Metal Deep: Infinite - Something Beautiful: Episode 2 Read online

  METAL DEEP

  a series by:

  GX KNIGHT

  Copyright 2012, 2013 Kindle Edition

  (So if you see this anywhere else in the near future… It’s a fake!)

  All rights reserved.

  (I have no idea what this means except that I think you can’t steal it.)

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used whatsoever without the express permission of the author except for brief quotation necessary for review.

  (If you want to write in my world, with my people, or my places, ask… and then pay… simple.)

  All characters in this publication, other than those of public domain, are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  (I made it all up. Except for a few cases of popular reference. There are no evil characters based on Aunt Ruth or my former jackass boss, though there should be.)

  Further updates and information can be found at:

  www.gxknight.com

  Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gxknight or @gxknight

  “Like Knight” on FB at www.facebook.com/gxknightwriter

  Shoot an Email: [email protected]

  Those Who Make This Happen

  Story and Concepts: GX Knight

  Edits and Critiques: Aaron Salt and Emily Hale

  Art and Cover Format: Andre Frattino and GX Knight

  Official Music: Drew Hale (Collide)

  Technical Support: Bane-Tech.com

  Publicity: Brian Barber (Author of LYCCYX) and Kathleen Barber

  Guerilla Marketing Advisor: Jacob Stokes

  Contributions: Libby Ludwig, Michelle Downing, Rachel Avant, and Shery Butler

  Moral Support and Inspiration: GX Spartan

  Author’s Note

  This is a continuously evolving edition of the METAL DEEP series. I have tried my best to create something that everyone can enjoy, while offering the most professional experience this amateur can muster. With that I ask: Please be patient with the formatting. I and my friends have scoured each and every piece to make sure the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been observed to the best of our limited ability. We will no doubt miss something… Okay, probably a lot of somethings. We all work full-time jobs and my help has graciously volunteered hours of their free time to make this a reality for me and for you. Your patience and understanding is appreciated. Should you find glaring faults, please feel free to visit www.gxknight.com and leave me a message. I would be happy to make necessary applicable changes for future updated editions.

  Now that’s out of the way… I hope you enjoy the adventure!!!

  THANK YOU

  G.X. Knight

  PS - If you really like what you read, please help spread the word and leave those 5 Star ratings on Amazon. If you don’t… Ummm… How about we just keep that between us, okay?

  What’s Been Happening

  Contest Winner

  eBookBuilders.com

  Favorite New Indie Author Vote – 2012

  What they’re saying about METAL DEEP…

  “If you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy then you should definitely check this series out. I laughed, I cried. And I absolutely can't wait for the next installment.” –Ryan

  “I really enjoy the pace of the series … like someone's pressing hard on the accelerator.” –Julie

  “It's a wonderful read, especially for the price. Highly recommended!” –M.E.

  “I'm not gonna lie. I'm not usually a sci-fi reader, but, I heard about it and wanted to check it out … Seriously, it's great!” –Sarah

  “Everyone should read this! It is fabulous! I just want more! But isn’t that the point?” –Rachel

  “Strong story line, wonderful character development, and a witty sense of humor makes the Metal Deep series a must read.” –Anthony

  “Fast paced read, draws you into the story immediately … I AM HOOKED!” –Michelle

  “[GX Knight] has two things that every author needs: a story and a voice. Now I'm proud to be a part of the third thing every author needs: the audience.” –Jacob

  Metal Deep is an ongoing novelette/novella series. It is not necessary to have read previous episodes to enjoy the current, but it is suggested. All episodes can be found on Amazon by searching “Metal Deep” or “GX Knight,” and they are conveniently linked on the Metal Deep home website: www.gxknight.com.

  Episode 1: DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

  Episode 2: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

  Episode 3: INFINITE AND FOREVER

  Episode 4: SOUL ON FIRE

  EPISODE 2: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

  EAST BOUND / SOUTH BOUND

  Have you ever been concerned, because you were not concerned?

  I sat in a stank-filled motel room on the back end of Texas where my mind pulled me in a thousand different directions. I processed everything that I had learned in my last twenty-four hours, about what happened to me with an easy acceptance of every new fact. I think my good mood might have helped my stability. What was the source of my new found elation? I’ll tell you.

  It felt like I had been gone for months. Awaking in the middle of a snowstorm, I had assumed it was winter on that desolate concrete paddock where the Street Viper trucks had been hiding. A shock for sure when the last thing you remember was springtime rains. Turns out I had only been gone about a day, and somehow the Street Vipers and their mojo had managed to cross from Bama to the mountainous Colorado hideout in just moments. Magic and science made just about anything possible these days. This meant that my dad wouldn’t be that worried, and there was still hope that I could get home to repair our relationship before he had complete meltdown over my disappearance. I couldn’t imagine him remaining sane if he to spend all that time alone. Mom’s loss was enough, mine would have been more than he could bear.

