Free Heart of Steel by Elizabeth Einspanier Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Einspanier
wish to make you happy.”
Julia opened her mouth to reply, but she recognized the tone. It was the same tone she’d heard from Jim so many times—he’d made his mind up, and there would be no arguing with him. Crap. She shut her mouth without saying anything.
“Your map will arrive in twenty minutes,” Mechanus continued. “I do hope you find it helpful.”
So did she, but likely not for the same reasons he did.
***
Arthur said,
Mechanus glanced up from his project. He was currently directing the surgical robots that were attaching nerves and blood vessels between the differ-ent components, but as he turned his attention to Arthur the cluster of spidery appendages paused in their work.
Mechanus asked.
Mechanus frowned. While most of his assistants happily obeyed the man who’d given them a new life, he’d made certain not to obliterate Jim’s mind entirely, in an effort to make him a docile companion for Julia rather than a dull-witted pet. This, apparently, came with some side effects. He would need to tighten Jim’s leash, then.
He mentally reached through the network and peered through the electrodes that he had implanted in Jim’s brain. Rather than accepting the surveillance, Jim’s mind recoiled, and Mechanus caught the echo of a thought—
—wrapped in undeniable hostility.
Mechanus transmitted.
Jim’s thoughts, while not terribly strong, were tinged with frustration and outrage.
Interesting. His thoughts were quite clear—if rather profane.
With a trivial effort, Mechanus took control of Jim’s new limbs and stopped his forward progress—he’d been heading away from the refurbishment lab, trailing half-attached parts.
Mechanus chided, and, with another small effort, walked Jim back to the lab.
The echoing thought was starting to go red with agitation.
Jim was stubborn, though—more so than any of the other assistants he’d built. He mentally bucked and squirmed, trying to slip free of Mechanus’s influence, but Mechanus had been doing this for a lot longer than Jim.
Mechanus responded with lightning swiftness, grappling Jim’s mind into functional immobility before stuffing back down into his own subconscious. As he did, Mechanus caught a hint of Jim’s underlying thoughts—
—churning atop a froth of anger that seemed to feed on itself.
Sweat stood out on the right side of Mechanus’s face as he locked Jim away in his own mind.
Mechanus chided.
And with that he slammed the metaphorical lid down on Jim and backed out of his mind with a sigh of relief. None of his other creations had given him this much trouble. Even elevated to humanlike intelligence, the animal-based chimeras he made were so much more tractable.
Arthur asked.
Mechanus considered this. he said finally.
Arthur paused diplomatically.
Julia opened her mouth to reply, but she recognized the tone. It was the same tone she’d heard from Jim so many times—he’d made his mind up, and there would be no arguing with him. Crap. She shut her mouth without saying anything.
“Your map will arrive in twenty minutes,” Mechanus continued. “I do hope you find it helpful.”
So did she, but likely not for the same reasons he did.
***
Mechanus glanced up from his project. He was currently directing the surgical robots that were attaching nerves and blood vessels between the differ-ent components, but as he turned his attention to Arthur the cluster of spidery appendages paused in their work.
Mechanus frowned. While most of his assistants happily obeyed the man who’d given them a new life, he’d made certain not to obliterate Jim’s mind entirely, in an effort to make him a docile companion for Julia rather than a dull-witted pet. This, apparently, came with some side effects. He would need to tighten Jim’s leash, then.
He mentally reached through the network and peered through the electrodes that he had implanted in Jim’s brain. Rather than accepting the surveillance, Jim’s mind recoiled, and Mechanus caught the echo of a thought—
—wrapped in undeniable hostility.
Mechanus transmitted.
Interesting. His thoughts were quite clear—if rather profane.
Jim was stubborn, though—more so than any of the other assistants he’d built. He mentally bucked and squirmed, trying to slip free of Mechanus’s influence, but Mechanus had been doing this for a lot longer than Jim.
Mechanus responded with lightning swiftness, grappling Jim’s mind into functional immobility before stuffing back down into his own subconscious. As he did, Mechanus caught a hint of Jim’s underlying thoughts—
—churning atop a froth of anger that seemed to feed on itself.
Sweat stood out on the right side of Mechanus’s face as he locked Jim away in his own mind.
And with that he slammed the metaphorical lid down on Jim and backed out of his mind with a sigh of relief. None of his other creations had given him this much trouble. Even elevated to humanlike intelligence, the animal-based chimeras he made were so much more tractable.
Mechanus considered this.
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