Prison Princess

by Huss, JA

  “What?”

  She laughs a little. “You don’t know, do you? ALCOR never told you, did he?”

  “Told me what?” I’m angry at myself for asking. And there’s a very high probability that everything she’s saying right now is a lie, but I have to hear it. So I say it again. “Told me what?”

  “So… let me get this straight. You have the nerve to tell me I’m not real, but in practically the same breath, you admit your own ignorance? I’m far more real than you are, Tray. That’s one thing we should agree on before these negotiations move forward.”

  “I’m not negotiating with you.”

  “But you are.” And just as the last word comes out of her mouth a tiny, toy-sized Cygnian warship appears and starts flying around the dark emptiness.

  “Here’s the deal,” Veila says. “That?” She points to the toy ship. “Is Brigit. You knew that part, right? That Akeelian girls are killed before birth and their minds are stolen and stored on ice. And eventually, after many years of virtual training—thank you very much for that, by the way—they are stolen again and put inside ships.”

  “You’re sick,” I say.

  She places a hand over her heart, like she’s offended. “Me? I don’t do this, Tray. We don’t do this. You do this. Sentient ships like Brigit, for example. And all the others you know on Harem Station. Hell, that warship I just wiped back at the rendezvous point. All of them come from Akeelian System. What do you think they do with the girls? Mmm?”

  What do you think they do with the girls?

  I knew this. Draden was trying to tell me this. But he never finished.

  “They suck out their prenatal minds, put them on ice, and then grind the tiny bodies up after they’re born and sell their genetic material to us for our breeding program. So, if it makes you feel better to call us sick, go right ahead. But we’re no sicker than your kind. In fact, we don’t even use your sentient ships. As you well know. You hacked my ship just a little while ago. So maybe you should ask yourself just why you’re loyal to a race of people who do this to your twin sisters.”

  No, they don’t use our sister ships. Just the ground-up organic bodies in their breeding program. If this were the real world, I’d vomit.

  “Sisters,” she repeats. “Oh, that Jimmy.” Veila laughs. “How I had him going on and on about his stupid sister! Your brothers are really not that bright, are they, Tray? His sister is his ship!”

  “What?”

  Veila leans back in her throne, apparently content and satisfied with my shock. “You heard me. Big Dicker? Oh, God. That name. So ridiculous.”

  “That’s Jimmy’s sister? But—”

  “She doesn’t know. And obviously, he doesn’t know. She was drawn to him. That’s something you people have been trying to breed out for centuries now. Don’t seem to be making much progress there. Your twin sisters are drawn to you. That’s why they seek you out.”

  “Booty?”

  “Ding, ding, ding. Serpint’s sister.”

  “Lady?”

  “Now her, I’m not sure about. She could be Luck’s. She took his name. But she could be Valor’s. I will check on it, if you’d like. Once I have her in my possession I can run her code. Your sisters’ minds were all stolen in a raid shortly after you boys were born.”

  “Fuck you,” I say.

  Veila points up at the toy ship. “Brigit’s in there for now. I’m waiting on you to decide what I should do with her.”

  “Is she my—”

  “No,” Veila says. “Though it’s a little late to be asking that particular question, don’t you think? You’ve been virtually fucking her for virtual centuries. But I don’t think she’s related to any of you. They didn’t keep your sister, Tray. A damaged boy, that’s still worth something in the long run. But a damaged girl? No. They killed her body and tossed her mind away like trash. So accounted for are…” Veila holds up fingers like she’s about to tick things off a list. “Jimmy, Serpint, Luck and/or Valor. We’re still looking for Crux’s sister and the other half of Luck and/or Valor. We know Brigit is not genetically related to Crux because we had Delphi’s genetics all these years to check. And I’ve already done the DNA test to see if she’s Valor’s. Nope. So… sorry. I can’t answer that question just yet. But don’t worry. Pretty soon we’ll have control of all Akeelian System and I’ll figure it out.”

