I sighed and walked to where Acer lay. I ran my fingers over his temple, trying my best to not let the sight of his still frame upset me. I met Dax’s green gaze. “Because he’s not like you. Acer was never given a chance to be fully functional.”
Dax frowned. “The parts of his frame absent synthetic skin should no way hinder his functionality.”
I tapped the side of his smooth skull. Dax jerked his head back. I could imagine his circuits spinning. “Wait. That’s not all he’s missing.” His eyes narrowed on Dr. Shaw. “What have you been hiding?”
Dr. Shaw met his gaze as remorse burned in her eyes. “Acer’s core programming was never completed. My decision to remove him from his vat early didn’t allow enough time for full development.”
Dax’s jaw fell open. “That is why you wouldn’t allow me to ever examine him. You hid this from all of us. From me. I could have helped you fix him; instead, you kept me in the dark like everyone else. Why?”
Dr. Shaw hung her head. “I was ashamed.” She let out a deep breath. “Acer didn’t appear to be getting worse, so I let him be. You know he never wanted anyone near him. I allowed him his space. It was the only thing I could give him all these years.”
Dax walked over and joined me. He looked down at Acer, an unreadable expression on his face. “Acer has always been particularly sensitive about his appearance, but I never suspected there was something else going on. He always stayed away from all the other cyborgs. He avoided us. Now, I know why. It wasn’t just his appearance. If anyone would have found out...” He scratched his jaw, openly staring at Acer. “Reaper? I know him. That Military Model would have never let him stay. Where would he have gone? He had no one but us.” He pressed his lips together and placed his hand over mine, the one resting on Acer.
“You are correct, Ms. Marley. He deserves a chance at being a fully functional. If, after we fix him, he’s still an asshole, then we may have a problem.” He flashed me a grin, and I let myself enjoy his smile for a moment. There was the Dax I knew.
I smiled softly. “Thanks, Dax. Not sure we will have to worry about him being an asshole. He might not remember he used to be one.” My smile faltered, cold, cruel reality sinking in. “The process to fix him is a complete wipe of his processors.”
Dax swayed on his feet as he blinked rapidly. “But...” he stopped and shook his head. “He could be a completely new cyborg.”
“A new cyborg is better than a dead one.”
Dax nodded solemnly.
The doors to the lab swung open, and Viper stepped through. He glanced at Rust then his gaze fell on all of us gathered around Acer’s exam table. “Reaper informed me what was going on.” In two strides he was by my side. “You were the first human I called my friend. Friends are there for each other. What kind of friend would I be if I allowed you to go through this alone?” He took my free hand in his and held on tight, Dax gasped loudly.
“Shut it, Science Model. My issues are not up for discussion. Marley needs me. So here I am.”
Dax quickly agreed with a nod of his head.
“And I am lucky to have you, Viper. Thank you.” I squeezed his hand and watched for any sign he didn’t want my touch. Everyone acted surprised when he touched me. I figured out that Viper was maybe not one of the touchy-feely cyborgs around here. Not that I knew many of those, but I didn’t understand their reactions. Not that it mattered. Viper was here for me. That was all that mattered to me.
I gave his hand another squeeze. “I am ready. Let’s fix my cyborg.”
Chapter Twenty
*Acer*
Awareness flooded my processors and my frame jolted. Coming online was like being born. A thousand new sensations striking you from every direction, overwhelming and incredible. Bright lights where there had once been only darkness. A chorus of noise where there had once been only silence. A million spinning circuits awakening to greet the world.
I blinked. The harsh light above me aggravated my visual systems, and for a moment, the world blurred then came into focus revealing a stunning female hovering above me.
“Welcome back,” she said softly. Her hand reached towards my face but then stopped. I watched her hand fall away and disappointment gripped me. Was something wrong with me? Did she find me lacking in some way?
I searched my processors for some type of answer but came up with nothing but blank space. I looked at her, hoping she would be able to help me.
“What is my purpose?” I asked.
