by Bex McLynn
She said the only thing she could. “I’ll try?”
“Ech. Just don’t fuck it up by trying to hold it back.” Gummy flipped his hand at her. “Go on then. Fire it up.”
They stood in silence.
Maude listed toward Gummy. “Were you talking—”
“Talking to the damn thingy.”
Thingy? Did he mean the spider?
Nausea rolled through Maude. “Why would you talk to it”
“[I wake.]”
Maude’s mouth went dry as she broke out in a cold sweat.
“You heard me.” Gummy jutted his chin toward the cylinders. “Need these runnin’ to get on outta here.”
“[I wake.]”
Maude’s knees softened as her belly soured, and her head started to throb. “Please, whatever you’re doing to it, please stop.”
“Ech, you’re fighting it. Stop fighting it.”
Another wave of unease moved through her. “[I fire?]”
“Aye.” Gummy nodded. “Fire it up. I sure as fuck can’t do it.”
Horrified, Maude snapped her eyes to Gummy. Did the old man just respond to a question that was voiced inside her head?
“[I fire.]” The voice said with more certainty.
“Fire? Who are you firing at?” Maude cast a panicked looked about the room. The only one to fire upon was Gummy.
Maude started to retreat, wrapping her arms around her stomach, determined to keep the spider from targeting the Teras man. “Gummy, whatever you’re doing, stop. It wants to fire a dart, and you’re the only one here.”
“Girly, you’re mucking this all up.” Gummy shook his head and shifted his gaze, as if addressing another person in the room. “And you, what’re you waiting for? Just fire it up and be done with it.”
“[I fire.]”
Good lord, she had to do something before the spider fired.
Maude spun, running for the door. Something inside of her snapped, like the popping of joints with a deep stretch. She fell to her knees as her energy left her—siphoned off as it was greedily sucked away. Her head spun as she heard a low, steady hum begin to fill the room.
Dazed and drained, she looked up and saw the displays on the cylinders flashing with white and green lights.
“[I fire.]”
Cool hands brushed her sweat-soaked hair back from her face. Gummy leaned over her. “That’ll do, girly.”
“I—” Maude swallowed. Her parched throat ached. Her head pounded. Blackness crept along the edges of her vision, narrowing her view of the old man. “I…”
Oh, she wanted to sleep so badly.
“Go on, now. It’ll be better when you wake.”
“[I wake.]” The voice sounded apologetic as the spider rippled slowly over her skin, forming its armor.
Then blackness overtook her.
Chapter Seven
Therion let his arms drop to his sides. “Huh, it worked.”
Kesken stopped stalking forward. “What fucking worked?”
Therion gestured up at the rampart. “Got you down before you fried along with those other fucks.”
A loud crack rang out—the snapping sound of electricity powering up. Most of the guards, who were leaning back against the stone wall and the netting’s long-dead live wires, convulsed as smoke curled about them.
The entire bailey went silent, save for the jittery hisses from the men stuck against the electrified wall.
Kesken, gaping up at the electrocuted men, staggered a step. “What—”
Therion lunged, tackling and pounding him into the sands.
Fierce Teras roars thundered throughout the arena as the riot erupted. Therion wrenched the staff away from Kesken with one hand while he pummeled the Gwyretti with his fist encased in Kora’s armor. Hundreds of hours under the tutelage of esteemed sparring masters and Fleet training sergeants made no appearance. There was nothing disciplined about his technique. He’d spent too long as an Unsworn to do anything but brawl.
That, and this fucker made Maude cry. Kesken had done more than bruise her feelings. He’d injected her with fear for her safety.
A satisfying crunch followed each blow that Therion landed, and he kept at it until Kesken no longer attempted to ward him off.
Grabbing the staff, Therion pushed to his feet and assessed the mayhem. The haggard Teras slaves rampaged like an unleashed pack of crazed mongrels. Some grouped in pairs to topple gladiator trainees.
As Therion had expected, the Gwyretti singled out Culler. The desperate guards tried pummeling the massive Teras with their wooden practice swords, swinging them like clubs. Culler shrugged off the blows, snatched the nearest attacker, and flung him into the bailey wall with a bone-shattered thud.
