***

“We have no stones to give them,” Rylie ran her palms over her face until her fingers threaded through her hair. Exasperation and fear had taken over.

“Hush, please. Even though they’re gone, doesn’t mean they can’t hear,” Da pleaded. It was just the two of them left. Janet had stormed out, soon followed by their guests. The entire day felt like one long, unending nightmare from which she had yet to wake.

“I hope they do hear!”

“If they fix this for us now, they’ll get their end of the bargain, eventually. It works out for us...and for them.”

Rylie turned to him, “We’re not a shady homestead! We don’t lie! You’ve made us into something we’re not. How could you do that to us? We may never be able to give them what they want. Do you want the EPED to breathe down our necks?”

“One of the missing waterships turned up.”

She stopped.

“—parts of it did, at least.”

“When?”

He sighed, “Several weeks ago. It’s what spurred all of this.” He waved his hand, his voice growing tired. “It was off the north coast between our lots and Crestalview’s. One of Charlene’s workers found it.”

Rylie palmed her face some more, feeling wary herself. The adrenaline that had coursed through her veins had been replaced with exhaustion. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Was there any sign of a body?” She slouched onto a nearby seat and leaned her head back. She caught a faint whiff of something masculine, something she had never smelled before, and it occurred to her she was sitting where the Cyborg had. The blue one.

“No, none...” A hand settled on top of her head. “You should get some sleep. We’ll be starting out early tomorrow.”

A moment passed as he stepped away, his steps trailing toward the exit.

“Da, is it really that bad?”

He paused, and the pregnant silence was enough of an answer for her.

“I don’t know, Buggy, but those men tonight, if anyone can fix it, it’ll be them.”

She frowned and stopped him one more time. “Janet’s playing with fire.”

He chuckled, one foot on the dock, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She could be playing with metal.” And he was gone. Rylie squeezed her eyelids shut and breathed in the strange smell that engulfed her.

This time yesterday...

She had no idea what had happened. If someone had told her she would be fretting over her da’s business practices and two Cyborgs, she would have laughed. Instead, here she was, soothed by the shallow rocking of the boat and breathing in a strange man’s scent.

Before her thought ended, she was across the lounge picking up the cups, a shiver crawling up her spine. And with the dishes in hand, she stepped onto the dock, her pathway guided by dim green lights and starshine. She looked back out to the ocean, silently begging it to be the same ocean that she had grown up with. One that produced beautiful jewels, crystalline waters to swim in, and strange creatures.

Rylie stopped begging and willed it.

“You shouldn’t be out alone at night,” a heavy voice sounded behind her. She started with a squeak, the cups clinking together in her grip, and put distance between her and the lurker.

“Netto?”

Of course, it is.

“Yes.”

“You scared me.”

He shifted away from her, his profile coming into view, and looked out at the ocean as she had moments ago. Even in the dark, she was aware of him, of every movement he made. Rylie squinted her eyes to make out his details but couldn’t. He just looked like a tall man in the dark.

She was oddly disconcerted by it.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out without knowing why.

His eyes remained on the sea. He stared at it as she stared at him.

“Why?”

“I was rude. So was Janet. I know you were invited and doing your job.” She tried to find the words to explain, finding that the darkness gave her courage but not much else. “I...I don’t like surprises...” she trailed off.

“Stress.”

“Yes, stress.” She took a step closer to him, closing the distance she had created in an effort to make a connection. “I don’t like outsiders.”

“Nor does your dad.”

Rylie smiled. “Nor does my Da,” she echoed.

They stood companionably for a short time as she turned her attention back to the ocean. The quiet laps of water hitting the shore and the chittering of bugs were the only sound between them. It soothed her.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Even at night when the water is black, you can still almost see the reflection of the stars on it.”

“Yes.”

“What’s it like out there?” She lifted her gaze to the clusters of lights in the sky, the falling souls, the soft colors of a nearby nebula. “I bet it’s incredible.”

“It’s quiet,” he answered. Rylie waited for more but he didn’t elaborate.

“It’s quiet under the water too.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t talk much do you?” She glanced at him as he turned to look her way, his face hidden behind shadows.

“No.”

She laughed. “Why?”

“My teeth,” he eventually said.

“I can’t see your teeth in the dark.” Rylie shifted the drink glasses so they hung from her fingers on one hand. “Lily is really taken with you. She loves the unusual...doesn’t take after either of our parents. They hoped for a boy but wouldn’t undergo in vitro. I think Janet and I scared them from having another girl. When Lily arrived, well, they named her after some flower in hopes she’d be normal,” Rylie chuckled. “Instead, they got a little monster in the making.”

“Why do you scare them?”

Rylie shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“Have you been here your whole life?”

“I’ve never left the surface. Janet has. I have been to the colony though.” She hugged herself hoping his judgment wouldn’t come. Offworlders looked down on those who weren’t raised and educated on Earth. “We had our schooling electronically.” Rylie added, “I know of Earth.”

“Hmm...”

A blush rose to her cheeks. She hated outsiders for this reason.

“You’re lucky,” he said, pulling her from her thoughts.

What?

“People would kill—kill—for what you have. Your dad gave you an insular paradise. Never feel ashamed of it.”

“I don’t,” she said after a moment, feeling chastised.

Rylie closed her arms around herself tighter as a gust of wind came in from the ocean. The smell of the water filled her nostrils as the breeze pushed back her hair. She shuffled on her feet and turned her head to protect her eyes. It was a rare night when the ocean mists didn’t descend. When she looked up, the Cyborg was watching her.

“Cold?”

Rylie shook her head. “No more than usual. It’s always like this at night.” She watched as the man peeled off his suit jacket, already knowing what he was planning to do. “I don’t need—” Netto placed it over her shoulders. “—Thanks,” she said glumly, sinking into the overly large, stiff fabric. It instantly warmed her from the inside out as if it had just come from the dryer. “Thanks,” she said again, pulling it around her.

“Yes.”

It made her feel equally comfortable and uneasy. “I’m not like Janet,” she blurted out and immediately regretted her words. She was happy he couldn’t see her face and pulled his blazer further over her. When he didn’t respond, she changed the subject. “Will you be able to help us?” she asked. “Da is so sure of himself.”

Netto humphed and took a step toward the water. “Yes.”

He really doesn’t like talking. Rylie bit her tongue. I think he’s worse than me. If she were a Cyborg, rich beyond belief, powerful enough to rule a planet, and had an endless amount of freedom, she didn’t think she would be as quiet as she was. Her mind briefly thought of Zeph and his brazenness.

“Thank you,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

Netto moved from her and down toward the shore. Her eyes were glued to the dark figure that crept away, silent and predatory. Another shiver ran up her spine as he began to take off his pants. They dropped to the sand, leaving behind a dark pile. Rylie held her breath as his dark figure met the equally dark water.

He was about to go into the water at night, something her parents had forbidden her and her sisters from ever doing. Scaring them with tales of riptides, whirlpools, and monsters. And of the fact, that if something should ever happen at night, the likelihood of rescue once below the water was minimal.

But she couldn’t take her eyes off the Cyborg who was up to his shins in the glittering waves. His presence set off hundreds of light-swimmers all around him. The bright blue creatures drifted toward shore after dark. Rylie found her hand twitching to throw rocks into the water to set off more.

His skin glows. She was very aware of the jacket still around her shoulders and the penetrating heat that went with it. His unusual, somewhat comforting smell.

Rylie turned around and scurried up the bluff. When she looked back at the ocean, Netto was gone, as if he had never been there to begin with.

It made her a little wistful and a little sad.