The Magnificent Cyborg Read online

  “No, ma’am.”

  Her eyes flew to his, but the carefree mask was back. She only hoped that her own face did not reveal her heartache.

  “But I am right glad to meet you,” he added.

  His gaze was frankly admiring but it could have been the gaze of a thousand other men. He was no longer her Wyatt. No, she decided. She wasn’t going to tell him. Her chest ached as part of her protested the decision, but she ignored it.

  “I’m certainly pleased to have met you too,” she lied smoothly as she gulped her drink, welcoming the fiery burn. “But I’m afraid I’m still feeling a little shaky. If you don’t mind…”

  “No, of course not.” He rose hastily to his feet and followed her to the door. “But perhaps once you are feeling better, we could further our acquaintance?”

  She knew it was a terrible idea. She knew that it would only lead to heartache. She opened her mouth to tell him no. Instead…

  “Yes, Wyatt. I’d like that.”

  W-246 found it surprisingly hard to leave the beautiful woman and her peaceful home, but he forced himself to bow over her hand. Giving in to a long-forgotten instinct, he raised her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across the silky skin. A faint exotic fragrance teased his senses and he wanted to pull her closer, to explore every inch of that lush body. Instead, he raised his head and stepped back. He had work to do. He couldn’t linger, even if she was the first woman to stir his interest in years.

  Returning to his new office, he pulled out a stack of paperwork to enter into the somewhat antiquated computer system. Mars used an odd combination of modern and ancient technology. Based on the stacks of paper, it seemed that old technology was predominant amongst the settlers.

  He had been a late selection for the cyborg program and arrived on Mars close to the end of the initial terraforming phase. Assigned to the polar ice cap, he had overseen the final construction of the massive power plants located there, and once they were completed, he had stayed on to assist in the transition to human workers. Up there, everything had been automated. Down here, no one had invested in a technology infrastructure except GenCon, the massive corporation investing in the settlement, and they seemed to have restricted it to their own use.

  As he began entering the data, he sighed. This was not what he expected when he had awoken as a cyborg. The human part of him had actually been excited about the idea of pioneering a new planet. With no family on earth to miss him, he had surprisingly few regrets about the transformation—although he still didn’t remember the incident that had injured him so badly. But the scientists had assured him that some short-term memory loss was common with the transition.

  He rubbed his ribs, feeling the titanium bones beneath the metallic flesh, and tried once again to remember the fatal accident, but pain speared through his head as it always did when he tried. Something about the beautiful woman—Cherry, he reminded himself—made him want to remember the past. He knew it was foolish. Why would she be interested in his past? But she had said they could meet again. Did she really mean it? And for that matter, what did she mean by meet? After all, she was the owner of a brothel. Could she have meant something more intimate? To his astonishment, his cock responded to the thought. It had been so long since he had thought of anything sexual and yet she had aroused him twice in one evening.

  He tried to force his mind back to his work but every time he paused, he ended up thinking about her. As a result, he ended up working all night. When the pale Martian sun crept through the window, he gave his clean desk a rueful glance. If nothing else, she had been good for his productivity. Was it too soon to go visit?

  He reached for his hat, then came to an abrupt halt. No woman would appreciate a visit just after dawn. With a sigh, he sat back down and began reviewing old case records. He might as well start becoming familiar with the type of trouble he might expect in New Arcadia.

  Chapter Four

  By the time mid-morning rolled around, Wyatt was pacing restlessly. He didn’t understand why he felt so compelled to visit the woman. While it was true that he’d had his fair share of feminine companionship in his younger days, perhaps too much, he had lost interest as he grew older. Certainly no one had captured his interest enough to make him regret leaving Earth. But this woman… Cherry, he had to remind himself again. For some reason, the name just didn’t seem to fit.

  To hell with it. Surely it was late enough for a friendly visit. He was out the door and halfway down the street before he remembered to reduce his speed to an approximation of a normal human walk. He received a few glares from miners conducting their business in town, but he ignored them. The humans would accept him or not; it made little difference to him.

  As he rounded the corner of the brothel, he saw that the flowering plants were in place beside the door and suddenly wished that he was bringing her flowers. He shook his head at his own romantic impulse. He doubted a woman of her experience would be impressed by flowers.

  Thump. Thump. Wincing, he realized that his knock had sounded more like a demand than a request.

  “What in the world…?”

  Cherry opened the door and his mouth went dry. Her hair was down around her shoulders, her face bare of makeup, and she was wrapped in a simple white silk robe, but he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. That odd feeling of familiarity washed over him again before he was distracted by the knowledge that she was obviously naked under the thin fabric. Most of the blood in his body rushed to his erection and his usual charm deserted him.

  Cherry stared up at him and a flash of what looked like pain crossed her face before her lips curved up in a slow, sensuous smile.

  “Why, Judge, I didn’t realize you’d be… up so early.”

  The glance she swept down over his body left no doubt as to the double entendre. Dammit. He did his best to force his cock back under control and when that failed, resorted to a nonchalant grin.

