by Kit Tunstall
Carrie still had her doubts that she was supposed to leave the room, but she wasn’t going to cower in this cell when she had an opportunity to flee. Or at least escape for a few minutes. She hadn’t yet decided if fleeing was wise, should the opening arise. From what DVS had told her, she wouldn’t be safe with the cyborgs, but was she any safer without them unless she could find the humans?
She studiously ignored the small pang in her chest at the idea of being separated from DVS. That was a ridiculous reaction, and she was certain she wouldn’t have even had the briefest thought about him if Freydon Rote hadn’t put it in her head that he was her mate. Utter rubbish.
Hesitantly, she fell into step beside the cyborg female, discreetly trying to guess the girl’s age. She certainly seemed like a girl. “How did you become a cyborg?”
“I was injured in battle, and I requested conversion to a cyborg so I could survive. I had a disabled mother and three siblings to support, which was why I joined the military.”
“But you’re so young.”
She giggled, sounding far more like a human teenager than a cyborg soldier. “I was nineteen when I became a cyborg. I’ve been a cyborg for sixty-one years.”
“Don’t you age?”
She shook her head. “Parts break down and eventually, we sustain serious injuries, or simply get too old for our repair systems to maintain, but we don’t actually age.”
“How long does a cyborg live?”
She shrugged. “It depends on the cyborg. The general is one hundred and fourteen years old.”
Talk about an age gap. Not that it mattered that he was nearly ninety years older than her, and that was without calculating how old she technically was after traveling more than four hundred years into the future. None of that mattered, because they weren’t actually meant to be mates.
She reminded herself of that firmly as the female cyborg led her out of the base and back into the barren landscape she had seen before. She hadn’t seen this part, since she had been unconscious during the trip back to their base, but it was basically the same as the area where Freydon Rote had deposited her. There were no trees or signs of greenery. The wind whipped up, stirring dirt that blew in her eyes and hair. She closed her eyes and coughed, attempting to clear herself of the irritants. When she opened her eyes again, Penny was a few feet away, taking care of business.
The cyborg was watching the dog with fascination. “I understand what you mean now. Can she not use the facilities?”
Carrie’s lips twitched, and she struggled not to laugh at the idea. “Back home, I occasionally saw a YouTube video of a dog who had been trained to use the facilities, but no, Penny can’t. She’s a clever and sweet girl, but she isn’t quite that talented.”
The dog finished and approached, and the cyborg bent down to greet Penny. As she laughed when the dog sniffed her face, she seemed entirely human, even with her blue skin. “She’s amazing.”
“Yes, she is.” Watching them together made her smile, especially when Penny licked the other woman. Abruptly, she realized she hadn’t gotten her name. “What’s your designation?” That sounded like a sci-fi way to phrase it.
“I’m RVN99.” She giggled again as Penny licked her neck.
“RVN,” she repeated, mind whirling. “Is it all right if I call you Raven?”
RVN paused in her interaction with the dog, looking up at Carrie with a startled expression. “You mean as a name?” At Carrie’s nod, she frowned before a smile slowly overtook her face again. “I like that.”
“Unless you prefer I use your name from before you were a cyborg?”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I don’t remember it. I don’t remember much about my human life, though the really important details are embedded. I still remember my mother’s face, along with my siblings, but even their names are lost. It’s a deliberate mechanism used during the process of conversion. It was used by the military to ensure we fought like weapons instead of as people.”
“I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t imagine enduring something like that, only to lose all the memories of her previous life, aside from the very important ones. All the people she’d loved would be gone, and she couldn’t imagine how awful it must be to lose every other detail, including her own name.
Raven shrugged, looking far more pragmatic than she should at her apparent age. “I knew about it before I agreed. My family needed the compensation that came with entering the program, and I was going to die otherwise.” She stood up, petting Penny on the head before turning her attention back to carry. “We should get inside. Dinner will be served soon.”
Her eyes widened. “You eat?”
Raven seemed to be puzzled by the question. “Don’t you?”
“Of course, but I’m human. I haven’t been…upgraded like you guys.”
Raven laughed. “We have fuel cells and a nourishment solution that circulates through our cybernetic veins, but we still have to feed the organic side of ourselves too. Most cyborgs still have a digestive system, unless the injuries were too extensive to salvage. It’s more economical and easier to obtain food than terbium, which is a critical ingredient in our fuel cells. The military wanted to make us as cost-efficient as possible.”
At the mention of food, her stomach rumbled, and Carrie smiled slightly. “I can eat. I know Penny’s definitely hungry. Rote packed her a bag, and he included her favorite treats, but no food. I hope she can eat what you eat.” Carrie hoped she could eat what they ate too. It would be inconvenient to be plopped into the future and starve to death because cybernetic food wasn’t compatible with her system.
They reentered the base together, and Carrie automatically headed toward the direction from which they had come, pausing only when Raven touched her wrist. “Mess Hall’s this way.”
Carrie frowned. “I don’t think I’m supposed to join you.” A tremble of fear went through her at the thought of being surrounded by cyborgs, who hated humans.
