Chapter 40
?rim
?rim was on his way home from the schoolhouse.
Pyo had suggested having someone keep Cassie company, so he didn’t have to give up his teaching duties.
He’d reluctantly agreed after Cassie insisted she wanted to return to caring for her group of pups and visiting the pichari.
As much as he hated to admit it, ?rim struggled to withstand the sunlight for that long.
Wreeta or K’kaen made for better companions if she wanted to be outdoors during the day.
She was safe. He reminded himself of this as he walked down the main dusty path in the center of Laurus, past the clinic, past the Eon, and past the general good store.
It wasn’t until he saw a stranger moving toward him down the thoroughfare that he paused.
He should mind his own business and get to Cassie as quickly as possible.
But he didn’t. He stared awkwardly, which in turn served as a tacit invitation for the stranger to move closer.
?rim squinted through his eyestones to get a better sense of the male approaching.
He seemed to be human. His skin color read paler than Cassie’s, but his eyes and hair bordered on black.
His suit and long overcoat were neatly tailored, although in a style unfamiliar to ?rim.
However, it was painfully obvious that he was not someone who belonged in Laurus.
This oddness set ?rim on edge. He was used to being an oddity in town, but someone stranger than him rang warning bells.
?rim covertly ran a thumb over his wrist node as he braced himself for contact with the grinning stranger.
“Hello there, sorry to interrupt your afternoon. Would you happen to know where I can find the town enforcer? S’samph, I believe his name is. Latil’e.”
“Are you an acquaintance of S’samph’s?” ?rim asked because it seemed unnerving that a human male would come asking after their small town’s latil’e head of security.
“No, nothing like that. I’ve never met him, but I have business with him. Can you tell me where I can find him?”
?rim pondered the best response. If this person was here to cause trouble, taking him to S’samph was probably the best course of action anyway. Late afternoon usually found the latil’e in his office before he came to the clinic to escort his mate to their home.
“I suppose I can take you to his office to see if he’s there.”
“Excellent.” The grin widened. ?rim would have read it as a threat from any other species.
Cassie never smiled like that. True, her smiles were seldom, but they were sweet and gentle, not like this ferocious gnashing of teeth.
The impression was rather alarming. Rather than engage, ?rim averted his gaze and gestured for the stranger to follow him a few buildings down to the security office.
?rim was about to enter first, but the stranger blew past him, strutting into the room like a pichari during mating season. Instead, ?rim straggled behind, feeling he at least owed S’samph an apology for springing this on him at the end of his work day.
Both of them stood in front of S’samph’s desk, ?rim immediately regretting his decision as soon as he realized how cramped the room felt with the three of them inside.
S’samph also seemed perturbed by the sudden incursion into his space. His frill lifted, and his tail started to lash side to side. He chose to ignore ?rim, focusing his attention on the stranger first.
“Well?” S’samph asked. “Why are you here?”
“Allow me to state my business. I’ll be quick, and then you can enjoy the rest of your day after we wrap things up,” the stranger said.
S’samph’s frill lifted higher. “You are a stranger here in Laurus. I don’t have an IA record of any new arrivals expected here. Who are you? What is this business you speak of?”
“I apologize for my unexpected arrival.” The stranger’s voice was smooth, genteel. ?rim watched the way his body moved, limbs lacking a certain fluidity that natural movement possessed. He would bet his eyestones this male had a cybernetic frame.
“You did not answer my question.” S’samph rose, his impressive form towering above the slighter stranger. “Who are you? And what are you doing in Laurus? You are not an IA agent, or you would have identified yourself upon arrival.”
“I’m just here looking for some stolen property.”
?rim started to rub at his wrist nodes. If his deduction was correct, and he seldom was wrong, this person could only be one person.
He didn’t know if he should speak. He didn’t know if he should give the game away.
But they knew he was coming. He’d broadcast his intention as clearly as a rippling pool right before a storm.
?rim glanced over at S’samph, but the other male gave nothing away about whether he had come to the same conclusions.
His thoughts began to spin to a dark place.
Cassie. Cassie was out in the open with the pichari.
