by Susan Hayes
“Do you think she’ll stay there long?” Mack asked.
“I don’t know. If we contact Alyson, she’s going to know we followed Lieksa here. I don’t see that going over well, do you?”
Mack snorted. “Not likely, which means either we sit out here like a pair of creepy stalkers, or we admit that we can’t protect her every second of the day and night and leave. I don’t like either option.”
“Neither do I.”
They stood in silence for a minute, then Mack elbowed him and pointed. “Is that who I think it is?”
Dash chuckled as he spotted Blade leaning against an alley wall. The big cyborg was almost completely cloaked in shadow. To a normal human he’d be invisible, but cybernetic implants granted most of their kind the ability to see in almost total darkness. “Their guard duty ended when Len was released. What do you think he’s doing?”
“The same thing we are. Apparently, we’re not the only overprotective ones on the station.” Mack folded his arms over his chest and lapsed into a thoughtful silence.
“You think he’d look out for Lieksa tonight, too? That way we could give her the space she needs and still know she’s safe.”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Shall we ask him?”
They joined Blade in the alley, and Dash listened in as Mack briefly explained the situation. Blade agreed immediately. He also revealed the reason he and his brothers were watching over Alyson. While they were guarding Len, a couple of corporate bureaucrats had come to see the doctor. After they had left, Alyson had looked shaken and extremely pissed. The brothers decided to keep an eye on her, just in case.
They thanked Blade and left. Once they were alone again, Mack grunted in frustration and smacked a fist into his open palm. “I miss the old days. You know, when the worst thing we had to deal with was the citizens of the Drift trying to beat each other senseless every night. Now we’ve got pharma cartels flooding the place with their poison, a traitor in the ranks, and corporate conspiracies.”
“Behold civilization,” Dash joked, gesturing around them. The Drift was still a wild, rough place, but Mack was right. It was slowly changing. The war they were fighting today would determine what this place would be in the future.
“I don’t know about you, but I could do with a little less civilization right now.”
“Then I guess we’re going to Nova to have a drink.”
Mack nodded. “And if we’re lucky, our happily-married brethren will have a few suggestions for us—once they stop laughing.”
“As I recall, we laughed at them. Hell, I seem to recall you observing that you’d give love a miss, based on the way it made Kit and Luke act the day they proposed.”
“That would be the same day you called them both love-struck and goofy looking,” Mack reminded him.
“Fraxx, they’re really going to enjoy this, aren’t they?”
“Uh huh.” Mack clapped him on the shoulder. “Might as well get it over with. This is not at all the way I wanted this evening to go. How did we go from having a romantic dinner at home with Lieksa to this?”
“We both know the answer to that. We screwed up. Now, let’s go get that drink.” There wasn’t any point in talking about how they had gotten here. All that mattered was what they were going to do next.
* * * *
“I still think you should have thumped them both a good one before leaving. Maybe it would’ve knocked some sense into their thick skulls,” Cynder declared over their second round of drinks.
Lieksa laughed at the cyborg woman’s suggestion. “If I had your strength, then maybe it would have worked. Since I’m an unenhanced, ordinary human, I don’t think it would have done anything.”
“Might have made you feel better. If you ever want to learn a few moves, let me know. I’d be happy to teach you.” Cynder grinned and raised her glass. “We ladies have to look out for each other, right?”
“Right!” Zura agreed, her voice carrying far enough to make several of the other patrons of the VIP section glance their way.
The Nova Club was an interesting place. Part night club, part gambling den, it seemed to have something for everyone, including a fully caged fighting ring with spectator seating. Tonight wasn’t a scheduled fight night, but it was still a crowded, bustling place. Zura had met them at the door and escorted them straight to the VIP section, where the music was quieter, and they were away from the press of the crowd.
The view from their table was breathtaking. Nova was located on the outer curve of the station, which meant it had viewports that let the inhabitants look out into space. Stars were scattered across the ink-black sky like diamonds, millions of them, forming a sea of cold light as far as she could see. It was beautiful.
After a lifetime of living inside protective walls, Lieksa rarely thought about what existed outside. This view, like Alyson’s projected window, was a reminder that there was more to life than the small world she had created for herself. It was safe and stable inside her little bubble, but it also lacked a few things; like music, friends, laughter…and love.
Alyson gave her a soft nudge. “You okay?”
“Yeah. At least, I will be.” She turned her attention to Zura. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Zura’s silver eyes widened, and a small smile played across her lips. “You want to know how I deal with being married to a couple of cybernetic former soldiers?”
“Well, yes. I mean, Cynder’s cyborg, too, so I imagine it’s a little easier, but how do you both manage?”
Cynder laughed and gestured to Zura. “I can’t wait to hear this. Spill, Little Blue, how do you manage my big, bossy, batch brothers?”
Zura’s blue-striped complexion darkened several shades. “There are times when I like them bossy.”
“If this just turned into a sex talk, I’m going to need another drink first. Those are my brothers you’re married to,” Cynder said.