Raven seemed unbothered by the thought, or perhaps the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind. She had been so open and welcoming already that maybe she hadn’t even considered the notion that the other cyborgs would view Carrie’s presence in a far different light. “You can’t spend all your time in a cell. Come on.” With surprising warmth, she linked her arm through Carrie’s to pull her in the right direction.
Carrie was surprised by the texture of her skin. It felt exactly like real skin, though she was clearly a couple of degrees warmer. It wasn’t an unpleasant heat, and she had a brief mental image of curling up against DVS on a cold night.
As quickly as possible, she banished the thought and focused on the task ahead of her. She was nervous and frightened, and it took every ounce of courage she had to keep walking forward beside Raven as they neared a room alive with the rumble of voices. It was impossible to know how many were inside, but she was certain the area was crowded just by the din of noise coming from inside.
She stumbled to a halt when DVS suddenly raised his voice, and silence fell immediately. Raven tried to tug her through the doorway, but she slumped against the wall instead.
“I have news for you. We met at the coordinates provided by the alien, and the weapon we assumed would end the war is a human female.”
Carrie grimaced as a wave of disappointed and angry sounds washed over her.
“Quiet,” roared the general. “Until I can discover what her purpose is, or how she might help us end the war, she’ll be on the base, and I expect you all to keep her safe.”
“She’s a human,” said one in a vicious voice.
“I’m aware,” said DVS with an inflection of heavy irony.
“According to that Freydon Rote, she’s also your mate,” said another voice, this one tinged with laughter.
There was complete silence for a moment, and then the others laughed as well. Carrie cringed at their amusement at her expense, but what really made her want to flee was when DVS spoke again.
“She isn’t
my mate. Don’t be ridiculous. I would never take a human as a partner.”
The disdain in the way he pronounced human made her shiver, and she stepped away from the wall, intent on returning to the cell from where Raven had rescued her and Penny. She ignored Raven’s call to come back, but paused when she realized Penny wasn’t beside her. She turned back to find her dog facing the doorway, tail wagging as she inhaled deeply. With a sigh, she recalled Penny had no food in the cell, and there was no telling when either of them would be fed.
“It will be fine,” said Raven with complete confidence. Of course, she wasn’t the one facing a roomful of angry, disappointed, and disdainful cyborgs.
Carrie approached again, stepping into line with Raven before they entered the Mess Hall. Her nerves were strung taut, but she struggled to keep her expression blank as she stepped through the doorway. Complete silence greeted them for a moment, and then DVS was rushing toward them, his anger evident.
“What’s the meaning of this, RVN?”
“Her dog needed to relieve herself, and she needs to eat.” She faced the clearly angry general with an air of complete calm.
Carrie admired her ability to remain unruffled.
“She’s been designated as a prisoner.”
Raven scoffed. “She’s not going to hurt anyone, and neither is Penny. She’s a sweetheart.” At the words, Raven bent down and reached for the dog, who happily came forward to shower her with doggy kisses.
That left Carrie in an awkward position, with the choice of keeping her gaze on Raven and Penny, or looking around the room, which was unappealing. The last option was to look at the general, and she chose to do that. Her plan had been to glance over his shoulder and avoid his eyes, but they drew her gaze despite her reluctance.
She was worried by the anger she saw there, but surprised by something else. It was a tantalizing hint of what she tentatively identified as desire. If she wasn’t mistaken, the general found her attractive, though he probably loathed the idea of doing so.
He was still for a moment, as though weighing his options. Finally, his posture relaxed slightly. “She can stay, but you need to get authorization next time, RVN.”
“Of course, General.” She said the words cheerily as she got to her feet and reached for Carrie’s hand. “There are a couple of free seats over here.”
Before Carrie could take the offered hand, DVS intercepted her wrist, clamping it with his own hand. He ignored her sound of surprise, and RVN’s protest, as he dragged her behind him. A moment later, he pushed her into a seat before sitting beside her.
She was aware of every critical gaze on her, and she had to blink back tears. At least Penny had come with her, wriggling under the table and now pressing her head against Carrie’s lap. She curled her fingers into the dog’s silky fur, drawing strength from her presence as she patted Penny on the head.
She let out a startled gasp when the table rumbled, seeming to shimmy for a moment as the top layer rolled back to reveal a line of trays. There was one directly in front of her, and she eyed the mixture in front of her doubtfully. “What is it?”
“Quinoa, essential vitamins, and algae. It has all the components necessary for survival,” said the cyborg on her right.
She recognized his voice as the one who had mentioned she was DVS’s mate. “Is it okay for humans to eat?”
“Of course.” He looked down at her lap, where Penny was pressed against her leg, eyes hopeful. “Your canine can eat it as well.”
“Penny. That’s her name. And I’m Carrie.”
“JSN42,” he said with a small smile. She couldn’t help noticing how vividly green his eyes were, and she wondered if it was part of being a cyborg, or if he’d had such a vivid shade before conversion.
“I hate the idea of calling you by letters and numbers. Would it be all right if I called you…Jason?”
He seemed startled by the suggestion, but before he could answer, another angry voice broke into their conversation.
