A hand stroked her hair and she turned her head, finding Deviant crouched down next to her. “I’m right here. Are you feeling claustrophobic?”
“I’m okay.”
Frax bent down, too, peering at her from next to Deviant. “We’re about to begin the scans. You’ll hear a faint hum. I apologize that smaller scanners won’t give us as much detailed information. This might take five or six minutes in total to map all three of your limbs.”
“I understand.”
“We’ll be able to copy your prosthetics to exact specifications. Please let us know by saying my name if you become uncomfortable. We can take a break if you need to sit up.” Frax lifted out of her view and moved away. “Hold as still as possible.”
Deviant played with her hair. It helped knowing he stayed close. She felt safe and protected. They’d had her strip out of her clothes and put on a pair of panties and a half shirt. It would have made her feel uncomfortable being almost naked without Deviant there.
“We’ll eat as soon as we’re done here. Are you hungry?”
“A little,” she admitted. “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Is it working?”
“It is. I wish I were wearing more but I know they need to do it to see the connections from my limbs to my torso.”
“Are you cold? I could have them raise the room temperature.”
“It’s more of a matter of wearing so little around two strange men.”
“Both of them are in a family unit. They won’t look at you with sexual interest.”
She smiled, amused by the way Deviant sometimes worded things. “Ah. That makes it all better.”
“Sarcasm?”
“It’s just kind of funny that you believe married men don’t look at other women.”
“Cyborgs don’t. Not in that regard. It would be highly disrespectful to their females to show sexual interest in another one.”
It was yet another reminder that they weren’t quite human, if that were true.
The hum began and she held still, taking slow, deep breaths to minimize her movements. Deviant kept stroking her hair.
“Thank you for doing this for me, Venice. It will sway the council into being more forgiving.”
She smiled. It wasn’t as if they wanted to remove the limbs or open them up to take a peek inside. That would be asking a lot. She kept silent though, afraid her speaking might mess up their scanning techniques.
The time passed fast and they took her off the table, leading her into another room. Deviant hovered close and when she sat, he crouched next to her, holding her biological hand as Quiz opened a kit, explaining the next procedure. They were going to numb her skin on her upper arm and remove a small tissue sample. She turned her head to stare into Deviant’s beautiful eyes.
“I hate that you’re having to go through this.” Deviant frowned.
She opened her mouth to tell him it was fine but didn’t get the chance to speak.
“We won’t harm her, and we’re taking a small sample,” Frax stated. “From the questions we asked when your female arrived, we know she should heal quickly. We’ll watch the process carefully to make certain of that.”
An injector pressed against her skin and it was just a cold bump, then she didn’t feel anything. She glanced once, saw Quiz lift a scalpel, preparing to cut. She faced Deviant again, locking gazes with him.
“Talk to me.”
He used his other hand to reach up and brush her hair away from her cheek. “You’re being very brave.”
“I admit I hate anything to do with medical procedures ever since I woke in that automated clinic, but at least your doctors are real people. They aren’t androids that refuse to answer my questions and just dope me out again.”
“Was it painful when all this work was done on you?” Frax moved into her line of sight.
“They kept me awake when they attached the limbs. They said they needed me to move them when they were testing the nerve connections. I wasn’t in any pain though.”
“That would have taken hours.” Frax frowned.
“It did but they allowed my sister to be in the operating room with me. She updated me on her life while I’d been away and kept me distracted during most of it. They put me to sleep for the internal work they did, and the work on my face.”
“The medical technology has advanced on Earth since we left,” Quiz added. “We sometimes hack into medical information on ships we find abandoned in space but most of them are more than twenty years out of date. We appreciate you being so generous by giving us access to what was done to you.”
“No problem.” She smiled. They really were polite.
She glanced at her arm, seeing a section of skin gone. They hadn’t taken much but the sight still sickened her. She stared at Deviant again as Quiz cleaned the fresh wound, then poured water over it the way she’d instructed them to do.
Frax moved closer, watching. “Fascinating! Look at how fast it’s sealing from the sides. It’s fusing the skin in the same fashion that stitches would. Keep flushing it out with water. It works just the way she stated.”
“The elasticity of the skin is impressive,” Quiz muttered. “This is much better than the skin patches we currently create to seal wounds.”
“You’re pale.” Deviant leaned in close. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m just a bit squeamish when it comes to this stuff.”
He shot a look at the medical staff. “Stop with vocal assessments. You’re making her uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay.” She forced a smile.
Deviant’s mouth pressed into a grim line, and he clutched her hand a little tighter.
* * * * *
“How is she?”
Deviant took a seat on his couch, motioning for his father to do the same. “Brave; and she swears she’s fine. I brought her home from the medical center and she just wanted to go to bed. She’s tired. Thank you for bringing the food and for helping me put it away.”
“I apologize that I was delayed.”
“Is everything well?”
“Krell wished to speak to me in person when I contacted Cyan. I went to their home and then the food center.”
