He felt the sensation in his hand and shook it slightly. That was… odd. He and Sapphire were in the middle of an assignment. To be summoned now was practically unheard of. Or perhaps their superiors felt Sapphire could handle the rest of this assignment herself. It was a relatively straightforward case of time manipulation – her skill, not his.
Then he glanced over and saw similar confusion on her face.
Did They summon you as well?
Isn't that a bit out of character for Them? Considering They have a wide range of other agents to pick from? It's not just us.
We must be the best suited for the task, I suppose. He started to walk away.
Steel, where are you going?
Sapphire, we were called; in case you've forgotten, this is not a democracy. We do not have freedom of will.
But what do we do here?
We leave and They will sort it out.
Still it feels odd to walk away from something unfinished.
This time the summons was strong; a sharp, no-nonsense jolt that made Sapphire gasp and Steel wince. Their presence wasn't merely being requested, it was being demanded.
I don't think They care very much. He held a hand out to her and she took it without hesitation. It closed over hers like a glove.
They rematerialized in a long gray corridor. Doors on either side were unmarked save a small symbol, a chemical signature. Double doors at the end stood open and it was to them that the two agents proceeded, Steel slightly ahead of Sapphire as was his habit.
She smiled at his back, wondering if he knew the message he sent by such actions.
Of course, I do.
Do what, Steel?
Know what message I'm sending. And it is the wise Element that heeds it.
They breached the door and came to a stop, side by side.
Define – Titanic.
The word or the object, please?
Sapphire was polite, even with these beings. It was easier. A vision of a ship flashed into her mind.
Titanic!
"The Titanic was the largest vessel ever constructed to date when it set out on its maiden voyage on April 10th, 1912. En route to New York from England, it hit an iceberg on April 15th and sank. Many people blamed the captain for attempting to set a new speed record for the crossing and not taking heed of the reports of icebergs in the area. Sadly, there were not enough provisions made for all the passengers and crew. Out of the 2,228 humans on board, only 705 people survived."
"So few?" Even Steel sounded slightly taken aback by that number.
"The ship was believed to be unsinkable, both by the public and its designers. The designers were, in fact, on board. She caught the iceberg along her side and it ripped a gash into the bulkhead. There were later reports that weak steel, bad rivets, and shoddy workmanship in an attempt to meet deadlines might have contributed to the issue. Another speculation is that if she'd hit the iceberg head on instead of turning when she did, she would not have sunk."
She must sink!
"She did. Her sinking forced changes to all maritime laws."
The front page of The Times Dispatcher appeared in her mind - Titanic arrives, sets new record, triumphant Captain Smith announces retirement. A smiling bearded man waved to the group.
ALL IRREGULARITIES WILL BE HANDLED BY THE FORCES CONTROLLING EACH DIMENSION; TRANSURANIC HEAVY METAL MAY NOT BY USED WHERE THERE IS LIFE. MEDIUM ATOMIC WEIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE: GOLD, LEAD, COPPER, JET, DIAMOND, RADIUM, SAPPHIRE, SILVER AND STEEL. SAPPHIRE AND STEEL HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED.
"What? That's impossible!" Sapphire looked around the room, but the only one there with her was Steel.
"Sapphire, look who's on deck, standing just to the right of the captain," Steel said, knowing he saw the same image as she did. "Is that or is that not Silver?"
She closed her eyes to concentrate. "It certainly looks like him, but when he left, he was wearing a life jacket. He knew the ship was going to sink."
"Then why hasn't it sunk?" Steel hesitated and then kissed her cheek, almost mischievously. "And where is Diamond? Shouldn't she be by his side?"
"She doesn't have the same sense of camaraderie that we share." Her eyes drifted partially shut. "She likes things her way, brilliant but cold."
"That's a bit harsh, even for you, Sapphire."
"She's one of the few who is harder even than you, Steel."
He smiled gently, "Yes, but sapphires are only a fraction softer than diamonds." He glanced overhead. He didn't know why he always looked at the ceiling for Them. They were never there. "They've gone."
"Yes, our assignment is to correct whatever Silver did wrong."
"I am not fond of the man, but Silver doesn't, as a rule, make mistakes." He started to walk from the room. "Are we guests?"
"That would make it less awkward…" She began to stroll from the room. "There were three classes of service aboard the ship – first, second, and third. First would permit us the greatest freedom of movement, unless you want to go in as a crew member.
"Not you?"
"Not in this society, Steel. I would be consigned to a chamber or scullery maid."
