Free Metal Deep 3: Infinite and Forever by G. X. Knight Page A

a trifecta of party-royalty on their night scene. Reluctantly she went. I was always invited, but as much as I wanted to hang with Maeve, I was more fearful about being around people. Sure, I could “disguise” my Cyborg parts easily enough with a sleeves, glasses, and gloves, but I wasn’t quite ready to venture too far away from the security of the Harbor House.
     
    Maeve joined me at the edge of our cliff as we stared down into the graying water that washed along smooth white sands. The hot-ember shade of her hair seemed to almost give off its own light as it played freely in the pre-twilight breeze. She picked a stray leaf that hitched a ride on her black and silver running shorts. She released it over the edge, and whispered, “Make a wish.”
     
     It came true. I smiled when she let her hand slip comfortably into mine as the wind sang between crevices of the cliffs beneath us. She had recovered from the trip, and her gulps had slowed to small bird like breaths that I barely heard as she moved in closer so that my arm could find its way around her back. The shirt had two holes on each shoulder, and my hand rested on one of the fashioned openings. I still marveled at the subtle warmth of skin that I could feel with my Cyborg senses, but I marveled even more over the fact that she had yet to pull away from the cool hard touch of my metal skin.
     
    Below, a couple of boats zipped out toward the small island where people started to gather to eat, drink and party. They were far off in the distance, and would have been just dots to the normal eye, but my vision allowed me more detail than what Maeve was seeing. We stood there above them all. We were aware of their existence, but we were too far away for them to know or care about us. And why should they? They were living their lives, doing their thing, and happy to have another day on this planet.
     
    Is this how most Amalgams viewed the Slate world? -Small faceless people scurrying about far beneath? When one rose so high that those under looked to be the size of ants, it would be easy to treat them as such. I never wanted to become so disconnected. I thought I was better than my Dad. I paid the price with his blood, and my own flesh forever scarred. I didn’t really care about what happened to me anymore. I had a newfound love in my life. I didn’t want to do anything that might endanger her in the same way.
     
    We kicked off our shoes and laid out the picnic spread. Thanks to the Mistress of Doom, we had enough burgers to feed a couple of armies, minus the Diablo Peppers ... I hoped. The smell of freshly cooked meat tickled my nose and wet my lips. Maeve poured herself a mug of Dwarven Ale. I had yet to develop a taste for it, so I ganked her bottled water before digging out for my first burger.
     
    As a result of the Amalgamation, my appetite went into overdrive. Kata and Sway had some working theories about my abilities being linked to my food intake, but the only real way to test those ideas was for me to go hungry. Not this guy. Not yet, anyway.
     
    The sun burned orange along a purple shoreline as we reclined on a blanket made of Chimeran fur. We ate, talked, and laughed as the stars unfolded within the violet expanse just for us. I felt as if we were the only two people on Earth. I told her how I had decided to take on the name of my ancestors: Thantosa. We discussed how I needed a first name to go with it, and she came up with a few suggestions. Some of the more interesting choices included: Haimish-the-Great, Bernardo-Beatdown, and my personal favorite, Bear-Bear. I should have just gone with the Bear-Bear to see if she would recant.
     
    For a moment, sadness crept its way into my perfect moment as I stared up at the moon, and thought about nights with Dad when we sat and talked like this. I suppose dreaming about what-if-superpowers was kind of moot. Not that we were superheroes, but I think it was safe to say we were the next best thing. So, in honor