The Art of Vulnerability

“Eight times today, or just in general? Well, they were back to some normalcy with teasing each other, though it was decidedly less hate fueled than it had been in the months and years prior. Her grin was full of self pleasure, all too happy to acknowledge that she was quite proud of herself for making him have to rethink so often. The expression only grew more devious as Maker explained that he had made the decision to transfer her here, rather than keeping her in the bunker, and that he had plenty of options as far as board though his room was the one with the biggest bed. “Aw, that’s so sweet of you to give up your bedroom for me. What a gentleman…”

This is fun, she thought to herself. However, before that topic could proceed any further, he informed her that he had one last thing he wanted to show her, reaching out his arm to take her hand. Mercury allowed him to do so without hesitation or complaint, happy to follow along beside him as he led her through a few hallways and down several levels. Mercury was already tracking the layout of the ship and everything that she could see, building a blueprint in her head so she could more easily navigate the space while she was there. She couldn’t map it all out without her drones or at least wandering the place herself, but she assumed there would be plenty of time for that since he was allowing her to stay here now.

Finally, he brought her to a chamber that was unlike anything she had seen before. A large glass structure that was filled with green fluid that was almost embryonic in nature awaited them there. It was filled with glowing orbs that were rooted into a system of vines that were so numerous she was certain she couldn’t count them all if she tried. There had to have been billions of them, easily. A raised platform jutted out to meet the glass, bearing a panel and some kind of wired helmet. It dawned on her what it was even before he said it: Knowhere.

Once more she was captivated by the sight before her, her eyes glued to the structure even as he explained that this was the receptacle that the ship had given him to save his life, containing all the knowledge of his people; not just the ones that had been alive at the time of the All-Knowing, but also those that had passed long before it. He was able to access it through the headpiece, which he informed her she did not have the authorization for yet. Still, he wanted her to at least see it as it was the remnants of his lost people, their memories and experiences.

“Maker, I would never expect to have access to something like this,” she informed him truthfully. Sure, the point could have been made that eventually she had hoped to find Knowhere and rob him of it, but as curious as she was she had never planned to try and use it herself. All she had wanted to do was give it to Blade. But no matter which brother possessed it, it was personal to them. Maybe once upon a time that wouldn’t have meant much of anything to her, but these days she wasn’t as selfish as she used to be. “How exactly does it work? Is it just like… searching for files or keywords in a browser to pull up the knowledge stored within, or did they retain their sentience? Do they converse with you in the conventional sense?”

It seemed Maker wasn’t planning on giving her full access, which was no surprise. There were things stored within its depths that were personal to him, or so he claimed. Only time would well if that was a genuine sentiment or just his attempts at keeping the breadth of stolen knowledge for himself – or both. Still, he insisted that he was happy to give her some of it so she could learn more about his people in a way that he could never truly do justice, though he wasn’t sure why he’d hold anything back as she already knew more about him than anyone ever had.

She asked about how it worked and he explained that it was more of a temporary hive mind situation. He linked himself to the system and Knowhere would read what it was he was searching for, finding what it had available and reciprocating the exchange of information. The result allowed him to see visual images, though sometimes a voice would also speak out to explain what he was seeing, if in a very robotic way that lacked any semblance of life. Either way, he did not believe they truly retained sentience and hoped that their souls had moved on. Mercury, of course, had an answer for that… but even if she was in a position to give such an answer without tipping her hand, she was sure he would not be pleased by the knowledge.

It was time to move on, however, as he was eager to show her to her “quarters”. Whatever else there was to go over, it seemed he had decided that was the most pressing issue, and Mercury wasn’t about to argue it. Off through the ship they went once more until they approached a doorway. He took her hand in his, guiding it to rest on the outside of the door until it opened at her touch, revealing an absolutely breathtaking bedroom. It was bright and airy, with cool whites and grays as well as an array of fresh flowers around the space that gave it a wondrously floral aroma. There was various furniture around the room including a king sized bed beneath a holograph designed to look like a large window peering out into space. The bed was hovering slightly off the ground, and there were books and such scattered across the tables and desks.

Maker apologized for what little mess there was, teasingly stating that the room was previously occupied; a tie back to her prior joke that earned him a delighted grin from her. Still, it had windows which was certainly a step up from what she’d been in the last few months. Before Mercury could have a chance to comment, he took her hand again and turned her to face him, pulling himself a little closer to her. He offered to show her around the room a bit, to help her “break it in” and she simply couldn’t help the knowing little smirk on her face as he ran his fingers gently through her hair as he had done days prior, brushing it back from her face. Mercury leaned her face against his fingers ever so slightly as he traced her cheek with the back of them.  “Mmm and here I thought you were going to keep stringing me along until I begged…”

When he leaned in to kiss her, she met him halfway, meeting his lips with a desire that had been building up for much longer than just that day. He pushed her back slowly against the frame of the door, pinning her between it and him while she slipped her arms around the back of his neck, holding him close. Was this a bad idea? Probably, but that had never stopped Mercury before, and she was all too eager to see how well their chemistry translated between the sheets. They had both given each other quite a bit to think about…

…but all that would simply have to wait.