BioCybe

by

Imogene Nix

BioCybe

Copyright © 2015, Imogene Nix

ISBN: 9781940744797

Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

Electronic Publication: May 2015

Editor: Leigh Lamb

Cover: Khloe Wren

eBooks are not transferable. No part
of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in
the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction and
any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is
purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination
and used fictitiously.

Can a cyber-enhanced warrior and a ship’s captain find
love together?

Levia Endrado never wanted to be a warrior, but at seventeen
she was deemed suitable for battle. After intense training and multiple
enhancements, which gave her superior strength and healing ability, she was
sent off to defeat the enemy—a killing machine with a mission.

When the war was over, she had to find a new life. At
twenty-seven she’s a washed-up veteran without a future. Or she was, until she
met Sandon Daria.

Serving as a pilot aboard Sandon’s spaceship the
Golden
Echo
makes Levia long for a different and gentler life. But old hurts and
even older enemies aren’t so easily forgotten. Particularly when they come back
for her.

Sandon is determined to show Levia that she’s more than just
a BioCybe...she’s the woman who completes him. Getting close is just the first
step, keeping her alive is an even bigger challenge, but one he’s willing to
take because the prize is their combined future.

Content Warning: This book contains a broken heroine, a sexy
hero, and a happy ever after that’ll melt even the hardest heart.

I’d like to dedicate this book to my husband, Mark. His
strength and love have sustained me on the long journey to Authorhood.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Beachwalk Press,
especially Pamela and Leigh. This book might have got lost if you hadn’t
decided to take it on.

Thanks to my friends who believe in me as a writer.

I must particularly thank my readers, though. Without you,
there’d be no one to read my stories.

Levia scanned the long line of other hopefuls entering the
testing chamber. The large building in the center of town was cold, and she
dragged her wrap around her body, even as she craned her head, looking to the
high ceiling. She’d never before had an occasion to enter the testing complex,
yet she’d seen the lines of teenagers every time they passed the building.

Once she’d asked her parents why the teens were lined up and
her mother’s face had shuttered. Her stepfather had just shaken his head and
growled. They’d stopped her questions with a carefully uttered, “You’ll know
soon enough, Levia.” The pain in her mother’s eyes had been enough to shush her
questions. For endless months afterward, her parents had traveled different
routes to the educational facility she attended and Levia lost interest in the
puzzle of
that
building.

Now, as she looked around, remembering that long ago spring
day, it was her opportunity to find out. But she felt a surge of concern at
what lay ahead. She likely wasn’t the only one, given that there were probably
two to three hundred seventeen-year-olds gathered in the one place. Ahead of
her, she caught sight of a couple of girls, their arms linked together and wide
smiles on their faces. Scanning the crowd, she became aware that, by far, a majority
of those gathered displayed both fear and trepidation.

“All female subjects will enter through doors three, six,
and seven. All male subjects will enter through gates four, eight, and ten.” The
speaker above her was loud, and she jumped before checking the numbers etched
on the black metal sign over her head.

The massive doors beside her swung open, and now an
uncertain silence reigned. Many of the youngsters hung back, clearly
discomforted by whatever testing regime lay ahead. This was where they’d been
told their futures would be determined.

“Oh gosh, I hope they only have an aptitude and psych eval.
I don’t think…” Levia turned to see the white face of the girl behind her. The
girl had uttered what many must silently be thinking.

Levia dragged an unsteady breath in, her hand resting flat
against the plane of her belly as she looked around. No one had entered yet. It
was clear many were on the verge of taking the step, but still they hung back.

She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not afraid.” It was
always wiser to approach things head-on, she believed. When her biological
father had died, she’d been one of the few to view his capsule before it was
sent into the massive gray structure built to accommodate those who’d moved
onto the next life realm.

Her legs shook as she wobbled toward the entrance. Beyond
the doorway, she spied sealed cubicles and her heart stuttered.
Why
cubicles?
Usually testing—med and psych—were in eval-units, hidden only by
billowing white curtains. She glanced back, noting that others had taken the
first step.

“Move along, subjects.” Once again, the androgynous voice of
the address system blared.

Of course, given it was her seventeenth anniversary of
birth, she was technically considered an adult now.

She thought longingly of baby Rald and her half-sister,
Elda, waiting at home for her to return, and the celebrations to be held that
night. That made her smile. She would need to make them proud of her.

