by Anna Lewis
“You’re right. I don’t want to lose her,” said Trevor.
Just above their heads, one floor up, was the unsuspecting Lena, pouring her heart out to a close friend and staff member of the hospital named Lily. They had been working together since Lena’s residency and had grown close over the years. With wide eyes, Lily absorbed every bit of information Lena gave her and rubbed her back as Lena conveyed her emotions with tears in her eyes.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve regretted not going for it,” said Lily. “You should give it a shot.”
“But what if it’s just his dependency that’s driving the emotion?” asked the worried Lena.
“Then, you break up. It’s a rough truth, but it’s better to face it than to hide from it. If he truly cares about you, he’ll stick around,” Lily assured her. “That’s how I found Phil.”
“You met Phil in the hospital?” asked Lena.
“Yeah, I was the nurse who helped him walk again. It’s almost the same situation, Lena, only Trevor is a cyborg. I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to have feelings for him,” explained Lily.
“I’m just worried about our superiors,” Lena admitted.
“Screw the superiors. You want to be happy, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, go for it.”
Feeling reassured, Lena thanked her friend and did another round of check-ups after drying her face. She made her way to Trevor’s room where she found it empty. Her disappointed eyes scanned over the sheets, wondering where he might have wandered. Following her gut took her to the cafeteria where she spotted Trevor sitting with Mike. As she approached, Mike whispered, “Here comes your lady.”
Lena nervously greeted the two and then sat next to Trevor who introduced her to his comrade. They shook hands and then awkwardly sat in silence until Mike excused himself from the table, patting Trevor’s arm as he walked away.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You did no such thing. We were just talking about the war,” said Trevor, feeling guilty about having to tell a white lie.
They had sworn to each other to never speak of their relationship, yet they were just discussing it with their own confidants as their feelings were still a mess of confusion and desire. Nodding, Lena looked down at the table and back up at Trevor.
“Do you want to take a walk?” she asked. “It looks like you’re getting better at it.”
“It’s becoming second nature. I hadn’t thanked you yet for doing what you did. I really appreciate it, Lena. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” he replied.
“It’s my job,” she said, regretting how dry it sounded. “And it was my pleasure to do so. It brings me joy to see you moving around.”
“I just wish people would stop staring,” he said while glancing around.
Most of the cafeteria appeared immersed in their own conversations, but it was apparent that some of them were trying to look at Trevor out of their peripheral vision. A young man looked over and then looked away, embarrassed that he had been caught.
“It’s new to them, so they’re going to stare,” she explained.
“I’m getting more stares than the guy without legs,” he claimed.
“That’s because part of your body is made of metal,” she said, stifling a giggle.
“Are you laughing at me?” he asked while eying her.
“I would do no such thing!” she said, giggles erupting from her gut.
The pair became engrossed in a teasing battle, their flirty conversation melding with the rest of the voices in the room. When they stood, Trevor used the table as leverage and accidentally knocked it to the ground. Lena fumbled with the edge to fix it to which Trevor used only one finger to lift it back up. The entire room glared at Trevor for interrupting their meal, a voice from the back whispering something about a freak.
Lena gathered their trays and headed for the exit, placing them on the shelf for collection as they left the cafeteria. The room plunged back into chaotic chatter after they left and they exchanged a look of concern. Had someone just called Trevor a freak for his new additions? Such care and precision had gone into formulating those limbs, their design years ahead of most technology known to humans. It was disappointing to think that the masses wouldn’t be receptive to such technology, especially after Mike had heavily insisted on how jealous the other officers would be.
Whether it phased him or not was unapparent because Trevor walked with a sense of pride. Lena admired the way he had brushed off that incident and still walked from the room with his head up, her own tilting forward in a way that indicated shame. Just like it would need time for Trevor to get used to his new body, the rest of the world would need time to get used to him.
***
The garden was awash with green and smelled fresh, the flowers lining the walkway leading them out further until they reached an open field. Trevor hesitated to step off the path, looking around to check for any enemy soldiers that might be nearby.
“It’s not the warzone,” Lena assured him as she took his hand. “Come. You need to practice using your gun.”
“You mean this one,” joked Trevor while holding up his mechanical arm.
“Actually, yes,” replied Lena while chuckling at the joke. “I’ve set up targets some yards out that you can aim for. Have at it.”
As she spoke, she raised her arm towards the field and Trevor noticed the little mannequins set up in the distance. He looked her over with a wide grin and then looked back at the field to study how much force he’d have to use in order to fire an energy bolt that far.
“You did all this for me?” he asked while raising his arm.
“Of course. I want you to be ready when you leave in two weeks,” she replied while typing into her digital pad
The response caught him off guard and he missed his first target, the bolt dissipating somewhere off to the right.
“Are you alright?” she asked, noticing his change of focus.
“Yeah, sorry. I just got lost in thought,” he said, another white lie leaving his lips.
