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“Let me think about it,” he said to Lili. “It would require some enhancements on your part, I think.”
“You mean…cyborg parts?” Lili asked uncertainly.
“Or at least the appearance of them,” Yipper said. “It would take a long time to make you actual enhancements suited just to your body. But fake ones would be easy to craft. No one could tell the difference unless they studied you closely. No they couldn’t, no they couldn’t.”
“But what about Lili’s feelings?” Rachel asked again.
“We could give her a temporary emotion damper. Yes we could, yes we could,” Yipper said thoughtfully. “That way she could go to Zeaga Four and search for Dark and Light.”
“Search a whole planet?” Rachel still sounded skeptical. “That’s crazy!”
“Actually, I do have some trackers for them,” Yipper remarked. “As the surgeon overseeing their emotional transition, I was required to implant a tracking chip into each of their enhancements so that I would know where they were in case trouble started. And I believe I still have them—yes I do, yes I do!”
Lili began to feel excited.
“If I can get to Zeaga Four, all I have to do is convince them to come with me back to the Mother Ship and then I can work on breaking through their blocks and getting them to feel again!” she exclaimed.
Rachel still looked worried.
“Lili, are you sure? I mean, think about it—you’re talking about going to a very dangerous planet where they’ll kill you for having feelings and trying to convince two huge, emotionless cyborg guys to come home with you when they have absolutely no incentive to come! And even if you do convince them, there’s no guarantee you can break through their mental blocks and bring them back to you. Are you sure it’s worth the effort?”
Lili lifted her chin.
“Dark and Light are definitely worth the effort.” She looked at her friend. “I know it sounds crazy since I spent less than a week with them, but Rachel—I love them. And we belong together—I just know it.”
Rachel sighed and shook her head.
“Well…I guess the heart wants what the heart wants. If we can get permission from Commander Sylvan, I’ll ask Brock if he’ll fly you.”
“Thank you for supporting me!” Lili threw her arms around her friend’s neck and gave her a hug. “I know it sounds like a risky plan,” she whispered in Rachel’s ear. “But it’s going to work—I just know it!”
“From your lips to the Goddess’s ear,” Rachel remarked, shaking her head. But she hugged Lili back and kissed her cheek. “I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am,” Lili said. “Just watch—I’m going to be Bonded to Dark and Light before the week is out!”
Rachel laughed and pulled back.
“What ever happened to Single for Life?”
“I was happy to be Single for Life back when every guy I met was like Mitch,” Lili told her. “But Dark and Light aren’t like him—they’re special. They saved me from being attacked in that bar and now I have to save them from a cold, sterile, emotionless existence. And I’m going to do it.”
“All right then.” Rachel smiled at her. “I believe in you—I just worry about you too.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’ll be fine,” Lili said confidently. And she honestly believed she would.
She had no idea what Zeaga Four had in store for her…
29
LILI
Lili was feeling a lot less confident two days later when she finally stepped out of the shuttle onto the surface of Zeaga Four.
She had wanted to come sooner, but some things were impossible to rush. She’d had to find a sub for her classes and make an excuse to her faculty supervisor about a family emergency. And then she’d had to have several visits with Yipper, who was fitting her with a temporary emotion damper and a fake prosthetic sheath to fit over her left arm, as well as some fake metal sheaths to fit over her legs. She wore a fourth metal plate as well, this one over her chest to cover her breasts.
It had also taken some time to convince Commander Sylvan to let her go—especially since she was going alone. The Dark Kindred were very strict about not allowing outsiders on their planet, so taking a bunch of Kindred warriors with her as guards wasn’t an option. Yipper had declared that her best chance of getting her guys off Zeaga Four was to go in what he called “stealth mode” and together they had laid out a multi-step plan.
First, she had go to one of the many Medical Barges orbiting Zeaga Four. These were manned by Tollegs who performed surgical enhancements for free. These were accessible to everyone and unguarded, so Brock—Rachel’s husband—could drop her off and then wait for her signal.
