Altered Design (Mechanical Advantage Book 2)

by Viola Grace

  The suit that she put on was her favourite, and it would be scanner friendly.

  The more she thought about the scans, the queasier she became. Since the Splice were being cleaned up around the ship, there was no reason for the nausea.

  When she had been on Adaptation Base, it had been standard to be scanned every three months. She hadn’t had a scan since she arrived on this vessel. That should have been a huge clue that something wasn’t quite right. Her being able to crush the Splice was just a confirming factoid. No one who didn’t have implants should have been able to do any damage to the armoured limbs of the aliens. That meant that there was more going on under her skin than she was aware of. The only way to find out what was going on was to make her way to medical.

  She gagged and put her hair up in a ponytail before heading to the hall.

  Lexo was leaning against the wall outside his door, and he smiled. “Ready?”

  “Yup, but I warn you, I may puke or faint. I really don’t want to go, but I want to go if you know what I mean.”

  He nodded. “I do. I will make sure that you get into the scanner.”

  “Good. I don’t know what is going to happen, but I figure you should be prepared for anything.”

  Lexo chuckled, and they started walking toward the med centre.

  Alphy felt sick then spots swam in front of her eyes and then everything went dark.

  The hum of machines was all around her when her senses returned to her.

  The scanner was working her over, and she could make out the shadow of Lexo on the other side of medical.

  The sense of the Triad was with her, but they weren’t talking, they were waiting.

  The scanner finished its final pass, and the mechanism swung aside to let her out.

  Lexo was seated in a repair station, and he smiled at her from a bruised face. “I managed to get you here.”

  “What happened?”

  “I am guessing that an automatic protocol kicked in. You fought with more strength and dexterity than I imagined you possessed. I confess to being envious of your alteration, though not that enthusiastic about the autopilot.”

  Alphy tried to access the Triad to get a view of the internal scans, but they weren’t talking to her yet.

  She went into first aid mode and got a nanite stimulator for Lexo. It would help supplement the work his nanites were already doing.

  The shot had to go into tissue, so she pressed the injector to the side of his neck, and it hissed as its payload entered his system.

  “I am so sorry. I didn’t...”

  “It is fine. Your eyes went silver, and it was obvious that you were not driving.”

  She blinked. “Something took me over?”

  “Check your scans. I think they explain it.”

  Alphy turned and headed to the readout. The displayed result was impossible.

  “That can’t be right.”

  Lexo flexed his arm and got to his feet. “It does explain your situation, but in all my family’s research, this extensive an adaptation hasn’t been seen. That you are moving around is a miracle.”

  Alphy started at the display. It was there if she was willing to accept it. She was the most extreme cyborg that she had ever heard of. The only parts of her that were natural human tissue were her brain and spinal column. Everything that housed the brain and spine was made of nanites.

  She looked at her hands and focused on her skin. Her vision sharpened, and she could actually see the mechanical micro-bots that made up her body.

  Alphy curled her hand into a fist. “I am not human.”

  Lexo put his hand on her arm. “You are as human as I am.”

  She looked up at him. “I beg to differ. You are only forty percent nanite and implant. I am a metal skeleton with delusions of humanity.”

  He pulled her to him and held her.

  “You can feel my arms around you; your brain processes the information just like your body did. We don’t know why you are such a massive adaptation, but the Triad has to have the information somewhere.”

  She could feel his heart beat in his chest and the hum of his blood as it rushed through his veins, accompanied by the nanites that were fixing the damage she had done.

  “I am sorry.” She mumbled it against his chest, slightly appalled at the amount of information she could get from him if she just let her senses out to play.

  “It is fine. You are just a little more highly tuned than you thought. I am curious to find out how you are keeping yourself together and how the Triad got you here.”

  She rubbed her head against the front of his suit. “You and me both. They currently are not speaking to me.”

  “I believe that they are afraid of how you would react. It can’t be a comfortable realization.”

  “It really isn’t. Why aren’t you freaking out? I am a woman made of nanites.”

  He chuckled. “My family designed them, and your brain is all you. A human is more than the body it wears; it is the mind, the soul, and the consciousness of society that creates a human. You are still you, Aria, no matter what your body is composed of.”

  “Thanks. It is nice that you were willing to haul me in here.”

  Lexo sighed and stroked her back. “I will think of a way that you can make it up to me later.”

  Her laugh startled her. “Thanks again. I will think of something suitable. Now, do we want to confront the sullen three?”

  “You go ahead. I am going to head to the command deck and make sure we are still on course.”

  She stood in his embrace for a few more minutes. The warmth of his body relaxed her, and the silence helped her formulate a plan.

  The Triad wanted them there for some kind of transformation, but she wanted answers first.

  First and foremost, she wanted to know why the Splice had targeted her. Their behaviour had gone against everything that she knew about them. It should have been both of the humans or attack to destroy. Anything else was outside of the observed behaviours.

