I concentrated on my processors power on her face.
She inhaled deeply than exhaled. “Breath with me,” she softly commanded.
I watched her draw another deep breath into her lungs and I found myself mirroring her. My breathing synchronized to hers, the sound of my heartbeat, matching her heart’s rhythm. The world around me dimmed until all I could see was her. Her breaths became my own. Her heartbeat became mine, her heartbeat becoming mine. The tension in my frame uncoiled as the tightness in my chest eased.
“I’ve never left my home before,” I confessed. “I have been with Dr. Shaw since the moment of my creation. I don’t know what I’m doing.” I dropped my gaze. I couldn’t stand her being a witness to my weakness.
A finger lifted my chin. “This is all my fault. I didn’t think. We are going back.” Her hands slipped off my face as she straightened her shoulders. “When we get there, you will need to hand me over to Reaper, Dax. Tell him that I made you do it.”
I shook my head. “Never.”
She offered me a sad smile. “I refuse to tear you away from everything you ever known. This is the right thing to do. Engine on.”
The vehicle roared to life and I knew I only had a few moments to decide my fate. Despite my earlier panic I didn’t want to go home. “Engine off!” The vehicle’s engine cut off, obeying my command. I reached out to touch her, cupping her cheeks the way she had cupped mine. My circuits buzzed. She was as soft as I had imagined. “You would really give yourself up for me?” I searched her face. “So I could go home?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Of course. I didn’t wait my whole life to meet you just to destroy yours.” Her face softened, her eyes gazing at me warmly. “Let me take you home, Dax.”
My programming rebelled at the thought of giving her up. Plus doubt nagged at my circuits. I could not be a hundred percent positive Reaper wouldn’t hurt her if we returned. I couldn’t bet her freedom -her life- unless I was completely sure, but more importantly Iwantedto stay with her.
Be bold,my circuits declared. I ran my thumb along her lower lip, watching as she sucked in a breath, leaning into my touch. “Fascinating.” My processors were completely mesmerized. My head dipped, my lips brushing hers in a fleeting moment of bravery. “I don’t want to go home.” I whispered the words against her lips. “I want an adventure. Take me on an adventure, Poe.”
Chapter Three
*Poe*
Take me on an adventure, Poe.A tiny shiver raced up my spine at hearing my name coming from Dax’s lips. His words filled up my brain, his touch igniting something needy within me. Dax had become so much more than a crush over the years. He had become my obsession. It was an obsession that had driven me to find him.
As a reporter, I had known where to dig. And dig I did. I combed through every record about the cyborg program I could find, pouring over every bit of data, searching for clues.
Oz had helped, too. She had hacked into The Global Allegiance’s classified files and had learned about their secret project to relaunch the cyborg program. Dr. Rosenfield had been one sick and twisted lady. The things she had done. My stomach recoiled, a violent rebellion of what I had discovered.Children. She had killed cyborg children.Murdered them and their mothers without a second thought, her only concern had been finding the key to success and she hadn’t cared how many bodies it took to get there.
The only good thing to come from those files had been that The Global Allegiance had stopped reading her reports. Oz had uncovered a memo stating they believed her attempt had been nothing more than a complete and utter failure. They began to ignore her and any information contained in her reports. One of those reports had led me to her to abandoned lab and buried on some scrap of paper had been the location of the cyborg rebellion headquarters.
I couldn’t believe it. I knew where they were. Where Dax was. And despite the risks I had to meet him, to see him in all his green glory. It been selfish and stupid and I couldn’t understand why he wanted to stay with me. My actions hadn’t inspired loyalty, they more screamed crazy person.
I stared into his emerald eyes. “You really want an adventure with me?”
His eyes flashed then he nodded.
“Really?” I breathed. His lips were still far too close to my own and I fought the urge to kiss him. Not just a brief brush of lips, no I wanted a real heart pounding, panty melting kiss.Slow down. You can’t jump him like some horny teenager! And even if you wanted to, you don’t have any clue what you’re doing. How do you plan to seduce the cyborg of your dreams with no experience?
I hated to admit my brain was right. After staring at colorful cyborgs for years, human males had become plain boring. They didn’t come in fun colors. They weren’t super strong or fast or smart. They were average. I never wanted average. I longed for someone incredible.
While I wanted someone incredible, I knew I was nothing but average. Mousy brown hair which never did what I wanted. Equally unimpressive brown eyes that were hid by a pair of glasses because I hadn’t been able to afford the correction surgery. You would think by now, eyesight would be considered something essential, not cosmetic; but nope. You could change the color, the shape, add cybernetics to give your vision an upgrade -you could do it all- for a price of course.