"As the wife of a wealthy man?" He offered her his hand.
"Second class still, but at least visible."
They materialized on the dock, walking among the crowd. If anyone hadn't noticed them a moment prior, it was easily chalked up to the excitement of the day. Ahead, the Titanic stood, glistening in the afternoon sun. Slick, shiny, an example of man's cunning and ability.
"Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland, by Harland and Wolff and it took three thousand men three years to construct it and ended up costing approximately $7.5 million dollars. In 1909, that was a sizable fortune." Sapphire held Steel's arm and carefully kept her tone excited, as if she was a woman facing her first big ocean going adventure, as if she'd had to talk long and hard to convince the man beside her to join her here.
"They say it's unsinkable. Why?"
"It has sixteen watertight compartments that can be closed off within thirty seconds to keep the interior of the ship from flooding." She brushed a feather from her hat back, away from her face. "White Star has had the Olympia, a slightly smaller version of Titanic, in service for about a year. She had performed brilliantly. There is no reason to believe Titanic will not do the same."
Are they here, Sapphire? Do you sense anyone?
Silver and Diamond? No, either they haven't arrived or they are shut off. Silver is famous for ignoring us, you know.
Yes, I do.
And you look very dashing. That is a good color on you... what is it?
Steel gray, it… suits me. He kissed her hand, then froze.
"Steel, what's wrong?"
"That young man over there…" Steel nodded to a rail thin youth, his clothes seemingly two sizes too big for him, despite the fit of the uniform. He almost looked like a young boy playing dress up with his father's clothes. Yet there was something familiar about the face and the carriage. Even the way his hair was slicked back, much as Steel's currently was.
"My word, Steel, he could be your son." Sapphire's mouth played at a smile. "You haven't been holding out on me, have you?"
"Not likely." Who is he, Sapphire?
Blue eyes intensified for a moment as she reached out. It was hard to isolate just one among the many humans who jammed the wharf, preparing to sail or just here to watch. After a moment, she found what she was looking for. His name is Harold Bride and he is the assistant wireless operator.
Wireless what?
Radio, Steel. She probed further and then hugged his arm tightly. He, marries and had two girls. He survives
We always do. Steel had a smug look on his face as the young man glanced over at them and froze, his hand involuntarily going to his cheek. Then a man Bride's age slapped him on the shoulder and they were gone, laughing and jostling each other.
"They say we all have a twin somewhere." Sapphire resumed their way down the pier to the gangway. "He certainly is yours."
"May I have your boarding passes please?" The young man at the bottom of the gangway looked as if he was stopping just short of saluting. Steel reached into an inner jacket pocket, feeling the paperwork materialize beneath his fingertips even as he began to pull it out.
"Ah. Dr and Mrs. Huston, your steward will be happy to show you to your cabin." He glanced around and frowned. "Is your staff joining you?"
"No, we… ah… travel light." Steel offered his arm to Sapphire and they boarded the ship. Even though the weather was very cold, not something they would notice, people crowded the railings of the great ship, waving to their friends and family on board.
Still nothing?
If he's here, he's not responding.
Diamond? Steel's eyes narrowed as he concentrated. There was a brilliant blast, a half shrieked, Steel!
He reacted because it was impossible not to.
What's wrong?
Diamond, she's in trouble.
Surely not. Sapphire's smile faded. "You're serious?"
"Very, I'm afraid."
A crewman, just a boy, approached them, clipboard in hand. "Dr. Huston? Mrs. Huston? If you will follow me, I'll take you to your cabin."
"Why don't you go, my dear," Steel said, patting her hand gently. "You are looking a bit wan. I shall stay up here for a bit longer, perhaps stroll about the ship." Go, Sapphire, and try to contact Diamond.
"All right, I suppose you can't get very lost on board a ship. Don't be late."
Steel started to walk away and he felt an odd sensation. He looked and locked eyes with the wireless operator again. It was really uncanny to look into another being's face and feel as if it was yourself looking back.
"May I help you?" Steel asked when it became clear that Bride wasn't going to speak. The young man's eyes widened and he shook his head.
"No, sir, I'm sorry to have intruded, sir." Bride backed up and then hurried away. The man didn't have just the good fortune to look like him, he even sounded, he even walked the way Steel did. It was unnerving.
Steel started after Bride for a moment and then went to the railing. He settled his hands on the railing and closed his eyes, concentrating. He wasn't as gifted at seeing as Sapphire was, but that didn't mean he couldn't.
