Reaper

by Kelsey Nicole Price

  An average human would only notice my outward appearance. They would never know my inner limitations. I wouldn’t have lasted long against the gray one if put to the test. Luckily, the tug of war for the human female ended quickly, but I felt it pulling on my processors and snapping my strength. Combine that with the horror I was experiencing knowing the sick human that called herself my creator had succeeded in at least producing one viable cyborg child; I started to sway on my feet.

  The female rushed to my side, putting her hands out as if to catch me. The mere thought she would attempt it caused a tiny smile to tug at the corners of my mouth. I outweighed her by at least two hundred pounds, even with all my mismatched parts. She could no more catch me than a human child could. At the last second, she seemed to realize this, rushing to my side instead and wrapping an arm around my waist.

  “Whoa big guy, take it easy. Let’s see if I can help get you back to the exam table.” She took a step forward and groaned, sweat breaking out on her brow. “Holy crap. Do you bench press trucks for fun?” Tightening her grip around my waist, she took another step, planting her foot firmly before allowing some of my weight to lean into her.

  I pushed my processors with everything I had, ordering them to keep going despite their desperate need to slow down and regroup. I refused to let the human be harmed by trying to help me. Never in my short lifetime since creation had anyone ever tried to help me. The female was short in stature but strong in spirit. Maybe it was because the CPU in my head was that of a Service Model and they craved connection, but nothing this human had done had been to hurt me. I would not fail her. That was when the room began to spin.

  “Me go. Let... me... go... I fall I take you with me. Don’t want to hurt...hurt you.” My overworked circuits were making speech difficult yet again. I could concentrate and get the words right or I could keep from crushing the tiny human beside me. I voted for the ‘don’t crush the human’ option.

  “I’m not going to let you fall. We can do this, okay? It’s just one step in front of the other.” We took another step and I almost went down. Still, the female refused to give up.

  I was about to use my final bit of strength to push her away when a small gray cyborg came bounding through the door. His eyes went wide at the sight of me. I felt my eyes respond in kind.

  The little gray one looked over my frame, curiosity and confusion darkening his small features. “What happened to you?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but the female beside me cut off what would have been my strangled reply.

  “We can talk about that later, right now, Theo I need your help. I can’t hold him much longer. I need to borrow some of your strength, sweets. Do you think you can help me?”

  The small cyborg nodded, racing to get on the other side of my frame and wrapping his little gray arm around as much of me as he could. He gave a tug, pulling some my weight in his direction and off the female. The effect was instant, relief surged through my circuits as his small body bared some of my weight. His little arm held on tight and I looked down with wonder.

  He met my gaze and smiled. “I’m strong.”

  “Yes...little one...you are.” My reply made the little one’s smile grow bigger and the horror I had felt when I discovered the doctor had succeeded, vanished. I was in awe of the little cyborg by my side. He was a gift.

  The three of us took a step together and this time it was a bit easier. Ever so slowly, we made it back to the table where I had awakened. Once there, I sagged against it, the upper half of my frame resting against the cool metal. I longed to get the rest of my frame on it, but I didn’t have any strength left to pull my lower half onto the table.

  The female seemed to guess my struggle and looked at the little one. “Theo, I need you to grab his leg, and on the count of three, we are going lift the rest of him onto the table, okay, baby?”

  The tiny one cocked his head, gazing at my purple and yellow legs. “Which one?”

  “You take the purple one and I’ll get the yellow.” The female answered.

  “Okay.” The little one called Theo grabbed my purple leg as the female gripped the yellow one. On the count of three they lifted the rest of me up onto the table.

  “You Thank,” I panted, my eyes fluttering as I fought the blackness trying to drag me under.

  The female’s frame slid down to the floor. I twisted my head, so I could see her. I felt the need to make sure she was okay.

  She gave me a weak smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  I watched as the little one leaned down, cupping the female’s cheeks gently with his gray hands. “Are you okay, Mom?” Worry threaded through his voice.

  Shock lit up my foggy processors. The small one had referenced the female as his mother. Cyborgs didn’t have mothers. Confusion filled my circuits.

