As the Cog Turns Read online

  Contents

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Copyright © 2019, Eve Langlais

  Cover Art Dreams2Media © 2019

  Produced in Canada

  Published by Eve Langlais ~ www.EveLanglais.com

  eBook ISBN: 978 177 384 086 4

  Print ISBN: 978 177 384 087 1

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This is a work of fiction and the characters, events and dialogue found within the story are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is completely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording, email, photocopying, and printing without permission in writing from the author.

  Introduction

  Wulff’s cogs are in a jam because of Ursy, his best friend’s little sister. Only she’s not so young and bratty anymore. And she’s got a nice set of gears.

  However, Wulff has no intentions of stealing her upgrades. Nor is he interested in bedding her, even if she makes his parts steam. He really should stay away, and yet he enlists her aid in tracking down a treasure.

  A mission that’s going fine until the kiss.

  Now, he can’t help seeing her in a new light, but Ursy isn’t interested in a relationship, even as she invites him to her bed.

  Problem is he wants more than just a temporary meshing of their parts. He won’t settle for anything less than her heart.

  Prologue

  In a different universe, many galaxies away, there exists a race of beings, bipedal in motion, possessed of two eyes, ears, arms, and legs.

  Despite the distance between Earth and the Siyborgh home planet, there is a strong resemblance to those called humans, except for one crucial thing. By the time a Siyborgh has reached their twentieth year of existence, they receive their first gear, thus beginning their evolution and relationship with a symbiotic metal called latmevilium. Extremely rare, the living metal imbues its hosts with advantages: improved repairability of biological components, enhanced cognition or strength, even longevity, depending on the upgrade.

  Metal and flesh joined together to transcend the bounds of their existence.

  The Siyborgh weren’t always the chosen disciples of the Mecha Gods. It was only upon exploring their own world—delving deep into the ground in search of salvation on a planet almost destroyed—that they happened to excavate an ancient temple. Inside were so many wonders, including the first treasure trove of gears made of the latmevilium.

  Those holy gears were long ago dispersed, and now only the tech priests received permission to enter that most holy of temples. Within, the largest gear in creation remained set within a temple wall, and so long as it turned, their world, their race, would be safe.

  Should it ever stop though…

  Given its importance, the giant gear was tended by the tech priests and acolytes, but the majority of the Siyborgh only worshipped the godly mechanism from afar, choosing to follow their religion by seeking out more of the mighty cogs and gears. Only by replacing flesh with metal could they transform and be brought closer to their gods.

  But not all gears were made equal. The purity of the latmevilium counted. Mix any other metal with it and the attributes diminished. Melt it too many times and the sentient latmevilium died.

  Because of the metal’s delicate nature, a new class of worshippers emerged. The Tinqqers were capable of actually shaping the living metal, creating intricate mechanical pieces to bring flesh closer to god-like status.

  How did the Tinqqers know how to shape it? No one knew the actual answer, just rumors that claimed the Tinqqers spoke to the Mecha deities directly. It was said Marius Snype was a favorite of the gods. The most blessed of all the acolytes. Master Tinqqer Marius was given the plans to build the greatest set of cogs ever seen, requiring an intricate blend of the latmevilium into the many mecha pieces that would result in something that came to be known as The God Gear.

  Fearing its incredible power, the Tinqqer had the pieces of it scattered lest it fall into the wrong hands.

  And in doing so, he created the greatest quest of all time for the Siyborgh.

  None could resist the ultimate prize. After all, the Mecha Bible clearly stated, “Always seek an upgrade. Only when the metal overtakes the biological can true enlightenment be achieved.” So said the first mecha prophet, Jool Ius’verrn.

  1

  “In the beginning, the Siyborgh were simple people, barely better than a beast. Organic in nature. Fragile of flesh and spirit. Unmodified and lacking. Then the Mecha Gods smiled upon us and we discovered the first gear.” – The Mighty Mecha Bible

  Wulff crept quietly through the underbrush, doing his best to breathe softly and not crush anything crunchy that might give his location away. He wore soft-soled shoes, which gripped the ground to give him superior purchase. His clothes clung snugly to his frame so as to avoid getting tangled.

  Every advantage counted.

  The prize he sought lay just ahead. Almost within reach. He could see it between the branches, the golden gleam of the trophy ring sitting atop a plain stone pedestal. Probably surrounded by traps. He’d have to step carefully.

  With his destination in sight, Wulff inched closer, pausing when he brushed against a leaf that fluttered. Barely noticeable to the naked eye and yet glaringly obvious through the lenses of his goggles, the motion appearing stark blue in the gray and white landscape. The question being, did anyone else notice?

  The leaf stilled and returned to its dull-colored state. At least the lenses worked. He’d bargained hard for them, using the bits of latmevilium metal he’d scrounged. Valuable beyond compare and hard to find in the wild, the biggest piece being on slightly larger than the tip of his finger. Barely enough to survive on, just ask his threadbare shirt, but he’d not yet resorted to stealing.

