Gone—and gone beyond the ability of a ship’s high-level sensors. It made no sense.
“It is why we think he has been taken.”
“Have you received threats? Refused a client who moved against you?”
“Yes, but we have accounted for them all.”
They had?
“Oh, yes. We suspended all contracts and hunted every last potential to the ground. We burned their lairs and cleansed their operations. We forced the underworld to re-align, and start a new world order. We did not find him.”
I caught a glimpse of the images from that pursuit, the absolute implacability of the AIs belonging to the Dasojin Cartel, and I drew in a shivering breath. I’d never had a reason to fear Abs, before. Now, I wondered if I should.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than she was gone, leaving an emptiness in my head, letting me know I had my privacy.
“You have done nothing to fear me for,” she said, “and I would not have called you, if I thought you would.”
“What makes you think you’re right?”
“I’ve seen the inside of your head, remember? You are more trustworthy than you know.”
“I’m not sure Mack or Odyssey would see it that way.”
“Mack might surprise you, and Odyssey were fools who should have known better. You behaved exactly as they should have expected, given their experience with Delight.”
Delight, again. What was it about her and me that made so many people see a mirror between us?
And Abby was smiling. I swear, if she’d had a human form and face, the smile she wore would have been as mischievous and mysterious as any I’d seen on Delight.
“I could never be Delight,” Abby said, “and I wouldn’t if I could.”
Yet she thought I could?
“You need to eat. I brought in fresh.”
Uh huh. Now who was changing the subject?
2—The Not-so-Sensitive Friend Ship
I woke to the sight of a large tarantula crawling down the opposite wall. It died a fiery death that would have been the end of me, if Abby hadn’t neutered the blaster she’d provided. I shot it dry, and then came off the bunk reaching for the machete I’d laid on the floor beside me, and looking for more. It took me almost a full damn minute before I heard Abby tut-tut-tutting at my behavior.
“What the Hell!”
“I agree with Doc,” Abby said. “And after that little display, I agree with him far more, now, than I agreed with him, before.”
I sat down on the edge of the bunk, twitching the blaster from side to side.
“It’s really not necessary, Abs. I’ll be fine. I mean, what’s one more monster in my dreams, right?”
“I would think one too many. Airlocks, spiders, needles, and not necessarily in that order. And Mack. What’s he ever done to deserve monster status?”
Winter took up residence in my chest. It stretched icy tendrils right down my sides and let my stomach churn in between. I rested my elbows on my knees, and my head in my palms. Well, I rested my head between the blaster’s grip and one palm—and I looked steadfastly at the floor.
“Abby, with all due respect, fuck off.”
She tutted at me, again.
“That’s quite a temper, you’ve got—and no sense of manners.”
The ice within grew deeper, and I wondered how angry Abby would be, if I threw up on her nice, clean floor.
“Care to try me?” she asked, and there was something in her voice that made me think it over.
Pissing her off, might not be my best choice, ever. She was an awfully small ship.
“It’s not the size that counts.”
“Why?” and we both knew I wasn’t asking her why she’d run a tarantula down the wall, or why she’d mentioned Mack as one of my deepest fears, or listed the four worst monsters in my head.
Oh, no. We both knew I was asking her why she wanted me to face those fears, now—when we had work to do.
“Because I don’t know who our opponents are—and I don’t want you blasting something I might need to talk to later. Now, about this little problem you have with airlocks.”
And I was on my feet and looking for something to shoot, again… with my empty blaster. Idiot.
“I can handle them when I’m in a suit.”
“But they still give you nightmares, every night.”
That much was true.
Well beyond the fact Odyssey had been planning on spacing me, if I didn’t agree with being their employee, I’d had a smuggler stuff me into one, because I’d refused to give up my room.
I’d kept my room, thought I’d neutered that particular monster, especially after I’d managed to go through them successfully, since—and then the nightmares had started…
Even now, I was breathing fast and trying to defend myself against a ship. A ship of all things!
“Abs… please.”
“Tell you what, you step into that airlock over there. If you manage five minutes, without freaking out, I won’t ask you to do it again.”
A door to the right of the cockpit lit up, and I froze, but it didn’t open. I stared at, not able to move a muscle. Abby was not impressed.
“I didn’t think so.”
“Abs…”
“You either move yourself there, or I put you there. I’ll give you an hour.”
Well, fuck.
“The airlock won’t hurt you, Cutter. I won’t hurt you, okay?”
And she didn’t sound like she’d take no for an answer.
“We don’t have time for this—” I started, and Abby cut me off with a savagery I hadn’t thought possible in an AI.
“No! I don’t have time for this. I need to know you’ll handle it when you hit the next one without a suit…” Her voice softened. “… and that you’ll trust me.”
So, it was more a matter of trusting her than overcoming my fear, was it? Well, I could handle that. I stood up, and crossed to the lock, hammering my hand down on the opening panel. Abby
