Chapter 38 - Masked Allegiances

  “…I think I need an adult,” Darius said, cautiously taking a few steps back.

  The room erupted into a mix of laughter and snickers, the tension from moments earlier dissolving as the two cells settled into a more relaxed atmosphere. Three gave him a playful nudge on the arm.

  “Relax, kid, your virtue is safe.”

  Darius eyed them warily. “You say that like it explains why you greeted me like you were a high school drama teacher on caffeine. And don’t call me kid,” he tacked on, annoyed.

  “But you’re a newbie, all bright-eyed and curious,” Two pointed out, amused, “just like a kid.”

  Darius scowled, then scowled harder when he realised they couldn’t even see his irritated expression.

  “Alright, give him a break,” Harlan interjected, sounding just as amused. Darius had a moment to feel begrudgingly grateful before the older man continued. “After all, he hasn’t had his nap and juice box yet; he’ll be grumpy.”

  “Alright, I see how it is,” Darius said, throwing his hands up in disgust. “I’ll just go and sit by myself then, shall I?”

  Everyone laughed as he mock stormed off, and he leaned back against the wall with a sigh of relief, away from the conversation. He’d never much gotten the hang of ‘chatting’, especially with strangers. Unfortunately, Contact apparently decided he looked lonely and wandered over to him.

  “Hiding away, are we? Typical,” the man asked, amusement clear even through the voice changer.

  Darius tilted his head in confusion. He’d noticed it before but thought he might have been imagining things – the man seemed familiar somehow. He couldn’t see the man’s face, of course, and his voice was distorted, but something about the way he moved, or his word choice…

  It clicked.

  “Finn!?” he hissed, surprised.

  “Woah, hey,” Finn responded quickly, throwing a glance back at the others. “No names, man. What, do you think we’re all wearing masks because it’s fun?”

  “Sorry,” Darius replied, raising his hands apologetically before leaning in. “But, dude. What the hell? What are you doing here?”

  Finn leaned against the wall beside him. “How did you think I got involved with the Freeholders in the first place? There’s a reason Voss liked me well enough to accept you even though you were suspicious as hell. I’m a Contact, a middleman.”

  Darius observed him for a second. “I’m offended you never bothered to tell me you were moonlighting as some kind of super-spy,” he said lightly, though he was only half-joking. “What happened to being my slightly lazy, occasionally hungover boss?”

  They’d had a brief chance to catch up at the Freeholder’s base before they’d scattered into separate cells, but they hadn’t really addressed how Finn had been lying the whole time they’d been friends.

  Finn straightened, crossing his arms. “First off, it’s called multitasking. Second, this isn’t exactly public knowledge, so maybe don’t go shouting it to the whole room?”

  “Oops,” Darius winced, having forgotten they weren’t supposed to talk about any personal details. Fortunately, none of the others seemed to be paying attention to their discussion. “My bad. Still getting used to this stuff.”

  There was a moment of awkward silence before Darius broke it again. “So… how was your date?” he asked, in search of something to talk about.

  Finn groaned, reaching up to rub the mask where his forehead would be. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

  “It’s part of my charm,” Darius smirked, feeling more comfortable ragging on his friend. “So what was she like? Were you all ‘Oh, I’m a rugged, mysterious rebel leader’?”

  Finn shot him an exasperated look that Darius could read straight through his mask. “Of course not,” he drawled, “because I have this little thing called ‘discretion’. You might have heard of it?”

  “Sounds boring.”

  “Why do I even bother?” Finn sighed mockingly. “Besides, it was more… reconnaissance than an actual date.”

  “Oh? Is that what you kids are calling it these days?” Darius ribbed.

  Finn shot him an irritated look. “I’m older than you, moron. And even if I wasn’t, I’m way more mature. And I wasn’t joking – I was having drinks with an Imperial Lieutenant who’s been assigned to hunt you down.”

  Darius blinked. “Sorry, what?”

  “Yeah, she’s been interviewing everyone at the yard over the last few weeks,” Finn shrugged. “Didn’t get much, of course – who knew your anti-social tendencies would come in handy?”

  “And… how did this end up with you dating her?” Darius asked, full of questions.

  “We had drinks, Darius. That doesn’t mean we’re dating,” Finn sighed. “As for how… well, the easiest way to avoid looking guilty is to act confident – and nothing says confident like flirting with the woman who’s trying to interrogate you.”

  Darius eyed his friend with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t know you had it in you,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen you flirt before. You’ve certainly never dated.”

  “Not exactly easy to start a relationship when I’m involved in all this,” Finn said quietly, gesturing at the room around them.

  Darius gave him a long look, weighing his friend’s words. “Well,” he said eventually, “I guess that explains why you never bothered to tell me about all this. You’re used to keeping things close to the chest.”

  Finn tilted his head in acknowledgment but didn’t respond, his mask concealing whatever expression he wore. After a beat, he turned slightly, leaning one shoulder against the wall. “So… what’s this ‘development’ you were calling about the other day?” he asked, pointedly changing the subject.

  “Ah. Yes, that,” Darius hesitated. “I… actually don’t want to tell you anymore. You’ll just yell at me.”

