we are - were. He'd
be a lot better off without us. We're just a burden to him, and
keeping us alive is forcing him to hurt himself, which I doubt he's
enjoying. So let's rather not make it worse by badgering him,
okay?"
"Okay."
Estrelle shivered and rubbed her arms. "I'm cold. Aren't there any
coats in the caskets?"
"No, cybers
don't wear coats. They don't need one unless they're in a really
cold environment, but they aren't sold with coats."
"It's not part
of our standard equipment," Sabre said without opening his eyes.
"And while I would rather not have to answer so many questions,
Martis, your insinuation that I might let you two die is not only
insulting, it's extremely annoying."
"Sorry, I just
wanted to -"
"I know. But
don't use me as the reason when I'm not."
"I thought you
were getting a bit irritated with it."
"And you're so
concerned about my mental status... or is it because you think I'm
some sort of pathological killer?"
"No! I don't
think that at all, I -"
"Bullshit."
Sabre smiled. "You forget, I know when you're lying. You saw me
kill two of your cohorts, and you're downright terrified of me.
Even though you helped to free me, and you trust me to know how to
save you, you still think I might get angry enough to snap both
your necks in a... what? Fit of uncontrollable rage?"
"I... I saw
how you snapped when they were burning you the first time. It was
scary."
"Well, yeah,
they were burning me." Sabre opened his eyes. "And if you do it
again, I will break your neck, but if you think I'm going to let
you die because Estrelle's a bit too talkative, that's an insult.
Right now, you're more irritating than she is. Is that why you
claimed to trust me so quickly? Because you were afraid that if you
didn't, I'd let you die, or kill you?"
"No, I... I
knew you could save us, that's all."
"Right, you're
a host tech. A good one, I'd say, right?"
"Yeah, pretty
good."
Sabre sighed
and closed his eyes. "You're right, I do hate host techs."
"How do you
feel about control unit techs?" Estrelle asked.
"They're even
worse."
"So you hate
us both."
"That doesn't
mean I'm going to kill you."
Estrelle
shivered. "May I ask you something?"
"When did you
stop?"
"How are you
going to stop us from freezing?"
"Ah." He
smiled. "How cold are you, exactly?"
"My fingers
and nose are going numb."
"Okay." He
raised his bandaged hand and beckoned. "Come here."
Estrelle
hesitated, glancing at Martis, who averted his eyes with a frown.
She rose and approached Sabre, who looked up at her. Lowering his
hand, he patted the floor beside him.
"Sit."
She folded her
legs and sank down next to him, chafing her arms.
"You'll have
to come a bit closer,” he said. “I don't bite, in spite of what
Martis thinks, and if he wants to stay over there and sulk, he can
freeze. I'm prepared to help you two, but a little trust is
definitely called for in this situation."
"I don't think
you're a killer."
"But I am a
killer. A very efficient one. That's what I was designed to be. Ask
Martis."
Estrelle
shifted a bit closer to him, tensing when he slid his hand around
her shoulders and drew her against his chest. He was still only
clad in a pair of silk shorts, and when she put out a hand to hold
herself away, the contact with his warm skin surprised her.
"You're
hot."
"Mmmm." Sabre
leant his head against the console behind him and closed his eyes
again. "One of the many uses of a cyber: foot warmer."
"But
how...?"
"He raises his
metabolism," Martis said. "A cyber can survive without clothing for
seventy-two hours at minus thirty degrees Celsius, then he pretty
much runs out of fuel. He doesn't have to warm his skin all that
much though; he's doing it so he can keep you warm."
"Fascinating
stuff, isn't it?" Sabre asked. "And you don't want to know how they
discovered how long a cyber can survive."
"They froze
him?" Estrelle hazarded.
"I would
assume so."
"That's
horrible."
"More horrible
than designing the supercomputer that
be a lot better off without us. We're just a burden to him, and
keeping us alive is forcing him to hurt himself, which I doubt he's
enjoying. So let's rather not make it worse by badgering him,
okay?"
"Okay."
Estrelle shivered and rubbed her arms. "I'm cold. Aren't there any
coats in the caskets?"
"No, cybers
don't wear coats. They don't need one unless they're in a really
cold environment, but they aren't sold with coats."
"It's not part
of our standard equipment," Sabre said without opening his eyes.
"And while I would rather not have to answer so many questions,
Martis, your insinuation that I might let you two die is not only
insulting, it's extremely annoying."
"Sorry, I just
wanted to -"
"I know. But
don't use me as the reason when I'm not."
"I thought you
were getting a bit irritated with it."
"And you're so
concerned about my mental status... or is it because you think I'm
some sort of pathological killer?"
"No! I don't
think that at all, I -"
"Bullshit."
Sabre smiled. "You forget, I know when you're lying. You saw me
kill two of your cohorts, and you're downright terrified of me.
Even though you helped to free me, and you trust me to know how to
save you, you still think I might get angry enough to snap both
your necks in a... what? Fit of uncontrollable rage?"
"I... I saw
how you snapped when they were burning you the first time. It was
scary."
"Well, yeah,
they were burning me." Sabre opened his eyes. "And if you do it
again, I will break your neck, but if you think I'm going to let
you die because Estrelle's a bit too talkative, that's an insult.
Right now, you're more irritating than she is. Is that why you
claimed to trust me so quickly? Because you were afraid that if you
didn't, I'd let you die, or kill you?"
"No, I... I
knew you could save us, that's all."
"Right, you're
a host tech. A good one, I'd say, right?"
"Yeah, pretty
good."
Sabre sighed
and closed his eyes. "You're right, I do hate host techs."
"How do you
feel about control unit techs?" Estrelle asked.
"They're even
worse."
"So you hate
us both."
"That doesn't
mean I'm going to kill you."
Estrelle
shivered. "May I ask you something?"
"When did you
stop?"
"How are you
going to stop us from freezing?"
"Ah." He
smiled. "How cold are you, exactly?"
"My fingers
and nose are going numb."
"Okay." He
raised his bandaged hand and beckoned. "Come here."
Estrelle
hesitated, glancing at Martis, who averted his eyes with a frown.
She rose and approached Sabre, who looked up at her. Lowering his
hand, he patted the floor beside him.
"Sit."
She folded her
legs and sank down next to him, chafing her arms.
"You'll have
to come a bit closer,” he said. “I don't bite, in spite of what
Martis thinks, and if he wants to stay over there and sulk, he can
freeze. I'm prepared to help you two, but a little trust is
definitely called for in this situation."
"I don't think
you're a killer."
"But I am a
killer. A very efficient one. That's what I was designed to be. Ask
Martis."
Estrelle
shifted a bit closer to him, tensing when he slid his hand around
her shoulders and drew her against his chest. He was still only
clad in a pair of silk shorts, and when she put out a hand to hold
herself away, the contact with his warm skin surprised her.
"You're
hot."
"Mmmm." Sabre
leant his head against the console behind him and closed his eyes
again. "One of the many uses of a cyber: foot warmer."
"But
how...?"
"He raises his
metabolism," Martis said. "A cyber can survive without clothing for
seventy-two hours at minus thirty degrees Celsius, then he pretty
much runs out of fuel. He doesn't have to warm his skin all that
much though; he's doing it so he can keep you warm."
"Fascinating
stuff, isn't it?" Sabre asked. "And you don't want to know how they
discovered how long a cyber can survive."
"They froze
him?" Estrelle hazarded.
"I would
assume so."
"That's
horrible."
"More horrible
than designing the supercomputer that
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