  Shit was getting freaky.

  Chapter Eleven

  The cradle was the most efficient way to communicate with the brains, so Alphy settled into place and sent her mind out to have a deep and meaningful discussion of why she was a brain in a housing.

  Duss’s voice was the first to speak. You are fine?

  She sighed silently, but her body probably huffed. “Of course, I am fine. I am alive, and I am conscious, most of the time. Why would you think otherwise?”

  Most of those who have had a transplant of your type have gone insane within days of knowing what they were. Onic’s voice was grim.

  “I am not most people. I am a survivor by nature.”

  Humans do not survive what happened to you. You were a statistical anomaly, and as such, came to our attention immediately.

  Trell’s voice came to her. Would you like to see the original surveillance footage? You will understand what happened a little better if you see it.

  She would have cocked her head if she was physically with them. “I have seen the footage.”

  You have not seen it all. Your friends came to your aid as quickly as they could, but they were injured, and there was nothing that could be done.

  Alphy steeled herself to relive the explosion. “Go ahead.”

  They didn’t hesitate, and she was soon looking through the security camera over the joyous party filled with women and laughter... and then it exploded.

  Alphy watched herself being thrown up and against the wall by the blast. The way she dropped to the floor wasn’t good. It wasn’t a dropped doll; it was like watching a bag of pudding knocked off a table.

  Endless seconds ticked by as the women gathered themselves. A few were already gone. The lifeless bodies were unmistakable.

  When the medics charged in, they bypassed Alphy as one of the dead, but then one of them paused and turned to her. “Shit! She’s alive!”

  T
hey eased her onto a gurney, and one whisked her out of the party area and down toward medical.

  Alphy watched the rest of her friends receive assistance or be covered for later transport, and then, she switched her view to the body in medical.

  Lucky had gotten the worst of the blast, face and hands had been ravaged, but she still reached out and whispered to her medic, pointing at Alphy.

  This was where your friends ordered you to be put in stasis for later repair. While you slept, the medics did what they could, but you were shattered. The blast wave crushed you, leaving only your brain and spine intact. The shape of the charge had been such that you ended up with the most damage of any of the survivors.

  The footage whirled through a rapid buzzing of bodies around her. Lucky with two silver hands and a face to match was doing a lot of work at Alphy’s bedside. Cracker pushed herself along in a wheelchair and read to Alphy while she slept.

  Finally, the image of the two holding each other as they sobbed was the last on that ship as Alphy’s stasis chamber was removed and settled in a shuttle.

  The station that she currently resided on was the next stop. The courier loaded her into the med bay and left her, flying back to his dispatch centre.

  Images of the station took over. Alphy wanted to gag, but it was fascinating as a series of nanites were poured over her body, dissolving flesh and bone. It was a smaller version of the tank that the guys floated in. She was in a tank built for one.

  We are in contact with you now, linking you to the station. The process was laborious as we didn’t want to alarm you or overload your system. The nanites were creating new pathways for your brain, and we tried to calm your frantic thoughts. You were in shock, panicked. You wanted to run, to fight, to find those you loved, but there was no way to do it. Eventually, after a few weeks, you were ready to join us in our tank.

  She watched as the tank was transported by bots through the station with extreme care. The scene reminded her of transporting fish into a new tank.

  Her tank was lowered on a sinking panel of smooth decking at the edge of the tank. A barrier was between her unit and the swirling, living metal beyond. At some unseen signal, the barrier opened, and her tank was surrounded by the maintenance nanites that took care of the Triad.

  The tank disappeared, and her brain and spinal cord were gently eased into the main area of the pool.

  Wait to see what happened five days later. Trell was amused.

  The images went faster until there was a ripple on the surface of the pool. The ripple moved again until it was obvious that something was cruising below the silvery surface.

  When a hand shot out of the pool, Alphy gasped. The silver appendage moved and grabbed the edge of the large tank. Another hand reached out and pulled on the barrier’s edge.

  Alphy watched herself emerge, silver skin and completely dry. The face that she knew so well frowned as it looked at her skin. The silver faded to her normal yellow-pink. Her hair flowed to her standard length, and her eyes took on their golden-brown hue. She was normal and naked.

  “I remember that. You said that I wandered away from medical.”

  You sort of did. You reprogrammed your nanites to build you a body, and that is what they are doing. You don’t need to eat, but you do. Every item that you consume is broken down and used to slowly build a new body from the inside out. In ten years, you will be half organic once again, if you wish to be. Onic’s tone was calm.

  “So, what you are saying is I am more machine than woman right now, and that my body didn’t survive the blast.”

  Duss added his sober observation. You were pulverized. Your bones were jelly, and your circulatory system was ineffective. Left unaided, you would have been dead in hours or even minutes. Your friends saved you and provided you with the nanites that kept you from degrading into nothing. I am guessing that the programming your friend added to your systems assisted in your rise from the pool.

