Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  Lena lowered her eyes, empathetic to his situation. While she couldn’t fully understand how he felt, she could still extend sympathy to his desires. It would be a while before they would be able to run a full trial and she feared they would lose him as a result of testing in water, but it was all part of the process.

  “This is still new technology, Mr. Noble,” said Lena. “And we’ll be running trials on what you would be able to do. Until then, let’s keep away from water.”

  Trevor nodded, his throat swelling with anxiety about potentially being zapped. He wasn’t positive whether he could trust this doctor or whether anything would be alright in the future, but he had gone through a week of therapy and there was still no way to tell what would happen. After downing the water, he said he wanted to try again and had Lena help him to the center of the room, where he raised his arm to fulfill the exercises outlined to him. Lena suggested pushing his arm forward with his palm open to utilize the ray feature.

  “I can shoot with this thing?!” he cried. “Oh, boy!”

  As he raised his arm, the ball of energy he had seen the first day appeared in his palm and hummed with excitement, preparing to be fired.

  “Hit the chairs, Trevor,” she said, shaking her head once she realized she had addressed him informally. “Aim for that chair across the room.”

  The willpower to send forth a beam was mildly challenging as he had never needed to use his mind with such determination. It caused him a brief moment of dizziness and he used the bars to prop himself up, cursing as black dots formed in his line of vision. The energy it had taken to do that was exhausting. How would he ever get the hang of this if he lost consciousness with every bolt?

  “I don’t understand,” he said, his eyes struggling to keep open. “Why is it so taxing?”

  Lena caught him before he hit the ground, regretting the heaviness of the material they used for the limbs, and helped him over to his chair.

  “You’re directing mental energy to controlling your limbs which means it’s going to use up some strength,” she explained. “It gets easier as you become accustomed to doing these things.”

  “This sucks,” he said as she wheeled him to his room. “I just want to be normal.”

  Lena couldn’t think of a response as she took him back to his room, feeling some remorse for putting him in this situation. The success of their country was more important than his normalcy, but that was something Lena didn’t quite agree with. Though it brought her joy to bring him back, she felt shame for bringing him into a situation he had not consented to. Was it right to toy with his life, to make him a project? Feeling torn, she helped him into bed and wished him well, saying she would return later.

  “Rest, Commander Noble,” she said while shutting the door.

  On the other side, she heard, “You, too, Lena.”

  ***

  When Lena had left, Trevor felt a mixture of emotions. Why had she held his gaze like that?

  The television emitted a number of colors that displayed updates on the war and he followed it with intensity, feeling guilty for not being well enough to return and defend his comrades. He raised his hand to swipe through different news channels in order to get a better picture of what was happening. A number of reports detailed the amount of damage taken by the Western Alliance. His pride was hurt watching men being removed from the warzone, bodies piling along the sides of the area waiting to be returned to their homes in boxes. If he hadn’t been so desperate to get revenge, then he wouldn’t be in this mess. He would still be with his men out on the field where they needed him instead of lying in bed trying to get a hold of his own body. What a mess.

  On the other side of the hall was Lena who was sprawled on the cot in the supply closet. Her alarm had been ringing for ten minutes, but her mind was in a distant land where war didn’t exist and her services were no longer needed. Trevor appeared suddenly, his cybernetic hand raising to touch her face. As her eyes popped open, she realized she was late for her round of check-ups and jumped from the uncomfortable cot that was impressed with the shape of her body. The white coat she always wore was hanging up nearby and she pulled it on, urging her body to move faster through the groggy haze of her mind. It took such effort that she nearly fainted, realizing she needed a full night’s sleep if she wanted to function properly. That would have to wait.

  Laughter echoed from down the hall as Lena exited the closet, walking over to the desk to ask the nurse if they’d received any alerts from the surrounding rooms. The nurse replied that they hadn’t and then handed Lena the digital paperwork for her rounds. She stopped in a few rooms to check on her other patients, noting that one of them was getting an infection and needed a round of antibiotics. While approaching Trevor’s room, her heart picked up a bit and she thought about the previous week when they had made eye contact in the physical therapy room. There was no doubt an attraction had formed between the two. She was unsure whether that had happened due to his dependence on her, or to her intense care for his recovery, or both.

  It also didn’t help that he was incredibly handsome, his short black hair unlike the other officers in the Navy and his face holding such humor for someone who had witnessed a slew of horrors. She often remembered the first time she had seen his face, and how different it looked now, when it was full of life.

  She considered all of these factors as she entered the room, a smile widening her face as Trevor looked away from the television.

  “How are you doing today, Commander Noble?” she asked as she grabbed his digital chart. “I see you’re walking to the bathroom on your own. That’s great.”

  “I’m doing alright,” he replied. “And please, call me Trevor.”

  Lena smiled at his insistence and nodded, trying not to take pleasure in such a simple request. After looking through his documents and charts on the touch screen, she set the touch pad down and walked over to do a vitals check, holding her fingers over the lymph nodes in his neck.

  “How do your limbs feel?” she asked, pressing the tissue around his arm that was fused with the cybernetic attachment.

  “They’re starting to feel more normal,” he said while studying the nape of her neck.

