Dash

by Kelsey Nicole Price

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  *Reaper*

  “Do it, Dax.”

  The needle pierced Iris’s skin, sliding in without hesitation, the silver colored substance rapidly flowed into her vein. The vial drained quickly until depleted.

  Dax gently pulled the needle from Iris’s skin. “Now we wait.”

  One second.

  Two seconds.

  Three seconds.

  On the fourth second, Iris’s body went rigid, her entire frame seized as pain twisted her features.

  My mouth fell, horrified at the sight. “What have I done?” I made the choice, whatever remaining time she could have spent with Dash I had stolen from her as the monitors flat-lined, her heart ceased to beat.

  I had killed her.

  I had killed my only friend.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  *Iris*

  Dash’s hand wrapped in mine, the warm water lapped at our skin as we kissed and explored each other like it was our first time.

  Like it was our last time.

  Our lip fastened together when my body exploded, white-hot pain seared through every nerve as I seized within Dash’s grasp.

  “IRIS!” Dash screamed my name, the sound pinging through my brain like rapid fire.

  Was this it?

  Was I dying?

  Was this my last moment of life? Why the fuck did it hurt so bad?

  I thought dying would be easier. Then again, I’ve never died before so maybe you did go out like they had torn every molecule in your body apart.

  I gasped for air, my hands clutched Dash’s body like a lifeline. Only his strength kept me upright, my fingertips dug into his arms as another wave struck. It was even more painful than the first.

  Blackness teased the outskirts of my vision, and I struggled to fight the urge to give in and let it take me.

  When wave-three struck, I could no longer fight it, my brain overloaded with pain unable to hold on.

  “I love you, Dash,” I whispered as everything went dark.

  *Dash*

  Iris’s body went limp in my arms. Cradling her close I whispered how much I loved her and that I would be right behind her. That I would find her wherever she had gone.

  I knew the moment Iris’s heart stopped, the link between us snapped as the world around me went black. I’m coming my Iris.

  Wait for me.

  Chapter Forty

  *Dash*

  “Wake up, Blueberry”.

  I heard Iris’s voice calling me from the dark. I knew I would find her. I smiled, when I opened my eyes I only saw the bright lights of the lab.

  This isn’t right. I’m not supposed to be here. Where is Iris?

  Something went wrong, my mind informed me with cool calculation.

  No. This can’t be happening, I screamed at my processors as they fired away in perfect waves. Panic struck. I jumped from the table like it was on fire, my eyes wild as I searched for something, anything to fix this.

  A warm set of chocolate brown eyes met mine.

  “It’s okay, Blueberry. Just try to breathe and relax, okay?”

  My breathing came out in short pants. “Iris? Is that really you?” I tried making my feet move but they remained firmly rooted to the floor. “Are we in heaven?”

  “Does this look like heaven, you blue bag of circuits?” a voice called out from behind me.

  Iris laughed; the lilting sound filled the room and cut through my panic.

  Behind Iris, I saw Reaper and Dax. Reaper’s eyes were rather bright and shiny. Had the gray cyborg been crying?

  Dax was ringing his hands, bouncing from foot to foot, his gaze shifted between me and Iris.

  What the fuck had happened?

  If Dax and Reaper were here, this was not heaven. At least not my version. Either my mind had cracked like some crazy human or this was real.

  Iris was real.

  And alive.

  I let out a whoop before racing towards Iris, scooping her into my arms. Her arms snaked around my neck, her warm body sunk into mine.

  *Iris*

  “This can’t be possible. How is this possible? We should be dead,” her voice came out breathless in my ear.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know,” I answered.

  “Um about that...” Dax stammered.

  Iris and I swung our heads toward the green cyborg, a guilty expression etched on his emerald face.

  “Don’t blame him,” Reaper chimed in. The gray cyborg took a few steps forward to stand in front of Dax. Reaper’s body went stiff; his arms locked behind his back as he looked at us with worried, blue eyes. “I made the choice. All the blame rests on me.”

  “What choice?” I growled.

