“We agreed that she has contacts and access that we lack,” Felsira said, still calm and collected. “We must approach the problem from multiple lines if we are to ensure success.”
“She is the Butcher,” Sapri said.
“She is the Hero,” Felsira replied.
Eva stared at her boots, hands clenched into fists. “I know who the fuck I am,” she said. “I know what I did. What is it you want from me now?”
Dr. Lucien raised a hand as if to forestall a response from the two xana. “The situation here is not as it was when you . . .” He paused, a furrow developing in his forehead. “I will explain who I am, and how I came to be involved. Perhaps this will serve as an answer to your question.”
“I’m listening,” Eva said.
Jei’s face was about as sour and surly as Sapri’s psychic projection, even as he moved to stand next to Dr. Lucien and his robo-dog, still watching Eva like she was going to lash out at any moment. Nara stood near the door, staring out through the translucent walls at the quiet night scenery outside, but Eva had no doubt she was completely aware of what was going on behind her.
“I was approached by Lashra Damaal at my laboratory on my home planet,” Dr. Lucien continued. “She desired to experiment with the Attuned here, to better serve her people, she claimed. My experience with cybernetic technology led her to believe I would be an asset to her existing team.”
“She was messing with the Attuned?” Eva asked. The people here seemed to almost revere them; she was surprised anyone would go along with something that might cause them harm.
“Initially, yes,” Dr. Lucien replied. He began to tinker with the robot dog again, as if his hands didn’t want to stay idle. “She had even compelled a change in certain laws—quite unpopular, as I understand it—to allow the work to occur. There was resistance among the local scientists, which led her to seek outside assistance.”
“And you agreed to help?” Eva’s estimation of him dropped as she reached a hand up to rub Mala’s face.
“I did not,” Dr. Lucien replied, eyes narrowing. “My cybernetic work is intended to aid disabled people and creatures, with rare exceptions. I would never operate on healthy species who cannot consent to the procedure.”
Eva glanced at Jei, noting his arm cannon, and wondered whether he was one of the rare exceptions. She’d certainly known a few humans who embraced what they called “upgrades” with all the gross baggage that entailed, as well as ones like Pink who’d lost her eye and opted for a new one that would help her a little more at work—not that she needed it, since there was plenty of other tech that did the same stuff, but she liked it and felt like having it.
“I told the Prime this, and she agreed that a change in her project’s goals would be welcome,” Dr. Lucien continued. “So I was brought here to help develop an alternative to the Attuned. An entirely robotic version that would not rely on breeding and harvesting the creatures of this planet, and would instead make use of other local resources and facilities.” He removed a component from the robot dog and peered into the cavity it left, squinting and frowning thoughtfully.
“It was all a ruse,” Sapri interjected, his psychic tone growing angrier. “An excuse for the government to develop new ways to spy on its people, as if it had not already done enough.”
Dr. Lucien nodded. “Truly. I was collaborating with multiple colleagues on this, so I did not realize the extent of the Prime’s intentions until recently.”
Vakar still smelled suspicious, but a fiery anger was starting to encroach. Eva resisted the urge to reach out and squeeze his arm for reassurance.
“Once I learned of the surveillance components, I immediately resigned,” Dr. Lucien said. “A member of the resistance contacted me and asked me to work for them instead. At first I was concerned about meddling in local affairs, but . . .” He shrugged, pinning Eva with a look. “It is important to do what is right, is it not?”
Eva forced her face to remain neutral, despite her squirming guts. “And who gets to decide what’s right or wrong?” she asked. “You? Me? Them?” She gestured at the two xana, whose huge eyes didn’t blink.
“I decide for myself and no one else,” Dr. Lucien said quietly. “But I will tell you this: freedom is important to me, and I have seen what the government here does with its people when they do not obey. It is not to be borne.”
“What does the government do?” Vakar asked.
Sapri spoke up this time. “They force Bonding. Their minds no longer belong to themselves alone, and they become yet another set of senses for the Watchers.”
Bonding. The mind-linking thing the xana did. To make them do it involuntarily, coño carajo . . . For the second time in as many hours, Eva thought of the xana in Damaal’s office. Maybe they were engaged in a different kind of surveillance entirely.
Eva could understand why Dr. Lucien might feel compelled to help. She was halfway there herself. Mala began to purr, as if to calm her, and Eva reached up absently to rub her ears.
“What about you?” Eva asked Felsira. “What’s your angle?”
“It is much the same,” Felsira replied, her psychic emanation still calm but with an undercurrent of resolve. “I lost many things to the rebellion, but the loss of my freedom has been a constant cry, as if it were my Attuned and it had been taken from me.”
Fancy talk, Eva thought. Especially since Felsira didn’t seem to have an Attuned in the first place. Given what Eva had just seen at the Storm, that probably didn’t mean a lot. The process was unpredictable at best.
She did notice that the xana called it a rebellion. Interesting.
“And you?” she asked Sapri.
“I was part of the revolution,” he said, his own emanations rippling with hurt and anger. “Many things were promised, many changes to help the people of Rilia and beyond. The previous planetary government was a rotten home-tree that had to be cut to spare the forest, but the new tree is a false one, filled with shadows.”
More fancy talk. Eva wondered if most revolutionaries were naturally poets or if she had just ended up with two of them at once.
“What about you, Nara?” Eva asked. “You’re here because you’re getting paid, I assume?”
“Claro,” Nara said, not bothering to turn around. Portuguese, but the word was the same in Spanish.
“Mx. Sumas was hired because she had prior experience here,” Dr. Lucien said, his expression suggesting he wasn’t entirely happy with the notion.
“And your amigo over there?” Eva asked, gesturing at Jei.
“I go where the doctor goes,” Jei said stiffly. His tone suggested he wasn’t interested in further questions, and frankly, that was good enough for Eva. Maybe she’d get his story later—assuming there was a later.
“All right, good talk,” Eva said, clapping and rubbing her hands together. “So now you get to explain what exactly it is you want from me. Something about contacts and access?”
There was a quiet shared conference between the xana and Dr. Lucien, mostly in psychic emanations and glances. After a few moments, Dr. Lucien returned his attention to the robot dog he was working on, Sapri fiddled with his strange box, and Felsira radiated determination.