Kingston 691: Book Two of Cyborgs: Mankind Redefined (21 page)

His rocking got to her. She couldn’t stop herself from offering him some solace.

“What do you want to deal with first, Captain? Fixing your legs? Or resolving that terrible headache?” Kyra asked briskly, now intending to take some action the moment Marcus arrived. The headache might involve going back into his cybernetic panel. She would hate that, but she would do it, if necessary.

“Legs first,” William said sharply. “Then I can run the hell out of here the first chance I get.”

“I’m sorry for your extreme pain…and your circumstances. We’ll do all we can to help you. But I must warn you, I’m not great at giving attitude adjustments. If you want to hate me and have it matter, you’re going to have to take a number in the back of a very long line. If you want to leave here hating the world, that’s your prerogative too, but it’s a very bad way to start your first real chance at a do-over. You might want to try believing we only want the best for you.”

Kyra watched as his hand fell away during a moment when the pain seemed to lessen…which was equally bizarre. His headache seemed to ebb and flow with his emotional reactions to her. Anger seemed to be the only one that eased the pain.

“Lady, you have no idea about anything. If there is one lesson I’ve learned, it’s that I will never be truly free again. The military owns me, every last inch. I don’t know why you’re pretending any differently.”

Kyra stared. “Care to explain those comments further? And for the record…I am not in the military. Like you, I just worked for them.”

“No, I do not wish to explain. I’d like to keep my head on my shoulders for now. I may have need of it sometime soon. Just fix my damn legs. That’s all I want from you.”

“Captain Talon, you don’t seem to have much to say about having been a captive in the work camp. What did you discover about the last decade during your data assimilation?”

“Does it make you feel important to throw those big words around, Dr. Winters? I have no clue what you’re talking about and no desire to find out. I told you what I was assigned to do there and that’s all I know about it. If I could forget my own name, I’d be nothing but happy to give up my shitty life. Now could you just fix my fucking legs and stop harassing me about your cyber science crap?”

Kyra tilted her head. Far from being offended by his demands, she was fascinated by his outburst. The man was not exhibiting any anger over having been a prisoner. He was just upset about his head hurting and his legs not working. It was like his assimilation of his time in the work camp had totally failed. Could that have really happened so completely?

“I’ll be back shortly, Captain. I’m going to need some help to get you into a transport chair.”

Kyra frowned as she saw the man rolling his eyes once more. She had only seen his level of anger, hate, and distrust in one other cyborg. Now she was married to him. Peyton hadn’t believed the truth of his liberation at first either.

She closed the lab door behind her with a soft click. Something wasn’t right with William Talon’s restoration. More and more, she was theorizing it simply hadn’t taken place. But what could have blocked it?

She needed to figure it out before he was released into a world he seemed to hate. Captain Talon would never be allowed to leave until she did.

Chapter 16

Seetha jumped back as a muscled arm swung out and whacked her just above her breasts.

“Look out—rogue arm,” she exclaimed, laughing at the shock on her patient’s face as his unresponsive arm slid down and off her breasts. He caught it with his other hand before it fell completely. When he looked worried about her reaction, she patted his shoulder and laughed.

“The boob graze was not your fault, Lieutenant. I obviously didn’t get something right.”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

Seetha snorted and rolled her eyes. “What is it with you military guys?
Ma’am.
Do I look like my mother? I mean I lost a few too many pounds, but my curves are coming back. I thought what I put on today made me look pretty damn good.”

She smiled when the guy’s gaze instantly dropped to her legs and her boots. Her short dress was not practical for her new job, given wrong adjustments to a cyborg could obviously cause her to be knocked on her ass at any second. She had dressed this way for King, who was picking her up from work. She had wanted to look her best for him.

“I agree you look damn good. What would you like me to call you, Engineer Harrington? And can I do it over dinner?”

Seetha double-checked the settings. Indeed, one was missing. She fixed it and set the tip of the code transfer tool against his arm’s data port.

“No copping another feel if this doesn’t work,” she warned, liking the way the man laughed at her teasing.

After the transfer finished, he smiled, bent his arm, stretched it out, and then flexed it several times.