  “Before I tell you, may I ask you to keep in mind that it worked? Neither one of you would be standing here if I hadn’t done what I did.”

  “Reaper, what did you do?” Iris’s soft voice asked from my arms. I refused to put her down, I was still struggling to believe that this was real.

  Reaper met Iris’s gaze, clearing his throat. “Dax came to me and told me he had a way to maybe save you. He created a formula that would convert a human’s body, using Nano cells and biomechanics, into a self-healing and anti-aging organism. It would give the human our best traits, the ability to exist indefinitely and to heal from most injuries. There was only one problem. Dax hadn’t tested it yet. He didn’t know what it would do if we gave it to you, but it was either try it or watch you die, watch you both die. I couldn’t let that happen, not when there was a chance the both of you could be saved.”

  “The pain,” Iris whispered. “Do you know how bad that fucking hurt, Great White?” Iris’s voice rose, her eyes pinned Reaper to the spot.

  “I’m sorry Iris. I didn’t know. I watched your body thrash, saw your face turn pale and heard your heart stop. I thought I had killed you. I thought I had robbed Dash of his time with you.” His blue eyes stayed on Iris. “Ask me if I’d do it again and the answer would be yes. You’re here. You’re alive. You won’t age, and your body will heal quickly when injured. You and Dash get your forever. For that reason alone, I would do it again in a cyborg second.” Reaper lifted his chin, his eyes filled with determination.

  Part of me wanted to rip the gray head from his neck, the other part wanted to hug the fucking hunk of circuits. I figured he would prefer the decapitation.

  A finger tapped my shoulder. “Can you put me down, Dash, please?” I hesitated before setting Iris on her feet. Now, mere inches from Reaper, the gray cyborg opened his mouth but Iris cut him off.

  “Don’t Reaper. There is only one thing left to say. That is...thank you.” the words had barely left Iris’s mouth before she threw her arms around Reaper pulling him in for a hug.

  His blue eyes went wide, his mouth fell open in shock. His arms hung loosely by his sides before he lifted them up to hug Iris back, patting her a few times on the back. “Thank you, Great White. Thank you for everything.”

  “You are welcome, Iris,” Reaper said softly.

  A loud pounding on the lab door interrupted the moment, causing all of us to turn to see who was trying to get in the lab.

  Dr. Shaw’s silhouette stood outside the door, the look on her face told me that shit was about to hit the fan. I assumed Reaper and Dax hadn’t bothered to inform her of their plan.

  Dax let out a groan. “Oh shit. We are so screwed. I mean fucked. Is it screwed or fucked?” Dax’s brow creased. “It does not matter. Before I’m disassembled can I have a hug too Iris?”

  My brow furrowed. Hugging Reaper was enough. I didn’t want my Iris’s arms around any other cyborg but me.

  Iris, of course, didn’t share the feeling and rushed to toss her arms around Dax’s neck. “Thank you, Kiwi. That big beautiful brain of yours saved our lives.”

  Dax threw himself into the hug, collecting Iris up in his green arms. If cyborgs could purr I was sure he would be doing it. He grinned stupidly like a puppy whose best friend had re
turned home.

  I gritted my teeth, tolerating the hug. I couldn’t begrudge the green borg his moment of happiness.

  I looked at Reaper. “Are we going let her in or just let her keep banging on the door?”

  Another blow struck the door, the force caused the metal to indent and leave a small, convex fist-print on our side of the door.

  “Fuck! I forgot how strong she is. I don’t think we have a choice; she’s getting in one way or another.”

  In two strides, I reached the door, punched in the code, and released the lock. The door popped open.

  Dr. Shaw stormed in like a hurricane, her brown hair flying in every direction as she made a beeline for Reaper.

  Drawing her finger back she poked Reaper in the chest. “How dare you lock me out of MY LAB! You just keep pushing, don’t you? Always ready to roll over anybody and anything to get things your way.” she paused and sighed. “It’s my own damn fault.” She shook her head, dropping her finger. “I made the military units so stubborn and bossy. I...” Dr. Shaw’s words faded off as she caught sight of Iris. She has focused so strongly on lecturing Reaper that she had failed to notice her.

