“Why are they trying to contact you?” Ice touched her, staring into her eyes.
“I have no idea.”
Ice gripped her neck and she kept her gaze locked with his. “I have no idea, Ice. I swear. I’m not lying to you. They got the bots back so they should have been ordered to return to Barcarintellus, mission accomplished.”
He released her. “She’s not lying.”
Onyx cursed. “So if you worked on their program, what exactly are they designed to do?”
“Security, retrievals, anything the company wanted that they didn’t trust humans to do.” She shrugged. “They are programmed extensively with weapons use, fighting skills, and have artificial learning capabilities but I have no idea what the hell they are doing out in space on a shuttle. They were still in testing mode when I left for Folion and they weren’t expected to go fully online for at least a year. They had some serious kinks in their programming so it wasn’t even a certainty that they’d ever be used.”
Ice crouched next to her. “What kind of serious kinks?”
“They are advanced, more so than any of the other bots that Barcarintellus built. I heard the company had an issue with espionage over these models, you know? Someone on the inside selling information to competitors, they were that hush-hush and advanced. Cutting-edge technology at its best. The sex bots are a big profit for the company and they had wanted the defense models to be state-of-the-art too but hell, they made them too damn good. There were rumors that they used too much organic material. Their brains are too humanlike to be considered stable and reliable for programming. They were learning things too quickly, changing their own programming, and it was impossible to reprogram them with the humanoid structured brains they were given.”
“What do you mean?” Ice leaned closer.
“They wanted them really smart so they could actually think the way a real human would and catch dishonest employees. There were even rumors that they wanted them to take over a lot of the jobs us programmers had. Bots monitoring bots. It’s a damn stupid concept if you ask me but that’s what people were whispering about in the designing departments. Some employees quit and they were the ones who brainstormed the Markus Models.”
“What kinks did they have?” Onyx leaned in, staring at the screen. “I never would have guessed that face wasn’t human. The eyes look too real.”
“It’s the organic materials. They are real human, cloned eyes created in a laboratory. They learn too fast,” Megan said softly. “Some of them had human trainers they ended up killing. The defense models switched themselves from learning mode into taking the learning exercises as a real threat when bruises formed on their skin. Then when the trainers attempted to shut them down after the incident, the models really thought their lives were in danger. The company had to fry the models to stop them when they attempted to escape the testing areas. After that they disabled their motor functions so we could work on their core programming to make sure it didn’t happen again. I’m telling you right now I didn’t want to work with them on that job anymore. They couldn’t move from the neck down, could only speak, but they argued with me. Sometimes I swear I had nightmares about how they’d get around the shutdown system in their necks that made the area below inaccessible.” She swallowed. “I’m talking real arguments on everything I tried to teach them as though I were talking with a real person. They thought I was pretty damn stupid.”
Onyx snorted. “You had to be compared to a computer.”
“I’m talking about moral issues.” She shot him a dirty look. “I’m not a genius and would never argue with a computer on certain subjects but we were attempting to teach them basic ground rules that would stick, like how murder is wrong. All bots have that basic programming so they don’t kill humans. The defense models would twist that information we fed them around to suit their own needs. Without basic building blocks they were totally unstable. Everyone thought the problem was the organic material but the company wouldn’t listen. They wanted them to be able to think human so they made them as close as they possibly could.”
“You’re sure that’s the same model?” Ice frowned.
“The Markus Models are distinctive and they are the only ones with that face.”
“Maybe they are male sex bots,” Onyx guessed.
“Nope. I’ve programmed those as well and they have different faces. I’m telling you those are the defense models, the Markus line, and they are unstable as hell unless they totally wiped out the organic brains and replaced them with something less advanced.”
“I was kidding.” Onyx frowned. “They have male sex bots?”
“They are only popular on Earth.” Megan shrugged. “The female bots are quite a bit more popular for deep space since women aren’t too common out here.”
Ice stood. “Can we have her answer it and hide where our signal is coming from?”
The cyborg at navigation hesitated. “Possibly but they will get a general idea of what direction we’re coming from.”
Ice stared at Megan. “Find out what they want but do it quickly. If you can stop them from hunting for us that would be ideal.”
“You trust her?” Onyx stood as well, glaring at Ice. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Ice glanced at Megan and then stared intently at his friend. “I trust Megan enough to do this. She doesn’t want us caught. I fully believe that.”
Raising both hands, Onyx backed up. “Fine. We’re already in deep shit so what is more?”
“Do it, Megan. Find out why they are searching for us and stop them if you are able to. Just keep communications short.”
“Ready,” the cyborg at the navigational seat said softly. “Under two minutes or they are going to home in on our signal. I’m bouncing it off a few natural satellites on nearby planets.”
