Cyborg Heart

by Anna Lewis

  “I don’t know,” Wade admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not sure that this sort of thing has been discussed if I’m honest, but I have been thinking about it.”

  “What do you think?” B interjected finally. “What’s your opinion on this one?”

  “I think that we should go, to at least give it a try, but what we should do is act like we are just friends in public, just until we figure out our place in this post-war world. I know it’s not ideal not to live together, but I think that it might be the best for the beginning.”

  Talia thought that over, knowing that really if they were going to go to the new camps, Wade’s idea it was the only way, but she didn’t really like it. It made her afraid. She no longer did well with being alone and she really wasn’t looking forward to going through it again.

  But she had to be strong, especially if she wanted to keep her new family together. She was just going to have to be brave once more.

  She saw B nod, and imitated him doing the same. She wasn’t sure, she definitely didn’t feel confident in her decision, but she told herself it was only a trial period. It wasn’t forever.

  Or was it?

  ***

  It was a week into living at the camp, and Talia still hadn’t quite settled in. When she arrived there with Wade and B in tow, things had been chaotic so they had not been noticed, but now that they had been there for a while, she was starting to see how difficult it was going to be, and that made her miss the cottage even more.

  She should have insisted that they stay in the cottage – that life was so much better than this new one. She couldn’t believe that she’d been talked into doing something that she knew was not as good. She could have predicted that she would end up miserable, but she’d allowed herself to get talked into it regardless.

  Talia worked hard at her job and put on a brave face the entire time, but inside she was a mess. She didn’t get to spend much time B and Wade anymore because of their constant busy schedules, and the fact that they had to hide who they were, and she feared that she was starting to lose them both. She was scared that they were slipping away and that she was going to end up alone all over again. They had no intimate, private time together, as they’d used to, though she held out hope it would happen soon.

  There were also still signs of the unhappy Ec’dua, which scared Talia a whole lot. She was often seeing fights break out and people getting banished, and she couldn’t help but worry about what that meant for the future. It was scary to think that those rebellious people might come after her or B and Wade once more, and it also made her fear that the humans would eventually give up on peace and send the Ec’dua away.

  As she lay on her bed feeling cold and alone, a few tears fell down her cheeks. She didn’t even know what she was crying for, just a bit of everything really. She was saddened that her life had changed and not improved, and did not seem to be. She didn’t even have an idea about when it was going to get better. She was upset that everything felt out of her control all over again. She had spent her entire life unable to really control anything and that was a cycle that kept repeating itself over and over again.

  How could she get out of that cycle and return to the happy life she’d known?

  She cried in despair, worrying that she would never have it again.

  ***

  After the first month, Talia started to get what she had with B and Wade back once more. As they settled into their new routine, they managed to find their way back to each other. That made her a whole lot happier. She didn’t care about anything else as long as she had them by her side. The short, private minutes they managed to share at first became longer, and her tears began to dry.

  But the more open they became, and the more confident they felt, the more people started to suspect the truth about them. At first it started as whispers behind their back as they walked around what was slowly becoming a small town, and eventually it became abuse coming from all angles. Some people didn’t seem to care too much, they were just happy to finally have peace and a life back, but the ones who did care weren’t shy about letting them know.

  Wade and B really didn’t show much concern about this. They didn’t care enough to let it bother them, but it tore Talia apart. She hated being the center of attention, it upset her and she couldn’t stand the whispering and the stares. It made her feel guilty for the people she’d fallen in love with.

  Of course she knew that her three-way relationship must seem strange to other people. She would probably have felt the same way she hadn’t been a part of it. But she was and it felt perfect to her. So maybe people couldn’t understand it from her point of view. But did they have to be so judgmental? Couldn’t they try to empathize with her? It didn’t feel fair.

  It wasn’t too bad when she was with B and Wade, because they helped her to feel more secure in herself and forget her worries with kisses and caresses. But when she was alone, she walked with a thumping heart and her eyes fixed firmly on the ground, which was how she managed to miss someone that she actually knew, trying to communicate with her.

  “Talia?” a female voice gasped out. “Talia is that you?”

  Normally, she wouldn’t have spun around, she wouldn’t have even responded. She would have pretended she did not hear, and moved on. But whoever it was grabbed hold of her shoulder and forced her to look at them. As her heart pounded, she quickly found herself looking into a pair of eyes that were a little bit familiar, but that she couldn’t quite place, however hard she tried.

  “I… I…” Talia started, as her mind whirred trying to figure out who she was talking to and what she wanted. “I…”

  “It’s me,” the woman said, pointing to herself. “Bonnie Smith? I suppose I look a lot different now. Not like you. You might not be six years old anymore, but I would recognize you anywhere. I suppose my human form isn’t anywhere near the same.”

