Suburban Cyborg

by Gloria Martin

  “So technically…are you guys my concubines?” she asked curiously, only mostly joking.

  “Depends on your definition, sure we’ll draw baths for you and feed you, no problem. But in bed you’re being dominated, no doubt about it,” Safir said, grinning at her.

  Nora thought getting ready the morning after marathon sex with just Safir was a process, but getting ready the morning after with both Weston and Safir…that was an entirely different deal. But strange as it was Nora couldn’t be happier, literally. Weston and Safir oddly balanced each other out and fit two sides of her like puzzle pieces.

  “So…your summer is turning out to be pretty eventful huh?” Safir asked her while they ae a quick breakfast.

  “Yeah actually…I don’t think I can share with my class what I did this summer though. I might have to make something up…say I went to Seattle or something,” she said.

  “This is going to be a little weird at first, but I think it’ll work,” he said and Nora glanced over at Weston who was grabbing orange juice from the fridge.

  “Well you were a little weird when we first met, but it worked out,” she said and heard Weston chuckle. Safir smiled ruefully at her, but pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Same with Weston…” she added and he simply laughed.

  “Our shifters will be fine, as long as they’re with their own…and you know we’d be the largest lion pride in the north,” West pointed out.

  “We’re stronger unified,” Safir said, stating the obvious though it was so true. Nora smiled to herself, she was excited about the rest of the summer, only a little scared, but so looking forward to what was ahead.

  THE END

  Bonus Story 40/40

  Capturing the Cyborg’s Heart

  As she sprinted across the sidewalk, dodging people expertly along the way, her feet pounded on the pavement soundlessly, thanks to the "silent boots" her long-time friend Stan had invented. He was in his forties now, ten years older than her and a loyal member of the Last American Renegades. He was in hiding. She didn't know where he was, nor had any idea how he was sending her all the stuff.

  Her long black hair flew around her shoulders as she ran as fast as she could, zipping into alleys that she had long memorized and leaping from roof to roof with the use of her makeshift electronic wings. She had picked up the wings a few months ago from the government warehouse she'd broken into, which had wreaked havoc and stirred ire among the officials of the New Government.

  Her name, Micah Morgan, had immediately been splashed across physical and virtual bulletins alike. The media had feasted on her photos and background before she and her family had joined the remaining group of renegades that still fought against the new rule.

  She hadn't cowered in fright like her mom had when the group had been exposed. She hadn't gone into hiding like her dad and their friend Stan. She hadn't burst into uncontrollable fury and lashed out at the government and their cyborg police force as her younger brother had done before.

  Micah had been the most intelligent, patient, and calm among her family members. As she had been growing up, she'd developed a strong body, impressive stamina, fighting skills, and a sharp mind. She had quiet strength and a sort of eerie stillness that made people admire and follow her. Her amazing abilities and unique ideas had also made her popular within the group. It hadn’t been a surprise when she had eventually been elected Renegade Leader.

  The Metropolis was currently teeming with locals, young and old, all smiling and getting along nicely. Some were traveling in electric cars on winding roads that all intertwined into a well-organized traffic system. There were streets crisscrossing in between buildings and also pathways that seemed to float in the sky. Meanwhile, other folks were heading to their destinations on hover boards, moving swiftly in mid-air. It was a picture-perfect urban community situated within an ultra-modern city with stylish glass and steel skyscrapers. It all seemed so beautiful on the surface. But she knew better.

  Dashing in and out of buildings, jumping over fences and climbing walls like Spiderman's futuristic female counterpart, which she was actually known for, she was finally able to lose the cyborg soldiers who had been hot on her trail. They were probably already calculating her moves and analyzing the city map, utilizing the computer chips that had been installed into their brains. Apart from the unusual strength they possessed because of their metal body parts, some of them also had built-in heat trackers to detect human and animal life moving within their 3-meter radius.

  But she was well-prepared for all of their tactics. Clothed in completely black technologically advanced gear that let her move about with great ease and flexibility, the material had also been designed to cover up her natural body heat and deflect her movements to cause confusion. It was something she and Stan had come up with long ago.

  Micah stood still on the third floor of a mid-sized tower, her feet planted on the thin ledge outside a huge window, her arms outstretched for added balance and also to allow her to grip the edges of the window frame. Her bright green eyes were wide and alert. She was trying to catch her breath after the chase, already planning her next move. She couldn't let these cyborgs find her and stop her from fulfilling her mission- expose the evil plans of the New Government and bring down the manipulative and abusive officials. She wanted to destroy the entire system, but she would only be able to accomplish it if she could gather enough evidence against them.

  She didn’t feel any fear at all- no fear of the government and the cyborgs, not even fear for her own life. But if there's one thing that truly terrified her, it was to completely lose the people she loved. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing them lose their humanity and become robots of the vicious rulers. She just couldn't let it happen without putting up a fight, even if she was all on her own. She couldn't let them win that easily, and if it meant risking her own life, so be it.

  A few minutes passed. Her arms and legs felt as heavy as lead. Her muscles were tense from being stuck in the same position for a long time. But she was used to the pain, so it didn't bother her much.

