by Susan Hayes
Her gaze moved from image to image, looking for Toro, but he didn’t appear to be in the club. Unlike most of the other fighters, Toro didn’t spend all his spare time in the bar. If he wasn’t working out or sparring, he was usually in his quarters. For a man made for war, he was remarkably quiet and gentle.
A flurry of movement caught her attention. There was something happening in the gaming section. A tap of a button and she was zoomed in on the problem. Fraxx. A couple of human miners were gathered around Jaeger. One of them was angrily pointing to the barcode imprinted on the cyborg’s wrist, then to the starburst table. She didn’t need to activate the audio feed to guess what the problem was. The idiots were accusing him of cheating because he was a cyborg. Never mind the minor fact that the game was cheat-proof or that Jaeger’s cybernetic abilities didn’t allow him any advantage over the other players. They were losing and looking for someone to blame.
They were going after Jaeger because he was different from them. That might be allowed in some other clubs, but not here. Not at the Nova. Jaeger might not be an employee. He might not be a friend, either, but he was a cyborg like her, and that made him family of a sort.
She was out of her chair and sprinting for the door a split-second later. Security would likely have it handled by the time she got there, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to sit here and helplessly watch. This was her club, and no one was going to attack a fellow cyborg simply because they were different.
* * * *
Jaeger faced down his accusers with the same icy focus he used to keep himself centered while working with explosives. He had been in this situation often enough that he had learned there was no point in arguing with his accusers. He directed his comments to the dealer, Cassidy, and no one else. “I’m not cheating. I’m on a lucky streak, that’s all.”
Cassidy nodded, his expression apologetic. “I know,” he said in a low tone before lifting his voice and glowering at the ringleader of the troublemakers. “No one is cheating. I need for you and your friends to step away from the other customers, right now. You’re holding up play at this table.”
“You’re taking its side?” the largest of the miners asked. He was speaking in Galactic Standard, but his accent was pure Terran.
Why is it the biggest bigots always seem to be from Earth?
The guy was agitated and jittery, unable to keep still. His movements were jerky, his balance was off, and Jaeger noted that the man’s pupils were so dilated he could barely see any iris at all. Whatever the miner was on, it had him in a very high orbit.
Cassidy shook his head. “No, sir. I’m not taking sides. I’m enforcing club policy. You and your companions are causing a disturbance and need to leave the gaming area. Now. If you’d like a guide, I’d be happy to call security over and have them escort you.”
“I’m not fraxxing leaving. I’m a paying customer, and I have every right to be here. I’m not the one cheating!” He pointed a finger at Jaeger. “It’s a walking calculator; why is it even allowed inside the club at all?”
Several onlookers took a step back at his outburst, and even some of the miner’s friends looked uneasy. Whoever this guy was, he clearly didn’t know that the Nova’s owners were all cyborgs. Either that, or he was too high to remember, or care.
“That’s it, you’re out of here,” Cassidy said and pressed a small red button on the side of the table. Seconds later, all hell broke loose.
One moment, everyone was standing still; the next Jaeger was ducking a fist aimed straight at his face. He dodged the first blow and then knocked aside the next two without too much trouble. The loudmouth ringleader throwing punches was big, but he was too messed up to for his blows to be fast or accurate. Unfortunately, the bastard also had friends with him, and they weren’t interested in waiting their turn. There were three of them attacking Jaeger, and despite his best efforts, some of them were getting past his defenses.
He dodged, deflected, and blocked, but never once did he go on the attack. He had sworn off violence the day he had been released from service. He would defend himself, but that was it. He had no desire to hurt anyone, not even these fraxxing idiots. He knew security would arrive any second now and put an end to the fight. All he had to do was keep them busy until then.
The next blow caught him in the upper arm. It was such a light touch it barely registered. Then, the pain started. Fraxx. He hadn’t been punched at all. He was cut. Hot blood was soaking through the fabric and running down his arm.
