Oh my.The seats were big but not Tank Class big. His massive gray frame was smooshed into the seat, his injured hand cradled against his chest to keep it from being sandwiched between the armrest and the next seat.
Lennox gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, big guy. These transports weren’t designed with Tank Classes in mind.”
He offered her a sad smile in return. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
My heart gave a painful twist at his words. How often had he been forced to pretzel his massive frame into a smaller space because the world wasn’t built to accommodate someone his size?
Brone and I still needed to discuss what had happened back in the tunnel, but most of my anger had vanished during the half mile hike through the woods. My life as I knew it was over the day I decided to create Core, Caliber, and Chaos. I would do anything to keep them safe. My death would have shattered them.
My heart knew that Brone hadn’t saved me for them. In the end though, did it matter why? I was alive. I had been given another day to protect my cyborgs. Hell, maybe I would be even better at it now. Humans were fragile. While I might not be happy that I was changed into something else, I could only hope that this version of Nara would be better.
Dax wasn’t a cyborg to make inferior products. Whatever had been in that vial would be pure brilliance. Something the Global Allegiance would kill for. And it had been used to save my life. Buried underneath all the worry was a well of gratitude.
My eyes meet Brone’s across the transport, and taking a deep breath, I swallow my pride. “Thank you. For what you did back in the tunnel.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Do you…” His blue eyes scanned my face, Adam’s apple working in his throat. “Do you mean it?”
I nodded, then let out a sigh. “I tend to react first and process later.” My cheeks heated and I ducked my head. “If not for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here, so thank you, Brone, for saving my life.”
It was his turn to blush, the tops of his gray cheeks darkening. “I couldn’t let you die. If you did, how could I woo you?”
Laughter bubbled up, a flash of warmth blooming inside my chest. “Woo me, huh? Maybe wait until we are no longer running for our lives.”
His lips curled into a smirk. “That’s not a no.”
I rolled my eyes, letting them close as I settled back against the seat.
No, it wasn’t.
Brone
Nara closed her eyes, cutting off the conversation, but hope still sparked inside my circuits.Maybe I still had a chance.Joy flared beneath my chest. Not even the dent nor my crushed hand could dampen it.
The joy remained the whole ride despite the uncomfortable, and much too small, seat that I had been squeezed into. I spent the trip wondering about the place we would now call home, at least until the rebellion could get back on its feet.
How many cyborgs and humans would we find? Would the other cyborgs view us as friends or enemies?It was clear that they had known of the rebellion’s existence. Yet they had chosen to remain with Lennox instead.Do they hate us?
My frame shuddered. Most cyborgs stuck together, realizing early on that humans viewed us as products, not people, and that it was better to remain with our own kind.
Not that we hadn’t tried to befriend the humans first. After coming out from the vats, our processors were naturally curious about humans. We wanted to learn about them. To learn from them. Instead, all we received were orders, pain, humiliation, and punishments. Any failure was met with cruelty.
We were disposable. Each and every one of us. We stopped caring about learning from them and instead only learned to care about surviving them and their abuse.
I had a healthy dose of hatred toward humans myself. I remember the time I ran into Aria in the hallway and nearly terrified her half to death. Reaper had intervened, protecting her from my rage and informing me she was Theo’s mother.
Theo was a miracle. Every cyborg loved him like he was their own. Hurting Aria would hurt him and that was something I refused to do. I had dropped to my knees and asked her to forgive me. It had been the start of something wonderful.
I love Aria now. I love all the human females that call the rebellion home. They show me through their actions that not all humans were bad. They made me desire having one of my own.
I couldn’t stop my gaze from drifting to Nara, my heart speeding up inside my chest. Her eyes remained closed, a hint of a smile on her lips. Dust and debris had tangled in the fiery strands of her hair. Her once meticulous clothing was now rumpled and covered in patches of dirt.
She was still the most beautiful female I had even seen.
“Even with my eyes closed I can feel you staring.” The transport started to slow as she opened one eye, confirming what she already knew.
I had totally been staring.My cheeks flushed a darker shade of gray at being caught.
Both her eyes were now open as she watched me. “Any particular reason why?”