  I was changing. I could tell I was different. The influx of information that was coming way concerning the truth behind the Amalgam Legends should have made me crazy, but I wasn’t. At least l don’t think I was. That point was up for debate long before I piggybacked a Street Viper semi across the country. I took every new piece of information with a certain amount of satisfaction. The stories I had secretly longed for so many years to be true … were. I was trying to maintain my composure. All I wanted to do was run through the streets screaming, “YES!”

  We didn’t make it far after our escape before Maeve wanted to set down. At least it felt like a short amount of time since I spent most of the flight nodding in and out of consciousness. She said her armor needed to charge, and I needed to get some real rest. I couldn’t argue that point. But, about where we were headed, whether my home or wherever she was supposed to deliver me, we had not stopped arguing.

  Maeve had not been overly forthcoming when it came to talking about what she was doing there, who sent her, how she found me, or basically anything else that would have shown some kind of clue as to her origin. But what could I say? If she hadn’t been sent I would be dead or still in the tortured dreams of the Street Vipers, being turned into who-knows-what kind of monster, which was just as good as dead.

  We touched down behind an old no-tell-motel with a thud. I was mesmerized when her white and silver armor vanished into a shower of sparkling white flower petals that absorbed back into a palm-sized silver disc worn on the right sleeve of her black scaled underlay. The faint scent of lilacs and honeysuckle still remained, and floated away on the warm breeze that tossed my ugly brown hair. Was there nothing about her that wasn’t awe-inspiring? The landing and her incredible transformation happened faster than a blink, and I was taken ab
ack as I caught my balance when I blurted out loudly, “I want one.”

  “Get in line.” She replied as she ran a confident hand through her perfectly straight red hair. Then she shooed me behind an outdoor ice machine at the farthest end of the building, and told me to wait there no matter what.

  I tried not to be obvious in my gawking when she walked away, as what she was left wearing had enough of a tracksuit-look so that it didn’t gain her any more attention than any other skintight piece of clothing would. The only other soul outside was an old wrinkly man, and he was not so subtle in his “appreciations.”

  He rocked in a splintered chair that creaked with every in-and-out of the shadows cast by the red neon-glow of a vacancy sign. He had puffed absently away on a reed pipe, as I’m sure he did most every night. Apparently, they didn’t get many beautiful visitors, because his sudden double-take flung the pale pipe right out of his mouth after she slipped past him. He tripped over his own feet to get up, pick up the pipe, and get inside to help her. Maeve remained gracious holding the door to the checkin lobby for him while he all but drooled his way past her. Her amused smile indicated that she got that kind of attention a lot, and from where I was sitting, I think she liked it. I know I would… I mean, not if old men were tripping over me, but… you know what I’m saying.

  We awkwardly shared a motel room for the night. (Don’t worry two beds.) It was her demand that we stay together. She wanted to keep an eye on me…and not in the good way a dude wants to be watched by a hot chick. I’m not sure if either of us slept well. I dozed off-and-on while counting the number of brown water spots that stained the drab ceiling. I don’t think she slept at all. When I was awake neither of us said a word, we just kind of laid there motionless on our respective beds and listened to the other breathe between air condition cycles.

  After having had enough of trying to sleep, I got up before the sun and decided to shower. It felt great. One thing could be said for that roach-motel: their hot water heater was unending. I soaked for a good hour. The steaming water washed away all the apprehension and fear that had caked on during this ordeal. Every burble of the drain carried with it an unanswerable question. I knew I had to resolve now to handle every new situation with a clear and level mind. Otherwise, I would end up like so many from the stories my father told me: insane and dangerous.

  Maeve had been busy while I was bathing. I found a fresh pile of new clothes neatly folded on the sink counter and next to it a brown sack full of double cheeseburgers wafting the amazing aroma of processed meat. When you’re hungry anything remotely edible smells like it came from the garden of the gods. Taped to the bag was a note that instructed me to dress and prepare to leave but not to go outside until she came back for me.

  And so I waited patiently for her to come back. Not because I didn’t think about trying to leave, because not only did I think about it, I tried it. Somehow the wench had the door jammed or locked from the outside. I contemplated breaking the window and jumping out, but as she was some kind of super chick-knight with uber-power, I decided, for the time being, it might be best to play along and be good. Plus, she probably had the window rigged to shock me, gas me, turn me into a goat, or just explode. At this point anything was still a possibility.