She bit her lip as her eyebrows drew together. “Do you know who you are?”
I nodded, pride filled my circuits. This was something I knew. “I am a cyborg.” I scanned my programming. “I am a prototype model designed to help other cyborgs.” So, I do have a purpose. I smiled. “Does a cyborg require my help?” I was eager to start. I felt ready. I felt more than ready. My processors were spinning with all the ways I could be of service. I beamed at the human female. She would be happy I now understood my purpose.
The female didn’t return my smile; instead, her eyes grew watery. “Do you know who I am?” Her breaths became rapid as sweat beaded on her temple. I tracked it’s path down her cheek and my heart began a to pound a frantic beat inside my chest. Something about this female was causing a flood of new sensations inside my circuits. I didn’t like the water in her eyes or the quick sound of her breathing. The look on her face wasn’t happy.
A wave of panic filled my processors. “You are a human female.” I gave the only answer I knew.
The water in her eyes started to spill down her cheeks. Tears. I had made the human female cry. Guilt twisted inside my gut. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, but somehow my answer had caused her pain. I didn’t understand why the sight of her pain bothered me. I just came online. I couldn’t remember ever seeing her before now. What had I done?
“That is what I am,” she whispered.
It wasn’t. She was something else. Why couldn’t I remember?
She took a step away from me, and my circuits wanted to howl. I sat up, ignoring the part of my programming that told me I hadn’t been given the command to do so. The other part of my programming was stronger. That part didn’t want her to go. It needed her to stay, to remain by my side.
“Wait! Don’t go!” I swung my feet over the table, ready to leap down and follow her.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. “Give her a moment.” My head spun around and discovered another female standing beside a green cyborg. Science Model, my processors supplied.
“But...” I closed my mouth. I didn’t know what to say. A blur of purple rushed past me and chased after the female. No one stopped him. Anger churned in my circuits when the blur became a Technology Model cyborg who showed no hesitation as he gathered the female up in his arms. When the female offered no resistance my processors spiraled into chaos.
Error! Error! Error! They chanted.
I grabbed the hand, ready to tear it from my shoulder when a flash of metal stopped me.
It was my hand—uncovered, unfinished. All my circuits and wires on display for the world to see. I checked the other hand and discovered it was the same. I lifted my fingers to my face and horror washed through me when I felt smooth, cool metal under my fingertips. No wonder the female had fled. I was an abomination.
“Fix me,” I cried out to the female, holding out my hands I pleaded with her with my gaze. “Please.” I begged softly.
*Marley*
The sobs started as soon I buried my face in Viper’s neck. My worst fear had come true. The wipe had worked. Every trace of the virus eliminated and Acer’s core programming reinstalled. The complete program this time around. My cyborg would never suffer from a partial program code again.
My cyborg. The words taunted me like a sick joke.
The truth was, he was no longer my cyborg. Every one of my cyborg’s memories wiped clean—every trace, every shared memory vanishing like a puff of smoke. I reached for him, my heart and soul calling to his, but the bond was gone.
/> My breathing hitched as my tears drenched Viper’s shoulder.
Every cell in my body screamed out for Acer. A chorus of agony battered my soul, clawing at my heart like a desperate beast threatening to rip me apart. I clung to Viper like a girl drowning, his strong arms the only thing that kept my head above water.
Then I heard Acer’s plea. My arms fell from around Viper’s neck, and when my eyes landed on Acer, the pure horror and confusion on his face almost brought me to my knees.
“Fix me,” he repeated; his gaze darted between me and his outstretched metallic arms. Dr. Shaw and Dax stayed by his exam table. He could have made his plea to either of them. He hadn’t. He had called out to me. Could it be that somewhere inside of him a small part of the cyborg I loved still remained? Why call for me to help when Dax and Dr. Shaw were closer? His gold eyes fixed on me. His eyes revealed the truth. He needed me. He wanted me.
