She has a good heart, Abel thought. He hoped that didn’t get her into trouble. She was a fine female. Honourable, as far as he could see. Suddenly the thought of her being harmed, hit him hard. Abel frowned, his chest constricted. He wouldn’t allow that. His need to protect her soared to the surface. Every nerve ending firing, coming alive with need. His blood heated, filling his cock. That female was his.
***
We have Hodges and his men secured. She hadn’t heard him arrive, but his voice was clear as day in her mind. They moved so quietly, she realised.
Yes we do, he told her.
Irritated, she turned to face him. I need to learn how to keep you guys out. It’s going to drive me nuts. She could hear his amusement in her head. Coco gave him the stink eye.
The General put his hands up in surrender. I can teach you that. He put his hands down. If you do not want us to hear you, then you need to think of your mind as a box. It is protected and only you can access it. Hold that in the back of your mind and no one will be able to access your thoughts. When you want to share, open the box, call on the person in your mind or just leave the box open for all to hear. It will take some practice, but you can learn it. We did from the moment we were birthed.
You were birthed? Coco asked not sure why she was surprised. Cyborgs had to come from somewhere.
The General nodded. We were created using females in the beginning, then they used artificial wombs, when that took to much time, they grew us in growth pods and we were birthed as adults and entered into the programme.
That’s horrendous. She told him genuinely shocked. The General shrugged.
It’s how we were born. We knew no different, he told her.
That doesn’t make it right. She told him frowning.
No it doesn’t, and we eventually got the freedom we desired but it came at a price. We lost a lot of our brothers. Which is why we search for them. We were happy to find you and them. They were lost for a lot of years, others, still are. He told her. Coco could feel the sadness in his voice. This male had lost a great deal, she realised.
Do not feel sorry for me. He told her.
Coco nodded. “Bridget where are we on the diagnostic on flight function and repairs on your systems?” she asked.
“We are at 78%. Repairs are needed in several places.” Coco blew out a breath. They still had a long way to go.
“Send me the list to the screen please.” The list of things came up. Shit, that was a big list.
Coco felt a niggle in her mind, she focused on it. We can help with that.
She turned to look at the General again, did you do that?
That’s what it feels like when someone is asking to connect with you. When your shields are up, you will feel a pull towards it, eventually, you will recognise the pull belonging to a particular Cyborg, it will feel more prominent, more personal. He told her.
Coco nodded not sure what to say to that. Did she want someone being personal to her in her mind? She decided to stay on firmer ground. “What of this list, can you guys work on?” She asked him.
“All of it, given enough time.” He told her, “Bridget does the ship have appropriate repair materials?” He asked the computer.
“Affirmative General. Sending that information now.” The screen lit up with where to find the repair materials.
“I think I can fix these,” she indicated the wiring that needed repairing.
“Then we will work on the rest. What time is your community meeting tonight?”
“It’s normally before people go off for dinner. About 6ish.”
“Then we have the rest of the day to work on it.”
Coco nodded, “you don’t mind that I invited the whole community to leave in this ship?”
She felt the pressure in her mind again and thought ‘open the box’. These are your people and its your decision. We have a Space Station that needs people and worlds where people would be welcome. We can offer them a choice of a future, and if it doesn’t fit, they can try something else. People have freedom of choice in our world. No one has to live any way but how they wish to.
“Good to know, thanks.”
“You are requested to attend the Space Station. Our medical director Mac is desperate to take a look inside your head. She is a good human and will not hurt you, but she is inquisitive and seeks knowledge and as I told you, you are the first female we know of, to have a link. She will want to check how it is working and that you are healthy.”
Coco frowned, “I don’t know how anyone could look inside my head and I don’t like the idea of being inspected. But, I understand her interest in it and assume I’m not going to be cut up.” The General looked amused. No one is cutting you up. He told her.
She shrugged. “I guess I’m going to the Space Station then.” She mumbled.
“Do not be afraid, it is a safe place. Many humans and Cyborgs like living and working there. We have trade ships that come and go, cruisers, it has shops, restaurants, a park area, a theatre that plays old movies and puts on shows for the people. It’s a good space.” He told her.
“I don’t really understand what most of that means. We don’t have those things. It sounds interesting though, but what would I do there?” she asked confused, feeling she had no control over her life again. The General reached over and grasped her hand. Surprised, Coco looked up at him.
“Whatever you wanted to do.”
***
He couldn’t bare to be anywhere but with her. Her pull to him increasing as the hours passed. He could taste her scent on his tongue. The uniqueness of the cybernetic taint unusual in a female, called to him. He’d never found it interesting before and now found himself wandering the ship in search of her. He’d wondered if he was damaged in some way and ran a number of diagnostics, only to have them all tell him, he had no failures. He’s emotions ran rampant. His mind telling him she was his mate. That she was his. His logic accepted the reality, it recognised her on a DNA level as the perfect match for him, but he held back. The female had been through so much already and was fragile. He feared she would be unable to sustain a mating with a Cyborg. He decided, no matter the cost, he would not harm her, he would have to wait.
