Eyes Offline
"If you've worked hard, you gotta eat, right?"
"As you might have guessed, this ship handles military secrets, so we inevitably have to treat you this way. We appreciate your understanding."
"Of course. Staying on the ground, trembling in fear, is a hundred—no, a thousand—times worse than having a place like this to crash, even if it's just temporary."
"Thank you for saying that."
I flashed a gentle smile at the burly cadet, phrasing it like I already knew their situation inside out and they shouldn't sweat it. The cadets who'd rescued and escorted Linda and me lit up with relief.
On the surface, my looks screamed spoiled young master from old money. And with Linda occasionally muttering "young master" under her breath, it was the cherry on top. Unless they were dumber than Plang, they'd figure I came from serious backing. Linda's enhanced look didn't scream average either. Holding high-profile types like us in a detention setup like this must've been a headache for them.
They call it a cell? Not bad at all. Do they have some POW rights treaty or something?
They must've pieced together our backgrounds mid-rescue and picked the cleanest, plushest spot among the ship's holding areas. This wasn't your standard jail cell—it was built for detaining enemy VIPs. The setup was a notch below the bedroom I'd woken up in at that mansion, but still hotel-luxury level.
"This place doesn't feel like detention at all—it's way too nice... A ship like this really drives home how deep in the shit I've gotten."
"Don't worry too much about that. The captain decided to save you two, and your calm reaction suggests you won't drag us into any mess. Solid backing, I'd bet."
"Ah, habits die hard..."
The big guy's probing words hit mid-sentence. No need to spill exact details, but I wasn't hiding my status either, so I smirked and nodded.
"Anyway, until we hit federation space station orbit, we'd appreciate it if you stayed put here."
"Got it."
"Then..."
With my own words confirming I wasn't some nobody, the cadets saluted crisply and filed out, mission accomplished without a hitch. In no time, the room held just Linda and me.
Finally aboard the ship we'd aimed for since leaving the mansion, a lazy satisfaction settled in, curving my lips. I turned to tease Linda and kill time—only to see her tapping her temple repeatedly.
Tap her head once or twice, tilt it—that was one cycle, repeating like she had a tic. Her pretty face made it look almost unhinged, furrowing my brow.
"What're you doing?"
I sighed, half-amused at how her cuteness clashed with the ditzy vibe—like a well-raised Plang. She scratched her messy hair from the tapping and spoke up.
"Uh... young master. My eye's acting weird."
"Just the eye? Or your whole head finally short-circuiting?"
"Hey! No, look—this. This!"
Maybe my dismissive glance hit too hard. She shot me a glare, then jabbed at her cybernetic eye and shoved her face in mine, no time for games.
"What's that?"
"It's not working! Been like two, three minutes since we got in? Suddenly my vision went black on one side, then poof—signal dead."
"Charged up? Battery dead?"
"Crazy... Cyborg parts don't run on batteries, what am I, grandpa? It's all bio-electricity, duh!"
Honestly, I'd half-thought her eye plugged into a USB, but apparently tech had lapped that ages ago.
Bio-electricity powering that high-spec gear? Or do enhanced humans go beyond raw physical boosts?
I'd figured enhancements just hit first-rate physical levels, but extras like this? My interest piqued in the procedure itself. No dramatic gains for me now, but bio-current, heightened senses, faster reactions—stuff I could guess at.
Once I get some breathing room, time to look into it.
In this sci-fi wonderland crawling with mysteries, my lips twitched upward briefly before I chuckled at Linda still poking her eye in frustration.
"Hey, ditz. What'd that big lug say earlier?"
"Huh?"
"Detention facility, right? Means jamming signals, killing personal devices like your eye."
"Oh...!"
Tsking my tongue, she whipped out her orange hand-mirror from her pocket. It flipped open with a snick, and she confirmed the jam, nodding.
"You're right. Total blackout."
First thing I'd checked entering the game was my device; hers looked worlds apart, sparking brief curiosity. But reacting to every little thing felt embarrassing now, so I snorted and paced.
"We're stuck here awhile, so chill. They said space station next—nothing we can do till then."
"True... Won't resolve till detention lifts or comms unblock, so I can report to the admiral."
She pulled a black eyepatch from her pocket and swiftly tied it over one eye. Backup for maintenance or downtime, judging by her practiced moves.
Never seen the one-eyed beauty look before; it reframed her vibe. Pre-patch, she was bubbly. Now? Bubbly plus a decadent edge. Suited her shockingly well—my eyes widened.
Oh... Maybe that's her real look? No way she bought that flashy eye herself... Finally looks military. Fun. Heh heh.
Glancing her over while scanning the room, a thought slammed home.
That orange bitch... Can't report to daddy now, or check my vitals with her eye, right?
Biggest hassle since meeting Linda? Her damn cyber eye. Reporting to her old man was her job—fudged a bit, no biggie. But real-time reaction tracking? That was next-level. No hands-on experience, but post-martial arts, I knew reading body cues was like mind-reading with exaggeration. Inferring thoughts, schemes from muscle twitches, habits, glances via qi sense. Her eye quantified vitals visually—god-tier for relationships.
And the top relationship? Sex, obviously. Heh heh.
Tier's nose sniffed erections; Linda's eye did it visually. With it offline? Prime time to make my move.