Heart Of The Machine (Soulmates Book 2)

by Don DeBon

  Aleshia smiled as she took his hand and stood. "Best news I have heard in weeks."

  Leon smiled. "Have a good time you two."

  A gleaming form flew over the water en route to Bermuda. The Nexus continued her flight over the calm waters, careful not to attract attention. She approached the islands from the most uninhabited area and landed. In the few minutes of the public network access she managed to find the exact location of Deven's rental. Lacking Auto Nav, she reverted to the most basic navigation by the earths magnetic field. It took some time to reach her destination and avoid being seen.

  She landed on one of the most obscure islands to the north. The large cliff face blocked her arrival from anyone further down the beach. Her limited scanners didn't pick up anyone in the area and she activated her normal hover system and glided towards the rental house.

  The door had a good security lock system, and would have blocked any normal person. But the Nexus smiled, she is not any normal hacker. She lifted her right arm with her left and the finger tip connector extended into its jack at a hidden location under the keypad. After about three minutes it flashed an "access granted" on the display and a strong deadbolt lock could be heard clinking as it retracted. She broke the connection, opened the door with her left hand, and hovered in.

  The sheets on the bed were pulled back, but the rest of the place appeared unused. A few sets of clothes still hung in the closet. "Where could they be?" she muttered. "They still have this rented for two more days, humans may be illogical but wasting such a valuable resource is not one of them." She recalled what she had read about Deven and Aleshia, they were cautious and considerate. Not the type that would rent a location and not use it. Unless something had drawn them away. But she couldn't imagine at the moment what could do that.

  She ran several simulations and decided to wait here. She hated to waste the time, but she didn't have a choice. Nothing else would get her closer to what she needed. Examining the small rental revealed few hiding spaces. She finally decided on the generous old-fashioned bathtub that would accommodate her Mechand body. She hovered into it, pulled the shower curtain closed, and shut down her systems to wait.

  Chapter 7

  Aleshia sat in her new car drumming her fingers against the synth leather steering wheel. She was reaching for her data tab to call Galina and tell her to have Deven to hurry up when he appeared on the far end of the Defiant's launch bay.

  Watching the screen on his data tab, he almost collided with a guy fixing one of the vehicles in the bay. Aleshia groaned as he side stepped the man and continued walking towards the car. A minute later he opened the passenger side and climbed in. But before he could say anything she whipped the data tab out of his hands and stuck it under her seat. "We're off-duty until the Nexus is spotted again. We all agreed."

  Deven's eyes narrowed. "Yes we did, but I didn't say I wouldn't work at all. I only agreed we could go to Bermuda."

  Aleshia engaged the hover systems and the car floated off of the landing pad as the large bay doors opened. The car flew out into the dark sky and descended towards the islands sitting directly below them. "Do you really want to get into a 'fine print' discussion with me? This is supposed to be our honeymoon!"

  Deven laughed and held his hands up palms out, waving. "Okay Okay, I give! No more work, just us for the next two days unless Galina calls."

  Aleshia smiled. "Wise man."

  Deven smiled back. "Well I married you didn't I?"

  "I wouldn't know, our honeymoon has been interrupted so many times I think would have been easier had we taken it at a skyway hub."

  "I take it you are mad at me?"

  "Yes I am. Well maybe not mad, but disappointed. Hey I understand there is a lot to do, but we have been planning this ever since the Nexus battle and we finally get there, but before I can say 'I love you' you get a call and have to leave."

  Deven sighed. "I know, really bad timing."

  "Once I could understand, but you get back and before you can get your shoes off, someone calls."

  Deven sighed again. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

  "I don't? Then why are you wondering if I am a little miffed?"

  Deven took her hand and kissed it. "It is just you and me now. I promise nothing more for the next two days."

  "Yeah, until someone on the Defiant gets a hangnail."

  Deven shook his head. "Nope it has to be something of dire consequences before they will disturb us. Everyone aboard knows that. Besides none of them want to tick you off." He cracked a grin that ran from one ear to the other.

  Aleshia turned towards Deven seeing the grin on his face, then turned her attention back to the fast approaching land. "Oh you are so going to get it."

  His grin grew even wider. "Can I have that in writing?"

  "Oh I don't know. Think you can handle me?"

  Deven leaned close and kissed her ear. "I am looking forward to making the attempt."

  "Why Mr. Doran, how forward of you."

  He took her hand and kissed it again. "And you know you love it, Mrs. Doran."

  The car raced for the rented bungalow and landed on the pad outside. Aleshia got out and walked over to the front door. When Deven wasn't beside her, she turned around to see him opening the drivers side door on her car and searching under her seat. "Looking for something?"

  Deven moved up quick and whacked his head on the top of the door. "Ouch! No, not really, be right there."

