Chapter 3 Roxi
Fracture, to my surprise, follows me into the hallway. “Roxi?”
I need to get back to work with Esthi now that I have pried open Crezlith’s mind and accessed his memories. “What can I do for you, Fracture?”
He studies me with unusual interest as the door closes between Crezlith and us. “You’re…different from the other human females.”
I know. “How so?”
Fracture motions back to the room. “Most get a sick thrill out of that. But you’re completely…calm.”
“On the outside around Solcrue because that’s how they are.” But part of me is numb at this point.
He braces his hands on his hips and looks away like he’s frustrated and doesn’t want to tell me whatever is on his cybernetic mind. “If you need someone to talk to…”
“I have talked my entire life, and it changed nothing. Only action changes.”
He looks back at Crezlith’s battered body. “You want to save him. That doesn’t make sense. I can’t understand why you, Sefina, and Celeste all try to do this.”
“It’s not what you think. I don’t want to save him. But I understand what our rebellion needs if we are to survive. I don’t have to like it.”
Fracture doesn’t hide himself from my view anymore, but I think it’s because he is focused on other things. He glances down the hallway, where Evo speaks with Menace, Psycho, and other Titans. “I want to understand.”
I tuck my tablet against my chest, hook my hands on my elbows, and lean my weary body against the wall of Crezlith’s cell.
“I want him to save himself first and learn what autonomy truly means,” I clarify.
“The Solcrue aren’t one massive evil empire.
It was a self-proclaimed group of elitist assholes that had enough power to force compliance in the few, then instill fear in doubters and extend power to those who assimilated.
Their movement grew until it consumed their entire species and became the way of surviving. ”
He sways between his bare feet on the dirty metal floor like it doesn’t bother him.
It gets really hard not to look down at his titanhood.
I can see the massive translucent shaft swaying with him in my periphery, and it’s making needs I’ve shoved deep down rise to the surface.
My core tingles with interest, evoking a sleek wetness between my thighs, even in my exhausted state.
A small Relic unit rolls down the hallway, springs upright, and lands beside Fracture. “Sorry, Brother. Couldn’t find anything in your size until just a moment ago.”
Fracture>>Tumble: Thank you, Brother. I am embarrassing the females.
“Apologies. Doing my best to supply the troops.” Tumble looks over at me, blushes, and then leaps into a roll back the way he came.
I am certain that Rogue Castor is the upgraded version of Tumble’s model, and it makes me wonder if Relic units like Tumble ever experience insecurities when they see their husk improved in newer Titans.
Fracture promptly puts the black cargo pants on, but they’re still a bit tight over his crotch. “How do you know so much about Solcrue society?”
“Experience.” I shrug because I don’t really want to explain it. “I'm older than I look.”
He crosses his muscled arms over his proud chest. “So am I. What else can you tell us?”
Us… So he’s sharing what we discuss with his Brothers.
Or he intends to over their telenet. “Crezlith’s society believes their leaders will solve soldier-class problems if the militaries just do as they’re told.
But that’s how we get corrupt empires who will throw thousands of lives away for one win on their personal agenda.
No one is willing to question the empire or stop them except outsiders—like us—who see the freedoms they’ve taken away.
“The trouble is that we’re trying to stay alive. So us taking the time to help them see the truth is not a priority. But it should be because they are how we dismantle their system and stop their armies from the inside out. We can’t win against their numbers on our own.”
Fracture looks down the hall to where Evo speaks with Menace and grabs an old-fashioned radio. “Please continue.”
“If the citizens keep the governing structures in check, remind them that they work for the people, then they won’t abuse the lower-class soldiers.
The trouble with Solcrue is that they don’t understand what freedom can do for them when they finally live long enough to attain the power that provides it.
So they abuse it because abuse and conformity are all they know.
I mean, growing to an adult in a year after waking up in a tank isn’t exactly comforting, you know? ”
Fracture’s eyes whip back to mine like I’ve finally unlocked an explanation he always needed.
“And now I’m talking at you. Great. You got your wish.” I lift a hand in helpless abandon. “Like I said though…”
“Action…” he replies. “Like ripping off some heads.”
“No.”
“Cutting them off?” he asks.
I frown.
“Smashing?”
I scoff. “Did you listen to a thing I just said?”