“It’s not the bedroom that’s the problem,” Lieksa clarified, blushing, too. “It’s that they don’t seem to be able to stop working. They keep secrets, and Dash has a bad habit of listening in on private conversations. They were eavesdropping the day you asked me to do that favor for you, Alyson. They haven’t been intel-gathering assets since the war ended, but they’re still acting that way.”
All three women were silent for a little while, but eventually, Cynder spoke. “I never knew what they did during the wars. They don’t talk about it much. None of us do. You know better than most what it was like for us back then. We all cope with it in our own way. Kit, Luke, and I focused on building this club. Your guys came straight here after they were freed and gave themselves a new mission, to make the Drift a safe place to live.”
It made sense, but it wasn’t the information Lieksa needed. “I understand needing a mission, a sense of purpose. What I can’t make them see is that I have mine, too. They don’t want me trying to dig up that information you asked me to find, Alyson. They said it’s too dangerous. They’re out there every day, risking their lives, but they won’t let me make the same choice. I want to help. I need to help. I have a lot to make up for, why can’t they understand that?”
“What do you think you have to make up for?” Alyson asked, her voice so soft Lieksa could barely hear her over the beat of the music.
“I told you I was a tech for Nobar Tech. It was my job to repair the cyborgs. I patched them up and sent them back into battle. Sometimes we did experimental upgrades. Like what I did to Dash and Mack.” Guilt hit her, tearing into her soul with jagged claws. “I thought I was repairing machines. I didn’t know. I sent so many of them back into battle to be hurt again, or killed.”
“And when you found out the truth?” Alyson coaxed her.
“I stopped. I protected Dash and Mack as best I could, and I walked away. It wasn’t enough, though. It won’t ever be enough. How many cyborgs died because of me? How much suffering did I cause?”
“Re’veth.” Cynder set down her
glass with a thunk that shook the table. “You didn’t kill any of us. You were there to put us back together again, and you did your job. That doesn’t make you a killer. You saved Dash’s life. You should take credit for saving all our lives. You knew what we were before anyone else did. You knew, and you didn’t say a word. You protected us.”
“She testified, too. She was one of the ones who made sure the galaxy knew the truth,” Alyson said.
Lieksa’s head snapped up and she stared at Alyson in shock. “How could you know anything about it? No one knows. If they did, I’d never work for any corporation again.”
Alyson winked. “It was an educated guess. When I started treating the cyborgs on the station, I did a lot of research. What you told me about your situation seemed familiar, so I went back and looked at the testimonies. They were all anonymous, but I found one that I thought might be yours. Now I know it was.”
“You can’t say anything. None of you can. If anyone found out, I’d lose my job, and it would be hard to find another one out here where the corporations run everything.”
“They don’t run the medical center. I’m not affiliated with any of them, I just lease space.” Alyson leaned forward and steepled her hands on the table in front of her. “Come work for me. You’re wasting your talent at Astek. Any tech can repair a droid.”
The offer surprised her, but there was no way she could agree to it. “I don’t work on living systems anymore.”
“You worked on Dash,” Zura pointed out.
“If I hadn’t, he’d have died.”
“That’s why I want you to come to the medical center. Dash isn’t the only cyborg on the Drift. Far from it. While I can heal physical injuries, I don’t know enough about cybernetic implants to help them if they get damaged.”
“And what will I do the rest of the time? I’m not a doctor, Alyson. I’m not qualified to work on regular people.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. If your training was as extensive as I think it was, then you should be able to get certified as a medic without much trouble or training time. I can teach you what you need to know, and in exchange, you can teach me more about cyborgs. Someone needs to take care of them.”
Cynder nodded. “We go to Alyson because we trust her. Most of us don’t trust the corporations. How can we? They’ve never had our best interests at heart.”
“Why would they think I was any different? I worked for the corporations then, and I work for another one, now.”
“Well, for one thing, you’re dating two cyborgs. That certainly puts you in the pro-cyborg camp,” Zura said.
“I don’t know what we are right now.” And wasn’t that the truth.
Cynder snickered. “Trust me, you’re dating. Cyborg men are too stubborn to give up that easily. They’re probably off somewhere coming up with an apology plan. My guys had to chase me across the damned Drift when I walked out on them. In comparison, your guys have it easy.”
“Your guys also had a little help from your brothers and me,” Zura reminded her sister-in-law with a grin.
Alyson shook her head. “This is why I don’t date. I can’t find time in my life for one stubborn, difficult man. I have no idea how you all manage with two each.”
“It takes patience, communication—“ Zura started speaking, but Cynder cut her off.
“And a lot of hot sex. The sex is key.”
“Especially the make-up sex,” Zura agreed and drained her glass. “Next round is on me.”
Zura left the table to put in their order, her small form quickly getting lost in the sea of patrons.
“You don’t have to make up your mind tonight, Lieksa. Take your time and think about it. I would love it if you came to work at the medical center, but only if it’s the right fit for you.”
“I appreciate the offer, and I will think about it. After I left Nobar, I swore I wouldn’t work on living systems anymore, but this would be different. I’d be helping, not hurting.”
“Exactly.” Alyson looking pleased.
