B785 (5 page)

“I’m waiting?” she said in the sudden silence.

“Waiting for what?”

“An answer of course, my prince. You never did reply. Why did you want me? Why save me from ignoble death by trash compacter if you didn’t have plans to debauch my lifeless, yet delectable body?” She returned to his lap, this time straddling and facing him.

It threw him for a loop, especially when he felt an inappropriate twitch from his lower parts. An erection?
Stand down.
His mental command did nothing to reduce the swelling. He could only hope she didn’t notice.

She cupped his cheeks and forced him to face her. “Eyes on me, charming. No going off into a loop. I’m still waiting for an answer on why you brought me to your lab.”

A partial truth tumbled out. “I thought I could use your for parts.” As if he’d admit curiosity played the biggest role.

“Parts?” The fingers toying with the ends of his hair stilled. “Did you say parts as in dismantle me and divvy me up among other cyborgs? Are you sure your name isn’t Frankenstein?”

“If you are referring to the doctor in the fiction story, then his name was actually…” He stopped talking at her arched brow. “Oh, I guess that’s not pertinent to your query. I acquired you in the hopes of seeing if I could reanimate you, or that was the plan at first, and only if I couldn’t would I have looked at using you for parts.”

“Eew.” Her nose wrinkled, which should have rendered her less attractive. It didn’t. He swelled a little more to his embarrassment. He really, really hoped she didn’t feel a thing, but somehow, the squirm on his lap and smirk on her lips seemed to indicate otherwise.

“I wasn’t done explaining. As you can tell, that obviously didn’t happen. The more I studied you, the more it occurred to me that you weren’t a droid like I first thought. You had too many anomalies. So I tried to run some diagnostics to test a theory that perhaps you were a cyborg, however, I ran into issues. In order to keep the damage to your physical exterior to a minimum, I needed better equipment, but that would have meant waiting weeks until we got back to my permanent lab.”

“So how did you figure out who I was?”

“It was actually Seth who came up with the simplest solution. We sent your picture back to our homeworld and ran it by Fiona and Chloe to see if they recognized you. Once your sister confirmed your identity…” He shrugged. “Well, you know the rest.”

She sighed. “You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don’t you, charming?”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“So I’m beginning to notice.” She flowed off his lap to pace his lab. For one illogical moment, he almost tugged her back, missing the weight and closeness. “Where do we go from here?”

“First, we’re heading to an asteroid belt in the Beta quadrant.”

“Hold on one second. Did you say asteroid, as in space asteroid?”

“Of course. As Seth told you, you’re aboard the
SS Bite Me
, which you should know was not my first choice in name, but I got outvoted.”

“We’re on a spaceship?” She practically yelled the question.

“Yes.” Why she kept asking, he couldn’t figure out unless she’d sustained some damage to her short term memory banks.

“Holy shit. I thought you meant we were on a ship, ship. You know, the kind that floats on the ocean.”

“What an odd assumption.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I resent that. I mean, how was I supposed to know we were in space? Last thing I remember, I was a gazillion levels below ground in some secure military base.”

“They moved you.”

“Obviously,” she drawled. “Space, huh? The final frontier… Fucking awesome. Can I see?”

“See what?” She changed subject so quickly, Einstein struggled to follow.

“The stars, of course. The galaxy. Space stuff. I always wanted to be one of the lucky ones who got to leave Earth, but given my
behavioral issues
—” She waggled her fingers to simulate air quotes. “General Doom always refused.”

“I don’t have a viewing screen in this room, as you can see; however, other areas of the ship do have portholes and viewing areas. I will show them to you if you’d like.”

“Would I ever! Ha. Me in space. Too fucking wild. Hey, does that make me an astronaut?”

“I guess.” He thought it best to humor her, especially since the idea seemed to bring her so much pleasure, or so he assumed as she began humming the theme song from an old earth television series titled
Star Trek.

“I’m gonna see the stars. Maybe find some aliens. Seek out new worlds.” She sang the words and danced around, strangely elated. He didn’t interrupt. Given her mood swings, he thought it safer. When she stopped spinning, she faced him again. “Well, at least now your whole timeline makes more sense. I guess we can’t just hop a plane and get to my sister. I mean, I assume she’s not on earth then?”

“Not even close.”

“She lives on an alien planet? Oh this is getting cooler and cooler.”

“I wouldn’t call it alien. The biology of it is similar in many respects to earth with adequate gas levels, plantation, and simple animal life.”

“But it’s not earth.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Can I see that too?”

“We don’t have images stored on this vessel in case we’re boarded by hostiles, but I can describe it to you.” A pity she didn’t have a wireless link, he could have sent her some of the images of their homeworld stored in his memory banks.

“I’d like that. And I’ll get to live there too?”

“Once we can ascertain our path is clear.”