  “Bonnie?” Talia gasped out, totally unable to believe it. Bonnie was her best friend when they were kids, she was there the day that the epic war had been announced. Talia had been shocked to discover that her only friend had been the enemy all along… a shape-shifting Ec’dua alien invader. Bonnie’s betrayal had devastated her, and wrecked her trust, and been one of the factors that had led Talia to avoid making relationships with other people all through her youth during the long Ec’dua war. Talia never thought she would see Bonnie again, yet here she was looking right at her. Sure her human form was different now, but there was still that familiar sparkle in her eyes, that Talia knew well.

  There had been one moment, back on that fateful day, after Bonnie revealed she was an Ec’dua ‘sleeper agent’ in her classroom. In that moment, Bonnie could have turned Talia over to the enemy and had her killed, but she didn’t. She saved her life and Talia had always wanted to thank her for that.

  “You… you saved me,” Talia gasped out, her mind reeling with the knowledge that she’d managed to find her friend against all the odds. “Back then, in the school you saved me.”

  “I did,” her friend confirmed, holding onto her hand. “I did save you because I knew that you didn’t deserve to die.”

  With that one statement, Talia found herself bursting into tears, the emotion finally consuming her. Bonnie embraced her, then ushered her inside to comfort her. As far as Bonnie was concerned, despite everything they had been through, that friendship was still there and she was concerned to see her so sad.

  “Tell me what’s wrong,” Bonnie insisted while they were inside her house. Bonnie looked at Talia with such concern, such non-judgment, that Talia actually found herself explaining everything without even thinking it through. It just felt so good to have someone that she’d once known by her side. It made everything much easier to simply say aloud.

  “I was kidnapped, during some point in the war, and I was thrown into a cell. There I found myself connecting with one of your kind. His name is B…”

  “Are you together?” she hissed excitedly. “I know we
aren’t supposed to do that, but the war is over and things are changing now, and soon I think it’ll be fine.”

  Her acceptance was overwhelming and she quickly found herself telling her even more.

  “Well it isn’t just him. There’s another man too, another Ec’dua…”

  “I see,” Bonnie said, taking that as totally normal, which Talia knew it was. The Ec’dua did things differently, so this wasn’t too much of a surprise. “That’s something for humans find hard to comprehend, huh?”

  She smiled, which Talia returned gratefully. It felt so nice to just have someone listening to her, hearing her out and treating her concerns as real. Often she felt that because B and Wade didn’t seem too bothered by it all, they assumed that she shouldn’t be either.

  “I know, I guess I just don’t know what to do,” she responded sadly. “People are so against us and it’s hard.”

  “Don’t do anything,” Bonnie insisted, holding her hands in hers. “You are happy, they are happy, don’t care about the opinion of others. Just continue to live your life defiantly. Soon enough people will move on… human nature will have people focusing on something else.”

  “You think?” she asked, praying desperately that her friend was right. “You really think so.”

  “Yes,” Bonnie insisted. “Plus, you have me now, I’ll defend you to the end of time, you know I will.”

  “I do,” Talia’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, I really appreciate you saying that.”

  She stayed with her friend for a while, reconnecting in a way that she hadn’t expected to with anyone else ever again, and by the time she left her home she was filled with a new determination. Bonnie was right, and she was going to go back and move in with the people she loved. Screw other people, this life was for her and she intended to live it to the fullest!

  ***

  Life felt more complete as she finally moved in with the two men that she loved so desperately. They were happy for her to do so, and she now had Bonnie to support her too, so everything felt like it was going to be okay. Sure, people still had their opinions, but they felt dulled in her mind. She didn’t care as much anymore. She had the life that she always wanted. She did not need the approval of strangers.

  “Are you happy?” Wade asked her, kissing her on the lips. “Is this everything that you wanted?”

  “It is,” she replied happily, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “This really is everything.”

  “I’m so glad that you came here,” B agreed, looking as happy as Talia and Wade felt. “This finally all feels right now.”

  As they circled her, covering her in kisses, Talia started to feel that familiar urge bursting through her. She always felt so horny around these men, it drove her crazy, but this time she was more than happy to just roll with it, it had been far too long.

  Screw you world, she thought happily to herself. If you knew how amazing this felt, you would keep your opinions to yourself!

  All of a sudden, there were so many sensations racing through Talia’s body that she couldn’t tell which man was doing what to her. B kissed her mouth passionately, as Wade turned her back to him as he slid his fingers inside of her, making her squeal submissively. Things were heating up quickly, proving how much they’d missed her body too.

  All of a sudden she felt guilty for holding herself back for such a long time. She felt bad for getting herself so tied up in knots over the opinions of others. She realized now that her actions had affected all of them, and she didn’t like that one bit. It made her feel awful and selfish.

  That ebbed away as Wade started running his lips over her breasts, and B slid down and began flicking his tongue teasingly between her legs – everything seemed to be happening so quickly, and her body was tingling and throbbing electrically, going wild with desire. She could keep control of what was happening, and letting herself go was seriously amazing. She tried to focus for a second as Wade’s mouth moved up over her neck and B tugged her panties down, but she quickly gave up, tossing her head back in ecstasy instead, simply losing herself in the sensations that were coursing through her veins.

