Human Bait

Chapter 52: Fennikk Wouldn't Lie

After too few kisses in too much clothing, we made our way to the cafeteria.

Though I knew we were in more danger than ever, Rekkan's presence calmed me. When the three lab experts shot me overly cheery smiles, Rekkan threaded his fingers through mine. When Mekkar plunked into his chair with a huff and a distant glare, Rekkan redirected my too-obvious attention by handing me the platter of sausages. And when Zhina and Ivogg's seats remained empty, Rekkan murmured an assurance.

"It's fine. Eat now, and we'll find her after lunch."

Mekkar tapped his fork against the table, grimacing at the plate of food in front of him. "This is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Are we in a refuge or a junkyard?"

My eyes flicked down to his plate of steaming sausage and colorful veggie hash and back up to his face. "You don't like the food?"

He clucked his tongue. "I'm talking about the flies. Fucking flies, just like the Noble Forces Headquarters. They drive me crazy!"

I swung a glance around the room. The air duct overhead hummed pleasantly beneath the merry chatter. "What flies?"

He jabbed a finger in my direction. "I've seen several. If I hadn't brought my fly-swatter, my whole room would probably be infested by now. I swear, if I see one more fly, I'm going to burn this place down."

Rekkan rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised you never burned the house down when I lived with you."

Mekkar's eyes met his nephew's, and his grimace vanished. "You remember what I did whenever a fly came into the house?"

Rekkan nodded. "You ducked your head and ran out the door, screaming at Serigg to kill it."

"Indeed, I did. You certainly remember—" His eyes caught on the nearest wall, and his voice cut off with a gulp. "Fuck, is that a fly? There's a fly here in the cafeteria, where people are eating!"

I squinted at the black spot in question. "I'm not sure if that's a—"

"Excuse me." Mekkar clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling his voice. "I'm feeling a bit ill." He shot up from his chair and scurried out of the room.

I glanced at Rekkan. "Huh. What is wrong with him?" Is he a threat?

He shrugged. "He might have a nasty flu, but I don't think it will spread to us as long as we keep some distance."

I blinked, but the little jerk of his shoulders and casual stir of his food confirmed my suspicions. He was answering the question I didn't quite ask: if Mekkar was the Head Chef, he would not harm me or Rekkan unless he had to.

Despite the tension and danger, I couldn't help smiling. Not good at people, my ass. That was fucking suave.

And it felt so good to work together again.

I deliberated how to respond in an equally suave manner, but approaching footsteps and giggles distracted me. Children swarmed our table — Fennikk, Razalu, and several others I trained on the climbing wall.

A tiny Northerner, Pakket, tugged on my sleeve. Cowlicks covered his head like a yellow shag rug. "Mister Zafaru, are you going to teach us more about climbing tonight?"

I had been hoping to spend the Mingling Hour hunting down the Head Chef, but I couldn't bring myself to refuse him outright. "Maybe for a little bit," I told the small boy.

Pakket grinned. "Nice!" The sibilance whistled through his missing two front teeth. "I'm going to make it off the ground this time, for sure!"

An adolescent Southie, Kazap, jabbed a finger toward Rekkan's back. "Hey, that's the bionic man! Mister Rekkan, can we ask you some questions, sir?"

Rekkan's fork froze on the way to his mouth, and he shot me a wide-eyed glance. "Zaf, do something."

"Yep, you can ask him," I told the children.

Rekkan glowered. "That is not what I meant."

Kazap shuffled right and craned his neck to see Rekkan's face better. "Mister Rekkan, Fennikk told us about her superarm, and we are a little skeptical about some of the details. We just wanted to confirm with you."

Fennikk chewed on a fingernail. "I'm sure Mister Rekkan is busy..."

Kazap tilted his head. "You're saying that because you lied to us, right? Because your arm isn't really as special as you said."

Razalu scowled. "Fennikk wouldn't lie."

Fennikk breathed an almost-laugh, sounding more off-balance than I had ever heard her before. "I didn't... lie, exactly. I just..."

"Just what?" said Kazap.

Rekkan dropped his fork and turned to face the children. "I'm not busy."

Pakket pressed closer. "Is it true a bionic limb is one hundred times more stronger than a normal one?"

"Uh..." Rekkan raised eyebrows at Fennikk, who took great interest in her fingernail.

"And can bionic limbs really punch through a wall?" said Kazap.

Fennikk's cheeks flushed pink, and her head dipped lower.

Other children joined in. "Is it true you can repel fire?"

"Shoot lasers?"

"Crush boulders?"

"Catch lightning?"

A dozen bright eyes fixed on Rekkan. He eyed Fennikk. She studied the ground, shoulders sinking a little more with each second of silence.

Then Rekkan said, "Yep. It's all true."

And he swiveled back toward his food.

After a moment of stunned silence — with Fennikk even more surprised than the rest — the children retreated with whoops and exclamations. Pakket tripped over his own feet in his excitement, and Razalu blocked admirers who pushed too close to Fennikk.

I smirked at Rekkan. "It's true, huh?"

He stabbed a sausage on his plate. "Yep."

"You never showed me."

"You never asked."

"I should ask for more."

His lips closed over the end of the sausage for just a second before he popped it in his mouth. Through the mouthful, he said, "You probably should."

I stared at him for two breathless seconds before dropping my eyes to the hash on my plate. None of the food looked as appealing as the images racing through my mind. I tugged at the collar of my shirt to alleviate the heat engulfing me.

"Maybe we should find some time today to, uh... you know..."

A plump form plopped into the seat two over from me. Zhina heaped a pile of hash onto her plate and jabbed a piece of sausage, smiling. "A lovely day, isn't it?"

I considered scooting into the chair beside her, but Rekkan's hand clamped over my knee. Instead, I shot a wary glance at the chattering lab experts and leaned toward Zhina. "Did you make any progress in the lab?"

"Oh, yes." She gulped the sausage like a bird with a worm. "Lots of progress."

"So you figured out what's wrong with Lekk, Bokk, Megg, and Bezan?"

Green eyes fixed on me in perfect circles. "What do you mean, what's wrong?"

Muscles tightened down my back, locking my spine rigid. "The so-called allergic reaction, and the strange behavior. You called it no better than the Implant."

"Did I?" She scratched her head. "That doesn't sound like me."

I opened my mouth to speak again, but Rekkan squeezed my knee and shook his head, eyes on Zhina. She withdrew her hand from her head.

And a clump of black hair curled around her purple-speckled fingers.