Voices whispered around him, like waves lapping at the shore, ebbing and flowing, so much raw emotion it took all his control, all his effort, not to cry out. His hands tightened on the railing, he could feel the wood splintering in his grasp, then like before, a sharp blast. Diamond – trapped? Contained? He couldn't tell. The second he tried to focus on the image it was gone. And where was Silver in all of this?
In spite of the fact that Steel didn't care for the agent, Silver would never abandon his partner, it just wasn't within his nature.
The ship's horn blasted and very nearly made him leap from his skin. Something or someone had trapped one of them, how was that even possible.? Only one force could contain them and they weren't allowed here, not on Earth, not with the humans. The thought of a Transient was enough to make even him uneasy. And Steel was never uneasy.
Sapphire was sitting at a small table, studying her face in the mirror, brushing her hair. It might look as if she was merely primping, the beautiful wife of a wealthy man, all the time in the world on her hands to fritter away.
Instead, she was searching, quietly moving from one stream of consciousness to the next, seeking a familiar signature. Silver and Diamond were sent here… so why weren't they here? The fact was that she had called to Silver, one agent who never ignored her, and he had, shook her confidence. Or perhaps it was because he couldn't. Perhaps it would tip his hand… so many unanswered questions.
There was a soft knock and she opened the door. A young woman stood there and curtsied prettily. "I've been appointed your maid, Ma'am." She kept her eyes down.
"Oh, that's quite all right. We can manage on our own." Sapphire couldn't help but wonder what life must be like for someone so young, on her own, probably with a family struggling to make ends meet. She looked so very vulnerable… Poor child.
"Oh, no, Ma'am… that wouldn't be proper…"
Sapphire reached out and gently lifted the young girl's chin. And it was very much as if her brain exploded then and there.
Sapphire… Sapphire, can you hear me?
Sapphire came to with a jump, fighting instinctively to free herself of her restraints. Then she realized it was Steel holding her and she collapsed back against him, fingers gripping the lapels of his jacket.
Sapphire, what happened?
"I don't…" She looked around at the small room they were in, their… cabin? Her brain ached and the thought of speaking was even less attractive and yet it hurt too much to think.
Let me see. It was not a request.
No.
Excuse me?
I… I can't, Steel, not right now, something happened, but I don't know what. I was sitting there and now I'm here…
When I came in, I found you on the floor by the bed. Can you take time back?
No, not right now. She rested in his arms, drawing strength from him and not caring, not even pretending to hide it. There's something very wrong here, Steel.
That I would agree with. I can't find Silver at all and the only contact I've had with Diamond leads me to believe she is being restrained in some way.
But the only thing strong enough to hold Diamond… or you would be… no, Steel, please…
A Transient. He settled her back on the bed and smoothed her hair. "You need to rest now. I need to call… home."
She caught his hand. "Steel…"
"I will; you rest."
Steel watched her drift off to sleep. As a rule, they didn't sleep, nor did they need to eat or drink. They could, they just didn't need to. Indeed some of the other agents reveled in the sensations that eating and drinking provided. Lead, for example, he loved to eat and Sapphire loved to cook for him. Steel didn't understand it, but that was fine with him. He had other things to think about.
He tried to contact home, but They weren't listening or interested, which was more likely the case. When they were sent on assignments, their superiors let them operate as they saw fit. They didn't interfere and They didn't help. Or rather, They certainly weren't interested in helping now.
He wandered the ship as they prepared to make way. When the moment presented itself, he shifted clothes to that of an engineer and went below. Men were rushing here and there, most of them ignoring him as a rule as they tended to their duties.
Steel moved to the starboard side of the ship and placed a hand on the steel plating. Closing his eyes, he moved easily among his element. The steel was stressed, cracked. It had been poorly forged and the rivets faulty. No wonder it couldn't take the impact of the iceberg. This ship would sink, should sink… so why didn't it?
"Hey, you!"
The voice startled Steel from the plating back into his own body. He glanced over at the bosun's mate. "Yes, sir?"
"Communing with the ship, are you? Get to work!" He tossed Steel a shovel. "This ship isn't going to power itself."
So for the next two hours, he shoveled coal. It was back breaking labor for the others, nothing for him. It did, however, give him ample opportunity to listen, to observe. These men would quite probably all die.
"Seven hundred and five," he murmured.
"What are you yammering about?" the bosun's mate demanded.
Steel glanced over, startled. He'd not realized he'd spoken aloud. "Days I have left on my contract."
"Let's hope your back holds up."
It was another hour before he was able to take his leave of this place long enough to exchange one mantle for another.