“No, you can’t. That’s a human designation. JSN is a cyborg, and you can’t pretend otherwise, human.” It was definitely the one who’d expressed such negativity about her after DVS’s announcement.
His tone was so angry that she immediately flinched and withdrew, though he was seated on JSN’s other side. In the process, that brought her closer to DVS, and she was tempted for a millisecond to melt against him. Instead, she kept herself erect, not allowing her body to sway in his direction.
“Don’t be so mean, MX409,” said Raven from another table. “I like the idea of having a different name. She calls me Raven.”
MX409 made a scoffing sound. “She can call you whatever she likes, but that doesn’t make it your name, RVN.”
“Raven,” insisted the younger cyborg with fire in her eyes, though there was a wobble in her voice.
“Enough,” barked DVS in a tone that brooked no defiance. “You may use whatever designation pleases you, Raven.” He turned to glare at MX. “There’s no need to speak so harshly to our guest.”
The cyborg shook his head. “Now she’s a guest? Not five minutes ago, she was a prisoner.”
“Don’t forget, she’s also his mate,” said JSN with obvious amusement.
DVS glared at him. “Your continued mockery grates on my nerves, Jason,” he said in a scathing fashion.
JSN just shrugged. “I’ll keep that in mind, General.”
DVS surprised her by chuckling. “Of course you will.”
Silence reigned again for a few awkward moments until a cyborg at another table spoke up. He appeared to be a few years older than Raven. “My designation is FLD. What would you call me?”
Carrie frowned, focusing on the letters in his name and drawing a blank for a long moment. Finally, she tentatively offered, “Floyd?”
The cyborg grimaced. “I prefer FLD.”
His blunt response startled a laugh from her, and it felt good to relieve some of her tension. She smiled at him. “I can’t say I blame you. Do you have numbers at the end of your name?”
“80.”
She thought for a moment before suggesting, “How about Aiden?”
FLD seemed to mull it over for a moment before shrugging. “I suppose that would be an interesting designation.” It wasn’t a commitment, but he hadn’t outright refused it either.
She was surprised by the number of cyborgs who offered her their designation, asking for her version of their name. It required some creativity, but she was able to come up with an alternative for most of the options offered, though it was unclear if any of the cyborgs, aside from Raven, planned to use the names she improvised.
She was happy just to have something to focus on and to keep herself distracted both from DVS’s presence beside her, and the godawful food she was trying to ingest. She managed half before slipping her tray under the table to Penny. At first, she was afraid the dog would refuse to eat it, but Penny proved to be the gourmand she had always been and quickly licked up the remnants.
In a way, it was a relief when the meal ended, and the cyborgs filed out. It was also another opportunity for anxiety to rear its head. She was certain it meant a return to the cell, and she summoned her courage to turn to look at DVS.
Carrie wasn’t certain why he was so intimidating, other than the circumstances themselves. She wasn’t used to be a shrinking violet, but common sense cautioned her to keep her head down among a group of people who saw her as the enemy—though many had been surprisingly welcoming in the situation.
“Is it possible for you to schedule a guard to let Penny out once more this evening, and then early in the morning? And if possible, may I please accompany her from the cell?”
He just grunted, which wasn’t any kind of answer. Anger flared, and she glared at him. “I realize my problems aren’t your concern, but Penny doesn’t deserve to suffer.”
He let out a long sigh. “Come with me.”
She was no closer to an answer about Penny’s need to potty, and she fo
llowed him in frustrated silence, pausing just briefly to wave to Raven, who had been waiting for her. When they exited the Mess Hall, she was somewhat surprised to find they went in the opposite direction of where she had expected, since the cell was at the other end of the facility.
Or at least she thought it was, though she might’ve gotten mixed up. It was a large underground facility, and she was certain she’d only seen a small bit of it so far. She was uncertain if she would ever have a chance to see the rest, because her status was murky. Was she prisoner or guest? Either way, without the ability to travel back in time, and without the peach alien who had brought her here, she was stuck with the cyborgs in their base, and she’d appreciate clarification on just exactly what she was supposed to do.
DVS led her down several corridors, and she made a conscious effort to memorize the path they had taken. She wasn’t entirely confident she could get herself back to the Mess Hall, but she thought she could.
He paused before a door and opened it with a hydraulic hiss. He grunted at her and inclined his head sharply, and she took that to mean she was supposed to enter. She stepped inside reluctantly, expecting another cell. Instead, it was a larger chamber, with a much bigger bed that seemed to actually have a mattress.
An arrangement of items she tentatively identified as chairs awaited, though the proportions were far different from what she had ever seen, even in modern furniture, which could be quite strange. “What is this place?” She dared identify it as guest quarters, but that didn’t seem entirely right either. There was a lived-in air about it.
He ignored the question as he walked across the room to another door. “Come with me.”
She fell into step behind him as he opened the door and led her up a steep incline. They emerged outside the base to the area around the building a couple of moments later. “All quarters have an escape route, aside from cells. You can use this to allow Penny to see to her needs.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, General.” The word felt strange on her tongue, but it was what she’d heard the others call him.