by Eve Langlais
“It’s the only thing that can bond with flesh.”
“What happens when it’s removed?” She ran a finger down his arm, and the cogs within slowed before spinning faster and faster, matching his racing pulse.
“Depends.”
“On?”
“The length of time for the bond. The strength of the presence in the metal. How traumatic the extraction is. Small pieces can often be removed with little damage, but those that have replaced organs and other key biological aspects can be trickier.”
“And you agreed to this?”
“Agreed. Welcomed. Craved. It’s part of who I am. Part of my culture.”
“Do your mecha parts ever speak to you?”
“Speak?” He snorted. “No, but we are aware of them.”
“I wonder why they don’t choose to speak to you. Perhaps you have a weaker strain.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There is sentience in the mecha parts. Something has permeated the metal, but it’s not natural.”
“How can you tell?”
She turned, but not before he saw her shiver. “I can feel it.”
He eyed her when she said nothing more. “Why does it speak to you and not the Siyborgh?” At least not the majority of them. The priests who took the old cogs, the originals, were said to hear voices. But so did people who partook of certain drugs.
“Maybe I’m more in tune to the voice.”
“Where are you from?” he asked suddenly, hoping to catch her off guard.
“Nowhere.”
“Why the big secret?”
Her lips curved in a familiar tease. “Because it’s not of your business.”
“I’d say you made it my business when you blew up that planet. You almost killed my sister.”
“Better one person that my entire planet.”
“Are you really that mercenary?” He eyed her in disbelief.
“The taint must be stopped from spreading.”
“Does that mean I’m next? Ray? You going to hunt down everyone with the latmevilium in their body and kill them, too?”
Her lips flattened. “I don’t know.”
Not exactly the answer he hoped for.
Zak chose to address her from a different direction. “Why do you call it tainted?”
She hesitated and then chose her words carefully. “The sentience in the metal, as I mentioned, it’s not natural to it. A forced symbiosis, which is a perversion to life.”
“We found it that way.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” she hotly retorted.
“You’re going to have a hard time convincing Siyborghs there is something wrong with the latmevilium cogs. Look at me. See anything wrong with me? I’m healthy. Not a murdering bastard. Or some hideous beast. How can you say the cogs in my body are tainted? Touch me and you’ll see I’m all male.”
“I—” She frowned. “I need to go.”
“Untie me.”
She didn’t answer and reached the door.
“You’re actually leaving? Get back here and untie me.” Zak wasn’t above demanding. Just to see what she’d do.
Nema left.
Left him alone, in his own room, a prisoner with no choice.
He began to grasp her annoyance.
12
Taking long strides down the hall to her next objective, Nema cursed herself for being weak. She should have ejected Zak and Ray from the ship rather than waste her time trying to deal with the Siyborgh males. After all, they were partially to blame for the derailment of her mission. Not to mention tainted. She could feel the wrongness in them every time they drew near. The alien thoughts that hummed against her psyche. And the way they’d changed their bodies with objects… How could they argue that the metal within them was good?
She should rid herself of them before their poison spread.
A plan she couldn’t follow through with because the moment she looked at them—the pair rugged with charming smiles and not a truly mean part in their bodies despite their modifications—she couldn’t do it. They weren’t intrinsically bad at the core, just misguided by their metal parts.
At least they could blame their decisions on the cogs in their bodies. She had no excuse. She was proving derelict in her duty to her people and the Lake.
She needed to get back on track
For a moment she glanced back at the door hiding Zak. A male who flustered her, especially after she laid her fingers on him. She scrubbed them against her pants, still feeling the heat that flared at the touch, wondering if she’d infected herself.
Only she knew she wasn’t sick. More like aroused.
She blamed her mother for that, along with her parting words as Nema was leaving. “Since you can’t seem to find a suitable male at home, keep an eye open for one while you’re traveling.”
Mother didn’t mean suitable for mating but rather fathering a child. A child created with an outsider, someone who couldn’t claim rights. A new handmaiden to serve and continue their family line.
While she might chafe at the demand, she would eventually do her duty because she did love her family, and she couldn’t deny the intrigue in the idea, especially since meeting Zak and Ray.
But which one to choose if she did go through with it? She’d kissed Ray and enjoyed it. But she’d wager she’d like kissing Zak, too.
Not even pausing, she entered the room of her second captive. Unlike Zak, Ray had freed himself and sat in a chair, calmly sharpening a knife.
That caused her to pause in the doorway.
He offered her a smile. “Well, hello there. I wondered when you’d pop in for a visit.”
She stepped in far enough for the door behind her to close. She leaned against it, hoping it remained that way.
“You managed to get loose.” Her gaze shifted to the pile of rope left in a puddle beside the bed.
“It’s a knack I have. Zak zaps things. I’m wily.”
“Let me guess, you have some gears that give you the ability.”
