Chapter 5: Esthi
I wake on Armor’s chest, still naked from our impromptu lovemaking hours earlier. Stowaways have needs, too, and not just for food and water.
Armor has tucked an arm under his head and now watches me. Data fills his eyes in rapid lines.
I know Titans were once humans, male soldiers that died in battle, made immortal by the symbiotech and cybernetic engineering of Creators. Most don’t remember being human from what I know. As strange as it is to think of having sex with a cyborg, I’m not sure he is entirely one.
Maybe memory blockers didn’t work on him? He definitely still knows how to do a few things Titans weren’t trained in.
“Feeling better?” I ask, embarrassed that I caved to third base and a home run on the first date when it wasn’t even a date; it was a rescue mission.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
I focus on the data again. “What are you working on?”
“Communicating with other Titans.”
“Oh.”That’s generic and not helpful.
“Position?” he asks.
My heart lurches into a sprint. I’m dehydrated from our sweaty night together, and yet my pussy slicks with fresh urges I struggle to tamp down. “Any.”
He cocks his head like he doesn’t understand. “What was your job before you ended up here?”
I sit up on him, thinking we’re likely going to need to get him moving to the other Titans. I’ve been tracking Titan communications on the surface since I arrived and know they’re planning an escape. It’s why I broke my cover and finally tooka chance to meet up with a Titan squad. “I can be anyone anywhere. I’m a member of GMARTR, Gray Man Active Recon and Tactical Resistance.
“Solcrue killed the men in our camp who couldn’t work the mines. They took many others, including my sister. Only a few of us from each mining camp and colony were trained as Grays. I have a forgettable face and a photographic memory.”
“Unforgettable,” Armor gently corrects. “I will always remember you. And I swear to dedicate all my days of operation to your protection, GMARTR Esthi.”
“That’s sweet, but I don’t think you can promise that. Not in this era.”
He looks up at me with pain and shivers like he’s fighting a sudden rush of it. “You reject my offer of servitude?”
It’s then that I remember my instructor telling me about the Titan’s punishment protocols. “No. I’m honored.”
The tremors shut off. He melts with relief. “Thank you.”
I can’t tell if he wants to serve me or if he’s just grateful that I’m not rejecting him because of the pain it causes. “Can I make a request?”
He nods. “Your orders are my command.”
“Scrap those stupid punishment protocols. That is not what you need out here.”
Armor gives me a wild look. “You mean, delete them?”
“Yes, fuck! I have never understood how those help in any situation. Titans are not a threat to humanity. You all used to be human.”
Armor nods. “Done.”
“Now get rid of your servitude protocols. That’s bullshit, too. I want you with me ifyouwant it, like last night. Not because programming demands it. I’m not tolerating a machine waiting for my approval to act. I need you on your toes, especially with the mutant wolves tracking us.”
Code scrolls across his eyes. An appreciative smile touches his smooth gray lips. “I guess listening to Commander Leah Krader’s freeing request didn’t process completely. It just knocked down my emotional program barriers. Now, if I promise to help you find your sister, will you help me find one more Brother? I’d feel better if we traded help instead of you just assisting with what I need.”
Sounds like a decent plan.I get to my feet and start climbing back into my clothes. “Teamwork is the only way to increase odds of survival. But I think you have more than one Brother buried, yes? So let’s just play it by ear.”
Armor gets to his feet, slowly retracts his wing from the doorway, and scans the palely lit desert below.
