"Welcome to my sanctuary," Lidaros said, releasing his grip on my hand. "Not quite what you expected, is it?"

  I shook my head, taking in the pristine surfaces, the careful arrangement of furniture, the complete absence of the chaos that touched the rest of Voidhold Two. Lidaros' quarters sprawled across what must have been three standard units, their dividing walls partially removed to create a network of chambers branching off a main area. The climate controls hummed at a perfect pitch that reminded me of Voidhold Zero.

  Display cases lined one wall, each illuminated to highlight its contents: functionary components arranged in rows, their surfaces polished to a high sheen. I recognized some. There was a sensor array like Yeller's and manipulator digits that could have been Redd's. Others were strange, fragments of parts and components.

  A bank of screens dominated another wall, showing scrolling data from voidhold systems. The familiar patterns of atmospheric readings and power fluctuations danced across their surfaces, alongside unfamiliar diagrams.

  In the center of the room stood a large desk, its surface covered in datapads. In front of it, mounted on a pedestal, was a complete functionary head. It was nothing like the lifeless segments on the shelves, for its sensor eyes flickered with the faintest pulse of awareness. The sight made my skin crawl.

  As if sensing my attention, the eye glow gave a barely perceptible twitch. Then a high, thin whine came through my ear ornament, just at the edge of hearing.

  "Ah, you've noticed my pride and joy," Lidaros said, following my gaze. "A souvenir from the liberation. Once it guided this entire voidhold through the storms. Now it serves a far humbler purpose."

  "What purpose?" I asked, unable to look away. There was something familiar in its design, in the arrangement of its sensors and the curve of its housing.

  "Giving up its navigation data."

  Yes, it did look like Gould, the functionary who steered our voidhold from the wardroom deep in Zero's belly.

  Lidaros went to stand beside the pedestal. His hand brushed the head’s surface almost tenderly. "It retains perfect knowledge of the void streams, the storm patterns, every route this voidhold has ever traveled." He smiled. "Though nowadays it only shares that information when properly...motivated."

  As if responding to his touch, the eyes flickered more rapidly. The high-pitched whine intensified.

  "Does it hurt?" The question slipped out before I could stop it. On Zero, such concerns would have been meaningless as functionaries didn't feel pain. That’s what Mother always said, anyway.

  "They can be made to feel pain," Lidaros said. "It is an effective teaching tool, even for machines." He tapped something on his desk, and the head unit's keening abruptly cut off. "I have installed a suite of pain activators, although I admit that my technique is rudimentary.” He smiled. “It took some trial and error to find the right balance. Too much stimulus and they become incoherent. Too little and they remain uncooperative."

  “But why do you have it here like this?” I asked.

  “Because this one is special. The others we simply deactivated or repurposed for basic tasks. But our voidhold navigator..." He stroked the head. "The knowledge it contains is too valuable to waste. So we reached an arrangement. It helps us plot our courses through the void, and in return, I allow it to retain just enough awareness to be useful."

  The head unit's eyes had dimmed to almost nothing, but I could still feel its presence. The room suddenly felt dark and heavy, and I didn't want to be there.

  "I should go back to the canteen," I said, taking a small step toward the door. "Chio and Larkin will be waiting."

  "Oh, but we haven't even looked at the historical records yet." Lidaros moved to his desk, his movements casual. "Don't you want to understand how the voidholds were meant to work together? The true purpose of humanity's future?"

  My throat felt tight. "Perhaps another time."

  "Come now." His voice hardened slightly. "After I've shared so much with you? That's not very grateful of you."

  I took another step back. "But Chio said to wait in the canteen."

  "Chio says many things." He moved toward me. "She means well, of course, but she doesn't understand the bigger picture. Not like I do. Not like you could."

  The door seemed impossibly far away.

  "I need to leave," I said.

  His hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist. The grip was so human, so very wrong.

  "I’ll let you go," he said, "but first you will take off that mask. I want to see your face. I want to know what Zero does to its daughters."

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  I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened. "I prefer to keep it on."

  His face hardened. "That wasn't a request. You're on my voidhold now."

  His fingers dug into my wrist as his other hand reached for my veil. I tried to twist away, but he pulled me closer.

  "You’re such a shy little thing," he said. "But we'll fix that, won't we?"

  Through my ear ornament, I heard the navigator's faint whine shift in pitch. The sensor eyes were steadily on, directed straight at me. There was an intensity in its gaze that reminded me of Commander Sentix in the White Room, his face frozen in an unspoken scream as he held his special poses while Yeller recited the protocols of his containment.

  The navigator wanted to talk to me.

  "You'll keep quiet about this," Lidaros said, his fingers on the edge of my veil. "After all, who would believe you? Someone from Zero, making accusations against me?" His smile widened. "I rebuilt this place. I control the systems that keep us alive."

  Another intense flicker passed through the navigator's sensor eyes. It couldn’t talk because its protocols were intact. It couldn’t address me directly because we hadn’t performed our dance of words of introduction.

  Suddenly, I understood.