  The female patted the tiny gray one’s hand. “I’m fine, sweets, I just need a minute to rest. You were brilliant, Theo. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  His gray face beamed with pride. “I am a cyborg. I am strong.”

  My chest tightened as I burned with a thousand questions. Where was I? How did a cyborg get a mother? And most importantly, what was going to happen to me, now? That was the last thought through my processors before everything went dark.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Reaper

  Rage and frustration burned through my circuits as I stormed down the hallway, the image of the multicolored cyborg crushing her delicate hand with his, circling on repeat. The sight of her bruised wrists playing repeatedly in my memory banks.

  One of them was caused by you, my processors scolded.

  Then you called her stupid. Way to go genius.

  It was her fault. She broke her promise. How can I keep her safe if she won’t listen to me?

  Not by being an asshole, asshole.

  So, maybe I lost my circuits for a moment back there. I wasn’t built to play nice. Every manufactured part of my body had nearly stopped functioning at the sight of Aria in the other cyborg’s grip. The instinct to tear him apart piece by piece for touching what was mine had slammed into me full force. Then Aria took a step closer to him and away from me, and I saw red. I had to get out.

  I made it to my room, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. Even from here, I could smell my time with Aria. Her scent, mixed with that of my spent passion, lingered like a ghost. My clothes, my sheets, my very skin was embedded with traces of her. She was everywhere.

  Turning on my heel, I marched down the hall until I found Brone’s door. I lifted my hand and banged hard, praying the Tank Class Model was home. I heard heavy footsteps just before the door swung open, Brone’s massive frame took up the whole doorway and then some.

  Brone narrowed his eyes, confusion flashing across his face. “What are you doing here, Reaper? Am I needed for another mission?”

  I shook my head. Rage was rolling through my circuits. I was on the verge of storming back to Aria and saying more stuff I couldn’t take back. I was a Military Model. Fighting came to me as naturally as breathing. Brone was the biggest cyborg at headquarters. He would make a worthy opponent. “Battle me.” I ordered.

  Brone’s mouth split into a grin. “Need to let off some steam?”

  I returned the grin. “I don’t feel like punching more holes in my walls; I’d rather it be your face.”

  Brone tossed his head back and laughed. “It will be your face that will be the one sporting holes after I’m done punching it, standard-issue Military Model.”

  “So, that’s a yes?” I raised an eyebrow.

  Brone nodded. “Give me a minute to change. I would hate to ruin my favorite pair of pants once I start spilling your blood everywhere.” His lips curved into a true smile, his blue eyes flashing with mirth.

  My own eyes flashed in response, as anticipation licked up my spine. “I’ll meet you in the training center in five minutes. No weapons. I want to do this the old-fashioned way. With fists.”

  Brone’s ey
es flashed brighter. “I already agreed to battle you, there is no need to sweet talk me.”

  Smart ass. I couldn’t wait to smash that smug look off his face. It was time to do what I do best.

  Brone entered the training room with a grin plastered on his face, his fist striking his open palm with a heavy thud. “Ready to get your ass kicked?” I taunted, circling around Brone’s enormous frame, lifting my fists, daring him to strike first. Brone charged, his massive, gray fist almost connected with my jaw, but I ducked just in time using my smaller sized frame to my advantage. Brone was big, but slow. The massive size of his frame hindered his cyborg speed.

  The next time Brone charged, he anticipated my movement, twisting his body to make sure his fist connected with my body. My spine absorbed the blow, the metal vertebrae clacking together beneath the skin. Pain exploded through my back as I toppled forward face-first onto the mats. I ignored the spike of pain shooting up my forged spine as I hopped from the mat and landed back on my feet. I bent my elbows back, cracking the metal, realigning my fabricated vertebrae with a grunt. That shit was going to hurt in the morning.

  I glared at the gray behemoth. “If Dax has to work on my spine after this, that green motherfucker will make it so I fucking tap dance the rest of my indefinite lifespan.”

  Brone shrugged. “I was just trying to avoid your pretty face. Tap dance, huh?” Brone tossed his head back and laughed.

