Dustin!
"I'm ready to meet VIK649," I said, facing the Mekanic.
"Enough," Staccato said. The shadow descended.
"Hunter!" Drake screamed.
I closed my eyes. There was a loud crash. I opened an eye to find the Mekanic at my side, holding Staccato's arm at bay. Drake had stopped, inches from us as well.
"VIK649 will meet you," the Mekanic said. It threw Staccato's arm to the side.
"The hell?" Staccato raised his bladed arms again, but the second Mekanic joined the first.
"Stand down," the Mekanic intoned.
"Bullshit! Fucking bullshit!" Staccato screamed, but he stepped away.
"Boring!" Cody shouted. "Boo! Fucking robots!"
The first Mekanic picked up me and Zoe, one in each arm. Then, it rocketed into the air, leaving the others behind.
CHAPTER 15
We flew higher and higher. The air grew cold and thin.
"Please enter your Beastform state," the Mekanic clutching me said.
I melded. The Mekanic caught my bulkier form without missing a beat and flew higher.
We're not going into space, are we?
It's possible but unlikely with these smaller Mekanic models.
We pierced a final hazy layer of clouds. I blinked.
Oh shit, what was I getting myself into?
A massive ship was floating just beyond the clouds. It was huge, easily larger than any aircraft carrier. I couldn't make out the exact shape—it was an endless wall of metal gray.
A wave of panic washed over me. It took me a moment to realize it was from Zoe.
Zoe, you okay? It was a stupid question. We were heading straight into the heart of Zoe's enemies. Of course, she wasn't.
I'm…I'll be fine. That's a Mekanic airbase.
Airbase. I had to admit it was cooler than anything our side owned. The Mekanic carrying me flew towards a small opening in the side, continuing down a dark tunnel for a minute before finally emerging in what looked like a landing bay.
I expected the Mekanic to drop me, now that we were inside, but it kept flying through the landing bay.
It's so quiet here. The vast space was largely empty. It was just an enormous room with metal walls. A small boxy shape moved in the distance.
Mekanics have never been a numerous race. Not like us. Their strength is in their engineering.
The Mekanic took us deeper into the airbase. The corridors were large and cylindrical, ten times the size of a human hallway. I supposed that they had to be big enough for the larger Mekanics to pass through.
We zoomed through more giant tunnels until finally slowing down before a twelve-foot tall door embedded into the metal wall. The Mekanic set me down and pointed towards the door with a gray finger.
"You will stay here," it said. Then, it turned and flew away before I could ask any questions.
I approached the metal door, still melded. The door lifted silently.
My feline jaw fell open at the sight before me.
Inside was the lavish living quarters of a billionaire bachelor. Lush, rich carpeting lined the floor, and crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, their light reflecting off the smooth surfaces of expensive looking desks, cabinets, and bookshelves. I spotted a huge television screen that had to be at least six feet across. The only thing that looked cheap was the sofas. They were all dull black leather, the kind you found in porn videos. Weird.
I took a partial step inside, still lingering within the doorway.
Something shiny and metallic caught my eye, and I crouched, ready to attack, but it was just an enormous refrigerator. One section of the quarters had an immaculate-looking kitchen area, with multiple refrigerators, an oven, all sorts of cooking gear I couldn't identify—the kitchen sink, and then some.
There was an exercise area with a treadmill, free weights, various exercise machines, all gleaming with the shine of brand new equipment.
In another corner, I spotted an enormous bed with thick, inviting blue covers.
It was everything a nineteen-year-old could fantasize about, other than the cooking. Not what I had expected at all from the Mekanics.
I took another tentative step into the quarters. When nothing happened, I unmelded and stepped inside fully.
A low voice boomed from behind me. "Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."
I spun around, melding as I did.
Dustin! A Mekanic!
A metal man twice my height stood just outside the doorway. I hadn't heard him arrive, and neither had Zoe, apparently.
His surface was a dull gray, and his limbs were blocky. His anatomy was missing any fine details other than the minimal limbs and digits. His face had a single black circle for the eye, mouth, or some combination of both.
"Vikki?" I asked in confusion.
"Vikki? You mean VIK649? No, you'll meet her soon enough. I'm GAR538, but you can call me Garvek."
"Are you like her butler or something?"
"Butler?" Garvek made a laughing noise, although his face didn't appear to have any muscles to move. Or joints for that matter. "She would think so, at times. But no, you could say I am her father. I crafted her body. One of my finest pieces in biosteel. Much less of a headache than dealing with blood and guts." Garvek shook his head. "The damn hair always takes the longest."
I cleared my throat. "So you made Vikki?"
Garvek cocked his head. "What? No."
"But you said—"
"I made her current body. Few can make a Mekanic. Not these days…" he trailed off. He pointed at my claws. "You're ruining the carpet, you know."
Zoe?
Fascinating. I've never talked to a Mekanic face-to-face like this. No Chimeric has.
Never? That was a good sign, then, I hoped. I took a deep breath. It's not like we would be able to fight our way out of here.
I unmelded, then craned my neck to look the tall Mekanic in the face.
"Are you in charge?" I asked.
"Of course, I'm in charge. This place was her idea, though." Garvek gestured to the room. "Do you like it?"
"It's great. But what happens now?"
"We become best friends and live happily ever after. The end." Garvek stared at me with his single black eye, as if I should be satisfied with that answer.
An uncomfortably long silence passed. "You think humans are stupid, don't you?"
Garvek tilted his head. "Human intelligence is inferior to ours. I thought I would dumb it down for you."
"We're not that dumb."
"Then, why are you losing the War?"
Fuck the carpet. I melded again, knocking over a sofa in the process.
"Ok, Tin Man," I growled. "Enough with the bullshit. What do you want from me?" I coiled my body, ready to tear his head off.
Careful, Dustin. We don't know what we're dealing with.
Garvek clapped his hands together like a child, not minding my outburst. "Wonderful!" He bent forward, peering at me. "Your spectral signature is spiking—simply amazing!" He held out both arms as if he has introducing me to a stage. "This is why you're here."
I didn't like the way he said that, like he was prying into my Beastform and seeing something private. I unmelded. "There are plenty of other Beastmasters. You even have Cody and Staccato. Why am I here?"
"Yes, but you're something special." Garvek bent down to Zoe's eye level, his face pressed to the ground "Yes, very special."
I rolled my eyes. Zoe's status was apparently the worst kept secret this side of the galaxy. Even the Mekanics knew about her, although I wasn't surprised since Staccato had figured it out.
"So? You're Mekanics. Unless you're trying to make baby Chimerics…"
Careful. We don't want to reveal too much.
Garvek stood up straight. "How much do you know about the history between Mekanics and Chimerics?" he asked.