  Alphy felt herself smile, “With the right nanites, Lucky could program the devil himself.”

  I would like her to visit here one day. Perhaps we could all share in your skill at gathering and reprogramming nanites as bodies. Onic chuckled.

  “I am pretty sure she would love to check out your data points; however, I still need to know why the Splice came to visit. They seemed to be tracking me.”

  I believe that your communication, coded though it was, led them here via the signal. They weren’t following the information; they were following the data. Trell was grim.

  “It makes sense, but it doesn’t feel right. It was almost as if they were looking for me.”

  Onic agreed. Perhaps they were. The Splice that initially captured you might have put you on a watch list after they altered you. They didn’t send any signals after they landed, but on reviewing the video, they knew you when they saw you. They wanted to bring you in alive.

  She grinned and dug her fingers into the edge of the cradle. “Knowing what I know now, they are not going to get nearly as far as they did if they try it again. I can and will defend myself to the fullest extent, and now that I know I am not human... I don’t need to act that way.”

  There was no response from the Triad. She chuckled. “Now, what are we going to do to the ship?”

  In her mind, the three brains in the nanite fluid told her what they needed her to do, and now, she could actually do it with a bit of enjoyment.

  “So, Lexo, how is the ship?”

  He looked up from a monitor and smiled. “We are on trajectory. How are you feeling?”

  She laughed, walking up to him and giving him a quick kiss. “I am doing great. Would you like the ship to move a little faster?”

  Lexo blinked. “You know how to achieve it?”

  She grinned. “Come with me. You need to get somewhere safe.”

  She linked her arm with his and pulled him out of the command centre. He came along without much resistance.

  “What is about to happen?”

  “Well, you know how some corridors lead to nowher, and others end in dangerous areas over empty spaces?”

  “Yes.”

  “That is about to change, but I need to put you in a space where you will have oxygen and an unaltered configuration.”

  “So, this ship is going to rearrange itself.” He nodded. “It makes a certain amount of sense considering the design.”

  “I am glad you think so. The guys gave me the final pattern, and I was always good at puzzles. This is going to take a few hours, so I got you some ration packs, water, and there is a lav available if you need it.”

  Lexo paused, and she stopped.

  He turned her to look at him. “You are really going to move the ship? All on your own?”

  Alphy smiled at him. “This is something I can do. It is just a matter of filling the existing structure into its appropriate place. I just need to keep you safe, or Stitch would never forgive me.”

  Lexo scowled. “Are you in any danger?”

  “No. You will be able to see as I link completely to the ship. It should be quite a show.”

  “No matter what they ask you to do, be safe first and foremost.” Lexo leaned down and kissed her softly.

  She sighed against his mouth and leaned into him. With all her senses, she recorded this moment—when he knew what she was and he wanted her anyway. There was no better aphrodisiac in the universe.

  * * * *

  Lexo watched from the sidelines as Alphy stepped into position near her cradle. Instead of lying down, a beam of light emerged from the deck beneath her feet, and she rose into the air.

  The main lights of the ship went down, leaving only the glow of the emergency lighting and the brilliant pillar that Alphy danced in, and what a dance it was.

  He had gone to the ballet when he was back on Earth, but this wasn’t that formulaic. Her limbs moved and twisted, swayed and straightened, her position in the beam varied from ten to forty feet in the air.


  Once she had shut off the power, her movements became controlled and strong. She thrust her hands, out and he heard metal move against metal in the silence of the ship.

  Silence. She had shut down the engines. They were gliding on momentum alone. It wouldn’t be a problem unless they got too close to a planet or other gravitational body, and he hoped that the feedback she was getting was sufficient to keep them out of trouble.

  Hours went by, but he didn’t look away. When the lighting came back on and the low hum of the engine coolant systems resumed, he watched her carefully.

  The light around her flickered, and she descended at a more rapid pace than he liked. He ran to the dais and caught her before she collapsed to the decking.

  She opened her eyes, and the silver of her irises gave way to golden brown. “You have gotta see what the ship looks like. It is fucking amazing.”

  He didn’t have a chance to reply, his little cyborg was unconscious in his arms.

  Lexo straightened and started to walk to medical when Alphy smiled brightly and leaned her head against his chest.

  “Sorry about that. I had to reboot. That event took a lot of energy.” She sighed. “That was definitely not in my job description.”

  Lexo looked down at her and kept her against him while changing his course and heading toward the command centre. “Are you sure? That was the epitome of administration if ever I saw it. You just filed a ship.”

  She was still giggling when they entered the bridge, and then, she laughed at the expression that must have been on his face.

  Surrounding him was the most user-friendly and well-appointed captain’s chair, as well as navigation, scanner stations, and weapon’s command. It was every pilot’s dream, and she had given it to him.

  Lexo looked down at her and settled her in the captain’s chair. He settled in at the navigation station and ran his hands over the controls, setting their course to resume and altering the acceleration and deceleration programs.