I can’t read the father’s expression in the dim firelight. It could be disapproving, but I’m imagining them hating my guts no matter what, so I shouldn’t trust my assumptions.
For lack of something to fill the terrible silence, I say, “Um…hi.”
He nods, eyes roaming every inch of me. I force myself not to shift, and not to snap something biting. They wanted me here, and I let Zane talk me into it. Let him look. Maybe he’ll see something in me I’m unable to see in the rest of this place.
“What happened to him?” he asks, jerking his head back to the door Zane disappeared into.
What did they tell him? “Um…ship got blown up. It was a uh…really odd situation.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Blown up?”
I nod.
Yvonne pipes up with, “Aaron ran into the ship and got him out.”
I shoot her a look. I don’t know why her defense irritates me so much. She shouldn’t jump to my defense so easily. As much as I appreciate what she’s trying to do, I don’t want anyone trying to convince these people that they should love me. I don’t want some sort of debt. If they’re my parents…well, I don’t know, but I shouldn’t have to convince them I’m not a monster. If they aren’t, then it doesn’t matter what they think of me. At least, I tell myself it shouldn’t.
The father glances at her, but the iron doesn’t leave his expression. Not great, but his child did just show up half-dead on his doorstep, so I can’t blame him. Zane might have said they’d been hinting at me coming here—I don’t know what reaction I was expecting, but this is chilly enough of a response I wonder if Zane lied to me about that part. I’d like to think he wouldn’t. Not about something so important.
“I apologize,” I say. “But I don’t know your name.”
“You don’t remember?”
Well, no. Didn’t the siblings tell him that? I hate this topic, just as I hated talking to Yvonne about it, but there’s a reason why we’re here past Zane’s desire to be home. I need to be as honest with them as possible. “I don’t remember much of anything before Amerov. Just some vague flashes of light. No faces or locations or names. Don’t remember my own face.”
Probably shouldn’t have let that last part slip out. It sounds fairly awful with his eyes boring into my false ones. The augmentations more obvious on my face and around my temples with the warmth of the fire right behind me.
If it unnerves the man, I can’t tell.
“You didn’t look like that,” he says.
I stand still enough I don’t flinch. What else did I expect? “Well no, I’d assume not.”
“Masyn,” he supplies, not particularly kindly. “Who was hunting you all down?”
Masyn. The name isn’t familiar. As much as Lalia was trying to make my kind not sound crazy, I don’t think this man was fooled. They don’t strike me as unintelligent people. Their children might be idiots, but they’re bright enough in their own rights. “A cyborg. Well, two.”
Slowly, he nods. “Hunting down them or hunting down you?”
Oh.
Oh, he blames me.
So, he doesn’t particularly believe I’m their kid. I suppose it makes this easier, not crushed hopes as I was worried about. I was wondering if they’d be so stupidly, so happily convinced of who I am. If that was so, I don’t think he’s be asking me questions like this, not so coldly and standing a good ten steps from me still. When I shift from one foot to another, he leans back. Zane and Lalia were ready to bear hug me two seconds after realizing I might be their long-lost brother. This man looks like he wants me out of his house. Zane was either lying to me or misreading. Or no one told these people I look like a terror.
It’s stupid, but my stomach sinks.
“Me, actually,” Yvonne says before I can think of the correct answer.
I shoot her a severer shut up look than before. There’s a chance they might recognize the princesses, but that doesn’t mean we should be broadcasting to them there’s a huge bounty on Yvonne’s head as well. Their children are one thing, a random woman is totally different.
“They were after me,” Yvonne repeats, calm to her voice, but there’s that daring sharpness to her eyes she used to send my direction when I’d pissed her off. “They came after me and my sister, and pretty much went after anyone in their way, including a bunch of bystanders. Zane and Lalia happened to piss them off more by trying to help like Aaron was helping. That’s why they targeted him. He’s be dead if Aaron didn’t crawl into a burning ship to get him out.”
Again, he looks at her, but it doesn’t comfort me to have his gaze somewhere else. “Who are you?”
“Yvonne.”
“Why were they after you?”
“My parents are rich and want me dragged back home. Cyborgs are hirable. I had no idea something that drastic would happen. I don’t think it was them, they’d never send killers after me.”
It’s a fair enough twisting of the truth. ForceZero was after her and Anya more than any of us. And her parents definitely didn’t send those two numbers after her. Captain did. But I don’t think any of that’s good to mention to these two humans who look uncomfortable enough by my presence, and I’m trying to be pleasant. Not sure how well it’s working, but I’m trying.