  Aleshia rolled her eyes. "If you are looking for the tab, it slid into the back." After two minutes of him still searching she sighed breathing out the sea air. "Men!" She flipped a finger and the data tab flew up off of the back seat floor, around Deven's head, and into her hand. "Now if you want it, you have to come and get it."

  Deven climbed out of the car and shut the door. He smiled as he walked up the stone steps to the front door. He held out his hand. "Thanks." But before his fingers could wrap around the tab, Aleshia jerked it from his grasp and held it behind herself.

  "Nope you don't get this, unless you promise me you won't use it unless someone calls. Deal?"

  "But I already told you—"

  "Yeah I know what you told me and I am trying to take out all the 'fine print' I can. Now, do we have a deal?"

  Deven laughed. "We have a deal my love."

  "Good." She dropped the data tab into his waiting hand. "But remember, if you don't keep up your end of it, I won't be happy."

  "Trust me, I don't want that." He winked.

  "Good." She turned back to the bungalow and punched in the code on the small keypad mounted on the door frame, it lit up with a green 'Access granted' and the deadbolts retracted with a satisfying click. They walked inside.

  On the other side of the door sat the living room area, complete with fireplace. Aleshia thought about starting it, but realized it would be crazy in the current heat wave. While, the place did have temperature control, no sense in wasting energy. She smiled looking at Deven. His muscled frame was only enhanced by the leather jacket and thin shirt. Yes, he was the only heat wave she wanted.

  Aleshia walked over and sat on the large overstuffed couch. It conformed to her wrapping her in an envelope of padding. Deven sat down next to her, but the couch did the same thing. "Well this won't work."

  Aleshia batted her eyelashes. "Whatever do you mean?"

  "Look at us? We have mountains of padding between us."

  "Oh I don't know, I think it is rather comfy."

  Deven grunted. "Some honeymoon!"

  Aleshia laughed. "Sometimes you are too easy." She brought up the hidden keyboard in the arm and keyed the couch to non-conforming. The padding reduced around them, keeping itself to only supporting, not enveloping. "Is that better?"

  Deven leaned close and wrapped his arm around her. "Much." He leaned forward but Aleshia leaned back. "What's wrong?"

  Aleshia's nose wrinkled. "I need a shower, and um, so do you."

  Deven cocked his head as he moved back. "I
am sorry love, I didn't know I was offensive. I will go take care of that right now."

  She leaned forward and kissed his lips before he could leave. "No you misunderstand me. We need a shower. Not singular, plural."

  Deven sat for a minute as the words rolled around in his head. Three seconds later, his eyes lit up and he slapped his forehead. "Oh!"

  Aleshia laughed. "Sometimes you are so cute."

  "I am huh?"

  She leaned forward and kissed him again. "You bet. I will get our shower ready, you meet me in say two minutes?"

  Deven smiled. "How about two seconds?"

  "Nope, two minutes. Takes a bit for that antique to get the hot water going."

  Deven's eyebrow went up. "Sounds like it might need more than two minutes?"

  Aleshia shook her head. "Nope, besides if the water is a little cool we can warm it right up." She winked.

  "My darling, I love the way you think."

  She winked again. "I thought you might." Aleshia went into the bedroom, slid off her jeans, boots, shirt, bra, panties, and slipped into a silk robe she had brought earlier. She walked into the attached bathroom and stopped. "Strange, I don't remember closing the shower curtain." She pulled back the curtain and gasped. For in front of her was a Mechand. Not only that, but it was active. The head area turned towards her and Aleshia's eyes focused on the screen attached. There was no mistaking the blonde hair, slim features of the woman on it … It was the Nexus! She screamed.

  Deven heard Aleshia's scream and came running. He expected to find a large wolf spider in the tub she wanted him to kill. But in his wildest dreams he never thought he would find the Nexus, let alone her begging for mercy.

  Aleshia held her arms out palms facing the Nexus with her finger tips touching. The Nexus' arms and legs were extended out as if held by an invisible force. Deven started to see crumpling on the arms and especially the joint areas as they started to separate.

  "Please! Don't do this! I need you. And you don't know it yet, but you need me too."

  Aleshia's eyes narrowed. "Me need you? You tried to kill me. Sent your minions to try to have me 'dealt with'. Remember? I sure as heck do."

  Her arms separated a bit more and sparks few from deep within the joints. "I don't! Please believe me! I am not what I was! All I can say is I am sorry and please forgive me."

  Her legs and arms crumpled a bit more. "Forgive you? Now that is a laugh." The Nexus' arms pulled apart a bit further and more sparks launched out of the crevices. "I shall savor this moment. What you did to me, what you did to all of us. Prepare to die you filthy machine." The chest plate flew off revealing the assembled memory core array. Aleshia smiled as an invisible hand gripped around them and prepared to squeeze.

  "Please!"

  Deven placed his hand on Aleshia's shoulder. "Let her go. She has answers we want."

