Subterra Heart

Chapter 15: Connor Rocha

Bug sat comfortably in Connor's arms as he carried her away. She crawled up his shoulder and began grooming his neck. Connor stroked her fur absentmindedly. What the hell was wrong with that Tess girl?

"Hey, Lenny," he said quietly into his mask. "You still there?"

"Why of course, dear cousin! Where else would I be?" came Lenny's voice. Good. He hadn't disappeared again. Connor set Bug down and surveyed the cavern. Grey, life-sized statues peppered the area, evenly spaced. Like a grid. He stepped towards the closest one to get a better look. It was a carved, cat-like soldier with one fist over its chest and the other at its side.

"Gosh, I don't know, Lenny. Maybe you'd be taking a nap while I'm stuck out here dying of cavern gas."

"Pardon?"

Connor circled the statue. It was naked, but at its feet lay a folded mail coat. He crouched down to touch it. Its metal chain-links were so fine that it flowed through his fingers like silk. Scraps of fabric that must have once been clothes crumbled away as he moved it. A long, jagged knife sat beside it.

"You're shit at paying attention to your radio," he said. "Anyways, I've got a situation right now. Two, actually."

"Oh? Do tell," said Lenny.

"Tess, that girl who found us over at Rourke's statue the other night – what did you do with her?" asked Connor. Lenny gave a sudden cough of surprise.

"I want the truth, Lenny," Connor added. He waited while Lenny cleared his throat.

"Ah, hmm. Well," began Lenny, "I suppose you found her then. Rather unfortunate business. I shall have to terminate that Garrett fellow – he had specific instructions to dispose of the girl where she wouldn't be found. Terribly sorry about that, dear cousin – "

"Lenny!"

Hot blood was pounding through Connor's ears. Lenny had pulled plenty of shit before, but this? This and the missing Rochagorosis patients? Since when had Lenny started 'disposing' of people? There was a tense silence which Lenny broke by clearing his throat.

"Connor," he said, "You must understand that this business of ours is very private. I cannot begin to touch on the amount of trouble I've gone through for it, and I simply can't afford to have any loose ends at the moment, you see?"

Connor gave a slow exhale and shook his head. "Sure, whatever," he said, and tore off his helmet. These ruins outside of Heart could die with him, for all he cared.

Lenny's voice continued to pour out of the helmet, quieter now that Connor was free of it.

"Connor? Cousin, are you still there? What was the other thing – "

Connor just tossed the helmet away.

"I would not worrrry about that human girrrrrrl anymorrrre, Connorrrrrr," came a soft purr from behind the statue. Connor jumped and scrambled away. His helmet's lights still faced him, but without it on, everything was in shadow. Out of the darkness, Bug sauntered towards him. She wore a feral grin that flashed white.

"Fenrir's sporrrres have herrrr," she continued. It was definitely Bug, and she was definitely speaking. "She will not last."

Connor grabbed the statue's knife and brandished it defensively. Its metal held a dull glimmer in the helmet's light.

"What are you?" he barked. "Tess said there was something wrong with you."

Bug gave a deep, rolling chuckle and began cleaning her paw.

"I am the Dwellerrrrr of this strrronghold," she said. "You will call me Bastet."

Connor stared at her. His heart was pounding. He got to his feet and backed away – back towards where he'd left Tess. It took an age to find the rubble pile again. Connor was stuck relying on the light from his shae band now that he'd dumped Lenny's helmet. But Tess was nowhere to be seen.

"Tess?" he called. "Where are you?"

"Gone."

Connor looked up to see Bug – no, Bastet now – lounging atop a ledge in the rubble pile. She'd trailed him back here.

"Shit," he whispered. "I'm going insane."

"Maybe you arrre," answered Bastet. Connor was having trouble understanding her. She had a deep, husky voice, but her words came out rounded and half-formed, as if she were holding marbles in her mouth. She hopped down from her perch and came closer to Connor until she was nuzzling his leg.

"Now, human," she continued, "I command you to pet me. Bug likes to be scrrrratched behind her left earrr."

"Um..." What was he supposed to do? Reluctantly, Connor reached down and began to scratch behind her ear. She purred, and he cleared his throat. He had not expected this.

"I thought you said your name was Bastet," he said.

The cat straightened up and nipped at his hand. Her eyes glinted in the faint light. Connor could just barely see them – the iris was completely gone.

"Yes, human," she said. "Bug is my host. She is the firrrrrst host I have had in nearrrly two-thousand of yourrr yearrrrrs."

"Ok?" said Connor. He didn't like where this was going. "And what's that supposed to mean for her?"

Bastet chuckled.

"What it means, human, is that she has agrrreed to share her physical forrrm with me, and I make it worrrth her while." She yawned, arching her back and stretching. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a rrrroyal Anai host. At least this body suits me betterrr than the human ones."

Connor frowned. "So Bug's fine then," he said. "What about Tess?"

Bastet shook her head. "Of courrrse Bug is fine. She is my host! But you should forrrget about that otherrrr human. Fenrir alrrready has an old host named Rrrrourke. He will only use the Tess girrrrl until she degrrrades – which is not long forrr humans. You are porrrly suited forrr our sporrrres." She tilted her head and gave him a wicked look. "Which you should know well by now, Connorrr," she added.

Connor sat down and gave Bastet a hard look. "I think we need to have a talk about this," he said.