by Imogene Nix
BioCybe
by
Imogene Nix
BioCybe
Copyright © 2015, Imogene Nix
ISBN: 9781940744797
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: May 2015
Editor: Leigh Lamb
Cover: Khloe Wren
eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Back Cover Copy
Can a cyber-enhanced warrior and a ship’s captain find love together?
Levia Endrado never wanted to be a warrior, but at seventeen she was deemed suitable for battle. After intense training and multiple enhancements, which gave her superior strength and healing ability, she was sent off to defeat the enemy—a killing machine with a mission.
When the war was over, she had to find a new life. At twenty-seven she’s a washed-up veteran without a future. Or she was, until she met Sandon Daria.
Serving as a pilot aboard Sandon’s spaceship the Golden Echo makes Levia long for a different and gentler life. But old hurts and even older enemies aren’t so easily forgotten. Particularly when they come back for her.
Sandon is determined to show Levia that she’s more than just a BioCybe...she’s the woman who completes him. Getting close is just the first step, keeping her alive is an even bigger challenge, but one he’s willing to take because the prize is their combined future.
Content Warning: This book contains a broken heroine, a sexy hero, and a happy ever after that’ll melt even the hardest heart.
Dedication
I’d like to dedicate this book to my husband, Mark. His strength and love have sustained me on the long journey to Authorhood.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the wonderful staff at Beachwalk Press, especially Pamela and Leigh. This book might have got lost if you hadn’t decided to take it on.
Thanks to my friends who believe in me as a writer.
I must particularly thank my readers, though. Without you, there’d be no one to read my stories.
Chapter 1
Levia scanned the long line of other hopefuls entering the testing chamber. The large building in the center of town was cold, and she dragged her wrap around her body, even as she craned her head, looking to the high ceiling. She’d never before had an occasion to enter the testing complex, yet she’d seen the lines of teenagers every time they passed the building.
Once she’d asked her parents why the teens were lined up and her mother’s face had shuttered. Her stepfather had just shaken his head and growled. They’d stopped her questions with a carefully uttered, “You’ll know soon enough, Levia.” The pain in her mother’s eyes had been enough to shush her questions. For endless months afterward, her parents had traveled different routes to the educational facility she attended and Levia lost interest in the puzzle of that building.
Now, as she looked around, remembering that long ago spring day, it was her opportunity to find out. But she felt a surge of concern at what lay ahead. She likely wasn’t the only one, given that there were probably two to three hundred seventeen-year-olds gathered in the one place. Ahead of her, she caught sight of a couple of girls, their arms linked together and wide smiles on their faces. Scanning the crowd, she became aware that, by far, a majority of those gathered displayed both fear and trepidation.
“All female subjects will enter through doors three, six, and seven. All male subjects will enter through gates four, eight, and ten.” The speaker above her was loud, and she jumped before checking the numbers etched on the black metal sign over her head.
The massive doors beside her swung open, and now an uncertain silence reigned. Many of the youngsters hung back, clearly discomforted by whatever testing regime lay ahead. This was where they’d been told their futures would be determined.
“Oh gosh, I hope they only have an aptitude and psych eval. I don’t think…” Levia turned to see the white face of the girl behind her. The girl had uttered what many must silently be thinking.
Levia dragged an unsteady breath in, her hand resting flat against the plane of her belly as she looked around. No one had entered yet. It was clear many were on the verge of taking the step, but still they hung back.
She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not afraid.” It was always wiser to approach things head-on, she believed. When her biological father had died, she’d been one of the few to view his capsule before it was sent into the massive gray structure built to accommodate those who’d moved onto the next life realm.
Her legs shook as she wobbled toward the entrance. Beyond the doorway, she spied sealed cubicles and her heart stuttered. Why cubicles? Usually testing—med and psych—were in eval-units, hidden only by billowing white curtains. She glanced back, noting that others had taken the first step.
“Move along, subjects.” Once again, the androgynous voice of the address system blared.
Of course, given it was her seventeenth anniversary of birth, she was technically considered an adult now.
She thought longingly of baby Rald and her half-sister, Elda, waiting at home for her to return, and the celebrations to be held that night. That made her smile. She would need to make them proud of her.
She entered a row and the tall Educational Specialist, the edu-specs as her peers laughingly called them, stopped her. “Present your credentials to the scanner.”
She’d done this many times since the tiny implant had been slipped below the dermal layer of her skin at birth. The small unit in her wrist heated as her details were checked.
“Enter the first cubicle, Levia Endrado, and follow the instructions to complete your assessment.”
Thus dismissed, Levia moved to the first unit, laid her palm against the scanner, and the door slid open soundlessly.
“Welcome, Levia Endrado. Take your place in the eval-unit.” The soft contralto of the voice echoed after the door closed silently behind her.
