Chapter 74: Ship

Balthazar had made overtures ever since he and Aurora had started acting like lovebirds, now that he feared his former masters were about to catch up on him. Unlike Balthazar, John didn't put all his cards on the table. "How about a gesture of good faith? Show me your ship."

Balthazar stared at him. If he'd thought about it before, John would've thought the cyborg would be able to make instant decisions. But he'd noticed a few times now that there was a delayed reaction. It was as if Balthazar, like Anatu, apart from escaping, had never had to make decisions. The cyborg's eyes were still sharp, but John had the strong impression of a computer working out a problem.

"No, not yet," Balthazar said at last.

Again, it struck him as odd that Balthazar would show his hand like this. If it'd been him, he would've agreed on a date a month from now and would've moved the date on indefinitely, or until it suited him to show the ship.