“Awesome.” Her smile stretched and he couldn’t help but reply in kind, her enthusiasm over her new status contagious. “Okay, so back to my previous question before I got distracted. Now that I’m awake, what’s next?”

“According to our schedule, the ship will enter the Beta quadrant, which is rich in meteors. Several in particular have been marked for exploitation. After we mine some needed ores from the surface, we’ll be heading
—
”

“I didn’t mean for you to give me an actual itinerary.” She laughed. “Someone really needs to teach you not to take everything so literally.”

A grimace tugged at his lips as she pointed out his flaw. “I know. Seth’s been trying to educate me, but unlike some of the others who’ve found their humanity, mine was completely wiped.” A fact he didn’t usually lament, except for now. He sensed some odd undercurrent between him and the female cyborg. A tug on his senses, a quickening of his pulse, a stir of his usually well behaved cock. He wished he knew what it meant. Unlike Joe, Solus, and a few of his other brothers, Einstein didn’t fool himself into believing he could ever feel affection, or love. The military changed him too much and his analytical mind understood all too well that emotion was just a result of hormones and pheromones becoming unbalanced. Despite his current malfunction, he’d soon adjust and go back to his usual, rational self, an observer and a scientist in perfect control of all his bodily functions and emotions.

Apparently, Bonnie harbored different plans. “We’ll just see about that. I think you might be more human inside than you realize. You just need the right person and incentive to bring it out.”

If Einstein didn’t know better, he’d suspect she thought she held the skills to do just that. And yet, he didn’t get the impression she was a doctor or technician. Exactly how she planned to program him was a mystery, one he didn’t dare question, not given the way her mood swung.

As if to prove his point about her irrational nature, she changed the subject. “Where’s the nearest shower? I smell like dust and I swear I’m wearing an inch of filth.”

“In the corner of the room. But, if you give me a moment, I’ll reassign a few of my brethren and give you a room of your own.”

“Reassign as in move some of the onboard cyborgs elsewhere?”

“Yes.”

“Where will they go?”

“To another room. I’ll double up a pair in other quarters.”

“Oh no. Don’t do that. There’s nothing worse than forcing some guys to give up their space for a girl. That’s all I need is to have the crew resent me because you’re cramming them like sardines into a room.”

“We wouldn’t cram them. The space is ample for cohabiting if we put the units on opposing, rotating shifts.”

“You really don’t have a clue, do you?” She shook her head, smiling at his words as if she found them humorous, yet an analysis showed no jest that he could find. “Do you have a roommate?”

“Not currently.”

“Then how come I can’t just stay here?”

“Here?” In his lab? “I guess I could sleep elsewhere, however, I’d have to return for work as most of the equipment is restricted to this location.”

“You’re being literal again. I mean, why can’t I stay here with you? I won’t get in your way or take up much room. And I trust you. Any guy who can go to a bordello and stick to fixing naked pussy instead of fucking it can surely be trusted not to molest me while I sleep or shower.”

“I would never touch you inappropriately.” Seth would have been proud of his indignant retort.

“Says the guy who kissed me.”

“An anomaly, I swear. It won’t happen again.”

“A shame. But not to worry, I don’t intend to make any such promises.” She winked, but before Einstein could reply or ask her to elaborate on what she meant, off came the shirt she wore in a flutter of fabric. He watched with more interest than it warranted the gentle sway of her hips as she headed for the shower cubicle in the corner. Why did the appearance of her naked buttocks make his cock swell? He’d never noticed a female’s posterior before. But that was before. Awake only a short while and yet, since the female cyborg’s emergence from her comalike state, everything had changed for him, which made absolutely no sense.

He’d seen B785—
she prefers
Bonnie
—naked before. Gone over every inch of her, actually, both visually and physically, during his attempts to reanimate, but now…now everything had altered. He couldn’t have said why. Was it because her skin glowed with health? Because her limbs flowed with sensual grace? Because she threw him a coy smile over her shoulder and licked her lips? Was it a combination of all these factors that brought a flush to his cheeks? The answer eluded him, but he could state for a fact that it was the twitch of his cock, an erection he neither commanded nor controlled, that sent him fleeing his room, the sound of her laughter trailing behind him.

Unfortunately, while he could escape her physical presence, he could do nothing to erase her from his mind. On the contrary, she overtook his thoughts, a fast-acting virus that consumed him with lusty ideas and images. A plague on his usually well ordered slate of a mind, but one he didn’t want to wipe clean.

Alone in the shower, a small cubicle with just enough room to wash, Bonnie pondered the strangeness of the circumstances she’d woken to. Despite her light jests, surprise didn’t come close to describing her emotions when she awoke to a gentle kiss. And the surprises kept mounting.

The cyborgs had freed themselves from military control. They governed themselves. They’d formed a society. They’d found her sister and one other, Fiona, a tough female whom as she recalled, always stood up for them. Bonnie had thought the woman destroyed. It made her glad to know she survived. But her happiness at the news didn’t compare to the elation at discovering Chloe lived.

