Intimate Relations, Rebecca Forster [best ereader for manga .txt] 📗

are so happy to see you. Would you like something to drink?"

It was Roxana's double who moved off the bed like she was rising from the dead, but it was Emi Cuca who wanted to send this one back to hell. With her last ounce of strength, she scrambled up and ran at the woman, screeching a cry of despair and rage. Roxana saw her coming and put her arms up to ward off the attack. The woman's fear meant nothing to Emi Cuca.

"Kill her," Emi cried. "Kill her."

 Ding Xiang rolled off the bed, and scrambled away. Enver was on his feet. He too cried out in horror. Cori and Finn were quick, but Emi was superhuman in her resolve. Roxana's twin fell back on the bed, throwing her arms up to protect herself.

"Help me. Help me," she begged.

 Emi hurled herself onto the bed, covering the woman with her own body. Her hands clawed at the woman's face as the woman threw her head from side to side trying to thwart the attack. Emi put her hands around Roxana's neck and dug her big, strong fingers into the soft flesh. Unable to talk, unable to move, the twin Roxana lay beneath Emi Cuca and ceased to struggle. Finn, closer than Cori, was on Emi, gathering her into his arms, yanking her away from the other woman. But Emi Cuca struggled against him. She dug in, holding her ground.

Finn saw the soft skin give, he heard a crack as if bones were breaking. With a huge cry, he pulled Emi Cuca up and back until she released her hold. Together the detective and the artist's wife tumbled across the bed and slid onto the floor. Exhausted, Emi didn't fight him. She lay in Finn O'Brien's arms, captured and subdued. Finn closed his eyes and lay with his face turned toward the ceiling until he heard:

"Oh my Lord."

He turned his head to look at Cori, but she was looking at the thing in Emi Cuca's hand. It was Roxana Masha Novika's face, wide eyed and full lipped. Finn set the woman aside. She rolled over, clutching the face to her chest as Finn got to his feet. His eyes went to the bed. His breath was labored as much from exertion as revulsion of the abomination he was looking at. Cori moved to his side, her hand touched his. He understood the need for human contact, and he understood the tremor of disgust that ran through his partner.

On the bed lay a body —not a twin but a doll. A companion. A thing. The metal jaw still moved as if gasping for breath; the eye sockets clicked left as if searching for a savior. Everyone in the room looked from Emi Cuca to the body; everyone except Ding Xiang.

He was gone.

27

"What have you done? What have you done?"

The detectives were so focused on Emi Cuca, they were startled when Enver called out and rushed toward them. Finn stepped in front of the woman, but there was no need to protect Emi from her husband. The man rushed past them, threw himself on the bed, pulled the faceless body to him, and keened as he rocked it.

"Enough!" Emi's scream was piercing as she made an end run for her husband.

"Enough both of you," Finn countered.

He caught Emi's arm and pulled her close. He took hold of the plastic face, but Emi fought mightily for it. Finally, he ripped it out of her hands and twirled her to Cori. Tossing the thing aside, Finn stormed to the bed. At another time he would have had some sympathy if this were a distraught man with a woman caught up in his arms, but this was no woman. The man wept for his own creation, and from what they had just witnessed it was an abominable thing to lament. It certainly was not something to kill for.

Cori put Emi on the couch while Finn wrested the companion from the man, pulled him off the bed and dragged him, stumbling and whimpering, to the sofa. He threw Enver down beside his wife.

"Do not move an inch," Finn roared, his voice crashing against the concrete walls and bouncing back again.

Enver wept and so did Emi, but hers were tears of outrage and his were of pain. In front of them, Cori stood watch. The thing had stopped moving and Finn barely gave it a glance as he swept the room. He moved the bed and tore off the curtains. He went to the bathtub and fell to his knees, running his hands across the floor. Frustrated when he found nothing, he scoured the perimeter of the room, and when he was done he went to Enver Cuca.

 "How did he leave here? Ding Xiang. Where did he go?"

Enver shook his head. "I don't know."

Finn took him by his shirt and pulled him upwards, but before he could do more Emi Cuca stopped him.

"Leave him be," Emi commanded.

Finn hesitated. It was Enver Cuca he wanted to hear speak, but Emi was determined to be heard. She swiped at her tears with the back of her hand.

"The man comes and goes. We don't know how. We receive a message when we are to stay away from this room."

"'Tis late. I've little patience," Finn said. "Show me the texts."

"They are gone," Enver said.

Finn and Cori exchanged a glance; they were not surprised.

"Do you know who he is?" Cori asked. "Do you?"

"Not at first, but now. Until he came it was good, Enver." Emi looked at her husband. "All you had to do was give him what he paid for."

She looked away from her husband, her eyes darting between Cori and Finn.

"No one can paint like Enver, but I created the socket and it made the companion move exactly as we move. We didn't need that man. We should have stopped long ago."

"Stop what?" Cori asked.

"Stop what we did for him. The other companions, those were art and engineering.