Hayden glanced back as Vazquez emerged. “My pilot,” he replied. “She’s—”

  “Gorgeous,” Lincoln said.

  “Married,” Hayden added.

  Lincoln laughed. “Damn.”

  “Maya, this is Lincoln. Lincoln, Maya.”

  “A pleasure,” Lincoln said.

  Vazquez nodded. “Sheriff, I’m beat. You said you had a place for me to crash?”

  “Cassius over there will take care of you. He owns the hotel up the street. Fairy, why don’t you take Zorro up to Cass’ stable while Marcus and I go pay Halston a visit.”

  “Pozz, Sheriff Duke,” Fairy replied, heading for the open back ramp of the Osprey. Vazquez had already broken away from him, going over to talk to Cassius.

  “Is that what brings you here, Sheriff?” Lincoln asked. “I see your friend could use a new arm.”

  “Pozz. That’s the main reason we’re here. That and Zorro. I need you to look after him again for a few days.”

  “I’m sure it’s no problem. Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “I did.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “It could go either way.”

  Lincoln motioned to one of the cars. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride over to Halston’s.”

  Hayden and Marcus followed him to the car, a long unmodified vehicle with a rust-eaten chassis and decaying interior. They both sat in the back while Lincoln got behind the wheel.

  “So, Marcus,” he said as he started the car and slowly pulled it away from the rest of the group. “How’d you lose your arm?”

  “I challenged Sheriff Duke to a duel.”

  Lincoln swiveled his head to look back at them. “Wait. You’re the guy who almost killed the Sheriff?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And now you’re what? Best friends?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. But we have a shared goal.”

  “Which is?”

  “It’s a long story,” Hayden said. “The important part is that Marcus isn’t trying to kill me anymore.”

  “That’s progress, I guess,” Lincoln said with a laugh.

  “How are things here?”

  “Better than they’ve been in a while, thanks to you, Sheriff. We’re still getting migrants coming downriver, but more of them are sticking around Natch City or heading out to Arcadia. Jackie’s offering land and education to anyone interested in farming, and we’ve negotiated contracts to trade excess produce to Ruger in exchange for considerations on the stuff coming out of the factories. Really, I think if the Custodians had worked out the deal to begin with we could have avoided a lot of bloodshed and come to the same outcome.”

  “That’s usually how it works,” Hayden said. “Some folks would rather kill than compromise.” He glanced over at Marcus, hoping the kid might pick up on that lesson too.

  “Tell me about it. Anyway, it’s settled now, and everybody’s happy with the end result. It’s just a shame innocent folks had to die in the meantime.” Lincoln raised his right hand, pointing out the windshield. “What do you think of our newest guard, Sheriff?”

  They were approaching the bridge across the Mississippi that separated Natch City from Miss Lou. A large, familiar shape straddled the road ahead of the crossing, it’s head swiveling slightly to scan the approaching vehicle.

  “What is that?” Marcus asked, leaning forward to get a better look.

  “It’s a prototype USSF bot,” Hayden replied. “They called it a Spider. I guess Halston got it working again.”

  “And then some,” Lincoln said. “I don’t know how Halston does it. He reprogrammed the thing to recognize authorized personnel without intervention. It knows the face of every resident on both sides of the river.”

  “So why is it blocking the bridge?” Hayden asked.

  “It’s not blocking it. That’s the midpoint between the two settlements. We also set up a radio relay that reaches from the far side of Miss Lou to the east side of Arcadia. If there’s trouble anywhere within the defensive perimeter, Halston can deploy the Spider right to the location.”

  “You’ve been busy since I left.”

  “Just trying to keep our people safe,” Lincoln replied. “Things with Ruger are good right now, but we don’t want to rely on him for our protection forever. Between you and me, I still don’t completely trust him.”

  “Better safe than sorry,” Hayden replied. He wasn’t going to say it out loud, but he didn’t completely trust Ruger either.