“I see,” he says, though I’m uncertain he actually does.
Somehow, I can’t quite make myself shut up. “I never intended for Zane to get hurt. I tried my best to get him out of that ship.”
“You don’t sound much like a cyborg.”
“What?”
He frowns at me as if I’m slow. “You don’t sound much like a cyborg. I’ve met plenty.”
Does he want me to be an uncaring asshat? Weakly, I say, “Unregistered.”
He grunts, then simply turns and heads back to the other room where their mother took Zane. I stare after him until his back disappears. Silence returns to the room, broken only by the fire.
Ever so slowly, the awful feeling in my chest turns to anger. He has no right to be angry at me when his own children are the ones clinging to me without proof. I was a stranger hunting the bounties they got on their heads from their own actions. Everything I’ve done since then has been nicer than I could’ve been. It never occurred to me to be angry I had to crawl into a burning ship to rescue Zane. In fact, I was happy to do it, but the various injuries I have littering my body from that particular adventure seem to hurt more.
I was happy to do it. I should’ve left them ages ago.
I never wanted any of this. I don’t blame them if they don’t believe I’m their son. It’s more aligned with that I’d prefer, actually, but they don’t get to act like it’s my fault this happened.
I wouldn’t been happy to leave the two at the hospital on Amethyst.
I should have.
“Aaron,” Yvonne says, and her voice is so gentle I start. It’s odd, glancing at her and remembering there’s someone in here who doesn’t think I’m a monster.
For whatever reason.
At least anger is easier than screaming.
I pick Bat back up.
“He was kinda an ass,” Bat mutters.
Despite my irritation, I say, “Stressed about his kids, I suppose.”
Yvonne makes a face, and Anya glances between the two of us like she wants and explanation. She can get one from Yvonne, apparently she knows everything anyway.
Anya says, “They didn’t really act like you’re they’re son.”
Maybe I should scream at something. No. That’s stupid. I didn’t even want to be here. Don’t even really believe I’m anything to these people. I shouldn’t feel any sort of way about this.
I wonder if I can lie to myself for so long I’ll believe it.
“That’s because they don’t think I am,” I tell her, and head back out the front door.
I can’t read the father’s expression in the dim firelight. It could be disapproving, but I’m imagining them hating my guts no matter what, so I shouldn’t trust my assumptions.
For lack of something to fill the terrible silence, I say, “Um…hi.”
He nods, eyes roaming every inch of me. I force myself not to shift, and not to snap something biting. They wanted me here, and I let Zane talk me into it. Let him look. Maybe he’ll see something in me I’m unable to see in the rest of this place.
“What happened to him?” he asks, jerking his head back to the door Zane disappeared into.
What did they tell him? “Um…ship got blown up. It was a uh…really odd situation.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Blown up?”
I nod.
Yvonne pipes up with, “Aaron ran into the ship and got him out.”
I shoot her a look. I don’t know why her defense irritates me so much. She shouldn’t jump to my defense so easily. As much as I appreciate what she’s trying to do, I don’t want anyone trying to convince these people that they should love me. I don’t want some sort of debt. If they’re my parents…well, I don’t know, but I shouldn’t have to convince them I’m not a monster. If they aren’t, then it doesn’t matter what they think of me. At least, I tell myself it shouldn’t.
The father glances at her, but the iron doesn’t leave his expression. Not great, but his child did just show up half-dead on his doorstep, so I can’t blame him. Zane might have said they’d been hinting at me coming here—I don’t know what reaction I was expecting, but this is chilly enough of a response I wonder if Zane lied to me about that part. I’d like to think he wouldn’t. Not about something so important.
“I apologize,” I say. “But I don’t know your name.”
“You don’t remember?”
Well, no. Didn’t the siblings tell him that? I hate this topic, just as I hated talking to Yvonne about it, but there’s a reason why we’re here past Zane’s desire to be home. I need to be as honest with them as possible. “I don’t remember much of anything before Amerov. Just some vague flashes of light. No faces or locations or names. Don’t remember my own face.”
Probably shouldn’t have let that last part slip out. It sounds fairly awful with his eyes boring into my false ones. The augmentations more obvious on my face and around my temples with the warmth of the fire right behind me.
If it unnerves the man, I can’t tell.
“You didn’t look like that,” he says.
I stand still enough I don’t flinch. What else did I expect? “Well no, I’d assume not.”
