The Space Spoon novel Chapter 76

After stashing the bodies of the two incapacitated guards under the table, C1313 draped the clothing over the edges, creating a fine curtain to hide them. She barely had time to finish this task before cheerful voices approached.

A door opened, revealing smiling women who gossiped and giggled. They stopped for a moment, looking at C1313.

"You must be the newest member of the harem. We've been instructed to meet you." One of the ladies emerged. "We'll go to supper soon. Would you like to eat?"

The woman was dressed in a transparent, bright yellow robe that matched her hair. Her smile seemed genuine, but C1313 knew that many people wore fake smiles.

“I don’t require food.” She kept her voice steady and her face impassive without any effort.

All the eyes measured her from top to bottom. Some of them nodded, some grimaced.

The same woman spoke again. "With the air nutrition system, we don’t need it either, but it’s merely a habit of ours. We pretend to eat at the table and gossip. But I understand what you’re implying. King Gurst loves variety. And the only thing he loves more than women is technology. I guess you’ll become his favorite in no time."

C1313 remained silent.

The woman kept talking. “He has a harem of three hundred women. You should feel honored. He takes good care of us. For instance, he gave me a brand-new android body when mine broke down."

She wasn't sure whether to play along or keep her distance at moments like these. Since she lacked social skills, she chose to leave rather than make a spectacle of herself. She was already in a hurry and didn't have time for small talk. "The king had summoned me. Please excuse me."

Neither rash nor sluggish, C1313 walked away. It was hard to gauge whether those women were pretending to be shallow or if they enjoyed their life filled with gossip inside posh, fake chambers.

Her attention went from her thoughts to Jackeye's voice, which sounded recomforting familiar and pretty. She instinctively tilted her head.

"The corridor is clear," said Jackeye. "No one will notice your presence. All the doors are unlocked, and you won't trigger anything on your way. I've disabled the security system."

He led her out of that wing and through the large corridors to a beautiful, large mess hall that was a combination of rustic and state-of-the-art. Stone pillars decorated the room with windows looking out onto a garden between them. She had to hurry before those women got here.

Jackeye showed her how to unlock a tiny hatch in the floor, hidden by the holographic illusion. Her fingers ran through the polished hardwood boards and came to rest on the cold touch of metal. The tile clicked open when her finger pressed on a pressure plate.

"This is the secret passage to the lower level, where the dungeon is," Jackeye continued. "Make sure to close it after you, and the holoprojection will cover it again."

The second man was quicker. He drew his gun, but C1313 moved faster. She blocked his arm with her forearm and twisted her wrist to push his hand away from the weapon. With a loud click, the guard dropped the gun.

C1313 grabbed his face. His hands, tight around her neck, yanked her toward him. They lost their balance, staggering.

The man's fingers dug into her throat. No problem since she didn't require oxygen. She needed to knock him out fast, so she head-butted his nose. His eyes fluttered for a few seconds before he dropped on the floor next to his mate.

She grabbed the gun and looked at the unconscious guards. As she was deciding whether to kill them or not, Jackeye's voice came through the audio input device. "There's a control panel on the wall beside the locked door. That one needs a secondary manual override. Type the following sequence.”

Considering that the chances of the guards waking up any time soon were slim to none, she went for the wall panel.

In reality, things weren’t as easy as in her files. C1313 decided things like “Open sesame” were a fairytale. After she entered a belabored code, she heard the unlocking sound. C1313’s eyebrows arched at the view. Holographic rats surrounded Cato as she crammed in a corner.

"I thought you’re part cat. Cats eat rats." C1313 pressed a button on the same wall screen where she had introduced the security key code. The rats disappeared.

Cato sighed, relieved. "You know, that's a very good observation. And yes, I’m part feline. That’s why the creator removed that instinct for the Ferali and heightened the natural human fear of rats. This way, we aren’t easily exposed by chasing them on all fours."