I reached for his outstretched hands and slipped my fingers through his. My thumb stroked his. He relaxed into my touch. “You don’t need to be fixed.” I offered gently.
“But I don’t look like the other cyborgs.” His eyes roamed over Dax’s and Viper’s frames. “I am incomplete.”
I let go of one of his hands and ran my fingers over the face I knew so well. “What you are is perfect.”
His gold eyes widened. “You didn’t flee due to the sight of me?”
The question broke my heart. I shook my head furiously. “I always liked the sight of you.”
His free hand found my cheek. His touch barely grazed my skin as if he gave me the ability to pull away if I wanted. I leaned into his palm, and his eyes flashed. “Who are you?”
“Someone who likes you just the way you are. You are, and have always been, my Sunshine.”
He wiped away the tears lingering on my cheeks. “I don’t remember you,” his fingers traced the contours of my face, “But I want to.”
Chapter Twenty-One
*Acer*
The female smiled at me, and my processors lit up. Every circuit sang with joy, knowing I brought happiness to her face. Her tears nearly crushed me, yet I didn’t even know her name.
“Marley?” The Science Model spoke her name, and she turned towards him. “Maybe you would like to return Acer to his quarters? He will need someone to watch him overnight, but I trust you can handle that. You aren’t as brilliant as I am, but for a human you are acceptable.”
Marley rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Dax.”
Marley. Her name ghosted along my wires and made my circuits sing. The Science Model, Dax, had called me Acer. My processors didn’t seem to disagree so Acer it was.
“Call if there are any problems. I need to check on Rust.” Dax walked over to a red cyborg lying on another exam table.
I looked at Marley. “What happened to him?”
The woman next to Marley answered for her. “He was injured.”
Curiosity ate up my circuits. “By who?” A nagging feeling said I should know this, too.
The woman and Marley exchanged worried glances. Marley’s arm landed on mine. “It was you, Acer.”
Shock invaded my processors. I shook my head. “No! I wouldn’t do that! My job is to help other cyborgs. Not hurt them!” I leapt in front of the table and started pacing. Why would Marley lie to me? The truth hit me like a freight train. She wouldn’t. Deep down inside my circuits, something told me she would never lie to me. I stopped pacing.
“Why?” I exhaled a breath, a wave of dizziness swept through my frame.
Marley reached for my hand. “You were sick.”
I frowned. “But cyborgs don’t get sick.”
“Normally, that is true, Acer.” The woman standing beside Marley said. “But you were missing parts of your core programming. That allowed a virus to invade your systems. To fix you, we had to wipe your processors, install a complete core program, and reboot your systems.”
Realization dawned. “That’s why I can’t remember.” Panic rose. How many memories had I lost? Who was the cyborg I had been before? “How much,” My voice broke. “How much of me did you erase?”
Tears gathered in the woman’s eyes. “All of it.”
Marley grasped my hand tighter and tried pulling me closer. “It was the only way to save you.”
I tugged my hand free and backed away from them both. The instinct to flee hit my processors hard, but I couldn’t remember where I lived. My hands curled into fists. “Please take me to my quarters.”
Marley gazed at me sadly. “Okay Acer. Follow me.”
As I passed by the red cyborg, my steps faltered. Dax brought the Medical Model online. Dax had called the cyborg Rust. The name fit. I moved to get a closer look.
My body froze, the hard thud of my heart began to beat against my chest. I shuddered at the sight before my eyes. A massive dent the size of a fist decorated his skull. One eye had new wires attached which showed damage had been so severe the wiring needed replacing.
His face was missing huge patches of red skin. My hands automatically lifted to my own face, feeling where flesh met metal. Rust would now be like me. His frame exposed for all the world to see. The thought of how much damage I had caused him made my stomach heave.
I took a step closer to the exam table. Dax’s frame tensed, ready to defend the red cyborg. I watched as Rust’s eyes grew wide and fear flashed across them. I took a few steps back and held my hands in front of me to show I wasn’t a threat. “I’m sorry.” My voice came out barely louder than a whisper. I didn’t wait for a replay. I marched to the door and fled out into the open hallway.
