Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
I knew about this dealer from eavesdropping on my father’s conversations with his Enforcers. Synth implants along with Stealth Tech were highly illegal—mainly because a really good implant could fool even the Imperium’s most advanced scanners. So of course, it fell under our Clan’s jurisdiction. This dealer was supposed to be the best in the business and he regularly paid Clan Cruel protection money.
Of course, I didn’t dare to tell him I was a Princess of Clan Cruel—he would refuse to do business with me and probably turn me back in to my father if I did. I had to pretend to be a regular customer.
“I can pay your price,” I told him, lifting my chin. “I need an implant that will make me appear fully male from head to toe.”
“Okay, girly—that’s gonna be a thousand credits,” he said briskly and opened his case. It was filled with hundreds of slim, silver cylinders that gleamed against the black velvet lining.
“A thousand credits!” I squeaked before I could stop myself. That was practically all the money I had. I hadn’t dared to touch my bank account because I was afraid it would tip my father off to the fact I had run away.
Before I left, I had staged a kidnapping, knocking over furniture and throwing personal items on the floor to make it look like there had been a struggle. But if I started pulling money out of my account, my father would know I had run away and would be able to trace it back to my location. I couldn’t have that.
The dealer stopped in the act of choosing the right Synth cylinder.
“You want it or not? Thought you said you could pay.”
“I can.” I sighed. “Okay, so a thousand. That covers touch too, right?”
The dealer frowned.
“Don’t think so girly. Adding tactile to the visual Synth will run you another two thousand.”
“So three thousand all together?” I exclaimed. Goddess, no wonder my father collected so much from this dealer—he was making a fortune.
“Yeah. Can you pay?” His thick fingers hovered over a cylinder that was about as big as my pinky finger.
Reluctantly, I shook my head. I had that much and more in my bank account, but as I said, I couldn’t access it.
“Just a visual Synth,” I said.
“Okay.” His fingers traveled to the other side of the case, finding a silver cylinder that was half as big. He plucked it from the black velvet and pulled out a snub-nosed device that looked like a weapon—a Synth gun. The dealer started to load the cylinder into the gun but paused for a minute. “Let’s see your money.”
I pulled out four green two-hundred-fifty credit chips and showed them to him.
“Good.” He nodded and grabbed my wrist, holding my arm still. With his other hand, he cocked the gun. Then he took aim at my upper arm and pointed the laser scope. A bright red dot appeared on my brown skin, just below my shoulder.
“Wait,” I said. “Is this going to hur—”
There was a muffled explosion as the Synth gun went off and a searing pain stabbed me in the arm.
Tears sprang to my eyes and I shrieked as the agony burst through me. I was pretty sure this was what getting shot with an old-fashioned projectile weapon felt like!
“Hey now, girly—males don’t cry, ya know,” the dealer said roughly, releasing my arm.
“You…you could have warned me.” I sucked back a sob and swiped at my damp eyes. “That really hurt!”
“You’re lucky you couldn’t afford the tactile Synth,” he said blandly. “It hurts twice as much—like having your fucking arm cut off with a fire torch. You know, if you’re going to pretend to be a male, you need to remember not to show your emotions so much.”
“I’m not!” I said indignantly.
“Yes, you are, girly. Go on—go look at yourself.”
He nodded at the alcove behind him where he’d set up a cheap 3-D viewer which would show me from all angles.
Rising on shaky legs, I made my way to the viewer to have a look at my new appearance.
What I saw stunned me.
There was a boy looking back at me—a boy who could have been my twin. He had smooth, brown skin and pale amber eyes which were red from crying. His hair was short and his jaw line was still delicate, but more square than mine. His features were mine, only a bit larger and less feminine looking.
But he was still almost pretty—and he looked too damn young! Like a male who was barely twenty—if that.
“Hey—this isn’t what I asked for!” I said, rounding angrily on the dealer. “I’m supposed to look like a man—where’s my beard? Or at least some stubble?”
He shrugged.
“Sorry—that’s not how Synth works. If it makes changes that are too extreme, the Imperium’s Fraud Alarms are set off the minute they scan you. You get picked up on Synth charges and you’ll go away for a long fucking time. Believe me—I know,” he added darkly.