“Masyn,” he supplies, not particularly kindly. “Who was hunting you all down?”
Masyn. The name isn’t familiar. As much as Lalia was trying to make my kind not sound crazy, I don’t think this man was fooled. They don’t strike me as unintelligent people. Their children might be idiots, but they’re bright enough in their own rights. “A cyborg. Well, two.”
Slowly, he nods. “Hunting down them or hunting down you?”
Oh.
Oh, he blames me.
So, he doesn’t particularly believe I’m their kid. I suppose it makes this easier, not crushed hopes as I was worried about. I was wondering if they’d be so stupidly, so happily convinced of who I am. If that was so, I don’t think he’s be asking me questions like this, not so coldly and standing a good ten steps from me still. When I shift from one foot to another, he leans back. Zane and Lalia were ready to bear hug me two seconds after realizing I might be their long-lost brother. This man looks like he wants me out of his house. Zane was either lying to me or misreading. Or no one told these people I look like a terror.
It’s stupid, but my stomach sinks.
“Me, actually,” Yvonne says before I can think of the correct answer.
I shoot her a severer shut up look than before. There’s a chance they might recognize the princesses, but that doesn’t mean we should be broadcasting to them there’s a huge bounty on Yvonne’s head as well. Their children are one thing, a random woman is totally different.
“They were after me,” Yvonne repeats, calm to her voice, but there’s that daring sharpness to her eyes she used to send my direction when I’d pissed her off. “They came after me and my sister, and pretty much went after anyone in their way, including a bunch of bystanders. Zane and Lalia happened to piss them off more by trying to help like Aaron was helping. That’s why they targeted him. He’s be dead if Aaron didn’t crawl into a burning ship to get him out.”
Again, he looks at her, but it doesn’t comfort me to have his gaze somewhere else. “Who are you?”
“Yvonne.”
“Why were they after you?”
“My parents are rich and want me dragged back home. Cyborgs are hirable. I had no idea something that drastic would happen. I don’t think it was them, they’d never send killers after me.”
It’s a fair enough twisting of the truth. ForceZero was after her and Anya more than any of us. And her parents definitely didn’t send those two numbers after her. Captain did. But I don’t think any of that’s good to mention to these two humans who look uncomfortable enough by my presence, and I’m trying to be pleasant. Not sure how well it’s working, but I’m trying.
“I see,” he says, though I’m uncertain he actually does.
Somehow, I can’t quite make myself shut up. “I never intended for Zane to get hurt. I tried my best to get him out of that ship.”
“You don’t sound much like a cyborg.”
“What?”
He frowns at me as if I’m slow. “You don’t sound much like a cyborg. I’ve met plenty.”
Does he want me to be an uncaring asshat? Weakly, I say, “Unregistered.”
He grunts, then simply turns and heads back to the other room where their mother took Zane. I stare after him until his back disappears. Silence returns to the room, broken only by the fire.
Ever so slowly, the awful feeling in my chest turns to anger. He has no right to be angry at me when his own children are the ones clinging to me without proof. I was a stranger hunting the bounties they got on their heads from their own actions. Everything I’ve done since then has been nicer than I could’ve been. It never occurred to me to be angry I had to crawl into a burning ship to rescue Zane. In fact, I was happy to do it, but the various injuries I have littering my body from that particular adventure seem to hurt more.
I was happy to do it. I should’ve left them ages ago.
I never wanted any of this. I don’t blame them if they don’t believe I’m their son. It’s more aligned with that I’d prefer, actually, but they don’t get to act like it’s my fault this happened.
I wouldn’t been happy to leave the two at the hospital on Amethyst.
I should have.
“Aaron,” Yvonne says, and her voice is so gentle I start. It’s odd, glancing at her and remembering there’s someone in here who doesn’t think I’m a monster.
For whatever reason.
At least anger is easier than screaming.
I pick Bat back up.
“He was kinda an ass,” Bat mutters.
Despite my irritation, I say, “Stressed about his kids, I suppose.”
Yvonne makes a face, and Anya glances between the two of us like she wants and explanation. She can get one from Yvonne, apparently she knows everything anyway.
Anya says, “They didn’t really act like you’re they’re son.”
Maybe I should scream at something. No. That’s stupid. I didn’t even want to be here. Don’t even really believe I’m anything to these people. I shouldn’t feel any sort of way about this.
I wonder if I can lie to myself for so long I’ll believe it.
“That’s because they don’t think I am,” I tell her, and head back out the front door.