  As her boys began to strip themselves, and Talia found herself with pulsating erections to play with. She licked and stroked, and gladly allowed entry. Soon she was in that place once more, the one that made her truly happy, with her guys and orgasm after orgasm crashing over her body.

  This is it, she decided as the heavenly bliss pulsated through her entire body. This is my place of happiness, I never should have let anyone affect it. And she knew that after all of this that she never would again.

  Her future was going to be different from this moment on. What she, Wade, and B had wasn’t illegal, and it didn’t hurt anyone. It didn’t even affect anyone other than themselves, so there was no point in worrying what the hell anyone else wanted. Talia made a point of not getting involved in other people’s business, so there was no point in worrying anymore.

  She decided that from this day forward, she would be strong and she would stick to her guns no matter what. With that one revelation in her mind, a warm happiness spread through her body and she felt that deep satisfaction that she so desired.

  ***

  Things progressed much better with Talia, Wade, and B once she’d made the decision to ignore the haters and make herself happy. People were still against them of course, Talia assumed that they always would be, but as Bonnie predicted they soon got bored and moved on to something else. It was almost as if they needed to get a reaction from her to keep the gossip going, and without any reaction, there wasn’t any point to the gossip.

  Talia didn’t even want to think what that said about the human race, but it did help her see why she’d always connected so much better with the Ec’dua… they didn’t seem to have anything like that inside of them. She was much more like them in a weird way – happy for everyone else to simply live their lives in the way that made them happiest.

  But of course, just as life seemed to be getting better and settling into a wonderful routine of love, intimacy and closeness, something else happened to change her life and terrify her.

  It started with what felt like a fever racing through Talia’s body, and it soon became a sickness that she just couldn’t control. She felt ill all of the time, and that manifested itself in weird ways throughout her body. She threw up, she got the shivers, she was sweating all the time, and no matter how much B and Wade wanted to help her, they just couldn’t seem to grasp it. They couldn’t seem to work out what was wrong, and so they couldn’t do anything about it.

  “Get Bonnie,” Talia finally croaked out, the first time that she could actually speak. “I need her.”

  B and Wade were aware of Bonnie and they’d actually met her once or twice, but they weren’t sure why Talia was so insistent to have her by her side right now. Although they had no idea what to do, so they went along with her plan purely because they had no other choice.

  As soon as Bonnie walked through the door, she instantly knew what it was. It was strange, an unusual situation, something that no one had ever seen before, but she could tell right away. She already knew exactly what was going on.

  “You’re pregnant,” she gasped out in shock. “You’re having a hybrid baby.”

  “What?!” Talia screamed in shock, sending a coughing fit racing through her body once more. “What do you mean? Is that even possible?” She’d never even considered it as an option, she’d never thought about it at all. She’d been too preoccupied by everything else, and now she could see how naïve she’d been. How could she have overlooked such an obvious thing? “What do we do now?”

  “First of all, don’t panic,” said Bonnie kindly, rubbing her friend’s cheek. “We will work through it together. I’ll be here for you and B and Wade too. This might be scary and none of us know the outcome, but we’ll do it together.”

  ***

  Talia’s pregnancy only got more difficult from that point onwa
rds. She had all of the support that she needed, but her sickness continued to get worse. On top of her constant illness, she was also completely stressed that things were going to go totally wrong when the baby was born.

  She had no idea what she was going to give birth to, whether or not she was going to survive it, whether or not the baby would be healthy, and how things were going to go afterwards. She was terrified. No one else knew the answers to her questions. There was no recorded instance of a half-human half-Ec’dua. But they did not seem to be as scared as she was. In fact, Talia felt like everyone was so concerned about getting her through her pregnancy that no one seemed worrying at all about how things would be afterwards.

  She tried talking about it, discussing it with everyone, but they all kept brushing her aside – even Bonnie, which suggested to her even more that she had something to be worried about. If they wouldn’t talk about it, it was because they were scared and they didn’t know. The fact that they were so keen to keep it a secret scared her too… what did they think was going to happen?

  She couldn’t believe that she’d managed to survive the war, just to die in childbirth…

  “Oh fuck!” she screamed out as agony suddenly tore through her body. “Bonnie! What the hell is going on?”

  This was wrong, it felt so wrong, and she stared at her friend in a panic. Fear flooded into her chest like water in a sinking ship. Was this the moment she was going to die? Was she about to lose the baby? Could a half-Ec’dua survive in a human uterus?

  “The baby is coming,” Bonnie said serious. “The moment is here.”

  “But I’ve only been pregnant for a few months!” Talia screamed, tears falling down her cheeks as she panicked more than ever before. This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t. It made her realize that despite all of her worrying she really did love this baby, and as scared as she was about it all, she didn’t want anything bad to happen. “Is this normal?”