BOOTY HUNTER Page 14

  They talked about Ceres, too. His bot. And worried over Booty, who, it seems, isn’t herself. I knew that because Serpint mentioned it last night. But I didn’t pay much attention to her since I didn’t grow up loving ships. It’s a foreign idea for me.

  But everyone seems to have the same feelings for Booty as they do for Draden and Ceres.

  I am both uncomfortable and at ease in my ceremonial gown. Uncomfortable because I feel beautiful. Truly special and stunning. And that feels wrong because of why I’m wearing it.

  But at ease too, because it’s a princess dress. Something I’d wear back home on certain occasions. And they put a tiara on my head, which gives me rank. It probably doesn’t mean much here, but still. They did not have to acknowledge me in this way.

  I’m his slave.

  Or whatever they call them here.

  I owe him servitude. I have the collar to prove that fact. And sure, this new one is encrusted with diamonds, but it still says Serpint on it.

  Although I’m not feeling any self-righteous indignation over that at the moment. In fact… I kinda like being known as his.

  After taking a few seconds to settle on the platform, we begin to descend.

  I can’t help but look around in awe.

  This station is amazing in every direction. I look up as the ceiling grows farther and farther away, then look down, over the edge of the lift-bot, and get a little dizzy at our staggering height.

  “Take a step back,” Serpint says, tugging on my hand. “Believe it or not, people fall off these things all the time just because they want to look down.”

  “They do?” I say, then stagger backwards as I picture myself falling to my death.

  “Oh, don’t worry. ALCOR catches them with a safety bot. No one has ever died from falling off a lift. But they give it their best shot sometimes.”

  I shoot him a weak smile. This ACLOR is really a lot more than he appears. He’s like a god here. In charge of everything. All-seeing, all-hearing, all-knowing.

  All around us as we descend, people are making their way to the edge of each level, looking up and down, watching us as we pass. It’s only then that I notice there are other lifts with people on them doing the same thing.

  His brothers, I realize. All dressed up in similar ceremonial garb as Serpint and I. And their companions or partner bots. One of them I recognize as Crux, who stands next to the cyborg master on his lift. The other one I recognize is Tray, who has no bot or companion.

  Two more, on the same platform, have one bot between them, like mine, but a more military version. Higher series number. Maybe a 3000 or better.

  And the last brother has a full-on, silver-metallic, sex-borg as his partner. But she looks like a weapon, not just a borg. Her legs look like they are encased in silver metal stockings. Her foot molds into a high-heel stiletto shoe, and she wears a tight, black bodysuit, much like the hostess did at the restaurant this morning and it covers all her skin, not just where she would wear a top. But she has no rifle strapped to her back. Weapons are mounted all over her body. Her forearms, her thighs, and holstered at her waist.

  Note to self. Make friends with the killer sex-borg. She looks more dangerous than all the brothers put together.

  We all reach the bottom of the station at the same time, lined up neatly in a circle, around the perimeter of yet another very large circular platform.

  “Come with me,” Serpint whispers.

  Every one of these brothers and companions are staring at me.

  And it’s no wonder. I do not belong here with them.

  The station sounds a chime. But as Serpint leads me off the lift and on to the larger platform, I see that in the center there is a five-meter-tall crystal obelisk that lights up as the station chimes. And now I realize—that’s ALCOR.

  Or the personification of him, anyway.

  Because when his voice booms through the station, the obelisk glows white with each word.

  “Let us begin,” ALCOR says, just as someone to my right takes my hand.

  I look up, startled to see that the sex-borg is next to me. Then realize everyone around the circle is holding hands.

  ALCOR begins to talk about Draden and Ceres. Tells how they met. What they mean to him, and then Crux has his say. Everyone has their say. Even the bots and the sex-borg, who has a surprisingly feminine voice attached to her military-scary body.

  This is his family.