“What are you evaluating?” Her voice was breathy, and she peered around.
“Your skills—physical and psychological. Your emotional and medical status. Your educational attainment levels.”
It was an answer that shed little insight into the many things she was hungry to know.
“Why do all seventeen year olds—”
“Take a seat, Levia. Then we may begin your testing.”
If she’d expected an answer, she was sadly mistaken, she considered sourly. She dropped into the seat, the soft leather-like surface molding to her body.
“Levia Endrado, you are required to remove all non-specified apparel.”
She jolted in the chair. “It’s cold.”
“The temperature will be amended. Remove the non-specified apparel.”
Her misgivings grew as she dragged off the light wrap she’d brought with her, and then threw it to the floor at the side of the unit.
“We will begin, Levia Endrado. At any time, should you experience any malfunctions of the unit, simply depress the red button.” It glowed and she grimaced.
Levia reclined against the chair and waited for the testing to begin.
The first examination was based on her understanding of the political system, where she saw herself, and her knowledge of the rights and responsibilities accorded through citizenship of both her planet and the commonwealth.
The second test was mathematical and scientific proficiency. It felt like hours had passed by the time she’d finished, and she lay limp on the seat, exhausted.
“Can I leave?”
“Negative, Levia Endrado. Your needs will be catered for in this capsule.”
“Why?” Her voice hitched and true fear rose for the first time. Why did they keep her in the alcove?
“All will be revealed at the end of the testing cycle.”
Levia looked at the now empty screen before hurling a curse word. It was met with silence.
The urgent throb of her bladder reminded her that she needed to use the facilities, so, with a sigh, she rose and clambered from the seat. After attending to the needs of her body, she walked around the unit, peering at the door, but it was obviously programmed remotely. She poked and prodded, but it made no difference. With a huff, she headed back to the chair.
The moment she’d settled in, the viewing screen shone bright. “Welcome back, Levia. The next sequence will evaluate your psychological reflexes, then that will be followed up with the general knowledge portion of the evaluation.”
“When can I leave?” It seemed better to ask bluntly, she told herself.
“Once the examination is completed. After the next set of evaluations, you will be subjected to the physical aspect.”
“Then I can go home?”
“Levia Endrado, you will now complete the psychological test. This will be undertaken by one of the center’s personal evaluators.”
She frowned. Personal evaluators? She bit her lip, and the sting reminded her that this wasn’t something to joke about. In her seventeen years, she’d only heard of personal evaluators being brought in once before, and that was when one of the girls at her academy had been in a serious accident. Both legs were amputated and her body’s ability to keep her alive had been gravely compromised. Her peers had been informed that the girl had requested the assessment before she could request her support systems be disconnected.
“Levia Endrado, are you ready to recommence processing?” The emotionless voice echoed once more and she gulped.
“Yes.”
* * * *
Her pack weighed a million tons, and not for the first time, Levia wondered how in the universe she’d ended up there, in warrior training on the moon of Kefla III. Now, her back seemed to ache every day and every night, her hands had taken on the visage of a scourer, and her face had moved from tanned to berry brown.
She hated what had happened. As a girl, she’d always thought perhaps she’d become a shuttle pilot or perhaps a federated law enforcement officer. The status of warrior wasn’t one she’d ever attached to herself. It felt wrong. Awkward.
“Recruit Endrado, report for your assigned enhancement in medi-bay seven-one,” the loudspeaker blared, and for a moment, her heart stopped. Enhancement.
That was code for cyborg implantation. Levia knew exactly what that meant. The knowledge was in the eyes of everyone around her. She pondered the fact that nobody was game to say it.
The sea of blank faces met her wary look, and without a word, she turned away from the others waiting for the latrine. Was this meant to be the first of many ‘routine medical interventions’ that were planned for her? The flip-flopping of her stomach betrayed the nerves jittering inside her belly.
Actually, if she were honest, she was scared witless, just as she had been since she’d left her evaluation cubicle on her home planet of Cordero. She’d been met at the door by Sergeant Devra Hollise and escorted immediately to the shuttle pad outside the city. There hadn’t even been time to alert her family.
From there, her life had changed radically. From student to warrior-in-training had taken just one day to effect. Her life could never be the same again. Now there she was, being drilled on every kind of weapon, her body being reshaped through endless training sessions, and undertaking linguistic and tactical lessons. None of these had been even remotely on her radar. She’d been disinterested in military matters, until her evaluation.
“I don’t want to do this.” Levia couldn’t guess how she could have been considered suited to this kind of life. She stopped in the middle of the concourse and scoured the horizon below the enviro-dome. The darkness reminded her of the despair that welled in the depths of the night. “I want to go home.” She shivered, knowing it wouldn’t be allowed. They’d explained in brutal detail what would happen if she even so much as attempted it.