“Damn it, I liked this shirt!” he swore as he turned toward the one holding a five-inch blade in his hand. Of course, it was the son of a starbeast who had started this whole mess.
“What do you know? The machine bleeds. I thought you cyborgs were supposed to be tough-ass soldiers. You won’t even hit back!”
“If I did, you’d be the one bleeding,” Jaeger said.
“Big talk for a cheating machine that can’t fi—“ was all the other man managed to say before someone stepped in and clocked him hard in the jaw before knocking the knife out of his hand.
The new arrival was Kit Armas, club owner and head of security. He subdued the other two fighters within seconds, leaving only the instigator still on his feet.
“He started it!” the miner bellowed, pointing at Jaeger. “He’s cheating. Fraxxing cyborg freak.”
“You might want to rethink that statement,” Jaeger said, not bothering to hide his amusement at the other man’s tactical error.
“You have a problem with cyborgs?” Kit asked, folding his arms across his chest and glowering down at the troublemaker.
“Freaks like him should have all been destroyed after the Resource Wars.”
“Bryan, shut up!” one of his buddies muttered in Terran. Not that it would help. Jaeger, like all cyborgs, was fluent in every known language in the galaxy.
“Bryan is it?” Kit drawled and pointed to the barcode imprinted on his wrist. “I think you’re in the wrong club. In fact, I know you are, because three cyborg freaks own the Nova. You’ve got to the count of five to get out of my club and never come back, asshole. Oh, and Corp-Sec are on their way. If you don’t want to deal with them, I suggest you head straight for your ship and get clear of the Drift before the warrant for your arrest goes active.”
Cynder appeared beside Kit, her green eyes flashing in anger as she took in the scene in front of her. “You okay?” she asked Jaeger, pointing to his blood-soaked sleeve.
“I’ll be fine. My shirt, not so much,” he replied. He clamped a hand over the cut on his arm to slow the bleeding. It was deep enough that it would take a few minutes for his medi-bots to clot the blood and begin the healing process. All cyborgs carried variations of the same nanotech. It kept them alive and in fighting form, minimizing their healing time and increasing their odds of surviving wounds that would cripple or kill a normal human being.
Bryan sneered. “Sympathy for a machine? You a freak lover, baby? You can get freaky with me anytime you—“
Cyn hit him hard enough Jaeger could hear the other man’s teeth clack together. “Get the hell out of my club. Now!”
“Aw man. You’re a machine too? What a fraxxing waste of a hot body.”
“The only waste here is you. You’re a waste of oxygen.” Cynder pointed toward the door. “Get out. Your kind isn’t welcome here.”
For a second, it looked like he was going to be smart and leave. The crowd backed off, and everyone appeared to take a collective breath. That’s when it happened. One second, Bryan was standing there calmly, and the next he was lunging for Cynder with yet another blade in his hand and a wild look in his eyes.
“Fraxx you, bitch!”
Jaeger charged. He tried to disarm the other man, but the knife wound slowed his response time, and the blow he did manage to land was too weak to knock the blade away. Out of options, Jaeger did the only thing he could; he tackled his opponent and let momentum do the rest of the work. They both landed hard, still fighting.
White-hot pain lanced through his side, and Jaeger deactivated his pain receptors, blocking the pain, for now. Whatever the damage was, his medi-bots would handle it. Of course, he would heal a hell of a lot faster if he were standing still instead of thrashing around the floor with a bigoted asshole with a knife…but such was life.
He finally managed to wrap his arms around his opponent, pinning his arms to his side and squeezing until Bryan finally stopped moving. The second they were still, Cynder and Kit were there, pulling them apart.
Kit hauled Bryan to his feet and out of Jaeger’s field of vision. No doubt to toss his ass out of the club and into Corp-Sec’s hands. Rules and laws on the Drift were usually considered more like guidelines, but when blood was spilled, the corporations’ private security force got cranky.
“I hate to tell you this, but your shirt’s a goner,” Cynder deadpanned as she crouched down at his side. “That was a stupid stunt to pull. I’m the fighter, remember? You didn’t need to step in, I had him.”
