by J. M. Page
She gasped, taking a step backwards, but the figure didn’t move.
“Please don’t be alarmed,” the stranger said, “I know my appearance is unsettling but I mean you no harm.”
Celine watched the woman’s — if woman was even the right term — mouth move, a facial structure that resembled her own, but with two insectoid mandibles protruding from her cheekbones. They clicked together when she spoke. Her eyes were close-set and solid black, shiny and reflective even in the muted light.
“I am known as Scorpia,” she said, taking a step forward. She was hunched slightly and Celine noticed it was to counter-balance a curved segmented tail that protruded from the thin fabric wrapped around Scorpia’s lean frame. The end of her tail was weaponized with a razor sharp-looking point.
“Who else knows you’re down here?” Celine asked, still in awe of this new discovery.
“Not many anymore, I suppose. I was here when the very first ships landed with humans. Your kind are short-lived,” she said, turning her back. Celine heard her moving things around, but couldn’t drag her eyes away from the deadly point of Scorpia’s tail.
“But, that would have to be… thousands of years.”
Scorpia turned, her head canted to one side, those beady black eyes unblinking. “Yes?” She sounded confused.
Celine shook her head, deciding it wasn’t worth the explanation.
Scorpia turned her back again, focused on whatever work she was doing.
“Why do you hide down here?” Celine asked.
The first answer was a flurry of clicks. “I’m not hiding. This is my home. All of these tunnels were carved by me and those that came before me. I just happen to be benevolent enough to let you occupy my entryway.”
Celine frowned, not sure what to make of that. “Thanks,” she muttered.
An extended silence stretched between them and Celine finally paid attention to her surroundings. The red glow and the bubbling, it was a series of tanks covering every wall of the cavern. The liquid in the tanks was some semi-opaque gel, and deep in the glowing depths, shadows bobbed.
“What is all of this?” Celine asked, reaching to dip her finger in the strange viscous liquid.
“Don’t touch that,” Scorpia’s tail harmlessly swatted Celine’s hand away. Scorpia never turned away from her workbench, covered with vials and beakers.
“As you’ve said, I have lived a very long life. To keep myself occupied I became a scientist of sorts… a biologist, if you will. Throughout the years, there has been the occasional person that can benefit from my research and I’ve helped many of your kind back into the city.”
Celine narrowed her eyes, not sure she really followed everything going on.
“And your research is…?”
Scorpia flipped a switch nearby and a soft hum of electricity buzzed all around them. The charge seemed to affect the liquid in the tanks, turning it clear.
And then it made sense to Celine. In every tank, at different stages of growth and development, there were human parts. Hands, arms, legs, feet. One tank held eyeballs in a spectrum of colors. Another had beating hearts.
Celine wasn’t sure whether to feel awed or sick.
“You…”
“I grow these, yes,” Scorpia said, as if she were talking about an herb garden. “They’re not harvested, if that’s what you’re thinking. They’re built one cell at a time. It’s quite tedious even for the smallest bits.”
“I’m sure,” Celine said, gawking at one tank after the next. She’d built a lot of things in her life. Things that she took pride in, like Rufus. But even Rufus, with all his range of emotion and problem-solving skills, was only an imitation of life.
Scorpia… She’d built actual living tissue the way Celine built robots. It was on another level, and from one tinkerer to the next, Celine had to admit she was blown away. Impressed didn’t even begin to describe the sheer wonder she felt in that moment.
Scorpia joined Celine in her circuit around the cavern, clicking proudly every now and then at Celine’s open-mouthed surprise.
“I can’t believe… I mean, I didn’t even think you could… Just, wow,” Celine stammered, moving from one to the next.
“It’s this one I think you’ll be interested in,” Scorpia said, tapping one of the larger tanks mounted to the wall.
Floating in that thick jelly, palm forward and elbow crooked in a wave, was an arm that looked like it was made for Celine.
While it should’ve been gruesome, it was serene. Comforting even.
“You want into the city, yes?” Scorpia asked, her clicking nearly inaudible.
Celine nodded, eyes wide with wonder as her metal hand spread over the glass. “More than anything.”
“This is the way,” Scorpia said.
Celine found herself agreeing without pause, but stopped herself before the words sprang from her lips.
“Why? Why would you help me? What are you getting out of it?” She snatched her hand away from the tank, wondering what had put her in such a trance.
It was hard to tell with her shiny black eyes, but Celine thought Scorpia looked offended.
“I think I’ve already mentioned my benevolence,” she said, waving an arm dismissively. “As for what I get out of it… I expect an even trade. My arm,” she gestured toward the tank, “for yours. Simple.”
A frown tugged at Celine’s mouth and she flexed her arm, watching the joints, the struts, the tubing and connections all lovingly crafted. It was a part of her. Could she really get rid of it?
“Celine,” Rufus could keep quiet no longer. “You can’t get rid of your arm! It’s what makes you… you! It made me! What if I malfunction?” He shuddered and Celine faltered. Maybe this was too high a price, even for her.
