by Olivia Myers
Copyright 2015 by Olivia Myers - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Cyborg Rewired
Science Fiction Romance
By: Olivia Myers
Contents
Cyborg Rewired
Bonus Books:
Biomechanical Hearts
The Big Bang Alien Love Affair
Through Her Eyes
Thank You
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Cyborg Rewired
Looking down, all that could be seen was a black pit. The longer that Zoe stared into the cavern, it seemed as though the walls wanted to do nothing but swallow the poor soul into the eerie inky abyss.
Fear slowly crept into the girl's being. The abyss was her solitude, her crippling feelings of isolation. She knew she was dreaming, but she couldn’t make herself wake up. Her heart began to race from an invisible horror lurking in the unknown.
Her breath came out in white clouds. Noticing a numbness in her hands, she looked down. Her fingers were blue from the cold.
Her bewilderment was clearly voiced before her lungs began to seize up. The abrasive sounds of her coughing echoed loudly against the gray stone. Her lungs burned and her eyes watered.
She was alone, all alone, and she’d never felt so sad in her life. She curled in a ball until she noticed movement beyond. The feeling of evil began to fade. Through her tears, she saw a figure slowly walk towards her, a figure wearing a mask of beauty, but composed of whirring parts and mechanical noises. She tried to scream to scare the figure away—she’d gotten comfortable in her loneliness, and company would just complicate things. But no noise could escape past her throat.
Limping, the figure walked closer. Desire and lust clenched her heart painfully. ***
The annoying beeping of an alarm sounded. It was so early that the sun hadn't yet risen. Zoe's eyes opened. It was an instant reaction, like she hadn't been sleeping to begin with. She quickly turned off the alarm. Rolling, over she immediately pulled on her shoes—pre-2100 sneakers that were dirty and falling apart.
She readjusted her ponytail as she walked out of her cramped dorm room.
The air was crisp and cool, and Zoe took a deep breath—so unlike the dank air in her dream. It was like a place on another planet. One with hulking robots and strange mechanics, the beginnings of friendship? She shook off the idea immediately. Out here, though, she was safe and everything was normal and quiet and isolated.
She began to jog, wincing as she felt her muscles complain about the exercise. Despite the strain, she pushed herself forward and ignored the cold invading her lungs.
Still, she was grateful she could still get up, leave her dorm, and run. She had the freedom for that, at least, although she’d never experienced the old freedoms, the ones enjoyed before the global war had begun. Nothing was simple now, but to read the history books, it sounded like the world had been a much better place.
She shouldn’t take running for granted. Hell, she shouldn’t take anything for granted.
The entire United States had become militarized. The threat from the wars was real, and the media wanted everyone to be aware of it. But there were also a lot of controversies and a slew of information that didn't add up. Zoe didn't want to be bothered by it. She had never had a gift for parsing out the subtext of peoples’ words or actions, and honestly, she’d never cared.
Once she was done with her jog, Zoe did some cool down stretches. It was the most boring part of any form of exercise, but it was also a necessity, and she couldn’t afford injury. Her slender arms reached her toes. She allowed herself a small, self-deprecating grin as she remembered a time where she couldn't reach her ankles, let alone her toes.
Dawn was just beginning to edge up into the sky. She sighed in contentment. Even though she had been jogging every morning since school started, she was still amazed by the wonder of the natural world.
The tree's limbs reached up to the painted sky. It was as if nature also wanted to go back out to the stars.
Zoe spotted another student. He was a handsome guy with a stern expression. She stared at him long enough to feel her face heat up. Zoe had been crushing on the man for a month. She had even gone as far as to snoop around and learn his name, requiring social skills that she’d had to fake. Still, her efforts had been successful. He was Zachary Zimmerman.
A borderline dreamy sigh escaped Zoe's lips before she decided to mind her own business.
The patter of her footsteps echoed noisily as she walked back to her dorm room.
"I have to check the code that is running, and feed the cells," she said. She wished she could remember to whisper or mutter to herself or something, but she never managed to keep her thoughts quiet. Zoe talked to herself. She was considered weird, even by the standards placed on this school. She felt like there wasn't a reason to change her quirk unless she decided that she would place more importance on relationships.
"I don't get why humans have to be so social," she huffed. Her roommate was already adjusting to Zoe's odd habits. So see? If other people could adapt, then Zoe didn’t need to.
A blaring alarm began to sound, and Zoe sighed before she dropped to her stomach. The sidewalk was cold, and she could feel it through her clothes. The sky began to light up with explosions and streaks of light; it was as if it were Independence Day. But these weren't fireworks. They were small missiles exploding miles away in a pitiful attempt to ward off unidentified flying objects that scouted overhead.
"The mind could almost trick you into thinking that each time the sky lit up, you could feel the heat on your skin. Almost warm and comforting compared to the cold hard ground."