His hands burned from the shoveling, but that was no matter.
Night had fallen and he walked the deck in the bitter night air. The temperature, combined with the wind chill, had sent most of the humans scurrying for the warmth of the lounge or restaurant. Cold meant very little to him.
Again, he took up his position at the rail and looked out at the sky.
"Really makes you feel insignificant, doesn't it, sir?"
It was eerie. It was like hearing himself speak. He pulled his focus from the sky to the young man standing beside him. "Harold Bride, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. I hope I'm not bothering you, sir?"
"Not at all." He smiled slightly. "I, too, have noticed the resemblance."
"Bit uncanny and all… you haven't spent any time around Nunhead, have you, sir?"
"Not to my recollection." Steel returned his gaze to the sky. "And no, it doesn't make me feel insignificant."
"Well, that's all right then, silver lining and all." He looked up into the sky and took a deep breath. "Twinkle twinkle little star, like a diamond in the sky."
"What do you mean?" Steel felt himself growing cold, very cold.
"Nothing, sir, just a… nursery rhyme. One my mum used to read to me." He glanced at his wrist. "I'm very nearly late for my watch. Excuse me."
Steel watched the young man hurry away and reminded himself to breathe. This was getting odder and odder with each passing moment. He felt as if the man was desperately trying to tell him something. Or perhaps he just wanted it so badly, he was projecting.
He turned and started to walk away, pausing at the sight of someone studying him. The bosun's mate, probably trying to get his mind around why he'd seen Steel earlier shoveling coal and why he was now dressed in an elegant suit and dress coat.
"May I help you?" His tone was cold, not inviting a response…
"You look familiar…"
"The young Mr. Bride was mentioning it to me as well."
He swore he saw the eyes flare for just as second, just as Sapphire's often did and he let his mind slip into bland concerns, dinner, perhaps some intimacy with his wife, if it was ever going to get any warmer. Safe, non-Elemental thoughts.
"That must be it then," the mate murmured. "Have a good evening, sir."
"If it ever warms up, I shall," Steel rubbed his upper arms, just as he'd seen others do and let his core temperature dip slightly.
"Not taking a chill, are you sir? I could escort you to sick bay." The man reached out and something screamed at Steel. Take that hand and it's over.
"No, I'm fine, just need a good drink." He easily evaded the hand and walked away, still aware of the man's eyes upon him.
Sapphire was sitting up on the bed when he returned. She smiled and patted the spot beside her. She could see the conflict in his eyes. Steel never stopped well. He was almost always moving, either physically or mentally. His mind raced and she'd found herself exhausted when they'd first been partnered.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I've been going over it in my head. It's almost as if my memory has been edited. I answered the door and then next thing I know, you were here with me."
"Let me see."
She nodded and placed her hands on his cheeks, holding his head still. You're cold. Trouble?
Someone paying more attention to me than I'd like.
Who? A face appeared in her mind and she studied him through Steel's eyes. His eyes flashed and she gasped.
Sapphire?
Sorry… who is he, Steel?
Bosun's mate, I think he's much more. I knew for him not to touch me.
Touch… I touched…
Who, Sapphire, or what?
I don't… I can't... I'm sorry.
There was a long silence and then Steel asked quietly. "Sapphire, are you compromised? Should you be replaced on this assignment?"
"No, I don't think so."
Steel was up and moving again. "Someone was here, someone spoke with you, but you have no memory of it beyond that?"
"Yes?"
"Who has the power to edit your thoughts, Sapphire?"
"Besides our superiors, no one that I know of."
"Which would mean we are dealing with someone, something, unfamiliar to you." Steel rested his hands on the ship, reading the metal, connecting with his own. "The ship is still compromised."
"It's too early…" she spoke absently, studying the bed spread, the pattern in it.
"What?"
"If you move now, too early."
"Sapphire, what did you just say?"
She looked up startled. "I didn't say anything, Steel."
"You did." He sat again and took her hands. Look.
She went into his mind easily, then stopped – she was speaking. "Too early for what?"
"If someone was able to reinforce the point of contact between the steel plating and the iceberg just prior to impact, would you be able to compromise it again?"
"Yes, in a matter of a few minutes, four or five, no more."
"No."
"I'm sorry, Sapphire?"
"It must be longer, it must be hours and you must believe it with every fiber of your being, Steel. I don't know why this is important, but it is. Don't ask me how I know this."
"All right, three hours; I must have at least three hours in order to manipulate the steel on an atomic level."