  I took a moment and enjoyed having a new pair of jeans and a black long sleeved tee-shirt with a green phoenix spackle painted across the left shoulder and down the front chest. It was the single coolest piece of clothing I had ever worn. Since we had gone back into warmer country I thought the thin leather gloves were a bit much, but I totally dug the sunglasses. She had even guessed right on my shoe size for a new pair of green and black New Balance’s. I don’t know where she got it all, or how she went out and came back with hot food and new gear so fast, but I was glad to have it. Oh, and the cheeseburgers were beyond-divine. I ate ten of the fifteen in half as many minutes while I chillaxed. That was a new personal best in the burger-count department. Considering I was being held against my will, and essentially an army was after me, I probably should have been too uptight to just sit there and eat my heart out. -A hot shower, a bag of burgers, and a fresh change of clothes has a way of pushing that angst away. I was going to enjoy the peace of the moment.

  The night of intermittent sleep caught up with me. My head bobbed while I fought the fatigue I thought would never leave. The door to the outside creaked open slowly, which yanked me to alertness, as my eyes adjusted to the painful jabs of morning orange that surrounded Maeve as she entered our room. Her lithe form came into focus, and I wished I could have been a camera to record what I had seen. She had gone from Anime-Xena to Girl-Next-Door.

  Her fire red hair was in a simple pony tail that swung from shoulder to shoulder as she walked through the room checking to see that we had gotten everything. She had found a small white and brown plaid western-style button down, and her jeans were tucked into brown knee high boots that had killer spikes for heels. There was nothing about her that said, “Hey, I have supernatural armor that flies, and I can filet you with swords.”

  I asked if she wanted any of the remaining burgers, but she said something about having eaten a salad down in the car. She lost my interest at “salad,” and I became disinterested in whatever she was doing while I happily finished the bag off as we prepared to leave.

  Where did she get a car? I had no idea. It was like she had a little secret team of invisible people doing her bidding collecting food, clothes, and automobiles. I looked around for signs, curious if every stray thought now had merit. These were now the days where anything was possible.

  We went to leave but she stopped in the doorway and turned around and put a hand to my chest before I ran into her. Apparently her invisible little people nabbed some body spray as she was getting ready, because the soft rolling scent of wild cherry flowers tickled my nose and tightened my breath. She let a grin slip in before pointing to the gloves and glasses in my hand. “Put those on.”

  “It’s seventy degrees out there and the sun’s not even up all the way?” I shook the gloves at her. “No.”

  Maeve folded her arms appearing quite resolute with the demand. I believed she might turn back into the knight woman and throw me around, again, not in the good way, so I did what I was told. After a quick look to see if anyone was around she waved me to follow her once it was clear. She trekked swiftly across the lot to a waiting old school GTO. I tried to keep up as best I could while she was waving for me keep up. For whatever reason, she seemed really worried about us being spotted by anybody.

  The ruby red GTO grumbled out of the parking lot like a beast ready to chew up some pavement, and Maeve floored it letting the beast eat all it wanted. I managed to make it for thirty minutes before the silence had been too much. There was nothing to look at but sand and oil pumps. I was bored and going stir crazy.

  “Thanks for the new clothes.” I said. “You have great taste.”

  “I know.” She replied casually in a cute Celtic twinge. She looked me over. I could tell she was proud of herself. False humility had always been a turn-off anyway.

  “So do you think I could get a little bit of an explanation about what else has been happening?”

  She poked an eye brow up and totally ignored my question with her response. “Look into that mirror. What do you see?”

  Again she asked me about what I saw. I took down the visor, and studied my face for a hint of what could be wrong. It was as it always had been, devilishly handsome. “I see me,” I said. “…nothing more, nothing less.”

  She didn’t answer right away, and I didn’t press her. I knew she was holding back; it seemed like she wanted to let me in on what she was hiding. I’m not just referring to me either. It was just a feeling, but it felt like she was running from something, besides the Street Vipers she had waylaid back in Colorado. I felt like my new mantra was going to be: Best not to dwell on it. So I moved on.

  I turned the old fashioned radio dial on, and a Drew Hale song flowed like a smoot
h river from the speakers. A smile spread across my face, as it did hers, and we both started blaring out the words to what turned out to be “the ice breaker.” She said this was her favorite artist, and I dittoed the sentiment. She sang the high notes, and I played the air acoustic filling in with harmony when I could. I learned something else important about that red-headed lass: She had a voice that would make little white songbirds turn green with envy.

  It took another few rounds of karaoke until I had where I wanted her. She came alive with every new song, and we had fun singing and laughing for countless miles. Finally, after some Bon Jovi, she started talking, and when that dam broke, it flooded. She confirmed everything my father had told me about Humans, AKA Slates, being turned into Amalgams by Pure Bloods and other Amalgams. I did not realize just how few of the Pure Bloods were actually left. According to Maeve, it was generally believed by some of the Amalgam populace that there might only be as few as three or four Pure Bloods still alive.