The Magnificent Cyborg

by Honey Phillips

  As she turned around, he felt him shiver again and then his body went limp. For a moment, fear stopped her heart, but then she realized she could feel his chest rising and falling beneath her hand and hear him breathing. Her gaze lifted to his face—his eyes were closed, his expression relaxed, and she realized that he was asleep. She didn’t remember him ever falling asleep so quickly, but it had been a long time and he had obviously been in distress when she came to him. Sitting back on her heels, she tried to suppress a disgruntled sigh. She had really hoped that they could talk. Still, she supposed that tomorrow would be soon enough.

  She would have liked to stay with him, but his big body took up most of the air mattress and she wasn’t quite ready to share their newfound relationship with anyone else. Dropping a soft kiss on his lips, she made her way back to her own mattress, and this time, she had no problem falling asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  W-246 awoke from a confused dream of heat, both the painful heat caused by his nanites as they healed him and the pleasurable heat of desire. The dome was quiet, with only the faintest pale light streaming through the windows to indicate the coming of the Martian dawn. His cock ached, still hard from the fragments of his dream, and he reached down absently to tug at it. To his shock, his pants were open and his shaft felt sticky and tender.

  Fuck. What had he done? Had he pleasured himself in his sleep with Cherry so close by?

  He supposed it was possible. He didn’t seem to sleep like the other cyborgs—they needed little rest and always seem to be aware of what was happening around them—whereas he had long periods of unconsciousness. But this was new. He didn’t think he had ever jerked off in his sleep before. Hastily tucking himself away, he made his way to the sanitary unit, pausing to look down on Cherry.

  God, she was beautiful. Her covers had slipped down to reveal creamy shoulders and the hint of a taut red nipple beneath her tumbled curls. The sight looked oddly familiar, and he could clearly imagine her opening her eyes and giving him a slow, sensual smile. She shifted in her sleep, and he caught the scent of her arousal and wondered if she was dreaming of him. His mouth watered at the thought and he could have sworn that he tasted her on his lips. No wonder his unconscious body had responded to her.

  He wanted to wake her, to apologize again, to ask her if they could start over, but they would have a long day and she needed her rest. He would wait, no matter how impatiently.

  When he returned, he heard Clint laughing from the bedroom module and realized that everyone would soon be stirring. He bent down to pull up Cherry’s covers and as his fingers brushed her shoulder, she woke up, giving him the exact smile he had envisioned.

  “Good morning, Wyatt.” She stretched lazily and his mouth went dry as the full breast he had just covered peeked out again.

  “Good morning, Cherry. As much as I hate to suggest it, you might want to cover up. I think Clint and Jo are awake.”

  Her face went pale.

  “Cherry? Why are you calling me that?” she whispered, and he gave her a puzzled look.

  “Because that’s your name, darlin’. What’s wrong?”

  “I thought…” Small white teeth climbed down on a full lower lip. “Do you remember last night?”

  Fuck. She must have heard him last night, or even worse, seen him. And even though the thought of her watching him sent a bolt of arousal straight to his cock, he hated the thought that he might have embarrassed her. It was probably best just to pretend it never happened.

  “No, can’t say that I do.” He did his best to give a casual shrug. “I sleep like the dead.”

  “The dead?” An odd laugh escaped her lips. “I guess that’s right. And the dead don’t come back to life.”

  “Are you all right?” She still looked much too pale for his liking, the rosy glow of sleep replaced by that disturbing pallor.

  “I’m fine. I’m always fine.” Wrapping her covers around her, she ignored his outstretched hand and climbed to her feet, disappearing into the sanitary facility.

  Despite her words, she was still pale and silent during breakfast, although she recovered enough to give Jo a warm hug as she thanked her for her hospitality.

  “Will you stop by on the way back?” Jo asked.

  “I don’t know. If nothing is wrong, I might just stay with Tom and Esme for a few days and then have Tom bring me back to town. I don’t want to trouble W-246 any longer than necessary.”

  She wasn’t looking at him and he bit back his instinctive protest. There was no reason for her to go anywhere with another man. Had he really traumatized her that much the previous night? He wished he could remember but when he tried to do so, he saw a hazy image of a woman smiling up at him, Cherry and yet not Cherry, before the familiar wave of agony spiked through his skull.

  “Something wrong?” Clint asked quietly as they walked outside to release Maverick.

  “This damn head injury.”

  “It still bothers you?” The other man frowned at him. “Our nanites are usually pretty efficient at healing wounds.”

  He made a face as Maverick pranced out of his stall. The horse pawed impatiently at the ground, then abruptly quieted, coming to a halt at his side. He leaned gratefully against him as his head continued to burn.

  “Not this one. And the heat from the healing hurts almost as much as the wound.”

  “I only know of one other cyborg that has that problem. Do you mind if I examine your head?”

  He shrugged. He knew the other man’s cybernetic eyes had a wide range of vision capabilities.

  “Go ahead.”

  Clint’s red gaze focused on his head and he found it oddly disturbing to know that the man was actually looking inside his skull. Finally, the other man stepped back and rubbed his chin.