  “A beautiful woman tends to have that effect on me, ma’am,” he drawled.

  One brow flicked up. “Any beautiful woman?”

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met one as beautiful as you before.”

  She laughed and shook her head, sending a hint of exotic perfume his way. “Nice save. Are you ever at a loss for words?”

  “Not often,” he admitted.

  “And why are you trying to knock down my door so early this morning?”

  “I waited as long as I could,” he said truthfully before he realized how desperate that made him sound. “I figured everyone was up and about by now.”

  “Some more than others.” Her eyes dropped to his crotch again, but she sighed. “I suppose you’d better come in. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He probably should have waited politely in the living room, but instead he found himself following her into the miniature kitchen area, curiously reluctant to let her out of his sight.

  The small kitchen was barely large enough for the two of them and she kept brushing against him as she brewed a pot of coffee and placed it on a tray with two sturdy mugs and a crystal sugar bowl. The rich smell of coffee filled the room, but he could still detect a hint of that oddly familiar perfume and her nearness had done nothing to diminish his arousal.

  “You’re going to have to let me out of the kitchen if you want this coffee.” Blue eyes laughed up at him.

  “To hell with the coffee.”

  He took the tray out of her hands and shoved it back on the counter, then put an arm around her waist and tugged her up against him. Fuck. Her lush curves fit against him as if she belonged there.

  “Wyatt?”

  The laughter had died out of her eyes as she studied his face intently. She was the only one who called him by his name in years, but it sounded right on her lips.

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  For a moment, he caught a flash of sorrow in those big blue eyes, but then it disappeared and her lips curved up. Full red lips that promised pl
easure.

  “Judge, I do believe you are manhandling me.”

  “Yes ma’am. And unless you object, I’m going to continue.”

  An almost imperceptible pause and he found himself holding his breath. Had he ever wanted anything more?

  “Maybe just a little kiss—”

  He didn’t give her the chance to continue. His head descended. A long time ago, he had been considered a ladies’ man and he knew how to please a woman, how to coax and tease. That knowledge deserted him now, replaced by raw hunger. He forced her lips apart, invading her mouth and groaning with pleasure at her sweet taste. Perhaps he could have forced himself back under control, but she met him just as hungrily, her arms winding around his neck, her breasts rubbing against his chest. He started to raise his head and she murmured a protest.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he growled as he lifted her into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he could feel the damp heat of her cunt pressed against his aching shaft. He rubbed her slowly over the hard bar of his erection and she cried out, her nipples branding his chest.

  “Bedroom?” he managed to get out. His words had deserted him. She seemed equally speechless, gesturing vaguely towards the back of the house.

  No matter. It was a small house; it wouldn’t be hard to find.

  Even in the few seconds it took to reach the bedroom, she had his shirt unbuttoned, her hands eagerly exploring his flesh, seemingly unfazed by the metallic skin covering his left side. Her mouth was urgent on his neck, sucking and biting, each touch adding to his arousal.

  By the time he dropped her on the big white bed, his cock threatened to tear open his pants, but he had recovered enough of his senses to want to please her first. The white robe parted easily, revealing her naked body and bringing him to a halt. She’s perfect. Full breasts, big dark nipples, a softly curved waist, full hips perfect for his hands, and between them—naked pink folds already glistening with desire. The heady scent of her arousal washed over him and he lost control again, spreading her legs and burying his face in the sweetest, wettest cunt. Her taste exploded in his mouth, tantalizingly familiar, but he was too driven to stop. He wanted—needed—her to climax, to come apart beneath his mouth and his hands. The small pearl of her clit was already swollen and hard when he drew it into his mouth, licking and sucking with desperate intensity. Her hands were in his hair, and he could hear her calling his name, his human name, and he was on the verge of his own climax as she exploded in a rush of liquid heat.

  Satisfaction filled him as he gentled his mouth and slowly brought her down. When he raised his head, she was smiling but her eyes were wet.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I just haven’t—”

  An urgent knock interrupted her.

  “Ignore it,” he urged.

  “I… I can’t. Someone might need me.”

  Frustration and a jealousy he did not want to acknowledge filled him as she drew away and pulled her robe back around her.

  “Isn’t it a little early for another customer?” he snapped, and immediately regretted it. “Cherry—”

  Her body had frozen momentarily at his question, but at the sound of her name, she shuddered. Without glancing in his direction, she tied her sash around her waist.

  “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

  She didn’t bother to reply, sweeping out of the room in her simple white robe like a queen ignoring a peasant.

  Frustrated, he hesitated. Should he wait and try to apologize again? But then he heard her visitor’s voice—a young woman claiming that her baby had been stolen. His desire to apologize would have to wait. That didn’t stop it from stinging when Cherry dismissed him so easily, but he had a job to do. Once again, he found himself leaving her house and fighting the urge to remain.