A hint of a smile ghosted his lips. “Some. And you needn’t say ‘gears’ like it’s a dirty word.”
“Among my kind, it is.”
“And why is that? What problem exactly do you have with the Siyborgh? Why do you care what we do with our bodies?”
“I care because the metal you’ve been using is not natural.” A repeat of the conversation she’d had with Zak.
“Funny you say it’s not natural because we’ve found some of it growing in the wild.”
“Metal doesn’t grow.”
“Maybe not the usual kinds, but latmevilium is special. But I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve been studying my kind.”
He’d paid attention it appeared to her reading material. “I wanted to understand you.”
“And? Did you find answers?”
“Yes.” But more questions. “How many of your kind possess sentient parts?”
“Everyone over the age of twenty turns of the mighty gear.”
“Which is how many?”
His lips curved. “A lot. Therefore, if you’re planning to get rid of all of the latmevilium, you’ll have to pretty much eradicate an entire race.”
“Or find a way to neutralize the danger within you,” she mused aloud.
“You might not find too many willing to go along with that plan. We like our upgrades.”
And she liked him. Which was the main reason he remained alive. “Has anyone ever measured the sentience level in the metal?”
He arched a brow. “No. But if you’re looking at strength, the older mecha parts—those found in the temples—are much stronger than the new creations made out of recycled bits and chunks found in the wild.”
“That part doesn’t make sense. Metal doesn’t grow.”
“Living metal apparently does.”
“It survives electromagnetic and gravitational pulses, too.”
“Someone did her medical research.” He didn’t say it
in a nice tone.
“Watch your tone of voice.” Because she was the one in control now. Not Ray.
He didn’t seem to notice. “What’s the plan, baby?”
“Cease calling me that.”
“Tell me who you really are, and I’ll stop.”
“I told you my name.”
“And gave me the name of a planet that doesn’t exist except in stories. Or did you think I wouldn’t check?”
“Avhallonn exists. We just don’t announce our presence. It’s safer that way.” The Lake insisted.
“If it’s so safe, then why did you leave?”
“Because your people are playing with things they don’t understand. One of your cogs made it to my world. It’s how we discovered the taint. I was sent to deal with it.”
“By who?”
She couldn’t tell him about the Lake or the mission she served for it and needed to change the subject. “What would you say if I said I might be able to get the location of another temple?”
“Might?” He leaned back, the knife placed across his lap, his arms dangling over the sides of the chair. “I’m listening.”
“Holding that cog allowed me to find one temple. Surely it knows of more.”
“Going to dangle another treasure in front of me and then blow it up again?” Ray arched a brow. “Not sure why you’d think I’d be interested.”
“What if I promised to not destroy it?” She’d ruined the last one without even thinking, hoping it would be that simple. As if her mission would end that quickly.
One heretic temple destroyed didn’t make the slightest difference. Especially since those temples, scattered around the universes, had existed for a long time. Longer than even when her grandmother’s grandmother was alive.
“Why even ask me? I’m your prisoner. You want to find another temple, guess there’s no way for me to really stop you.”
“We both know you’re hardly a prisoner. Which is why I’d like to make a deal with you.”
He blinked at her. “What kind of deal?”
“I need this ship to get somewhere.” She rapped her knuckles on the wall. “But I’m unfamiliar with the technology.” She downplayed her ability to learn, mostly because she had a sense she might need Zak and Ray.
To make babies.
Her lips flattened. That certainly had to be her mother’s influence whispering in her head.
“This is priceless. You mutinied and took over a ship you can’t fly.” He smirked. “Should have planned that better.”
“You’re right, I should have. Which is why I’m here. Who’s the better pilot, you or Zak?”
“Zak by far.”
“That answers the question of who is expendable.” She turned as if to leave, and he barked, “Wait. You need me, too.”
The words struck a chord within, and she turned to stare at him. “Why do I need you? You’ve already claimed Zak is most qualified to pilot the vessel. Making you what, the ship’s engineer?”
“No. Although I can weld and tighten some bolts if needed.” Everyone who flew the galaxies had to have some rudimentary knowledge in case something broke down. “I’m his first mate.”
She said nothing, rather intrigued by the way he didn’t squirm or flinch. She’d ordered around many handmaidens in her time. Mastered the art of intimidation with just a look.
He didn’t bend before it. “I can help.”
“With what? I’ll have Zak, and keeping both of you would be dangerous.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
She stared pointedly at the knife in his lap.
He grinned. “Just a precaution. As you’ll notice, I never actually used it.”
“You’ll mutiny the first chance you get.”
“Not if you’re telling the truth about taking us to a temple.”
The voice from behind startled. She whirled to see the door opening on Zak, who walked in, hands empty, armed only with a smile.
A dangerous weapon.
“How is that possible? I left you trussed tight.”
“You’re not the only one who is handy at getting out of tricky places.” He winked. “So what’s this about you needing me to pilot? Where to, baby?”
