Page 7 of Breaking Ties

“Is that how they advance themselves?”

“She plays victim, and the men with her rush to ease her, including blaming those around her. When we looked nearly identical, she engaged in a lot of illegal activities and blamed me when video evidence was found, even if I could prove I was elsewhere.” She tugged at her short hair. “Now, I no longer resemble her. She can’t pretend to be anyone other than herself.”

She smiled. “My eyes changing and my height increasing are all the tools I need to find out who I am when I am not her shadow.”

Aberen nodded. “So there is a benefit for you in this. What about the odds of taking a Hmrain as mate?”

“Very likely. I will know him when I see him.”

“You don’t mind?”

Aubrey chuckled. “When my transformation is complete, I will not be fit for anyone else. It has to be one of the overseers or overlords. I would most likely break anyone else.”

Aberen blinked. “Lady?”

“When this started happening, a pulse began, and it isn’t anywhere useful.”

The being in front of her blushed a hot pumpkin. “I understand.”

“I am glad because I was already thinking of how to draw a diagram.”

Aberen made a small snorting sound and checked their wrist. “The guard is here.”

She nodded and waited in her tunic and trousers and little slippers. When Aberen opened the hatch, the pilot went out and confirmed the icon on the guards’ uniforms and then said, “Lady Aubrey, please come. They will take you where you need to be.”

Aubrey walked out of the shuttle and looked at the guards. They gasped and straightened when she looked over them.

“It has been an honour to transport you, Lady. I will be watching for news of your exploits. I get the feeling they will be notable.”

Aubrey smiled. “I certainly hope so. I have a few plans for my future.”

She nodded and left the shuttle, moving down the walkway until the guards parted, forming a living wall around her. Their bodies were grey and green, and their forearms indicated that spikes could flare out of the folded spines.

She walked along with her living wall and felt her body’s hunger rising. She was peckish. It took a lot of energy to add eight inches to an adult who was already rail thin. She must look like a stork or a skeleton that escaped a medical facility.

The guards were respectful and kept a measured distance between her and them. She had a private bubble, and when she saw the indicators for medical, she understood her first stop. More tests and hopefully equipment that the designers hadn’t tampered with.

The room became quiet as the guards parted and she came into view. The medical team walked over to her and bowed deeply. “Lady, please come with us so that we can see how far your transformation has come.”

Aubrey nodded. “Of course.”

She walked over to the scanner and settled in as they treated her like fine crystal. The scanner did its job, and when the lid rose again, every shade of skin in the room was pale. She stood straight and smiled. “So is it terminal?”

The doctor who rallied first said, “No, Lady. You are... We have not yet met one of your kind who activated on your world.”

“My kind?”

“An auditor. The designers created your kind to look through falsity and see truth. It will make all who know what you are behave as best they can.”

“Oh, teacher vibe. What’s going on with my eyes?”

“They see truth and falsity.”

“As long as they can see food, I won’t really care.”

The doctor checked the scan. “When did you last eat?”

“On the surface, shortly before I entered the shuttle. I will be hungry at ninety-minute intervals for two days.”