“Cull!” Therion called out. He waved with the staff, gesturing to the compound-consuming fray. “You got this? ‘Cause I pummeled this shitbag, but now I got places to be.”
“I’m good,” Culler said, his voice flat, as he kicked a Gwyretti so hard the man’s frill popped open as he flew backward.
“No, you’re fucking great.” Therion backpedaled toward the compound’s entrance as he pointed at Culler. “You’re all over this shit storm like a savage roll of thunder. So, I’m gonna go rescue Maude. Maybe kiss her some more.”
Because Therion prided himself on being a helpful sort, he disabled another guard as he left the bailey yard. Then, as he ran into the darkened doorway, he turned back and waved.
Across the sands, he heard Culler grumble ‘fucking Therion’ as he broke the training master’s arm.
Therion thundered down the stone steps, all the way to the lowest level, alarmed to find a tranquilized Gwyretti sprawled on the ground outside of Maude’s cell. He tore off for the only other place that he hoped she could be.
Barreling into the room with the power cell cluster, he skidded to a halt and hollered as he ducked a swinging bucket. “Dammit, Gummy! It’s me!”
“Aye, I know it.” The old idiot swung at him again. “Next time, when you say we’re gonna be sex slaves, we’d better be sex slaves. Or you can be the one hauling around shit buckets, cuz I ain’t doing it.”
Therion threw an arm out. “But you were fucking perfect, Gummy! The ideal Mystery Man. No one suspected you. You had free range of the whole damn compound. You even snuck me a torque spanner. It was all brilliant.”
“Ech.” Gummy waved him off. “Rather be a sex slave again. Cuz that one time was fun.”
Therion jabbed a finger at the old arse. “You wither my anthers when you talk like that. I told you before, Gummy, I don’t need to hear about your goings-on. Now, where’s Maude?”
“Girly’s over there.”
Therion looked to where Gummy pointed. His initial relief at seeing component racks—a good spot to conceal her—dissolved into dismay when he saw her prone on the ground. Gods, the poor thing lay there unconscious. He could see the drag marks in the sandy floor and knew Gummy tried to shelter Maude behind the racks. His appreciation clenched his chest.
He approached on heavy feet, and Kora, who covered Maude in protective plates, rippled. Not a threatening rattle, but more like she took a deep breath. Was she relieved as well?
“Aye, I’m here,” he spoke to Kora as he dropped to his knees and set aside the staff. His eyes roved over Maude. “Couldn’t’ve spared her this, could you’ve?”
Kora took another rippled breath, snapping her plates at him.
“Right. I’m a fucking arse to be asking that now.”
He knew, when he sent Gummy to restart the power cells, that there was a good chance that Maude would actually be the one to get the task done. Just as Seph had powered Prykimis all those weeks ago by literally injecting the huge battleship with her own energy, he suspected that Maude would have to do the same with the power cells.
With a rough exhale, he finally understood that unsettling look Zver had given him weeks ago. It had been right after the marauder attack on Prykimis. Seph, that tenacious starburst, had been knocked out cold when P
rykimis siphoned her energy to power up and repel the hostile boarders. Therion had been holding Seph, waiting for her to wake when his brother had spared critical minutes to assure himself that Seph was well.
But Zver couldn’t linger. He couldn’t hold her close until she regained consciousness. As Therion held Seph, he’d watched his brother drop to a knee and study her intently. Then, without a word, Zver had reached out and brushed a wayward curl off her cheek.
Seeing his brother so vulnerable had sparked something inside of Therion. He should have laughed at Zver—if he’d had the strength to draw in an unlabored breath—but he hadn’t. He’d averted his eyes until the skin on his neck prickled. Glancing up, he’d found Zver looming over him with a shuttered expression. During the whole encounter, Zver had never said a word. Before striding away, he’d simply given Therion a brusque nod.
At the time, Therion had wanted to rail at Zver. To blast his brother for running when Seph had fucking needed him.