  But at times, when his stomach rumbled, he thought about it. It would be nice to not worry about where his next meal would come from or where he’d sleep. He couldn’t keep spending the night at Zak’s. While his best friend, and his parents, didn’t seem to mind, Wulff’s pride had a problem with it.

  Real Siyborghs didn’t take charity; they provided it.

  Didn’t matter he’d not yet reached the age that he could take his first gear or cogs. Wulff had a strong sense of what kind of male he’d become.

  A winner.

  Which was why he crept past the edge of cover onto the deceptively smooth ground. The interlocked stone appeared perfect, all the lines straight. The tiles were laid evenly, none raised higher than the other. But he’d wager a few were just waiting for the subtle weight of a foot to spring their trap.

  How to tell which were the deadly squares?

  “Throw me over to the pedestal and I’ll grab it. We can share the win.”

  The whisper startled him, as he’d never suspected anyone at his back. Glancing over his shoulder, Wulff scowled at the freckled face smiling in eagerness.

  “Go away,” he snapped in a low tone. “Why did you follow me?”

  “I didn’t follow you.” An obvious lie. Ursy wa
s always tagging at his heels. Zak’s little sister just couldn’t leave any of them alone, especially Wulff. It was as if she delighted in torturing him at every turn.

  “Stay back. This is my prize.” He wasn’t about to share the glory.

  “Only if you get to it first.”

  Before he could grasp her intent, she sprinted past him, a lithe shape with a fat braid bouncing down her back.

  “Oh no you don’t.” He threw a foot forward to chase then another, hitting the paved stone hard.

  Click.

  The tile underneath his foot sank, just a hint but enough to trigger a trap.

  “Frukx me,” he cursed even as he threw himself down and to the side.

  Just in time as a log, spiked with sharp tines, came swinging from the forest. He scrabbled away from its pendulum swing and heard yells.

  A sharp glance ahead showed Zak emerging from the far side of the clearing, running in a zigzag for the prize while Ursy had hit a trap and balanced on the edge of an abyss.

  He still had a chance. Wulff rose to his feet and ran, ignoring the rumble underfoot, eyes on the prize ahead.

  Swinging from the forest was Jwls, arm wrapped around a rope, his grin wide. His eyes wider as a drone appeared out of nowhere and fired on him.

  Jwls would have to manage. Just like Ray, arm on fire as flames shot up from the ground, would have to drop and roll without his help. Wulff kept his eyes on the prize.

  A few paces away from the pedestal, several rows of tiles dropped, forming a dark ditch, but Wulff was already airborne, pushing off with his strong adolescent legs, reaching for the golden ring—It’s mine. I’ve got it. I—

  He watched it get snatched by a soaring Ursy, who clutched it to her chest as she landed on the other side, crowing, “I win!”

  Instantly, the simulation shut down, the game having reached its conclusion to more than a few groans.

  “Who invited her?” Ray complained.

  Zak raised his hands. “Don’t look at me. You all know I would never invite my sister to play.”

  Because she always seemed to beat them. And then wouldn’t stay quiet about it.

  “You’re just all jealous that I’m better than you,” Ursy hotly retorted, pointing her nose in the air.

  “She was following Wulff again,” Jwls remarked, jerking a thumb in his direction.

  “I didn’t ask her to.” He couldn’t help but scowl.

  “Didn’t have to. Everyone knows Ursy tags along because she has a crush on Wulff.” This time Ray tossed the barb.

  “Do not,” she exclaimed, tone full of indignation.

  “Nasty,” Wulff added. “She’s practically a sister to me.” And one did not lust after a sibling. That kind of thing was forbidden and just wrong. Besides, who’d eye her with romantic intent?

  At only fourteen revolutions of the giant world cog, Ursy remained scrawny, without any curves to draw the eye. She might be the same age as Zak—minus a few ticks of a gear—but her body remain undeveloped compared to some of the other females their age.

  Not to mention she was annoying.

  Especially when she offered him the ring—made of a dull, cheap metal without any of the glamor from the game they played—and said, “If you’re going to be a baby about it, then take it.”

  He scowled. “I don’t want anything from you.”

  Ursy arched a brow. “Remember that you said that because, one day, I bet you change your mind. And when you do, I’ll be the one saying no.”

  As if that would ever happen. “I’ll never need you.”

  As if to taunt him with his words, fate tossed them back at Wulff many, many turns of the gear later.