Did he only have two weeks left? That didn’t seem like enough time to spend with Lena, his heart aching at the thought of putting any distance between them. She was just within an arm’s reach and her eyes followed his movements, studying the way he stood and how he catapulted the energy from his palm.
“Two weeks,” he huffed while taking another shot.
“Hard to believe you’ve been here for four,” she said, averting her attention back to the chart on her touch pad.
“And you’ll be here?” he asked nervously.
“I have other patients,” she responded.
Another bolt went flying into the distance, demolishing one of the mannequins.
“Can I visit?” he asked, keeping his eyes on a plastic figure.
“Why would you do that?”
The next bolt went shooting up into the air and disappeared beyond the fog that was rolling over them, dimly lighting the other side of the mist and mixing with the violet of dusk. Trevor turned and took Lena up into his human arm, pressing his hungry lips to hers, nearly knocking her touch pad out of her hands
“Because I like you,” he whispered between kisses. “I don’t want to be without you.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t want to come back,” she said, growing tearful in their passionate embrace.
“You’ve opened my heart, Lena. I’m not leaving you behind,” he said.
“But what about the war?” she asked with some trepidation. “Will they let you leave?”
Another kiss silenced her fears, Trevor whispering that he would do anything to come back and kiss her lips a million times. While distracted, the sound of a miniature explosion came from behind Lena and she turned to see what it was. Trevor had effectively shot one of the closer mannequins while kissing her, a sly grin plastered across his face as she turned to face him.
“Now
you’re just showing off,” Lena whispered while nuzzling his nose.
“I think that’s a great skill to have,” said Trevor, stroking her chin. “It means you’re always safe with me.”
“I’m glad I met you,” she said as the sun set behind the haze in the distance. “I can’t believe we met, but I’m glad we did.”
“As am I, Lena,” he said, taking another taste of her lips.
After they pulled away, Trevor took a few more shots at the mannequins farther away and raised his arms in triumph when he shot them all down. This new body could likely take out entire platoons which gave the Navy leverage against any dangerous enemies. Being that sort of weapon meant everyone would want him, and the generals who had encouraged the procedure made sure to hide the documentation about Trevor from the rest of the world, so that the technology to make a cyborg like him would never be acquired by the enemy. Also hidden was the truth about the cyborg project which, if it were ever made public, would cause a scandal.
It was General Sanders who had volunteered Trevor for the project, stating that the hero had a resilience to pain and a strong character. He was great for battle and would follow orders to the ends of the earth. Though he would never volunteer readily, the general knew he could push the boy in the direction of danger so that the threat posed would inspire the surgery. He had paid the released prisoner to shoot Trevor in order to have him injured enough to qualify. Had it not been for the general’s elaborate plan, Trevor wouldn’t be a cyborg, nor would he have met Lena.
The plan was sworn to secrecy between Trevor’s superiors and he went unknowingly to avenge his brother, convinced the death of the enemy general would be his ticket to peace. He had unsuspectingly walked into a trap which put him where he now stood, on the path weaving in and out of the great garden behind the naval hospital. Warships soared overhead as they strolled along on the cement, Lena bending down every so often to sniff a bell flower that was full of nectar. The basic rehabilitation had been successful, but he would need more training before returning to the war. Most of his functions were under control due to Lena’s extensive physical therapy and he was feeling more confident, especially with her hand intertwined with his.
While walking up towards the building, Lena pulled her hand away in fear of one of her staff members witnessing their affections. The field had provided them a bit of privacy and she had enjoyed every moment of it, his lips caressing hers unabashedly while he shot targets. It had been impressive to watch him do this and her thighs were tense with anticipation for their next encounter. Perhaps it was a bit strange to be turned on by such a thing, but his skill was intensely attractive. It made her feel like this was the man who would protect her during the terrible time they lived in.
People like Trevor would be the ones who could tip the balance of the war, which was the whole point of running the cyborg trials. He was the most successful cyborg to date. Better and better, she knew what to repeat and what to let fall to the wayside. The arm gun, for example, was a good innovation, and seemed to be effective too. The process of transforming wounded soldiers into cyborgs would only become faster and faster after this.
But what would happen after the war? When these men returned home to their families, was it wise to allow them access to such destructive weapons? In a sense, they were the weapons which put them at a higher risk for discrimination in their towns.
All of this weighed on Lena’s shoulders, her eyes looking around the white-tiled halls in search of a solution. But all the answers would come in time. She just had to have faith in her work and in Trevor. As she thought this, she looked over at him and he caught her gaze, smiling when he saw the swirling blues in her eyes. There was hope between them. The opposing forces would meet their defeat and perhaps there would finally be peace in the world. Defeat was not an option, as the battle was raging on their own soil.
When the couple arrived at Trevor’s room, he nearly leaned in to kiss her, but thought better to shake her hand instead. A giggle sent her off to check on a few patients and Trevor sat in his hospital bed, turning on the television to check the status of his troop. Images of war filled the screen and tore him away from the wonderful mood he was in. There was still a war out there. How could he fall in love if there was such disaster happening?