  After a while, she slowly edged toward one side of the ledge, very well aware that one wrong move could send her toppling down the side of the building and breaking all her bones upon hitting the busy street below. Then she activated her electronic wings with one click, making the improvised metal pieces spread out and start whirring with life. She took a deep breath and jumped forward into the air.

  Micah began flying upward with the help of the wings. But then, she was halted by an invisible force. She could not move further. She was stuck in mid-air.

  "What's happening?" she wondered aloud. And upon turning around, she noticed the almost invisible string that had wrapped around the huge metal wings. She was being pulled down quickly.

  "Damn," she muttered, as she spotted the tall, bulky cyborg in navy blue uniform waiting for her below. She didn't panic, but calmly let herself get pulled down. When she was safely near the ground she detached herself from the wings and dropped down on her feet, running at once after landing.

  She flung the wings over her shoulders at the cyborg as she took off. He was fast though, ducking and evading the wings that could have knocked him down.

  She was back on the run, just as she'd become accustomed to over the past years. But for the very first time, she was not able to get away. His strong arms grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back before she could get away. His hands slid down to her wrists, violently rammed them together and snapped a pair of handcuffs on her. "Micah Morgan, you are under arrest."

  *****

  Micah's emerald green eyes fluttered open. In an instant, she remembered everything that had happened. She'd blocked out after getting caught and hit by a member of the cyborg police.

  Her eyes roamed around the tiny room filled with thick, white padding. There were no windows and no furniture. She found herself lying on the similarly padded floor with nothing but a white blanket covering her body.

  Micah quickly sa
t up, realizing with shock that she was completely naked. All her weapons had been stripped away. "Damn that cyborg," she muttered. "And he had the nerve to undress me!" The thought made her blood boil and she couldn't wait to face him and give him a piece of her mind.

  Despite her situation, she was able to calm herself. She looked around without any desperation, forcing her negative emotions away in order to clear her mind and think of ways on how she would escape.

  A thorough scan of the room told her the room was secure. But she had never been one to give up easily. She walked around the space slowly, running her hands across the walls and the floor. She touched and groped everything she could reach, looking for some way out. There wasn't even a door, except a locked opening on the high ceiling which would be impossible to reach without any of her or Stan's gadgets.

  She was pacing back and forth, the white blanket wrapped and tied around her body, when a creaking noise made her stop and look up. The locked opening began sliding open. The gap soon revealed the face of the cyborg who had captured her. She was not surprised to find that he was very good-looking, with strong features, light brown hair in a military haircut, full red lips, and intense dark brown eyes.

  Many of the cyborgs she'd encountered before were handsome, muscular, and alluring just like this one. She was only interested in one thing, and that was to destroy the New Government and help give back the freedom and natural humanity of people.

  "I see you're awake," the cyborg called down to her, his face expressionless. "Want something to eat?"

  Micah did not want to eat. She only wanted to punch him in the face and get out of there. But of course, she knew that if he brought her food, she just might have a better chance to escape. She silently nodded her head then sat down and waited patiently.

  He was back in five minutes. But to her dismay, he used a special device to send down a bowl of porridge. The device looked like a metal tray attached to a long pole.

  As he was sending the food down, she reacted quickly and jumped up and jerked on the pole violently. Swinging her body up sideways, she kicked against the wall to hoist her body up higher. At the same time, the sudden strong jerk had surprised the cyborg and caused him to lose his balance.

  He plummeted down through the opening, missing her by an inch. But he was quick too, throwing his arms upward and grabbing the pole to keep from falling to the ground. He reached up and tugged at Micah's foot hard. She tried to kick him free but his grip was too firm.

  "Let. Me. Go!" Micah shouted resolutely, kicking hard with both feet as she struggled to keep holding on to the shaky pole.

  After a minute of struggling, she was able to boot him against his forehead. He yelled, but did not let go. Instead, it motivated him to pull himself up after her, putting all of his strength in his grip of her foot. The weight of his body forced her down hard, causing her to tumble down. She grabbed his neck and brought him down with her.

  They landed with a thump on the padded floor, with the cyborg landing on top of Micah's slightly naked body. The blanket wrapped around her had loosened and was barely covering the top part of her body.

  She didn't care. She was very much alert, and the slight flicker of his eyes onto her almost exposed breasts, did not escape her attention. Now she knew one of his weaknesses, and was going to do her best to use it against him.

  For the moment, she simply wanted to tease him. Quickly she arched her back, crying out in pain pretentiously. Her breasts rose up and pressed against his chest. His eyes shot wide open, making him push himself away from her awkwardly and get onto his feet hurriedly.

  He quickly regained his composure, standing tall and glaring at her. "I see you are what they say you are," he said with bitterness.

  "And what is that?" she wanted to know, one side of her lips turning up in a semi-smirk. She was still in a lying position, the luscious flesh of the top of her breasts very well exposed. Her long, firmly shaped legs were also out in the open.