  “This isn’t possible,” she whispered. “You were dying. How?” Dr. Shaw tugged Iris into a hug as tears shimmered in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and stepped back to look Iris over, checking to make sure she was truly okay.

  Then, Dr. Shaw crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes shot to the now shuffling cyborg behind Iris. “Dax. I’m pretty sure you have some explaining to do, but for the moment, I don’t care. I’m just so happy to have my family whole again. I’ve lost so many. I didn’t know how I would survive losing two more.”

  Dax flashed an awkward smile and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. He looked like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but knew in the end, it was worth it.

  “Now that my impending death is over, I want to see Aria,” Iris’s voice broke through the remaining bits of tension.

  Reaper snapped to attention. “Of course. I’ll take you to her, but I should warn you first. Aria has refused to talk about what happened to her. The news of your condition caused her to retreat further. She may not be the same girl you remember,” Reaper’s voice grew soft, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides.

  Reaper had gone to visit Aria every single day while I kept vigil by Iris’s side. Every time he returned, he looked a little more haunted. He tried hiding it, but I knew. I knew because my eyes reflected the same thing. Watching Iris and not being able to help her had been a pain worse than anything The Global Allegiance had ever inflicted on me.

  Iris’s eyes glossed over with fresh tears. Rushing to her side I wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her close.

  Iris relaxed a little within my hold. Her shoulders straightening as she blew out a breath. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  *Iris*

  Standing outside Aria’s door, my fingers clutched Dash’s as I tried stopping tears from falling.

  God, how much can a person cry? Like a faucet set on high. Every time I thought the waterworks had stopped, they started right up again.

  Get it together Iris, my brain chastised. Aria didn’t need to see me falling apart.

  I squeezed Dash’s hand quickly then let it go. “I think I need to do this on my own, Blueberry.”

  He nodded solemnly. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

  I reached up to plant a kiss on his blue cheek. “Thank you.”

  With one deep, cleansing breath, I reached up to knock softly on the door.

  “Aria it’s me, Iris. Can I come in?”

  The sound of shuffling feet echoed behind the door before someone yanked it open. “Iris, is that really you? Oh my god! They told me you were dying!” Her wide blue eyes took in every inch of me like she really couldn’t believe I was standing in front of her. “This is real, right? I’ve been seeing things. I’m never quite sure if they are real or just...” Aria stopped talking. She blinked once before she shook her head and seemed to drift off.

  I didn’t think. I tossed my arms around her neck and pulled her in close, hugging the shit out of her, refusing to let go. “It’s me. I’m real I promise. I’m here. I’m so sorry Aria.”

  Aria’s body stiffened then she hugged me in return. I tightened my hold, so grateful to have my friend back and safe. She pulled back to stare at me with shining eyes.

  “I won’t talk about it so don’t ask,” Aria’s usually sweet voice now held a darker edge. Her lips pressed tight as she fought the tears threatening to break.

  “Okay. Whatever you want, okay? I won’t ask.”

  Relief passed over her features as I went in for another hug.

  “Miss Aria, please come back inside,” a small voice softly said behind Aria’s back. A flash of gray tugged on her pant leg.

  My arms halted, falling to my sides, and stared at where I had just seen the hint of gray.

  A set of tiny fingers curled around the dark fabric of Aria’s pants, tugging them for the second time.

  Reaching down, she gently pulled the fingers free and leaned over to scoop up a small, gray child. His bright eyes darted from her face to mine.

  He looked exactly like a miniature replica of Reaper. I willed the shock off my face as Aria smiled at me before turning to the little boy strapped to her hip.

  “This is my friend, Iris. She is one of the good humans. I promise.”

  The little boy’s eyebrows furrowed, a small crease appeared on his smooth gray skin. “Wasn’t she going to die? That made you sad. It caused you to spill fluid from your eyes.” Cocking his bald head, he studied me briefly before narrowing his bright blue eyes. “You made Miss. Aria cry. Don’t ever do that again.” He crossed his little arms over his chest, glaring at me.

