure that he might yank at the mask he kept clipped to his waist. He secured it over his face and attached the rebreather to his goggles. A temporary solution at best. Annoying as well, given they all sounded like heavy-breathing beasts.
Meanwhile, while they tried to not asphyxiate, the flying robots were busy.
The yelling ran hot and furious around him. “The drones are getting away.” Ray pointed out the obvious.
“We’ll shoot them down.” Zak aimed his gun, which Ursy immediately knocked away.
“You idiot,” his sister chastised. “If you shoot them, you might ruin the tech.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, the tech is getting away.”
“For now. Some of us installed a tracker.” Jwls held up his wrist and the watch on it that showed a tiny, pulsing red dot.
“Me, too,�
� Ray added.
Ursy smirked. “I tagged two.”
They all looked at Zak, who shrugged sheepishly. “Never even thought of marking my piece.”
“You idiot!” Ursy yelled. “More than fifty pieces and you couldn’t mark even one?”
“How about we discuss the dumbness of your brother later?” Wulff appeared, weapon slung over his shoulder. “There’s some kind of alarm going off, and I doubt it’s any good.” As if he arranged it, the floor under Jwls’s feet wobbled.
“I don’t suppose that happens often?” Zak asked hopefully. “Planets shake. Things crack.” He watched the zigzagging line in the ceiling that had nothing to do with the opening of the dome and sighed. “Okay, that’s not good.
“Finally, something smart out of you.”
“We need to get out of here,” Zak stated as the rumbling intensified.
“Back down, I guess.” Would they have enough time?
Ursy answered for him. “Too long. We need out of here right now. I say we follow those guys.”
A glance overhead showed the drones hovering, waiting for the dome to fully open. Already the air from the surface rushed in, coating things in a dusty haze, forcing his mask to filter and look for the gases he could use to breathe.
Ursy slapped her waist, only to grumble, realizing her cord wasn’t there. “Shit, who has the other rope?”
There was much shuffling and looking down that caused Ursy to snap, “Did no one else bring a rope?”
“I did.” From above, they heard Wulff. Even better, he aimed a stream of thin arachnid silk rope, the best and strongest known in the galaxy. It dangled just off the shaking floor.
Zak gave it a tug. “Go.” He gestured to Ursy.
“Why don’t you go first? Just because I’m a female doesn’t mean I need special treatment.” She angled her chin. Zak stared a moment then shrugged before he began to climb.
Ursy stood below glaring at him as he moved quickly hand over hand.
A prime example that you could never please a female.
“What are we going to do once we get to our ships?” Ray asked as he waited for Ursy to get halfway before putting his hands on the rope.
A reply would have to wait, as the floor trembled again, and more ominously, there was creaking and groaning as a crack zigged across the floor toward them.