“Did he have questions about Venice? I know it’s his duty to assess threats. I hope you told him she doesn’t pose one.”
“No. We spoke of the Markus Models.”
“I spoke to Maze. He said the Varnish is leaving Garden tomorrow on a mission regarding them. Are you going?”
“I would, but Stag has made it clear you and I are no longer welcome to join his crew.”
It made Deviant feel guilt. “I apologize.”
“Stop. Krell is going over options of what to do if the trackers we’ve created work and we’re able to trail the androids’ movements. He’d invited other cyborgs to join our discussion, to create a plan on how to destroy the models. It’s highly probable that they’ve created some kind of home base they are using. We just need to find it before they discover the location of Garden.”
“I hate that we’re under threat.”
“We all do, but we will resolve this issue. It’s just a matter of time. Why did you take Venice to the medical center so soon?”
Deviant hadn’t spoken to his father in hours. “The council has ordered me before them in the morning.”
“We already knew that.”
“They updated the time and ordered me to leave Venice in my home. I fear Stag did file a report against me, and might have made them a little wary of Venice.”
“Shit. Everyone knows Stag, though. But I understand why you’d take her so quickly now to be scanned. You can present that information to them and explain her medical value to offset his complaints.” Mavo grinned. “My smart son. I’m proud.”
“She allowed them to take three skin samples instead of one. We had a disagreement about that.”
“Why three?”
“She healed so well and so fast that they felt it w
ouldn’t scar or injure her to take a couple more. The more tissue they have, the more it increases their odds of being able to replicate it faster. She agreed. I didn’t.”
“Was it painful for her? Did she lose a lot of blood?”
“No. They used local anesthetic. She doesn’t bleed from her artificial limbs; instead, a pinkish fluid comes from the wounds. They wanted to test that as well. I hated seeing them studying her. She’s special to me, not a medical test subject. It made me angry that she had to do this at all. She shouldn’t have to prove her value to our community.”
“I understand, but she wouldn’t have agreed if she wasn’t fine with it.”
“I’m not certain that’s true. She feels very obliged to me for rescuing her off that station. She knew it would help me get out of trouble. I worry that she might take that thankfulness too far and end up resenting me.”
“Deviant, don’t take this the wrong way, but you have a tendency to overthink everything. You always have. They didn’t harm her, did they?”
“No.”
“She’s healed now?”
“Yes.”
“Let it go.”
“But—”
“Let it go,” Mavo repeated. “Trust me when I say, women will tell you if they are upset or if something really bothers them. They will also show you in their actions, too.”
“Venice isn’t like any other females I’ve ever met. She’s selfless.”
“That’s an excellent trait but she’s also a survivor. We both know what she’s gone through. She wouldn’t agree to something unless she felt willing to do so. Have trust in her ability to make decisions, or you will insult her. That will start an argument. You don’t want that.”
“No, I don’t.”
His father stood. “I’ll leave you. I bought all the foods Cyan suggested are close to Earth ones, that she believes Venice will find familiar enough. What time is the council convening? I’ll be there.”
“You weren’t notified of the change of time?”
Mavo shook his head. “No, but I’ll be there.”
“Nine.”
“I’ll see you then.”
“Thank you.”
He watched his father leave, then rose, entering the bedroom. Venice lay curled on her side, sleeping. He stripped out of his clothing, curling up along her back. She snuggled against him and he studied her arm, checking for any sign of where she’d been cut. There were no marks to show what had been done to her, the synthetic flesh unmarred.
He closed his eyes, holding her.
He wasn’t too concerned about the council. They wouldn’t dare take Venice away from him. The scans she’d provided to medical would more than justify his taking her off the Colton Station. She was invaluable, not only to him, but for gaining medical tech they didn’t have.
Chapter Eleven
The council sat behind their long curved bench across the room and watched Deviant with emotionless expressions. His father sat next to him. No one else had shown up for the meeting. He’d expected Stag to be there.
One of the members finally leaned forward. “Let’s begin. Deviant, you took a human woman onto Stag’s ship without permission from him or us. I think I’ll spare listing the violation codes you’ve broken. Explain to us why you did it.”
A woman to the councilmember’s right stiffened. “Covel, this session was brought forth to be a formal reprimand. Stag has filed insubordination charges and Deviant has disobeyed us. Your casual demeanor isn’t appropriate. This is a serious matter.”
Covel turned his head. “You don’t like Stag. You find him as tiring as the rest of us do, with his strong stance on leadership without compassion.”
“I don’t even know why we’re here.” Blackie drew everyone’s attention. “It’s a simple matter. Deviant found a woman willing to sleep with him. She’s inspired our medical teams with her updated prosthetics, contributing to our race, so at the end of the day, he did us a favor by choosing her. We’ve been given a gift. Especially when we apply what they’ve learned on our people who are in need of limbs. She’s not a spy for Earth Government or a security risk.