I looked left and then right, willing my processors to give some sign which direction I should go, but they were silent. I leaned my frame against the wall and sucked in a sharp breath. I dropped my head and stared at the floor. I had no clue who I was or where I belonged.
A hand landed on my arm, and I lifted my head. Green eyes watched me warily. Marley’s touch was light, her palm barley rested on my arm. “Let me take you to your quarters.”
I nodded numbly and followed Marley down the hall in silence. After a bit of a walk, I found myself standing in front of a door I didn’t recognize.
“This is it.” She grabbed the handle and gave it a twist, pushing the door open to reveal an almost empty room. There was a single couch and entertainment screen mounted on the wall. No decorations. No image files placed around the room. Except for the black hoodie tossed over the back of the couch, I would have thought no one lived here.
A small kitchen was attached to the living space through an opening in the wall. I stepped inside and noticed a hallway to the right that led away from the living area.
Marley stepped in behind me. She pointed in the direction of the hallway. “At the end of the hall is two bedrooms and a bath.” Cyborgs didn’t need either, so I guessed this place must have been designed for humans.
I turned to Marley. “Did I get robbed at some point?”
Her brows knitted together. A frown appeared on her lips. “I don’t think so. I mean I haven’t been staying with you for that long, but you never mentioned a robbery to me. Granted, we have been occupied with other things, so maybe it’s possible.” She looked around the empty space. “Or maybe you aren’t a big decorator.” She offered me a smile.
“You stay with me? Here?” Shock laced my words. This was no place for a female. Wait, did I know what a suitable place for a female even was? I searched my databanks.
Images of beautifully decorated spaces filled my processors. Lavish furnishings and glorious splashes of color cycled through my head. Image files of other humans adorned the walls. Photos of humans smiling and hugging each other, some kissing and others held a single image of a very small human at variously stages of development.
Children.
Cyborgs didn’t create children.
The image of a small, yellow female with long hair the color of honey invaded my processors. Bright green eyes stared at me with pure love as tiny yellow arm
s reached out for me. The image vanished leaving me with a deep sense of loss.
The idea I wanted a child was shocking enough but knowing I wanted it with the female currently sharing my living space had me reeling. I couldn’t recall a single interaction between us, but my processors were daydreaming about creating life with her.
“Acer?” Marley gently tapped the side of my head. “You okay in there? Do we need to go back and see Dax?”
I shook my head. “No.” I made a quick decision to not inform her of my wayward thoughts. I settled on the safer topic. “These quarters don’t seem very suitable for a female. Wouldn’t you rather have a space more colorful and inviting?”
She shrugged. “I guess I don’t really care much what it looks like. You were here. That was the only thing that mattered to me. Besides, this is an upgrade from the last place I stayed, trust me.” A haunted look swept over her face, but before I could ask, it vanished.
“If you want me to start staying somewhere else, I completely understand,” she volunteered. “You don’t know me. You came online and saw a strange girl hovering over you. Then you learned that girl had a part in wiping away your past. I don’t regret it, Acer. It saved your life.” She let out a deep sigh. “But I won’t push you into something you aren’t ready for. I’m a stranger to you.” She stopped and wrapped her arms around herself. “And you wear a face I know so well, yet what’s now going on in those processors of yours is a mystery.”
How would it feel to look at a face you know so well but know underneath it was a stranger? I had no frame of reference to answer that question accurately but the sight of her comforting herself upset my processors. I couldn’t name the pull, but it was there. It hid beneath my circuits and coursed through my wires. I reached out and took her hand. “My programming tells me I am a cyborg. It defines what my purpose is. I can identify other types of cyborgs. I can process and access mountains of data. None of that helps me when it comes to you.” My shoulders slumped. “I am sorry I am no longer the cyborg you knew.” I hung my head, unable to hold her gaze.
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