"Hold that thought above everything else." She lingered in his mind for a moment longer and then a soft pink came to her cheeks. "You told him you were going to have sex with me?"
"Not verbally, of course, I needed some… safe thoughts."
Her blush deepened. "Steel!"
He looked at her and his lips played in a rare smile. "Blame it upon our continued contact with these humans." He leaned close to her ear to whisper, "I've been contaminated."
"I've heard it called many things, but never that." Then suddenly she stiffened and looked frantically at the door. "Steel, kiss me now."
"What?"
"Just…" Abruptly, their outfits were gone, shoved roughly aside, skin on skin, she was writhing and gasping in his arms as he...
The cabin door opened. The girl squealed and dropped the tray she carried, too shocked to move. Too surprised to do anything except stare.
"Do you mind?" Steel's breath came in deep pants, a man bent upon completion, the woman in his arms too full of emotion and need to even recognize that there was a third person in the room.
The maid stammered out something and backed from the room.
He let his attention return to his partner, neither of them inclined to shift from the intimacy of their position. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
"She was the one from before." She hovered right on the brink. "Steel, would you mind… very much…?"
He smiled then, a small wicked thing, as he began to move again. "Mind what, Sapphire? This?"
And for the next few minutes, Sapphire's thoughts were entirely her own.
Steel stretched out on the bed and contemplated the sensations he'd experienced. It wasn't the usual form that replication took in their world. It was a cold, routine thing for them, not usually even done with their permission or knowledge. This was… different and he found his mind both clear and sharp, yet languid and relaxed. He could understand the attraction.
"Sapphire?"
"Hmm?" She walked from the bathroom towel drying her hair. She could make it dry in the fraction of a second, but this was not unpleasant.
"What happens if you strike a diamond wrong?" He looked up at her from the bed, unconcerned by his nakedness.
"Our Diamond? She usually strikes back." Sapphire smiled and settled down at the vanity table, watching him in the mirror.
"No, I mean the gemstone. If you cut it wrong, what happens?" He sat slightly, head bent forward, brow furrowed in thought.
"You can reduce its clarity and in very extreme conditions, it shatters."
"It shatters…" Steel repeated slowly. "It breaks into a million pieces…"
"Yes, I suppose it would."
"Or… 2, 228 pieces."
"What?" She turned and Steel was behind her, fully clothed in an elegant tux, a look of sudden inspiration in his eyes.
"What if that's why we can't find her? She's been scattered? Into 2,228 different people and each piece too small to do much on its own? "
"Silver?"
"He's malleable. You can't splinter him… you apply too much pressure and he simple changes form."
"You're saying they're here?"
"And trapped." He nodded slowly. "That's what Bride was trying to tell me. I don't think it's mistake that that young man looks like me. Do you remember a conversation we once had, the three of us about my youth?"
"Those time travelers?"
"Bride referred to a silver lining and all that. Then he recited a poem, something about stars shining like diamonds. It was as if he was trying to tell me something, but was being prevented… or was in hiding himself."
"Steel, what are we going to do?"
"For the next four days, my dear Sapphire, we are going to play house. We are going to out-human the humans." He offered her his arm. She stood, clad in a lovely dress of plum, draped with sashes and ribbons, an expensive dress, even for that time.
"Hide in plain sight."
"Exactly…" They started to leave, then Steel turned back to the room. Where the closets and drawers had stood bare before, they were now filled with clothes. The vanity contained a variety of bottles and jars, and jewelry was carefully placed in a drawer. All about the room was evidence of very human occupation, right down to the rumpled bed sheets and the cooling semen.
"That's a nice touch," Sapphire noted. "I wouldn't have thought of that."
"Most wouldn't, but I like to be thorough…" His hair, previously free to fall into its natural lines, was slicked back again. "Shall we attend to dinner, Mrs. Huston?"
"Thank you, Doctor, I believe we should."
The bosun's mate was back again, staring at the plating as if he couldn't believe his good fortune. He couldn't see Steel standing just to the side. Steel upon steel, it was child's play to join his brothers and sisters, be part of them, allow them to be part of him. They surrounded and became him as he became them.
And all the while, a clock ticked down in his head. At 23:40 the iceberg would be spotted, by 23:41 events would set into motion that would be the end of the Titanic and all but 706 of her passengers. Thirty minutes from now. Steel felt the ship thrum through his body. If he was indeed a man, he would pray that he was right. He would start second guessing his choices, the need for so many people to die in such a horrible manner. No one would die easily that night…
There was movement and their maid approached. He let his mind go intentionally blank. With two transients this close, it was hard. He was harder still, hard like steel.