  “There’s something there.”

  “I know. I had a head injury so it’s hardly surprising.”

  Clint ignored him, frowning thoughtfully into the distance.

  “When most of us were injured, our wounded parts were replaced and our nanites adapted to the new components. The exception is when a foreign body is introduced—something that isn’t a replacement for an actual body part.”

  “What did you see?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s very small, but it looks like some type of electrical circuit.”

  He hated the idea that there was something inside him that was not a part of him but perhaps he was being foolish. The injuries to his chest had been replaced so seamlessly that his cyborg part was only distinguishable by the color of his skin. Clint’s eyes were obviously cybernetic, but they didn’t seem to bother the man. He forced himself to shrug again.

  “No point in worrying about it now.” He managed a grin. “It’s not like I’m going back to Earth for a checkup.”

  “Hell no.” Clint looked out over his neat homestead, the orange desert landscape, and the craggy mountains surrounding them and nodded with satisfaction. “This is our home now. And I hope soon we will be in complete control of our destiny.”

  “I hope so. To revolution.”

  The words rang in his head, triggering another spike of pain, but he ignored it as Clint grinned and even Maverick appeared to nod in agreement.

  “Is something wrong?” Jo whispered to Cherry as soon as the men went outside.

  “No, everything is fine.”

  “You know, I don’t believe that for a minute.”

  “Apparently my talent for smooth platitudes is failing me,” she said with a sigh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so on edge. Or more accurately, she could, and the cause had been the same. Wyatt.

  “Do you want to stay here? Let Wyatt go ahead and investigate? You’re more than welcome.”

  “Thank you, but no. I really do want to make sure that Esme is all right.”

  “Cherry, I know this is none of my business, but I resisted Clint for a long time. I was determined to prove that I could do everything on my own.” Jo’s lips curved in a reminis
cent smile. “He was very patient with me. I suspect you already know that you can take care of yourself, but maybe you’ve forgotten that it’s also really nice to have someone at your side. So what if he doesn’t remember the past? This is a new planet. A chance for new beginnings. Isn’t that why we’re all here?”

  Jo’s words echoed her thoughts from the previous day. She had come here for a new beginning. Had she brought too much of the past with her?

  Pushing the question aside for now, she hugged Jo again, put on her mask and coat, and went to join Wyatt. He didn’t offer to hold her in his lap she noticed, but he assisted her onto Maverick with the same courtesy as the previous day. She didn’t feel like making conversation and to her relief, he was equally silent. Jo’s words replayed in her mind. Could they make a new beginning? She had a lot of practice in forgetting the past and looking ahead. The attraction between them was certainly as potent as ever.

  Something that felt suspiciously like hope flickered through her mind and she gradually found herself softening into his arms. Unlike the previous day, Wyatt hadn’t pulled her against him, but she felt his muscles relax as she leaned back. Determined to focus on the future, she turned her attention to her surroundings.

  Jo and Clint’s place had already disappeared behind them as Maverick kept up a steady trot. His path headed for the mountain range lining one side of the valley.

  “I thought Tom had a homestead claim, not a mine,” she said and felt him relax even more when she spoke.

  “He does. There’s a pass up here that leads through a smaller valley. The land is flatter and should make a good base for farming once the soil is treated.”

  “Esme as a farmer’s wife.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe it.”

  “Did you know that he filed for a second claim when they got married? In her name?”

  “No, but I’m not really surprised. I think he’s going to try his best to be a good husband.” Despite her best efforts, the words came out with a bitter edge.

  “Why do you sound so doubtful?”

  “Let’s just say that I’m not very optimistic about marriage.”

  “Have you been married?”

  The question was like an arrow through her heart, and it took her a moment to compose herself.

  “Oh, yes. Several times,” she said finally, trying her best to sound light-hearted, but she couldn’t force herself to ask him the same question. She couldn’t bear to hear him deny her yet again.

  “Were they all bastards?” he asked.

  A startled laugh escaped her lips. “Not all the time.”

  “I’m sorry, Cherry. You deserve better.”

  I had better, she wanted to cry, but she kept her mouth firmly closed. This looking to the future thing would be a lot easier if he didn’t keep bringing up the past.

  “I know that claiming a homestead means you have to live on it for five years,” she said, changing the subject. “But what else is involved?”

  Wyatt proved surprisingly knowledgeable about the prospect of farming on Mars and he was soon waxing rhapsodically about lichen planting and greenhouses and manure.

  “You know a lot about it,” she said when he finally wound down.

  “I did a lot of reading when I was up at the ice cap. There wasn’t much else to do except keep the robots functioning.”

  “Did you have Maverick up there?”

  “No. I had a machine designed for transport over the ice.” He leaned forward and patted the horse. “He’s a much more interesting companion.”

  “I’m sure he is. Tell me what it was like up there.”

  “Cold. Lonely.” She shivered and his arms tightened around her. “But it was satisfying too—seeing the power plants get built and start processing the ice, start changing the planet. And it had its own kind of beauty—endless miles of ice with the sky arching over them, full of millions of stars.”

