Alien Freak - Calista Skye Page 0,94
Probably that is where the heart is, or the closest equivalent.
“We know a lot about Averie,” Frox says, “just because she’s from Earth. Mila can immediately tell that she is exactly what she seems. You may be exactly what you seem, too. But we have to make sure. You have signs of danger written all over you. You’re a walking red flag, if you’ll allow me a silly joke.”
Yes, the midsection will be what I’ll go for. In a pinch, I’ll grab a tentacle and hope he can’t cut it off himself before it’s too late. “Fair enough. I expected something like this.”
Frox retreats a fraction. “My stars, the way you stare at me makes me feel like you’re looking for the best place to bite me. You’re not venomous, are you?”
I give him a chilly smile. “Not always.”
“I’ve never heard of your species. For all I know, you could be all venom. Anyway, the reason I haven’t heard of the Lancefers is that your kind barely exists anymore. Sorry to be so blunt, but if you are the only one left, then checking out anything you tell us might be really hard.”
“Ask the Gurandu,” I suggest, staying chilly. “They will be happy to tell you.”
“We will not be doing anything so stupid,” Frox scoffs. “I mean, we will check your story. Very indirectly, giving the Gurandu no clue to where you might be. Do you think the Star Marshals will be able to keep them from hunting you anymore?”
A dry laugh escapes me. “I really don’t. I’m worth six hundred thousand points by now. IruBex’s death just raises my value. Especially because he died so unusually, if you can believe it. No, they will come after me. And I don’t expect nor want round-the-clock protection from the Star Marshals.”
“I can imagine,” Frox agrees thoughtfully. “They’re honest, but a little too goody-two-shoes. They’d totally crimp your style. All right. Prince Zaroc, please tell me about your life right now.”
I shrug, fully prepared for unexpected questions like this because I have nothing to hide. “I’m married and outrageously happy. My life has taken a new course, one that’s completely unexpected in its brightness and sheer hope. But that’s Averie – nothing is predictable when she’s near. And I have the same effect on her. We will both be safer with the other as a chaos agent in our lives. Our hunters will struggle to predict what we’ll do next. I didn’t see it, myself. Thankfully, my grandmother did. And then I tossed her into a neutron star.”
Frox waves one tentacle back and forth like an upstretched index finger. “You’re trying to shock me, Prince Zaroc. But I’m not shocked. Averie told us that your grandmother was an uploaded mind-state in a computer, and not a person. What happened inside the Elder moon?”
“Exactly what she told you. She healed from the Fentrat inside an Elder cube, and an entity that may or may not have been an Elder said some things about Earth’s Moon.”
“Very well.”
“Except there is one thing Averie doesn’t know.”
The tentacles stiffen. “Oh. What?”
“She wasn’t healed completely. The Fentrat got too deep into her cells. There are some small parts still there. Impossible to get out. The robot told me.”
Six eyes on stalks stare at me in horror. “Oh no! She might… I mean, there might be another… infection?”
“I asked. Apparently not. She will have small pieces of Fentrat inside her until she dies. That’s all. The parasitic parts are gone, but some other parts remain. As far as the robot could tell, anyway. Averie shouldn’t be able to notice anything. But I can’t help but wonder how she got away from that falling rock without a scratch. Her hand was trapped under it and should have been completely crushed.”
Frox makes a nodding motion with his many eyes. “I see. You think she might have been toughened by the Fentrat? Harder to harm?”
“I hope so,” I say with feeling. “I hope that’s a real effect and that it’s the only one. Anyway, I don’t see why she would need to know. Nothing can be done about it.”
“Oh,” Frox says easily, “that secret is safe with me. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not she should be told. I think that concludes the questions. Unless you want to know more about the trash system? It’s not very exciting. But of course, this whole station was built by the Elders, so maybe it is of interest to some.”
We return to