Jaeger mustered a grin despite the fact he was still sprawled on the club floor and bleeding. “Do I at least get points for my act of chivalry?”
She scoffed and shook her head. “Yeah, okay. Plus ten for being a dashing knight. Minus several hundred for getting yourself stabbed. Next time you could just open a door for me or something.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. What are you doing out here, anyway? I thought this was your night off.”
“I was trying to catch up on some paperwork in my office. I looked up at the security monitors only to spot a fight going on in the middle of my club with you in the middle of it. I came out to see if anyone needed their head busted, but Kit got here first. Then you tackled that jerk before I could have any fun. Frankly, I’m annoyed at both of you.” Cynder tugged up his shirt to look at the stab wound to his side and then pressed her hand against the injury to slow the bleeding.
“Next time I promise not to interfere in your carnage,” he said. Despite everything going on, he was acutely aware of her hands on his body. It had been a while since a beautiful woman had put her hands on him, even if it was only to stop him from bleeding on her floor.
“Next time, huh? This happens often?” she asked.
Jaeger shrugged. “Often enough.”
“You don’t cheat, though. I’m not sure what the re’veth you’re doing to win at that cursed game, but it’s not cheating. My personal theory is that you’re some kind of wizard. Maybe you should grow a beard, get yourself a pointy hat and some robes, and make a living doing magic tricks with starburst dice instead. I bet you’d get stabbed less often.”
“Hard to say. I’d probably get stabbed a few times for fashion crimes if I wore an outfit like that.” Jaeger gestured to his side. “How’s it looking?”
Cynder didn’t bother lifting her hand to look before answering. “Like you have a hole in your side. I think the bleeding’s already starting to slow down. Another few minutes and you’ll be good to stand up.”
“Then you’re going straight to the station’s medical center to have that looked at. I’ll send Corp-Sec over to take a statement from you there.”
Jaeger had to look twice before he could tell if it was Luke or Kit speaking to him. They were cloned twins, and the only way to tell them apart was their hairstyles. Luke wore his a little longer than Kit.
“Hey, Luke. Sorry about the blood on the carpet.”
“Why do you think it’s a dark color? It hides the blood stains so much better. Does Toro know about this yet, or are you going to let him be surprised when he hears about it through the club grapevine?”
“He’s not much for surprises. I was going to tell him as soon as I knew the idiot who did this to me was a safe distance away. The last time this happened, Toro put the guy who attacked me in traction. He’s uh, a little short-tempered when it comes to protecting his friends.”
Luke glanced at Cyn and grinned. “I wouldn’t know anyone like that.”
“You’re lucky my hands are busy keeping Jaeger’s blood inside of his body right now, or I’d kick your ass for that crack. I’m not short-tempered!” Cyn said, glowering at her batch brother.
“Of course you’re not. You’re a shy, delicate flower. How could I forget?” Luke asked, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Hey, mind not riling up my nurse? I’m a wounded man in dire need of her healing touch,” Jaeger pointed out, uttering a low, dramatic groan for emphasis.
“Dire need, huh?” Luke raised a dark brow and gave Jaeger a bemused look.
“Not that dire. I think the bleeding has completely stopped now. You ready to get up off the floor?” Cynder asked as she gently eased off the pressure of her hand before finally letting go of him.
“I’d happily stay here a while longer if you promised to put your hand back on my side,” he told her, aware he was taking a risk. So far, Cynder had sidestepped every attempt they’d made to get to know her better. This might be his one chance to get past her walls, and he was going to take it.
Luke made a strangled noise as he tried and failed to choke back his laughter, but Jaeger didn’t care what Luke thought. The only one whose opinion mattered right now was Cynder.
He didn’t breathe again until her lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “There are easier ways to get to know a girl than getting stabbed in front of her. You know that, right?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, it worked, didn’t it? You’re here, I’m here, we’re talking.”
She laughed out loud. “Okay, it worked. I still think it was a little extreme, though. I hope all your romantic endeavors don’t wind up with you bleeding.”
