Indulgence (96 page)

“My female upgraded my mechanics.” That didn’t explain all
of his improvements. It was as though the more nanocybotics he gave Joan, the
more he produced.

“I wish I had a female.” The young cyborg sighed. “My
handler isn’t a good human.” He shifted on his rock.

“There are no good humans,” Rage said that because they
expected him to. He didn’t know if he still believed it.

“Judging by how content you’ve been, your little human is
very
good,” Crash murmured. “You lucky bag of bolts.”

Rage ignored his friend’s comment.

“Do I have to kill my handler quickly?” Gap asked.

He understood the younger cyborg’s desire to inflict pain on
the human who was torturing him. “The faster we kill everyone, the sooner we
escape, the more likely we are to reach the Homeland without being recaptured.”

“Oh.” Gap slouched.

“We won’t get far if we don’t find that third tracking
device.” Crash sliced Rage’s left shoulder blade open.

“Fraggin’ hole.” He grimaced, the pain nearly blinding him.
“Do you know how to detect the tracking devices?”

“No.” Crash stuck the grippers into his shoulder, pressing
it to the left and to the right, ratcheting the torment skyward. “I’m
guessing.” He sighed. “And I guessed wrong again. Did your female say where the
tracking devices were located?”

“Would I tolerate your search if she did?”

Crash removed the grippers, allowing his wound to heal. “I
could continue to look or you could ask her.” He felt Rage’s nape. “She knew
there were three. She’d know where they were.”

Joan was a clever female. She
would
know where the
tracking devices were. “By asking her, I’m confirming we plan to escape.”

“You’re confirming
you
plan to escape.”

That was true. He’d only be placing himself at risk. The
humans would decommission him…or try to. He wouldn’t die quietly and the others
would be safe.

“If we don’t find it and we move forward with our plans, we
could be placing all of us in jeopardy,” Crash pushed. “Hundreds of cyborgs
could die, cyborgs that are looking toward us to successfully lead this
mission. You’re our top warrior. They believe in you, in our freedom. Would you
let them down?”

Crash knew he wouldn’t. Rage’s lips twisted. To save the
others, he’d have to trust her and ask for her help. Both prospects made Rage
uneasy. Because trusting his little female gave her the power to hurt him.

“She’s a human.” He had to remember that.

“She smells more and more like you,” Gap contributed. “Will
she become a cyborg if you transfer enough of your nanocybotics to her?”

Rage gazed at him. Was the kid serious? A constant influx of
nanocybotics would stop the aging process and extend her life, but they would
never change her. “She’ll always be human.”

“Your little human might be our only hope.” Crash stood.
“I’ll transmit the information about the fifth device on the ships to the
others.” They communicated on a secure frequency, accessible only by fellow
cyborgs. “Warn them there might be a third device on their frames. They might
have heard something about where it might be.”

The cyborg strode behind the ship, looking for an optimal
transmitting location. That would decrease the number of relays needed and
lessen the chance of discovery.

Rage donned his armor, wishing his little female were there
to assist him. She’d touch him with her gentle hands, gaze up at him with those
big brown eyes, treating him as though he was her suns, moons, planets rolled
into one.

“Rage?”

“Yes.” He braced himself for another idiotic question from
the kid.

“I’ve never seen a female cyborg. Are they soft and round
like your female?”

Rage had never seen a female like Joan. Thinking about her
breasts and hips made him hard. He adjusted his body armor. “The female cyborgs
I’ve met.” Bred with. “Were strong and firm, tougher than many males.”

They were fierce, fighting him for dominance, taking his cum
and giving as little as possible in return, caring nothing for his pleasure.
They wouldn’t kneel at his feet, wouldn’t call him sir, wouldn’t obey his
commands.

“Oh.” Gap’s lips turned downward. “Are there many females?”

“No.” The failure of the breeding program eliminated the
need for females.

The kid stared straight ahead. Judging by the grim set of
his unblemished face, whatever he saw on that war-ravaged horizon wasn’t
pleasant. “I’ll never have a female of my own, will I?”

Rage gazed over his shoulder. Where was Crash? His friend
was better with the reassuring words. Rage had no patience for it.

