Drifters' Alliance, Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page B

impatience out with it. “Fine. I’m listening. You have two minutes.” My foot starts tapping out a beat.
    “This ship has a bunch of fucked up individuals on it. Maybe one of them is a shadow, or at the very least he’s a seriously disturbed individual who thinks he is. Okay? Fine. Deal with it. I’m sure you can say the same thing about every other DS out there. Drifters aren’t exactly pillars of society, know what I’m saying? These ships tend to attract special people.”
    He smiles, thinking it’ll convince me to go along with the humor, but I frown instead. His smile drops off and he continues. “We’re all a little different, we’re all independent, we all march to the beat of our own drums.” He looks down at my foot momentarily, which forces me to stop tapping it. “You take the bad with the good. And the good news? You have a ship. You own it. Not many people in our universe can say that.”
    I snort in disgust. “Bad news? Someone set me up to get it so they could kill me.”
    He shakes his head. “You don’t know that. You know bits and pieces of something that might just be a bunch of bullshit spouted off by some guy who was trying to con you.”
    “Guys. Plural. Captain Boob and Macon both said stuff.”
    “So? We’ll drill Macon until he says what needs to be said. I’m not worried about him. The guy’s obviously in love with you.”
    I yank myself out of Baebong’s grip. “What? You’re fucking nuts if you think that.”
    “Hey.” He steps forward and takes me by the arms again. “I’m observant, too. Give me some credit. The guy likes you. Whether it’s enough to keep him from killing you in your sleep, well, that remains to be seen. But it’s a good starting point to get him talking from.”
    I look down at the ground. “There’s only one person on this ship I can trust, and that’s you, Bae. Just you.” I look up at him, hoping he doesn’t see how desperate that makes me feel inside.
    “Nah. You got Gus and Tam too. Sure they hid that crazy shit from you, or Tam’s a little loopy in the head, but inside they’re good guys.”
    I want to cry. “How can you say that? One of them might not even be human .” I stomp my foot, I’m so frustrated.
    Baebong shrugs, letting me go. “What’s human these days? Is it only a body that’s a hundred percent flesh and blood? Doesn’t someone with AI count as human? Without a consciousness, none of us can be human, can we? You’re just a meat sack if you can’t think, can’t process, can’t feel.” He punches me lightly on the arm. “Come on. Don’t be so rigid on this. Hear what they have to say before you decide.”
    I narrow my eyes at him. “You knew, didn’t you?”
    He looks confused. “Knew what?”
    “You did!” I point at his face.
    “What? That he was a borg? Hell no, I didn’t. Don’t put that shit on me.” He steps back with his hand on his chest. “You think I’d let a borg touch my stuff? Hell no.”
    I have to smile at that. “I thought anyone with a consciousness is human.”
    Baebong has the class to look embarrassed. “Yeah, well, that’s the idea. I’m not saying it’s an easy sandwich to swallow.”
    Hearing him say that makes me feel so much better, I can’t even explain it. I guess I just like knowing that I’m not the only one fumbling around the Dark. “Come on,” I say, walking again. “Let’s go talk to the borg or crazy person or whatever he is.”
    We turn the corner and stop at the chamber holding a crazy Tam, or the shadow of who Tam used to be.
    “So … what’s the plan?” Baebong whispers.
    “Get answers. By any means possible,” I whisper back.
    “Are you prepared to go all the way?” he asks.
    I nod. “You?”
    He nods too. “Ring a ding. Let’s go see if we can make this borg sing.”

Chapter Eight

    TAM IS SITTING ON THE metal shelf that serves as a very uncomfortable bed for a prisoner. He looks resigned. I’m hoping that’s a good sign.
    “Hey,