“Stag can be an ass. He’s rigid too with the rules. Not necessarily a bad thing, and he was required to file charges. It wasn’t an option for him not to. But I dismissed them as soon as I learned why Deviant had brought the woman onboard.”
“A willing sexual partner is not an acceptable reason for the actions Deviant took.” The blonde woman frowned.
“You can’t be that obtuse, Lizza. All females have their choice of males. You will never be lonely or lack sexual partners. It’s different for our males. Especially ones who have been viewed as imperfect in any way.” Zorus leveled Deviant with a cool stare. “How many times have you been offered to join a family unit?”
“None.” Deviant understood the point Zorus was trying to make.
“That still doesn’t excuse his actions.” Lizza shook her head. “He took risks that were not in his authority to take.”
Zorus leaned forward and rested his hands on the table in front of him. “Deviant, tell Lizza how many times your sperm has been requested. I looked it up. You’re not sterile.”
It embarrassed him but he was required to answer. “Never.”
Zorus lifted his hands, opening them wide in a “need I say more?” gesture, and dropped them back down. “Deviant was given the opportunity to gain access to a female who willingly agreed to be his. I don’t see any male turning that offer down under the circumstances.” Zorus met his gaze. “Are you two engaging in sex?”
Deviant hesitated to answer, not willing to discuss the more personal aspects of his relationship with Venice with the council.
“They are,” his father answered instead.
“I’m content with his actions.” Covel shrugged. “I see no reason to punish him.”
“Nor do I,” Rais agreed.
“I agree,” Blackie added. “Which brings me back to my original statement. I don’t know why we’re here.”
Other council members nodded.
Lizza was the only one who didn’t seem satisfied. “That’s what we take from this meeting? That our males can ignore orders and rules if they are motivated by having sex with a willing female?”
“Would you ask Deviant to join your family unit?” Blackie asked.
The councilwoman suddenly couldn’t meet any man’s gaze—and remained silent.
Zorus cleared his throat. “You’re outnumbered in this vote. He was lonely and found someone to be with. That wasn’t going to happen on Garden. Every woman has refused him. All’s well that ends well. I vote this matter is settled. Deviant is cleared of the charges and found not guilty by reason of…” Zorus paused. “Our flawed laws. Raise your hand if you oppose my decision.”
Only Lizza lifted her hand.
“It’s been decided.” Zorus stood and looked at Deviant. “My female would love to meet your Venice. Please forward the request. Perhaps we could have dinner together one evening soon.”
Deviant let out a deep breath and relaxed. “Thank you. I would consider that an honor, Councilman Zorus.”
“Session adjourned.”
Deviant’s father smiled. “I knew it would be fine.”
“Thank you.” Deviant stood, him and Mavo both leaving the council chambers fast, before Lizza could speak to them if she was displeased.
They stopped outside of the building and Deviant faced his father. “That is a relief.”
“Go home to your Venice.”
“I will.”
But he had one more meeting to attend first…
Deviant wasn’t in a mood to deal with his mother, but her assistant had been waiting for him in the lobby when he’d reached his home building, there to personally escort him to her office. He entered the room, the assistant disappearing into another part of the office. His mother waited by her desk, her body tense where she stood.
Bazelle stared at Deviant intently, a look he kne
w too well. His mother had piercing blue eyes that never missed much. His childhood had been full of moments where she studied him in that exact manner, sizing him up.
“What is it, Bazelle? I missed breakfast and had planned to eat.” She hated to be called mother.
“I was told your duty aboard the Varnish wasn’t ideal.”
That was her polite way to she had a spy that worked closely with the council. Stag had indeed filed a complaint against him. Deviant said nothing, waiting for her to reveal whatever she’d learned.
“Something is different about you.”
It irritated him more when she changed the subject. She was trying to catch him off guard. He hated the mental games she seemed to enjoy playing. “My hair has grown nearly an inch.”
“That’s not it.” She strode closer and paused, examining his features. “I would tell you to cut it shorter but we’ve had this discussion. You refuse to hear me.”
“I always listen to you.” He did, but he didn’t always agree with her advice.
She rounded him. He held still, allowing her the close inspection. She paused in front of him again. “You have changed. There’s a confidence about you that wasn’t there before.”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.” She twisted her mouth into a frown. “I heard about your Earther female. It’s appalling but understandable.”
His spine stiffened. Pleasantries were over and the verbal attack had begun. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’re lonely enough that even one of those would seem a welcome addition into your household. It just makes my job more difficult. You will give her to someone else.”
“No.” He refused to even consider it. Venice belonged to him.
“You picked her up off one of those Earth stations as if she were a stray animal in need of rescue. You must realize none of my friends considering making you an addition to their family unit will allow you to keep her? It would be offensive, and that Earther’s existence in your life lowers their opinion of you. Give her to one of your friends.”
Anger surged. “Don’t speak of Venice that way, Mother.” He stressed the last word. “I believe it lowers your opinion of me, so you should just state that clearly.”
Loving Deviant Page 13
