A Loose Screw — Multiple Authors

First We Take Manhattan | Mina MacLeod Gabe Dumas and Dave Cortez are officers in the Mech Enforcer Division of the NYPD. If Gabe wishes they did more than work together, well, that's his problem. He'd rather have him as a friend and partner than nothing at all, and there's no one better to have at his back when the streets get ugly. During a raid on the Diamondbacks, a notorious and dangerous gang tearing up the city, everything goes sideways and it's Gabe who comes out the worse for it. Furious, devastated, Dave is determined to have revenge on the men who nearly killed Gabe. Body Option | Talya Andor For five years, Grant Badu has been part of a solid fighting team with the Gemini Suit called Trefoil Argent. Together, they fly and fight so effectively, their combat record so impressive, that they've become informally known as the Infallible Duo. When a case containing classified military innovations is stolen and shot down in the foothills of disputed border territory, Grant and Argent are tapped for its swift recovery. But the mission requires pilot Argent to take on the one cybernetic option he's been avoiding, for reasons even Grant doesn't know. Fire and Soul | Siobhan Crosslin As children, Temsha and his twin brother were kidnapped, their parents murdered, and forced to become sky force pilots for the notorious Lord Jheghda. Their younger brother was sold off to become an anam, a companion and power source for pilots, and if they are lucky they get to see him every three years. After he nearly kills their latest anam, Temsha is at his limit. He is tired of being a slave, tired of worrying constantly about the brother he has not seen for six years, and tired of burning out anams. When they are assigned a new anam, Temsha tries to resist getting close, because one more loss will be the one that breaks him. Note: While there is no incest, the brothers do share a lover. Merged | Andrea Speed After barely surviving a surprise attack by long-time enemy the Lharaz, mech pilot Takeshi is tasked with a new mission: Protect the people of Ia, and capture a live specimen of the local fauna that has been turned against them by the Lharaz, who are using Ia as a testing ground for suspected new weaponry. The mission would be a lot easier if Ia's local fauna wasn't dinosaurs. Wings of the Stars | Mell Eight After a horrific accident during a mecha showcase event, Tarle is shunned by the robotics community and forced into hiding. Unable to abandon mecha entirely, he starts building a new robot in secret. Starr is a porn star. He's used to the open admiration of his fans and the derision of his detractors, but the bombing of his house is more than he can take. Desperate to escape, he runs away to a dead-end town at the edge of space, where he is taken in by Tarle. Hiding away together, they find, is far more appealing than going it alone, but no one can hide forever, especially when there are people determined to find them. Circus Escape | Lilliana Rose Nessie dreams of escaping her sheltered life to become a mechanical engineer with mechas. But wanting and doing are two very different things, and outer confidence hides inner fears-until she meets Joy. Joy is tough and self-reliant, used to looking out for no one but herself. As her job keeps her always on the move, keeping to herself is the best way to survive. The very last person she expects to break her solitude is the prim and proper Nessie.