Reaper

by Kelsey Nicole Price

  I grinned. Aria had been horrified at the sight of me damaged. My chest grew even tighter. I enjoyed the feeling of her worrying about me. Still, I suspected I might find myself one lonely Military Model if I challenged Brone again.

  Brone took a step back, his jaw falling open as he blinked a few times.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

  My question snapped him out of whatever daze he had been in. “You look,” he cocked his head, confusion burning in his blue eyes. “Happy,” he blurted out.

  The grin faded, my jaw clenched. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at the Tank Class. “So?” I shot back, my sharp tone daring him to keep going.

  The idiot smiled. “You’re usually such a grim-faced bastard; now you’re practically glowing like a fresh-faced school boy. It’s rather unsettling.” He shook his head. “Military Models should look frightening. Menacing. Not like they want to pass out hugs.”

  I tossed open my arms. “Need a hug Tank Class?” Brone took another giant step back. Horror replaced the smile on his face.

  “Hug me, and I will terminate your existence,” he declared.

  I dropped my arms and took a step forward, backing him into the wall. My eyes hardened. “Tease me again about Aria and I will show you why I am the leader of the cyborg rebellion. We are always in need of spare parts.” My fists clenched by my sides as my eyes darkened. The urge to punch him escalated, rolling through my circuits at lightning speed.

  Brone’s gaze lowered, his eyes coming to rest on the floor. “I did not mean any disrespect. You saved me from certain death. I wouldn’t be here without you. It is a debt I can’t ever repay.” He met my gaze. “I don’t understand the happiness you wear. How can one human female make you feel this way? And what do I do if I now find myself longing for one? I’m the last of my class. I am envious of you. The emotion shook me. I teased you simply because I wish to know how that look would feel.”

  My hands unclenched, every drop of anger faded as I stared at the massive Tank Class. This was a problem I hadn’t anticipated. Iris and Aria had sparked a new desire in the cyborgs. My cyborgs suddenly realized they didn’t have to spend their existence alone.

  Females weren’t simply going to drop from the sky. I had only recovered one female cyborg in all my years of searching and Hester didn’t like males. Acquiring human females also posed a problem. Few accepted us. Those who did would spend their days with a death sentence hanging over their heads. Still, how could I leave them without hope?

  Brone’s shoulders slumped. “Even if found a female, I doubt she would want me,” he waved a hand over his frame, “Look at me. I am a giant. An abomination.”

  I gripped his shoulder. “I felt the same. Who could want a Military Model like me? Then I saw Aria. The first time I met her I threatened to put her over my knee and spank her.”

  His eyes widened in shock. “She still chose you?”

  “Not right away. In fact, she slammed the door in my face, shouted she hated me and repeatedly called me an asshole.” I chuckled. “I lived up to the name. I annoyed her just so I could be in her presence, yet, I ached for her to be mine. I believed I was experiencing some type of system-wide malfunction. Turned out to be what the humans call love.”

  Brone straightened his shoulders. “Military Models don’t fall in love.”

  I squeezed his shoulder. “Sorry to tell you this my friend, but if you are longing for a female of your own, you’re already half-way there.” His jaw dropped at my words. At least he had some warning. Hopefully, he won’t think he’s lost his circuits when and if the day came. I met his startled gaze. “I can’t guarantee you will meet yours one day. I can promise you that if you do, she will not see you as an abomination. She will see you as worthy. She will not hesitate to claim you. All you need to do is be ready.”

  Brone took a breath then nodded. “Thank you, Reaper.” He eyed my arms. “The offer to terminate your existence still stands if you try to hug me.”

  I let go of his shoulder, dropping back down onto my heels. “I will never ever be that happy. Military Models don’t hug.”

  Brone laughed. “We will see about that.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Aria

  Dr. Shaw rounded the corner smiling and pushed the escaping hair behind her ear. “I never get this many visitors.” Worry suddenly creased her brow and she frowned. “Who’s been injured?”