  Aleshia turned her head and glared daggers. "You can't be serious! After all she has done to you, to us? And you want to let her off of the hook?"

  "Let her go yes, off the hook no. Leon can take her apart and find out more about what happened than any amount of questioning we could do."

  "He can find out from her dead carcass."

  Deven's hand squeezed. "Love, let her go."

  "Why? Give me one good reason."

  "Because you are better than her. Better than what she did or represents. Be the real human, let her go."

  Aleshia waved an arm and the Nexus crashed into the tub cracking it. "Fine! But if she does anything even remotely off, there won't be enough left of her for Leon to even guess what it was."

  Deven nodded. "Fair enough."

  The Nexus stumbled and managed to bypass part of the damage activating a backup system in her legs. It took two tries but she managed to climb out of the tub. "Thank you."

  Deven shook his head. "Don't thank me. If you don't help us, I will let her continue what she started."

  "Of course. What do you require?"

  "Answers. For starters, how did you survive?"

  "That is a long story, and one I do not know all the details myself."

  "How is that possible?"

  Her face on the screen looked off to the side. "Much has happened since you saw me last. Sadly, I cannot recall our previous encounter."

  Aleshia blinked. "Wait a second. How can you not remember? Deven, let me crush her, she can't be telling us the truth."

  Deven turned. "I didn't stop you the first time. If want to crush her, do so. But I suspect it would be unwise as I think she is telling the truth."

  "Deven! You can't be serious! How could she be?"

  "Well think about it, from what we know, the Nexus is a huge personality construct and advanced AI. One, if not the best ever made. There is no way such a construct could fit inside a Mechand body."

  "And how do you know this?"

  "Otis. And when Miles detected her the second time, the signature was different. Her, yet much smaller. He couldn't explain why. We suggested she downloaded into a Mechand. Otis said it wasn't possible. There was no way she would fit. But seeing the Mechand memory core array, you expanded the storage but it still wasn't enough, so you had to leave a good part of yourself behind."

  The Nexus nodded. "Very astute of you."

  "Now the question is, if you didn't download to a Mechand when your carrier exploded, how did this occur?"

  "Like I said, it is a very long story. And we are wasting time. Could we please go to your ship?"

  Deven blinked. "The Defiant? Why?"

  "I can show you everything from there."

  Aleshia gritted her teeth. "This is a trick. She wants access to the Defiant."

  "I do want access yes, but not in the way you think. I will only show you, nothing more. The course of action you take after is yours alone. I will either help or not."

  Deven's eyes narrowed. "Help or not? With regard to what?"

  "Please! We have lost so much precious time. Realize this, if we do not take action, the Earth and everything on it will be destroyed."

  Aleshia snorted. "Yeah, by you."

  The Nexus shook her head. "No, not by me. Please I must show you. And to do that I need your ship."

  "Very well."

  Aleshia's jaw dropped. "Deven! You can't be serious?"

  "I am."

  "But—"

  "Listen, you can crush her like an egg if you want to. If she tries anything, you will."

  "But what if she takes over the Defiant?"

  Deven shook his head. "Not possible. Are you forgetting Miles? He can stop her in an instant."

  The Nexus tried to activate her hover units, but she only succeeded in floating up half an inch before crashing back on the floor. "I am sorry but my hover systems were damaged. I will need to join you in a vehicle."

  Aleshia folded her arms. "She is not riding in my car. Otis can pick her up in his truck."

  "She said time is a factor. Please love?"

  Aleshia blew out a breath. "Fine! But she is riding in the trunk."

  Deven smiled. "That will do"

  "I am going to get changed." Aleshia paused and glared at the Nexus. She held out her hand, the chest plate flew into it, and she shoved it forward. "Here, put this back before I change my mind." Her eyes narrowed. "And trust me when I say, if you do anything to him, you will regret ever existing. Do I make myself clear?"

  The Nexus nodded taking the plate and reattaching it. "Very. I will not harm him or anyone."

  "Uh-huh." Aleshia disappeared around the corner and reappeared two minutes later wearing jeans, a new shirt, and her boots. "Now, let's go. And as I said, any funny moves and I get to play crush the tin can."

  The Nexus nodded and took a grinding step. The articulation motors were also damaged, but she managed to keep moving, slowly, towards the front door. They opened the door for her and the motors grumbled and grunted every step to the car.

  Aleshia popped open the trunk. "Okay, get in."

  "The space is not adequate."
>
  "Not adequate eh? Well if you can't find a way to get in, I will make you fit. How's that? And trust me, you don't want me to."

  The Nexus sighed. "Very well." She sat on the edge of the trunk, flipped over and in while tucking her arms and legs up. It took several tries as the motors refused to pull her legs up all the way. After several minutes of grinding, groaning, and grumbling she was in place.