A Memory in the Black (The New Aeneid Cycle) (30 page)

Beck stood hesitantly.
"Ondrea?"

"Just making a few adjustments, Beck."

"Ah, okay, but you're—" She shot him a glare. Beck actually responded with one of his own. Even so, he shut up quickly enough and sat back down.

She knew what she was doing
. She didn't have a choice. In theory, boosting the cycle power should buy her brother some time, but it was a risk. Before the power was already as high as they had time to test, and now she'd set it beyond that. She prayed it would work. There was nothing to prove that it wouldn't, but it was an untested theory. Best case, Gideon would have enough time to do what Marquand needed and get back. Worse case, the strain would be too much and both engram sets would crash even sooner.

No more second chances.
No more Gideon.

His
brother laughs across the table and sets his beer down. "'Diomedes'? What the hell kind of alias is 'Diomedes'?"

"It's mythology.
Greek," the newly dubbed Diomedes answers. "It's got class. Culture. All that stuff."

Silas snorts. "Culture, eh?
It's supposed to keep people from knowing who you are. Strike fear, sound powerful. Save the culture for that girl of yours, Malc."

"Look, you ever read those old myths?
Fuckin' bad-ass warriors, man. That's who Diomedes is." He takes a long pull from his glass. "Bad. Ass. Look it up."

"Look it up?
Don't figure I even know how to spell it. Heh."

"Hey, screw off."
He says it with a grin on his face. "It's better than 'Silas.' Not even trying to be original. I liked your old handle—"

"Don't even say it."

"Why? Got people out for you?"

"No, I just got sick of hearin' it.
Wait 'till
you
go years under your stupid nickname and see if it doesn't get sick of you. You of it, I mean. Kay, no more beer."

"It's not stupid.
Who cares what you think?"
I do
, he thinks. Ah, screw Silas, he'll keep it anyway.

"It's good usin' my real name again, that's all I'm sayin'. No last names, s'all you need."

Diomedes dismisses the idea with a wave. "No way. If I'm doing jobs with you, I'm not using my old name anymore."

"Fine, fine, whatever." Silas gives him the same sneer he'd given him growing up.
"You just want to have your 'cool' name, don't you? Or're you afraid your little sweetie'll find out, huh?"

Diomedes thumps his beer down.
"Her name's Janette."

Silas chuckles.
"She's not gonna find out."

"That's not it."
He lowers his voice. "I'm worried about cops."

"Oh, so you won't mind if I just call her up and tell her, then?"

His heart freezes. "Don't you fucking even."

With a grin, Silas orders another beer.
Diomedes relaxes a bit. She won't find out. Silas might tease him, but he wouldn't tell her. Just a few jobs, that'll be it. Silas needs him, after all, and Diomedes needs the money. He drains his glass, wishing Silas liked the name more. Diomedes had liked it when he'd heard it from her.

"Yeah," Silas mutters, "I'm just glad you finally came to your senses instead of messing around with those pissant security jobs you like so much."
His brother grins again suddenly. "It's got something to do with her, doesn't it?" his asks teasingly. "Diomedes."

He pretends he doesn't hear the question, but Silas keeps at him.
"Oh, that's it, huh? She tell you about it?"

Hell, he'd better not be blushing.
"She likes mythology. She read me some of it."

Silas grins wider.

"I like the name!" And yeah, so it reminds him of her, too. What's wrong with that?

"Fine, fine, you can be Diomedes."
Silas reaches across the table and ceremoniously taps his glass to each shoulder. "You big strong hero, you."

Diomedes smirks despite Silas's teasing, relieved for the acceptance behind it.
"Yeah, bite me, Silas. It'll grow on you."

His brother returns the smirk.
"Just make sure you live up to it."

Diomedes woke with a jerk that sat him up so fast Michael was astounded he didn't hit his head on the compartment's ceiling. Michael reached forward on instinct to steady him, but the other smacked his hand away.

"What the fuck? What the
fuck
?" The freelancer had an auto-pistol out in a flash but calmed before aiming it anywhere.

"It's okay," Michael
said. Bad dreams, or just surprise? Marc, by all accounts, had slept through the outburst.

Diomedes took
stock of the compartment. "Where are we?"

"Safe.
Put the gun away."

Diomedes gave a glare, yet set the gun down at his side anyway.
"Answer the question."

"We're still on
Sunrise. This is a little hidden space we found."

The other's eyes narrowed. "Found?"

"Yeah, found. I told you Marc's good with security."

Diomedes gave Marc nothing more than a glance.
"Tell me what happened. How long was I out?"

"A few hours now.
The same two that were after you at Silas's—"

"I saw him," Diomedes finished.
"The woman, too?"

"Both, yeah.
He got you with a tranq, I guess it must hit you pretty fast. I came out of the bathroom and saw you passed out." Michael told him the rest, making sure to give Marc full credit for his wizardry while Michael stalled the others. "If the guards are looking for anyone, I guess they're going for those two first, but we figured there's no use risking it. Especially while you were out."

"What about him?" Diomedes pointed to Marc.
"Dead, or sleeping?"

"Yeah, Diomedes, he's dead.
That's how he was able to open all the doors and everything."

"Don't be a dick."

Michael rolled his eyes as Diomedes searched through his pockets, likely taking inventory. He barely kept himself from assuring the man that everything was there. From the suspicion with which Diomedes was checking, it was probably better not to put the idea out there more than it was already.

"So you've just sat here
," Diomedes said when he was done. "For all that time."

"Wasn't much else t
o do," Michael said. Diomedes only grunted at that before he leaned back against the compartment wall, checked his watch, and then closed his eyes. Michael laughed bitterly.

