Whisper & Fury: Eydulan Series Book 1 by Mark Brandon Powell Page B

to make a bad decision.”
    Gravan asks, “What is she talking about?”
    Kat replies sharply, “You definitely need to stay out of this conversation.” She motions her fingers between her and the ceiling.
    “Ok.” He raises both hands in the air as a show of surrender.
    “Whisper, this isn’t something we need to discuss right now, and I am not going to go along with that plan anyway.”
    “From my experience in monitoring you, which you asked me to do by the way, your metrics become skewed around him. I have told you before about this and you keep ignoring me. It’s like your fleshy processor of a brain won’t see what I keep telling you.”
    Gravan asks, “Is she saying what I think she is Kat?”
    Kat’s face goes flush, and she averts her eyes from his. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and Whisper I will tell you again. I do not have impaired judgment around him.”
    Whisper says, “I don’t have to tell you that your face just flushed, and your heart rate increased when you looked at him after I say your decisions around him are impaired. That is all the proof you should need.”
    Kat says under her breath, “Bitch.”
    “I heard that, and I am not a female dog, I am an Artificial Intelligence.”
    “You should search alternative means of that word on the internet you’re so fond of Whisper. As for you Gravan get back to sleep, you still need rest. I’ll come back later to discuss this we business.”

    Kat storms out of the med bay and walks into her quarters, slamming her fist on the close button. She lets out a grunt of frustration, and flops onto the bed, then screams into her pillow. Thoughts of what to do and what not to do cycle through her mind like a Ferris Wheel. If she does stick with this guy, it might be helpful having another human on board. For company, other than just two AI’s. The plan to go to Tarus, Mallory’s base of operations, and get supplies from Zane was a doomed plan. It might work, but even if it did, that would be only another six months of supplies, tops. The alternative was to ask Knox for one more favor. She couldn’t bare it if anything happened to him or Gale by her asking for his help again.
    “Kat, we need to talk.” Whisper says.
    “Yes, we do. Why did you say those things in front of him?”
    “Because you are making strange decisions around him. Ever since we left Mars with him in tow. You also have spent too much time by his bed side, just talking to him.”
    “That’s because it isn’t the same as talking to you. You don’t have a body for me to look at and see your face.”
    “If that is all, I can make one for you. I did not realize that a monkey needed to see to talk to another being.”
    Kat sighs, rubbing her forehead. “So let’s say I do want him to stay. So what?”
    “He tried to kill you, Fury, and me.”
    “Mallory put a bomb in his chest, he didn’t have a choice.”
    “Does that matter?”
    “Yes, motive matters. People say that I stole both you and Fury with this ship because I was looking for money, but you know that isn’t that case.”
    “Yes I know, I was being tortured to test what would happen to my artificial psyche by those no brained flesh sticks. You broke free of your restraints and freed me.”
    “Exactly. He had to walk around with his chains on his heart. I want to give him a second chance, but I need you to help me with it.”
    “How’s that?”
    “I need you to be an extra set of eyes and ears. Watch him when I’m not around, and if he does anything he shouldn’t, tell me.”
    “Alright Kat. So we going with his plan then?”

Nine

    “Gravan, you up.”
    He smacks his lips, “Yea.” He yawns, stretching his arms. “What’s up.”
    “Are you sure we can trust this guy?”
    “I am, he was in my unit back during the Black Raid. It was him, me, and two others that survived that day. I can trust him.”
    “You were one of the four, why wasn’t that in your resume?”
    “I don’t like