  The Spider remained static as Lincoln drove beneath it and onto the bridge. The checkpoint on the Miss Lou side had been removed, offering clear passage between the two settlements. An assortment of residents were crossing in both directions, and they waved at Lincoln as he drove past.

  They reached the other side of the river, riding another half klick before stopping in front of Halston’s shop. Hayden, Marcus and Lincoln got out of the car.

  “I guess I went the wrong direction when I left Houston,” Marcus said, staring through the window of the shop to the replacement limbs inside.

  “That’s all behind us now,” Hayden replied. “Learn from your mistakes, but keep looking forward.”

  “Good advice,” Lincoln said, opening the door to the shop and waving Hayden and Marcus through.

  Halston wasn’t in the front of the shop, but it only took a few seconds before a small robot rolled out from the back room, tilting back to settle the camera mounted to it on Hayden’s face.

  “Sheriff Duke!” Halston said excitedly through the bot’s tinny speaker. “Har! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. I’m in the shop. Come on back.”

  “I’ve got to get back to business, Sheriff,” Lincoln said. “I’m sure you can take things from here?”

  “Pozz. Thanks for the ride over.”

  “Anytime. If you need anything else, just stop by the store. Mattie knows how to reach me. And if I don’t see you again before you go, good luck out there, Sheriff.”

  “Much obliged, Linc,” Hayden replied, tipping his hat. “Marcus, this way.”

  He led Marcus past the counter into the rear of the shop, down the hallway to the garage in the rear. Halston faced away from him when he entered, his pants low over his hips, the crack of his rear visible as he hunched over a large mechanical arm, doing something with the wires inside. Hayden recognized the appendage immediately. It belonged to the Brute.

  “Halston, your ass is showing,” Hayden said.

  Halston straightened up, hiking his pants as he turned around. “That’s why I usually wear coveralls. Har! Har! Good to see you again, Sheriff. Who's your little friend?”

  “Little?” Marcus said.

  “This is Marcus,” Hayden replied.

  “Marcus,” Halston repeated. “Well, any friend of Sheriff Duke is a friend of mine. Good to meet you.” He offered a meaty, grease-covered hand to Marcus before pulling it back, swapping his right hand for his left. He pulled that one back too, laughing when he realized Marcus didn’t have a left arm. “Guess that’s why you’re here, eh sport?”

  “Sport?” Marcus said.

  “Har! I don’t mean no harm. Take your shirt off, let me get a look at it.”

  Marcus struggled with his shirt, managing to get it off one-handed.

  “You already got a ring,” Halston said, leaning in to get a closer look at it. “What happened to the last augment?”

  “It was destroyed,” Marcus replied.

  “You’re lucky. There’s no damage to the ring, and the work is quality. That’s less common than you’d think out here. Do you know the name of the borger what did the work?”

  “No. I wasn’t conscious when it was done.”

  Halston raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

  “And none of your business,” Marcus added.

  The borger put his hands up. “I don’t mean no harm,” he said again. “You don’t need to bite my head off.”

  “Sorry. I’m a little on edge.”

  Halston laughed. “Well, don’t you worry none. Ole Halston is the best there is this side of the Mississippi, which is still true when I cross the bridge to the other side. Har, har! Let’s go back up front, I can show you what I’ve got in stock. You’re lucky. You’re a standard size, so I should be able to modify most of my inventory to fit.”

  “We don’t need to go up front,” Hayden said. “He already knows which arm he wants.”

  “I do?” Marcus said.

  “He does?” Halston asked. His face changed as he realized which appendage Hayden wanted. “Sheriff, I’m not sure I can make it work. I mean, I tested the middleware, but everybody’s synapses are different. I might not be able to get it to sync.”

  “I have faith in you,” Hayden said.

  Halston was hesitant. “I’m not sure about this, Sheriff Duke.”

  “Sheriff?” Marcus said. “What are you talking about? What arm?” He turned to Halston. “What arm?”

  “Come on, Halston,” Hayden said. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn't important. He already had one replacement get destroyed. He needs something more durable, and you owe me.”