“My name is Nema,” she practically spat.
“I know what your name is. What I don’t know is your motivation. But I’m intrigued. Aren’t you interested, Ray?”
“Not really. Told you we should have dumped her.”
“But then we wouldn’t be having so much fun.” Zak clapped his hands. “I declare a truce.”
Nema, sensing she’d lost the upper hand, softened her stance. “What kind of truce? For how long?”
“Until we get in and out of the next temple. You let us snag a few gears before you try blowing up the next planet, and we’ll be your willing crew.”
The word willing, for some reason, had her thinking of things that had little to do with her promise to the High Lady or the Lake. “I’ll need to touch that cog again.”
“Anytime you want to touch something hard, you let me know.” Zak’s wink brought heat to her cheeks.
But Ray, moving close enough to her back to brush against her, brought a gasp. Especially as he whispered, “I’m more than willing to let you fondle my gears.”
How dare they try and seduce her? She was the one in control. No more pretending. She straightened.
“Meet me on the bridge with the cog, and we’ll set our next course.”
She exited the room, in a hurry to leave their presence, and could have cursed as she realized she’d left them together. To plot.
She hurried to the bridge and sat in the chair, gun in her lap, knives within easy reach. She hadn’t lied when she’d said she didn’t know how to fly this thing. The presence of the Lake within could have learned and taught her. After all, it had managed to change the voice control of the ship from Zak and Ray to her, and only her.
She glanced at her fingers, knowing they were metal free, and yet, she didn’t always control them. Making her…
“Catch!”
Zak’s jovial command snapped her chin up, and she saw something arcing toward her. Without even thinking, she reached out to grab and her fingers closed around the same cog as before.
A cog that sat dead in her hand. She glanced at it. Noticed its pitted surface. “What happened to it?”
“It was fine when I put it away.” Zak frowned.
“Whatever the reason, it’s dead now.” She dumped it on the console. “Got another?”
The men eyed each other before Zak said, “We have one more, but I should warn you, it doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean, doesn’t feel right?”
“It’s hard to explain.” Zak shrugged.
She looked to Ray. “You feel the same thing, too?”
“Yes.” As talkative as ever.
“Then that means it’s probably alive, and I should be able to get something from it.”
Ray went to fetch it, grumbling when he left, still grumbling when he returned.
The box was made of a dull metal and clanged when he set it down. The heavy lid revealed a dark, spongy fabric and, nestled in it, a cog. One very much like the one that landed on her planet.
It didn’t just repulse her; she physically didn’t want to touch it. And judging by the expressions on Ray’s and Zak’s faces, the feeling was mutual.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
“This isn’t normal,” Ray stated through a rigid jaw. “Cogs don’t usually generate unease.”
“That’s more than unease. It’s…” She paused, her brow creasing, her hand hovering over the cog. “It’s angry. So very angry.” She snatched back her hand and chewed at her lower lip.
“Maybe it doesn’t want to join with anyone. A keep-away vibe.” Ray stroked his chin, looking at it.
“I have no problem leaving it alone.” Zak shook his head and kept his distance.
But she didn’t have that
choice, not if they wanted to find that temple. Her hand was unblemished. No blood to activate. No open wound for it to adhere to.
She plucked it from the box. There was a hushed pause as her skin made contact with it and then a sudden hum. As before, images flashed, along with feelings and thoughts, but there was more of it. So much more. A screaming morass of memories, overwhelming with its anger—and need.
Despite the urge to fling the haunted cog far away, she held on tight, closed her eyes, and fell victim to the visions. A spinning maelstrom of images flashing in quick succession, dizzying her.
She clung to the gear with one hand while the other touched a console. Tingled as if the metal beneath her fingertips reacted to her.
It proved enough to stop the clash of images in her head. The storm of memories ceased spinning and settled on a location. An ice planet in a galaxy with no sun, just one star rotating around the planet.
Slowly her eyes opened, and she was startled to realize both males stared. She’d been stupid and too trusting. They could have overpowered her and made her prisoner again. Done all manner of things…
Yet they’d not touched her, nor did they hold any weapons. How dare they show such honor.
She clenched the metal tight in her fist. “I know where to go.”
After she described the star system, Zak shook his head. “I know the galaxy you’re talking about. No one goes there because there’s nothing there. That planet you’re talking about no longer exists. It disappeared some time ago.”
“Impossible. I saw it.”
“Still going to claim you’re not a seer?” Ray drawled.
“Your cog showed me.”
“Maybe it showed you an old image. The place you’re talking about is gone.”
She shook her head. “Just like the last planet we visited was supposedly a molten world, yet that proved to be untrue.”
“She’s got a point,” Zak observed.
“Surely there’s a better one we can visit. Squeeze that gear a little harder.”
She already held it tight enough that the edges bit into her skin, but it had stopped talking. It brooded now instead. She shook her head. “That’s all it’s giving me.”