BioCybe (8 page)

“Levia? Are you okay?”

She didn’t realize he’d activated the tiny communications
link in the shuttle and closed her eyes. “Yeah.” It was a lie of course. More
than likely she’d damaged something in her shoulder, but right now wasn’t the
time to tell him that. “Did you get hold of the
Echo
?”

“Yeah. Vestang is powering her up and moving as quickly as
possible. He expects to be here in about an hour and a half.”

Silently, Levia wondered if they had that much time. “Good.
I’m checking the lines now.”

A chill had invaded her body, and she glanced around,
looking for evidence that anything else had been tampered with. Dragging back
the cover from the conduit and filter access points, she breathed out and a
wisp of steam escaped her mouth. Steam?

“Sandon?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to replace the hatch cover now.” He wouldn’t
likely understand what she was alluding to. At least she hoped not.

“The hatch cover? But that seals the decks.” He sounded
confused.

“Do it, Sandon. Do it now.”

If her worst fears came to pass, there was a tiny
re-breather facility down here and her suit would give her some protection.
If
what I think is true…

“Levia, I’m not going to seal you down there!” The anger
told her he’d worked out what she was thinking.

“You have to. If they’ve tampered with the seals too, the
oxygen will leak out. We’ll both be dead before the
Echo
can arrive.”

“No. Don’t ask me—”

“I’m not asking, Sandon. I’m ordering you. Do it now.”

“But—”

“My suit pressurizes and there is a re-breather. I can
access that from any location down here while I bleed the lines. I’ll be fine.
With my enhancements, I’m better equipped to handle the situation than you’d
think. Just do as I told you.”

She’d stashed a set of pressure gloves and headset down there
when Sandon had demanded she fly him to Omega V. Now she hurried to access
them. One of the first things they’d been taught was to always prepare for the
worst, and it seemed that advice would save her life.

Once she’d tugged on the safety gear, she located the fuel
line and nicked it. Carefully capturing a small amount of liquid in a
container, she’d just finished resealing it and rubbed her hands across her
face when she felt the loss of oxygen. Realizing she had little time, she
hurried through running the tests on the fuel and snarled as she worked out
that water had been added to the tanks. It was impossible to know exactly how
much water had been added as the fuel replenishment had taken place during her
time in the lockup.

“Sandon? Our fuel lines have been contaminated with water.”
She dragged on the glove, knowing that time was running short. Once the oxygen
in the hold was exhausted, there was the chance that the hold could
depressurise. “We need to shut down the propulsion system until the
Golden
Echo
gets here. You know how to do that, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. But what about you?”

“If I can get back to you before that happens, then I will.
If not, I have a good chance of surviving it.” She injected a bit of mirth into
her voice, but knew he was probably frowning right now.

“How much chance?”

“My computations say around ninety-seven percent, but with
my suit on that rises to around ninety-eight point five percent.”

“Damn it.”

“I’ve survived worse. Seriously, just get your cold weather
gear on and hang on, okay?” Her concern was for Sandon. He had none of the
enhancements she did, and that left him vulnerable.

She worked quickly, locating an extra secura-net and
erecting it around the door of the hatch, just in case there was an explosive
decompression, though she doubted that would happen. After everything she’d
been through, she refused to lose the cargo. Then, with nothing more to do, she
webbed herself against a rib of the ship and settled in to wait for the
Golden
Echo
to secure them.

Once more safely aboard the
Golden Echo
, Sandon prowled
the halls. Levia had argued that she really didn’t need to see the medic, but
while he understood she didn’t want anyone else to know, his mind had screamed
she needed care. So he’d hustled her to the sick bay and extracted a promise
from his paramedic officer, Gisma.

The surprise on Gisma’s face nearly coaxed a smile free, but
when he’d started the consultation, Levia hissed, and Sandon had roared at the
medic.

“I can’t work if you’re in here. Besides, Levia’s already
asked you to leave.”

So he’d retreated, pacing to and fro in front of the door.
When it opened and Gisma indicated that he could enter, his footsteps were
quick. “Well?”

The technician stopped him just outside the consultation
room with an extended arm. “She’s taken a nasty beating or three. A couple of
cracked ribs, lots of bruising. Some malnourishment. Nothing that can’t be
dealt with by some rest and food. But, Sandon... I mean, she’s a Cybe. Why
didn’t you alert us? We all deserved to have been told. You kept it—”

“He didn’t know.” Levia rounded the corner, stopping just in
front of them.

The green cybernetic implants shone through the paint on one
side of her face. The other side carried a bruise the size of a melon, right on
her jaw. She was once more encased in her customary suit, though it was still
stained. He wondered if the green bio-cybernetic tracery followed the outline
of her body.

An ache, hard and urgent, throbbed through him as his gaze
followed the lines outlined beneath the ballistic material. Realizing what he
was doing, he glanced back up and caught the glitter in her eye and the harsh
line of her mouth.
Oh yes, she’s seen me.

“If my being a Cybe affects the running of the
Golden
Echo
, I’ll be happy to terminate my agreement with Sandon. After all, that
was what we agreed to, right? I just need to find you a replacement pilot.” She
spoke carefully and a jolt hit him in the chest, stealing his breath and
ability to reason.