  Finn blinked. “Okay, but now I’m going to yell at you if you don’t tell me.”

  “Yeah, but you’ll yell way more if I do tell you.”

  “Darius. What did you do.”

  Darius glanced around to ensure no one was listening before leaning in. “The Freeholders know about Echo now,” he said, his voice low.

  Finn looked up sharply.

  “Yeah, I know, not ideal,” Darius said, raising his hands to forestall any response. “Didn’t have much of a choice. Found out that there’s this Imperial Agent who’s put a bounty on my head. Veya – you know, from the yard? – came up to Lena and I in a bar. Harlan was starting to get suspicious, and, well…” Darius trailed off with an attempt at a nonchalant shrug. “I got the feeling he was starting to think I was more trouble than I was worth. Needed to give him an explanation.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Finn hissed under his breath. “Do they know everything?”

  “Pretty much, yeah.”

  Finn groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Do you exist only to make my life difficult?” he asked rhetorically before refocusing. “At least tell me they don’t know about your… time limit,” he said, gesturing vaguely at Darius’s head.

  “No, they don’t know that. I did tell them that Echo wants a body, and they’ve been helping me build it. It’s almost finished now – just waiting on the processor core.” Darius said, poorly resisting the urge to brag a bit. “You should see it; it’s pretty awesome.”

  Finn’s deadpan look told him that his friend wasn’t looking to be impressed.

  “Okay, why are you looking at me like someone just told you your favourite bar stopped serving drinks? This is a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, sure not ideal that they know about Echo, but they’ve been helping, which is good, right?”

  Finn sighed, leaning more heavily against the wall. “Because it’s not as simple as ‘Hey, look, the Freeholders are helping.’ Nothing’s free, you know that – and I wouldn’t trust Voss to babysit a houseplant, let alone you and Echo.”

  Darius raised an eyebrow. “Ignoring that ‘babysitting’ comment, for now, you seem to get along fine with them. You’re here, aren’t you?”

  Finn tilted his head slightly, an edge creeping into his voice. “I agree with the message. The Empire needs to be stopped—if not toppled, then at least made to bleed for the way they’ve bled the rest of us dry. But agreeing with the cause doesn’t mean I like all the people involved or the methods they use to achieve it.”

  “Voss?” Darius asked, already guessing the answer.

  “Voss,” Finn confirmed grimly. “She’s a cold woman, Darius. Efficient. Effective. And she’s willing to burn through whoever or whatever gets in her way. That includes you, and definitely includes Echo. Don’t kid yourself into thinking she sees either of you as anything other than tools. Assets. And she’ll use you until there’s nothing left to use.”

  Darius leaned back, the weight of Finn’s words settling over him. He crossed his arms, staring down at the scuffed floor. “I figured she wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, but…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

  Finn’s voice softened slightly. “She’s what the Freeholders need. That’s the problem. She’ll chew you up and spit you out in the name of the cause, and it won’t bother her for a second. It’s not personal. It’s just who she is.”

  “And you thought these were good people to help me lay low?” Darius’s voice was just shy of accusing.

  “Under normal circumstances? Yes.” Finn held his gaze for a moment before dropping it. “If it weren’t for the whole ‘Echo’ thing, you could have laid low for a few weeks with them and left without any troubles. They might have wanted you to help out a little here or there, but it wouldn’t have been anything major.”

  “But Echo meant that the Empire escalated faster than anyone could expect,” Darius finished for him.

  “Exactly.”

  It was… not a comfort, exactly, but it was a bit of a relief. In hindsight, the reason Darius had been reluctant to contact Finn was simply because his trust in his friend had taken a hit. Hardly surprising – learning that someone who he considered his closest friend was secretly working for a rebellion for who knows how long, and had never mentioned it, never even hinted at it?

  Well, who knows what else a man like that could be hiding.

  Even with all that said, Darius couldn’t entirely blame the man. It was a hard realisation to come to, but Darius was beginning to realise that he wasn’t the most… reliable of people. Perhaps it was poetic irony that he was only making the connection now, when he had no one to fully rely on.

  And with a secret as important as the one that Finn had been harbouring, Darius couldn’t fully blame him for not confiding in an unreliable man. That didn’t absolve his friend of his actions, of course, but it provided… context.

  Darius considered his friend for a long moment, trying to decide if he was willing to trust him.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he said quietly.

  Finn raised an eyebrow behind the mask. “That’s always dangerous.”

  “You’re hilarious. But seriously, I’ve been wondering…” Darius hesitated before switching gears. “Well, there’s not much holding me down here. I mean, once the whole thing with Echo gets sorted out. And I’ve always sort of wanted to travel a bit…”

  Finn picked up on what he was implying immediately. “I think that’s a great idea,” he said.

  “I… really?” Darius asked, startled.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Finn replied, just as confused. “You’ve been stuck in this dump for years, Darius. You’ve got skills, even if you pretend not to. And honestly, you’ve been looking worn down since the day I met you. This whole mess with Echo? Sure, it’s dangerous, but it’s also the most proactive I’ve seen you in… ever. I think it’s good for you.”