Seetha blinked at the great results and sighed. “Good. Now that’s how a cybernetic arm is supposed to work. You’re all done, Lieutenant.”

His serious blue gaze turned to hers again. “So did I hear a yes or no to dinner? I was being serious when I asked.”

Seetha smiled to soften the blow. “I’m afraid I’ve already got more of a dinner date tonight than I know how to handle, but I sincerely appreciate the offer.”

“Let’s leave it open then. I know where you work. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other at some point in the future,” he said, rising from the chair.

Seetha admired his well-formed backside as he sauntered from the lab, obviously happy to be in top working form again. She turned to see Rachel’s hands fisted on her hips, her gaze having followed the lieutenant’s toned ass out the door as well.

A chuckle escaped without her permission when a fierce young glare was suddenly turned in her direction.

“I am…young…and cute. Is it…the way…I sound? Freak…ing…bot…voice.”

Seetha laughed aloud, happily charmed by the young woman’s envy. “No. It’s about your confidence—you don’t exhibit any around men. I’ve been flirting since I was a teenager. I’ve always liked men even though most give up after about five minutes in my company because I can’t fake being stupid. What you’re witnessing here with these cyborgs is just gratitude for the person who fixes their problem. That’s not real attraction, Rachel. That’s just them getting on with their life.”

“He stared…at your legs…hard and long,” Rachel insisted, her mechanized voice not giving the statement the emphasis she felt.

“He’s a man—they all do that—and cyborgs take it to another level altogether. Kingston West has his own damn category. Come to think of it, so does Peyton Elliott. You can tell why those two men are friends. One is as amazing as the other.”

“The…lieutenant…did not stare…at my legs,” Rachel protested.

Seetha laughed. “Are we going to go through this debate with every cyborg we fix? They’re all going to ask me out, and I’m going to politely decline without hurting the fragile male ego hiding inside the machinery. Just a bit ago I was going out on coffee dates with losers I found through online dating services. Now Kingston West is back in my life and I’m not letting anything get in the way of my second chance with him. He’s the one for me…whether it’s the smartest thing or not.”

Rachel crossed her arms, but smiled. “King…you like him…a lot.”

Seetha smiled and nodded. “Yes. I like him. No one makes me feel as wanted as he does. I don’t think attraction gets more real. It took me two years to fall in love with the man, and we were together five more after that. Being apart the last two years didn’t make it go away. I haven’t met anyone more interesting.”

Seetha grinned when Rachel sighed over her story and went to retrieve her portable. She had insisted Rachel make all the extended notes about what was done to each patient. It gave the younger woman something more productive to do than just fetch tools for her.

“When is he coming?” Seetha asked, her nervousness a lump in her throat.

“He?…You mean…Captain…Talon?” Rachel said, swallowing hard as the words numbed her throat. She must be talking too much.

Seetha nodded, keeping her eyes on what she was doing. “Yes—Captain William Talon—William 874. I hear I have to fix his legs.”

She was surprised to see Rachel’s hand suddenly appear on her arm to rub it gently.

“Do not…be afraid…I am…here,” Rachel said, forcing the words out as fast as she could.

Seetha nodded and smiled. The younger woman had a heart of gold. “Well, good then. You won’t have to worry about this one asking me out. If he remembers me at all, he’ll be as uncomfortable as I am about seeing him again.”

“Okay….No…flirt…ing,” Rachel ordered.

Seetha snorted. “Oh girl, no worries. I’ve seen William hundreds of times. The man creeps me out.”

***

Marcus was still a half hour from appearing, but she couldn’t wait any longer. There were others in her queue. Kyra supervised as two newly restored cyborgs helped lift Captain William Talon into the transport chair. She’d had it created expressly for restorations which had fallen short in the functional leg department. A sexy male voice interrupted her thinking.

“Don’t worry, Captain Talon. Engineer Harrington will get you working again in no time. And the female scenery in the prosthetics repair lab makes the time pass quite nicely while you’re being fixed.”