***
By the time the fifth week rolled around, Trevor had grown restless from sitting in his room all day and went to the nurse’s desk to ask if there was anything they needed help doing. She mentioned that the new fridge had arrived, but no one was strong enough to lift it. It took a matter of five minutes for Trevor to carry it up the stairs and install it, his cybernetic arm and leg proving to have more uses than as mere weapons. Thankful for his help, the nurses gathered some flowers and left them in a vase in his room with a few pieces of chocolate for him to munch on as he rested.
It wasn’t long before Trevor was back on his feet out of boredom and wandering the halls, helping people move and retrieve things that were too heavy or too out of reach.
He came across the children’s ward at one point, made up of underage civilian victims of the war. He noticed that many of the kids didn’t have visitors. With the help of a nurse, he gathered them in the main play room to read them stories, allowing them to touch his cybernetic arm when they became curious. One of the little boys stood up and said he wanted to be just like Trevor when he grew up which prompted him to smile and pat his head.
“You want to be a Navy officer?” asked the nurse.
“No, I want to be a cool cyborg!” yelled the boy while raising his arms and growling.
It caused the group to erupt into chuckles until Trevor had them settle down for another book, one about a cat who wore his favorite sweater even though people thought the sweater was ugly. As he was reading, he didn’t notice Lena standing in the doorway, admiring the way he was entertaining the children. It was wonderful to see them smiling and laughing as it gave them a reprieve from the awful sounds of the battle. When he looked up again, he found Lena smiling at him and blushed, pausing mid-sentence to admire her beauty.
“Keep reading, mister,” said one of the girls up front, shaking his cybernetic arm. “What happens next?”
“Yeah!” chimed the group.
Trevor apologized to the children and read the rest of the book, showing them the pictures in between the pages. A light applause filled the room as Trevor stood to leave, receiving pleads from some of the kids to stay. Lena announced that he had work to do elsewhere and that it was lunchtime which put the children at ease, their bellies hungry after such an exciting morning. As they walked away, Lena looped her arm through Trevor’s and commended him for being sweet.
“They don’t often get to have time like that. Our volunteers haven’t been showing up lately,” she explained.
“Admittedly, I was just bored, but once I got started I was having fun,” he said while they walked up the hall. “I can’t wait to have children someday.”
Lena smiled at the comment.
“I can have children, right?” asked Trevor, stopping to wait for Lena’s reply.
“Yes, you can still have kids. Your injuries didn’t affect your reproductive organs,” she responded, patting his arm.
“Good. I’d love to be able to do that someday,” he said, and then added. “And maybe with you.”
It made her heart swell to hear such a statement, her own desire to reproduce having been hidden for a while due to the war.
“I’d love that,” she whispered. “In fact, we can start practicing now.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, a mischievous smile crossing his lips.
Lena looked around and then pulled Trevor into the medical supply closet where she frequently napped, locking the door firmly behind them. As soon as they had privacy, Trevor gripped her waist and pressed her against the wall as lust took over. They hadn’t made love since the first time and their desire for the ritual had been building over the past week as they spent more and
more time together. It was difficult not to tackle each other when they were constantly surrounded by people, their bodies shuddering with every touch and kiss.
Hands tore away the barrier of clothing and elicited excited moans from lips that devoured exposed skin. Within moments, Trevor was pressing his tool into her sex, parting the silky lips for his entry. His cybernetic hand lifted her up against the wall as he penetrated her warm chasm, grunting with every feverish thrust. The pleasurable moans erupting from her lips beckoned him like a siren’s song to push deeper and grind harder. Cupping his face in her hands, she dove in for another kiss that spoke of fulfillment while she bounced, her legs wrapped around his torso to keep her upright. The muscles in his back and legs flexed as he pushed deep into her hidden garden where he found the nectar that gushed over his tool.
Heat and power radiated from their bodies as they came to completion, hard thighs crowning her hips as his rhythm increased. He decorated the nape of her neck in kisses while keeping her back arched. This provided a better position for his wand that was close to watering her fields, the shaft throbbing with every dive into the beautiful landscape of her body. Her head shook as she started to peak and gripped his back during her consuming climax. A soft cry signaled her release and he followed shortly after, pumping heavily into her glistening thighs as he exploded. A chorus of chuckles filled the air as he nuzzled her nose with his, panting between smiles and kisses.
The couple was far from finished as their lust tumbled into another fit of grinding, her back beginning to burn from being scraped against the wall. As the two continued to ravish each other, the radio in Lena’s pocket began to crackle, the static interrupting their pleasure, but not making Trevor stop what he was doing. She raised the radio to her ear with a sly smile and pressed her finger to his lips.
“Shh,” she whispered. “Just stay quiet.”
“Dr. Clark? It’s...Over.”
“Dr. Clark here,” said Lena. “What’s the problem? Over.”
“We have sighting…in the sky. There’s been...”