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Chapter 10: Enough
“So no one?” Captain Samuel arose from his chair. “Everyone with a prosthesis, go to the wall. Now!”
I clicked my tongue but did as he commanded. I, Selina, Brenda, and ten other workers lined up.
He handed the case piece to a security guard. “Charles, see if anyone is missing this.”
One of the guards, who regularly hung out with Wyatt, began on end closest to him. His curved mustache fluttered when he breathed through his nose. He examined the various prosthetic limbs, primarily hands, feet, whole arms, and legs.
“You have one too?” I whispered to Selina.
She didn’t answer. And surprisingly, her face showed neither anger nor fear. But determination. A look like the one before she had gone out and killed the group of guards during our break-in.
“Hey, if I get busted . . . that’s on me. Keep the mission alive.”
Her expression didn’t falter.
I rubbed my shoulder. My prosthetic arm felt lifeless. No Jade Mint, no movement. Since I built the arm myself, the modeled parts didn’t fit the standard sizes. So the likelihood of the part suited another prosthesis was close to zero.
Eventually, it was my turn.
“Show me your arm,” Charles snorted.
“Sorry, the old lump stopped working. I guess I forgot to switch out the cartridge.” I nudged my prosthesis.
Charles clicked his tongue and unpleasantly rolled my sleeve up to inspect. “Huh. He noted the exposed gears and pistons. “What do we have here?”
Captain Samuel's ears perked up. He still sat at the table, eating his fat, noble steak.
Charles placed the casing part on the open area and tried to fit it on though it didn’t fit.
The part still had a gash from the bar fight in Bay Coast. And when I had thrown it on the ground, it must have bent a little. Holes for screws were missing, too, since I clipped most of my parts. That reduced the stability and somewhat the durability, but it allowed for quicker replacement of parts for repairs or upgrades.
“Do you recognize this part?” Charles asked as if I were stupid enough to answer truthfully.
“Never seen this thing in my life,” I said deadpan.
Charles turned to his boss. “I don’t know, Sir, it's the right color and size, but it just doesn't fit right.”
A soft sigh of relief came from Selina.
“Then check out the others first, and we'll talk to him later.”
Charles nodded and moved on to Selina.
“Come on now,” he grunted.
“My bad, I have artificial bones in my chest.” Selina crossed her arms. “I can't show you.”
Charles scoffed. “Such a case piece wouldn’t fit on a plank like you anyway.” His gaze drifted to Selina's chest, and he moved on to the next worker.
Snap.
Unrivaled to what I had ever felt, a murderous intent burst forth from Selina. Arms crossed, trembling. Blood dripped onto the floor, and her fingernails had broken off.
Charles hushed a few more feet away, his eyes moist.
I cleared my throat and very gently patted Selina on the back. Everyone stared at her, and except for Captain Samuel and a few guards, everyone wet their pants.
Selina emitted a feminine grunt and turned away from the onlookers.
Charles finished checking the others and found no compatible prosthesis.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Sorry, Captain, maybe it’s not a casing part after all.” Charles sighed, his mustache fluttering.
It took a lot for me not to laugh.
Captain Samuel rose purposefully from his pompous chair. “We'll have a little talk with him outside.”
“Yes, sir.” Charles came back to me.
I straightened. “At your service, Mustache.”
“My name’s Charles.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you.” My gaze drifted to his upper lip.
Charles rolled his eyes and sighed again.
“Yeah, that's what I thought, too, Mustache.”
Charles noticed my stare on his upper lip and counted one and one together.
We stared at each other for a while. Charles began to sigh again but held back.
Selina chuckled.
“Oh, shut up.” Charles snatched my wrist and jerked me after him. “I’ll beat your ass.”
[Relation Record]
+Selina’s affection for me increased slightly. I think she hates me a little less now.
Charles and Captain Samuel took me to a shed near the factory where I had found the unconscious Finn. The dark room was probably meant to make me nervous. How could they know that I was a former pirate?
The Captain lit a cigar. “Hercu. How come only one other worker knows your name?” He sucked, and the red ember turned green. He blew the smoke in my face.
“The workers aren't exactly talkative.” I endured the urge to cough.
“Or . . . it’s your accomplice? I don't know how you managed to get in here, but we have no record of your arrival here.”
“Maybe you just shouldn't work so sloppy then?” I shrugged.
“Noway . . . is Selina busted too?”
He stepped on my foot. “You have quite a mouth.”
I swallowed the pain. “You're standing on my foot”— I met his gaze—”asshole.”
A helpless laugh followed his confused expression. He and Charles exchanged glances. Then he pressed harder down and reached back for a punch.
I tilted my head to avoid it. People became predictable when they were angry.
His fist accelerated disproportionately. And then I felt the cold stone floor and a hot cheek. When I tried to bite away the pain, it only got worse. My teeth wouldn't touch. He had dislocated my jaw. Desperately, I tried to close my mouth, but a sharp sting bore into my cheek.
In pain and with only one functioning arm, I failed to stand up.
“Look at you. What's your big mouth got to say now? Huh, kid?”
But more than pain, I trembled with frustration. I grabbed my chin and forcibly pushed it back into place. A cry escaped me. It stung, but the pain felt more pleasant.
“Feels good to punch one with only one arm?” I glared into his eyes.
“It feels terrific.” He leaned down toward me. “You wanna talk now?”
I spat out some blood. “I must have bitten my tongue. How annoying.”
“Tell me, what is Finn's role in all of this?”
“Finn?! Not Selina?”
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
“Is that why you beat him up? Did you interrogate him too? You fucking idiot, you'll pay for—”
His foot was faster than the words that came from me.
[Combat Record]
Captain Samuel knocked me unconscious. In my defense, I was missing an arm! I can’t even call this a real fight . . . that sack face.
He also beat up Finn.
[Relation Record]
-My affection for him decreased immensely!
—
“Hercu!”
“Hercu!” Someone shook me. “Wake up!”
I awoke with severe abdominal pain. Nausea spread, but without the urge to vomit.
“Finally, get up. We don’t have much time.” Selina pulled me to my feet and supported me before I fell again.
Sand stuck to my sweaty skin. I had a bad sunburn on my neck, where the sun must have shone through a crack in the shed's roof. It smelled disgusting in here. This time, for once, I refrained from sniffing myself.
“Here.” Selina handed me a full cartridge of spiky Jade Mint.
“Ugh, you got another one?” I fought my protesting circulation, my vision blurring again and again.
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Nice . . . half-and-half then.” I took a few breaths and opened the cartridge to take a sip.
Selina grabbed my wrist. “I wouldn’t do that. It’s a different variant. Optimized for machines and highly harmful to living beings.”
“Great.” I inserted the cartridge into my prosthetic arm, which brimmed to life. I checked the sensors and ran a quick routine to ensure it was working correctly. The pistons trumped the gears, and my fist clenched with a metallic pop.
“It's much stronger.”
I swallowed. “You bet.” Joy pumped out of my heart, giving me some energy.
“Be careful, though. You can injure yourself more easily and break the engine if you overdo it.”
I threw a punch faster than I ever could before. “Hah. What’s the plan?”
“You said you knew where the office with the map was, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then we'll be on our way.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
I stretched out my arms and sighed against the pain. “Let’s fucking go.”