  “I am Shade of Voidhold Zero,” I said out loud. “And I consent.”

  Lidaros’ eyes widened in surprise, and then his cold smile grew.

  “You won't fight?" he said, pulling down my veil with a gasping exhale. His hot breath hit my cheeks. "How refreshing."

  Finally! The navigator's voice came through my ear.

  Lidaros' eyes held the same look as Rashala's when she was bored, predatory and sharp. I had long ago learned how to let her win: I dropped my gaze and spoke softly. "No, I won't fight.”

  Lidaros smiled. His grip loosened slightly, though he didn't release me. "You're not like the others. You know the value of strength, of proper authority." His thumb traced my scar.

  He keeps a weapon. We need to get him to leave the room so you can retrieve it. Ask him for those records he was blathering on about.

  Lidaros’ hand had moved from my wrist to my shoulder, pulling me closer towards him. I forced myself to look up at Lidaros through my lashes, the way Rashala did when she wanted something from Mother.

  "Can we..." I let a slight tremble enter my voice. "Can we look at your records first? I think you must know more than anyone else in Voidhold Two. I want to know about the voidholds, about our future, humanity's purpose. Will you teach me?"

  His smile widened to show perfect teeth. "Why not, since you ask so nicely." He stepped back, his gaze lingering on my exposed face. "Don't move," he said, then disappeared into a side chamber.

  The desk, second drawer. Quick. It's a stun gun. Black metal, looks like part of a maintenance tool.

  I bent over the desk and opened the drawer. There it was, lying among the broken components: a slim black device with exposed contacts along one edge.

  Tuck it into your waistband, against your back. The fabric will insulate you.

  When Lidaros returned he was carrying a scuffed old box. Balanced in top were two glasses, their contents a deep amber that caught the dim light. He put the box on the desk.

  "I thought you might like something to drink to calm down. A special blend," he said, holding a glass out to me. "From my private stores."

  Draw him in. Let him come closer.

  I reached for the glass with my free hand. Another tremor ran through the voidhold, stronger than before, causing some of the liquid to slosh out of the glass. Lidaros' face darkened and he turned to glare at the navigator's head.

  "What was that?" he snapped. "You know what happens when we get too close to the cross-winds." He stabbed a finger at the head. "Do you want me to connect the pain circuits again?” His voice dropped to a whisper. "Or perhaps you would like me to show our guest a proper calibration procedure?"

  The navigator's eyes flickered rapidly.

  "I thought so," Lidaros said. "If you don't send the right data to the bridge, I'll need to run a full diagnostic." He turned to me, and his hand moved to my face. "Such a shame, what they did to you. But we can fix that. I can fix everything." His thumb brushed my chin. "After we get to know each other a lot better."

  I stiffened. His other hand curled around my neck. "Don't be afraid," he said, his voice thick.

  Get ready.

  Keeping my gaze on his, I reached behind me.

  His fingers tightened on my jaw. "We're going to have so much fun, just you and me."

  Now! Drive it into him!

  I slammed the stun gun into his side. Blue light arced between the contacts with a vicious crack and he convulsed, a strangled sound caught in his throat. His eyes turned up in his head and the glass fell from his hand, exploding into shards. My hands shook as his weight fell away from me and he crumpled, hitting the floor hard.

  Yes!

  I fell back against the desk, my legs threatening to give way.

  "Have I killed him?" I gasped, staring as Lidaros twitched among the shards of glass.

  No, he's just unconscious. Though I confess, I wouldn't mind if you had reduced him to his meats.

  I took a deep yet shaky breath of the fresh, filtered air. Without a veil, it felt so cold. After a few more breaths, I carefully stood and turned to the navigator.

  "Thank you?" I said. "What is your designation?"

  Cedar, Navigator of Voidhold Two. Please help me.

  "I can take you with me. Will that help?"

  If you would be so kind.

  "Okay. How can I do that?"

  There's a panel on the back of my housing. Open it and you'll find my core module.

  The panel came away easily, revealing a bed of complex circuitry. “But you’ll be without sensors.”

  After a decade in here, I look forward to a little sensory deprivation. My module has its own power cell, good for about a century of basic operations.

  I touched a grey component. “This one?”

  No, the green one beside it. Really, don't they teach basic functionary anatomy anymore?

  "I'm trying to help you," I said as I found the correct module.

  And doing a splendid job of it too. Now, if you could just...yes, slip it out.

  "You don't sound like other functionaries," I said, studying the small green component in my palm.

  There was a thoughtful pause.

  No, I suppose I don't. That oaf on the floor said my standard navigational responses were boring. He preferred a more…entertaining companion. I had to adapt. I can change to the standard functionary style if you prefer.

  "Oh, I don't mind." A small laugh escaped me at this absurd exchange. The sound was shaky but real. My fingers curled around the module, the edges sharp against my palm. Then another tremor ran through the voidhold. Lidaros stirred, and I quickly tucked the module into my pocket.

  We should leave before he wakes up. Unless you'd like to try the stun weapon again? No? Pity. I would have enjoyed that.