Chapter 14

14

S he'd been shot. His mate had been shot.

In the head.

Covak's heart raced as he all but herded Jesh into the medbay, his eyes fixed on the angry red gash at her temple. The image of the bullet striking her head replayed in his mind, over and over. His own personal nightmare. And it was on loop.

Frexx .

Head shot… even for a cyborg that had to be bad, yet here she was, walking and talking like nothing had happened. It didn't make sense.

The medbay doors hissed shut behind them, and his nostrils flared at the sharp scent of antiseptic. Normally the familiar scent would be enough to calm him, but not today. The image of her head snapping back filled his mind again and he shuddered. He never wanted to see anything like that again as long as he lived.

"This way, sweetheart." He motioned her toward the second examination bed in the room… the one that wouldn't trigger her power core and blow them all to space dust.

"We need to get that checked," he growled, his deep voice tight with worry as he turned her toward him, his hands feeling huge on her delicate shoulders.

She smiled as she hopped onto the table. "Easy there, big guy. I'm tougher than I look."

He grunted, unconvinced as he grabbed the medical scanner. And nearly dropped it. Frexx, he was shaking so much he almost made an idiot of himself. So much for the experienced mercenary medic, cool calm and collected. Trying to look professional, he flicked the switch on the side to activate it and the device hummed to life.

Her hand shot out, a frown of concern on her face, and he paused.

"Don't worry, I learned from last time. It's a passive scanner," he said. "Surface level only."

As the readout appeared, he shook his head. Metal beneath skin. Just like at the clinic. But seeing it here, in the familiar surroundings of the medbay, made it all the more real.

"I still can't believe it," he muttered. "Your skull… it really isn't bone. It's metal."

She tapped her forehead with a finger. "Solid duerineium," she said, grinning. "Comes in handy in situations like this."

He looked down at her. Gone was the confused female looking for answers. In her place sat this confident, deadly soldier who spoke of metal skulls like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Metal or not, I need to close this," he said, reaching for a nearby trolley with medical supplies. He might not know anything about the cybernetic technology that laced her body, but thanks to years patching up his crewmates, he knew all about stitching torn flesh back together.

"I should give you something for the pain," he said, reaching for an analgesic.

Shaking her head, she put her hand on his to stop him. His skin warmed at her touch. "No need," she said in a soft voice. "My pain responses are offline."

"Huh?" He looked at her in confusion. "Offline. What do you mean offline?"

"We can decide whether or not to feel pain. Helps in a battle." She took a deep breath, her eyes meeting his with an intensity that made his heart skip. "The shot knocked something back into place. My onboard systems, my memories… they're all back now."

The air in the medbay thickened as he realized what she was saying. "Your memories? You remember everything… you know who you are?"

Frexx . Was he about to lose her already?

She nodded, relief and something he couldn't name crossing her features. "Everything. And I have a lot to tell you, Covak. All of you."

Her words caught the attention of the others. Davis looked up from tending to Mira, his eyes narrowing with interest.

"Hold on, let me open a channel," Covak said. "So Ryke and Rann can listen in."

She nodded as he did so and then took another deep breath, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"I guess I should start at the beginning," she said, her voice steady. "There are three of us in this universe. Me, Dael… you call him Zero, and a third onboard from a cyborg called Jex."

The silence in the room lengthened.

"What you do mean ‘in this universe'?" Ryke asked over the comm.

Covak blinked. He'd missed that part, but trust Ryke to have caught it.

"We're not from this universe," she explained. "We were fleeing after a battle, but then we fell through some kind of portal and ended up here. Dael and I were separated, and I had Jex's onboard with me."

Confusion rolled through his mind. Strange cyborgs were one thing, but another universe? Portals? They were beyond anything he'd encountered in all his years as a mercenary, and he'd seen some weird shit in his time.

"That dream I had," she said, her gaze locking on to his. "The one where I thought I'd murdered someone? It was a memory of that battle. I was actually removing Jex's onboard so he could be hot-swapped into a new body when we got back to base."

He practically heard the confusion as it rippled through the room. Davis paused in the middle of cleaning up the cut on Mira's cheek. "Hot-swapped?"

Jesh nodded. "We were fighting a war, and in a war, there are always casualties. Thankfully for us, death isn't always permanent. Sometimes we have an organic body with a fried onboard, or sometimes only the onboard can be saved. We match the two up as best we can to get soldiers back out onto the battlefield."

The weight of her words settled over the room. Covak's chest tightened as the thought of what she'd been through went through his mind.

"So… you—" He reached up to touch the side of her head, where he knew the computer in her brain was. "Can be moved into a different body?"

She gave a small nod. "Kind of, yes. The core personality and memories can be moved. Obviously, since the organics are different, there can be changes in personality and behavior."