She entered a row and the tall Educational Specialist, the
edu-specs as her peers laughingly called them, stopped her. “Present your
credentials to the scanner.”

She’d done this many times since the tiny implant had been
slipped below the dermal layer of her skin at birth. The small unit in her
wrist heated as her details were checked.

“Enter the first cubicle, Levia Endrado, and follow the
instructions to complete your assessment.”

Thus dismissed, Levia moved to the first unit, laid her palm
against the scanner, and the door slid open soundlessly.

“Welcome, Levia Endrado. Take your place in the eval-unit.”
The soft contralto of the voice echoed after the door closed silently behind
her.

“What are you evaluating?” Her voice was breathy, and she
peered around.

“Your skills—physical and psychological. Your emotional and
medical status. Your educational attainment levels.”

It was an answer that shed little insight into the many
things she was hungry to know.

“Why do all seventeen year olds—”

“Take a seat, Levia. Then we may begin your testing.”

If she’d expected an answer, she was sadly mistaken, she
considered sourly. She dropped into the seat, the soft leather-like surface
molding to her body.

“Levia Endrado, you are required to remove all non-specified
apparel.”

She jolted in the chair. “It’s cold.”

“The temperature will be amended. Remove the non-specified
apparel.”

Her misgivings grew as she dragged off the light wrap she’d
brought with her, and then threw it to the floor at the side of the unit.

“We will begin, Levia Endrado. At any time, should you
experience any malfunctions of the unit, simply depress the red button.” It
glowed and she grimaced.

Levia reclined against the chair and waited for the testing
to begin.

The first examination was based on her understanding of the
political system, where she saw herself, and her knowledge of the rights and
responsibilities accorded through citizenship of both her planet and the commonwealth.

The second test was mathematical and scientific proficiency.
It felt like hours had passed by the time she’d finished, and she lay limp on
the seat, exhausted.

“Levia Endrado, you may rise. The sanitary unit will emerge
once you trigger the yellow button at the door. Should you require refreshment,
press the blue button and a restorative will be made available.”

“Can I leave?”

“Negative, Levia Endrado. Your needs will be catered for in
this capsule.”

“Why?” Her voice hitched and true fear rose for the first
time. Why did they keep her in the alcove?

“All will be revealed at the end of the testing cycle.”

Levia looked at the now empty screen before hurling a curse
word. It was met with silence.

The urgent throb of her bladder reminded her that she needed
to use the facilities, so, with a sigh, she rose and clambered from the seat.
After attending to the needs of her body, she walked around the unit, peering
at the door, but it was obviously programmed remotely. She poked and prodded,
but it made no difference. With a huff, she headed back to the chair.

The moment she’d settled in, the viewing screen shone
bright. “Welcome back, Levia. The next sequence will evaluate your psychological
reflexes, then that will be followed up with the general knowledge portion of
the evaluation.”

“When can I leave?” It seemed better to ask bluntly, she
told herself.

“Once the examination is completed. After the next set of evaluations,
you will be subjected to the physical aspect.”

“Then I can go home?”

“Levia Endrado, you will now complete the psychological
test. This will be undertaken by one of the center’s personal evaluators.”

She frowned.
Personal evaluators?
She bit her lip,
and the sting reminded her that this wasn’t something to joke about. In her
seventeen years, she’d only heard of personal evaluators being brought in once
before, and that was when one of the girls at her academy had been in a serious
accident. Both legs were amputated and her body’s ability to keep her alive had
been gravely compromised. Her peers had been informed that the girl had
requested the assessment before she could request her support systems be
disconnected.

“Levia Endrado, are you ready to recommence processing?” The
emotionless voice echoed once more and she gulped.

“Yes.”

* * * *

Her pack weighed a million tons, and not for the first time,
Levia wondered how in the universe she’d ended up there, in warrior training on
the moon of Kefla III. Now, her back seemed to ache every day and every night,
her hands had taken on the visage of a scourer, and her face had moved from
tanned to berry brown.

She hated what had happened. As a girl, she’d always thought
perhaps she’d become a shuttle pilot or perhaps a federated law enforcement
officer. The status of warrior wasn’t one she’d ever attached to herself. It
felt wrong. Awkward.

“Recruit Endrado, report for your assigned enhancement in
medi-bay seven-one,” the loudspeaker blared, and for a moment, her heart
stopped.
Enhancement.

That was code for cyborg implantation. Levia knew exactly
what that meant. The knowledge was in the eyes of everyone around her. She pondered
the fact that nobody was game to say it.