  How could she have forgotten? Cherry berated herself as the door closed behind Wyatt. If only he weren’t so familiar. They had been together less than two weeks but every second of that time was embedded in her memory. The same was obviously not true for him. Yet when he had kissed her, the same hungry kiss she remembered so well, her usual caution had disappeared and she had given in to the longing to be with him. And he had fulfilled those memories, wringing a climax from the body that still remembered his touch. Then it had all gone wrong. Even though she had seen his immediate remorse at his words, the damage had been done.

  He didn’t know her. He didn’t even know her real name.

  But there were more important things than her heartache. She put a comforting arm around Daisy, doing her best to comfort her sobbing friend.

  “What happened?” she asked as she prepared a mug of strong tea with a liberal helping of sugar. She forced herself to ignore the coffee pot and the memory of Wyatt.

  As Daisy told her about the man from her past who had reappeared, strangely transformed, and stolen her baby, she frowned thoughtfully.

  “You said that your husbands were going to GenCon to start looking?”

  “Yes, because he had been altered in some way.”

  “Hmm. I wonder…”

  “What?”

  “My friend Hattie had problems with GenCon over the boundary to her claim. I think there’s something out there—maybe even a place where an altered human might be hiding.”

  “Do you think so?” Daisy jumped up, green eyes wide. “We have to tell Jonah and Bill.”

  “They’ve already gone after GenCon and I don’t want to distract them. But let me see if Hattie’s husband is available.”

  Hattie was also married to a cyborg. Hopefully, he could go check out the site on their claim. She hurried over to the communicator, which fortunately decided to work. After a short conversation with Hattie, she turned back to Daisy.

  “She said Morgan is in town. Let me get dressed and we’ll go to Ranger headquarters and see if we can find him.”

  A few minutes later, they were on their way. Morgan was at headquarters, along with several other cyborgs. He nodded grimly at her question.

  “Yeah, GenCon has a whole facility out there. We’ll go check it out.”

  The other men nodded and followed him as he hurried out of the building to the stables, the two women scurrying behind them. All of the rangers rode mechanical horses modeled on the legendary Earth animals.

  “I want to come,” Daisy implored. “Even if it’s a wasted trip, I feel better to be doing something.”

  Morgan hesitated, clearly torn.

  “I’ll come too,” she said quickly. “You know Hattie would tell you to let us come.”

  A grin lightened his grim face.

  “I can’t argue with that. Grab a breathing mask. Daisy, you go with Clint. Cherry, here with me.”

  A minute later, they were streaming out across the plain. She rarely made it outside the city, but she had no time to see more than a dusty orange blur as they raced across the desert and along a tall rock escarpment. They seemed to be headed for a dead end. When they reached it, she saw an opening in the rock wall where a section of it had been peeled away like a giant door.

  “Someone’s in there,” Morgan said grimly. “You two should wait out here.”

  The words had hardly left his mouth when Daisy bent low over the big red stallion she was riding and whispered in his ear. The horse took off as Morgan swore and followed.

  They passed through the tunnel and emerged in an enormous cavern. A city was being built within the cavern, large white buildings set in spacious gardens that reminded her of the propaganda images so prevalent on Earth and so distant from reality. But the mysterious city didn’t matter.

  What mattered were the four cyborgs holding a baby carrier.

  At the sight of them, Daisy pressed her tiny heels into the horse’s sides and he leapt forward. By the time Cherry and the rest of the cyborgs caught up, she was bent over the baby carrier, her face wreathed in smiles, and both of her husbands had their arms around her. An ache started in Cherry’s chest.

  This was what she wanted
—that loving closeness that she thought she had found once before.

  Wyatt looked up and gave her a tentative smile, but seeing the love between Daisy and her husbands had made her realize that she wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less. Pretending that she didn’t see him, she pulled out one of her practiced smiles and aimed it at the group.

  “I think this calls for a celebration.”

  Chapter Five

  One week later…

  W-246 stood on the far side of Cherry’s living room and tried to control his frustration. It was the first time he had seen her in person since their disastrous encounter a week ago. He had visited her house several times, but she refused to come to the door. He had debated on confronting her at Madam Cherry’s Pleasure Palace but in the end, he couldn’t face the thought of her rejecting him in front of others. He wouldn’t have been here now if it weren’t for the fact that he hadn’t been one of the cyborgs to rescue the kidnapped baby and had seen a miracle occur—the baby had received a transfusion of cyborg blood and it had infused his blood with nanites, allowing him to breathe the thin Martian atmosphere.

  The purpose of the gathering was to discuss using the same technique on their human wives, but he only half-listened as Addie, the scientist wife of the previous judge, warned them about the possible side effects of a transfusion. She was working on an artificial way to introduce nanites and after she explained some of the potential dangers of uncontrolled nanites, the group agreed not to make any similar attempts.

  As the discussion moved on to the danger represented by GenCon’s latest invention—a new type of cyborg built using a hybrid of techniques—they were interrupted by Serena Gatling. The icy blonde warned them that they should establish their own government, one free from Earth Government’s interference, if they wanted to have any hope of controlling GenCon. The idea of the rebellion called to some part of him and felt oddly familiar. After a short conversation about spreading the word to the settlers and the other cyborgs, the group disbursed.