Page 136 of Godslayer
“I don’t understand. What is… threading?”
“That’s how you augment someone. It’s the opposite of what I did to you. The spark I took was injected directly into Tyse’s bloodstream. And there, it made secondary nervous, circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, skeletal, muscles. All of it. Every system had a tiny nano twin. Tyse is different, though.”
“Different how?”
“When he came here, he’d already been threaded twice.”
“So?”
“It’s not done.” Then he laughs. “I mean, I do it. But I’m a mad scientist. I’m experimenting on these men. They are… worthless. Skins. Nothing more. Tyse is an actual Delta augment. Sanctioned and served in the Sweep Army. He’s legit. They do not re-thread augments in the Sweep.”
“Maybe that’s why he failed?” I ask.
Epsilon nods. “I was thinking that as well. But I’m not convinced. At any rate, we started the re-thread and only discovered afterward that this was his third threading. It took, but only because the first threading was never finished.”
“It filled in the gaps,” I say.
“That’s what I think.”
“OK. So… what’s the problem.”
“What’s the problem?” Epsilon chuckles. “Look at him. He did spectacular. I mean, honestly, Clara, I’ve never seen such a fighter in my life. He was… possessed. Like helovedit.”
I make a face. “That doesn’t sound like the Tyse I know.”
He just stares at me for a moment. Then blinks, like he’s pulling himself out of a thought. “Why would he show youthatside of him? And anyway, he was discharged seven years ago. He’s had time to come to terms with life outside Sweep. He’s got it under control.” He turns away, but then side-eyes me over his shoulder. “At least he did.”
“What do you mean?”
He doesn’t answer, just walks over to the screen showing Tyse lying on the table in the next room and touches it. The scene changes. And it’s one I recognize. Because it’s a recording Tyse’s point of view as he was fighting.
That’s the point of view I saw while Tyse was fighting. “What is that?” I ask. “How did you get in his head? How can you see that?”
Epsilon grins. “All augments can be hacked, Clara. That’s what I did when I threaded him. I hacked.”
“I don’t know what that means. Hacked? It sounds like you’re going to cut him up with a hatchet.”
“Right. I forgot. You’re a simple girl.” I think that was an insult, but I don’t press. He continues. “You know what a puppet is, right?”
I swallow hard. Practically gulping. Because it’s not a hard train of thought to follow.
“Right,” Epsilon says. “You get it then. I am his puppet master. I’m pulling all the strings.”
My thoughts are racing. Is this true? Is Epsilon controlling Tyse?
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says. “You’re thinking…that I’m a liar. But I assure you, Clara. All augments can be hacked by their gods. Delta was controlling him before this.”
“That’s certainly not true. Tyse hadn’t even been home to Delta since he was fourteen.”
Epsilon guffaws. “Don’t be simple now. He doesn’t need to behome.” Now he squints his eyes at me. “Do you even know what we are?”
“What… gods are?”
“Yeah. Do you know what we are?”
I shrug. As best I can in these bindings. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before.”
“No. Why would you? Well, we’re not human. We’re…” He turns his head and squints at me. “Do you know what a computer is?”