“And you know how upset your father would be. Your arm is his greatest creation and—”
At mention of her father, Celine’s vision went red, and not just from the womb-like glow of Scorpia’s laboratory. He would be upset, but why should that matter? He had no care for the things she treasured. He thought he could control her by destroying her dreams, but there was more than one way to achieve her goals.
It might be scary to give up a part of herself, she reasoned, but all big decisions were a little scary. And no one ever achieved their dreams without making big decisions. Her human hand slipped into her pocket and closed around Ben’s coin, squeezing it.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she heard herself say. So what if her father didn’t approve? If she had her way, Celine would be halfway to the stars before he knew anything.
Scorpia grinned and click-clacked and flipped the switch, turning the incubating gel opaque again.
“Now, a little word of warning,” she said. “This is permanent and these limbs occasionally have some… quirks. They just have to be broken in a little.”
Celine shook her head. “I don’t care, just do it. I’m tired of being trapped in these tunnels and being a prisoner of my father.”
Scorpia set to work quickly, laying Celine on a sterile table before administering some kind of medicine that kept her from feeling any pain. Rufus wouldn’t stop muttering protests and finally Celine had to put him into sleep mode.
The red glow was so relaxing and the sporadic bubbling put her into a trance-like state as Scorpia worked.
Soon, she would be human. She’d be able to go to the human city, to witness it in all its splendor. The entire universe would be spread at her fingertips. Her ten fleshy fingertips.
Her eyes drifted closed as she pieced together images she’d gathered of stars, trying to imagine the great expanse of sky dotted with light instead of dust clouds.
She would see those stars. And maybe, if she was lucky, she’d see Ben again and address that peculiar buzzing in her chest that came with proximity to him.
“All done,” Scorpia said, breaking Celine out of her trance.
Her eyes flew open. “Already?”
“It’s been hours,” Scorpia sa
id, patting her shoulder.
Celine winced, and then, bolted upright realizing which arm had hurt.
She held both arms in front of her, turning them over in the dim light — they looked identical.
“How does it match so perfectly?”
Scorpia’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Lucky?”
Celine clenched and unclenched her fist. “And it works!”
Scorpia nodded. “Yes, but remember what I said. Don’t try anything too dextrous or complicated. Your new limb doesn’t have much practice yet.”
Celine nodded, bringing her fingertips up to her eyes, looking for fingerprints. She overestimated the distance and wound up poking her eye.
“Ow!” She snatched her hand back and glared at it like it had done it on purpose.
Scorpia let out a paper-thin laugh with a round of clicking. “I warned you. It needs time to learn.”
Celine frowned, flexing her hand again, this time far from her face. “Okay, well, let’s get learning.”
And with that, she booted Rufus back up and set off for the walled city where she’d left Ben. There wasn’t so much of a plan in her mind, but fierce determination and an unwillingness to give up now.
Nothing would stand in her way, especially not some silly walls.
Chapter Six
Ben
It was over an hour later when a different medic came in, a massive violet shaggy dog on a leash at her side. Bora herself gave a resounding bark and lunged for Ben, straining the leash. The poor girl holding the leash lost her grip and Bora went flying, all fur and slobber, onto Ben’s lap.
“Haha, yes, I’m happy to see you too,” he said, scratching the dog behind her floppy ears as she covered his face and ears with kisses. Her heavy tail thwacked the side rails, making the whole bed shake.
“You’re too big to be a lap dog, you know,” he muttered into her colorful coat. Pets weren’t terribly common in Terranys. Goods were already hard to come by in between shipments and most people didn’t see the point. But not Ben. He’d seen Bora, short for Borealis, when she was just a pup, three solar systems away on a diplomatic mission. Ben himself had only been a kid, not even in flight training yet, but he begged his parents and they saw no harm in the Prince having a furry friend.
They’d been nigh inseparable ever since.
The female medic in the doorway watched on with a mixed expression, sending frequent looks over her shoulder. Many Terrans reacted that way to Bora. She was big and bouncy and a little intimidating if one didn’t know her.
But she was really just a big cuddly fluffball.
“You can leave,” Ben said to the medic as Bora settled in with her big front paws on his chest.
She looked behind her again, then to the dog and decided to take him up on his offer, scurrying off down the hall.
Bora was content to just lay there with her master, but Ben had other plans. He waited until the shift changed and a new crop of medics came to the hospital ward. While they were busy going over charts and medications, he found his clothes and got dressed, saying a silent thanks for small miracles — the teranite was still there.
He took Bora by the leash and headed down the hallway out, away from all the medics and their watchful eyes. Ben had a good feeling they were under strict orders from his father not to let him out of their sight.
At the first set of double doors, his suspicions were confirmed.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, we’re not to let you leave this ward,” a younger man said. He looked barely older than a boy, still round-faced and bright-eyed.
Ben scratched Bora behind the ears and she gave a booming woof that echoed and made the kid wince.
“I understand, but Bora here needs a walk. Are you going to do that for me?”
The kid looked uncertain as Ben offered him the leash. He looked at the thin cord like it might wrap around his neck and strangle him.
“Umm…”
“It’s not hard,” Ben continued, cheery as ever. “Just walk her around until she does her business. You’ll want a bag to pick it up with. A big bag. And be sure not to touch it with your bare hands, it can burn pretty bad.” Okay, so that last part wasn’t exactly true, but he couldn’t take any chances.