  As she leaned over him, loins were ablaze with the desire for physical affection. Months had gone by without such a luxury and he found his pelvis aching in the wake of Lena’s touch, her fingers running down the length of his torso to check how the adjustment was going with his new leg.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she commented while checking the buttons along the cybernetic limb. “It won’t be long until you adjust completely.”

  Trevor hesitated to ask the question that had been forming in his mind, wondering how it would sound coming from his mouth as she touched his side. As her hands slid up to his shoulder, he took her wrist gently and looked deep into her frightened eyes.

  “Do you feel that?” asked Trevor, peering down into her very depths.

  “What?” she asked, afraid to look away.

  Carefully, Trevor placed Lena’s open palm over his chest, the rapid thumping greeting her skin.

  “That,” he responded. “It happens every time I’m with you.”

  “Trevor, I can’t--”

  His lips intercepted what she was about to say, taking her by pleasant surprise and sending a wave of heat into her own pelvis. An alarm rang in her mind about how this was completely unprofessional, how they were breaching the boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship and it could potentially lead to trouble. She pulled away when she realized the alarm was her phone alarm. She blushed.

  “Trevor,” she whispered while silencing her phone. “I’ve never done anything like that with a patient before.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that, but I know what I’m feeling. I want you,” he said sweetly, brushing the brown hair from her face and tucking it behind her ears.

  Lena bit her bottom lip, noticing the bulge beneath the sheets growing as he admired her figure. She looke
d between him and the blinds of the window while debating what to do next. Here goes nothing, she thought while walking over to shut them. I hope this is real.

  “Computer, close the blinds,” she said, watching as the digital window obeyed her command.

  Turning, she began undoing the buttons of her blouse as Trevor removed his shirt, skin prickling with anticipation for her touch. In one swift motion, the sheets disappeared from the hospital bed and she was sitting up on top of his hot rod as he held her hips in place, fingers digging into her delicate skin.

  Lips collided and hands massaged over skin, giggling intermittently as the bed squeaked beneath their writhing bodies. Lena pressed her soft pears into his chest and ran her fingers through his hair as he pumped hard into her delicate flower garden. Electricity tingled between them, the stainless steel arm surprisingly warm to the touch. As Trevor embraced her body, he rolled his hips upwards in a frenzy, plowing deep to make room for his release. A low moan escaped her lips while she bounced and she hugged him harder, feeling the primal tug within her pelvis grow stronger.

  Both were grinding hard into the other, the lack of touch that each had felt over the past few months evident as they attempted to stifle their cries in the necks of the other. Trevor growled into the curve of her collarbone, nipping lightly at the pale skin presenting itself to him. While his lips devoured her skin, Lena leaned her head back in a joyous display of achievement, her hips rocking the bed away from the wall. He held her up as she rode him into a state of bliss, his cybernetic hand covering her mouth to stifle the cry of pleasure. Moments later, his face contorted as he erupted and filled her to the brim with his creamy release, shivering with delight underneath her beautiful form.

  The two collapsed against the sheets of the bed while still entangled, chuckling between fits of panting. Fingers found their way to his chin to trace his jaw. She whispered that they weren’t to tell a soul about their encounter.

  “I promise,” he whispered. “I like you too much to compromise your career.”

  “I’m glad. I’ll come back again later and we can cuddle for a bit,” she said while pecking his lips. “But now I have to clean up.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” he whispered.

  ***

  Over the next few days, Lena and Trevor formed an intense magnetism that would lead to her sneaking into his room late at night in order to cuddle him. Their bodies ached to repeat the steamy encounter from days before, but they knew they had to wait until Trevor had recovered fully from his surgery. The passionate sex had torn the skin around his shoulder and caused him a delay in healing, his cybernetic arm appearing undamaged by the incident. Feeling particularly well, Trevor decided to take a leisurely stroll down to the cafeteria where he found a man from his troop.

  The scruffy man before him was Mike, a long-time comrade who had been with him in three battles this year. Mike had been admitted for a head injury that the field medics worried would be fatal. After a few tests, it was determined to be nothing more than a concussion and he was celebrating by eating the greasiest thing in the cafeteria. A natural silence gathered between the two as they ate until Trevor asked how Mike was doing.

  “Better than a few days ago,” Mike replied. “I swear I was back home, but woke up here.”

  Trevor empathized with his response.

  “I’ve been here for a few weeks now. Check out my new gun,” Trevor said while raising his cybernetic arm.

  Mike dropped his food as he marveled at the sight, admiring the detailed design laid into the forearm of the addition.

  “That’s amazing, Trevor! Do you know how many guys are going to be jealous of this?” exclaimed Mike. “Everyone is going to be all over you, especially the ladies.”

  “Yeah, I think I already caught someone’s attention,” said Trevor while digging into his food. “But there’s a little problem.”

  “What’s that?” asked Mike between bites. “I mean, what could possibly be problematic about having a woman’s attention?”

  Trevor looked around and then leaned forward to whisper, explaining the situation with Lena. Intrigued, Mike asked about what he would do once he leaves the hospital.

  “I’m not sure,” Trevor responded. “Because I have feelings but I’m not sure where they’re going to lead.”

  “In our line of work, it’s better to be thankful and cherish what you have before it disappears forever,” said Mike.

  “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, th
eir 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.