“That name actually causes me intense pain. I’m Cyan now.” She met his stare. “I don’t want to hold on to anything from that life anymore. The one good thing she ever did has turned out to be a sad, horrible thing.”
His mouth opened but she held up her hand to silence him.
“Don’t. You can’t excuse what you’ve done. Don’t tell Mavo I’m here. I don’t want to cause him any more pain and I’m so angry that I’d say things that will shred him if he’s half the man he used to be. I shouldn’t have ever told any of you anything but seeing that tall, scarred cyborg made me stop protecting myself because I knew who he was. I hoped something from my past remained—a friend—but I don’t have any. Not here, not with your kind, and I just want to be alone. Lock me up and throw away the key. Just don’t think I’ll allow you to force me to make more cyborgs. It won’t happen.”
Zorus hesitated. “No male will force you. I’ll make sure of that.”
Cyan watched Zorus turn and leave her room. Her eyes closed and she sank back against the pillows of the bed. She fought the urge to curl up onto her side and have a good cry. The “history lesson” had left her with a migraine. At least Mavo had survived, they’d been friends, and she’d loved him. That had to be enough to make up for the horrors she’d uncovered. He might live in a screwed-up society but he had escaped from Earth.
* * * * *
Anger burned through Krell as he glared at Zorus, who had buzzed at his front door to request admittance. He stood in the open doorway to block the man from entering him home. “What do you want?”
“I came from Medical.”
“I don’t want to discuss that treacherous spy. I didn’t harm her leg. I admit I lost my temper when she mentioned Mavo’s name but she touched me first. It was unnerving and I couldn’t gauge her honesty for some reason until I realized she’s not human. I was careful not to cause real harm with my rough treatment of her. I judged her weight and height, and adjusted the force I used so I wouldn’t break any of her bones when I threw her. I made sure she’d land without severe damage. I only wanted to shake her up.”
“I’m not here about that.”
“What are you doing here? You’re off duty. You promised your female, Charlie, no business during your honeymoon.”
“Charlie understood when I explained after the council informed me of the female’s unknown origins. I wanted to see and speak to her myself. I did that and now I’m here.”
“Why? You have no reason to chew me out for the harsh treatment of the prisoner.”
“I need a favor.”
“No.” Krell tried to close the door.
Zorus struck his hand out, halting it. “I believe her.”
Shock rolled through Krell. “You’re growing soft and foolish. I am glad I’ve never experienced love if this is what it does. She’s a spy from Earth.”
“She raged at me after Jazel informed her she needed to conform to our laws. She said enough to make me believe she is Emily Pleva, Krell. Her father was a brilliant scientist. He somehow managed to give her a new body.”
“Impossible. Mavo talked nonstop about his precious human for years after we escaped. She was dying of an incurable disease that slowly ceased the functions of her body. I saw her from a distance a few times while on Earth. She was heavyset and I could tell she was tall despite her being dependent upon a device that moved her body while sitting. Also, she had to be hooked to machines. She had totally different coloring, the face isn’t the same, and she’d never have survived this long. She also wouldn’t appear so youthful, regardless of what Earth scientists can do to slow the aging process.”
“Edward Pleva created us. Why couldn’t he create a body for someone he loved when it would have been the most significant project of his career? She was his only child. I am aware of facts that you weren’t. I was part of the group who planned our escape and know how much his daughter did to help us. She’s the reason we are free now. If that is her, which I believe, we owe her.”
“I don’t.”
Zorus cocked his head. “Did Mavo ever tell you how he knew you’d been taken from the group before we rebelled or how he arrived to carry you out of that holding cell? Did you ever consider it lucky that the fire alarms began while the human guards were torturing you to death? I’m also friends with Mavo. He was with her when the alert on her system notified her that a cyborg had been taken to detention. She sent him after you and lured the guards away.” He paused. “Not only did she save your life but she gave you freedom as well.”
Krell took a deep breath. “Understood, but I don’t believe she’s really that human.”
“You’re the best interrogator we’ve ever had. That’s why I’ve come here. You owe Emily Pleva your life. There’s also the fact that you’re friends with Mavo.”
“What do you want?” Krell had a feeling he’d hate the answer.
“I don’t want to lock her up in a detention cell. We owe her more than that. I have not grown soft, Krell. I’m being logical. It’s possible that Edward Pleva could have somehow put his daughter into a new body. He did love her and we concluded she was his only weakness. You would have been convinced as I am that it’s possible if you’d heard her rage at the council and me over our breeding laws. I actually experienced shame.” He gave a small smile. “She made good points.”
“Earth Government must have figured exactly how we were able to escape and are using that information to plant her with us to spy. That is logical as well.” He paused, his mind working. “How would she know about our breeding laws? That’s proof of her treachery. When you were taken back to Earth they must have extracted information from you that you aren’t aware of.”
“I didn’t break. Coval made the point that she’s female, not human, and shouldn’t be detained in a holding cell. The council was visiting her and held the discussion in her room. Jazel explained our breeding laws to her and how she needed to join a family unit with two males. She’s physically able to breed. Since she’s alone, new, they expect her to be handed into one as soon as they decide who to give her to. She compared us to Earth Government.”