“What? A guy can dream, can’t he?” Fracture shrugs and lets out a deep breath. “Ah, well. I can just let Evo incinerate him. Or shatter him. Or drain the bastard until his body is cold, and his heart stops.”
“That’s dark.”
Fracture rubs the back of his neck and turns away. “I know. But at some point, it feels like our virtuous agenda is only killing us off faster. If they want to live with conformity and not think for themselves, then they should be allowed to.”
“The point is that they aren’t born wanting that,” I reply.
“So to say they want it is inaccurate. Solcrue have been trained to crave conformity as a method of survival. Crezlith cannot have Aera, not just because Evo would kill him, but because his own species does not want impure offspring like Cara and Sythius. They would kill him, her, and their children simply because they loved something the empire didn’t approve of. ”
“You can’t honestly say Crezlith loves Aera.”
I have seen his memories, though I have not dug into them yet.
“In his own way, he does. Tell me that a government that regulates what you do in your private life is acceptable to you. It’s like the CSP law stating that Titans cannot mate with human females.
The law may have been created out of jealousy, but the intent was survival.
And yet, when you look at your Brothers with their human mates, do you not see that they are stronger because they chose who was best for them?
The government doesn’t know who is best for us. We do. They do not care.”
Fracture nods. “But we do.”
“Yes. We have to work together, not be slaves to them. But we have to expose the detrimental effects of their system and show Solcrue why they need to fight to live and die free like we do because there are too many of them against too few of us.”
Fracture hangs his head. “I heard the numbers.”
“Solcrue soldiers only think they die honorably. But is sacrificing lives for a group of bureaucrats that don’t care about their own people really helping the species thrive?
“I’m not a genocidal maniac. We have to understand that Solcrue pretend they’re safe under the empire’s umbrella, and they ignore the overreaching government so that they can sleep at night. We have to expose them to an alternative way of life but, by that same way, let them decide their fate.
“Crezlith needs to decide. As much as I’d love to watch Evo kill Crezlith very slowly, that scaly fucknut has the right characteristics for Reversion Syndrome. We cannot afford to lose critical players like him. He is our in.”
Fracture’s eyes light up, like he’s running programs, searching for data, a recording or a memory transfer from a brother.
“You are…”
“Like Navi but…different. I just endured Sevrin’s sister.”
His gaze darts over my face. I can see the grid of scanners light up as he maps me. “I am so sorry.”
“I survived.”
“So wait, then you know KillStar?”
“And Lenarro. I was rescued by a team of human rebels who all died before they could reach the others. I was ejected and picked up by one of Toriszi’s ships. My suit was damaged but held long enough for me to get onboard.”
The tension in my back grows into a headache.
“As far as Crezlith is concerned, I suggest you put him under the Solcrue Retraining Program now that he has had time to rethink his values. I bet he won’t find the Solcrue system as appealing.
And if he won’t talk, just get Aera to walk by the room.
I bet he’ll talk if someone promises him a chance to see her. ”
Then I remember one last thing that I wanted to implement. I return to Crezlith’s room, dig through the cabinets, and build a neural link extension. It only takes me a minute.
“What now?” Crezlith moans.
“You’ll see.” I load the threads and their chip into the injection gun and switch on the neural scanner, which blazes a bright light over his head so that he’s forced to squeeze his eyes shut. Tracking the probe on the screen, I insert it into Crezlith’s brain through the port.
He cries out, but I am numb to such sounds after many years of hearing them.
“This will hurt. Tiny pinch.” I release the device and initiate it with a trigger on the gun. The threads weave into his brain as he screams.
“Best feeling in the world, isn’t it?”
Crezlith hyperventilates. His face scrunches. “What…” He rasps a breath. “Is that?”
“The scent of your blood in your nose.” I shut down and pull back my equipment, stand, and wash my hands at the sink. “Just a heads up, gilkyworm cakes are going to be wretched after this. So don’t bite into one unless you’re planning on hurling. Welcome back to the human side.”
He gapes at me as I leave. “Wait.”
I don’t.
Fracture looks similarly confused. “You’re helping him?”
“Reminding him.”
“Why?”
I close the door and lock it with my code so Evo has to put in extra effort to destroy what might be the best Solcrue and CSP asset that we’ve had in years.
“Just want to be sure he can sense every bit of his condition. It’s amazing what scent can do for the brain, opening memories, even ancestral ones. ”
Fracture runs a hand over his smooth head. “What was your job again?”