  I shook my head. “Everyone’s fine. Dash wanted to see his brother.” I nodded towards the exam table. My heart dropped. The other blue Service Model was still in the same position I had left him in. His blue eyes fixed on the celling. His frame didn’t move in the slightest except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. It was only simulated breathing, yet it gave me a tiny amount of hope. Some of his processors still had to be functioning.

  Dash moved towards the table. Iris clutched his hand in hers, moving with him. The rest of us stayed near the door. We were here if he needed us. A look of worry crossed Theo’s face. He looked up at Dr. Shaw. “You can fix him, right? You and Dax can fix anything.” Hope burned in Theo’s gaze.

  Dax appeared from around the corner, coming to rest by Dr. Shaw’s side. “We will do our best, Mr. Theo. Even we can’t fix everything.”

  Theo nodded bravely. His eyes found Dash. A note of hurt registered in his blue eyes. He hurt for his friend. The mom in me wanted to erase his pain but I loved him even more in that moment. He loved without hesitation. The cyborgs had many things to teach him but with this Theo would be their teacher. Pride for my not-so-little boy swelled in my chest. When he walked to Dash I didn’t stop him. His hand slipped in the blue cyborg’s without a word. Dash gave him a gentle squeeze.

  “You need to fight, my brother. When you wake you will discover your life of pain is over. You have family who care for you. We all want to welcome you home.” Dash’s words carried through the lab, raw pain etched in every word. Taking the blue elephant from his pocket he placed it next to the Service Model. He turned from the table and gathered Iris in his arms. She held him tight, his pain mirrored in her eyes.

  Theo let go of Dash’s hand and stepped closer to the table. He leaned over the Service Model’s face. “I used to wish I wasn’t gray. I didn’t want to be a Military Model. Now Reaper is my friend. I am okay with being me. Sometimes you just need a model like yourself. Dash needs a brother like him. Don’t make him lose you, too.” He cupped his blue cheeks, determination blazing as he looked directly into the blue cyborgs unchanging gaze. “Fight like a Military Model. That’s an order.”

  The lab fell silent, Theo rendered all of us speechless. Tears splashed down my cheeks. Dash broke the silence first. “Thank you, Theo.” His blue arms pulled him in for a hug.

  “He would be silly to ignore a direct order from a Military Model. Things will be okay.” Gray arms wrapped around Dash’s waist, hugging him tighter.

  Axios stared at Theo, awe twinkling in his eyes. “He is something special. I am lucky I get the chance to know him.”

  “I knew him first,” Dax muttered under his breath.

  “Dax!” Dr. Shaw hissed. “In the hallway now!”

  Dax shot a glare at Axios then stomped out into hallway, an unhappy Dr. Shaw hot on his heels.

  “Did I miss something?” I asked.

  Axios shrugged. “I’ve been trying to help Dr. Shaw. The green one isn’t taking it well.”

  Holy shit! Dax was jealous! Most of the cyborgs cared for Dr. Shaw, but I suspected no one had challenged him for his spot by her side. Dax had been the first cyborg created. He had never been separated from her. He saved her life after The Global Allegiance tried killing them both. In the truest sense, he viewed her as his mother and Dax was used to being the only child.

  Voices rose from the hallway. It had become a shouting match. Axios and I exchanged a look. I blew out a breath. Time to intervene. We had enough people out to get us. We didn’t need to be going after each other. I stopped. We. I thought,
we. Guess I really was claiming them as family. Losing the life I had crafted before my best friend found a cyborg should hurt. Not even a twinge. Here is where I belonged. With assurance in my step, I exited the lab door and stepped into the hallway. Axios, a step behind me.

  Dr. Shaw’s hands were waving frantically in front of her face as Dax stared her down, his emerald eyes flashing.

  “You are behaving like a child! Stop this, Dax!” She waggled a finger at him.

  “I am not a child,” Dax growled. “You don’t need him! You have me!” He struck his chest with a hard thud. His shoulders gathered up around his head as his body pulsed with simmering tension.

  My friendly green cyborg was about to go nuclear. Fuck! I needed at least one cyborg who wouldn’t run around choking or kicking anyone who pissed them off.

  Axios threw up his red hand and green hand in surrender. “Please stop shouting at each other. There is no need to fight.”