  Brone’s laughter died suddenly as his body blurred. The big gray bastard moved faster than I thought possible, clashing against my frame, knocking me back into the wall. I twisted sharply, my hip slamming into concrete, my temple bouncing off the wall. Blood gushed, warm and wet, painting my right cheek crimson. A chunk of gray skin that had been covering my skull a second ago remained plastered to the wall. I watched as it slid down, hitting the floor with a splat.

  Game on. I launched myself off the wall, my fist slamming into Brone’s nose, which was followed by a sickening snap, Brone’s nose busted under my fist.

  “You broke my fucking nose!” Instead of a deep rumble, Brone’s voice came out higher pitched.

  “You came at me like a fucking freight train! A piece of my skull just slid down the goddamn wall!”

  “It will grow back. Brone’s higher pitched voice growled. It was like being growled at by a house cat instead of a tiger.

  Amusement filled my circuits, the all-consuming rage dying out as my whole frame screamed in protest at its treatment. The pain reminded me who I was and what I was built for. Then my mind zipped straight to back to Aria. She wasn’t like me. Violence wasn’t coded in her DNA. Her frame—not crafted from metal, her fragile form was not constructed to survive battles.

  Still, she had raced to that cyborg like he was an old friend, her heart outweighing the possibility she might be damaged. Aria didn’t see a mismatched, unworthy cyborg she saw a being who mattered.

  Maybe I had started to matter to her, too, but I diverted back to bully-mode, insulting her intelligence and telling her I wouldn’t protect her; terrified by the thought I’d lose the one bright spot in my dark, lonely existence.

  It wasn’t rage.

  It was fear. It had taken a blow to my big dumb skull to realize it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aria

  Theo plopped himself in my lap, the weight of him comforting and reassuring. I always had the little cyborg resting in my lap. I snuggled him closer, my heart filled with pride at the way he had rushed in to help. No longer was he unsure around the other cyborgs.

  Theo was going to be okay. Despite the day’s turn of events, telling Reaper what happened had purged some of the poison from my system. I felt lighter than I had in months. I was beginning to think I’d be okay too.

  The rainbow-colored cyborg remained quiet behind me. He needed a name. I refused to call him creature and rainbow cyborg probably wasn’t much better. I’m sure he didn’t need a reminder that he was so different from the other cyborgs. He saw it every time he looked down and saw his many-colored frame.

  The lab door swung open. My eyes shot to the door, my heart hoping I’d see a certain gray cyborg, but my heart dropped when I saw Dax and Dr. Shaw.

  Dax saw Theo and me on the floor and raced towards us, kneeling, his eyes wide with concern. “Theo and Aria, are you well? Did something happen?” His green eyes flashed to the cyborg on the table behind me. “Did he hurt you?” Anger darkened Dax’s voice. The normally sweet, green cyborg had been replaced with a pissed-off version. If I hadn’t been crushing on a Military Model with an attitude, I might have caught feels for Dax.

  I guess I had a thing for dominant, over-protective, dark and brooding cyborgs. Especially the one who was currently pissed-off at me and likely to follow on his first threat to toss me over his knee—when he speaks to me again.

  I patted Dax on the shoulder. “Relax, Dax. Theo and I are fine. I’m just catching my breath after getting the big guy behind me back on the table. Luckily, I had a strong cyborg arrive in the nick of time to help me.”

  “She’s talking about me!” Theo thumped his chest proudly.

  “Why was he off the table?” Dr. Shaw questioned. “Is he back online? I swear I leave the lab for an hour and things go to hell.” The pretty brunette shook her head, sending the curls that escaped her ponytail flying. Dr. Shaw looked to be in her early twenties, but her personality was more mother hen than party girl.

  Her research, alone, had created the cyborgs. I only heard bits and pieces from Iris, but Dr. Shaw was brilliant, building a working cyborg by the age of eighteen. Dax had been that cyborg. The very first one in existence. From there, the Global Allegiance had scooped her and her research up. Before long, many models of cyborgs had been crafted and put into production.