Levia leave?
“No. Levia, you don’t have to go.” Damn it,
that was the last thing he wanted. Couldn’t she see? But he knew, with all the
demons that she struggled to hide from him, she would place him and his needs
as well as those of the crew before her own.

Gisma pinned him with a harsh look. “If you asked the crew—”

“They don’t need to know.” He lashed out, only stilling when
Levia laid her hand on his arm.

“Gisma’s right. They should know. I could be considered a
threat to the safety of everyone on board. It’s their right to be apprised.”

He swallowed the lump that lodged in his throat, shaking his
head as he tried to dismiss the thoughts of what would surely follow if they
continued on with this course of action. “No.”

“Yes, Sandon.” She smiled a sad, dejected grin that hacked
at his emotions. “Now, I need a few minutes to tidy myself up, then I’ll head
back to my shuttle. Unless, you need me to assist with…” She stopped speaking,
as if saying it were too hurtful.

“No, Levia. Don’t do this.”

She raised a hand to his cheek. “Running away from the truth
doesn’t make it easier. I have to do this, and they have the right to know.”

“Damn it, I’ll do it. It’s my job. But you aren’t leaving. I
need you.” The words escaped before he even considered their importance. Her
hand slid away, but he captured it. Gisma coughed and withdrew, leaving them
alone. “I won’t let you go.”

Her sad smile died away. “Don’t commit yourself to a path
that will damage your crew and craft. They deserve more respect from you than
that.”

“So do you, Levia.” He pulled at her hand, tugging her
closer, and the color of her eyes mesmerized him.

The closer she came, the stronger the scent of her. The
woman his body and mind craved. Her lips were lush and pink, and he noted the
way her tongue darted out to wet them. With a groan he gave in, dropping his
mouth to hers, and began feasting. Her hand curved over his shoulders,
clutching at him, fingers digging in as she moaned. His tongue sought and
gained entry to her mouth. He savored her, like a fine wine, sipping at her
lips, while she pushed her body close to his. The touch of her stole his senses,
and a delicious warmth wound its way through his body. He wound his arms around
her waist, only stopping when she pulled back with a yelp.

“God damn. I’m sorry, Levia. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

The side of her face, not covered with the glowing green
light, blushed. “You didn’t really.”

She ducked away, and he was entranced.
Embarrassed.
He’d embarrassed her. Well, damn it, he wondered if she’d done this for others,
then stilled as the knowledge slammed into him.
She had no experience.
He
closed his eyes, once more castigating himself for being several kinds of fool.

When he opened his eyes, she was gone.

* * * *

Levia scurried through the corridors, thankful when she
didn’t see anyone else. At the shuttle, she scooted inside, listening for the
thud of the door shutting. It didn’t make her feel better though. Instead, her
belly churned. How could she have let him kiss her?
Again?

“This happened once before, so you should have known what
those damned indicators meant.” But just remembering the feel of him, the
taste…

She felt the heat of her blush, and her pulse thrummed
wildly. Blinking away the scroll of information in her corneal implant, she
read through the list of physical changes in her body. Information she could do
without. She didn’t want to know just how much he affected her.

She stalked in the direction of the ablution stall, but a
chance look at herself in the mirror stopped her dead. “I would have given just
about anything not to have been enhanced.” The green tracery glowed and her
eyes… Even though they didn’t glow, she could see the outline of the lenses
where they’d been inserted into the eye itself.

With shaking fingers, she shucked the stained suit,
stripping down so she could look at her whole body in the mirror. It was the
first time since enhancement, so long ago. She’d always shied away, because,
she’d reasoned, that looking at it, made it somehow more real.

Her chest, arms, legs, and torso were crisscrossed with
raised ridges, pale pink, and nasty puckers here and there. Turning showed that
her back also bore the hallmarks of the surgeon, but her buttocks were
unmarked. Beneath her synthetic flesh were layers of syntha-mesh, designed to
give her the added advantage of superior healing, and a tensile strength in her
muscles, boosting her ability to hurl items and to block attacks. She
remembered back to the visit by the surgeons after the final enhancement was
added, the way they catalogued the inclusions, most notably the fact that her
bones had been coated with a metallic substance designed to reinforce them.
Right now, when she wanted to be a woman, all woman, without the extra bits
they’d added to her, it didn’t make a lot of difference.

“I’m so damaged that no one could want me.” It was an
inescapable truth. One she’d accepted many years before.

Swiping at the remains of the theatrical makeup covering her
face, she faced what she was. A BioCybe. Part woman and part machine. All
weapon.

Yet, for some reason, he’d kissed her. “I must be delusional
to even be giving this a second thought. He’s probably been without a woman for
so long that even I will do.”

The words echoed in the craft, leaving her cringing. It
didn’t feel right that she could even contemplate that he’d use her. She’d
never noted that aspect of his nature before and it felt wrong to attribute it
to him, but what other possible reason could there be?

“Damn it, Levia. You just need to get over it. He knows what
you are. You’re female, and available. Just accept it then get into the shower
and be done with it.”

