Read Online Cutlass Sharpened by Jr H. Lee Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

anyone let alone
you.”
    “ Who do I belong to
then?”
    Those words were a blow so strong no punch
could match. Renee’s anger vanished faster than Stephanie’s laugh.
The two women looked to each other and spoke without words as
people so close only could. The words were exactly those she had in
the shower. Renee decided to be truthful. “Oliver I’m sorry, but I
don’t know. Not yet anyway. You could have a family or even
friends. But until I can find out, I’ll be responsible for
you.”
    “ Oliver belongs to Renee?”
he asked.
    “ For now.” She clarified and
noticed Stephanie slip out, items in hand. “Oliver, you can tell
people your name, but don’t reference yourself. It is not a good
habit to make. People will be concerned if you talk about yourself
in the third person.”
    He cocked his bald head. Renee knew she was
going to develop a sigh habit with him as she did it again, but
couldn’t blame him. “Come sit beside me. Chair requirement. Place
within conversation distance of mine.” She said, looking up.
    The hole in the ceiling
opened again and down floated an identical, comfortable chair which
landed in the mostly empty room. He sat down and tried crossing his
legs like her, only to grimace and grab his not so tiny phallus she remembered
earlier. “It’s alright. Most men don’t cross their legs knee to
knee. This would be more comfortable for you.” She adjusted ankle
to knee and he was much more grateful. As his right arm moved, she
saw the peeking of black from the vambrace Stephanie called a
multi-tool and had an idea. “Oliver, do you know what that is on
your right arm?” he drew the sleeve back and looked at it to shake
his head. “It is extremely valuable and has near infinite uses. Do
you know how it works?” he again shook his head. “From what little
I remember, it’s connected to the wearers desires. If you want
something enough, it will create it. You must have really wanted to
understand and it took words from Deegen’s mind and gave it to you.
I’m not a patient woman and I loathe talking down to someone who
doesn’t deserve it… I can’t believe I’m considering this, but…
Oliver, I want you to want to speak better. Will yourself to make
that multi-tool help you to learn. To understand.”
    Oliver blinked and hated feeling so distant.
He wanted to have knowledge, much more than now. He needed to speak
better… to understand more complex words. To not be so lost when
everyone around could talk so fluidly and not ask oddly like he
did.
    The thing on his arm became warmer, like the
shower earlier. It didn’t do that before.
    Brain-hacker shot a thin sucker a meter long
on Renee’s head, staying momentarily longer as it absorbed a more
complex desire for its host then left her with a minor hickey dead
center of her forehead. It would dissipate minutes later. After
retracting it shot again, this time attaching to his head.
    Information downloaded through complex
synapses, mirroring Renee’s pathways and associations. He copied
all her words, sentence structure and could now understand human
emotions. His mind took and stored it all, committing everything as
if it were his all long. But he didn’t steal her memories of
people, places history, or personal experiences. Brain-hacker could
only allow its host to understand another, not copy who they
were.
    It would have resulted in an abomination.
    Renee understood what Deegen admitted earlier
as she saw her own life flash in a strange blur coupled with
dizziness and a few deep breaths later recovered. She was again
astounded to hear him say “Renee, I’m not sure I should do it again
anytime soon. My joints coupled with atrophied muscles and an
intensified migraine from learning proper Standard English has made
me require sleep. Do I have your permission to sleep so I may
assimilate all I learned and can recover?”
    She heard herself breathlessly say “Go
ahead.” while internally feeling separated from her own