  No one expects me or my bot to talk. They are going in a circle to the left, so as soon as the sex-borg finishes, Serpint clears his throat.

  He takes a long breath. Stares straight ahead.

  I squeeze his hand to let him know I’m here.

  Which is dumb. So stupid. I don’t even know this man. I’m just… compelled to comfort him.

  “Um…” Serpint says. “I’m not good at this. And I’m still in shock at what happened. But I just want to say… I’m sorry.” He looks at each of his family members. His voice is booming through the station speakers and suddenly, even though just a few seconds ago, there was the low thrum of whispered conversation, the station goes utterly silent except for some far-off humming of machinery.

  “That’s it,” Serpint says in the hush. “I love you, I’ll miss you, and I’m sorry.”

  All his brothers nod and frown. Then the one to his left begins to talk.

  Serpint squeezes my hand, looks at me for a moment, and we frown together.

  When the last family member is done speaking—the military bot between the two brothers it rode down with—everyone drops hands except Serpint and me. And they turn to face outward.

  “Turn with me, Lyra,” he says. “Face the station. We’re going up.”

  I turn with him and find thousands of eyeballs staring back at me. Thousands of sad outlaws who came here to pay their respects to Draden and Ceres.

  The sex-borg takes my hand again, just as the platform begins to rise.

  We ascend slowly. Seemingly for the sole purpose of everyone getting a good look at us. And I realize that is the reason. They get to see us as we rise. This is some group sadness. Some shared empathy for the family’s sorrow.

  And once again, it is pointed out to me in the silence that Harem Station isn’t what it seems.

  It is more than a place. It is a home.

  Filled with people who care about each other. Somewhere safe where they can rest and be themselves. Or fight against whatever it is they fight against. Or just… live.

  I am humbled by this and my heart begins to beat faster as we take the long, almost agonizingly slow ride to the top of the station. By the time we reach the apex I am sure we have passed hundreds of thousands of people. Maybe even a million, they are that packed at the edge of each level.

  The platform stops smoothly. Without even a slight jolt. Everyone drops hands again, except Serpint and me, and then once again we turn to face the center where the ALCOR obelisk lights up in bright white.

  We rejoin hands just as it begins to rise, still glowing, and once it gets to some pre-determined altitude, the top of the station begins to open.

  I gasp for breath out of instinct, fearing the darkness of deep, black space and the suffocating death of the vacuum beyond. But then I realize there is a barrier between us and the great unknown outside. Some nearly-invisible layer of force field that keeps us in the atmosphere of the station.

  ALCOR says, “I will join you on your journey into eternity. You will never be alone.”

  And less than a breath later, the obelisk shoots through the opening and out into space.

  For three seconds there is a heavy silence, then a chime. And another chime.

  And then it… explodes. SEAR cannons come out of nowhere and shatter the crystal obelisk into particles of light.

  “What the hell just happened?” I whisper.

  “The security beacons near the gates,” Serpint says. “They shatter them with cannons so their particles will float in space for eternity.”

  “O
h,” I say. “That’s quite beautiful.”

  Serpint squeezes my hand just as the roof opening begins to close.

  When it’s sealed back up and the layer of field above us has dissipated, ALCOR says, “Goodbye, brothers. We will miss you.”

  Even though ALCOR just rocketed out into space, he is still here. Because he is everywhere.

  He is God.

  Then a great cheer erupts. The cheer of a million or more people. The cheer of the station fills my ears. Fills my whole body until I’m so overwhelmed by the noise, and vibration, and emotion—that tears fall down my face and I begin to glow.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - SERPINT

  She glows for them.

  First just a subtle pink, then brighter and brighter until she is a sun. She turns to me just as a pink tear falls down her cheek.

  I can’t help myself. The sight of her sadness, for people she didn’t even know, it breaks me in half and I pull her into my chest and just hold her tight.

  Some of the cheering has abruptly stopped. But just the people up here on the higher level who can see what I’m feeling.