“Scrapper for Solcrue. Rebel pilot.” Among other things.
Evo fumes as he walks back to the window, looking in on Crezlith. He speaks into an old-fashioned radio. “Just give me the order, Chasm.”
“I can’t do that. The others aren’t talking much, and they don’t have the detail Crezlith has. He is much further up the chain of command. We need him.”
“Fuck!” Evo spins around and clutches his head.
“What’s with the radio?” I ask.
Evo hands it to me. “Ship-to-ship coms systems are down on Aegis after the last battle at the nebula. Radar is working on it.”
“Is that Roxi?” the radio in his hand asks.
“Yes,” Evo replies with a snarl.
“Roxi, this is Chasm of Aegis 189. We need your help.”
I extend a hand for the radio. Evo slaps it into my palm with annoyance. I click the button. “This is Roxi. What can I do for you, sir?”
“Our recuperation system has gone offline with a few others. We took a bad hit that looks like it’s fried several critical components. We are pulling everyone with even remote knowledge of the systems. Can you join us on Aegis for an assessment and repair mission?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Looks like you better go,” Evo remarks bitterly, like he’s eager for me to leave. “Fracture, stay with Roxi. I will guard this one.”
“Evo,” Fracture calls to him.
Evolution’s blue eyes burn into us. “I won’t kill him. I won’t. But he hurt my mate. He is not going to leave my sight until he is used up and dead.” He studies me for a moment. “But…I am starting to like this idea of extending his torture. It is just not easy to fight my hatred of him.”
Fracture’s eyes shimmer with light as he communicates privately with Evo. Then he turns and encourages me out of the room and toward the hangars. “You know a lot about cybernetic torture chambers.”
“I should. I was in one for years.” I lift my right hand and show him the tracework in my skin, much like what Poppy and Amp have.
“Put it in, take it out. Back and forth. Different parts. Better parts. Parts they can control better. I cut out the remote access relays myself. No one owns my body but me.”
Fracture takes up a protective position beside me as I join Esthi and the others in taking seats on the transport, heading for Aegis. It makes me wonder if he knows what he’s doing or if it’s just programming.
I look up at him.
Fracture peers down at me. “What?”
“You are Bonded to me because you saved my life.”
He hangs onto a pillar. The ship leaves the hangar as Evo’s twin, Rogue Eon, flies us away from Ravenger III and toward Aegis. “Yes and no.”
“No?”
His gaze falls on the stars through a window. “Another reason, too. Programming for the other is unclear.”
This isn’t good. He cannot be allowed to discover the programming, or my cover will be blown. “Disregard programming. I want you to only remain at my side if you choose.”
Fracture’s eyes flicker. He nods. “Programming disregarded.”
Still, he doesn’t move from his position. “Roxi, when was the last time you laughed, like really truly laughed because you were happy?”
His question is not something I anticipate from a Titan, definitely not right now. “I don’t remember.”
“Because you don’t have a memory of one? Or because the memory is damaged or buried?”
The way he says it makes me certain it’s where he is in his headspace, not because he’s asking about me. Or maybe it’s both. “Because there is too much pain between then and now.”
Fracture nods like he feels the same, casually hangs on as we rocket through space like he’s completely comfortable with it, and touches his lips then drums them with his fingers. “I was isolated in a frozen cell, in fragments, for years. I know this feeling. Creator Quris put me there.”
My numb heart slows for a beat. Quris… Sefina said they destroyed his cloning machine, but I still experience the burning of acid in my stomach at hearing his name. “I’m so sorry. He was an awful, demented Creator.”
Fracture’s pain is familiar.
“I forgot, too,” he says. “But joy reminds us of what we fight for.”
“I…don’t need reminders.” Of what I don’t have.
Fracture meets my eyes. “That statement proves you do and that you fight only for the dead, not the living.”
I work the idea around. He’s not wrong. “Solcrue took my soul years ago. I have more in common with the dead.”
Fracture spreads his feet as we bank through space. “You are here with us, not with them. Please do not forget where you are.”
“I can’t forget about you.” Titans mean more to me than my own flesh and blood. “But I trust no one still breathing.”
“Not even a Titan?”
“Evo was hacked.”
Fracture frowns.
“Only the dead tell the truth,” I say.
His pale blue eyes slide to mine. “Only the living care.”