"Lady's teeth," he breathed. Would they even be the same person at that point? He didn't ask, though. It was too big for him to comprehend just at the moment, and he didn't want to insult her.

"Who were you fighting?" Rann asked over the comm. "And why?"

A shadow passed over her face, and Covak knew whatever she was going to say, it wasn't going to be good.

"We're fighting the humans in our universe," she said, her voice hard. "The humans who created us."

"Humans?" Davis asked. "There are no Lathar in your universe?"

She shook her head. "No, I'd never heard of them before I came here. There are a lot of changes in our history compared to yours as well. I'd need more access to historical databases to pick out the point of divergence, though.

"So… humans created you?" Covak asked.

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "They created us, and when they didn't need us anymore, they tried to wipe us all out. We're fighting for survival."

"So what happened? How did you end up here?"

She paused. "My section… we were fleeing from a battle. Half of us made it to the evacuation point when suddenly, this… thing appeared in front of us. Like a huge blue flower… but made of energy. Never seen anything like it. Before Dael could pull up, it grabbed us and yanked us in. Next thing I knew, the ship blew up and everything went black. Then I woke up in hospital."

The silence was deafening. Covak's mind raced. Shit… and he'd thought he had it bad being kicked off his planet. She'd been fighting for years and then pulled into a different galaxy and blown up… and that was before whatever the asshole humans holding her had done to her. Protectiveness a mile wide surged through him along with admiration. She was the strongest person he'd ever met.

Davis broke the silence. "But why did they keep you for so long? It's been years."

Her expression hardened. "I'm a Taurus-class Zodiac cyborg. A battlefield medic. My systems self-repair. I can be virtually destroyed and, given time, repair myself. All Tauruses can. Small injuries heal quickly so we can tend to other members of our combat teams and get them back into the battle."

She shrugged. "My guess is that the humans who held me took advantage of that. I'm registering internal scarring that indicates they continually stripped my neural circuitry and musculoactuator fibers. For what reason, I don't know, but since all my systems are compatible with humans, I assume they were trying to retrofit Zodiac tech."

"Shit…" he breathed, anger welling up within him. The thought of her being repeatedly torn apart made his blood boil.

"I'll contact the Warborne," Ryke said, his disembodied voice rolling around the medbay. "If the humans are holding a third cyborg, we need to rescue them."

Jesh shook her head. "Jex doesn't have a body at the moment, just an onboard. And we have no idea where he is."

Davis finished dressing the cut on Mira's cheek and straightened up, determination in his eyes.

"We'll find out where he is," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "Give me a couple of hours. I have an idea where to start looking."

Jesh nodded, and Covak's heart ached at the hope in her eyes. That hope quickly dulled as they were left along and she looked at him.

"I guess you see me differently now, huh?" She met his gaze, her eyes searching his face. "Now you know that I'm a machine, made in a lab for war."

Jesh sat perched on the edge of the diagnostic bed, her muscles coiled tightly with tension as Covak walked toward her. Her eyes roamed over his hulking physique, her onboard analyzing each line and contour of muscle. She ignored its chatter, the female part of her hijacked by the view.

His long blond hair fell in loose waves around a face that seemed sculpted from granite—all hard angles and rugged beauty. Satin skin covered hard muscles, and she wondered what they would feel like under her hands.

As he drew closer, her pulse sped up, sending a rush of heat through her veins.

"Yes, I see you differently now," he murmured, his deep voice resonating through her in a way that made every nerve ending in her body shiver.

His eyes smoldered intensely, like charcoal embers glowing in the aftermath of a campfire. Hope uncoiled in the center of her chest, right where her heart would have been if it hadn't been replaced with an implant years ago.

"But not the way that you think."

A flash of fear rolled through her, momentarily overriding her fascination. She braced herself. Did he see her as nothing more than a machine now? A weapon to be used and discarded?

She'd had intimate encounters before, fleeting moments of comfort sought between soldiers during the horrors of war. But this felt different. She liked him, genuinely liked him… probably more, if she was even capable of that. The thought of losing whatever this was between them before it had even begun sent a jolt of pain through her that felt all too real.

She stared up as Covak stood, towering over her. His massive frame should have scared her, but his touch was gentle as he reached for her face. He tucked a loose strand of hair back, his thumb grazing the new scar on her forehead.

She bit her lip, a shiver running down her spine. It amazed her how carefully he handled her, like she was still flesh and blood instead of metal and wires. She knew what she really was, but his tenderness made her feel like he saw her as a real woman.

"I think you're perfect," he admitted, his voice raw and honest.

Relief washed over her, her shoulders relaxing as she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. All she could focus on was Covak's scent, growing stronger as he leaned in closer.

"But I'm a machine," she argued, watching his expression as she slid from the bed and approached him. He didn't back away from her like she remembered human techs in the labs doing. "Built in a lab."