  Darius blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness of Finn’s words. “Worn down? You make me sound like an old mining rig,” he said, trying to deflect with humour.

  Finn didn’t bite. “You know what I mean. You’ve spent years letting the Empire squeeze you dry, keeping your head down, taking scraps when you could be taking charge. Echo showing up gave you a reason to fight for something. Even if it’s just for yourself.”

  Darius frowned, mulling it over. As much as he hated to admit it, Finn wasn’t wrong. “Maybe you’ve got a point,” he muttered. “Doesn’t mean running is going to be easy. Voss doesn’t seem like the type to take kindly to people bailing on her plans.”

  Finn snorted. “You’re right about that. If Voss sees value in you, she’s not going to let you just walk away. But here’s the thing—if you leave clean, don’t cause a fuss, she might let you go. She’s practical. If keeping you around creates more trouble than it’s worth, she’ll cut you loose. Probably won’t even spare you a second thought.”

  “‘Leave clean,’ huh?” Darius said sceptically. “And how exactly do I pull that off when she knows I’ve got Echo? Like you said, nothing is ever free, and right now I reckon they’ve sunk some serious resources into Echo’s frame. They’re gonna want a return on investment there.”

  Finn winced. “That… could be a problem,” he admitted.

  They thought about the matter in silence for a moment.

  “Alright, clearly, this is going to be more complicated than just hopping on a ship and riding off into the sunset,” Finn said finally. “So let’s focus on the stuff we can control. Did you have a method of getting off planet in mind?”

  Darius shrugged. “Sort of. Echo and I have talked it over, and we reckon my best bet is to steal a personal ship and make a run for it.”

  Finn raised an eyebrow. “That’s… not exactly going to be easy, you know? I mean, hell, you’ve worked on ships, you know the kind of security… oh.”

  Darius smirked. “Yeah. Oh. Having an AI on my side is pretty cool, huh?”

  Finn grumbled. “If you can trust it not to ditch you the second it has a body,” he pointed out.

  Darius shrugged again. “Well, not much I can do about that, is there? Plus, I trust him – even if only because he’s going to need a way off-planet himself.”

  Finn eyed him cautiously. “You know…” he started, before trailing off.

  “I know…?”

  “It’s just… you really trust this thing, Darius?” Finn asked. “Not for nothing, but you’ve changed quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good changes as far as I’m concerned, but… it’s quick, you know?”

  Darius sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not wrong. There’s… something you should probably know about that.”

  Finn leaned against the wall warily, clearly picking up on Darius’s tense body language.

  Darius hesitated. “The nanite matrix Echo’s using to stay connected? It’s not just adapting to me. I’m… adapting to it. There’s bleed-through. Echo’s personality is getting more human, and I—well, I’m picking up things from him, too.”

  Finn straightened. “What do you mean, picking things up? Be specific.”

  Darius grimaced. “Complex engineering stuff, for one. I’ve built plenty of things before—repair jobs, patchwork fixes—but Echo’s frame? That’s advanced tech. Weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been able to wrap my head around half the designs, even if someone explained them step by step. But now… it’s like I can see how it all fits together. And not just the frame. Systems, connections—stuff I couldn’t even name properly before.”

  Finn stared at him, his mask unable to hide the rigidity in his posture. His voice, distorted but edged with alarm, came low and sharp. “And you’re only telling me this now?”

  “What was I supposed to say?” Darius shot back, defensive. “Hey, Finn, my brain’s turning into something it wasn’t a week ago? I already told you I was operating under a time limit, it’s just that… it’s not all at once. There are side effects along the way.”

  Finn stared at him, his breathing heavy. “There’s gotta be something else. Some way to—”

  “There isn’t,” Darius cut in. “The only way to stop this is to get Echo out. And the only way to do that is to finish his frame. Which means we need that raid on the garrison to work. It’s the only shot we’ve got.”

  Finn threw his hands up and turned away, pacing the small space. “This is insane,” he muttered, more to himself than Darius. “You’re acting like this is normal. Like we’re just having a chat about swapping out a bad engine. But this is your brain, Darius. Your head. You screw this up, and you don’t get a second chance.”

  “I know!” Darius snapped, his voice harsher than he intended. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “You think I don’t know how dangerous this is? Every time I feel like I’ve got a grip on this, something new pops up. But what else can I do? If Echo stays in here much longer, there’s no telling what’ll happen to either of us. So yeah, it’s a bad plan. But it’s the only one we’ve got.”

  Finn stared at him in the eye for a long moment before cursing viciously enough to attract attention from the two cells chatting in the middle of the room. Darius waved them off, and after a few seconds they returned to their conversation, though not without a few glances tossed his way.

  Finn stopped pacing, turning back to face him. “This raid… it has to work.”

  “Yeah,” Darius said simply.

  Finn hesitated. “Is it… does it… hurt?”

  Darius smiled sardonically, though the expression was hidden by his mask. “I don’t feel a thing. Wouldn’t even notice a difference if I wasn’t looking for one. And the worst part? The worst part is that half of me is wondering if it’s such a bad thing.”