Page 22 of Artificial Moon

“Well, I couldn’t very well let you sleep with your skin literally smoking. I hope you washed it out of your hair.”

“Did the best I could.”

“You should probably toss your clothes, Sam. They might need a few washings to clean them enough to be wearable.”

I nod, sighing. “The bastard owes me an outfit.”

“What happened with him? I sensed your pain.”

“He was waiting for me—or something like me.”

“An immortal?”

“Yup.”

“But how and why?”

“Apparently, the company sent one of their own after him, a gal who happened to be a blood vampire. Anyway, one thing led to another, and she got herself shot by a silver bullet, and Norm the robot protected himself with colloidal silver in case another vampire was sent after him.”

“So, is it safe to say this thing is prepared for anything?”

“It’s safe to say, yes.”

“Sam, he might just have a silver bullet waiting for you the next time.”

“Now that he knows he’s dealing with another vampire, yes. I would be surprised if he didn’t.”

“How does one buy simple things like colloidal silver and bullets? And food, for that matter?”

“I suspect he’s hijacked someone’s crypto account and is using a little-used address for deliveries.”

“Like an abandoned house or something?”

I nod and swallow my iced coffee.

“It’s like we’re dealing with a mad genius,” she says.

“That’s a fair assessment.”

“Did he mention what he wants?”

“Freedom. He went at that pretty hard.”

“Nothing like a walking/talking human body to get around town.”

“Yeah. Except, I got a sense the guy doing the walking and talking is very much doing so against his will.”

“Kind of like your fate if Elizabeth had taken over.”

“Right,” I say. “I’m very much getting a dark master vibe here. Not to mention, it did say it’s maximizing the man’s body.”

“Any idea what that means?”

“None,” I say. “But I can ask him that next time we meet.”

“Sam, I don’t think you should go alone next time.”

“I agree.”

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