  Akeelian System? All this is about the Akeelian System? “What do you want?”

  “You, of course.”

  “Why?”

  “Why indeed. Because you’re a baby god, Tray. And I would like to be your mother.”

  I recoil. That is so gross. I don’t even know how to process that statement.

  “You’re a baby ALCOR,” she says. “Not a copy, like that Baby thing running your station. A genuine, real, super-sentient AI. The first…” She stops to sigh and smile. “The first ever genuine, real, super-sentient AI male since ALCOR. Your father was a brilliant man. Such a forward thinker, that one. Why do you think ALCOR keeps you on his station? He’s going to kill you eventually. He’s only using you for now.”

  “Using me for what?”

  “His breeding program, of course. For sun’s sake. Please tell me you’re not ignorant about that? Surely, you know about Earth?”

  “Yes,” I lie.

  “Good.” She shrugs with her hands. “Well, then. Not a far leap, right?”

  Akeelian System and Earth. “So you’re… not working with the Akeelians?”

  “Of course we are. As far as they’re concerned. We have them convinced that the genetic mystery of the ancient Angel race is days away from being solved.”

  “Angels,” I say. “So this is all about Angel Station.”

  “Oh,” Veila says, snapping her fingers. “Thank you for reminding me. Let’s wake him up for this part, shall we?”

  I turn around and find Valor waking up, propping himself up on his hands and knees. He swings his head up to meet my gaze, then slowly, laboriously gets to his feet.

  “And Brigit too!” Veila snaps her fingers again and the tiny, toy ship morphs into Brigit’s shape before my eyes.

  Brigit blinks her wide dark eyes at me but then lowers them down to stare at her feet and stays silent.

  “Listen up, kids. I’m only going to explain this once and then Tray is going to decide everyone’s fates. He’s the only one who cannot be killed at the moment. Let’s all pray to the sun god that his son is a benevolent creature.”

  His son?

  What the fuck does that mean?

  Veila points at Valor, who has somehow moved across the space to position himself next to Brigit. They appear as a team and there’s a little stab of jealousy in my heart.

  She’s mine, not his. Mine.

  But Brigit reaches for his hand and squeezes it tight as she stares down at her feet, not even able to look me in the eyes.

  “Valor,” Veila says. “You know you’re my soulmate, correct? We established that already, right? Was it as fun for you as it was for me?”

  Valor goes vom white in the face.

  “What the fuck?” I say, suddenly filled with rage. Any thoughts of jealousy over who Brigit belongs to disappear. Because now all I can think about is who Valor belongs to.

  Me.

  “I know you’re all confused so I’m going to spell it out for you, OK? Listen carefully, kids. Tray, turns out, is just as human as the rest of us. He wanted a soulmate so badly. Didn’t you, Tray?”

  I hate her. I’ve never hated anyone more than I hate Veila in this moment.

  “Don’t look at me that way,” she snaps. “I didn’t do this. You did this.”

  “What is she talking about?”

  I glance over at Valor. Find him looking at me from under his messy blond hair hanging over his eyes.

  “Tell him,” Velia says.

  I look at Veila now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do, Tray. So go on,” she encourages. “Te
ll him what you did.” I glance at Valor again. He’s shaking his head. “He used you, Valor. He used you as bait to bring me here because that was the only chance he had to free Brigit. This was never about you.”

  “You’re lying,” Valor growls back. “You’re fucking lying.”

  “Am I?” Veila glances at me. “Am I lying, Tray?”

  I look at Brigit, who is still staring at her feet.

  “Tray?” Valor says.

  I shake my head a little.

  “What is she talking about?” Valor prods. “Tell me.”

  “I knew,” I say. Then I quickly meet his eyes. “Not everything,” I say. “I knew you and her were connected. And I knew she’d…”

  “She’d what?” Valor snaps.