  Halston rubbed at his beard, considering the request. Then he sighed and nodded. “If that’s what you want, you got it, Sheriff. I’ll make it work.” He looked at Marcus. “Let’s get you prepped.”

  “This is bullshit, Sheriff,” Marcus said. “I don’t get to pick my own replacement?”

  “Trust me, Marcus,” Hayden replied. “I won’t steer you wrong.” He smiled. “You definitely want this one.”

  44

  Marcus

  “Just take a seat there,” Halston said, pointing to the old dentist’s chair in the room opposite a separate area that looked like the large borger’s main living area. Marcus could hear people talking through a speaker inside that room, along with a smattering of laughter behind it.

  “What is that?” Marcus asked as he settled into the chair. His heart was pounding, his body tense. He wanted to trust Sheriff Duke. And he really wanted a new arm. But he could still hear his father’s voice in the back of his mind, telling him all of this was a trick and he was a fool to fall for it. “The voices, I mean.”

  “Oh, I forgot to turn that thing off,” Halston replied. “It’s an old television show. I forget the name. Supposed to be funny.”

  “Is it?”

  Halston shrugged. “Dunno. I probably laughed once or twice. Usually just puts me to sleep.” He circled the chair, to a desk positioned behind where a laptop rested. A bundle of wires dangled from a dongle connected to the machine, and he scooped them up and rested them fully on the counter before dropping heavily onto a stool.

  “Are you okay, Marcus?” Sheriff Duke asked, moving into the doorway of the room. He kept his right hand obscured by the wall, clearly holding something in it he didn’t want Marcus to see. The act sent a fresh wave of doubt through Marcus, and he had to fight the urge to get up and bolt from the room.

  He pressed his head forcefully back against the padded seat, some of the gel stuffing oozing out a little further through cracks in the old vinyl. What the hell was wrong with him? Ever since Duke had stabbed his hand and somehow killed Iagorth’s moiety, he had been filled with a mix of dread and anger he found difficult to control. Only Fairy’s calming presence had brought him any peace, and now that she was gone, he had a hard time keeping it in check.

  Iagorth was out of his head. But the alien had done something to him, and he didn’t like it. It was as if all of the fear he had breathed in to feed the moiety, and by extension himself, had been released into his system at once.

  “I’m a little nervous about this,” Marcus admitted. “And having a lot of trouble trusting you. I still don’t get why you’re being so reasonable to me after what I did to you.”

  “I know what King did to me and mine,” the Sheriff replied. “And I didn’t know him for very long. I can only imagine what it was like for you. I’m not saying you aren’t responsible for the things you do, but I think Fairy has you pegged right. So does Zorro.” He smiled. “He hasn’t been wrong about a person yet.”

  The answer made Marcus smile. His experience with horses was limited, and King and his Scrappers had never treated the animals well. They were tools to be used, just like everything else. Just like him.

  “What do you have in your hand?” Marcus asked.

  “The one behind the wall? It’s your replacement.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “I wanted to surprise you with it. Halston’s going to give you a shot in a minute to put you to sleep. It’ll be connected when you wake up. But I can show you now, if that makes you feel better?”

  Marcus considered it. His gut reaction was to insist on seeing the arm, to make sure it was a real thing. One thing he had noticed since Duke had loaded him into the modbox and taken him out of Haven...the man was as honest and forthright as they came. It was just hard for him to believe anyone could be like that because nobody else he had ever met was. Not King, not Pig, not even Wanda, who had claimed to love him. Fairy was closer, but a part of him expected her to turn on him sooner or later, just like his ex had.

  He fought against the mistrust. “No...I’ll wait.” He hesitated, trying to force the words out of his mouth. It felt more awkward than his first kiss. “I trust you.”

  Halston turned around on the stool, using his legs to pull it over beside Marcus. “You’re lucky because the control ring is actually the hardest, most painful part.” He held up a syringe filled with a yellowish liquid. “The sedative is to allow me to manipulate your muscles without resistance. Once I connect the augment to the control ring, I’ll need to sync up the signal transfer between your brain and the ring, and the ring and the augment.”