  He laughed. “It probably sounds odd to think of a place like that as beautiful.”

  “No,” she said softly, remembering their first encounter overlooking the city and the lights through the smog. “It doesn’t sound odd at all.”

  Chapter Eleven

  W-246 still wasn’t entirely sure why Cherry had started the day so pale and distant—if she had witnessed him touching himself, he would have expected her to be amused rather than offended—but relief filled him when she finally relaxed and began talking to him again. There were still odd moments of tension between them, but she seemed willing to ignore them.

  A couple of hours into the ride, he insisted they stop for a break and something to eat. He noticed that her legs shook when she dismounted and that she winced when it was time to continue. Without giving her a chance to object, he swept her up in his arms and seated her sideways across his lap the way Clint had suggested. For a moment, she held herself stiffly and he was afraid she was going to complain, but then she sighed and nestled against him. God, she felt good there, right.

  They talked less as the journey continued and at one point he looked down and realized she was asleep. Behind the breathing mask, her face looked oddly vulnerable, stripped of her usual defenses. He carefully tucked her closer, his chest aching.

  She woke up just as they reached the secluded valley at the end of the pass. He paused there to survey the territory. The floor of the valley was unusually level, interrupted only by a few large rock outcroppings that sprang out of the sand like huge, misshapen building blocks. As he scanned the area, he thought he caught a flash of light from one of the rock formations, but when he looked again, he saw nothing. A trick of the sunlight perhaps.

  The track through the pass continued across the valley and exited through another opening on the far side, leading eventually to some of the large mining sites. But Tom’s claim was nestled against the far end and he turned off the main path and headed in that direction, following the fainter track that lingered in the orange sand. Cherry smiled approvingly as they rode along.

  “I like this place. It seems more… cozy than the big valley. More homey.”

  “It’s an excellent strategic location,” he agreed. “There’s even some talk of building a second town out here. It’s on the way to the northern mines and would make a good way station.”

  “I’m talking landscapes and you’re talking strategy.” She laughed. “You were always such a soldier.”

  Her words echoed in his ears, uncomfortably familiar. His head began to ache.

  “You say that like you know me.”

  She tensed and looked away from him. “I told you that we met before.”

  “Meeting someone doesn’t mean that you know them. Just how well did we know each other, darlin’?” And why couldn’t he remember?

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Her body had stiffened again, but he couldn’t let it drop.

  “Why not? Did I do something terrible to you?”

  “No,” she said softly. “Nothing terrible.”

  Before he could press her for additional information, she pointed ahead of them. “There are buildings up there. Is that their homestead?”

  “Yes, it is.” He signaled to Maverick to halt as he surveyed the property. Eight greenhouses were arranged in a neat line leading up to the habitat. The living quarters consisted of two large domes and several smaller ones, all connected by a transparent module filled with greenery. Everything looked prosperous and quiet, almost too quiet. At this time of day, he would have expected to see some signs of activity. He extended his senses as much as possible but heard only the whistle of the wind. A chill ran up his spine, and he suddenly regretted agreeing to bring Cherry with him. He would never forgive himself if he had put her in danger.

  “I’m sure everything is fine,” he said slowly, “but I want you to wait here while I investigate.”

  He half-expected her to object but she only nodded, giving him a solemn look.

  “Just be careful. Please, Wyatt.”

  Unable to resist, he bent dow
n and kissed her even while he kept his eyes on his surroundings. Then he placed her astride once more, dismounted, and led Maverick into the shelter of some nearby rocks. Neither Cherry nor the horse would be visible from the habitat.

  “If anything happens to me, retrace today’s journey,” he ordered the horse.

  Maverick dipped his head. The mechanical animals were programmed to answer to voice commands and yet, seeing him respond was somehow comforting. He didn’t feel quite as much as if he were abandoning Cherry.

  “Do you know how to use a gun?”

  She silently reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small Derringer. He had no idea she had been carrying it.

  “I’m always prepared.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, darlin’.”

  He flashed her a grin and her lips curved. The small gun disappeared back into her pocket and she clenched her hands on the built-in saddle.

  “Go on now. Find out what happened to my girl.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He tipped his hat and headed for the habitat, making his way through the rocks until he was well away from Cherry’s hiding place. As soon as he reached a suitable distance, he emerged onto the desert floor and walked directly to the cluster of buildings. He kept a steady pace, but he made no attempt to run or to conceal himself. If someone were concealed within, they would know he was coming.

  As he passed the transport shed, he automatically noted the vehicles within—one of the big six-wheeled rovers used for the transportation of people and goods and a smaller rover designed for shorter trips. A third bay was empty. Was there a missing vehicle or had the shed simply been built to allow for expansion?

  When he arrived at the airlock to enter the habitat, he knocked sharply to indicate his presence but, as he already expected, there was no response. When he tried the handle, the door was unlocked. He walked inside, not bothering to keep silent. The air inside held no indication of any living being but he checked each of the modules thoroughly. Nothing was disturbed, nothing was even out of place. Except…