girl I ever met.”
I thought she might get mad, but she surprised me. “Really? Some girls are like that?”
“Some? Try all,” I said, then changed subjects. “Listen, do you want to risk your home, or head straight to your mother? Who you should probably text, by the way.”
“Already texted her. She’s on her way and no, let’s skip the rental home.”
“How did you text her? You don’t have your phone anymore.”
She looked my way and then forward. Went still for a moment. Finally, a full ten-count later, she answered. “Chimeric Adaptive Enhanced Combat Operator. The Enhanced was an add-on. A separate project—nanotech stuff that came along when I was nine or so. Self-replicating nano scale machines that bind with my nervous system and feed me information. Nannites. They act as antennae, picking up cell and wireless signals. Each is like a part of a computer chip. Together, they form a pretty powerful computing and memory storage system. So I don’t really need a cell phone.”
“That’s why you didn’t need a calculator for math,” I said.
“Wait. I told you I have micro machines inside me and you think of math class?”
I reached my hand across, touching the bare skin of her left forearm lightly. The static-like spark I had felt once before was there, but this time, I was ready for it. A light hum filled my ears, although I was pretty sure it wasn’t an audible sound. A wave of feeling passed into me.
“What did you do?” she asked, jumping enough to break physical contact.
“Why do you think I’m so good with computers, Caeco? I can read them. Sense what they are doing, running, computing. Feel software conflicts and system errors. I touched you once—by accident—the day we met. When the keys fell off the table. I couldn’t figure out what I was getting from that one touch. Now it makes sense. I felt your nannites,” I explained. “Although that sounds a little dirty when I say it like that.”
She laughed. A true laugh. I hadn’t heard her do that before, not a full-on laugh. It was a good laugh, deeper than I would have suspected. I found myself chuckling with her, my stupid comment suddenly much funnier than it should have been.
“Wow, I wasn’t sure you could laugh,” I said in mock shock. She snorted and smacked my arm with a really fast backhand.
“I was raised by scientists and soldiers. I have a sense of humor. Odd, but there nonetheless.”
“Oh, so something like the Big Bang Theory crossed with Inglourious Basterds,” I replied, rubbing my arm when she turned to look out the window. Damn, that girl was strong.
“Perhaps. Now, where should I tell mother to meet us?”
“Rowan West.”
“You would bring this mess to your aunt?” she asked.
“You don’t know my aunt. She’s probably already expecting us.”
Caeco glanced my way, one eyebrow raised as she considered my answer. I turned the Beast onto my home road and headed to the restaurant.
Chapter 15 – Declan
I was right. Aunt Ashling was sitting at the kitchen table when I led Caeco in through the back door. She had three places set, with bowls of soup and fresh-baked bread at each.
Despite her awesome abilities at Divination, she was still worried. The Craft gave her the big story, but a lot of detail could fall by the wayside. She knew , from her Readings, that Caeco and I would show up, but she couldn’t know in what condition. Seeing me, she jumped up and rushed around the table to hug me. Then she spun around and hugged Caeco as well, a move that caught my genetically engineered killing machine friend completely and utterly by surprise.
Caeco stood awkwardly while Aunt Ash wrapped her in an embrace, her dark eyes looking at me a little helplessly. I just grinned and headed for a bowl of soup. Caeco’s
I thought she might get mad, but she surprised me. “Really? Some girls are like that?”
“Some? Try all,” I said, then changed subjects. “Listen, do you want to risk your home, or head straight to your mother? Who you should probably text, by the way.”
“Already texted her. She’s on her way and no, let’s skip the rental home.”
“How did you text her? You don’t have your phone anymore.”
She looked my way and then forward. Went still for a moment. Finally, a full ten-count later, she answered. “Chimeric Adaptive Enhanced Combat Operator. The Enhanced was an add-on. A separate project—nanotech stuff that came along when I was nine or so. Self-replicating nano scale machines that bind with my nervous system and feed me information. Nannites. They act as antennae, picking up cell and wireless signals. Each is like a part of a computer chip. Together, they form a pretty powerful computing and memory storage system. So I don’t really need a cell phone.”
“That’s why you didn’t need a calculator for math,” I said.
“Wait. I told you I have micro machines inside me and you think of math class?”
I reached my hand across, touching the bare skin of her left forearm lightly. The static-like spark I had felt once before was there, but this time, I was ready for it. A light hum filled my ears, although I was pretty sure it wasn’t an audible sound. A wave of feeling passed into me.
“What did you do?” she asked, jumping enough to break physical contact.
“Why do you think I’m so good with computers, Caeco? I can read them. Sense what they are doing, running, computing. Feel software conflicts and system errors. I touched you once—by accident—the day we met. When the keys fell off the table. I couldn’t figure out what I was getting from that one touch. Now it makes sense. I felt your nannites,” I explained. “Although that sounds a little dirty when I say it like that.”
She laughed. A true laugh. I hadn’t heard her do that before, not a full-on laugh. It was a good laugh, deeper than I would have suspected. I found myself chuckling with her, my stupid comment suddenly much funnier than it should have been.
“Wow, I wasn’t sure you could laugh,” I said in mock shock. She snorted and smacked my arm with a really fast backhand.
“I was raised by scientists and soldiers. I have a sense of humor. Odd, but there nonetheless.”
“Oh, so something like the Big Bang Theory crossed with Inglourious Basterds,” I replied, rubbing my arm when she turned to look out the window. Damn, that girl was strong.
“Perhaps. Now, where should I tell mother to meet us?”
“Rowan West.”
“You would bring this mess to your aunt?” she asked.
“You don’t know my aunt. She’s probably already expecting us.”
Caeco glanced my way, one eyebrow raised as she considered my answer. I turned the Beast onto my home road and headed to the restaurant.
Chapter 15 – Declan
I was right. Aunt Ashling was sitting at the kitchen table when I led Caeco in through the back door. She had three places set, with bowls of soup and fresh-baked bread at each.
Despite her awesome abilities at Divination, she was still worried. The Craft gave her the big story, but a lot of detail could fall by the wayside. She knew , from her Readings, that Caeco and I would show up, but she couldn’t know in what condition. Seeing me, she jumped up and rushed around the table to hug me. Then she spun around and hugged Caeco as well, a move that caught my genetically engineered killing machine friend completely and utterly by surprise.
Caeco stood awkwardly while Aunt Ash wrapped her in an embrace, her dark eyes looking at me a little helplessly. I just grinned and headed for a bowl of soup. Caeco’s
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