The Space Spoon novel Chapter 98

Reaching out, Carmen’s hand brushes against mine. Even though I’m mad as hell, a rush of electrical discharges takes over my core. That happened every time she touched me since the moment we’d met. Every fiber of my body, carbon and silica alike, crave to have her again by my side.

“I tested the spoon. All the results said the same thing: it’s Nubilae. Who was it?”

“My sister, Celia.” For the first time, a vein throbs on Carmen’s forehead. But she regains the glazed look. “She died during Iadfoc’s experiment. Many did. The rest went insane. Only I, you, and Rahul remained true Nubilae. Well, now only you and I since you killed Rahul.”

“He had multiple run-ins with me and my crew. If I let him continue, surely one of my men would have died. I had to do something.”

“No,” Carmen shouts, showing the anger hidden behind her previous blank expression. “I sent him to see how you are and test you. Well, you failed. No Nubilae should value the life of a lesser being over one of his brethren.”

“Carmen, what happened to you?”

"I am just fine. You’re blind. Every other being in the universe wants a piece of what we have. Immortality? Check. Cure any sickness? Check. Change any of your body's affected parts? Check. Doctor Iadfoc was just the first to try and dissect us. Many will follow. The solution is simple: the eradication of all sentient lifeforms. We just need each other, Tej."

Petrified, Shayla listens to everything. She almost jumps off her chair when I burst into forced, loud laughter. Slamming my palm on the table over and over again, I keep laughing like a madman. No wonder Carmen is the right one for me. We are both fucking lunatics.

Hissing in pain when my ulna bone breaks, I let out an inflated chuckle. This doesn’t hurt as much as what I know will come next. If I don’t agree with her, things will end badly for both of us. If I do, this will mean the end of the universe. Tough choice? Not even a bit.

“You can go back to the black hole you came from. That’s my answer.”

“Not acceptable. I’ll cut all the weeds holding you back.” Carmen looks again at Shayla, and her coal-black eyes sparkle purple. “Starting with her.”

I place a hand in front of her, but she snaps it like a twig. Fuck! She surely enhanced her body during this shift. I didn’t, so I’m no match for her.

Shayla lets out a sharp yelp when I throw her out of the way and place my body in front of her. Carmen’s hand plunges right into my chest, and salty blood invades my mouth.

"No, I don't want to kill you right now," Carmen replies as she pulls her hand away. Her eyes are now purple. There's no stopping her. "I need you to watch her die and understand she won't resurrect like us. She's nothing more than an ant crawling on your toe."

“Please, Carmen, stop this.”

She smiles at my plea and steps closer to her target. I knew she wouldn’t stop, but I had to try, to not feel sorry for what I do next. Pushing a purple tentacle through my broken bone, it replaces my arm. The appendage weaves around Carmen’s legs and drags her back.

I squeeze as hard as I can around her thighs while she’s still trailing over the floor tiles. A single cracking sound reverberates in the room, and I know her other femur is her core. A neat trick she taught me is hiding the neural cortex in that area.

A purple tentacle charges from her leg and wraps around my neck. But it’s too late. I already have her core enclosed in my grip. When I yank it, her body falls lifeless to the ground. Small electrical discharges along the neural network of her silica core show she’s still alive.

My body is heavy and fights against my will. I know what needs to be done. Carmen’s silvery neural network slams on the table with a powerful thud. It won’t break from a bump. A Nubilae is vulnerable only faced with simultaneous extreme temperatures.