They started the long walk back to the community in plenty of time, Coco had told them it could take as long as a couple of hours, depending on the terrain and how many detours they had to make. The General had left some guards on duty at the ship, the rest came with them. The walk started off easy enough. The crash of the ship had wiped a lot of the boulders and rocks out the way on the surface, but it allowed for sand to take its place. It could be treacherous. The terrain was rocky, flat landscaped and loads of sand, it could be dangerous under foot.
She’d mapped out a path back to the community sometime ago. Putting up markers, so she wouldn’t get lost in the wind or get turned around and find herself in the middle of nowhere. On her trips back to the community, she’d fixed her markers, made sure they were visible, checking against the direction of rising or setting sun. She’d been caught more than once by the weather. After the first time, she made sure she knew where she could find shelter if she had too. Two hours in the open on this world was a very long time and could be a death sentence.
Hodges had brought her out here and just left her. He’d given her no directions, no support on how to get back if she needed to. It was just as well she wasn’t an idiot, who blindly followed him. On her first trip out here, she’d kept notes along the route. There was no telling what Hodges was getting her into and Coco believed in being prepared. So she’d grabbed several water bottles and rations too. Hodges hadn’t bothered to tell her to or say when relief would be coming for her. Coco got the impression that although he wanted that ship working, he wasn’t going to help her survive. That would be on her and if she fixed the ship and died, she could guess, that worked for him too.
After that first trip back, it became clear that she was never going to be able to walk back and forth in a day, n
ot if she were ever to get the job done. So she wrote down the direction they walked, compared it to the sun and time of day, noted landmarks and vegetation. On her first trip back on her own, she’d left her supplies and followed her notes, it worked. Loaded with more supplies the next day, she came back along the same path and started laying markers. She would go as far as she could, while still being able to see her last marker and make a new one. She would gather up rocks and build up a four foot tower. If she had a rocky outcrop she could use, all the better. The higher it was, the better she could see it. Once she was satisfied with her path, she started branching out, looking for places she could hold out in if the weather caught her in the open. She’d been glad she had on many occasions.
As they passed her forth marker, Coco looked up at the sky. She didn’t like it. The clouds were massing and the wind was picking up. She put a spurt on. She felt the nudge in her mind and opened her box.
You are worried, you are rushing now. The markers, they’re yours? The General asked her.
Coco nodded, the markers are to keep me on the right path. The weather here is unpredictable, the ground moves, I don’t like the look of those clouds, the wind is getting up, we need to hurry. She heard the General giving orders to increase their pace.
Coco guessed they were about an hour into the journey back, when suddenly, the weather escalated for the worst. Solar winds whipping up the sand, biting into clothing and stinging faces and hands, visibility dropping to nearly zero. Coco pulled her head cover forward and lifted her neck band to cover her nose and mouth. She knew they had to find that cover and quickly, the winds could go on for hours and exposed, it could kill them. Making a run for it wasn’t an option, it was too dangerous under foot, they wouldn’t make it back to the community in time to prevent injuries or someone getting lost.
Coco checked her position, she knew this place well, she’d been doing the journey for months she reminded herself. Quickly gaining her bearings, she realised there were some rock caves ten minutes away to west of her. The Cyborgs were closing in around her, protecting her from the wind. She could hear the General giving orders in her mind. Realising shouting wasn’t an option, the roaring winds would prevent her from being heard, she opened the box in her mind.
We need cover, the winds can go on for hours, we won’t make the settlement without injury unless we find cover. There are some rock caves ten minutes walk to the west. She called out in her mind. She felt someone grasp the arm, her hand covering her eyes.
Cover your face, I will carry you. Coco did as she was told and felt herself being carried. Point, head to the west, find those caves, the voice called out over the neuro net. Coco felt the winds bombarding her body as the person carrying her walked. She had a sense of others around her. Trying to shield her from the winds. Information flowed through her mind, men searching for shelter. It seemed like forever before the call came that they had found them. The walking carried on for a while longer, then the winds dropped completely. The noise, dissipating into the distance.
Coco pulled the cover from her head and looked around ready to thank the Cyborg carrying her. They were in the caves. She smiled and looked up, surprised to see it was the General. She checked the area around them, she knew this cave. It led to several others. their group was already spreading out throughout the cave system.
You can put me down now. She told him. There’s a water supply back through that way. She pointed in the direction. If you go further in, the dust is less.
