Page 147 of Godslayer
“I don’t know,” I manage to croak. “But I want to see her. I want to see her right now.”
Epsilon laughs. “I’m sure you do. She’s… dying, by the way. We made a deal.”
“What?” I try and sit up, but I’m still connected to the augment table and all the needles, thousands of them, tear at my skin when I move.
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” Epsilon cautions. “Don’t move now. We’re just getting started here Tyse. I didn’t steal the poor woman’s spark and give it to you just to let you walk free. You owe me.”
“How the hell do ya figure that?” I snarl.
“Because you’re in my city. I’m taking care of you. Do you think all this care is free?” He scoffs. “I’m not running a welfare state. You owe me.”
“I wouldn’t need your help if ya hadn’t kidnapped us.”
“You rode a train past my station and didn’t pay the toll. You owe me a toll.”
“What toll? You’re making shit up.”
“Maybe. But what are you gonna do about it?”
He pauses here. Like I might threaten him. I’d like to threaten him, but he is pulling all the strings at the moment. Almost literally. “What do you want? How can we pay this debt and be on our way?”
There’s a scraping noise as he drags a chair up to my table and takes a seat. “I thought you’d never ask. I wantyou, Tyse. I want to… make you better. Faster, stronger?—”
“I’m already faster and stronger. I’m already better.”
“Yes. You’re pretty spectacular. But I have so many ideas, you see. So many… thoughts. So many… dreams. So many ways to experiment on humans, all living up inside my head. You’ve seen what I’ve been working with. These men. They’re very low quality. But you! And that woman! My, god! You’re everything I want, yet never knew I needed.”
He wants to experiment on me. He wants to keep me on this table and push Clara’s spark into me until I die. Or she dies. Or we both die.
“What I want,” Epsilon continues, “is to create the ultimate weapon. The ultimate human, machine hybrid. A true cyborg. And… if I can just be frank here, you’re really my only chance. So.” He leans over top of me so I can see his face. He smiles. It’s an ugly smile, just like him. “So here you are. On my table. In my lab. And your woman gave me permission.”
“What?”
“That’s right. She gave me permission. She said, ‘Epsilon, I love that man. I love him with all my heart. Take all the spark you need from me. Just save him. I can’t go on?—'”
“Shut up!” I yell. Cutting him off. “You’re just making shit up!”
“Luther,” Epsilon sighs. “Play the vid.”
A screen comes to life, but it’s somewhere behind me. Not even in my field of vision. But I hear her. Clara’s voice. “I don’t want to live,” she says. “Not without him. He’s my world now. So whatever it is you’re going to do, just do it. And I will willingly give you every drop of my spark if you promise to give it to him.”
“Thank you, Luther. That is all.”
The recording stops.
“It’s a trick.”
“It’s not a trick, Tyse. I assure you. She gave me permission. She’s watching right now. Well…” His head rocks back and forth, wavering. “She’s probably passed out by now. Ididdrain her into a husk to feed you. So… yeah. But shewaswatching.”
“Give her spark! Right now! Feed her!”
Epsilon laughs. “Where the hell would I get spark? I don’t have spark. Not in quantities like that. I’ve used all my females. All but a few. And I will not be giving your woman the spark my women make. She deliberately told me that she can refill herself.”
“It’s not true.”
“Why would she lie about that? Hmmm? Why, Tyse. Does she have a death wish? She told me to feed you to keep you alive. That she couldn’t live?—”
I stop listening. Because I’m hearing Clara’s voice in my head. Just before she was stolen out of the spark stone cave.What are you saying? It’s like… a loop? I power you, I get weak, you steal spark to make me strong, and then you need to take it from me to work?