  “That I would do anything to get you back where you belong, Valor,” Veila says. “Which is with me. He and I struck up a deal a very long time ago. Back before he even left Wayward Station. Isn’t that right, Tray?” She smiles at me and I want to get sick.

  I suck in a deep breath of air instead. Because everything is suddenly clear. Like there was a thick curtain covering my eyes and now it’s been pulled away. Everything I’ve done. Every promise I made. My father wasn’t thinking of me when he changed me as a boy.

  He made a deal.

  I made a deal.

  And every bit of it was so that we could be here.

  “Tray,” Valor says. Not as angry now. More like sad resignation than anything else. “What is she talking about?”

  My father promised me things would get better. He promised that this change would help me deal with the emotions that flooded my brain and made me unable to relate to others. He had hoped it would be a coping mechanism. Something that would temper the neurochemicals that unbalanced me.

  That’s what he said after it was done.

  But Veila’s not talking about what happened after.

  She’s talking about what I agreed to do before the change.

  “Don’t you want to be like them?” Veila asked me back on Wayward Station. “Like your perfect friends. Strong, and capable, and popular. One day they will all have women. But not you, Tray. You will never have anyone. You will always be alone.”

  That’s what she told me.

  And then she said, “I can change that for you. All you have to do is follow my directions.”

  I made a deal with her. Long before I even knew who she was. Before Jimmy and Crux even saw her next to Corla.

  She was there, on Wayward Station, and she was there for me.

  And that’s when I figure out… I have no fucking idea who this woman is.

  “Just tell him, for fuck’s sake!” Veila snaps. “Or I’ll rip Brigit away from you and you’ll never see her again.”

  “I did this,” I say. “I set the whole thing up. Before we even left Wayward Station. I was the one who infiltrated ALCOR Station. I was the one who did all of this… But I didn’t know what I was doing, I swear, Valor. I didn’t understand it.” He and I lock eyes. I silently plead with him to believe me.

  “Please,” Veila says. “You knew. You just asked me to make you forget so you didn’t change your mind. You’re just a coward, Tray. A very useful one, for sure. But a coward nonetheless. He wanted a girl,” Velia says, looking at Valor now. “That’s all. Just thinking with his dicks. Nothing more. He and I made a deal. One day I would need his help. And if he came through I’d give him a soulmate, just like his brothers had. You were just the bait so I could get into the spin node that leads to Earth. Ta-da!” Veila giggles.

  “I was a kid!” I say. “I had no clue! I didn’t know!”

  Valor says nothing. Just turns his head and stares off in to space.

  “Oh, come on now,” Veila says. “Just own it, Tray. You’re getting what you wanted, right? Your girl?” Then she laughs. “Yes. Your girl. I think she has something to tell you as well.”

  We all look at Brigit.

  “Don’t do this,” I say.

  “Don’t you want to know?” Veila asks. “Don’t you want to know how I found you?”

  “I can guess,” I say. “The messages coming into Brigit’s fake cryopod.”

  Veila laughs. “Cryopod messages? Honey, I planted Brigit in your head before you left Wayward Station. You took her with you when you escaped. You infiltrated the Pleasure Prison. You built it for her! You put her there. And she works for me. She has always worked for me.”

  No one says anything. And I do not look at Brigit.

  It’s not her fault. It’s not my fault either. It’s no one’s fault. We were just kids.

  “There!” Veila claps. “See, that wasn’t so hard! So”—she points to Valor—“Tray used you as bait for me.” She points to me. “And Brigit used you as bait for me.” She points to Valor. “And you, my muscular, two-cocked soulmate, you… used no one. You just got played.”

  She claps again. “I think we can all agree I’m running this show now, right? Great! Now, are you ready for the final betrayal?” Veila trains her eyes on me and I get a sinking, sick feeling in my stomach. “ALCOR knew what you were, Tray. And he only had two choices when you showed up on his station after Corla ruined everyone’s plans twenty-one years ago. Kill you, right then and there. Or… make you his. Hmmm.” She pokes the center of her cheek with her fingertip and rotates it in small, half circles. “I wonder how that played out? He used you. He knew what you were. He knew who you worked for and he let you stay. Don’t you wonder why he let you stay?”

