***

Netto stepped into the watership at Montihan’s request, annoyed at how the day had gone. Zeph was already in the lounge with Montihan’s daughter, Janet, sitting next to him. The boat swayed under his feet as he entered.

The first thing he noticed about the vessel wasn’t the design, the materials, the tech, or the stability, but the smell. It smelled like the brown-haired daughter: sun and ocean.

“So you were in the war?” Janet asked, facing Zeph.

“You bet. Since the turning point.”

“So that makes you an old man...”

“Do I look old?” There was a twinkle in Zeph’s eyes. “Because I can assure you, I’m anything but old.”

“I don’t know if I can believe that. You’d have to prove it and I’m not sure if that’s possible.” Janet added after a pause, “Old man.”

He watched the ease with which Zeph flirted with the girl. It was like watching a dog fetch a ball. Netto understood it, accepted that for the pursuer it was fun, but it was beyond his personal understanding. He never held the attention of anyone long enough to ease into a conversation and the few times he had—with humans—their discomfort was enough to keep his mouth shut. Their eyes always went to his mouth and to the rows of razor-sharp teeth within.

When a woman flirted with him, it ended before it began, with her eyes widening and her body tensing with fear. Opening his mouth did that.

Netto tuned them out and focused on Montihan, who was obliviously running a scanner over the rails throughout the interior. His daughter is already halfway in bed with a Cyborg. Doesn’t he see that?

“What are you doing with that scanner?” he asked.

Montihan didn’t look up, “Checking for bugs.”

It took Netto a breath to scan the watership and discern that there was no tracker tech or espionage gear. “It’s clear.”

The man nodded before clicking off his handheld. “Thank you. Rylie did it this morning but one can never be too careful.” He sat down in the captain’s seat and swiveled his chair to face the group.

“Why are you checking? Are you having problems with one of the factions on Kepler?” Zeph asked, his voice hard.

Montihan rubbed his mouth. “Not lately, beyond the issues that everyone is facing in the Eastern hemisphere agri-lots, but I’m not quick to place my trust in those beyond my homestead.”

“Military-man to the bone,” Zeph leaned back and spread his arms along the headrests, his left enveloping Janet into his space. “We appreciate that. Have you had trouble in the past?”

The ship rocked slightly, unnoticeable to everyone but a Cyborg. Both he and Zeph turned to see Rylie join them. Netto’s nostrils flared as her sea-swept perfume punctured the space; it replaced all hints of her sister’s lavender oil. She perused the room, and her eyes met his briefly, uncertain and ocean blue, before quickly looking away.

Few seats are left. Netto sensed her dilemma because it would be his too. Will she sit next to me? He shifted, prepared for her slight body to be next to his. His muscles relaxed, diminishing his strength for her comfort.

He looked up to see Zeph smirking at him. Rylie walked past them and sat next to her da.

A strange emotion coursed through him.

“Some time ago, yes, we had a shark take over a fellow agri-lot settlement south of us.” Netto tensed as Montihan continued, “But they were fined and have been quiet since. We still find bugs now and again on our equipment, especially since the colony expanded and the additional corporations broke ground.”

“Yes, KepOil and Mining, the helium extraction industries, and Fert Tech, a fertilizer plant. We know of their transition. Has it affected you?” Zeph asked.

Netto listened but watched Rylie out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at his partner, and a spit-fire flare of jealousy hit him. I saw her first.

He shut his eyes and cleared his mind, unsure why he cared.

“I don’t know. Yes and no. There’re more people available for work, new alliances to be had, but like I said, I don’t trust outsiders. And the bugs and not knowing who keeps planting them has only made my stance stronger on the issue.”

Zeph sat forward. “Is that why we’re here? Because of your paranoia?”

“Don’t insult him,” Janet clipped, speaking for the first time, her eyes narrowed.

“They’re just musings of a long-time business man, I’m telling you now,” Montihan said, calmly.

“And you trust them?” Her voice rose, “You tell us now that you’re paranoid? And ask outsiders to come here when we could’ve come up with a plan ourselves?”

“Janet, please,” Rylie pleaded. “He’s telling us now.”

Netto and Zeph shared a look and remained quiet.

“We’ve always helped you protect our lots. We’re prepared to take over when you retire and we don’t even have your ear anymore? How do you expect us to do our jobs when you keep stuff from us?” Janet continued.

“Da, does ma know?” Rylie intervened.

“She knows enough—”

“And she agrees with how you’re handling this?”

“I don’t like how you and your sister ‘handle’ things.” The girl stiffened under his gaze, a matching blush powdering her cheeks. “I wanted to protect you from yourselves for once. If you two had known what your ma and I planned before this afternoon, you wouldn’t be here right now, instead getting yourselves in trouble somewhere I can’t help you!” Both girls cowed under his increasing anger. “There’re big fish in the waters now and if you two caught the notice of one of them, if KepOil or Fert Tech are involved, especially since they might have nothing to do with this, I’m not sure your ma and I could protect you. Not without a stand-off and not without either us or them dying.” Montihan took a deep, ragged breath.

Netto felt bad for the man. For all of his strength, he could see the tired look of countless hours of work on Montihan’s face. His daughters resembled him, both different yet similar in the way sisters were. Rylie’s mouth was pressed into a hard line, her face half-covered with hair and looking away while the one in Zeph’s circle had her arms crossed, glaring at her dad. Neither one said anything.