  Dax spun towards Axios, stabbing a finger into his gray chest. “Stay out of this! No one wants your help!” He shoved Axios hard, making the multicolored cyborg stumble backward.

  My mind shifted straight to Axios. Maybe he was the better choice at the moment. Yep, all my bets for one calm cyborg were now on him.

  “Leave Axios alone. You are angry at me not him.” Dr. Shaw’s arms fell back down to her sides, releasing a sigh. The fight leaving her. She cupped Dax’s cheek. “You have always felt like you didn’t fit in. You worry that you will lose your place. There is no reason for your worry Dax.”

  “There is.” Dax’s shoulders slumped. “If you no longer need me who will? I would have no one.” Dax looked at me. “Everyone I love chooses someone else.” Dax met my eyes before dropping his gaze.

  “Oh Dax.” I murmured taking his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that strongly.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. I’m a freak. An outcast even among my own kind. I should have never hoped for a chance to earn your love.” He let go of my hand, stepping out of both my reach and Dr. Shaw’s.

  I refused to let him retreat. He was my friend and he was hurting. He had been the first cyborg to get Theo and me to leave our room. Sweet, kind, and thoughtful, Dax had been the best friend a girl could ask for. If it hadn’t been for him, I don’t think Theo and I would have felt as comfortable with the other cyborgs so quickly.

  “You’re breaking my heart. Don’t you talk about yourself that way. You are wonderful, Dax. One day, a girl will snatch you up and never let you go.”

  A small amount of hope flickered in his eyes. “You really think so?”

  I smiled. “I know so. You’re sweet and smart and handsome. You offered Theo and me your friendship without hesitation. If it weren’t for you, we might still be hiding in our room. I know you feel strongly for me but wait until you find your female. What you feel for me will pale in comparison to her and she will love you in return.”

  “Aria is right.” Dr. Shaw agreed. “Your heart is bigger than that brilliant mind of yours. There is a female waiting for you, Dax. As for me, I will always need you. No one will ever take your place.”

  Axios cleared his throat. “I’m am not trying to take your place. I just want to be useful. You call yourself a freak. Then what am I?” He waved a red hand over his frame. “I am the real freak. I am not even a real cyborg. I’m only parts of many.”

  Dr. Shaw turned to Axios. “Pieces of cyborgs I never thought would return to me.”

  We all stopped. Dax, Axios, and I all wore the same confused expression.

  “This wasn’t how I planned to tell you.” Dr. Shaw’s eyes got glossy, her hands trembling within the pockets of her lab coat. Her eyes moved from Axios to Dax. “The both of you.” She captured Axios’s green hand in hers. “I really thought you would have asked by now Dax.”

  Dax’s eyes darkened. “So, He has a green arm. Colored synthetic skin isn’t hard to manufacture.”

  “Not mine. My process is unique. It allows you to experience touch. Pain. Pleasure. It’s nearly identical to a human. You were never simply robots, androids, or AI’s. The first two are simply machines programmed to mimic humans. AI’s learn but don’t feel. Sometimes, I fear I made a mistake. If I had created you to be more like them, you wouldn’t have known the suffering most of you had to endure.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “But how can I regret giving you the ability to be truly alive? Every time I look at you, Dax, I can’t. Still, I have made mistakes. Some cyborgs didn’t survive the creation process.” She gently twisted Axios’s arm in her grasp, trailing her fingers over his wrist. “Your brother was one of them Dax.”

  “There was another Science Model?” Dax rocked back. The cords in his neck strained. The green muscle vibrating beneath his skin. “I had a brother? One like me?” Dax’s voice came out soft and broken.

  Dr. Shaw could only nod.

  Dax lunged, grabbing her shoulders and twisting her face towards his. “Why?” He pleaded, shaking her. “Why wouldn’t you tell me? I believed I was all alone. You lied!”

  Dr. Shaw shook her head frantically. “Your brother only lived two hours before he died. It nearly killed me. I almost didn’t try again. How could I bear it if I lost the next one as well? The next one was you, Dax. I didn’t lie. You were alone. I couldn’t bring myself to make more Science Models. I had you. That was all I needed.”