  A princess is glowing in sadness for one of their brothers.

  And it is beautiful.

  “Are you OK?” I ask her, swiping a piece of hair away from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear.

  “Me?” She laughs a little. “I should be asking you that.”

  “I’m OK,” I say, pressing my face into her hair. And for some reason, I truly believe that. I am OK.

  “This was the most beautiful tribute I’ve ever seen,” she says, pulling back and wiping a tear off her cheek. “Just so… touching.”

  I hug her tight again. How this girl, who was a complete stranger yesterday, suddenly became my rock, I have no idea. She just did.

  “Serpint,” Jimmy says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  I look up and see him and Xyla, his partner in crime, standing just behind Lyra.

  “Good to see you,” I say. “Both of you. I’m just sorry—”

  “Stop,” Xyla says. “Just stop. We all know that the things we do have risk. Draden knew that and so did Ceres. It’s no one’s fault, Serpint. People just… die.”

  Jimmy takes a breath. Maybe agreeing with her, maybe not. But he places a hand on Lyra’s shoulder and says, “Who’s this?”

  Lyra turns, still brushing away tears.

  “Lyra,” I say. “This is my brother Jimmy and his cohort, Xyla. Xyla and Jimmy, this is Princess Lyra.”

  Jimmy shoots her one of his infamous sly grins. “Princess.” Then he tsks his tongue. “You should know better, brother.”

  “Yeah, well. She popped into my life yesterday when I got home and I…” I take a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t seem to be able to let her go.”

  “Imagine that,” Xyla says.

  “Hello,” Lyra says, straightening up and extending her hand in greeting. “Very nice to meet you both. I’m so, so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thanks,” Jimmy says, taking her hand and shaking it softly.

  Then Valor is here, Luck trailing behind him. Their bot, Beauty, between them as always.

  “Lyra, huh?” Luck says. “We’ve heard all about you.”

  “From who?” I ask.

  “Crux,” Valor says.

  “And ALCOR.” Luck laughs. “In fact, pretty much everyone is talking about the new princess today.”

  “How could we not?” Valor says.

  And then Luck, being the charmer he is, takes Lyra’s hand and kisses it. “Very pleased to meet you, Princess Lyra.”

  Her glow, which had been dying down, suddenly lights up again.

  I push Luck back and say, “Hands off.”

  Which only makes him laugh.

  “Lyra,” Xyla purrs in her fembot voice. “I’m Xyla, this is Beauty,” she says, motioning to Valor and Luck’s bot. “But who is this little delicious morsel following you at every turn?” She smiles coyly at our new bot.

  “Oh,” Lyra, says, catching her breath. “This is… well. Do you have a name?” She asks the bot.

  It chirps out a long string of beeps and whistles, which makes Xyla guffaw. “Oh, honey,” she says. “We’re not calling you the Crowned King Prince of Planet Palasia. Get over yourself.”

  The bot objects, but Lyra puts up a hand and says, “Prince, then. You can be called Prince.”

  “Wonderful,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  “Nice paint job,” Xyla says, trailing a finger over the bot’s ring of pink glitter. “Come dance with me, Prince.” And she beckons him with a single finger as she walks off, looking over her shoulder.

  The bot squeaks in what seems to be cautious excitement, but follows.

  When Xyla gives an order most people follow it. She’s just kinda… powerful like that.

  “So, Lyra,” Jimmy says in his deep voice.

  “So… I’m sorry. How do you say your name? Yimminy?”

  “Jimmy,” I say quickly. “Not Yimminy.” Jimmy’s sensitive about this because his name is… weird. No one can say it right.

  Lyra smiles back at him and tries again. “Himmy. Hmmm. That’s an unusual name. Where does it come from?”

  Valor, Luck, Jimmy and I all trade glances. None of us correct her this time. It is what it is. Not our fault his name is weird.

  “What?” Lyra says.