Thirty minutes ago he would have gladly gone back to the ship and left Kepler behind for good. Thirty minutes ago he would have logged his time here to the back of his database. But as Montihan sat stiffly, his brow wrinkled, and concern marring his features, Netto found himself interested in offering his help.

He felt a needle of possession as he studied the family, a tiny stab urging him to give them his protection. His muscles bunched back up as his plating shifted from within.

Zeph broke the silence of the static atmosphere.

“We’re here because you requested us and because we need your glass. For a price, we can offer our assistance.”

Montihan nodded, “I know.”

“So, let’s make a deal then. The EPED receives the rest of your crop this season, at a quarter of the price, for us, and for whatever you called us here to help with.” Zeph waved his hand.

“That’s absurd,” Rylie was the first of her family to respond. “We have contracts that we can’t fall out of, not without severing relationships with longstanding buyers. You’ll ruin us.” She turned toward her dad. “We can take care of it ourselves like we’ve always done, like we always do.”

“It’s a deal.”

Janet sat forward as Zeph sat back, “Da, but the crops—”

“Shush, Jan,” Montihan snapped.

“This’ll destroy us.”

“Our financial situation is already in the red.”

“Who will supply the Trentians?” Rylie asked before Janet erupted on their father. Netto looked back at Zeph, who sported a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips. A verbal contract. Another job completed.

The EPED needed something from Montihan, and Montihan needed something from them.

That something was off. Netto wasn’t sure if it had to do with Zeph or Montihan, but he had the urge to negate the verbal contract and to provide a Cyborg’s services pro-bono. He wanted to intervene and follow his instinct.

He couldn’t.

This was why he hated working for the government. One of the many reasons he had left the EPED in the first place.

“Tell us what you need,” Netto asked, finally speaking. There was only one way to find out.

“Nothing,” Rylie hissed.

Montihan got up and poured himself a drink. “Quiet, girls, and I’ll explain. The deal is set and to our benefit.”

“It’s true,” Zeph shrugged, catching Janet’s eye. “One Cyborg is worth a fortune alone, but two Cyborgs? Well, we could start a war. Could probably take out half the population of Kepler before the end of next week.” He sat back down, nonplussed, a fraction closer to the girl. Netto knew it was calculated.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Janet taunted, eyeing Zeph, “Not you. Now two of him,” she tilted her head in Netto’s direction, “I’d believe.”

“Speak!” Netto growled, switching his attention back to the reason why he and Zeph were there at all.

“The crops have gone bad.” Montihan set down his glass. “At least in every agri-lot in the Eastern seaboard, and as of today, my daughters and I checked the lots closest to home.” He lifted a stone out of his shirt and handed it to Netto. Netto turned over the cloudy stone, what appeared to be a dirty piece of sea-glass, in his hand. He handed it to Zeph. “What was ripe last season is now as decayed as the lots that phased out farther from home.”

“When did this start?”

“Several years ago, some of the distant beds out in the ocean along our islands turned cloudy. We thought nothing at the time. Not all the homesteads had been affected, only some, so we noted it as an anomaly and ate the loss.” He sighed, “It only got worse. Each year the beds closer to home produced less, and it wasn’t just us anymore. It was everyone.”

“Was this during the nearby takeover or after?” Zeph asked.

“After. I don’t know if it’s related. I can’t see how. Charlene has suffered as much as the rest of us. And based on you guys coming out upon my request, I can only assume the EPED is concerned about the price increase.”

“We are concerned.”

Janet sighed audibly. “God forbid.”

“I would think so,” Zeph’s voice came out harsh. “Considering that stone reinforces the cases that contain bacteria that could wipe out mankind. That stone is used in every modern Earthian spaceship. I’m sure you wouldn’t like to see Kepler cut off from the rest of the universe. It would be a shame for you to never again have lavender grace your skin.” He brushed a finger over Janet’s arm.

“What about the water?” Netto interrupted, emboldened to solve the problem and not because every time he spoke, Rylie looked back at him. At him and not his partner. “Did it change?”

“Yes, but not much, the salt levels increased—”

“Which increased the temperature,” Netto stated, nodding.

“Only by a fraction of a degree, a minuscule amount that could have been caused by an intense warm season,” Montihan finished.

“We’ll take our own samples while we’re out.”

Netto glanced at Rylie as she sat forward, and she visibly wilted under everyone's stare. “There’ve been deaths, and our waterships have been tagged by bugs.”

“We discussed the bugs before you arrived,” Montihan interjected. “The deaths are concerning too.”

With his eyes still on her, Netto answered, “Control told us.” Their gazes locked for a flickering moment before she looked away. He captured it in his mind.

“Do you think the deaths are connected?” Zeph asked.

“They have to be. All of them were workers, all of them were out on the ocean, and with each disappearance, a watership vanished as well. I don’t see how it connects with the bad crops though, or the bugging,” Janet said. “It’s been a bad year,” she turned toward Montihan. “We’ll be better next season.”

“So, we have bad crops...several deaths, and spies. What exactly do you want us to do?”

Janet rolled her eyes, “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Leave,” Rylie hugged herself.

“Fix it.” Montihan looked steadily at him and Zeph “And you’ll get your glass.”