  Don’t listen to her.

  It’s ironic that I’m saying this to myself because wasn’t I pretty much saying this to Valor just days ago?

  “To breed you,” she adds. Just to twist that knife she stuck in my back and make sure it sticks.

  ALCOR is the problem. That was my mantra. I knew it all these years.

  But hearing Veila say it?

  It can’t be right. She and I cannot have the same theory about ALCOR because… because that would mean… she and I are on the same side.

  “What do you want?” I ask her.

  “Choose,” she says.

  “Choose what?”

  “Choose one,” she clarifies. “Brigit? Or Valor?”

  And I know this sounds bad. I get it. And he’s probably never going to trust me again afterward. But I don’t even hesitate.

  I say, “Brigit.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - BRIGIT

  I was not expecting Tray to choose me. Even after all this time together, all the promises, and all the planning, I was not expecting Tray to choose me.

  But he did.

  And the next moment Veila is gone, Valor is gone, and Tray and I are inside a virtual world that looks a little bit like the one I built before Valor came, but obviously isn’t.

  We’re naked, standing on a long stretch of black sand that sparkles in the setting sun, and the hot, dry air is layered with a cool, salty mist from the ocean.

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “Fuck her,” Tray says, pacing back and forth. “Just fuck her.”

  “I didn’t know I was doing it, Tray. I swear. Not until she told me. I didn’t—”

  Tray turns, grabs both my arms, and gives me a small shake. “Brigit, don’t you think I know that? I didn’t set Valor up on purpose! She… fucked with me, or something. I don’t know. I don’t understand why I did this! All I know is… Fuck her!”

  He lets go of me and returns to pacing, muttering curses under his breath. “I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill that bitch if it’s the last thing I do. I’m going to get us both out of here, steal back Valor, and then we’re going to hunt her down and kill that bitch!”

  I look around, nervous. Because I’m pretty sure Veila can hear us.

  “I don’t care,” Tray says. “I don’t care if she fucking hears. I’m coming for you, bitch! You hear me? I’m coming for you!”

  I walk to him and take his hand.

  “What?” he snarls.

  My head goes back in s
urprise. Because I’ve never seen Tray so angry before.

  “Sorry,” he says. “I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s not going to end this way. It’s not.”

  “I’m sorry too.” He opens his mouth to protest at my apology, but I put two fingers against his lips to hush him quiet. “I’m sorry because… I kinda knew. About what I was. I knew that part, Tray. I should’ve told you.”

  He frowns and his brows furrow together in frustration. “I knew things too,” he says. “I knew they did something to the Akeelian girls. And I could’ve solved that puzzle if I really wanted to.” He takes both my hands in his and clasps them together. “I just didn’t want to. I think I’ve known all of this. I’m not what you think either, Brigit. I’m not… human. I’m… I’m an AI.”

  He pauses, staring down into my eyes.

  I smile and it’s a real smile. “Me too.”

  He lets out a long breath of air. Like he was holding it in. “Well… then how the fuck did we get so trapped in this dumb bitch’s scheme? We’re way smarter than her.”

  “Way smarter,” I say.

  “There’s a way out of this. There has to be a way!”

  “There has to be,” I whisper.

  “I just don’t know what it is yet,” he admits.

  “Me either.”

  Several long, silent moments go by before Tray says, “I don’t know what she’s done with my body.”

  “Well, I don’t even have a body. I don’t even have a ship.”

  My knees drop to the sand and I tug him down with me. We sit like that. Facing each other. Legs underneath us. Eyes locked.

  “I can’t lose you, Brigit. I can’t. Not after all this time.” He says this softly. And that makes me frown. Because I don’t want him to give up. I’d rather he rail against Veila.