  Holy shit he was a mini Reaper. I think my cyborg would have mentioned if Reaper had knocked up my best friend. But it wasn’t possible. People created cyborgs. They were not born!

  Where the fuck was Dr. Shaw? Or Dax? If they had created some super cyborg sperm to knock up human females and used my best friend as test subject, I was going to lose my shit.

  But first on my list...Reaper. That gray son of a bitch. Crush? I think Blueberry got that wrong. He was my best friends baby daddy!

  I held up one finger, “Give me a minute okay?” my jaw clenched.

  Aria and mini Reaper both frowned at the exact same time.

  I stepped away from the door, swinging my head to Reaper. My fists curled. “REAPER YOU GRAY SON OF A BITCH! YOU FAILED TO MENTION YOU KNOCKED UP MY BEST FRIEND! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU! A GRAY CYBORG’S HEAD IS GOING TO ROLL!”

  Reaper went pale as fuck, which is hard to do when you’re gray to start with. His hands shot up in surrender as I advanced.

  “I did not have relations with your friend. I swear on my honor as the leader of the cyborgs.”

  I whipped a finger at Reaper 2.0. “Explain him, then. I almost die and you’re making babies with my best friend? By the way, where the fuck is Dr. Shaw and that green-skinned son of a bitch, Dax? Cause I know cyborgs didn’t magically start making babies without those two having a hand in it!”

  “May I ask to go find them?” Reaper asked as he tried slinking down the wall.

  Oh, he was dead! Cyborgs had balls, I knew from personal experience. I was going to knee Reaper right in them.

  I brought my knee up, Reapers hands shot down to cover the goods. He might have forgotten he was a cyborg at that moment. Threaten a man’s balls and his brain turns to mush.

  “Iris, wait!” Aria shouted. “Theo cover your ears.” The little cyborg slapped his small hands over his ears. “I did not, I repeat I did not have sex with Reaper! Theo is not his son!”

  My knee was half a second away from Reaper’s balls. “Wait! What?” I dropped my knee.

  Reaper exhaled. “That was close.”

  I swung back around to Aria. “But he’s a...”r />
  “Cyborg,” Aria finished.

  “I am her cyborg.” the little one chimed in before pointing at Reaper. “You dared to think that one was my father? Yuck! No one would want him for a daddy.”

  I glanced back at Reaper. For a second, pain flashed over his features then his face went blank.

  Shit. I might have gotten ahead of myself.

  Aria switched Theo to her other hip. “He was in the lab. I found him.”

  Theo patted Aria’s cheek. “We found each other.”

  Aria smiled briefly before it vanished, her eyes growing haunted. “He...they were...”

  I held up a hand. “You don’t have to tell me.” Just what the hell had that bitch Dr. Rosenfield been doing at that lab of hers?

  I took Aria’s hand, giving it a squeeze. Then I turned my attention to the boy in her arms. “It’s Theo, right? Did Aria tell you that she is one of my very best friends?”

  Theo nodded.

  “Well, Aria’s cyborg, Theo, I would really love to be your friend too. I’m very sorry for making Aria cry. If I promise to never do it again do you think you might want to try and be friends?”

  He took another look at me before offering a smile. “I think that is acceptable. I would like more friends. Just know this is a trial. Do anything to hurt me or Miss Aria and our friendship will be terminated.”

  I busted out a laugh. He may be small but he was all cyborg. I could almost see his processors spinning.

  I put out my hand. “Agreed.”

  He placed his small fingers on mine, taking my offered hand and giving it a shake. He then dropped his head onto Aria’s shoulder. “Can we go back inside now? Making friends is exhausting.”

  Aria smiled. “Sure thing, honey. Come back later, Iris, and we’ll chat okay?”

  I nodded, giving Aria’s hand another squeeze. “Okay.”

  Aria carried Theo in her arms back into the room, Theo gave a little wave in my direction and I waved back. The door closed behind them and a small voice said, “I covered my ears but I still heard you, Miss. Aria. Cyborg ears, remember? What is sex?”