  He turned away, ignoring her question. She could take him down then, but both of them knew that they still needed each other to be able to leave that room. "Get dressed," he barked with his back to her.

  "With this blanket?" she asked in an unbelieving tone. "Go get me my clothes."

  "No."

  "Well, why don't you turn around?" she demanded. "Don't even pretend to be a gentleman now because you’ve already seen my body."

  "I was not the one who undressed you," he answered quietly, his breathing becoming steadier. "It was my sister, Shelley. She's probably on her way here now to bring you something to wear."

  Micah didn’t say anything. She was quite impressed that this cyborg seemed to be different from the others she'd encountered who were more brash, ill-mannered, and sometimes quite disrespectful of women. But at the moment, she was more interested in the new piece of information. He's working with his sister. She found that odd. Maybe she's part of the cyborg police force too? Or perhaps they wanted the glory and honor of being the ones to bring her in defenseless.

  She got to her feet, rewrapping the white sheet around her body and tying it tightly in a knot. With her cascading black hair, sparkling green eyes, almond shaped face, and succulent pinkish lips that many men desired, she should have been a model or movie star instead of a Renegade Leader.

  "Is she a cyborg too?" Micah asked him directly, placing herself in front of him once she looked decent enough.

  His eyes did not even flicker downward. He looked into her green eyes with suspicion. "None of your business," he said curtly. "Why don't you just eat!" He motioned to the porridge that now lay in a mess on the tray.

  "That's disgusting," Micah said. "Look. Listen to me. If you and I work together, we can climb out of here fast."

  He almost laughed in her face. "I'm not stupid enough to fall for that."

  "Have it your way." She shrugged with a smug look before walking toward the other side of the room.

  He followed her with his eyes and watched in disbelief as she suddenly whipped out a belt- his belt! In a few seconds, she had latched it onto the long metal rod that hung from above and hoisted herself up. Gripping the rod, she kicked the opposite wall with both feet and forced herself up again to the other wall. She did the same and this time was able to raise toward the hole in the ceiling, throwing both of her legs over the gap and disappearing.

  Before the furious cyborg could fully react, she had disappeared. He attempted to follow up but was unsuccessful. Micah disappeared and moments later the blanket dropped down through the hole and landed on the cyborg’s head. To his utter shock, she swiftly pulled up the entire pole too, leaving him trapped in the room.

  *****

  After a few minutes, Micah was confidently walking across a public park with a big, goofy smile on her face. She felt stupid, but had to put on the act to appear like the rest of the giddy, silly-looking folks around her. These "happy" people were everywhere, getting on her nerves and pushing her even more to finish her mission.

  She was wearing a short yellow sundress she had stolen from a shop, along with a huge native hat and matching sunglasses. She had already cut her tresses short up to her chin and was now sporting a blonde hairdo. Even her eyes had been covered up with blue contact lenses. And with the different way she carried herself now, she was quite unrecognizable again.

  In her disguise, she'd actually strolled into government offices and fished information from employees without causing any suspicion. Slowly, all the pieces were beginning to fall into place. All the research she had done the past year was now painting her the evil picture that the New Government was obviously gearing for.

  She had lost all of her family, but she yearned to avenge their senseless, untimely deaths. They had all contributed to the Last American Renegades. And she had not been as fast in saving them. She carried that burden in her heart, and it was what fueled her to continue fighting.

  She was back on the streets, passing by a restaurant, when she caught sight of her child
hood best friend. Elise was seated inside the upscale Italian cafe, looking fine and dandy and very much happy with her husband and kids. As Micah watched her, something seemed to squeeze her heart tight. She remembered how the two of them had been inseparable when they were little girls. She recalled how Elise had actually been her idol when it came to being brave and standing up for what she believed was right.

  Where are you in there, Elise? Micah wondered with sadness. She looked through the window at the beloved friend she had lost because they had chosen different paths when they were teenagers. Elise had become one of those "happy" people. But in the process, just like the others, she'd lost her uniqueness and humanity. She had lost her feisty spirit and her real self. She was now similar to a doll or a robot, just like the others.

  It broke her heart to watch her friend looking so happy and at the same time knowing that it wasn't real. She turned around and was surprised to crash into something hard. She soon realized it was the bulky chest of a man with a familiar scent. She caught a whiff of the fragrance and immediately knew who it was. She looked up with a scowl at the cyborg who had caught her earlier.

  "Hello, Micah," he greeted her, with a stern look. "I love your new look, but unfortunately, you're still under arrest."

  Micah was taken aback. How the hell had he followed her? This guy was apparently not as stupid as she thought. She quickly considered her options at that very moment.

  "There's no way out," he told her, sneering. "Other cyborgs are currently hidden, waiting to lunge at you and even kill you. But if you come with me voluntarily, I will make sure you live. At least for a few more days." He chuckled and wrapped one arm around her shoulder. She tried to shrug his arm off, but he made his grip firmer. She glowered but didn't argue anymore.

  "How'd you find me?" she asked curiously, as they slowly walked away together.

  "Your scent," he replied, without blinking or glancing at her.