Cynder raised her glass, then stopped. Her expression cooled slightly as she spotted someone or something she didn’t like. “I thought he was supposed to be home, recovering.”
Alyson glanced up, then sighed. “Why am I not surprised? She gestured for someone to join them, and a moment later, Len appeared at their table, looking slightly abashed.
“This is not what I meant by taking some time to relax, Officer Daniels.”
He grinned and shrugged. “Yeah, well, I was bored out of my mind and needed to stretch my legs. My favorite visitor stopped dropping by once you cut me loose.” He turned to wink at Lieksa. “I’ve missed your smile since I got out of medical.”
If things had been different, she would have blushed at the way Len was flirting. He was cute, in a boyish way, with an warm smile and friendly manner that made it easy to like him. It didn’t matter, though. He wasn’t Mack or Dash, and that meant she wasn’t interested.
“It’s nice to see you up and around, even if you probably shouldn’t be, yet. Dr. Jefferies is right, you should be at home, recovering.”
“Just came to say hi to a few friends and test my luck at the tables. I managed to survive being shot and avoid getting blown up recently. If my luck holds maybe I can win enough to retire and spend the rest of my days in the lap of luxury.”
Cyn snorted. “Luck never holds for long, especially not on the gaming floor.”
Len ignored Cynder and leaned in closer to Lieksa. “Speaking of luck, how’s Dash doing? You had any luck restoring his memories? I sure would like to know how those bastards got the drop on us. One minute we were good, and the next I’m on the ground wondering what the fraxx happened.”
“I’m close to a fix. At least, I think I am. I should know by tomorrow if it’s going to work.” The idea had come to her that morning. The data-mining device she had installed to download information from Astek’s systems might be able to pull Dash’s missing memories. They should still be encoded somewhere in his processors, it was accessing them that was proving to be a problem. The black-market tech might be the workaround she had been looking for. She had planned on telling them about her idea tonight, but then everything went sideways.
“That’s great to hear,” Len said.
“With everything that’s going on, I know how important it is to recover that data. Speaking of which, are you sure it’s safe for you to be out alone? You were targeted once already,” she pointed out.
He opened his arms wide and shrugged. “I’m not going to go into hiding. If those cartel bastards want me, they’ll find me no matter what. I might as well enjoy myself in the meantime.”
“I’m not sure that’s the smart play, but I’m not the one with a target on my back.” Cynder rose and went to meet Zura, who was on her way back to their table with a tray full of drinks.
“Like I always say, it’s better to be lucky than good. Speaking of which, the tables are calling my name. Good evening, ladies.” He made an odd gesture with one hand and turned to leave, his other hand brushing across her shoulder as he moved away.
“I don’t normally say this about our customers, but that one needs to find a new hobby. For all his talk about luck, he loses far more than he wins,” Cynder said as she reappeared with Zura right behind her.
“Len gambles? Lieksa asked, surprised. Then again, she didn’t know him very well, and when she thought about it, he’d talked her into playing cards with her every time she visited.
“Every chance he gets. For most people, the gaming tables are entertainment, but not him. Luck is his religion, and this place is his temple.” Cynder reclaimed her seat and claimed one of the drinks from the tray. “I was about to make a toast before we were interrupted, and since I believe we’re about to be interrupted again, I’ll make this quick. “To friends, old and new. We need to get together like this more often.”
She tipped back her head and drank, leaving Lieksa to wonder what the next interruption would b
e. She looked around, but the light was too dim for her to see anything at first. It took a moment for her to spot Mack and Dash on the far side of the room, looking her way.
“They followed me here? Who do they think they are?” she muttered.
“I asked them for space, and they can’t even give me that!” Without another word Lieksa downed the contents of her glass and left the table, doing her best to ignore the burn in her throat and the slight weave in her walk as she stomped through the crowd. It was time she set them straight on a few things.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Fraxx, she’s not happy to see us.” Mack swore as Lieksa left the table and came straight for them, her lovely features marred by an angry frown.
“Which isn’t surprising, considering she told us to give her some space.” Dash turned to Kit. “You’re going to vouch for the fact we didn’t know she was here, right?”
The big cyborg rolled his eyes. “If you two hadn’t made a habit of spying on her, this wouldn’t be a problem.”
“One time is not a habit!” Mack protested.
“Is that a note of panic I hear in your voice, Mack?” Luke asked with a snicker. “She’s really got you two tied up in knots. That’s a good sign. It means she might really be the one.”
Mack glanced over at his friend and grunted in irritation. “Of course she’s the one. It’s always been her. Now, are you two going to stand there and laugh, or help us make this right?”
Kit and Luke stopped laughing. “We’ll help. But all you really need to do is repeat what you just said. It worked for Jaeger and Toro, it’ll work for you two idiots.”
“Did it work for you?” Dash asked.
“We never screwed up this badly. Apparently, we’re the smart ones,” Luke said.
“Smart, but slow. As I recall, it took you guys months to even ask Zura out.”
“I’d argue with you, but I think someone else wants that honor,” Kit stepped back and leaned against the bar, leaving room for Lieksa, who marched straight up to Mack and jabbed her finger into his chest.