An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of Krell’s stomach. “You’re going to force her to join with males she doesn’t know and not give her a choice of which ones will be a part of her family unit? That’s harsh. She’s not human but she’s possibly some form of upgraded version of us. We wouldn’t do that to one of our own.”
Zorus watched him silently. “Perhaps. She’s been deemed healthy for reproduction. While she’s smaller than our female cyborgs, it won’t harm her. She has threatened to castrate any male who attempts it.”
“What do you want?” Krell released the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I want to send her here. I will tell the council you’ll be perfect for her. I’m certain you will learn how to read her enough to discover if she’s telling the truth or if she’s lying. It’s what you do best. You will get to the bottom of this mystery.”
“No.”
“What if she is Emily Pleva? Do you want to tell Mavo you could have protected her from another male who may agree with the majority of the council that assigning her into a family unit is the only option? Do you think he’ll be thrilled if that male decides to force the issue? She’s attractive, on Garden with strangers, and vulnerable.”
Krell clenched his teeth. “That’s low. No male would harm her.”
“Are you certain? Some of us hold grudges against humans and she appears to be a human. They may not give her the respect due a cyborg female. Some may even logically assume she isn’t to be given the option of saying no to physical contact. What are the odds of a male not touching her when she’s been given to him? If he has a good friend or has friends who have been waiting for a female to join with them, who is to say he won’t accept them into the family unit? It will be up to the primary male to make those decisions in her case. He’ll have total control of what happens to her since she won?
??t be given rights to make her own choices.”
“You’re talking about a male inside a family unit. You said you wanted me to guard her.” Alarms were triggered inside Krell’s brain.
“The council was waiting to speak to me after I left her room. They want her joined into a family unit immediately. I couldn’t talk them out of it and the majority overruled my objections. They refuse to send her to detention but she can’t be trusted either. The logical choice was assigning her to a family unit with at least one male to care for her and to help her adjust to life on Garden. They are planning on convening in the morning to go over candidates to find the appropriate male to give her to.”
He shook his head. “No.” He backed up, his hands lowered to his sides, and he glared at Councilman Zorus. “I am not a male to ever join into a family unit. I am not obligated to do so.”
“You’re scarred and damaged but still eligible if you wish to join one. That was your choice to option out and the council agreed, considering your odds of finding a female willing to take you on were very low.”
“I’m undesirable. Our women don’t want me because of my damaged appearance.”
“You won’t force her into a physical relationship and you are antisocial.” Zorus stepped inside his home, closed the door and lowered his voice. “You intimidate and frighten other cyborg males. None will be eager to try to persuade you into sharing her inside a family unit. I know you won’t hurt her.”
“No.” There was no way he wanted a female, especially that one, and Zorus couldn’t make him agree.
“What if she really is Emily Pleva? She saved all of our lives and Mavo will eventually hear about her. I’ll have to tell him that I came to you, explained the situation, and you didn’t even try to protect her. He’s still your friend, isn’t he? I heard he named one of his sons after you and listed that child as your required replacement. He had a child and registered it as yours, just to alleviate your duty to produce one. I can use public opinion to give her an exemption from our laws if you’re able to determine she really is the human who helped us rebel. Every cyborg knows Emily Pleva the one human who has always been our friend. They’ll see her as such and not as a cyborg. Our laws won’t apply to her. She won’t be forced to live with males she doesn’t wish to. She’s very set against it. Think of how much that would mean to Mavo if you protected her. He’s done a lot for you.”
“We should contact Mavo, have him return to Garden and speak with the prisoner. He could determine if she’s telling the truth. He knew her well.”
“But what if she is a spy and not his precious human? Do you remember how torn he was? The agony and guilt he suffered leaving her behind after all she’d done for us? He felt certain she suffered punishment for her actions. It would rip open those old wounds that have healed if he’s given hope she is who she claims to be but tear him apart if she’s not. I would really prefer he not find out about this until we’re certain of who we are truly dealing with. I can prevent him from learning about this while he’s assigned on the Vontage with Steel. I can even extend their mission to give you a few weeks to discover the truth. That way when the ship returns home we’ll be able to tell him the truth.”
“You’re an asshole.”
A grin suddenly curved the other cyborg’s mouth. “So are you. We both care about Mavo and he cares about that human. We don’t want him to be hurt.”
Krell knew when he’d been outmaneuvered. That would be the sinking feeling inside his gut and the anger that heated his blood. “There will be no joining ceremony. This isn’t real. It’s temporary. I’ll prove she’s a spy, unworthy to live, or that she is Emily Pleva. This nonsense ends as soon as I am certain either way.”
“Agreed.” Zorus had the nerve to chuckle. “I’ll inform the council that you wish to join with her. They’ll easily agree since she acknowledged she knew you from before or at least claimed to. It will be a relief to them to avoid making that decision.”
“I never met her while on Earth.”
