Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
But this connection I feel right now—it’s like I’m nineteen again. Like I’m in my prime. And this makes me smile.
Stayn recoils. Then starts his bargaining. “Tyse. Listen to me.”
“I’ve got no intention of listening to you. Get out of our way.”
He hesitates. Then looks over his shoulder, like he’s trying to gauge what he should do next. I do not follow his gaze. I don’t need to. The Versi knows everything happening in this hallway right now. It’s practically alive at this point.
“OK.” He puts up a hand. Lowers his weapon. “Targets off.” The red lasers dancing across my chest blink out one at a time. “There. We’re all calm here, right?”
“Some of us more than others. But I’m not fuckin’ joking with you. We’re leaving and you’re gonna forget about us.”
“Tyse.” Stayn laughs. It’s a nervous laugh. “That’s not even possible. I mean… the woman.” He nods his head to Clara. “She’s… ours. We paid for her.”
I don’t react externally, but inside, there are all kinds of what-the-fucks running through my brain. Paid for her? What?
Then a memory of the party last night. We weren’t expecting another delivery for three more months.
This is a transaction to Stayn. That’s it. She’s just… a product. Something bought and paid for.
“And Anneeta, Tyse.” Stayn laughs again. Like this whole idea of me leaving with these girls is absurd. “She’s our… she’s our god. I know you figured that out. I know how smart you are. She can’t even leave, Tyse. You’re gonna kill her if you take her out of the tower.”
“You don’t own me!” It’s a childish thing to say. But it’s comin’ out the mouth of a baby god, so entirely appropriate. “And you don’t own Clara, either. She’s mine.”
It’s a risky move, but up-city Clara Birch knows better than to take that bait. She waits it out like a pro.
Stayn ignores Anneeta, unconcerned about whatever powers she may have. “We grew her, Tyse. We’ve paid for all the spark. It’s all factory direct, on the up and up. We’ve got all the paperwork—”
“She’s not a product, Stayn. She’s a…”
He laughs. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare. You, of all people, know better. You’ve been to the Outlands.”
“And you haven’t,” I retort.
“But I’ve been briefed. You know there are… things out there that aren’t right.”
“Things like me, Stayn?” I stare right into his eyes. And I know mine are lightin’ up because there’s a spark of fear in him. “You as much said so last night, right? All operating augments have to be registered as non-human active warfare weapons. Sound familiar?”
“Well…” Stayn forces a chuckle. “Of course. But you’re not operational, remember?”
This statement has two meanings. One. I am, of course, operational. So he’s telling me that I do indeed need to be registered as a non-human active warfare weapon. But he’s also saying that I could just agree with him. Say I’m not operational and he would look the other way.
Are most people really this spineless? That they would sell out so easily? With just the promise of safety?
Maybe they are. It’s a sad thought. But I barely qualify as people, let alone most people, so it’s not gonna play out that way with me.
When I don’t say anything Stayn keeps going with his bargaining. “That little god belongs to Tau City. And how far do you think you’ll get?” Anneeta whimpers when Stayn takes a step forward, but in the same moment a shield blast bursts out of the Versi as a warning. But it’s a very serious warning because the acoustic pressure wave is strong enough to make Stayn stumble back six feet.
Stayn puts up his hands. “OK. Look, I’m not here to fight with you, Tyse. I know what you are, I know what you and that weapon can do, and you’ve got a very serious do-not-fuck-with-me face on right now. But listen. You don’t have all the facts. There’s a reason we need this god. The rules have changed, and if you leave here with her, you’re gonna find that out real fuckin’ fast. There’s a war. The Game of Gods. Ever hear of it?”
I haven’t, but I don’t say nothing.
“It’s a real thing. And every city needs a god if they want to play. And trust me when I say this, we don’t have a choice. We play or we die. If you take her, you’re sentencing everyone in Tau City to death. Death, Tyse. Millions of people for what? One god? You can keep the woman.” He nods his head towards Clare. “We’ll order another Spark Maiden when the time comes. We get them from a factory. They make hundreds of them every year. She’s not even ripe. There are much better ones out there than her. We’ll get ourselves a ripe one and in a few months we’ll feed our little god, she’ll level up like she’s meant to, and it’ll all be fine. So take the woman, but leave the god. That’s all I’m asking. It’s fair. You know it is.”