Kyra’s gaze moved from the sexy lieutenant to the morose Captain Talon, who didn’t respond to the mention of Seetha’s name, much less to the charming lieutenant’s joke. She patiently waited until he was firmly situated in the chair before interjecting into their conversation. Flanked by the two large men, the chair floated inches above the composite stone floor on a cushion of air. It was one of Seetha’s suggestions and had been a good one.

“Do you recall Engineer Seetha Harrington, Captain Talon?” Her first answer was his usual dismissive snort for every question she asked.

“Back to the memories…why should I remember her, Dr. Winters? I’m sure you’re just dying to tell me what else I have wrong with me.”

Kyra ignored his attitude to offer her zinger. “We pulled her out of the same work camp where we found you. In fact, Engineer Harrington is the reason you’re here.”

She watched William shake his head in denial. If possible, his frown got deeper. Glaring seemed to be the default setting for his gaze.

“Knowing the woman is involved in this clusterfuck does not make me anxious to meet her. You need to stop trying to reassure me. It’s not helpful.”

Kyra shrugged. “Well, you may not remember her, Captain, but Engineer Harrington definitely remembers you. Normally after an assimilation, you have near total recall of recent events. You told me you remembered helping the guard bots in the camp. Engineer Harrington reports she saw you nearly every day.”

“Are you calling me a liar, Dr. Winters?”

Kyra turned and met his pain-filled gaze. “No, I’m not. I’m just asking questions trying to solve the mystery of the first cyborg I have restored who didn’t get his memories back.”

Her comment was answered by another dismissive snort. “You worry about all the wrong the things…as do most people. You think people like me are the prisoners, when you’re all just hamsters in a giant cage. Well, I know what I am and I know what it takes to survive.”

Kyra nodded. “You’re not a prisoner any longer, Captain. You’re a survivor. I think you will eventually find out everyone you meet here is a survivor of one kind or another.”

She looked up and smiled at the male standing outside Seetha’s lab.

“Ah…Marcus…thank you for coming. I have to see to a couple of urgent matters. Will you help Seetha and Rachel with Captain Talon’s repairs and stay until I get back?”

“No problem, Doc. I’ll be happy to keep an eye on things.”

Kyra nodded with relief. “Wonderful. I’ll try to be back before Seetha finishes.”

Chapter 17

Marcus held the door open for the cyborg and his transport chair to pass through, nodding at the other two cyborg escorts who were now off the hook. After the man and chair were completely inside, they pointed at their backsides, trying to communicate to him that Captain Talon was a giant ass. He nodded and saluted, figuring they would know then that he got the message.

Rachel smiled as she saw Marcus duck his head and grin about something. It was amazing how a movement so simple could transform his face. Marcus so rarely showed happiness of any sort and she often forgot he could feel his emotions. She’d never met a more serious man.

Pulling her mind from her cyborg keeper, she reluctantly approached the handsome, but somber Captain Talon. She indicated to him to dock his chair in the space rigged for it. Though she’d heard Kyra talking about how deeply cynical the restored cyborg was, at the moment he was being polite, cooperative, and patient as he waited for Seetha to put in an appearance.

It wasn’t long before Seetha did arrive, huffing like she’d been running. Rachel inclined her head to the transport chair, but didn’t say anything. She was saving her voice and sparing her throat from the pain.

Seetha stopped abruptly in front of the chair and stared at the man, taking in the total picture. Her inner alarms went off, sending loud messages, which she unfortunately had to ignore. Her job was to repair the man, not to be afraid of him.

“Hello, William. In case you don’t recall who I am, I’m Engineer Harrington. I hear you’re having a problem with your cybernetic legs.”

William nodded. “Yes. I can feel my mind ordering them to work, but it isn’t happening. It’s like there’s a block between my brain and them.”

Seetha nodded, her gaze dropping to his muscular legs. William’s normal tone of voice was only half as scary as his cyborg one. Seetha set her qualms about him aside and relaxed as much as she could force herself to do. The presence of Rachel’s cyborg keeper—Marcus something or the other—offered marginal reassurance. She recalled he’d been one of the men in the group who’d helped free her. Still—she would have felt tons better if Kyra Winters could have been present.

“Okay. Let’s take some measurements and see what we can find out.”