“Good. Or not good. I am still not one hundred percent convinced that you are the right female for Brone, but I trust him, and I would like to trust you. We need as many people as we can get in this fight. I would be foolish to turn you and all your knowledge away. So far, it’s been quiet, but it almost feels too quiet. I would advise the both of you to be prepared. I do not think this lull will remain for long.”
“We will,” Nara said with conviction in her voice.
“Okay. I think for now it’s best if you both remain at the cabin. I am assuming, Brone, that you want to stay?”
I growled. “I am not leaving.”
“That is what I thought. Since you are staying, Lennox is going to send a transport to collect Ion and drop off more supplies. If anything changes or something happens, comm me right away. I’ll do the same if something happens here. Now, I have three Luxury Models impatiently waiting outside my door to talk to the both of you. I am guessing you would like to speak to them?”
Nara’s eyes swam with tears. “Yes. Please. Thank you, Reaper.”
“Don’t thank me, Nara. Just make sure I don’t regret giving you this chance.”
“You won’t,” Nara promised.
A rush of running feet sounded. “Miss Nara? Are you okay?” Core’s frantic voice came through the comm.
“Core?” Nara’s body sagged against my frame. “It is so good to hear your voice. Caliber? Chaos?”
“We are here, Miss Nara,” Chaos and Caliber replied in unison.
“It’s so good to hear your voices.” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “I’ve missed all of you. So much.”
I wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight against my frame.
“We’ve missed you too, Miss Nara,” Core answered for the trio. “It is not the same without you here with us.”
“When are you coming back?” Chaos rasped. “We need you.”
“We do,” Caliber chimed in softly. “You belong with us.”
Nara lifted her eyes to me, and the pain I saw flashing in them made my chest ache. I wanted to fix this. To return her cyborgs to her side, but I knew it was impossible, especially now. We had no idea when the Global Allegiance would strike next.
But I believed it would be soon. I had no doubt the Luxury Models would fight if they had to, but putting them in danger would only make things harder on Nara. Worry for them could cause her to make mistakes, and I knew from experience that mistakes got people killed.
My female squared her shoulders and swiped at the tears staining her cheeks. “I don’t know. It’s still not safe.” She drew in a breath. “Close your eyes, all of you. Are they closed?”
“Yes,” the trio replied.
“I want you to hear me. I am with you. I will always be with you. Even if you can’t see me. Fifty. A hundred. A million miles, it doesn’t matter. Nothing short of death can break our connection.” Her eyes drifted shut, her voice cracking. “One of the best days of my life was the day the three of you opened your eyes. You looked at me and I knew there was nothing I wouldn’t do for you. We will be together soon. But I must make sure you remain safe. It’s my job as your creator…as yourmother.”
“We are cyborgs. We can fight,” Chaos protested.
Nara shook her head, even though they couldn’t see her. “No. I don’t know how, but I am going to change the world for you…forall of you.I just need a bit of time. Can you guys give me that?”
“We don’t like it,” Caliber grumbled.
“But we will,” Chaos huffed.
“Brone?” Core called.
“Yes?”
“I think you know how special Miss Nara is. Keep her safe for us.”
“I will. The three of you have my vow. I will protect her with my life.”
“Good. Thank you. And Brone, make sure to take care of yourself as well. Caliber, Chaos, and I do not want to lose our friend. We need the both of you to return to us.”