Sythius leans his head back. “Great. I’m just realizing how out of the loop I am. I know Solcrue systems but never really studied humans because they weren’t a threat. But now I wish I didn’t feel so lost.”
Fracture turns to him. “I can catch you up. Menace gave me a backup of his memories in case he did not survive so I could take revenge for him and operate in his place.”
“That’s cold bro,” Sythius remarks. “Titan or not.”
“It is how we continue. Menace would not have died permanently until all of us who carry his memories were gone.”
Sythius squirms and raises his eyebrows like he can’t imagine it.
I leave Fracture to catch Sythius up while I roll Menace onto his side so I can repair his back. He has three punctures that aren’t sealing. They’re too wide and deep.
“Deep breath, Menace.”
He draws in, and I dig through each slice as gently as I’m able, knowing it causes him pain. Menace’s muscles quiver like he’s fighting to not lash out. We have no numbing agents for synthskin, not that it would matter when the damage is so deep.
After reconnecting the parts I can, I squeeze some nano gel into the cavities and tape his wounds shut.
Menace grunts and shivers, so I adjust the blanket over him. “Sefi?”
I give him one last inspection for anything I missed, and then I stuff my bag under his head and curl up behind him. My body heat isn’t much next to his, but it will help him use more of his energy for healing. “Yes?”
Menace tries to look back at me, then winces and stops. “Why didn’t you just leave me when you broke free?”
“I didn’t want to.”
“But…”
“You didn’t leave me even when I was being a major pain in the ass.”
“My duty is to protect you, not the other way around. And you were assigned to guard humans, not Titans,” he defends.
I think back to seeing him on the metal panel he was strapped to and hearing his cries of agony. It wasn’t just from physical pain. Menace felt alone and forgotten, and guilt had overpowered his desire to live.
Sliding an arm around his muscled torso, I pretend like I’m checking bandages so he doesn’t question me, then I simply don’t let go. “Get used to it, Menace. Hate me if you have to. I’m going to protect you, and I’m going to care for you.”
He lets out a soft laugh, then groans.
“Easy. I’ve got my sensors tuned to the approaching path. You just focus on healing.”
He lets out a weighted breath. “If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought you and Mintaka were twins.”
“Unless her name was Sadina, Secora, or Isanora, then we’re not related.”
Menace is quiet, and I wonder if he’s drifted off to sleep.
“Menace?” I prop myself up and lean over his massive shoulder to check his eyes. They’re filled with the red light of programming code. He doesn’t respond; he just closes his eyes.
I lie down and start to pull my arm back when Menace catches my hand. He draws it around his body again, pressing it against his chest with a warm palm. It’s such a simple gesture, but it lets me know he needs the attention and likes it, even if everything about him would normally make me run in the other direction.
“Thank you, Sefi,” he whispers. “We can take back the world in the morning because of you.”
“It’s a team effort,” I say. “We humans can’t do much on our own. But together, we can achieve the impossible, like build starships, rebellions, and immortal hunks like you.”
His lungs shake with what I think is a laugh. Menace calms. “We can die, Sefi.”
“Not in a safe world. If we can give you that, you will live forever.”
“What if we don’t want that?”