He wasn’t with her. He couldn’t protect her from here.
“Give me a name, stranger, or I will see if a night or two in our jail cell makes you better at answering questions.” S’samph’s frill had completely lifted.
The male lifted his hands in a gesture ?rim had seen Cassie make before, a human gesture.
“At ease, latil’e. I’m just here to collect the stolen item, and then I’ll be on my way.
No harm meant for anyone in your charming little town as long as you prove cooperative.
My name is Raúl Estrada Beaumont de Léon.
I am a representative from BDL Pharmaceuticals. ”
“Bold of you to come to my town when you are wanted by the IA.” S’samph’s tail thrashed in warning.
“Technically, I’m not wanted. No charges have been filed. Do you really think they care about what happens on a backwater planet like Cassiaq-IV? Please. My family owns half the IA’s agents anyway.”
“What stolen item could you possibly be looking for?” ?rim finally interjected. “We don’t have anything here other than crops and pichari.” It sounded idiotic as soon as he’d said it. He should have just kept his mouth shut. S’samph regarded him with an unimpressed ripple of his frill.
The human male, Raúl, seemed unconcerned by ?rim’s interjection. “Ah, I see the confusion. This property is a person, or at least they look like a person, which I understand might be alarming. Rest assured, they aren’t really a person.”
?rim stiffened. Slavery was legal on some planets.
Genetic ownership was also legal in some places, but it was considered incredibly backward.
Either option… it didn’t matter. Cassie was an IA citizen.
She was legally a person. No matter what this sokt said.
S’samph’s gaze also darkened. “A person cannot be property. Not under IA jurisdiction.”
“Yes, I can see how that might cause confusion. You see, this… chattel if you will, is genetically patented. My family owns the rights to her DNA. I have all the documentation if it would be helpful. I was hoping this would have already been resolved through the legal channels, but the IA seems determined to fight a losing battle, and I don’t have time to wait for it to go through the courts. ”
?rim felt his chest node begin to constrict.
He needed to leave. He needed to go find Cassie and hold her and reassure her that she was precious.
But he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t give away her position.
S’samph held no such reservations about acting on his instincts.
He moved around the worktable with surprising speed for his size.
His claws were around the stranger’s throat, but the other male just laughed.
“Be careful with my skin, it’s custom. Worth more credits than you’ll see in an entire lifetime, I’m sure.”
“We do not have people property in Laurus. Leave my town now, or there will be consequences.”
“I’ll leave as soon as I get what I came here for.”
Finally, ?rim said it because it had to be said, and no one else was going to say it. “You’re the Aviarist.”
“Some people call me that.” Raúl managed a feral smile despite being pinned against the wall by the much larger latil’e. This further confirmed ?rim’s suspicions about the cybernetic skeleton. A normal biological skeleton wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.
“I should crush your throat.” S’samph lifted him higher. “But I suspect the IA wants you alive.”
“I don’t see why we can’t handle this civilly, gentlemen.” The Aviarist held up his hands. “Surely, we can come to an accord. My house has credits, influence, and access to quality females if that’s what you’re interested in. Name your price.”
“Does this work? Offering goods in exchange for people.”
“More often than you might think. But I sense it won’t here.
So, let me try explaining in a way you simple folks can understand.
Cassowary is a dangerous entity. All of the passeri are dangerous.
They have information that can upset the very delicate ecosystem holding the IA and several other diplomatic alliances in balance.
Yes, yes, I know you’ve probably humanized her.
People always make that mistake with passeri.
Teach them to read, learn their hand signs.
But at the end of the day, you have to understand they are tools.
The corporation wants them back for damage control purposes.
” He turned to S’samph specifically. “You’re ex-military.
Surely you understand the need to contain a dangerous element. ”
“I am not convinced. Perhaps I am too simple.”
The Aviarist’s smooth lips curled. “I don’t think you understand that you’re housing a bomb. Cassowary knows things. Destabilizing things. Why are you inviting that trouble when I can simply make it disappear? I’m trying to do you a favor.”
S’samph’s frill stood nearly straight up against his spine. “A good soldier also knows when something is a threat and when something is not.”