My sister is alive!
Alive and in love by the sounds of it. If she could have cried in relief and joy, she would have. Damned robotic eyes. Yet despite the lack of tears, she sobbed inside. For so long, she’d carried the burden of guilt of having brought her sister to the general’s attention. It was after all Bonnie’s fault they’d ended up in that hospital.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” Bonnie had slurred from the passenger seat of her sister’s car.

“You didn’t leave me much choice,” Chloe replied
tersely
, keeping her eyes on the road.

“Not my fault I lost my cab money. I had it stashed in my bra. Must have fallen out.” Or gotten stolen by one of the guys groping her
i
n
a dark corner
. Who knew
?
Who cared
?

Apparently
,
Chloe did.
“Bonnie, you can’t keep doing this. You’re a grown woman.”

“And? There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”

“There is when you’re about to lose your job again because you got drunk and won’t make it in to work for the third time this
month
.”

“You’re such a sp-spoilsport.”
Damned tricky words
struggled to
make it past her thick tongue.

“It’s called being responsible.”

Bonnie blew a raspberry at her sister. “
Bah. We’re young. There’s plenty of time to get boring
later
. I want to have fun.”
She kicked her legs and stubbed her toe on the dash. Ow.

A sigh left Chloe.
“And how many guys did you have fun with this time?”

Bonnie didn’t want to admit she didn’t know. It would lend a little too much ammo for her buzz kill of a sister’s argument. “Hey, the more the merrier. You should try it sometime. A good
,
old fashioned gang bang might loosen you up.”
Bonnie leered at her.

Chloe’s lips tightened. “No
,
thank you. Some of us prefer to be choosier about our partners.”

“Prude.”

“Slut.” The vulgar word, so crude and unexpected
,
hung in the air between them.
Hurtful
.
True. A slap that almost sobered her. Anger swept through Bonnie, anger and
…
shame.

“
God, I hate you when you get all fucking
self
-
righteous. Who are you to judge me? I’m not hurting anyone.”

“You’re hurting yourself.”

“
So what
? It’s my choice.”

“One you keep dragging me into,” Chloe pointed out
through gritted teeth
. “Usually at three am when I should be sleeping.
Unlike you, I intend to make it to work and my classes on time.
But now, I get to write an exam on little to no sleep because
,
once again, you couldn’t control yourself.
”

“I don’t have to listen to this. Let me out.”
Bonnie struggled with the door latch, only to realize her sister had locked it.

“
Stop that.
You’re not getting out.
I’m taking you home.”

“Well I don’t want to go home now. Not with you.” A part of Bonnie recognized she was acting childish
,
but
the alcohol encouraged her petulance
. “Let me out.”

“No.”

“Yes.” Bonnie lunged for the steering wheel. She knew it was wrong and dangerous, but she couldn’t help herself. Poor Chloe, she tried to fend her off, tried to keep them on the road, tried to avoid the
telephone
pole…

Bonnie’s shoulders shook as she sobbed in the shower, reliving, as she had hundreds of times, the actions that had cost her sister a normal life. If only she’d said no to the invitation to go to the bar. If only she’d borrowed money and called a cab instead of Chloe for a ride. If only…she’d led a different life.

Waking in the hospital, weeks—or was it months later?—different, enhanced, no longer completely human, she’d raged against what the military did to them. So what if they claimed to have saved their lives, they’d also ruined them. By changing them into partial machines, they’d made it impossible for Chloe to have the happiness she deserved. But worst of all was what they subjected them to after.

Bonnie could handle the leering men and the sexual expectations. Sure, she didn’t have the buffer of alcohol and drugs to soften the comments and acts, but she’d been around enough to handle the emotional and physical rape. But poor Chloe. She never deserved it.

But she’s found happiness finally
,
despite it all.
Or so Einstein claimed. Oddly, despite her ill experiences at the hands of men, she believed him. He possessed too much honesty to lie. Too much naivety to make it up. However, despite what he claimed, Bonnie wouldn’t truly believe it until she saw Chloe for herself and heard from her lips that she was happy.
And if she
i
sn’t?

I’ll do something about it.
Because she owed it to her.

Toweling off, she rummaged through Einstein’s drawers, smirking at his neatly folded shirts and pants. Given his height, she didn’t bother with the cargo pants, no way would they fit. She opted for a sleeveless tee, a button-up linen shirt, and underneath those, a pair of boxers, which she tightened around her waist using a belt she found and modified to fit her more slender frame. For her feet, she slid on a pair of socks, not because the cold floor bothered her, but because she felt less vulnerable that way. From the sounds of it, she was the only woman on a ship full of men.

A smart girl would have probably stayed hidden in her room. However, Bonnie never did like to do the smart thing. She sauntered forth to explore and as usual, it didn’t take long for trouble to find her.