"This a joke to you?"

"You're not even going to thank us, huh? We saved your ass out there, Marc and me both, and—"

Diomedes's eyes flashed open.
"Like you thanked me? Helped you a whole hell of a lot and all you do is turn on me for the trouble!"

"
Geez, are we back on that again?"

"N
ever
left it
."

Michael fought an urge to roll his eyes again.
"I thanked you, when you deserved it."

"Not how
I remember it. Took you in, protected your ass. In the city. On your damn farm. You're paying back a damn big debt helping me now. You still got more to repay." Diomedes snapped his eyes shut again.

For the briefest moment Michael considered if he really had thanked Diomedes for getting him on his feet before.
Then he remembered the whole picture and pushed out the guilt. "Yeah, fine, thanks, Diomedes. Thanks for giving me a place to stay. And while I'm at it, thanks for threatening me not to touch your stuff or poke into your business. Thanks for trying to kill a friend of mine. And thanks for trying to teach me to be such a selfish bastard as you."

Diomedes
started forward to strike him but stopped just as fast. "You're fucking welcome. No one you can count on but yourself, kid. That's what I was trying to teach you."

"Yeah?
I bet you learned that one all by yourself, huh?"

"Fuck you I did
not.
" Diomedes pointed at him. "Life taught me that! Silas taught me that." He leaned back with a curse and closed his eyes.

The large voice was cursing him.
Shut your damn mouth. You don't even mention Silas to him!
Diomedes tried to push the thoughts of his brother back into the box where he kept them.

"Silas, eh?" Michael pressed.
"How?"

It's none of his damn business.
You wouldn't tell him before he left, why should you tell him now?

Maybe you should have told him before.
It might have helped.

Helped
what? Silas is gone, there's no point! And he doesn't deserve to know.
Diomedes clenched his teeth and gave Michael nothing.

"Oh, this is familiar," Michael said.
"I guess I ought to be used to this, huh? You shut up whenever I asked about him before so I just stopped asking. Always threw up your walls around stuff you didn't want to talk about. Before I respected your privacy enough to stop asking. Or maybe I was just too afraid to push you. But now I don't care. We're stuck in this place, so damn your walls. I'm not letting it go anymore." The kid leaned forward, whispering. "If you want me to feel bad about what I did or didn't do, you have to explain why! What'd Silas teach you? What happened to him? All those stories on the farm, Diomedes, and then I see you again, and nothing!"

Arrogant little prick!
He thinks he can force it out of you? Don't tell him a thing. He'll be dead soon anyway.

Diomedes
kept his eyes shut and shifted where he sat, feeling the shape of the access cards in his pocket. He was surprised to find them still there when he woke. They must have searched him. Michael wasn't stupid enough not to.

So they found them and left them there.
They could have taken them. Left you. But they're still here.

So Michael
is
stupid. He lost his chance!

S
o now he's stupid for
not
betraying you?

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Michael pushed again.

Diomedes scowled deeper. "Cause it's not your damn business."
Damn right!

"You just said you were trying to teach me what he taught you, so I guess it's my business now.
Come on, prove your point. If you're calling me an ungrateful bastard, tell me why! Maybe you didn't teach me right and he did. What'd he tell you that you didn't tell me? What happened to him that didn't happen to you?"

"He died, asshole.
You couldn't figure that out?"

Shut up!
Was the voice talking to him or Michael? For a moment the kid said nothing. Maybe he'd drop it.

"Sorry," Michael said finally, still hesitating even then.
"I guess I sort of guessed. So he died, left you alone, and you assumed—"

"Yeah, right, you know everything, don't you, kid?"
Asshole doesn't know when to quit. Doesn't know what he's asking!
"Didn't happen when he died. Happened before. And before that I went
with
him. I
helped
him when he needed it. Didn't turn my back like you did."

He's got no right! Michael walked
away!

He's asking, why not tell him?
Make him understand until he cooperates.

"Oh, come on, make up your mind," Michael shot back. "Are you pissed at me because I didn't learn that I can't count on anyone
, or because I didn't help you when you counted on me? Pick one. Which is it?"

Diomedes glared.
Michael stared right back.

No!
It's private, and it's pointless. What's done is done!

What's done is done?
Sounds like a regret. You have regrets?

You did the right thing. Silas needed you!

And you needed Silas. But who've you got left now?

"You don't know what you're talking about," Diomedes muttered finally and looked away.

"What happened with you two? Come on, Diomedes, we've got time here."

"Yeah? So what if we do?" He clenched his jaw. Time could be burned.

Damn right. He gets nothing. Michael wasn't strong enough, but he just keeps pushing, and pushing!

Isn't that strength? Isn't that what you do?

And then Michael crossed the line. "You know, you can look down on me all you want, but you're afraid to even talk about it, aren't you?"

Son of a bitch can't call you a coward!
Afraid?
Fine! You're better than him; show him! He wants to know so bad, fucking tell him!

"You want to hear?" Diomedes growled, begrudging the words.

"I asked, didn't I?"

"Do you
want
to
hear
?"

"
Yes!"

Diomedes waited, teeth clenched, thinking on where to start and knowing he wouldn't tell the kid everything.
"When I left your uncle's farm I came here. Found Silas. My brother had gear. Implants. Training. All I didn't. So I joined up."

"Joined up?"

"Army," Diomedes told him. "Free training. Cyberware if I was good enough."

The kid nodded.
"Like I did with Aegis."

"Yeah, ain't it familiar.
Shut up and listen." He waited for the kid to mouth off again. He didn't. Diomedes went on.