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The racket abruptly stops.
My ears ring, and I keep staring up at the sky, waiting for an Echo flier to swoop down and take me. But I think the machine only let me go with Gabriel because it knew he needed to have sex with me to get primed for melding with the machine. What does that thing want now?
I don't know. But I have no doubts we'll find out soon.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gabriel
The metal clamps that hold me in position feel strangely warm and silky. Energy buzzes through my entire body, though not enough to hurt. It makes every fine hair on my body stiffen, like an electrical current runs through them. Maybe it is mundane electricity, but I kind of doubt that. Echo power zings through the metal, through me, building up to something I'd rather not think about at all.
What does the Brain want from me? I can't merge with the ghost of a dead maniac. Or can I? Not sure which option is the most disturbing.
I can't even move my head. One big clamp holds it in place.
The gang of Echo beasts hasn't moved since they marched into the room and encircled the perimeter. They've stopped growling, just standing there, silent and motionless. Echo creatures never hang out. They rampage. I think they're in a trance of some sort, waiting for instructions. But from who? Sefton is gone. His doppelgänger is gone too.
I shut my eyes and try to think of a way out of this.
"Afraid there's no time to rest. Wake up, Gabriel."
That voice sounded British.
I open my eyes and blink several times to clear my vision. A blonde man stands several yards away at the edge of the dais. He wears a suit that looks bespoke, though I'm hardly a fashion expert, and his features remind me of someone I sort of know. He reminds me of Dax, though less muscular and without the growling tone in his voice.
"Who are you?" I ask. "Did you bring me here? What did you do with Sarah?"
"That is a long string of queries." He ambles closer, now an arm's length from me and the machine. "Give me time, and I will answer all your questions."
"Start with where Sarah is."
"Gone. She is no longer necessary."
Not necessary? I struggle against my bindings, but the clamps make it hard to wiggle my big toes, much less break free. "What happened to Sarah? You tossed her off a cliff, didn't you?"
"Yes. But unfortunately, she survived. That bloody golem saved her."
Way to go, Jarek. I'll give that golem a big wet kiss the next time I see him. At least I know Sarah is alive.
"I permitted her to leave the Echo," the stranger says. "She will never be allowed to return, and you will never leave. Might as well forget about her."
Never. But telling him that would be monumentally stupid. "Who are you?"
The man smiles, but it's not a friendly expression. "I am Sefton Stainthorpe."
"He's dead."
"Indeed he is. But I am the remnant of his master plan, the entangled Echo of his quantum self."
Yeah, that statement made perfect sense. I should've gotten a degree in quantum physics instead of computer programming.
"How are you a remnant of a dead man?" I ask. "Sefton died months ago."
The pseudo-Sefton sighs with irritation and shakes his head. "You might be the best candidate to fuel the Brain, but you are shockingly ignorant."
"Yeah, I really care what you think of me."
He tips his head to the side, studying me. "I control you. So perhaps you should try being more submissive."
