If I give him what he wants and talk to him, he wins. If he wins, what does he win? My voice and his game.Elodie knew very well that the only reason why he wanted to hear her again was to satisfy his suspicions that she wasn’t a man.He gave me the water and the ration back for free and he doesn’t know, couldn’t know.
He doesn’t ever have to know.
Her eyes snapped open and she looked back his way. His were shut tight, his hair plastered in waves obscuring them, and his body relaxed.
Elodie gripped the cloth of her shirt and swallowed what she was going to say. It would have to wait.
Even men with crazy eyes, flashy tattoos, and possible fangs needed sleep too.
Chapter Six
***
WITHIN DAYS OF BEINGcaught, Gunner had enough power restored in his systems to spy through the cameras, leaving an indiscernible trail behind him. It wasn’t his forte, being in digital space, but he had enough knowledge to overpower outdated, non-governmental systems.
Gunner spent a fair amount of time watching the guards throughout the ship, although he quickly grew bored and his focus returned to the bridge where the main security feeds ended and a new security feed began.
The bridge was going to give him trouble.
He thrummed the currents with his own and learned what he could with what he had.
Patience was something he struggled with, and now he had a means to get what he wanted. He wanted his ship back and he wanted itnow.
He scanned the area, his eyes landing on each of the prisoners within his immediate surroundings. The world was quiet to his ears, and the heavy huffs of sleep, uncomfortable but distinct, filled them. The men were all in a state of rest, triggered from years of being programmed to relax when the lights were dim overhead.
He’d been out for three days and his body shook from being caged for that long. He had to wait—patiently—for the lead he needed.
There was a dozen camera feeds embedded in the lights of the brig, above and behind barriers he couldn’t reach physically, all placed in areas outside of the rows of cells.
His gaze settled on Ely and his attention zeroed in on his person. Gunner still couldn’t decide if Ely was a man or a woman.
Any time, Gunner could grab him, rip off his clothing and find out, but even he knew that was a terrible idea.
If he really was a she and he exposed her while in such a vulnerable space, she’d be fucked because he wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to do anything about it.My ship comes first, my gunner girls, my guns, and my AI. That’s what’s important to me.A few other thoughts came to mind, like his EPED acquisitions and the plants, animals, and monsters housed in his laboratory, but he wasn’t entirely worried about them. Not yet.
He was confident in his security systems, electronic and cybernetic.