  “He has no idea where the name comes from,” Valor says. “He’s making it all up so don’t believe him when he tells you. And we’ve begged him for years to change it but he refuses even though everyone gets it wrong.”

  “Wait,” Lyra says. “You’re brothers though, right?”

  “Brothers from another mother.” Valor laughs. Then he looks at me, raising one eyebrow. “Does she not know how this works?”

  “How what works?” Lyra asks.

  “You know,” Luck says. “How little Akeelian babies are made?” He bobs his eyebrows at her.

  “OK, that’s enough,” I say. “Let’s talk about Jimmy’s stupid name.”

  “I like my name,” Jimmy says, taking a drink off a bot tray as it passes. “It’s unique. No one else in the whole galaxy is called Jimmy.”

  “Probably true,” Luck says, reaching to help himself to a drink before the bot tray can leave. “Because it’s stupid.”

  Jimmy rolls his eyes just as the station begins playing soft music, and says, “Would you like to dance, Lyra? I seem to be short a partner at the moment.”

  “Um…” She looks at me.

  I shrug. “Go ahead. I’ve got to talk to Crux and ALCOR anyway. You know, about our little problem.”

  “Oh,” she says. “Right.”

  “What problem?” Jimmy asks, taking her hand and leading her to the center of the platform. “Tell Jimmy all about it. I’m sure I can help.”

  Lyra shoots me a panicked look over her shoulder, but I find it cute that Jimmy has taken an interest. He hates everyone so this is a good sign.

  “Yeah, what problem?” Valor asks.

  “Never mind,” I say, pushing him in the chest as I make my way past him. “ALCOR and Crux will know what to do.”

  But I only get a few steps away before I’m the one looking over my shoulder. My eyes immediately track to Lyra and I have sudden heart palpitations the further apart she and I get.

  “Stop it, Serpint,” I chastise myself under my breath. “You do not love this girl. You do not even know this girl.”

  And she has secrets.

  Secrets I’ve conveniently forgotten about after last night, but which have now resurfaced.

  “Crux,” I say, making my way towards him and the cyborg master. “I need to talk to you.”

  Crux leans in to the cyborg master, whispers something—which earns him a nod—and then the master walks off.

  “What problem is that?” Crux asks.

  “You know what problem. I’m pretty sure the master has filled you in on what happened last night in the doctor’s office with Lyra.”

&nbs
p; He raises one eyebrow at me. “No. He didn’t. But why was she in the doctor’s office?”

  “Never mind that. The problem is…” I lean in closer and whisper. “The problem is that… we seem to… well…”

  “Spit it out,” Crux says.

  “We seem to have some kind of connection.”

  Crux smiles big and says, “Good. I’m glad.”

  “No,” I say. “You don’t understand. By connection, I mean… connection.” I point down to my groin.

  He laughs.

  “It’s not funny, asshole. Last night my second cock popped out before his time. And then both of them got stuck inside her. And now she’s talking about soulmates or fated mates, or some bullshit like that, and I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “So… what’s the problem again?”

  “Did you even hear the words coming out of my mouth? I said—”

  “I heard you,” he says, holding up a hand. “I just don’t understand the question.”

  “That’s not supposed to happen. None of it.”

  He gives me a sideways glance. “Yeah, it is.”

  “No, it isn’t. And she lights up like the fucking sun, Crux. Her flux capacitor is on overdrive, man. I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I’m still not understanding why you’re confused.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you said all the right things. So… what’s the question again?”

  “Why is this happening?”

  He just looks at me. “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah, I’m dead fucking serious. That’s why I’m here. Talking to your dumb ass.”

  “But you just said soulmates. So…”

  “Yeah, but that’s bullshit.”

  “Oh, is it?” He laughs.

  My heart begins to race. “Isn’t it?”

  “No, you shithead. That’s the whole draw to a Cygnian princess. If you find the right one, they glow like the sun. That’s how you know you’re perfect for each other.”