The kid sighed, the sound pitiful.

Fraggin’ hole. “Stand tall, warrior,” he said gruffly.
“You’re young and handsome.” Rage slapped the cyborg’s shoulder, shaking his
slighter frame. “Many females prefer that in a male.” Not his female. He lifted
his gun. She desired him, a big, scarred, battle-worn male. “Didn’t you once
say you’d never be free of the Humanoid Alliance?”

“Yes.” Gap’s head lifted.

“And yet, this repositioning, we’ll make our escape.” Rage
tossed the handheld to Gap. The kid caught it. “Never say never.”

He waited.

The kid didn’t move.

“Restart the recording,” he barked, his patience frayed.

Gap jumped to do his bidding.

Rage scowled. Would he find another female, a cyborg female,
like Joan? Or would he also spend the rest of his lifespan alone, never to
breed again?

Because he’d rather not breed than go without the sweet
submission and tenderness she’d shown him.

Blasted Gap, putting those ideas in his processor. Rage
rushed toward the encroaching Mantidae forces, seeking to lose himself in the
fight.

Joan crept into the meeting chamber. Heads turned. Voices
buzzed, phrases such as ‘cyborg slut’ and ‘stupid female’ repeated.

She slipped her hand in the pocket of her flight suit and
touched cool metal. Rage’s dagger was there. She wasn’t without protection.

Joan claimed a seat on the perimeter, giving herself a path
to escape should that become necessary. She’d received the bulletin moments
ago. Commander Lewis wished to speak to all of the off-duty cybernetic
engineers.

It could be about the repositioning, but the gurgling in her
stomach told her otherwise. Had the Mantidae taken the planet? Was Rage dead?

“You’re fidgeting, Tits.” Plank sat behind her, his buddies
filling the seats around him. “Did your cyborg give your ass a workout last
night?”

Denny, her friend, looked away, his expression grim. The
other engineers sniggered. One of them yanked on her hair, the pain bitterly
sharp.

The comments continued, the males becoming more and more
vulgar. Joan ignored them. If she didn’t respond, they’d eventually become
bored and leave her alone.

That was what had happened at the academy. The first two
solar cycles were torture. By the end of the fourth solar cycle, she’d earned
some respect, gained some support.

Not from every being. Plank had been a rectal wipe on planet
rotation one and continued to be one now.

Commander Lewis strode into the chambers, his boots ringing
on the floor. They jumped to their feet. “Sir.” They saluted him.

“At ease, Engineers.” His smug expression troubled Joan.
That was his I’m-about-to-hurt-some-being look.

She didn’t have to wait for pain. Plank punched her between
the shoulder blades as they sat. Shit. She winced. That hurt.

“This information will be broadcast in a bulletin after
repositioning, but let me be the first to congratulate you.” Commander Lewis’
smile held no goodwill. “In twenty planet rotations, you will be responsible
for a fleet of K model cyborgs, the best and the newest the Humanoid Alliance
has to offer.”

A wave of excitement swept over the audience. The K models
were top-of-the-line. Any engineer would be thrilled to be paired with one.

Any engineer other than her. Joan only wanted to be paired
with Rage. She raised her hand to ask the first question, dreading the answer.

“Cadet Tull?” The Commander’s eyes gleamed.

“What will happen to our current cyborgs, sir?” She was
proud of how steady her voice was.

“They will be decommissioned.” He confirmed Joan’s
suspicions and the room swayed under her feet. Rage, his friends, all of the
cyborgs would be killed. “We’ll take them apart, using every circuit we can.”
The Commander leaned forward. “This is war. We can’t afford to waste any
mechanics.” His gaze lifted. “Cadet Plank?”

“Sir, will they be terminated before they’re taken apart?”

“They’ll be given a prolonger so we can verify that the
mechanics are operational. It makes no sense to keep parts that don’t work.”
Commander Lewis’ gaze returned to Joan. “To answer what I’m sure will be the
next question, we won’t waste valuable pain inhibitors on the decommissioned
cyborgs. They’re machines.”

“They’re half human, sir.” Joan couldn’t remain silent.
“They’re living beings who fought for the Humanoid Alliance, risking their
lives to save ours.”

