Mardu population, but that two percent could do what normal System inhabitants couldn’t. With enhanced physical senses, they could forego sleep and rest periods when keyed up, their bodies on autopilot while they hunted.
That Erin had run for as long as she had both surprised and thrilled the predator within him. Rafe loved a challenge, and Erin proved to be the best he’d yet to come across. She constantly intrigued him, and he used the time tracking her to ponder the many problems she presented.
First and foremost, Erin shouldn’t exist. Every now and again the scientists on Eyra toyed with nature, and they lost. Their first group of Creations had almost destroyed the System. And the few subsequent attempts to manufacture unauthorised humans met with death for both Creator and Creation. But those instances had involved true monsters. Erin was anything but. She had the strength and skill to destroy. Three times now she could have killed ‘Cheltam’, yet she hadn’t. Instead she’d run.
By rights, as a lawman, Rafe had a duty to terminate a Creation. But he tempered that obligation with the fact that Erin was the key witness in an ongoing investigation. Her escape from Blue Rim made her the one person who could bring down that monstrous conglomerate, if the truth of her story could be believed, that Blue Rim kidnapped and exploited prisoners for the sake of science. And exposing the lab for what it was would be a battle, because Blue Rim had connections System-wide as well as the currency to fight the law for a very, very long time.
Rationally, the excuse that Erin was a witness made more sense to keep her alive than that he felt something for a woman he’d just met. Because beyond all explanation, Rafe felt affection for Erin, a Creation, for Flor’s sake, who’d taken him to wainu . She was in so many ways a stranger, yet as familiar to him as his own soul. And it made no sense any way he looked at it.
Rafe nimbly dodged a huge tree root and skirted a gaggle of poisonous nettles, anxiety for Erin angering him even more. The little fool might be quick and strong, but she didn’t know the vegetation like he did. And the wildlife grew bolder with the coming dark.
Thankfully, he hadn’t heard any kethra or raptor cries, or he surely would have encountered one by now. Another glance at the diminishing distance between Erin’s footprints showed her lagging pace. Finally, fatigue slowed his quarry. Pleased, Rafe lengthened his stride, nearly panting with excitement, the scent of victory within reach.
He had every intention of claiming his prize. Through several brief conversations with Gar using his com unit, Rafe had learned many interesting details about Creations he hadn’t previously known. Apparently, Gar seemed stuck on the notion that Erin was a Creation.
And though Rafe should have confirmed the fact with his brother, he found himself unable to do so. Until he talked with Erin again, he remained silent about any details, to include the fact that he’d lost her.
Gar, never much a talker, had filled Rafe’s head with minutia about Eyran science and their mistakes. The early attempts at Creation hadn’t worked. Their initial subjects displayed too many submissive tendencies. They’d been intended to serve as sexual surrogates, military tools, and basic helpers in varied fields from construction to law enforcement. But their inability to function independently on any level marked them as failures.
Unfortunately, Eyran science struck pay dirt on their next batch, or so they thought. Their second wave of Creations had the intelligence, backbone, and power to accomplish the tasks assigned them. They also possessed such a strong will to control everything that they devolved into genius psychotic killers with a need to destroy everyone around them. In months they had effectively enslaved nearly half their planet before anyone else in the System caught wind of what had been happening.
With the Eyran
That Erin had run for as long as she had both surprised and thrilled the predator within him. Rafe loved a challenge, and Erin proved to be the best he’d yet to come across. She constantly intrigued him, and he used the time tracking her to ponder the many problems she presented.
First and foremost, Erin shouldn’t exist. Every now and again the scientists on Eyra toyed with nature, and they lost. Their first group of Creations had almost destroyed the System. And the few subsequent attempts to manufacture unauthorised humans met with death for both Creator and Creation. But those instances had involved true monsters. Erin was anything but. She had the strength and skill to destroy. Three times now she could have killed ‘Cheltam’, yet she hadn’t. Instead she’d run.
By rights, as a lawman, Rafe had a duty to terminate a Creation. But he tempered that obligation with the fact that Erin was the key witness in an ongoing investigation. Her escape from Blue Rim made her the one person who could bring down that monstrous conglomerate, if the truth of her story could be believed, that Blue Rim kidnapped and exploited prisoners for the sake of science. And exposing the lab for what it was would be a battle, because Blue Rim had connections System-wide as well as the currency to fight the law for a very, very long time.
Rationally, the excuse that Erin was a witness made more sense to keep her alive than that he felt something for a woman he’d just met. Because beyond all explanation, Rafe felt affection for Erin, a Creation, for Flor’s sake, who’d taken him to wainu . She was in so many ways a stranger, yet as familiar to him as his own soul. And it made no sense any way he looked at it.
Rafe nimbly dodged a huge tree root and skirted a gaggle of poisonous nettles, anxiety for Erin angering him even more. The little fool might be quick and strong, but she didn’t know the vegetation like he did. And the wildlife grew bolder with the coming dark.
Thankfully, he hadn’t heard any kethra or raptor cries, or he surely would have encountered one by now. Another glance at the diminishing distance between Erin’s footprints showed her lagging pace. Finally, fatigue slowed his quarry. Pleased, Rafe lengthened his stride, nearly panting with excitement, the scent of victory within reach.
He had every intention of claiming his prize. Through several brief conversations with Gar using his com unit, Rafe had learned many interesting details about Creations he hadn’t previously known. Apparently, Gar seemed stuck on the notion that Erin was a Creation.
And though Rafe should have confirmed the fact with his brother, he found himself unable to do so. Until he talked with Erin again, he remained silent about any details, to include the fact that he’d lost her.
Gar, never much a talker, had filled Rafe’s head with minutia about Eyran science and their mistakes. The early attempts at Creation hadn’t worked. Their initial subjects displayed too many submissive tendencies. They’d been intended to serve as sexual surrogates, military tools, and basic helpers in varied fields from construction to law enforcement. But their inability to function independently on any level marked them as failures.
Unfortunately, Eyran science struck pay dirt on their next batch, or so they thought. Their second wave of Creations had the intelligence, backbone, and power to accomplish the tasks assigned them. They also possessed such a strong will to control everything that they devolved into genius psychotic killers with a need to destroy everyone around them. In months they had effectively enslaved nearly half their planet before anyone else in the System caught wind of what had been happening.
With the Eyran
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