Incorrect , her onboard system chimed in. You are classified as a Taurus-class cybernetic soldier, not a machine.

She ignored it and focused on him. He grinned and moved closer, making her step back until she bumped against the bed. The cold metal dug into the back of her hips as he loomed over her, his massive body radiating heat. Her sensors went haywire, cataloging every place they touched. She felt the raw power in his muscles, but he held back, treating her like she might break. Like she was the most delicate thing in his world.

"Built in a lab," he murmured, his eyes trained on hers. They'd seemed to shift color, like the sky before a storm. "I'm Vorrtan, baby. You being made in a lab isn't going to bother me one bit."

She frowned. "Remember, I'm not from this universe? What does you being Vorrtan have to do with it?"

His grin turned rakish, blond hair falling into his eyes. The expression transformed his face, softening the hard lines and making him look younger, almost boyish. He looked just like the lead actor in one of the old-Earth Viking holo-movies Dael used to love watching.

"My species were originally genetic hybrids," he explained softly. His voice rumbled through her, low and intimate. "Super-soldiers created a long time ago to fight in a war. Then we were cast aside when we weren't needed anymore."

She blinked, the parallels startling her. "You're kidding me? Even here, in a different universe, people just can't help themselves. Can they?"

He smiled. "I wish I was, but no, the Vorrtan were the same as the Zodiacs. We were created as disposable troops and gotten rid of when we weren't necessary anymore—or so they thought. Generations later, we're still alive and kicking."

They were the same. He'd been made of flesh and blood where she had been made of flesh and metal, but they were the same.

"So, we're both products of genetic engineering?" Her lips quirked as she moved closer. "I wonder what kind of upgrades you got."

He shot her a wicked grin that sent heat simmering through her. "Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe I could give you a… personal demonstration."

"I think you should, so I can assess your… capabilities. You're built like a biological tank," she said, admiration filling her voice.

"This?" He scoffed. "This is nothing."

Before she could ask what he meant, he stepped back.

"Don't freak out, okay?" he said, an edge in his tone she'd never heard before. Almost like he was wary.

She frowned, but before she could say anything, he started to shift. Her eyes widened as the gunshot sounds of bones cracking and muscles stretching with wet, meaty sounds filled the air.

She covered her mouth, amazed as his body swelled, muscles bulging as his skin darkened to a deep crimson. Fangs jutted from his lips and the small claws at the end of his fingers became long and lethal.

Her vision filled with flashing alerts and combat readouts as her systems tried to analyze the new threat. She ignored them, shoving the protocols aside to watch him. To marvel at the man standing in front of her. Her systems could wait. Right now, she just wanted to take it all in.

"Oh!" she breathed. He really was a living tank now, towering over her in a way that should have been terrifying.

Fascinated, she took a step forward and looked up at him. This was his true form, she realized. Not a mask or a disguise, but the real him—powerful, alien, and breathtakingly beautiful. She reached out but then paused, suddenly uncertain. "Can I touch you?"

"Hell yes," he groaned in longing, his voice deeper and rougher now. "Please."

She ran her hands over his transformed body. His skin felt tough under her fingertips, almost like it was armored but still radiated heat. She traced the lines of scar tissue and the smooth dips between muscles.

He shuddered at her touch, watching her like a hawk. No… like a predator. The thought sent a thrill tumbling through her.

She'd never felt small or delicate before, but he made her feel that way. It was new for someone built for fighting, and she liked it. Really liked it. She stepped closer and smoothed her hands over the rock-hard abs and chest. The odd laced sections on his clothes that she'd noticed before suddenly made sense. They let him shift forms.

Looking up, she found him watching her intently. His features were the same, just a little bigger, with harder lines at the cheekbones and jaw. But his eyes…

"Your eyes are the same color as mine," she murmured softly.

He grinned, baring teeth that looked sharper than before. His eyes blazed with hunger and affection. In one swift motion, he yanked her closer, trapping her in his hulking arms.

She stiffened for a second before instinct kicked in. Pressing against his rock-hard body, she melted into him. His mouth claimed hers hungrily. She opened up, giving in completely.

This was nothing like the quick, frantic fucks during the war. Those were just escapes, ways to forget the carnage around them. But this… this was real connection. Being truly seen and accepted, flaws and all.

For once since learning what she really was, she didn't feel like some soulless weapon. In his embrace, she felt truly alive. Real.

Their breathing was ragged as they broke the kiss, and she looked up at him.

"I've never…" she started but then paused, struggling to find the words. "I've never felt like this before. With anyone."

His expression softened, a tender smile playing at his lips as he reversed his change right in front of her and reverted to his smaller, but still tank-like, form.

"Neither have I. You're unlike anyone I've ever met. Human, Vorrtan, or anything in between," he rumbled, sliding his hand into the fall of her hair to angle her lips up to his. "You're perfect. Utterly perfect. And you're mine. "