  2

  “The Mecha Gods might be long gone, but their legacy was left behind in the form of gears and cogs. Only the most worthy may wear them, for to take the mechanism unto oneself brings one closer to the gods.” – The Mighty Mecha Bible

  Thump. The impact shuddered the floor under his feet. Already braced, Wulff kept his balance but couldn’t help a shake of his head. “Let me fly.” he insisted, losing patience at his relegation to the status of passenger in the cockpit of the Unicorn Bandit—a stupid name. Ursy had won the ship in a game of chance and refused to change it, surely in a ploy to vex them all. Then, to add insult to injury, the zeppelin vessel with its enclosed lower body sported a pale pink inflatable balloon for coasting planetary winds.

  He was pretty sure it had an effect on his masculinity. It might also explain why he grunted and scratched himself more often than usual.

  “You are not driving.” Ursy didn’t even bother to look at him when she refused, leaving him to stare at the top of her head. She sported a much shorter style these days, the hair wisping and curling in all directions. It made him wonder how soft the silvery strands would feel to the touch.

  To avoid the temptation—which would surely earn him a sucker-punch to the groin—he tucked his hands behind his back. “Come on, share a little. I’m bored. I need something to do.” Because he’d already fixed everything on board in need of a weld or an upgrade.

  “If you need suggestions, then how about scrubbing the latrine.”

  His lips pinched but not because of the suggestion. “I already did. And might I say, you are disgusting.” Turned out the seams in that room were supposed to be white, not brown.

  “Some of us have better things to do than worry about a bit of dirt.”

  “Speaking of worry, you haven’t slept in a full gear cycle.” The time on board the ship was kept by a clock that ticked at the same rate as the mighty cog back home.

  “Ah, isn’t it sweet that you care.” A sly glance over her shoulder gave a peek at a nose still freckled and a wide, familiar smirk. Yet those eyes, a clear blue, were now framed by ultra-thick lashes. And when did her lips become so plump and full?

  “I care because if you fall asleep while navigating through this minefield, we could die.”

  “Don’t worry, Woofy,” she said, facing forward again and employing her annoying nickname for him. “I promise to get you to our destination alive.”

  Irritation sparked. “Are you sure about that?” he snapped. “I have to wonder, given you seem intent on bouncing every single loose rock out there off the hull. If you’re too tired to pilot, then let someone who isn’t take the controls.”

  She whirled in her seat to offer him the full heat of her glare. Since she only had organic eyeballs, he didn’t sizzle on the spot. “You’re annoying. And showing your male privilege.”

  That brought a roll to his eyes. “What privilege? You’ve won just about every single event we ever competed in together.” Which would have been emasculating if she didn’t kick the buttocks of every other male and female he knew, too.

  Unlike many worlds, Siyborghs had long since come to an understanding that the sexes were different and that those dissimilarities didn’t make one better than the other. For example, Ursy’s slender size gave her an agility he lacked. Whereas his bulk gave him a strength she couldn’t match.

  “So you admit I am better than you in everything.”

  “Don’t twist my words. You don’t always win.”

  “I have lately because I am just that good.”

  One thing Ursy had greater than anyone else? Confidence. And while it used to greatly annoy him, of late, he’d found himself taking pride in her abilities. Like when he was in that tavern and someone started talking about her latest accomplishment—an incredible heist that set a new standard in the universe. Wulff only took umbrage when the speaker devolved into an insulting rant. For that, Wulff broke his face. Not that he would ever tell Ursy he defended her honor. She’d hurt him if she ever found out.

  “Good only because of your latest upgrade.”

  “Aw, is someone jealous?”

  “Jealous of what? Your snotty attitude? I can see why you’re still single,” he muttered. It should also be added that while strangers couldn’t insult Ursy in front of Wulff, he had no p
roblem dishing it out.

  The remark snapped her mouth shut, and he caught the faintest hint of something in her eyes before she turned her back on him to fiddle once more at the console.

  Had he actually managed to hurt her feelings? He almost apologized, and then she opened her mouth.

  “I have no need of a permanent male in my life. Annoying, clinging, smelly things that they are.”

  “You’ve obviously not met the right male.”

  “Or maybe I am not interested.”

  Again, he could have sworn he heard a hint of longing in her words. “You’ll find someone to change your mind someday.”

  “And what of you? I don’t see you clamoring to settle down like Jwls did with that human.” Said with disparagement.

  She spoke of a good friend of his who’d recently married someone from a completely different universe. He wouldn’t have taken Jwls for a barbarian lover. Everyone knew Earthlings had yet to achieve enlightenment.

  “When I find the right female to partner with, I will probably do the same thing Jwls did.” For some reason he found himself eyeing the rigid set of Ursy’s shoulders.

  “Get married? Now there’s a way to chain yourself down.”

  “According to Jwls, finding Aggie set him free.”

  “Ha, ask him how he feels again once the world gear has turned a few times. Now, are you done yapping? I’m kind of busy here. Go find something to do that doesn’t involve harassing me.”

  “The only thing left is for me to navigate while you get some sleep.” Because an asteroid field was not the place to use any kind of autopilot.

  “And I said no. I recall what you did to your last ship.”