The guy eyed the door again and the big scruffy dog dancing on her paws. Bora barked again and jumped up at the poor kid, nearly knocking him down. The guard backed away, palms out trying to fend off the terrifying creature.
“No, no, that’s alright. Just don’t go too far,” he said.
Ben shrugged. “Just as far as it takes for her to go,” he said.
The guard seemed satisfied, but more than that, he seemed relieved to see Ben walk away with Bora in tow.
Once they were out of the hospital, and his soles hit the street, Ben let himself sigh.
“Well, that went better than expected,” he said.
Bora wagged her tail.
“You want to go see Uncle Alex?” he asked the dog. Her tail thwacked him in the knees and Ben set off toward his friend’s house.
When they arrived, he knocked once and waited, Bora anxiously scratching at the door.
The door swung open and Ben saw Alex for a nanosecond before a mass of purple flew through the doorway and tackled him to the ground.
“Oof! Hi, Bori,” Alex said, scratching her behind the ears while the dog licked his neck.
Ben smirked and closed the door, side-stepping around them.
“That’s enough,” he said to Bora, issuing a command in another language. She obeyed, laying down at Ben’s feet, her chin on her paws, tail still thumping.
“A little help?” Alex asked from the floor. Ben offered his arm and Alex gripped his forearm tight, heaving himself up to his feet with great effort. Once he was back on his feet, Ben saw how pale his friend was and the sweat beading on his forehead.
“How’s the leg?” he asked.
Alex shrugged. “Same as usual. You didn’t come here to talk about my leg though, did you? I can’t believe you actually did it, you lunatic. You actually went into the Wastelands. It’s all they’re talking about on TNN, you know. The Daredevil Prince, the Royal Rebel. It’s crazy.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “That explains why my father tried to have me held prisoner in the hospital. But I brought you a souvenir,” he said, reaching into his pockets. He produced handfuls of the chalky red substance and offered it to Alex, who’s eyes had gone wide.
“Is that—”
“I didn’t figure anyone else was going to get it and you need it,” Ben said, starting to feel self-conscious about his good deed.
“You’re even crazier than I thought. I thought you were just out there looking for monsters and you…” Alex shook his head, taking the teranite from Ben. “Thanks. Really, thanks.”
“Take it,” Ben said with a nod toward the kitchen.
Alex hobbled there, crushing the teranite into a fine powder before mixing it into a drink.
“That should be enough to last you a little while, right? Hopefully long enough for them to figure out this Grounding nonsense.”
Alex nodded, but his face wasn’t as happy as Ben expected.
“What is it?”
Alex turned the rocks over in his fingers. “I shouldn’t keep this all for myself. There are others that could use this, too.”
“The others didn’t save my hide in battle in the Farellan Asteroid Belt. Keep it,” Ben said, drawing on some of that regal authority he’d been coached on as a younger man.
Alex let out a sigh, but nodded. They’d been friends too long. Each of them knew a fight the other wouldn’t give up.
Silence stretched for a long minute and finally Alex narrowed his eyes at Ben, seeing something he hadn’t before.
“What else did you find out there?” he asked.
Ben’s heart jumped as if he’d been electrocuted. “What?”
“I see it written all over your face. I’ve been a bartender too long to not know when someone has s
omething they wanna talk about.”
His pulse raced. Alex was his best friend. If he could tell anyone about the modder girl, it would be him. But could he tell him?
He shook his head. “You’d never believe me.”
Alex laughed. “After everything we’ve been through and seen together? Unlikely. What, did you find Ern’s modders out there?” He chuckled again, but Ben didn’t laugh along. He didn’t even crack a smile. Slowly, Alex’s laughter faded and his expression fell.
“No…” he whispered. “You can’t be serious. Did you?”
Ben just nodded. “Well, I think so. The memories are kind of hazy… But she saved me. I was a gonner. Crashed in the sand, didn’t know which way was up.” He dropped his head to his hands and raked his palms over a day’s old stubble.
“I sound insane, don’t I?”
Alex sucking in a breath. “No! Well… If it was anyone else, yeah, but I know you wouldn’t make something like that up. So… It was a girl, eh?” Alex said suggestively.
Ben finally laughed. “Yeah,” he sighed.
“Oh, it was a girl,” Alex emphasized. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Let me guess, you want to find her?”
“Am I that predictable?”
His best friend shrugged. “Not always, but I do know you. You’re not going to let a mystery sit unsolved. Especially not one this big. So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Ben admitted. “I haven’t thought that far.”
Alex nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “If you need the help of a guy with only one good leg, you know where to find me.”
Ben gave him an exasperated look and nodded, getting the idea that his friend was dismissing him. He headed toward the door, Bora following in his shadow. “Take your medicine,” he said before leaving.
He walked with his furry companion, not thinking about where his feet took him. He’d been single-minded about getting out of the hospital to find that girl, but what was the plan, really? She was out in the Wastelands somewhere. Beyond the walls. Beyond the forcefield. He’d barely survived that trip once and he couldn’t have done it without her. Did he really want to risk it again?