“Recruit Endrado, report immediately to the medi-bay for enhancements.”
For a brief instant, she considered refusing, telling them in no uncertain terms exactly what she wanted. Then reality intruded. Saying no in her mind was a heck of a lot easier than saying it in what had become her reality.
She trudged slowly in the direction of the medi-bays, arriving just as a group of military police left the building. Their eyes scanned the dark gray overalls of the recruits. For a moment, a ripple of vertigo filtered through her. She could say no and it would all be over and done with…
She shook away the destructive thoughts, as one final thought bloomed. Are they looking for me?
“Ah, recruit, just the person we needed to see.” The hard-faced man took her arm and gently, yet firmly, propelled her to the door emblazoned with the numerals seven-one.
“Present your credentials,” the usual androgynous voice demanded, and without thinking, she slipped her wrist into the reader slot. “Enter, recruit.”
The door slid open and she stepped within, stopping as her eyes adjusted to the bright light before she glanced over the stark white room that extended several meters. At the far end, she saw a plas-glass barrier, and beyond that, the tiles were pristine. The room smelled of disinfectant. The astringent scent made her nose itch.
Even as she turned, the door shut. “Remove your clothing and stand by for cleansing.”
Levia gasped. “I… Why?”
“Preparation for enhancement requires that all recruits enter the zone fully cleansed.”
Gulping deeply, Levia’s hands moved to the clips that held her clothing in place. Piece by piece, it dropped to the floor, until she was fully nude. She wrapped her hands around herself.
“I hate this.”
“Recruit, your answer is not one of the programmed acceptable responses. My programming indicated that enhancements are a requirement of warrior service.”
A small, white cabinet she hadn’t noticed before clicked open, and within was a tiny, white robe.
“You are required to don this robe then proceed to the enhancement zone beyond.”
The barrier opened as she tugged the soft material over herself. Several medi-techs, gowned and masked, entered the area and waved her forward.
“On the bed, recruit.” The medi-tech gestured to the bed under surgical lighting.
Realizing there was no future in fighting them, she climbed onto the treatment bed. A hypo-spray was administered and a gray fog descended.
* * * *
As Levia’s eyes opened, she could see muted green lights glowing on the walls. Her body ached and her face, in particular, burned like a million suns had shone on it.
“Recruit Seven-One-Four, stay still and don’t try to talk. Your enhancements are not yet fully seated in your dermis. That will take another day or two.”
She blinked and her stomach growled with hunger, as it had regularly done since her recruitment. Seven-One-Four? Who was that?
“Sustenance will be intravenously provided in a matter of moments. You must be patient until we’re sure your body has accepted the syntha-derm on your arms and legs and that your vital organs are working optimally.”
Her stomach curdled at the words. Syntha-derm? Arms and legs?
“What have you done to me?” Her mouth barely opened, and what little she could manage sent tendrils of pain shooting under the skin. Tears pricked her eyes, but as they spilled over the skin of her face burned hotter.
“That information is not yet cleared for dissemination, Seven-One-Four.”
She stared at the ceiling, the halogen lights warm and bright. It irritated her eyes for a moment before understanding set in. They’d enhanced her somehow. “Who... Who is Seven-One-Four?”
She lifted her hand, or tried to, but it was weighed down. Panic set in, big boulders of worry obstructing her ability to inhale oxygen. She gulped and gasped, coughing, and expected to expire at any second from asphyxiation.
“Recruit Seven-One-Four is your new designation. Henceforth, you will be known by this. You were the fourth recruit to use bay seven-one. Now I’m concerned, your respiration and breathing patterns indicate difficulties. Do you require medical intervention?”
The words, so carefully modulated, broke through the hysteria that threatened to engulf her. “Intervention?” She struggled, hardly capable of movement, yet she shoved and twisted. Each movement agony, as if broken glass etched itself along her body. “I don’t want your bloody enhancements and—”
A beeping sounded, racing faster as her heart worked overtime. The sound of a door opening with a whoosh filled the air.
“Attention. Medical assistance is required in unit seven-one. Assistance is required in unit seven-one. Code yellow.”
A touch of cold stung the side of her neck and the gray cloud settled once more, filling her mind until all that was left was the twilight state of the drug-induced oblivion.
* * * *
Levia’s mind scrambled for something to sum up what she saw in the polished mirror. She ran her fingers over the cyber-enhanced syntha-derm, pain spreading through her. The green glyphs glowed as she watched with dawning horror.
“My face… My face is ruined.” She choked on the words, knowing that now it was too late. Gone was the face she’d known for seventeen years, leaving her with the impression of a… She was a BioCybe.
Even the long curls that had been her pride were gone, and instead shaved patches remained along with some wispy tufts. It was all they’d left her.