But now, anger simmered in his gut, but it was all self-directed. To hell with the critical duties of his mission. He wanted to join Maude on the floor and gather her close until she opened her eyes. He should have found another way to eliminate half the guards and not thrust Maude face-first into accepting her technopathy.
He lightly rapped Kora’s scales with his knuckles. “Thank you for this. For watching Maude’s back. Gummy’s got enough to do, bringing the AthNet back online.”
Kora rippled, clicking softly this time.
He crossed the room to join Gummy. Together, they stared at the cluster of power cells and consoles that comprised the technology hub of the Gwyrettis’ compound.
Gummy gave him a once-over. “Got blood on you.”
Therion gave Gummy a hearty knock on the shoulder. “No need to worry. It’s the blood of my enemies.”
Gummy grumped. “I’ve had food stains more glorious than that.”
He glared at the old arse. “Vicious little thing, aren’t you?”
“Ech, been viciouser.” Gummy flipped a hand at the cluster and glowered. “This thingy’s all salvage.”
Therion studied the components before him, and he agreed with Gummy. Almost every last bit of technology before them was original Athelasan tech that had been refurbished and put to use powering the compound and connecting them to the greater AthNet. He could see why Lider had shut it down once they imprisoned Maude here. It wouldn’t have been much of a prison if she could control the entire facility using her technopathy.
He gave Gummy another whap on the shoulder. “Good job getting it up and running again.”
“Aye, Therry,” Gummy grumped.
Only the grump had an edge to it, causing his skin to prickle. “What?”
“Something ain’t right. Look at them power cells.”
“I’m looking.” Covered in dust and sand, with questionable wiring throughout the cluster, he saw shoddy engineering work and a dozen Fleet safety violations.
“Only takes one cell to power a pipe.”
A pipe was a Gwyretti light-freighter. They were small, cramped little spaceships that resembled a long, circular pipe, thus their name. Gummy was spot on. A pipe only needed one power cell. Prykimis had several dozen—a whole cluster of cells. The compound had ten cells, which made no sense. The whole place should run just fine on half that amount.
“Do you think the cells are shit?” Therion gestured to them. “I mean, if they were low on charge, then I can see why they’ve so many. And they’ve been overhauled too. Hardly anything Athelasan about them anymore.”
“Sure, they’re shit, but that ain’t it.” Gummy shuffled up and kicked one cell. “This, right here, is what ain’t right.”
Therion strode over and in the dim lighting saw score marks, like tallies, into the casing of the power cell. Above the marks—easily two dozen of them—were words. The letters were harsh slashes, since whoever had made them used a sharp-edge, like a knife or low-powered lance cutter, to carve into the nacre casing.
“Fuck. You. Kie,” he read aloud. “I don’t get it.”
“This here cell’s supposed to be on a mining barge.” Gummy reached out, gave the cell’s coupling a tug and disconnected it from the cluster.
Horrified, Therion yanked the old fart back. “Dammit, Gummy!”
“Ech, leave off. I’m fine.” Gummy flipped a hand at the power cell. “It weren’t even connected. Just shoved in there.”
Therion’s gaze snapped to the cell again. “You think they were trying to hide it?”
“Aye. Right there in plain sight and all. But that cell’s deader than your sex life, Therry. Got no reason to keep it.”
“My sex life is doing just fine, you old git.” Therion nudged Gummy with his shoulder. “You’re the one rusting from lack of use.”
“Ech, I get myself plenty.”
“Gods, I pity the sorry soul who you’re molesting.”
Gummy jabbed a finger into Therion’s chest. “At least I’m getting tussled. You? You’re just dragging your tongue after another Human, just like Borac. Brace with her and be done with it.”
“Gods, Gummy, what’s gotten into you? Was it the riot? Are you sore at me ‘cause I stashed you down here instead of letting you thrash some bastards?”
Gummy sniffed and stared mulishly at the floor. “Don’t need coddling.”
Therion sighed. “You don’t even reach my chin, your only weapon is a shit bucket, and Zver would kill me if you broke so much as a fingernail. I wasn’t protecting you, Gummy. I was protecting myself. Zver gets fucking mean when he’s pissed off.”
“I could’ve bashed some heads.”
