“Oh, yeah, Medoral. That was a wild one!” Leroy laughed. “Ashila was just starting to fight with us. He’s a xana, they’re a species from this really far-out garden world?”
“Garilia,” Eva said. Her stomach clenched at the reminder. “Did anything else happen here or there that you remember? Anything that stood out?”
“Let me think.” Leroy’s lips pursed and his face twisted, then his eyebrows shot up. “Oh, there were the Pod Pals!”
Eva squinted, then nodded in recognition. “Oh, yeah, the Ball Buddies.” She suppressed a snicker.
“Right, those things.” Leroy grinned. “They were kind of cool. Little robots, about as big as a cat or a dog. The company that made them was doing a demonstration. They were supposed to be just like the animals from the xana homeworld—what did you say it was called?”
Eva was starting to see a shadow forming on the wall, and she didn’t like its shape. “Garilia.” Every time she said the word, it tasted more sour.
“King,” Anji said, her voice strained. “I apologize for the inconvenience, however our schedule is—”
“I know, I know,” Leroy said. He pulled Eva in for another quick hug, then released her. “I don’t know if I helped, but it was great to see you again finally. I’m glad you’re not, you know. That you didn’t . . .”
“Die at some point?” Eva laughed. “You know me. I’ve got as many lives as all our cats put together.”
“I sure hope so. Later, Captain.” He gave her one last look over the tops of his shades, his blue eyes misted with emotion, then slid them back into place. Within moments he wasn’t merely Leroy Cooper, he was The King again, and Eva was one of his fans who needed to get the hell out of the way so he could take his next holograph.
“Hasta luego, mijo,” she told Leroy. “Call me if you need me.”
The handler who had led Eva up stepped forward uncertainly and gestured for her to follow them. Eva nodded, waving as she went, and stuck her tongue out at the pink-haired woman as they passed each other. By the time she had left the room, the machinery of fandom was once again running smoothly, as if it had never been disrupted in the first place.
There was nothing smooth about Eva in that moment. She was glad there were no mirrors in the uncomfortably narrow hallway to show her how small and desmondingado she looked. But of course, there was even better.
A chipper woman in a Crash Sisters shirt appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “Would you like to purchase the holograph of your meeting with The King?” she asked, smiling broadly and poking her dimpled cheek. “We have versions available with full sensory—”
“No thanks,” Eva said. She didn’t add that she’d rather wrestle a needle-bear naked while on fire, because the woman was just doing her job; no need to be rude.
The walk down the hallway was longer than any she had taken that day, alone as she was with the minimal information Leroy had given her. No matter how hard she tried to dismiss the Garilia connection, it crept back into her thoughts like a sly cat intent on stealing attention. It could be coincidence. One more random thing, like Leroy’s presence in the two places Josh had happened to visit in a row.
With any luck, her mother would have another lead for her. Because the last thing Eva wanted to do, in any of her catlike multiple lives, was go back to Garilia.
Chapter 6
Bad Penny
Before she even made it back to the main convention area, much less to La Sirena Negra and her crew, Eva had sent a half dozen messages—to Pink and Min, to Vakar, even to her mother—with requests or instructions on what to do next. Action meant control, and control was something Eva needed, even if it was an illusion. The other thing she needed was information, because every lead so far had turned up nothing useful, and she was tired of throwing punches and hitting empty air.
Vakar was waiting for her when she walked up the ramp to the cargo bay, smelling minty as he suppressed his own anxiety. She gratefully accepted a hug from him and stood there for as long as her natural antsiness allowed, before stepping back and pinging Min that it was time to go.
“What did you find out about those robots?” Eva asked Vakar once they reached the mess, busying her hands with making coffee. Mala appeared in the doorway and sauntered over, winding her furry body around Eva’s legs and purring like a combustion engine.
Vakar stood next to her, leaning against the counter as he spoke. “The Sylfe Company is indeed based in Garilia, as you suspected. It was founded several years ago by—”
“How many?” Eva snapped, then took a deep breath and put down the spoon she was gripping like a weapon. “How many years ago was it founded?” she asked, more calmly.
“Three, by someone called Lashra Damaal.” He spoke more slowly than usual, as if he were choosing his words carefully, and his scent carried an undercurrent of concern. “She was not present for the political turmoil that occurred previously, having accepted a BOFA-funded scholarship to pursue educational opportunities off-planet at the time.”
Eva picked the spoon back up and finished tamping down the grounds in the filter basket, then filled the reservoir with water. Mala’s purring intensified, and she jumped onto the counter, butting her head against Eva’s hand as Eva tried to screw the cafetera back together.
“Are bots the only thing the Sylfe Company makes?” Eva asked.
“No. They are a government-contracted entity that also provides necessary items for the residents of the planet, such as food, medications, and durable goods.” He reached up and grabbed a cup from the cabinet, handing it to Eva.
“But the robots are what they’re pushing now? Off-planet, anyway.”
“Correct. Damaal has been traveling to various points in the universe to demonstrate them, and reportedly to secure additional funding for their production on a broader scale.”
Eva rubbed Mala’s furry head and stared at the cafetera as the water heated up, as if she could will it to boil faster. “But what does any of that have to do with Josh?” she mused aloud. “He can build robots, sure, but he was locked up by The Fridge the whole time this company was doing their thing.” Was he there for the coup? He couldn’t have been. Eva’s neck went hot and cold all at once, and she shuddered involuntarily.
“A connection is unclear, assuming one exists.” Vakar rested a hand on her shoulder, and she turned it into a sideways hug. “I will do additional research, but I . . .” He paused, and his scent shifted to add a nervous tar note.
“What, what happened?” Eva asked, her own nerves already as taut as guitar strings. Mala made an inquisitive noise as Eva stopped petting her.
Vakar hesitated a few moments before proceeding. “My superiors were pleased by our actions on Medoral, as I was able to secure useful intelligence on Fridge activities in the area. However, I am concerned that they will soon request details on my forthcoming intentions, or assign me a specific mission that will run counter to your own.”
“Right.” Until now, Eva and Pink had been more than happy to tag along with Vakar, since his bosses mostly had him doing work they wanted to do anyway: finding The Fridge and fucking with them. But sometimes he had to run off to do work on his own, especially if Eva had picked up a delivery or transport job that went nowhere near a known Fridge cell.