  At that time, Dr. Shaw hadn’t known how badly they were being treated. She had been promised they would be respected and treated with kindness. She viewed her cyborgs as living, senescent beings. The Global Allegiance viewed them as disposable property. When Dr. Shaw discovered the truth, she ended the program and the Global Allegiance tried ending her. Dr. Shaw wouldn’t be alive today if Dax hadn’t saved her and given her a serious upgrade.

  The cyborg project was over thirty years ago, but Dr. Shaw didn’t look a day over twenty-two and she never would. She would last indefinitely just like her cyborgs. Also, because of Dax, now my best friend Iris would too. It was death or the upgrade. She got the upgrade. Not that she had been given the choice. Reaper had made it. Thanks to him, my best friend gets to spend forever, happily-ever-after, with the cyborg of her dreams.

  If it had been me instead of Iris, would he have made the same choice? Would I have wanted him to? My heart screamed a resounding yes to both.

  A voice from the exam table interrupted my reply to Dr. Shaw’s questions. “I...am...back online...barely.” The cyborg got out between gasps of breaths. I moved Theo off my lap and stood, every muscle screaming in protest. I needed a long soak in the tub...with a real paperback book Iris had treasure-hunted and a large glass of wine. None of those were at the cyborg headquarters, unfortunately.

  I gazed at the cyborg on the table. Now that I was used to his appearance, he didn’t look all that strange to me. His multicolored frame was growing on me. His blue eyes focused on me, flashing briefly before going completely dark and rebooting. I would have panicked if I hadn’t seen Reaper’s eyes do the exact same thing. “You vision system just briefly went offline. You need to be resting. Not trying to hold a conversation.”

  Theo came to stand beside me, staring at the cyborg with open curiosity. “How come you get to be different colors? My friend Dax told me I couldn’t be green.” Theo narrowed his bright blue eyes at Dax, sizing the green cyborg up, looking for any hint of deception. Despite his size, Theo had mastered the intimidating look.

  Dax’s mouth opened to offer an explanation but the ‘should be resting’ cyborg answered instead.

  “I did not ask to be like this, little one. I am not
one cyborg, but many. An unkind doctor took parts from numerous cyborgs and crafted me. The same unkind doctor who hurt you and your mother. Trust me small but mighty one, I wish I was like you instead of being nothing more than a crude cut and paste job.”

  Theo’s eyes grew wide as a hint of fear crawled through them. The mere mention of the doctor from his nightmares cast a haunted look across his features.

  Dax put a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “You are safe here, Theo. She can’t hurt you. Every cyborg would protect you with their life along with your mother. Both of you do not need to worry.”

  Theo nodded slowly, his spine straightening, his little head held high as his attention drifted back to the cyborg on the table. “You are one of a kind, like me. That makes us special. You have friends, now. Me. My mom. Dax. Iris. Dash. Brone. And I bet even the ass...”

  “Theo,” I warned.

  Theo sighed. “Fine. I bet Reaper would be your friend too. He’s kind of scary and I didn’t like him at first, but he’s not that bad. My mom likes him too. She’s been spending time with him to help him be less mean, I think. If anyone can make him nicer, it’s my mom. Besides when’s she’s with Reaper teaching him to be nice, I get to eat pancakes with Dax and have popcorn with Dash and Iris. A not-mean Reaper and I get to eat my favorite things? It’s what the humans call a win-win.” Theo grinned.

  Dax and Dr. Shaw broke into laughter. The cyborg on the table even managed a tiny grin.

  Myself? I turned a nice shade of pink. I was doing so much more than “teaching” Reaper to be nice. Or I had been.

  Then, like I had conjured him from nowhere, the subject of lessons waltzed into the lab. It was more like hobbled, his steps slow as he favored his left side. I was about to ask what the hell happened when I saw his face. Blood coated his cheek, a patch of his metal skull gleaming under the bright lights of the lab due to the fact a chunk of his gray skin was completely missing. My eyes remained glued to the shiny patch on Reaper’s temple as Brone lumbered in behind him, his nose leaning too far to the left. My brain went blank. Everything about our fight vanished as I stared wide eyed at my cyborg and the fact I could see part of his skull!