“They certainly don’t start out this way, no. Occasionally they might have ended with bloodshed, but I’m not admitting to anything.” Jaeger sat up slowly, keeping an eye on his injury to make sure it didn’t start bleeding again. When it didn’t reopen, he knew it was time to move, whether he wanted to or not.
He started to get up carefully, and when Cynder offered her hand, he took it. Not that he needed her help. Both injuries were already healing, and he was still blocking the pain, so he wasn’t in any discomfort. No, he took her hand because he wasn’t a fool. This was progress. If he was going to get past Cynder’s armor, he couldn’t afford to let chances like this pass by.
“You, get yourself to medical. I know you’re already healing, but the doc can take pictures and document your injuries. It will make Corp-Sec’s job easier,” Luke said.
“Does this doctor know anything about cyborgs?” Jaeger asked as he got to his feet and reluctantly let go of Cynder’s hand.
“This one does. She’s actually researching us and finding out as much as she can. You might have to put up with a few questions and some annoying pokes and prodding, but she’s probably one of the most knowledgeable doctors out there when it comes to cyborgs, and she’s not affiliated with any of the corporations.”
“I like the sound of that. It would be nice to be able to go to a real doctor instead of back to the lab-techs who designed me the next time I get stabbed, shot, or electrocuted.”
Cynder frowned. “Electrocuted, really?”
“Really. I’ll tell you all about it on the way to medical.”
“Who said I was coming to the medical center with you?” she asked.
It was time to push his luck again. “I’m an injured man, and you’re my nurse. You’re not going to abandon me now, are you? What if I relapse on the way there?”
Cyn scoffed. “I don’t see that happening. You have to be tougher than that, or you’d have never survived the wars.”
He wasn’t ready to give up yet. “Uh, what if I don’t know where the fraxx medical is? You can be my nurse and my guide.”
“Didn’t you download a map of the station when you came onboard?” she asked.
“I didn’t. I like wandering around and discovering new places for myself. That’s hard to do if I have a map hardwired into my hea
d.”
“Fine, I’ll walk you to medical. At least that way I can be sure you make it there without getting stabbed again.” Cynder took a step and then paused to glower at the curious onlookers in her way. “Move people! Injured man, coming through.”
Luke cracked up again. As Jaeger passed him, the other man leaned in and murmured. “You’re crazy, but you’re getting to her. Keep it up.”
“I have no intention of stopping,” Jaeger replied.
The moment they were moving, he activated his internal comm channel. “Hey, Toro. I’m on my way to medical to get checked out. Minor injuries, nothing serious.”
“Re’veth. I’ll be right there. Which asshole do I need to maim?”
“Relax. I’m fine. Corp-Sec is dealing with the asshole in question and Cynder is escorting me to medical. Dial down the temper and get down here so we can walk together,” Jaeger said.
“Cyn’s with you? I’m already on my way. I hope she took the jerk apart.”
“Actually, he tried to stab Cynder, so I stepped between them.”
“You stepped between…are you kidding me? You’re an idiot.” Toro was worried enough the last word came out as more of a growl.
“Possibly, but I’m an idiot walking beside a beautiful woman right now. Why aren’t you here yet?”
“All right, you’re brilliant idiot…and a lunatic. When I said to loosen up a little, this wasn’t what I meant. I’ll meet you at the front door.”
True to his word, Toro caught up to them seconds after they left the club and entered the station’s main concourse.
“I can’t leave you alone for two hours without you finding trouble. You need a bodyguard, Jaeg. Oh, and I’ve reactivated the bio-monitoring link between us. I don’t like finding out you were in a fight after it’s already over.”
Cyn snickered. “I never imagined you as the nursemaid type, Toro. Do you tuck him into bed, too?”
“Don’t give him any ideas, please,” he replied to Cynder before turning his head to greet Toro. “I’m fine. The only reason I’m going to medical at all is because Luke wants a proper report to give to security.”