  “What about the other models? You made more of them! Didn’t you lose some of them as well?”

  “I only made the first of every model. After that, The Global Allegiance took over. I only lost one other. Acer’s brother. They wanted to terminate Acer too after his brother died. I refused. They pulled him from the vat partially finished. It didn’t matter to me. He was alive. Acer feels rather differently about it.”

  “You got that fucking right, Doc.” Acer stood with his back to the wall. He sported a black hoodie, the sleeves falling three quarters of the way down his arms, the hood pulled up tight around his face. A flash of metal glinted from where his hands were tucked into his pockets. Black cargo pants and black boots completed the look. A look that totally screamed fuck with me and you’ll be sorry.

  Pushing his frame off the wall, he strolled towards us. Every line of his frame exaggerated, he screamed predator with every step.

  His gold eyes flashed from his hood. “So that yellow leg he’s sporting belongs to my vat brother?” He pushed the hood down, revealing his face.

  I swallowed my gasp. Acer was more machine that man. The yellow skin rose up his neck to just above his lips, all the rest was exposed metal. He had no nose simply a hole where one should be. The lights of his eyes were set deep; empty black space surrounded them. The smooth, metal of his skull gleamed like a beacon.

  “My vat brother was the lucky one. He hasn’t had to endure a lifetime of agony.” His yellow lip curled. “Don’t think that yellow leg makes me feel something for you. You are simply one more person that needs to stay the fuck away from me.”

  “You’re not a nice cyborg.” Theo’s voice declared from behind us.

  Theo, Dash, and Iris had decided to join the party in the hallway. Theo didn’t hesitate. His foot shot out and kicked Acer in his shin.

  “Fuck!” Acer shouted, cradling his abused shin, hopping on one foot. “What the hell was that for?”

  Theo smirked. “For being an asshole.” He wagged his finger furiously at the yellow cyborg, “And fuck is bad word. You shouldn’t use it.”

  Acer let go of his leg, taking a menacing step forward.

  “Don’t you even think about it.” I hissed, putting myself between him and Theo. “Touch my child and you will wish you were never created.”

  Acer sneered before tossing his hood back over his face. “Too late for that, human.” He turned, storming back down the hallway.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. That cyborg was one pissed-off model. I planned to avoid him at all costs.

  “I apologize for Acer’s behavior. He is...” Dr. Shaw
’s chin trembled. She stuffed her hands back into her pockets.

  “An asshole.” Theo supplied.

  The hallway broke out in laughter. I rolled my eyes. I was never going to break him of using that word. I had no one to blame but myself. At least it broke the tension. Leave it to Theo. I started to think he should be the leader of the cyborg rebellion.

  Dax straightened. He reached for Axios, clasping his green forearm tightly. “I understand what it’s like to be different. I shouldn’t have treated you so poorly. Welcome home, brother.”

  Axios’s eye’s widened in surprise before his fingers curled around Dax’s arm in return. “Thank you, brother.”

  Dax stared at the two green arms locked together, a slow smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. “Would you like to join me in the common room? It would be nice to share a meal with you.”

  “I would like that.” Axios smiled.

  “Dax...” Dr. Shaw’s hand gently touched his shoulder. Dax shrugged it off. “Not yet. I can’t.” He swallowed hard, his green eyes burning.

  The two of them took off down the hall, Axios giving Dr. Shaw a parting glance, concern in his gaze.

  I squeezed her arm. “Give him time. He will come around.” I offered reassuringly.

  “It’s always been the two of us. The other cyborgs tolerate me. I don’t mind. I understand their reservations. But Dax...he’s always loved me. He’s never once looked at me like the others have. Like I betrayed him.” She watched him disappear around the corner. A single tear sliding down her cheek. “Until today.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Iris

  Dash paced the living room. His big, blue footsteps crushing the antique rug I had managed to score from one of the cyborgs. Viper knew where all kinds of goodies were hiding. Giving him Floppity had turned out to be a wise choice. Not that I would have denied him his own Beanie Baby, but Mr. Grape was proving to be an excellent source for feeding my hoarding addiction. God bless that Technology Model.