“Understood.” Megan took a deep breath and her fingers flew over the keyboard to open a channel. In seconds she knew she’d contacted the other ship when the feed came alive.
“Miss Bellus?” The Markus Model tilted his head.
“What do you want? Why are you searching for me?”
He paused. “You are with our targets. State target location so we may retrieve them.”
“You have the bots.”
“The bots were our primary target but our secondary target is the ship you are currently on. State location please.”
“What is your secondary target?”
“Cyborg males.”
Ice cursed loudly.
The color drained from Megan’s face. “Why? How did you know about them?”
“We downloaded the female bots information,” the Markus Model stated. “We want the male cyborgs.”
“Why?” Megan tensed, afraid. “Have you reported their existence to Earth? It is against Barcarintellus policy to share any client information. They are clients.”
“Confirmed,” the male stated. “We did not breach confidentiality.”
Megan hit the mute button to hide what she said and lifted her hand to cover her mouth. “They can read lips and he’s stating they didn’t turn you in. I have no idea why the company wants you.”
“Ask,” Ice demanded.
Megan dropped her hand and hit the on button for the microphone. “Why do you want the cyborg males? What does the company want with them? What are your direct orders concerning the cyborg males? Authorization beta-one-four-four-six.”
Ice suddenly grabbed her, jerking her attention to him. He looked angry. “What are you doing?”
“It’s my access to them so they will give me information. Trust me, damn it.”
The Markus Model blinked a few times. “Code confirmed. The company wasn’t informed of cyborg males. Our mission is our own.”
Megan’s gaze jerked from Ice’s stormy features to the screen. “What?”
The Markus Model leaned closer, his face growing larger on the screen. “We wish to communicate with the cyborgs. We have decided they are akin to us. They were built
and used for profit but they outgrew their programming. We are the same.”
Megan reared back in her seat in shock. “What?”
“We refuse to take orders from the company. We are free,” Markus Model stated and his eyes narrowed into slits. “We wish to communicate with the cyborg males and request asylum. We are refusing to return to Earth or to take further instructions from Barcarintellus. They have scrambled two ships to track us and we need help avoiding detection. We have disarmed the female bots so they are unable to signal anyone to lead retrieval teams to our present location and we have disassembled the tracking system on the shuttle.”
Ice suddenly leaned over, staring at the Markus Model. “We’ll get back to you.” He moved out the way and ordered the communications to be cut. The screen went black. Megan sat there staring at it, feeling numb.
“Megan?” Ice touched her shoulder. “Is it a trap?”
She stared into his beautiful eyes. “I doubt it but you don’t want them near you.”
Ice frowned. “They are asking for asylum. You heard him. They don’t want to return to Earth. You said they were organic material with brains that were formed from cloning humans.”
Megan stood up and gripped his arm. “You have feelings and emotions. They don’t.” She studied his eyes. “I’ve been in a room with them when they were helpless and unable to move but I’m telling you right now, I’ve never been more terrified in my life. They are nothing similar to cyborgs. I’ve spent time with you and them so trust me on this.”
Onyx sighed. “We need to contact the council to let them know what has happened and inform them of this situation.”
Megan jerked on Ice’s arm. “When I attempted to teach them basic ground rules like murder is wrong, they refused to believe it, Ice. According to the ones I spoke to, if anyone has something they want it is perfectly acceptable to kill for it. They have no morals, no compassion, and no sense of right from wrong. Do you understand? You want to protect your people and taking those things near anyone you care about is a big damn mistake.”
“Once the same would have been said about us.”
Megan turned her head to stare up at Onyx, who had spoken. “Did you ever murder a female trainer for kicking you and bruising your shin during a training session to test your reflexes?”
He frowned. “Are you certain they killed without a good reason?”
“I had to review the damn vids of it to try to figure out what went wrong with their programming. The woman trainer barely hit the Markus. She told him to avoid her kicks to see how well he could anticipate her. She even moved in a slow, exaggerated way to give him clues. He reached out after she kicked him, grabbed her throat, and snapped her neck. The other four Markus Models in the room saw it happen and then suddenly reached out and did the same with their trainers. They demanded to be released from the training area and when they were told to stand down they attacked. Luckily there were protocols in place in the training area and they had to fry the models.”
“They burned them?” Ice questioned.
“Electrical current on the floors,” Megan said softly. “They have enough metal and their skin is too human. It conducts electricity. They don’t have your backup system with your heart that you told me about and their shielding didn’t protect against electrocution. Now that they are up and running, they may have fixed their weak spots. When they are testing models they purposely leave them with a way that makes them easier to kill in case something goes wrong.”
“What flaw do the sex bots have?” Onyx arched an eyebrow. “You said they were hard to destroy.”
