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When it had been time for me to attend school, I learned early on that curiosity and caring for cyborgs was frowned upon. The other children took great joy in their taunts and insults. On a few occasions before I learned to stay quiet, teachers had punished me for merely mentioning the word cyborgs. Still, nothing they ever did changed my mind. It only made me dig deeper and fall in love a bit harder.
I slid my hand up, tracing my fingers over Dax’s perfectly etched jawline. Something so beautifully created couldn’t be a mistake. “No one ever wanted to play with the weird girl who liked cyborgs.” I whispered the words, wishing for them to be for Dax’s ears only but knowing the other cyborgs would hear. “The other children used to push me to the ground and threaten to cut me open to see if I had circuits instead of bones.” I shuddered. “I learned to hide the fact I cared for you. I had to, but I never forgot. I became a newspaper reporter but not because I wanted to write fluff pieces about robotic puppies. I did because it granted me access to learn more about you.”
Viper cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt, but the location of the cyborg rebellion headquarters would not be something you could find without help. It’s location is a heavily guarded secret.” He pinned me with violet eyes. “You must have had help.”
I flinched in Dax’s arms. Viper had hit the nail on the head, but there was no way I’d betray Oz. “A good reporter doesn’t reveal her source.”
Oz had helped me because I had begged her to. She also got a kick out of hacking into the Global Allegiance. Oz liked to live dangerously. Maybe after years of being friends she had finally rubbed off of me.
The scowls that appeared on Viper and Reaper’s faces seemed to confirm my now dangerous streak. They had finally been listening to me.
Damn girl, are you going to keep messing this up?
Seriously? I am trying here! You think you can do better? Be my guest!
Nope. Can’t help you. Just try to get out of this alive and with our cyborg.
Working on it.The voice in my head went silent again leaving me all alone to face the two scowling cyborgs.
“The person who helped you could be a threat. Keeping the information of their identity from us will only lead me to believe that you are being deceptive.” Reaper’s scowl intensified.
“I can’t... I’m sorry. If the Global Allegiance discovers what she’s done...” I shut up. I couldn’t think about what they would do to Oz if they got their hands on her.
“She?” Viper asked excitedly.
“Shit. Do you see hownotgood I am at this? Already I have said to much.” I crossed my arms, mustering up every drop of courage I could manage. “Look, chatting with the two of you has been a blast. Reliving my past trauma and baring my soul does wonders for my self-esteem, but my knee is killing me and I haven’t had any coffee or waffles this morning so I’m done here. If you still don’t believe me just kill me and get it over with already.”
Dax let out a low snarl. His arms tightened around me to the point of pain in a fierce hug before he put me down, shoving me behind his frame. The lines of his back grew taut and his whole frame vibrated with tension. His hands curled into fists as he lifted them up.
He was really going to do it.The more brains than brawn Science Model was going to fight for me.Big, green, beautiful, cyborg.He was also what I considered to bemycyborg and if he planned on fighting Reaper and Viper over me, then I would fight them too.
I grabbed a fistful of the back of his t-shirt, pulling myself up until my lips graced the shell of his ear. “Together,” I declared.
“Together,” he confirmed.
Chapter Sixteen
*Dax*
My frame expanded toits full height and width, my synthetic muscles bulging beneath my skin. Processors spun wildly, filling my head with every bit of data I could access on combat with Military Models. Just because I hadn’t needed to fight didn’t mean I couldn’t. I was a cyborg, too, after all. My friendly demeanor and my slightly less broad frame gave the other cyborgs the impression I wasn’t a threat.
Today would be the day I proved them wrong. I raised my fists getting a bit giddy at the thought of punching Reaper in the face. This moment had been years in the making. How many times had he insulted or mocked me for being different? How many years had I spent trying to prove to him I was a worthy cyborg? My kindness was viewed as a fatal flaw in my design.
Nothing I did mattered. I would always be less in his eyes. Less of a cyborg. Less of a rebel. Less of a man.Inadequate and naïve Science Model who didn’t understand what the world was really like.No more.