Abel had never felt such relief at seeing the cave system. He’s worry, for the female had increased with every step. Had she been caught out there alone, she could have died, he reasoned. Nothing prepared him for the feeling of loss at the thought. It was not logical. But he could not deny how he’d been affected. He’d wanted to hold on to her, to keep her safe and never let her go again. When she’d asked to be put down, Abel needed a reason not to. Not complying shamed him, but his need was greater than doing as she’d asked. He kept on walking.
The General didn’t put her down but kept moving towards the direction she’d indicated. “You know you could have used your ship and none of this would have happened.” She told him annoyed he hadn’t put her down. The General huffed.
“No place to land near the colony underground,” he told her. “The tunnels are extensive and have weakened the ground around them. It was too risky.” He told her going further forward. It opened into a more cavernous area where she’d been before. Coco had had to use these caves several times before, she’d taken refuge here when storms had blown up on her trips back and forth. Light reflected off the rock surfaces, giving it an unreal glow.
As they turned a corner, a cooler wind blew through from another direction. After all the heat and dust, Coco was glad to feel it once again on her face. She could hear the water. Here’s good. She told him. It seemed to take the General a moment before he put her down. Coco took several steps back the way he’d come and took off all her outer garments and shook them. The dust came off in droves. She took her hair from its cover, unbound it, shaking it upside down, getting out as much dust from it as possible, then throwing her hair back, she started to brush at her skin. She looked over to the General who was still standing where she’d left him, staring at her. You need to get the sand off your skin, it will start to burn if you leave it. She told him tying her hair back up as he came towards her.
He grasped her hand. Leave it down. Its beautiful.
Coco frowned. Her hair was long, she never cut it, it was her one thing, no matter how difficult things got, she’d never cut her hair. Why? She asked not understanding the point of doing that.
I like it, he told her simply.
Coco shut the lid on her box. He’d said, ‘he liked it’, kept running though her mind. She bound up her hair. “Sorry, it’s not practical to have it down out here.” She walked back to the clean area. Coco felt confused, she wasn’t sure where that comment had come from. Was he hitting on her? Did Cyborgs hit on females?
She heard him give the order for the men to clean the dust from their clothes and skin, as she sat down on her outa clothing on the floor. The wind still roaring outside the caves in the distance. Coco guessed it would be awhile before the wind dropped. She could hear rustling of clothing coming from the direction of the General. Coco didn’t want to think about that too much. Her mouth got dry. Getting up she headed to the pool of water. The water ran in through some rocks at one end and out through another, it kept the water cool and fresh. She’d drunk from it a few times. As long as you didn’t disturb the bottom, the top remained clear. She leaned over the edge with both hands and cupped as much water into them as it would hold, stepped back and threw it over her face. She went back and repeated it. When satisfied, she wiped at her face getting the residue off, then shook her hands out, going back she put one hand out cupping it, bringing the water to her mouth to drink. It was just as refreshing as she remembered. Taking off her water bottle she refilled it, there was no telling how long they’d be here.
“Are you well Captain?” Chas asked her stepping forward, Coco looked up screwing the lid back on the bottle. He moved just as quiet as the General, she realised and smiled up at him.
“I’m better now. We’ll have to wait out this storm before we can go on.” She told him. He’s clothes didn’t look brushed out. “You need to brush the dust off your clothes and skin, it will burn.” She told him. He walked towards the opposite wall and started to undo his weapons, then his shirt. Feeling uncomfortable Coco made to stand and move away, as a growling sound came from behind her. Coco turned, and the General stood there.
These men needed a warning system. She looked around him to see if an animal had crept up on them. She wasn’t sure what animal it could be, she didn’t recognise the sound but there was nothing but the General. He had that glaze over look for a second, then it cleared, and he focused on her. Coco had the feeling she should have left her box open, she might have learnt something.
>
“You should not be here alone.” He told her. Something about that irritated her.
“I’m not. I’m with Chas.” She told him impatiently thumbing over her shoulder.
“The Cyborg is no longer here, he has gone back to his post.” Coco spun around to find the General was right. Coco wasn’t sure she liked that too much. Chas was her man.
She frowned. “You ordering my men around General?”
He shrugged. “If they choose the Empire, they will take orders.” Coco walked passed him going back to where she’d been sitting.
“If I’m their Captain, don’t they have to take orders from me?” She asked him as he came back towards her.
“Yes they do. But I out rank a Captain.” He told her a little too smugly. Coco mulled that over.
“Then maybe, being a part of the Empire is not the best option for us or them.” She was picking a fight, she knew it and couldn’t seem to stop. The Empire was their only option. They all knew it.
The General sat down beside her. “Call me Abel.”
Coco looked up at him apprehensively. Even sitting he was so much taller. “Yeah, not sure I can do that.” She told her warily.
Abel Page 4