She looked around the chambers, seeking support. She found
none. The other engineers glared at her.

“Surely they deserve to be treated with more dignity,” she
pleaded.

“They don’t
deserve
anything, Cadet Tull.” Commander
Lewis’ face hardened. “They were manufactured to fight. They served their
purpose. Now, they will be decommissioned.”

Now, they’ll be tortured before they’re killed. She felt
faint. As a reward for their service, the cyborgs will be scrapped for parts,
artificially kept alive while they’re dissected. They’ll see their bodies
carved into pieces, feel every cut, every wound, their dying extended.

“Better use his cock while you can, Tits.” Plunk slapped her
shoulder hard.

Joan suppressed the urge to slap him back. She had to
respond intelligently, not emotionally. She might not be able to save all of
the cyborgs from this fate but perhaps she could save Rage. She raised her
hand.

“What is it now, Cadet Tull?” The Commander didn’t hide his
irritation.

“She’s going to cry about her precious machines,” Plank
sneered. “This sensitivity shit is why females don’t belong on a battle
station.” That line sounded like something the Commander would say.

The other engineers laughed.

They were all clones of their leader, cruel and uncaring. It
made Joan sick to her stomach and a bit desperate. She had to protect her
cyborg.

“I haven’t cried since I was eleven solar cycles.” Though
she felt like crying now. “C899321 holds the number one position for enemy
kills. Surely the Humanoid Alliance wouldn’t decommission such a valuable
asset?”

“You’re correct. C899321 won’t be treated like the other
cyborgs,” Commander Lewis conceded.

Thank the stars. Joan’s shoulders lowered.

“The Central Archives has requested his shoulders and head
for display in their war equipment collection.”

They requested his head and shoulders only. Tour guides
would parade children in front of her cyborg, talk about him as though he was
merely a weapon to be used. Bile rose in her throat.

“The Academy, the same one you attended, has asked for the
rest of his frame, for study.”

They told her the cyborgs they studied had been slain in
battle. Joan gripped the edge of her chair, remembering the frames she’d
examined. Had they all been decommissioned, tortured and killed by the humans
they fought for?

And she’d poked and prodded at them, disrespecting them even
more.

Rage was right. She
was
like the others.

Engineers asked questions, inquiring about whether or not
they’d receive promotions, an increase in daily credits, if they could be
present to view the decommissioning, the slaughter of the cyborgs they were
paired with.

Joan pushed away her horror, and focused on the situation.
This was war, as the Commander bluntly stated. She didn’t have the time or resources
to dwell on her mistakes. She had to move forward, devise a plan to ensure Rage
survived, that he didn’t end up dead in some macabre exhibit. He was
her
responsibility.
Her first loyalty was to him. If she saved other cyborgs while saving her male,
then that was a bonus.

The engineers filed out of the chambers, in high spirits.
Joan exited between two large groups, hoping the sheer number of beings would
discourage an attack. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, wrapped her
fingers around the handle of the dagger, ready to defend herself.

“Joan, wait up.” Denny jogged behind her.

She gazed at the group in front of her. A widening gap would
put her in danger. But the last time Denny spoke to her, he passed along a
warning. She was alone, except for Rage. She needed any help she could get.

She slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up to her. They
walked in silence. What did he want?

“They’re going to kill your cyborg.” She was the first to
speak. “Doesn’t that bother you?”

“They’re machines and they’re no longer needed.” He sighed.
“You’ve always had a romantic view of them. That’s not reality.” Beings passed
them. “Tell me it isn’t true what they saying about you. You didn’t have sex
with your cyborg.”

“I care for him.” She wouldn’t lie to her friend.

“It’s not alive.” Denny didn’t hide his disgust. “It won’t
ever care for you.”

Rage cared. She was certain of that. “
He
’s a living
being, half human.” Why did no one remember that? “Haven’t you watched the
footage, seen how the cyborgs interact when they’re not following our orders?”

“No one watches the footage, just as no one reads our field
reports.” Denny grasped her wrist, pulled her closer to the wall. “Do you know
what you’ve done, Joan, by taking this pairing?” More beings walked by them.
“You’re the first female in the department and they want you to be the last.”