  “How do you control the muscles?” Marcus asked.

  “Through the computer. It sends impulses to the ring, which sends them both directions. When I get the response I want within the parameters I set, it means we have sync. The arm Sheriff Duke wants you to have is a bit different from the others, so it may take me a bit longer to get it synced, or it may not take at all. If it doesn’t, I’ll put something standard on. Either way, when you wake up you’ll have two arms again.”

  “What’s so special about this arm?”

  “It’s a surprise,” Sheriff Duke said.

  Halston laughed. “Har, har! Understatement of the century, if you ask me. But I’m the best there is. If I can’t get it working, ain’t a borger on the planet who can.” He lowered the syringe toward Marcus’ arm. “Are you ready?”

  Marcus looked at the needle. A final wave of panic crested over him. Then he nodded. “I’m ready.”

  “Marcus, I’m going to head back to the hotel where Maya and Fairy are staying,” Sheriff Duke said. “Halston, if you could bring him there when you’re finished?”

  “Sure thing, Sheriff,” Halston replied. “Here we go, Marcus. You’re going to feel a prick, then you’re gonna get real warm, and next thing you know you’ll be waking up good as new.”

  Marcus nodded. He wanted to ask Sheriff Duke to stick around, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wasn’t a child. He had almost killed the Sheriff without Iagorth’s help. The fear that gripped him was pathetic.

  “Go for it,” he said.

  Halston jabbed the needle into his arm. Just like the borger had promised, Marcus felt the prick, and then the warmth spreading from the injection site. His eyes stayed fixed on Sheriff Duke as they began to get heavier and heavier. He was only vaguely aware when Halston crossed in front of him to take the replacement arm, keeping it out of sight as he carried it to the counter behind Marcus. Then the Sheriff tipped his hat, offered a smile and wave, and vanished from sight.

  The rest of the universe went with him.

  45

  Marcus

  “Marcus, you with me?” Halson asked.

  Marcus was suddenly aware of the borger’s voice in front of his face, and his fingers snapping right next to his ear. He reached out almost subconsciously, grabbing the wrist connected to the hand controlling those fingers, yanking it away from his face.

  Halston cried out in pain, and Marcus immediately released him before opening his eyes, finding Halston on his knees on his left side, arm clutched to his chest.

  “Shit,” Marcus said. “Halston, I’m sorry. I—” He stopped talking when the man’s groan of pain changed into a teary-eyed laugh.

  “Har, har! Son of a gun, it grepping works!” He laughed harder, still rubbing at his wrist as he got back to his feet. “How do you feel, son?”

  “Still a little groggy,” Marcus replied. He tried to turn his head, to see what Halston had given him. A wave of dizziness and nausea slowed him down, preventing him from looking.

  “It’ll take a few more minutes for the meds to fully wear off. I had to hit you with a second jab when the install took longer than I originally planned. I probably should have given up and swapped out for a standard issue model but I was just so close, and quittin’s never been one of my strong suits. I don’t know that I would be the borger that I am if I weren’t so damn pig-headed.”

  “How long have we been here?” Marcus asked.

  “Long enough you unconsciously soiled your drawers,” Halston said. “Don’t usually need a catheter for jobs like this. It’s my fault. I should have been more prepared.”

  Marcus looked down, noticing the wetness around his groin. Normally, he would have felt angry and embarrassed, but right now he didn’t care. He could feel the weight of the new arm against his shoulder, as natural as if he had never lost it to begin with. He moved the appendage from the side of his body to the front, bringing it into view.

  The dark black material reminded him of Iagorth, and for a moment his mind convinced him Sheriff Duke had duped him after all. That he had been working for the Relyeh Ancient the entire time. Then he came to his senses, realizing the black material had a more metallic hue, the surface composed of many thousands of scales that refracted the light in different ways. Calming from his initial reaction, he decided it was the coolest thing he had ever seen.