Page 140 of Immersed
“You’ve come a long way,” Faine observed, the throne reaching the lowest platform, now only about twenty feet above them. “Fought through my guardians. Solved my puzzles. Found my keys.” His eyes focused on Asher. “And you brought a most interesting companion.”
Asher’s body tensed, coiled energy barely contained beneath his skin. Levi could practically feel the predator rising to the surface, responding to the implicit challenge in Faine’s words.
“What do you want?” Levi asked, hoping to keep Faine talking while he continued scanning the room for weaknesses, escape routes, anything they could use.
Faine’s laugh was a horrible sound, part human, part the grinding of gears. “Want? I have transcended want, my boy. I have transcended need. I have transcended humanity itself.” He gestured around the chamber with an arm that was more mechanical than flesh. “What yousee before you is the future of our species. The perfect union of man and machine.”
Standard villain monologue,Levi thought, recognizing another game trope.Always have to explain their genius plan before trying to kill you.
“You’re insane,” he said louder, partly to keep Faine talking, partly because it was true.
“Insanity is a diagnosis for those limited by conventional thinking,” Faine replied, unperturbed. “I prefer to think of myself as... evolutionarily advanced.”
As he spoke, the walls of the chamber began to shift and reconfigure. Panels slid open to reveal additional components. Status monitors flickered to life around the perimeter, displaying vital signs, system diagnostics, and—most disturbingly—security camera feeds from throughout the sanitarium.
“I see everything,” Faine continued, gesturing toward the monitors. “Every corner of my domain. Every visitor. Every experiment.” His eyes focused on Levi. “Every... interaction.”
The main monitor directly across from them flickered, then displayed footage that made Levi’s blood run cold—him and Asher in Faine’s private quarters, on the bed, engaged in the most intimate act of Levi’s life.
Heat rushed to Levi’s face, embarrassment and violation warring for dominance. He couldn’t look away, transfixed by the sight of himself clawing at Asher’s back, his legs wrapped around him, his head thrown back in ecstasy. He wanted to melt into the floor.
“You’ve become quite... attached to each other.”
Beside him, Asher made a sound that might have been a laugh. Levi glanced over in shock to find him watching the footage with unmistakable appreciation, not a hint of embarrassment on his face.
“We look good together.” Asher grinned, nudging Levi playfully. “The lighting is surprisingly flattering.”
Faine’s eyes blinked. This was clearly not the reaction he’d expected.
“Though I wonder,” Faine continued, the monitor changing to a different scene, “if this attachment is entirely mutual.”
The new footage showed the boiler room incident—Asher pinning Levi against the wall, Levi’s face streaked with tears. It shifted again to the conference room, Levi saying “No” as Asher shoved him onto the table. Another clip: Levi gagging as Asher held his head in place..
“So many times you’ve said no,” Faine observed, his voice oily with false concern. “So many times, he’s ignored your wishes. Is this truly the companion you choose, or merely the one you’re trapped with?”
Levi’s jaw tightened, anger replacing embarrassment. “You don’t know anything about us.”
“Don’t I?” Faine countered, the monitors cycling through more images of their violent encounters. “I’ve watched your every interaction in my house. I’ve seen him hurt you, again and again and again. I’ve seen you cry and bleed and bruise because of him.” The eyes shifted to Asher. “I’ve seen what you truly are—a predator wearing the thinnest veneer of humanity.”
Something shifted in Asher’s posture—a subtle change that Levi had learned to recognize. The restraint was giving way to something primal and dangerous. His eyes had taken on that distant, hunting focus that had terrified Levi in the forest.
“Interesting assessment,” Asher replied, his voice calm. “Coming from someone who’s more machine than man.”
Faine’s laugh echoed through the chamber. “We’re not so different, you and I. Both of us have transcended conventional limitations. Both of us have evolved beyond what we once were.” He leaned forward in his throne, tubes and wires stretching with the movement. “Join me.Become part of my next evolutionary step. With your strength and my technology, we could create something truly extraordinary.”
Levi tensed, a sudden, irrational fear gripping him. Would Asher be tempted by such an offer? The chance to become something more, something stronger?
But Asher didn’t even hesitate. “I stay with him,” he said, nodding toward Levi. “That’s not negotiable.”
Levi’s heart skipped a beat. Asher had chosen him so immediately, so unquestioningly, over whatever power Faine was offering.
He really does care about me.
We’ll make this work.
Faine’s eyes narrowed, focusing on their proximity, the way Asher’s body was angled protectively toward Levi. “Ah, I see. The predator has formed an attachment to his prey. How... biologically predictable.” His voice shifted, becoming almost conciliatory. “Then perhaps you could both join me. Together. I can offer you immortality, freedom from pain, from fear, from death itself. You would never be separated. That’s what you want, right? To crawl into his skin and live there. I can make you one, forever.”
“Tempting,” Asher replied, his tone making it clear it was anything but. “But I prefer him the way he is. Warm. Human.” His eyes flicked to the monstrosity Faine had become. “Unmodified.”
