CHAPTER 2
SIN OF COWARDICE, part 9

After catching up with me in his ship, Deck has brought both me and the unconscious fencer aboard. Now he wants me to give him as many samples of my DNA as possible: hair, sweat (which, for obvious reasons, I have plenty of), blood, saliva, and even my urine. After all that, I really hope he’s ready to run the tests.

“Here you go. I’m done. I hope it was worth it.”

“Mm… no, I need your gametes to get the full picture.”

…

I go pale at his completely unexpected request.

“Wait… you want me to… in here? Can’t you do without my…?” I can’t even bring myself to say it.

“Semen. That white gunk you humans use to reproduce with the female version of you carbon-based beings,” he says bluntly.

“I don’t feel comfortable doing certain things. Not even if a doctor asks me.”

“Cut it out and get going. There’s an unconscious mutant on the stretcher, and even he was more cooperative than you. Not that he had a choice. He was unconscious.”

…

…

A deathly silence follows. I look first at Deck, then at the room where the passed-out fencer lies, then at a vial of white liquid, then back at the room, the vial, Deck again, the vial, the room.

“Wait, you… him… while he er… I mean, he’s still unc… how did you do it?” I exclaim, dumbfounded.

“How do you do it?”

Shameless.

“All right, I’m going! Just don’t bring it up again,” I say, horrified, looking for the bathroom.

“Need a hand?”

“Hell no!”

It’s almost four o’clock. I should be home by now, but I’m still in Paris. Because of what happened in Canada, my brother postponed his return to England, and my mother stayed home from work. They’ve called me several times already, but if I had answered, I would’ve had to pay for long distance. With parents as thrifty as mine, I wouldn’t have walked away from that conversation unscathed.

“I’m done! I’ve made several models: a bracelet, a ring, a necklace, and a clip-on earring,” he explains proudly.

“Let me get this straight. You wasted all that time making all these? Do you realize that I should be home studying now? My mother has already called me seven times, my brother three times, and my father five times. And you chose to play mad scientist… Why exactly? To make more than one model, when we don’t even have time to…? Do you understand that I’m…! Damn you!”

I’m not angry; I’m furious. I can’t tolerate the fact that he doesn’t grasp the gravity of my situation.

“Get a grip, and let me make one thing clear—actually, three things. I’ve created an invention that none of the greatest minds in the entire universe has ever thought of. I’ve wasted a lot of time persuading a mutant who’s supposedly sane. He’s not nice. And I’ll have you know that I just collected a sperm sample from an unconscious stranger using a traditional method! Do you really think you’re the only one who’s had a bad day?”

I realize I’ve been a bit selfish, but the thought of having to come up with a plausible enough excuse to explain why I got home so late makes me more than a little nervous.

“Sorry… which trinket do you want to use on the fencer?” I ask, trying in vain to hide my embarrassment.

“The necklace is the best choice. He won’t be able to wear rings or bracelets during training, so the necklace is best. And while I’m erasing his memory, I’ll also condition his subconscious to never, ever take it off.”

“You can both erase his memory and condition him?”

“Yes…” Just as he starts to explain, we hear faint groans coming from the fencer in the next room. He’s about to wake up. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he goes in, I hear a loud, metallic noise.

He’s put him back to sleep.

“As I was saying, yes, I can erase his memory. We Nixtrians have this device”—he points to it—“that removes traumatic memories. I can erase his memory from the moment he unlocked his powers up until his fight with you.”

“Great. And since he was masked while wreaking havoc in Paris, no one will be able to recognize him,” I say.

“See? We’re on the same page. I’ve already set up the machine. I’ll hook the patient up to it now, and then I’ll take you home.”

“All right… one request, Deck. Could you lend me that ring?”

Deck continues to set up the device as he listens to me, but I glimpse a puzzled look on his face.

“If you want it, fine. But I should warn you, you might run into other mutants while wearing it. And I’m not even sure it will fit you. I could make another one, or give you the bracelet instead.”

“You don’t get it. I want to keep it so that I won’t use my powers anymore,”