Does any of this have something to do with that new Consort? Brix asked.
The memory of Rust trying to force himself on Attie made Doug’s nanite-infused blood boil. Leave her out of this.
You asked me to protect her, Benjy insisted. Tell us why so we can help.
Doug clenched his hands, resisting the urge to punch through a wall panel. Doing that would only draw attention. He had to confide in the other cyborgs, or who knew what they’d do next time they saw her. Let’s just say I can’t let Dollard get his hands on her.
I wouldn’t want Dollard’s hands on that bit of sweetness, either. Brix snickered, quickly joined by the others.
Dammit, is sex all you care about? Doug didn’t think Dollard had an ounce of sexuality in him, but that didn’t mean the doctor wouldn’t run experiments on her, especially given what Esben had told him about Tia. He’d never considered that the Consorts might be test subjects of another sort. A surge of adrenaline swept through him. He needed to get Attie out before anything happened to her.
The cyborgs’ laughter stopped, and Twobit said, Assuming you had something to do with her arrival, you’ve basically delivered her into Dollard’s hands.
Fuck, I know. Doug paced his cell. He’d promised to protect her, yet he’d not put her in more danger instead. He hadn’t had a plan go this sideways since the one that had landed him and Lisa in the Nanite Integration Unit in the first place. She has an AI I need to destroy.
What’s so important about this AI? asked Esben.
It has information about my sister’s location.
Wait, said Brix. I thought your sister was dead.
Yeah, Twobit chimed in. You tore up the lab when you found out. Almost got us all decommissioned.
Doug bit the inside of his lip, remembering that day. He’d complied with Dollard’s demands in order to keep his sister safe, but her death meant he had no reason to go on. The guards had emptied their tranq guns and resorted to their pulse pistols to stop him. He’d hoped they would kill him. Instead, Doug woke from surgery with an artificial heart—and a body that was officially no longer human.
He hadn’t told the other cyborgs about the doctor’s duplicity, let alone Lisa’s connection to the rebels. It seemed today was the day all his secrets came to light. Dollard tried to arrange for Lisa to have an accident on her way here. He hired a ship to pretend to be pirates and attack her transport. Except real pirates found her first. Now she’s with the rebels.
Benjy gasped. Why didn’t you tell me she’s alive? I deserved to know!
Guilt heated Doug’s face. Benjy had been like a father to her. Of course he’d have wanted to know she was alive.
There are rebels? Brix asked.
There are always rebels, Twobit scoffed. Doug, I haven’t given you enough credit. You’ve been helping them, you sneaky bastard.
Doug retreated to his cot and sat down. He’d been more open in the last few minutes than he had in years, and it was surprisingly taxing, despite the endurance of his cybernetics. I’m going to ask her to retrieve the AI for me.
But what about getting her through security? asked Brix.
He can open the doors to the lab, Brix, Twobit said. Who knows what else he’s not sharing with us? I bet he could walk all over this ship if he wanted to.
Benjy said, His real problem will be convincing her to do what he wants. If she knows he wants to destroy the AI, she might refuse. People get pretty attached to those things.
Doug hadn’t really thought about it, but Benjy was right. Fucking hell.
Plus, he isn’t exactly the most charming fellow, Twobit added.
I dunno, she was kissing him pretty good back there, Brix said.
Doug grimaced. He’d forgotten how much he hated working with others. Yet their points were valid. I won’t tell her what I plan to do.
Esben asked, Why would she risk getting caught by security for you?
Her sister is also with the rebels. She’ll want to help.
Well, I guess we’d better let you call her then so you can move on to helping me with Tia.
Doug frowned. What are you talking about?
Didn’t you notice? Dollard installed a security shield on the Consort Chamber door.
It took Doug a microsecond to realize Twobit’s security shield hack would allow him to call the Consort Chamber—all he needed to do was modulate the energy field to create sound.
The hard part was going to be convincing a woman he’d kidnapped to help him.
Chapter 9
Attie came alert with a start, taking a moment to remember where she was. Had someone called her name? The alcove she slept in was masked in shadows, the only illumination coming from the faint glow of a security shield barring the now-open hallway door.
She frowned. There hadn’t been a shield there before. Squinting, she realized the door panel had slid aside. Alarm spiked through her. The cyborgs are back!
Her adrenaline kicked in, and she jumped to her feet, grabbing the spoon she’d kept from dinner. It wasn’t a blade, but she might be able to hurt someone with the narrow end if she jabbed hard enough. She hurried to the wall beside the door and pressed herself flat against it to wait in ambush.
A soft hum came from the field, and multicolored sparks and flashes flowed across the surface. She’d never touched a security shield herself, but had seen one drive a man to his knees while she was in the brig. Would it stop a cyborg?
“Attie,” a static whisper said.
She nearly jumped out of her skin. The voice didn’t sound human. Tilting her head, she peered through the shield into the dark, empty hallway. “Hello?”
Words once more whispered like static, sparks jumping over the door shield in time with the syllables. “Where is the other Consort?”
Nebulas, the security shield is talking to me. She glanced into the darkness over her shoulder. Soft snoring could