“Of course you could’ve.” He patted Gummy’s shaved head. “You’re the best Mystery Man, Gummy.”
“Ech.” Gummy flipped a hand at him—a hand with a contraband WristCune on its wrist—then shuffled toward the rack of Cuneiform consoles opposite the cluster. “Gonna go fire up the AthNet access. Get our damn ride here. Make sure that cell comes with us, Therry.”
“Aye, it will.” He turned to gaze at Maude.
“Off with you,” Gummy chided. “I got the girly.”
Fuck, he didn’t want to leave. Sure, Culler would see the riot to an end, but Therion needed to sort the remainder.
Gods, was this what Zver went through, constantly feeling torn?
He shook his head, rather astonished that he wasn’t disgusted with himself. Fuck, he really was like his brother in this matter.
Giving Maude one last look, he left to hunt down Lider.
Therion sniffed out Lider in the first place that he’d tried: the medibay.
When Therion had awakened in this room over a day ago, all the equipment had been dark and silent. Now the soft sounds of operating Cuneiform consoles and medical equipment hummed through the space.
Lider stood before a console, rapidly running his fingers over the control panel. He flicked his eyes to Therion and then back to the display. “The riot succeeded.”
Not a question, but a statement.
Therion responded in kind. “You didn’t scamper off.”
Lider kept working on the console. “I never miss an opportunity, Therion.”
Therion saw the man’s point. The Gwyretti at the compound had been scraping by without modern tech for weeks. Probably meant a significant backlog existed of whatever information Lider deemed critical. Information that he seemed determined to transmit before he lost access to his medibay.
Lider moved to another console, again entering commands into the control panel. “You’ve no questions about what I’m doing?”
Therion leaned his backside against the table—the table he’d woken up on—and crossed his arms. “Nope.”
Lider sneered at him. “Bringing the compound back online does not achieve your objective. I’ve already commed for reinforcements. Even if you take my ground transport, you’ll not outrun the air skiffs.”
“True.” That rickety ground transport couldn’t roll faster
than a skiff could fly over the desert. But he wasn’t concerned about that.
Lider moved to yet another console, but his intense focus seemed to crack. His frill, that had been half open, slowly started to close as he glanced over at Therion.
“You’re not trying to stop me,” Lider said, his tone a mixture of suspicion and confusion.
“I am not.”
The Gwyretti snapped his eyes back to the displays of the Cuneiform screens. Therion knew what Lider saw; all of his processes ran with encryption and a comms log filled with new lines of messages. Everything appeared as if Lider’s desperate attempt to transmit his data offsite proceeded smoothly.
Lider exhaled and his frill sagged. “You’re not trying to stop me.”
Therion chuckled. “Why the fuck would I? Then I’d have to sift through all this data. You’re flagging all the important bits right now.”
Lider closed his eyes and hissed. “Because I never miss an opportunity.”
“Got that fucking right.” Therion waved a hand at him urging him to continue. “Go on. You keep incriminating yourself. Saves me a shitload of time.”
Lider gestured to the Cuneiforms. “How are you doing this? You’re not a technopath.”
Thank the gods he dodged that family inheritance. After his heart-to-heart with his grandmother’s palm, he never wanted the house seat. Though, it weighed on him that the rest of the Dominion expected him to sire an army of offspring on the off chance that he carried the genetics for technopathy. He wouldn’t do it. Ever since his grandfather, House Borac no longer crowded the nursery with technopathic hopefuls.
Lider shook his head. “It can’t be the Human. She wouldn’t have the first inkling on how to hijack my systems.”
Then Lider’s eyes settled on the bit of Kora that covered Therion’s wrist.
He could read the question on Lider’s face. Could Kora commandeer Lider’s Cuneiforms and datastores? Probably, but Therion doubted that Kora would want to get involved in Teras-Gwyretti intrigues.
Therion smiled at Lider. “Let’s just say I brought a mystery man along.”
“There was a technopath here?” He saw a flash of greed in Lider’s eyes before the Gwyretti flicked his gaze to a sleek metal chest on the lab counter—a portable cryo-chest.