Zoe laughed at her own joke, unable to keep her eyes from watering. At any moment she could die, which was a reality even if her planet didn't have an infestation problem. What did she even have to live for? Sure she was at one of the most advanced schools on Earth for technologically savvy people, but what difference did it make? She was still awkward and weird, with a severe lack of friends, and honestly, if she had to change herself to get friends, what was the point of friends? She had always been this way, and she wished that she was used to it, but the cold loneliness would sneak up, only to make her cry herself to sleep. The pain seemed unbearable, but she continued to hope that she would be spared death for another day.
After what seemed like forever, the alarm stopped. A speaker informed all students to remain indoors for a lockdown. Zoe slowly stood back up; her body ached from being in a tense position for so long.
The slight breeze was enough to send beautiful black flakes through the air.
"Are you really admiring the soot?" a flat voice asked.
Zoe turned to look at Emery. He would describe himself as a mutt, a cocktail of various regions. Zoe could appreciate his stark blue eyes contrasted against his skin, which Zoe thought was the color of a latte with an abundance of cream.
She rolled her eyes. "I admire a
lot of things. Too bad your attitude isn't one of them."
"You're a riot." Yet there wasn't a spark of laughter.
Zoe dropped her gaze. Life would be so much easier if she could at least look like she was confident…but apparently that skill wouldn’t magically manifest today. "Hurry up, it's not safe out here," Emery said.
Zoe rolled her eyes, "It's not safe inside either."
Emery was as close to a friend that she had in this school. He was also the most insufferable person she had ever had the pleasure of knowing.
They began a stiff walk to the entrance of the Academy. The sun was now brightly shining, and it was hard to believe that anyone could be in danger on such a beautiful day.
Emery was stern and seemed to scan the area. This caused Zoe's paranoia to heighten.
Why did he have to look so expectant?
"There's nothing out there," Zoe grumbled.
Emery's posture stiffened, but he resisted the urge to comment back.
They continued to the building in a tense silence. Once inside, Zoe let out a sigh of relief. She knew that the building wasn't much safer inside than it was outside, but she could still appreciate the illusion of safety.
She quietly said goodbye to Emery, knowing that if she didn't, he would annoy her until she did. He gave her a stiff nod, and she took that as permission to leave.
Zoe returned to her room, the one place where she felt like she was somewhat safe. She had the blinds closed and refused to open them. He clothes were neatly stacked and ready to put on. Seeing them reminded Zoe that she still needed to take a shower.
The idea of being naked when it was so cold out made her frown. Zoe undressed and waited for the water to become scalding hot.
Images of snow and blood flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook away those memories.
"I can't dwell on the past. The universe will guide me," Zoe mouthed as she went under the hot stream of water. Before she knew it, the water started to run cold. Damn. She jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, shivering.
There was a loud knock on the door.
Sarah's voice was muffled by the door. "Hey Zoe, a security guard just dropped out a notice for you to go to the office immediately."
"Does it say why?" Zoe asked.
"Nope."
Zoe put on her clothes and tied her hair into a bun. She opened the door and tried to figure out Sarah's expression; her roommate seemed like she was unconcerned, but Zoe could feel a familiar twinge of anxiety creep into her system. What had she done? Would she be in trouble? She had no home to go to—the academy was her home.
Quickly making her way across campus, Zoe avoided eye contact with other students she encountered.
Once at the door of the campus office, Zoe gulped. Her mouth was dry and when she went to touch the door handle, she could see her hands shake.
Inside the secretary smiled warmly, her bright eyes creasing at the corners. "How may I help you?"
"Fake," Zoe blurted. Shit. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could you say that again?"
"I said, I'm here to see, Mrs. Brown," Zoe quickly corrected.
"Oh yes, Zoe. Go right in, she's waiting for you." The secretary smiled again as she pointed to the door.
Zoe forced what must have been a strange-looking smile onto her face before she entered the office.
"Hello, how are you?" Mrs. Brown asked as soon as the door shut. Mrs. Brown lived up to her name—brown hair, brown eyes, and a brown suit. She looked distracted as she sat behind her desk and manipulated images on the touch screen in front of her.
"I'm good,” Zoe replied, “and I’m having a great—"
"Uh-huh, wonderful, sweetheart. I've been informed that you leave your room exceptionally early. Explain?"
"Uh, jogging?" It was more of a question.
"Jogging?"
"Yeah," Zoe said. “You know, for exercise. To keep in shape.”
Mrs. Brown gave her a skeptical look. The older lady looked like she had had several cosmetic surgeries. Zoe mused that it must have been a time before there were strides in the cosmetic industry, because nothing about Mrs. Brown’s face looked natural.
"Well, as you know, things have been a bit hectic in the world lately. It's a bit odd that you would be outside so much when you know it is a potential health hazard. Also, you're not supposed to be outside at night. The school could be fined if they found out any of my students were outside after dark without permission."
