Excerpt of Intergalactic Witness Protection
“Silas, you will find nothing but trouble in there.”
“What?” Silas jumps, and then grabs hold of the outside of the bar for support at the extra lunge from his robotic leg. “Who said that? Who’s there?”
“Alicia Ivy,” I answer.
He glances around frantically. “Where?”
“My body hasn’t caught up with you,” I assure.
“Then how can I hear you?”
“I’m in your head, of course.”
What’s left of Silas’s human face turns green. “Is this because I’m part robot?”
“No. It’s because you are a temporary part of my crew. I establish a telepathic link with everyone on my crew.”
Silas wrinkles his nose. “That’s not right. I barely even know you.”
“Well, I know all about you, Silas.”
He begins to walk determinedly toward the docking station, as if he can somehow outrun me. “That’s not at all creepy.”
“You say one thing, but actually think quite another.”
Silas snorts. “You can read my mind, but not interpret sarcasm?”
“Orion was in charge of my programming. You can take any bugs up with him.”
“Except, Orion is with my father, and that’s the opposite of where I want to be, so…”
I estimate the distance between Silas and my physical body and come up with too far away to catch him if he jumps onto a ship leaving immediately, so I keep him talking. “Regardless of your personal feelings, Orion still has the responsibility of delivering you safely to INTERGOL headquarters on earth. You can discuss my bugs with him then.”
“Look, I don’t care about your stupid laws and policies,” Silas says. “This isn’t about you. It’s my business. My life. You can get out of it.”
The boy doesn’t seem to be able to have a hormonal surge and find a ship at the same time, so I keep him talking. “I’m sorry, Silas, but I can’t do that.”
“Don’t do that. That’s freaky.”
“I’m sorry, Silas. I didn’t mean to be freaky.”
He clenches both his human hand and his robotic prosthetic. “Shut. It.”
“Who you talking to, kid?”
Silas startles and turns so that I can see the large man who also appears to have had some cyber implants trudge toward him.
“None of your business either,” Silas mutters, turning away.
But the cyborg trudges closer. “Hey, nice parts you got there. Look almost brand new. Though, even if you got them from birth, they’d still be brand new for you, kid.”
“Hey.” Silas steps back, holding up his robot arm like it’s armed, which I know it isn’t. Though, considering how well he understands the new aspects of himself, I’m not sure he’s aware of that for sure. “Stay back.”
“Or what?” The cyborg takes another step closer, unhindered by Silas’s commands like a full android would be.
Silas steps back, shrinking a bit in front of the much larger half-man, taking unspoken commands to be afraid.
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