“They’ll be happy to have a resolution. You’re a good candidate.” Zorus paused. “Is your sperm viable? That may be considered by them as a negative if it isn’t.”
“I’m not touching her.”
“I know that but the council doesn’t.”
“Unbelievable,” Krell growled. “I have viable sperm if I take the injections to activate it. I am not completely sterile.”
“Perfect. I see nothing for the council to object to.”
“She won’t agree.” Hope soared inside Krell at that prospect. He’d thrown the female across a room and while she hadn’t been afraid of his appearance, she wouldn’t welcome it. “You said it yourself. She is very set against joining a family unit.”
Zorus smiled. “I’ll handle that. Make an appointment with Medical to get the shots. We want this to look good. I have a friend there who owes me a favor. I’ll contact him, make him agree to state that you took the shots, and after he agrees, I’ll tell you who to see.” Zorus hesitated. “You refused to put name markings on your body due to your abundance of scars. I’ll tell the council you still hold an aversion to putting more on your body to explain your lack of wishing a joining ceremony to be performed. They’ll accept that easily.”
“I’m not touching her.”
“You won’t have to and you don’t really have to take the shots to activate your sperm but we want all the paperwork to appear real. That’s why I’m calling in the favor.” Zorus spun, opened the door and sailed out.
Krell glared at the closed door and growled. “I hate that jerk.”
Chapter Four
Cyan watched the big cyborg cautiously as Krell’s cold blue eyes raked down her body. His scars were revealed clearly, his long black hair pulled back inside a leather thong behind his neck in a long braid that fell to his waist, and she was pretty certain he’d purposely done it to intimidate her. He wasn’t wearing a uniform now. Instead he wore a black tank top that showed off the scars on his throat and his arms. More scars were displayed on his chest where the material didn’t cover.
“I have a guestroom,” he grunted, his raspy voice harsh. “You are not permitted to leave my home. I’ve been warned of your hacking skills if you are the human you claim to be. I will refrain from saying that name due to being told it causes you pain. The systems have been taken offline and only work manually with my palm print.” He raised one hand, showed it to her, and his eyes narrowed. “You’d have to drag my unconscious body to the door lock to get it open. It would register if I didn’t have a pulse.” The hand tightened into a fist as it lowered to his side. “I wouldn’t recommend attacking me. You’d lose.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “My, aren’t you friendly.”
“Is that a joke?” He didn’t appear amused.
“I guess not.”
He growled under his breath. “This was not my idea and I’m not pleased with having a houseguest. I don’t trust you. I believe you’re still working for Earth Government but the council refused to detain you. You need around-the-clock supervision.”
“And it was your lucky day?”
Blue eyes narrowed more.
“Keep doing that and you won’t be able to see me.” She mimicked him, hoping to draw a smile, and wondered how well he could see her. “You’re blurry.” She stopped squinting at him and smiled. “Who did you piss off to get this assignment?”
He frowned but his eyes opened fully. “It was determined by Councilman Zorus that you should stay here. He knows I won’t touch you while other males might be inclined to do so.”
“Touch me? As in ‘I look human and they wanted to mess with my face because I’m the enemy’ or in a way that would make me castrate them?”
“Either way. I don’t beat on females without cause and I’m not interested in you physically.”
“Good thing.” Her gaze raked up and down him with a quick sweep. “You’re huge. I can’t say her real name either without it causing pain,
so I’ll call her Bee. She used to tell me that while she’d had a hand in creating males, she made everything size proportionate to their bodies. She had a twisted sense of humor and couldn’t resist arguing that point in the developmental stages. She won that fight.”
The cyborg frowned.
“Bee was your creator’s assistant from the beginning. She helped him with every step of the process in creating cyborgs. She also fought to give you the ability to grow hair quicker because she had a thing for long-haired men.” Cyan shrugged. “She also hated hairy men from the neck down.” She glanced at his black pants and her smile widened before she jerked it up to his face. “No manscaping needed.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you don’t have a lot of body hair and you don’t need to shave. You can thank a man on the team for having armpit hair. He said you’d look odd without it. Some Models were given a little chest hair because of him as well.” She glanced at the bare skin showing above the material of his shirt, no hair in sight, and met his gaze again. “You didn’t get any. You weren’t designed for a mining assignment. They worked with their shirts off because of the extreme heat. He wanted those Models to fit in with human workers.”
He stared at her for a long moment while Cyan shifted her stance. “Too personal? Sorry. I tend to babble when I’m nervous.”
“What else do you know about us?”
She hesitated. “You were designed to be a security model. Your height and tankish body give it away. They wanted you to tower above the average human and be built for intimidation. Mission accomplished. You sure do that. I bet it’s tough to find shirts big enough to fit you.”
He said nothing.
“Be happy you aren’t purple. That was Bee’s favorite color but the guys on the team refused. They chose gray tones instead since they were ordered to make it obvious you weren’t human. She wanted to go with a nice magenta, which is kind of bright and a little pink. It totally would have ruined the badass look you have going on.”