He’d been brought into the world to be nothing more than a copy of me. Staring at him, his hands resting on my shoulders, I knew he wasn’t.
He had my face and my programming, but he was a stranger. Yet he had swooped in to help me. He had stopped my panic attack in a way only Poe had ever been able to do.
Maybe we could start again. Hope flared inside my chest. “Thank you.”
He tipped his head to the side. “I didn’t know cyborgs could panic.” He raised an eyebrow, something like humor flashing in his emerald eyes.
“Neither did I, until it happened.” I grimaced, “More than once.”
He slapped a hand against my back, his head tipped back as he laughed. “Come on. We have cyborgs to fix. It will go faster with two of us instead of one.”
My mother cleared her throat. “I’ll help, too.” Her voice shook slightly.
I went to reply, but she held up a hand. “My world changed today too, Dax. I am sorry I kept the knowledge of storing your brother’s frame from you. I was sure there was nothing either of us could do to fix him.” Her voice broke. “I was wrong, and I’ll spend the rest of my days paying for that, but now we need to help the others. The both of you will have your chance to speak your mind about my choice, but that is a conversation for another day.” She straightened her spine, her cool and calm mask slipping over her face as she became the formidable Dr. Shaw the world knew her to be.
I nodded, unsure of what to say. I loved my mother. I knew she was hurting, too. But all I could do was what I did best-fix my cyborgs and hope that after everything that had happened, all of us would be okay.
Me. My mother. My long-lost brother. And the rebellion itself.
Nara
The wait for Core was dreadful, but the moment Lennox informed us those that sustained only minor injuries were done being treated and on their way back to us, I prayed Core would be among them. Thank goodness he was. The moment his face appeared down the hallway, the three of us were off the couch and rushing to his side.
“Brother!” Core and Caliber exclaimed in unison, clapping him carefully on his shoulders. I couldn’t hide my grin, the exhaustion of the day fading for a moment at the sight of them together again.
Overall, I thought they handled it well. I knew the first time would be hard. It was even worse since Core had been damaged. The cyborgs were built tough, but no one wanted to see a loved one hurt.
I felt my gaze drifting towards the hallway where Core had come from looking for a certain Tank Class, but he never appeared.
“Brone’s injuries were more severe,” Core informed me when he caught me looking. “His fingers will need to be replaced along with a portion of his skull due to the dent. I offered to remain with him, but he told me I should return.” Core’s eyes flickered back to the hallway.
I cupped his cheek. “You were conflicted. A part of you wanted to stay with him.”
He flushed a darker shade of gold, nodding. “He said we were friends. He put his hand on my shoulder to provide me comfort when he sensed I was struggling with being away from the three of you. He protected me when another cyborg tried to hit me. Then when it was my turn, he sat with me until it was all over even though I knew he was in pain.” Core stole another glance at the empty corridor, rubbing a hand across his chest, right over his heart. “Friends help each other. It didn’t seem right to leave him alone after he had taken care of me.”
Chaos and Caliber leaned closer to Core, confusion and curiosity on their faces.
“Do you think he would be friends with us, too?” Chaos asked.
Caliber frowned. “Should we go to him now? The four of us together would provide more support than just one of us. Do you think he would like it if we joined him?”
Tears sprang to my eyes, but I managed to keep them from falling. They had been curious at the rebellion, showing interest in the others, but never wanting to go off and spend time with any of the cyborgs. Now, here they were, discussing sitting with Brone so that he felt supported. So he knew they considered him a friend and understood that friends cared for each other.
“Why don’t I ask Lennox? We might only be able to stay for a few minutes, but I think he would love knowing we are worried about him and want to make sure he is okay.” I was only doing this for them. Not at all because I wanted to see if he was okay with my own eyes.
Keep telling yourself that, Nara.Fine, but really? They were going to replace pieces of his frame according to Core. That wasn’t your typical slap a band-aid on it and move on type of boo-boo. And Brone had sustained those injuries fighting to protect us. It was only natural to want to make sure he had everything he needed and offer our support.
I dusted my sweaty palms on my pants, ignoring the voice that was screaming I was a liar.Shut up! There is nothing wrong with being kind!The inner voice that was calling me a liar laughed in my head. I mentally plugged my ears, not listening.
I pulled myself from my thoughts. “Come on, let’s find Lennox.” I spotted her across the room speaking to one of the cyborgs from her team. The four of us walked over and she smiled at our approach.
“The human scientist and her cyborgs.” Lennox’s eyes roamed over Core, Caliber, and Chaos. “One day soon you are going to have to tell me the tale about how a woman like you got mixed up with the Global Allegiance.” Her dark blue eyes narrowed. “And how she managed to do the impossible and relaunch the cyborg program.”
I smoothed a hand over my shirt, cheeks flaming red. Her face told me she had not thought I had made the smartest decision. On both accounts.Join the club, I mentally retorted. Working for the Global Allegiance would always be a black mark in my ledger. I had been stupid, admiring Dr. Shaw and her work to the point of obsession, desperate to follow in her footsteps and create my own cyborgs.
I should have burned what I had found that day. I should have walked away instead of selling my soul to the devil. I forced myself to meet her eyes. “I plan to tell everyone what I have done, Lennox. And while I love Core, Caliber, and Chaos, no one regrets my choices more than I do.”
Lennox’s lips pressed together. There was more that she wanted to say I was sure, but instead she let out a breath, relaxing the tension that had filled the air between us. “How can I help you?”