Zoe's thoughts were fuzzy with panic and fear. Why was she here? Was this all, or was there something more to this meeting?
"I—"
"As such, I'm giving you permission to continue your early morning exercises, given your grades and good standing with the Academy. However, if your grade point average drops, or you do not conduct yourself correctly within these walls, the privilege will be revoked. Am I clear?"
Zoe stared at Mrs. Brown before nodding in understanding.
Mrs. Brown smiled and held out her hand. Zoe placed her wrist face up, and the woman scanned the chip embedded in the flesh.
"Status, updated," the machine said in an automatic tone.
Zoe was then excused. She walked back to her dorm room somewhat dazed. She hadn't thought that she would be breaking any rules by exercising before dawn. Now she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue the habit. It was as if she was now pressured to do well in school. Otherwise, she would be punished. It was a little odd.
"What did they want?" Sarah asked. She had a cup of coffee and a small bottle of vodka next to the mug.
Zoe ignored the spiked drink despite knowing that alcohol wasn't allowed on campus. "She just wanted to talk about my grades."
A half lie.
"Oh, boring. I thought there was a scandal," Sarah said with a sigh.
"Yeah," Zoe told her half-heartedly. Was Sarah actually disappointed that Zoe wasn’t in more trouble? Figured.
Not for the first time, Zoe wished she had a real friend, someone she could confide in, someone who would be rooting for Zoe’s success and survival and happiness no matter what.
Zoe awkwardly stood by the couch as her roommate cradled her coffee. When the silence seemed to linger, Zoe took it as a sign to go to her room. Once there she sprawled out on her couch and looked at the clock. She still had an hour until it was time for her to go to class.
"I guess I'll take a nap." Zoe wouldn't be able to focus on anything else if she tried.
***
Zoe dressed and put on her shoes. As always, she was going on her jog before the sun had been able to rise.
Her footsteps echoed as the soles of her feet hit the sidewalk. Zoe enjoyed the feeling of her body pushing itself into a forward momentum. Still, she was troubled by the conversation she’d had with Mrs. Brown yesterday. With her mind elsewhere, she wasn’t as alert to where she placed her feet. One of her toes caught the ragged edge of the sidewalk and she fell forward.
Instinctively, her body shifted to the side in order to land on the soft foliage rather than the hard concrete. She landed where she wanted and nursed her scuffed hands while staring up at the stars.
She gasped, feeling lucky that she hadn’t hit the pavement head on.
A glint of light caught her eye. Turning her head, she tried to get a better view of whatever was giving off the reflection. It looked like a badge. Zoe rolled over onto her stomach and wiggled toward the object. When she picked it up, she shivered. She had never seen or felt metal like this—it felt warm to the touch, and smoother than anything she’d encountered. It felt like liquid, or an infant’s skin.
There was something else strange in the bushes, and the hair on the back of her neck rose. It was a shape, a large shape, and it wasn’t moving.
She backed away. Whatever it was, she didn’t want to see it.
But she couldn’t just leave.
Finally, she crouched down until she was face to face wi
th a man lying in the bush.
She gasped in surprise. "Well, then."
She sat up and began to look at the man. He was what she would imagine a Greek God would look like. Zoe looked at the man's perfectly chiseled features and couldn't help but think he wasn't real.
She reached out a finger to touch his skin. It was warm, so he was real and alive…or he had been recently. Panic started to capture her in a vice like a grip. If he was dead, what would she do? Even worse, if he was alive, what would she do then? Surely someone would be looking for him, but if she was found with the body, would she be punished? Would they blame her? Would they kick her out of school?
Choking on her own breath, she quickly leaned over to see if his heart was beating.
Silence. Zoe knew that she should hear something, and the realization alarmed her that this man was dead. But if he was warm, then maybe there was still hope for him.
School punishment or not, she couldn’t just leave him to die. She decided to try to resuscitate him. Summoning the first aid lessons she had received in swim class, she began to push against the man's chest.
Counting backward, she readied her lungs. This was it, she’d be putting her lips on a stranger’s.
Suddenly his arm shot out and gripped her neck. She barely made a whimper. Staring back at her were the crystal blue eyes of the man who was unconscious beneath her only moments ago.
Her immediate response was to try and pull the hands away. She lifted her arms up between their bodies and pushed, then tugged, then yanked as hard as she could. But this man had superhuman strength. Zoe’s struggling was useless, and her vision began to swim.
The man pulled her closer until they were nose to nose.
"You'll take me to safety. One word and I'll break your neck." His voice was pleasant, which was jarring compared to his violent expression and the way he held her neck.
Zoe weakly attempted to nod.
The beautiful and yet apparently deadly man slowly released her. "Shh, breath slowly."