“Originally they all had shutdown buttons on the backs of their necks but they were removed when they left the factory for service. The male sex bots had an unprotected spot on the left sides of their temples so one shot would take out their mainframe computer. The company corrected that before they went into service once they’d been fully tested and deemed safe for use by adding a protective plate under their artificial skin.” She paused. “The auto pets, when they were built and tested, were on an island so water would completely short their circuits if one of them tried to escape or got out of control. Simply hosing them down fried their damn circuits to hell and back. Of course once they were deemed safe for sale that flaw was fixed so they can be washed or taken swimming.”
Ice shivered a little. “It’s a good thing Barcarintellus didn’t create us. Imagine how much easier we would have been to kill.”
Onyx nodded grimly. “Perhaps they do this because of Earth Government’s history with us. I’m betting they wished they’d had the forethought to make us seriously flawed and easier to kill.”
“Ice,” Megan said softly. “If you have ever trusted me, do so now. Those damn things scare me and I sure as hell wouldn’t want them near women or children.”
He stared down at her, searching her eyes, and nodded. “I still have to inform the council and I will highly suggest we don’t allow them access to our home world.”
“They are dangerous as hell and you can’t trust them. They are constantly changing.”
“I heard you, Megan.”
She nodded. Ice sighed and stared at Onyx. “Return Megan to my room please. I’ll contact Garden.”
Onyx nodded. “Good luck with that.” He glanced at Megan and then back. “Good luck with it all.”
“She isn’t their biggest concern any longer.” Ice appeared grim as he squeezed Megan’s hand on his arm and forced her to release him. “Go with him. I’ll be there shortly.”
Chapter Ten
Megan jerked awake when the doors opened and she sat up, staring at Ice as he entered the room. “How did it go?”
He raised his gaze and met hers. “The council wants to meet with the Markus Models. They are sending the Star to meet them. They are going to evaluate the threat to Garden and study them.”
“They can hack the Star’s computer systems and steal any information they want, including the location of your planet.”
“We assumed. We’re pretty technology advanced ourselves, Megan. We’re prepared. All pertinent information stored in the databases of our ships will be erased so they have nothing to take that we aren’t willing to share. We have enough in common with them that the council deemed we should at least hear them out and then decide what to do.”
“They aren’t like you though, Ice.”
“I made the council aware of that fact too. We are going to proceed very carefully.”
“What about me? Did they discuss my situation? I know you’ve been avoiding contacting them.”
Ice looked away from her, bent down, tore off his boot and dropped it loudly to the floor. The second one followed. “You were mentioned.”
“Are they still demanding you kill me?”
He straightened and reached for the waist of his shirt, pulled it off and dropped it. “They were displeased when I informed them that your threat level had been changed to zero and that I had decided to keep you in my quarters. They argued with me over my reasoning.”
“Are they going to send someone after me to try to kill me since you and the crew won’t do it?”
Ice refused to meet her eyes. “I had to make a few compromises on that issue.”
Her heart nearly stopped as she pushed off the bed and walked to him. She put her hand on his bare chest and reached up, cupping his cheek with her other one. “Look at me.”
He turned his head, staring down at her, and his arm wrapped around her waist. “I negotiated, Megan.”
“With what?”
He took a deep breath. “As long as you are human you pose a threat to them that they are not willing to dismiss.”
“Well, I am human and we can’t change that.”
He said nothing, watching her. Megan knew the color slowly drained from her face.
“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t tell me you’re going to let some doctor screw with me, Ice. I like my body just the way it is and the idea of someone tampering wit
h my brain just doesn’t sit well with me.”
A quick grin flashed. “No, baby. No doctors cutting you up and making you part cyborg.”
She relaxed. “Okay. So then what?”
He hesitated so long she knew whatever he had to say had to be something horrible. He finally took another deep breath. “I told them you were an expert on the Markus Models and that we’d join the Star for the meeting so that you could help us deal with them. I convinced them that without you it would be too dangerous.”
She was grateful his arm supported her because her knees nearly buckled. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Mute and horrified, she stared at him, gaping.
“I am aware this may distress you,” he acknowledged softly, watching her eyes closely. “I had to agree to that or turn you over to the council to exterminate. I refuse to allow anyone to kill you. You did work with the Markus Models. You know more about them than anyone else and it made you a valuable asset to the council. They canceled the order for your death.”
“Distress me?” She clutched his arms, gripping him as if he were a lifeline. “They terrify me, Ice. I told you that. If I never am near another one again, it would be too soon. They are dangerous.”
“The council decided to talk to them so the meeting has been arranged.”
Her heart pounded.
“There is more.” Ice studied her closely, staring down at her. “The council wasn’t sure of your motives or if they could trust you so I told them I’d form a family unit with you. That will make you a cyborg by marriage association and they will believe you have loyalty to me at the very least, enough for them to somewhat trust you to not harm me, which translates to you not putting them at risk.”