“The passeri belong to BDL. It is my responsibility to make sure they are disposed of properly. They’re my project, my responsibility. My duty to my House. I don’t understand why this is so complicated.”
“It’s not.”
“Surely you haven’t fallen for her? Little slip of a thing. I have better, more docile females I can offer you. Or…” he trailed off, turning to ?rim.
“You’re the one whose been poking around on the darkwaves about voicelock technology. If you’re curious, you can come join BDL, and I’ll give you unlimited access to all the voicelocks you could possibly want to look at.”
?rim stilled. He’d suspected. But this was confirmation. Raptor was the Aviarist.
“No.”
“Are you sure? I do so miss our chats.”
“All of that was an enormous mistake.” ?rim’s chest node ached as he thought of Cassie. Heat built inside his energy core. He was wasting time here. He needed to get to her.
“Ah. I miscalculated. You’re the one who fell for her. More’s the pity.”
“You aren’t getting access to anyone in my town. Spend the night in one of our cells while I contact the IA to come collect you.” S’samph stomped off with the Aviarist still clutched in his claws before ?rim had a moment to catch up.
The cells in a standard jail, like the one in Laurus, weren’t designed to hold a cyborg.
But ?rim had to get to Cassie. He had to get her hidden away and safe.
S’samph could absolutely hold his own against the Aviarist. The latil’e was not a stupid male, he would keep close watch on the human even once he was behind bars.
It would at least give ?rim enough time to get to Cassie and lock her down behind his extensive security network.
Despite the suns blinding his eyes, he ran to his levibike and jammed his helmet on his head before riding hard to where Cassie could usually be found with the pichari.
He saw K’kaen first. The latil’e male was dawdling behind Cassie with a basket in his hands while she collected feathers from the ground.
“Cassie. We need to go home now.” ?rim threw off his helmet and rushed to her without so much as a proper greeting. Cassie turned with a frown on her face. K’kaen, however, was not going to let her go without an explanation.
“What happened?” Cassie asked. She reached up to pat Kalai, who had started plucking at her eyebrows.
“Gonna tell me what’s going on?” K’kaen set the basket of pichari feathers down on the ground. “I mean she can go with you if she wants, but you’re not usually so to the point, teosian.”
“He’s here. In Laurus. We have to get Cassie somewhere safe.” ?rim glanced over his shoulder. Every second they spent debating was another second lost to get Cassie hidden away. Cassie froze.
“The Aviary man?” Grizzled Ailari appeared with a thresher in hand, trilling murderously.
“He’s here.” ?rim affirmed the situation with a single tap to his elbow node.
“F’fret. The Aviarist is here? Does S’samph know?
” K’kaen’s tail started to thrash. He reached over Cassie to yank an indignant Kalai free of her hair and then pushed her toward ?rim.
Cassie had stopped moving of her own accord.
Her eyes had that glazed, vacant expression she assumed when she wasn’t mentally present, when she’d gone somewhere far away where ?rim couldn’t reach her.
“He knows, he’s handling the situation, but I suspect he might struggle against a cyborg.
” K’kaen cursed and hurried for his own levibike.
“Cassie. We need to go.” ?rim took her hand and gently led her to his levibike.
She was wooden in her movements as he propped her behind him on the bike with Ailairi’s help. Gone somewhere else entirely.
They arrived back at their home, and he triggered the lockdown protocol.
He’d wanted time to make a few additional tweaks to the system, but this would be sufficient for now.
All the lights went dark. It was temporary, just until they figured out what to do about the Aviarist. Or it could be longer.
He could keep her here with him, safe. She wouldn’t have to leave.
She wouldn’t have to see anyone else or do anything that distressed her.
The thought chilled him as soon as it percolated.
It would be another cage. To keep her here forever.
With him alone. The last thing he wanted to do was put Cassie in another cage.
?rim suspected pinning down the Aviarist wouldn’t be that simple.
Even if he didn’t come into town covertly and was fully open with his intentions, it just signified the audacity that came from knowing you were unlikely to lose.
He’d seen it often enough with his colleagues at the research institute. He’d seen it with himself.