His comment was confusing, yet it was all she was going to
get.

She showered quickly and walked through the body drier on
her way to the sleeping area of her craft. “So I have three full days clear.
What to do?”

Accessing the neural processor, she ran through a list of
possible options, including several necessary updates to her firmware, finding
a way of integrating the bio-net into a light weight covering, and downloading
some new piloting manuals.

“Oh, what a wicked three days I’ve got ahead of me.” The
sarcasm helped her to bury her fears and loneliness, and she settled herself on
the bed.

The bedding covered her nude body, and she programmed the
relaxation command that started gradually settling her mind. At the edges of
sleep came a thought, wispy and insubstantial, but she brushed it away,
ignoring the sharp sting of fear.
Tomorrow. I can deal with all these issues
tomorrow.

* * * *

Three days. Three long, miserable days with no sign of Levia,
and that irked him. He’d worked out she’d been in the mess hall at odd times.
Was she avoiding him? It seemed likely. When he’d gone to the shuttle bay, her
lock-guard had been engaged. Truth be told, he was uncomfortable—hell, it
irritated him, frustrated him, and upset his equilibrium—realizing she was
hiding out. How could he apologize if she wouldn’t even see him? And hell, he
didn’t know if that was what he wanted to do. His mood was sour, or so the crew
informed him, and more than one had cast a questioning look in his direction.

The knock at his door drew him away from his problems and he
raised his head. “Come.” Sandon’s eyes narrowed as the door swung inward
slowly.

Levia peered through the door, and he released a deep
breath. “The others said you needed to see me?”

Time to gird the loins.
With a careful movement of
his hand, Sandon indicated the seat and watched as she carefully lowered
herself into the modular chair. “You’re better now?”

She cocked her head to the side, her eyes gazing steadily at
him. “Fully healed.”

“Excellent.” He fidgeted, unsure how to open dialogue over
his actions. It wasn’t something he’d ever had to do. In his experience, women
were strong and chose to either deepen the relationship or brush it off—to take
control of the situation. Levia was different.
She matters.
The thought
stopped him in his tracks.
Where the hell did that come from?

“Is there anything else?”

It was only then that Sandon understood he’d been sitting there,
gazing at her for some moments. He fought the need to touch her; she wouldn’t
welcome it right now. “Yes. About the other day—”

“No. Nothing happened, and we can forget about it.” She
rushed the words, her gaze sliding away to a fixed point over his shoulder.

“Levia, something did happen.”

When her gaze settled on him again, he read the anxiety in
her features. “No. We kissed, but that’s not really anything. It’s not like we
had sex. So, let’s just forget about it, right?”

The problem was he didn’t want to forget about it. The devil
inside him said she likely didn’t either. Clearing his head with a shake didn’t
help, and neither did the sharp intake he heard from the other side of the
desk.

“Either you forget about it, or you’ll have to find another
pilot. When I came aboard, that was
your
mandate. One I was more than
happy to agree to.”

Her words stopped him short. The words he’d spoken
carelessly then, now rose between them like a block wall. “Damn it, Levia…” He
scrubbed his balled fist over his eyes, while his mind blanked.

“No. I was and still am only looking for a home. If you
can’t promise me that, then I will leave. There are other crews looking for
pilots.”

His head snapped up. “Your place here is safe. I promised
that and will stand by it.”

She gave a decisive nod. “Fine. Then I’ll resume duty today.
I understand that Vestang has filled the role while I’ve been on enforced
leave?”

He scowled, wishing he could somehow steer the conversation
back to their situation, but she’d made it clear.
I’ll have to re-evaluate
the situation. Once she trusts me, then perhaps I can open dialogue between us.
A man needed a plan, he told himself firmly. Relationships were like business,
weren’t they? You made a plan and followed it and it would all come right in
the end. He just needed the data to make the correct decisions.

Satisfied with himself and his understanding of the
situation, he gave Levia a smile. “Sure. Yes, he’s done a good job, but he
doesn’t have the touch you do.”

Levia didn’t return his smile, and he read the wariness in
her gaze. “Fine.” Standing up, she made to leave the room and he wanted to call
her back.

Not a good idea, Sandon. Leave her for now and make your
plans.
As the door closed softly behind her, he wondered if it was all that
easy.

Turning back to his computer, he searched for her files and
brought them up, noticing for the first time just how much wasn’t included. Laying
his fingers on the communicator button, he considered for a moment not taking
the next course of action. “Nothing ventured means nothing gained.”

He opened a link to the interstellar communications system,
and requested his friend on Moritar 186, a scientific outpost.

The connection was scratchy at best, but upon seeing Brandon’s
face, he grinned. “Hey! Met any nice girls lately?” It was an ongoing banter
from their earliest days together.

“Hah! If it’s not my favorite entrepreneur, Sandon pal! I
wondered when I’d be seeing your ugly mug again. What can I do for you?”

“I have a problem with one of my crewmembers. I’m wondering
if you could…dig up some information?” Brandon had never let him down before,
and he certainly hoped he could work his magic again.

“Details?”

Sandon explained the situation to his friend, leaving out
his personal feelings.