in his spilled wine! What would you do?”
“You stole her from her mother,” Mache snarled. “That’s much better.”
“Death stole her mother before I even had the chance to steal the child,” the CEO spat. “Even as I slit the deceitful wretch’s throat, she breathed her last to give Valeria life. Valeria is more my daughter than the children I birthed with my own sweat and tears.”
“And locking her in a dirigible for her entire life?” Mache snapped. If he could keep her talking as they ascended the staircase he stood a chance of making a jump kick and getting back into the still-open vent. Once there, he could crawl up to the next level, out, and grab the airfoil. She was too tall to follow him easily; he could beat her to the hanger, and then look for Valeria. She had to be alive. He couldn’t believe she was dead.
“For her own protection.” The CEO said. “She is too valuable, too precious. Her mind needed time to expand.”
“She’s a human being. She needed people.”
“She’s a genius,” the CEO scoffed. “As am I. We are beyond humans.”
Mache’s foot finally found the next step as her weight began to shift up to follow him. With a shout, Mache pushed off and leapt into the air, extending the heels of his boots toward her face, arms out to brace once he connected.
Only he didn’t. In one smooth move the CEO dipped, arms extending out and claws of her left hand raking his legs. Her fingers grappled, grasped and held, swinging Mache around her body with a grunt and slamming him into the wall beside them and then into the floor chest first.
Mache lost his breath, stars bursting through his vision. Survival instinct kicked in. He kicked, burying fingers into the grating in front of him for purchase and scrabbling to get away from the finely tuned death machine at his back.
She didn’t allow him to get far, grabbing his legs and twisting harshly. His fingers cracked. Mache gasped and shouted, writhing with greater desperation. She dropped him again, this time on his back, and stepped on his chest. He struggled, but with his fingers still tangled hopelessly in the grating, his arms were effectively bound. He could only kick at her.
The CEO leaned down, grinning at him. “Ah, boy,” she said, and reached out, caressing his face with her golden claws. “She loved you, you know.”
Mache groaned as she ground her heel into his chest. “Shut up.”
“I was amazed,” she said, and drew one of the scalpels off of her belt, kneeling on his shoulder as she inspected his hands for a moment. Once content, she busied herself cutting strips from his shirt. “She actually begged for you. Her life for yours, her eternal servitude for your life, a never-ending stream of fabulous inventions in return for your shelter with her.” She chuckled and slashed off a long strip, using it to tie down his hands.
“It was working,” he growled, “You could have taken it. She was happy!”
The CEO chuckled and rose. “Oh, she was. She wouldn’t have been for long though. A man softens a woman, tenderizes her with love and offers of comfort.” She stepped on his hand. Mache gasped as bone cracked and shattered further.
“Besides. Her work wasn’t the point. I admit she was useful. However, in the end it was I who built this company, and it is I whom this company relies on.” She stepped on the other hand. Mache couldn’t hold back a scream. “The point was she lied to me.”
Mache panted as she prodded at his wrist as if to be certain it was fully broken. “I dislike liars,” she said. “I dislike lies. Lies kill. Lies hurt. More importantly, lies kill others, hurt others. I merely make certain when lies are discovered, they hurt the right people.”
She lay out a wad of shirt on either side of his head and then inspected the point of one of her utensils. Satisfied, she knelt on his chest. To his horror, she was smiling. Her clawed fingers rose even with his eyes, the points so close
“You stole her from her mother,” Mache snarled. “That’s much better.”
“Death stole her mother before I even had the chance to steal the child,” the CEO spat. “Even as I slit the deceitful wretch’s throat, she breathed her last to give Valeria life. Valeria is more my daughter than the children I birthed with my own sweat and tears.”
“And locking her in a dirigible for her entire life?” Mache snapped. If he could keep her talking as they ascended the staircase he stood a chance of making a jump kick and getting back into the still-open vent. Once there, he could crawl up to the next level, out, and grab the airfoil. She was too tall to follow him easily; he could beat her to the hanger, and then look for Valeria. She had to be alive. He couldn’t believe she was dead.
“For her own protection.” The CEO said. “She is too valuable, too precious. Her mind needed time to expand.”
“She’s a human being. She needed people.”
“She’s a genius,” the CEO scoffed. “As am I. We are beyond humans.”
Mache’s foot finally found the next step as her weight began to shift up to follow him. With a shout, Mache pushed off and leapt into the air, extending the heels of his boots toward her face, arms out to brace once he connected.
Only he didn’t. In one smooth move the CEO dipped, arms extending out and claws of her left hand raking his legs. Her fingers grappled, grasped and held, swinging Mache around her body with a grunt and slamming him into the wall beside them and then into the floor chest first.
Mache lost his breath, stars bursting through his vision. Survival instinct kicked in. He kicked, burying fingers into the grating in front of him for purchase and scrabbling to get away from the finely tuned death machine at his back.
She didn’t allow him to get far, grabbing his legs and twisting harshly. His fingers cracked. Mache gasped and shouted, writhing with greater desperation. She dropped him again, this time on his back, and stepped on his chest. He struggled, but with his fingers still tangled hopelessly in the grating, his arms were effectively bound. He could only kick at her.
The CEO leaned down, grinning at him. “Ah, boy,” she said, and reached out, caressing his face with her golden claws. “She loved you, you know.”
Mache groaned as she ground her heel into his chest. “Shut up.”
“I was amazed,” she said, and drew one of the scalpels off of her belt, kneeling on his shoulder as she inspected his hands for a moment. Once content, she busied herself cutting strips from his shirt. “She actually begged for you. Her life for yours, her eternal servitude for your life, a never-ending stream of fabulous inventions in return for your shelter with her.” She chuckled and slashed off a long strip, using it to tie down his hands.
“It was working,” he growled, “You could have taken it. She was happy!”
The CEO chuckled and rose. “Oh, she was. She wouldn’t have been for long though. A man softens a woman, tenderizes her with love and offers of comfort.” She stepped on his hand. Mache gasped as bone cracked and shattered further.
“Besides. Her work wasn’t the point. I admit she was useful. However, in the end it was I who built this company, and it is I whom this company relies on.” She stepped on the other hand. Mache couldn’t hold back a scream. “The point was she lied to me.”
Mache panted as she prodded at his wrist as if to be certain it was fully broken. “I dislike liars,” she said. “I dislike lies. Lies kill. Lies hurt. More importantly, lies kill others, hurt others. I merely make certain when lies are discovered, they hurt the right people.”
She lay out a wad of shirt on either side of his head and then inspected the point of one of her utensils. Satisfied, she knelt on his chest. To his horror, she was smiling. Her clawed fingers rose even with his eyes, the points so close
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