"They are contained?"
"They are… occupied," the girl said with a snarl. "Feeding off each other again."
"Not Elements then as we'd feared?" The bosun's mate looked around, but no one paid them attention. They were too busy with their work or too low down the chain of command to speak.
"Certainly not of the same caliber as the other two that were sent," the female scoffed. "This ship and all its energy will be ours tonight. And what of the others?"
"They are still… contained. The male is still trapped, unable to make good his escape while his female remains so… fragmented. As long as they live, she is forever trapped within."
"Until they die, then she's released." She looked around, as if something was bothering her.
"Bit by bit, too little, too late."
"You are through here?"
"The steel is repaired. It will hold, the ship will be damaged, but the bulkheads will now hold and the ship will continue upon its way." He hesitated as if reluctant to leave this spot. He looked directly at Steel without seeing him. "You are sure about what you learned?"
"According to the male, it would take him at least three hours to replicate the necessary compromise to the plating. You are well within that three hour window. There is nothing he can do; they have failed and we will triumph and the repercussions from this will free us all from our time prison. We will soon be one, brother."
Steel watched them walk away. It was 23:30. It was time. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Sapphire felt the bed dip and looked over at her partner who was suddenly sitting there, looking a bit wan.
"It is done?" She took his hand and cold shot up her arm so fast that she felt burned. He tugged it away from her.
"Yes, with a few seconds to…" The ship shuddered and a shadow passed their window. "It is done. History is now set right again."
The door to their cabin flew open and two figures, the maid and the bosun's mate, stood there. Their anger snapped and crackled around them. Steel was on his feet and positioned protectively in front of Sapphire.
"You think you've won, little man, don't you?"
"I do not think. I know." Steel's eyes flared at the comment. "You see, you made a mistake in underestimating us. I don't know how you were able to capture and contain our fellow agents."
The bosun's mate moved and the ship bucked, knocking him to his knees. The maid held out a hand and grasped Steel's forearm, shrieking as her hand turned black. Around them the steel was moving as if alive, cutting and tearing at them.
"Help us," she whimpered.
Steel knelt and shook his head slowly. "You made the mistake of annoying my brothers and sisters. They yearn for a long rest; they were tired and ready for what was due them. Their vengeance is great." He stood and glanced over at Sapphire. "Shall we collect Silver and go?"
"What about Diamond?"
"She'll be along… in a few hours."
Sapphire shut her eyes as the two figures before them were pulled into the deck of the ship. "How long will they be trapped there?"
"As long as Titanic rests on the ocean floor, they will be held. Should it be brought to the surface, they would be freed." He offered his hand to her, now back to its normal temperature. "We shall simply have to make sure Titanic is given the peace she deserves."
He was sitting, just sitting. Their debriefings always made him feel a bit like an empty shell. All the emotions and experiences he was forced to deal with among the humans were peeled from him, like layer upon layer of paint, until the unvarnished Steel remained, stripped and cold.
Steel?
Yes, Sapphire? It took him just a fraction of a second to be by her side. Sapphire was watching Diamond. She looked from the agent to him and back.
How long will she be like this?
I don't know. We've never had to reconstruct one of our own like this. They are searching, retrieving the few pieces that remain. She won't be whole again while any of the humans live. Silver's helping, but it's going to take time.
And a lot of pressure.
The two looked over at Silver and Sapphire laughed. "Well, you should know all about pressure, Silver. You've seen enough of it the last few days. And, might I add, it was a stroke of brilliance to make Bride look like a young Steel."
"Took you long enough," Silver grumbled.
"You didn't leave behind much to work with." Steel countered. "Next time, be a bit more efficient -"
"There's just one question I haven't an answer for," Sapphire interrupted. "Why did we see Silver standing beside the Captain in that photo?"
"The Transient, the bosun's mate, guess he preferred that to his other look. I was trapped inside Bride and not able to stop him. At least you were able to figure it out." He caught her hand and kissed it. "Otherwise, I would have ended up looking likeSteel for the rest of my life."
Silver? The thought was so weak, it was almost not there.
"Your partner needs you, Silver." Steel's voice was sharp. "Mine does not."
Silver winked at him and went to the bed. I'm here, Diamond, just rest.
Sapphire watched them for a moment, then looked back at Steel. She smiled gently. "And what about you, Steel. What does my partner need?"
He slid his arms around her and looked over her shoulder at the pair before them. "Your partner has all his needs well in hand." And for the moment, it was true.