The sea of blank faces met her wary look, and without a word,
she turned away from the others waiting for the latrine. Was this meant to be
the first of many ‘routine medical interventions’ that were planned for her?
The flip-flopping of her stomach betrayed the nerves jittering inside her
belly.

Actually, if she were honest, she was scared witless, just
as she had been since she’d left her evaluation cubicle on her home planet of
Cordero. She’d been met at the door by Sergeant Devra Hollise and escorted
immediately to the shuttle pad outside the city. There hadn’t even been time to
alert her family.

From there, her life had changed radically. From student to
warrior-in-training had taken just one day to effect. Her life could never be
the same again. Now there she was, being drilled on every kind of weapon, her body
being reshaped through endless training sessions, and undertaking linguistic
and tactical lessons. None of these had been even remotely on her radar. She’d
been disinterested in military matters, until her evaluation.

“I don’t want to do this.” Levia couldn’t guess how she
could have been considered suited to this kind of life. She stopped in the
middle of the concourse and scoured the horizon below the enviro-dome. The
darkness reminded her of the despair that welled in the depths of the night. “I
want to go home.” She shivered, knowing it wouldn’t be allowed. They’d
explained in brutal detail what would happen if she even so much as attempted
it.

“Recruit Endrado, report immediately to the medi-bay for
enhancements.”

For a brief instant, she considered refusing, telling them
in no uncertain terms exactly what she wanted. Then reality intruded. Saying
no
in her mind was a heck of a lot easier than saying it in what had become her
reality.

She trudged slowly in the direction of the medi-bays,
arriving just as a group of military police left the building. Their eyes
scanned the dark gray overalls of the recruits. For a moment, a ripple of
vertigo filtered through her. She could say no and it would all be over and
done with…

She shook away the destructive thoughts, as one final
thought bloomed.
Are they looking for me?

“Ah, recruit, just the person we needed to see.” The hard-faced
man took her arm and gently, yet firmly, propelled her to the door emblazoned
with the numerals seven-one.

“Present your credentials,” the usual androgynous voice
demanded, and without thinking, she slipped her wrist into the reader slot.
“Enter, recruit.”

The door slid open and she stepped within, stopping as her
eyes adjusted to the bright light before she glanced over the stark white room
that extended several meters. At the far end, she saw a plas-glass barrier, and
beyond that, the tiles were pristine. The room smelled of disinfectant. The
astringent scent made her nose itch.

Even as she turned, the door shut. “Remove your clothing and
stand by for cleansing.”

Levia gasped. “I…
Why
?”

“Preparation for enhancement requires that all recruits
enter the zone fully cleansed.”

Gulping deeply, Levia’s hands moved to the clips that held
her clothing in place. Piece by piece, it dropped to the floor, until she was fully
nude. She wrapped her hands around herself.

“I hate this.”

“Recruit, your answer is not one of the programmed
acceptable responses. My programming indicated that enhancements are a
requirement of warrior service.”

A small, white cabinet she hadn’t noticed before clicked
open, and within was a tiny, white robe.

“You are required to don this robe then proceed to the
enhancement zone beyond.”

The barrier opened as she tugged the soft material over
herself. Several medi-techs, gowned and masked, entered the area and waved her
forward.

“On the bed, recruit.” The medi-tech gestured to the bed
under surgical lighting.

Realizing there was no future in fighting them, she climbed
onto the treatment bed. A hypo-spray was administered and a gray fog descended.

* * * *

As Levia’s eyes opened, she could see muted green lights glowing
on the walls. Her body ached and her face, in particular, burned like a million
suns had shone on it.

“Recruit Seven-One-Four, stay still and don’t try to talk.
Your enhancements are not yet fully seated in your dermis. That will take
another day or two.”

She blinked and her stomach growled with hunger, as it had regularly
done since her recruitment. Seven-One-Four? Who was that?

“Sustenance will be intravenously provided in a matter of
moments. You must be patient until we’re sure your body has accepted the
syntha-derm on your arms and legs and that your vital organs are working
optimally.”

Her stomach curdled at the words.
Syntha-derm? Arms and legs?

“What have you
done
to me?” Her mouth barely opened,
and what little she could manage sent tendrils of pain shooting under the skin.
Tears pricked her eyes, but as they spilled over the skin of her face burned
hotter.

“That information is not yet cleared for dissemination,
Seven-One-Four.”