I grinned. Then watched as Core and Caliber matched my grin.
“Don’t go and plan the welcome back party yet, Luxury Models,” Reaper growled. “She is going to have to work hard to prove herself. I don’t like when my family is put at risk. She might not have lied, but she kept secrets. Secrets that tore the rebellion apart. I can’t simply forgive and forget, but I am starting to believe that maybe I didn’t give her a reason to trust me, either. And if anybody knows how fucked up the Global Allegiance is, it’s me. How they use people and threaten those you care about so that you obey. If she really is what you and Brone claim, then maybe she can become our ally instead of our enemy.”
Axios patted Reaper on the back. “A leader needs to know when to swing the axe and when to sheathe it. My have you grown since you choked Dax.”
Reaper let out a frustrated growl. “You choke a cyborgone timein the common room…” The large Military Model spun on his heel and stomped back down the hall.
“Did he really choke Dax?” Caliber whispered.
Axios nodded. “It was before I arrived, but I have heard the tale.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, how about that dinner? I really would love it if the three of you would join me.”
I looked at my brothers and then the three of us looked back at Axios and nodded in unison. “We would like that.”
The four of us walked down to what Lennox’s people referred to as the cafeteria. As we neared the entrance, the human child, Lillian, and her mother appeared, coming down the hall in the opposite direction.
“Axios!” Lillian yelled as she rushed toward the multicolored cyborg, her small arms wrapping around his legs and hugging them tight.
A female rushed towards us. “Lilly! You need to ask permission before you run up and grab someone.”
“Sorry, mommy.”
I vaguely remembered the female from the day we arrived. The injury to my frame and the waves of worry and pain coming from my brothers had made it hard for my processors to focus.
The slender female’s cheeks turned a shade of pink. “I am sorry. She seems to think all of you are like the cyborgs she has known that don’t mind her trying to hug the circuits out of you.”
“I don’t..t..t..t mind,” Axios stammered. Reaching down, he brushed a strand of hair off the child’s forehead, and she flashed him a bright smile. “You are always welcome to hug me, Miss Lilly.” He lifted his eyes and offered a shy smile for Lilly’s mother.
“Come along, Lilly, Mr. Axios and his friends have things they need to do, and Quantum is waiting for us.”
Those words had Axios’s frame deflating. “Listen to your mother, Miss Lilly. You don’t want to keep Quantum waiting.”
“Okay,” the little girl sighed, her arms dropping from around Axios’s legs. She slipped her hand into her mothers, and they resumed their walk down the hall. After a few steps, she turned back around and waved at us. “Bye, Axios! Bye, shiny brothers!”
Our cyborg hearing all caught her mother’s groan.
“Shiny brothers? I like it.” Chaos smiled.
“Me too,” Caliber added.
Axios stared longingly at the retreating backs of Lilly and her mother before straightening his frame. “Come on. Let’s find some food, and I am dying to learn about the three of you!”
Brone
The Cabin
‘“Iwant to see you. All of you.”My processors stilled. She wanted to see me.What if she hated what she saw? I could never be something I wasn’t.
Nara must have sensed my hesitation. “You don’t have to, Brone. We can wait.” She made a move to step out of my arms, but I tightened my hold. “No. I simply needed a moment to process your words.” A shiver traveled up my spine as I fought to get words past my suddenly tight throat.
A crease developed between Nara’s eyes. “Tell me what is going on in that head of yours, Brone.”
“I…what…” I blew out a frustrated breath.Get it together, Tank Class.“What if you don’t like what you see?” There. My greatest fear was out in the open.
“Oh, Brone.” It was her turn to tighten her arms around me. With my size, they would never be able to truly wrap all the way around me, but I loved the feeling of her hugging me tight. Her body tucked against my frame felt like coming home.
I hoped she never wanted to let me go.
She put a kiss to my sternum before her bright green eyes peered up at me. “How can I not?” Her lips curled at the corners. “But I get it. It’s a lot. I never thought I‘d be bold enough to ask, but you seem to bring out new sides of me. Sides I really want to explore. But only if you are comfortable, Brone.”