Noah woke up from the soundest sleep he'd had in years. Instinct told him to look for Vivian. His gut didn't fail him. She had her head on his chest and her fingertips caressed his body.
"You can't want to go a fourth round." Noah laughed.
After he worried so much about being intimate with a woman after Mona, he found the physical part of sex less of a hurdle than how he now regarded Vivian. He stroked her soft face as he stared at her.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." He smoothed his fingers down her chin and over her neck. "I wasn't supposed to meet someone as incredible as you while doing my job."
"I know what you mean. Who would have thought that I would be in bed with a man who has my whole world in his hands?"
Noah covered his eyes. "When you say it like that, makes me seem like I'm some sort of god or something."
Vivian slid her body down next to him. "You are the ruler of my little world, at least." She kissed his chest. "How about we split the difference and make you a demigod?"
That statement got the biggest laugh out of Noah that he hadn't had in a long, long time. There was something so intrinsically special about Vivian. The more they were together, the more she proved how different she was from Mona.
"Tell me more about you." Vivian planted her chin on his chest. "What were you like as a child? When was your first kiss? When did you first have sex?"
Noah stroked her soft hair. "Why do you want to know all of that?"
When Vivian hesitated to answer, he gazed at her.
"Just in case you get to go and I don't, I want to have something to hold onto when—"
"Hey, we're both leaving here, you got it?" Or we're both dying here, he wanted to say.
Vivian offered a quiet laugh and nodded. "We don't have much time."
In the last few years, dying was all Noah wanted to do. He couldn't deny that a small part of himself had brought Vivian back to his home for one of many reasons. She could have been dangerous and killed him in his sleep. The first night, he had expected it. But he never expected to make love to her. And he certainly didn't expect for the dust to be brushed off of his heart, so much so that he felt the organ beating again.
"I was a wild child," he began.
Vivian's eyes widened. "You were not."
Noah nodded.
"But you're so straight-laced now."
"Is that how you would describe a scientist who slipped a person thought to be a cyborg from the lab to his home?"
She remained quiet for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you're right. You would have to be a bit of a bad ass to be involved in kidnapping."
"Hey, you can't kidnap the willing." He tickled her sides and as expected, she squirmed like a fish and giggled like a child. "I got in trouble a lot when I was growing up. By the time I got to high school, I realized that being a screw-up had me associating with the wrong type of people. A light switched on in my head and I turned my life around. I became really serious about my education. I got into science, chemistry and biology mainly, and into a little physics later on."
Vivian kissed his chest in the middle of his story. Did she know that her doing that drove him crazy? Noah continued with his story despite the fact that he felt himself getting harder the more her body pressed against his.
"I became an officer in the Federation Air Force. "
Vivian sat up. "You were in the Air Force? Does that mean you can operate the transport station? "
Noah nodded. "I can and I have." He held his finger up to her before she could make her inquiry. "I haven't been trusted to fly one of those in years. When I did my tour, I got out of the Air Force and I started teaching, and that's when I met Mona. She was a graduate student in one of my physics classes. She was going for her teaching degree and wanted a class to round out her education."
"And when did you two start dating?" This time Vivian licked his nipple.
Noah flinched. It took every bit of willpower not to flip her over onto her back and fuck her again. "As soon as she got her final grade from my class, I asked her out. Until that unfortunate day, we had been inseparable."
"Do you think you'll miss me like that?"
Noah turned her over onto her back. "No." Before he could let any negative thoughts enter her head, he continued. "There won't be a chance for me to miss you. If I can't get you off the moon, then I'm staying here with you."
She shook her head. "No. You have a promising career. You're needed. I'm just a flesh peddler. You said that."
"And I shouldn't have. It was wrong for me to make that judgment about you."
"But I'm not needed."
Noah turned onto his side, pressing her back against the mattress. "I need you. I never thought I would need someone again after Mona, but I need you." He leaned down to kiss her when he noticed his alarm clock. "Shit!"
"What?"
Noah sprang from the bed. "I'm late for work. I forgot to set the alarm last night. I can't believe I spent the whole night—"
"I'll make breakfast for you."
"No time." Noah ducked into the bathroom.
If he had time, he would have made love to Vivian again and again. The first time in a long time, Noah felt alive. This could be his second chance at life.
After his fast shower, Noah ran the drying fans in the bathroom while he brushed his teeth and dragged a comb through his hair. He dressed in seconds flat. When he ran out of the bathroom, Vivian greeted him with a covered cup of coffee, a bag full of food and a short but sweet kiss.
"Have a good day." She waved to him as he bolted through the door.
Noah stopped in the middle of the hallway going towards the lab. He turned on the ball of his foot, and raced back to his unit. When he opened the door, he didn't see Vivian but he heard the shower going.
Noah set his coffee and food onto the counter. With each step toward the bathroom that he took, he stripped out of a piece of clothes until he was completely naked by the time he hit the bathroom. From the doorway, he watched Vivian in the stall. This time he caught her masturbating.
She had one hand on her breast, massaging it as she leaned against the wall. Her other hand occupied itself at her cunt, sliding her first two fingers in and out as she rotated her hips.
As much as Noah liked the show, he wanted to touch her more. He opened the shower door to her surprise. Vivian gasped and stopped immediately. She turned so that he wouldn't be able to see her face.
"What are you doing here? You're going to be late."
The fingers that were in her pussy, he put in his mouth to suck off the juices. Then he pressed her back against the wall.
"I realized that I didn't thank you properly before I left." He positioned his hard cock at her pussy just as she wrapped her legs around his body.
He thrust inside of her, making her grab his shoulders. The hot shower water beat against Noah's back as he pumped into her hard and fast.
"Thank you," he growled.
She nibbled his ear as she held onto him.
Noah thought about how in one day, this woman changed his entire life. Things he thought were important to him, like serving the government and keeping their mistakes quiet, no longer concerned him. "Thank you."
She tightened her legs around his body.
Here he had an incredibly hot woman who was genuine, kind, smart and sexy. Although she kept herself guarded, Noah found himself drawn to her and not the image. If he would just let her, she could be so good for him.
The shower water automatically shut off just as Noah came deep and hard inside of her. Vivian's body shuddered with her own intense orgasm.
As she clutched him, she said in his ear, "I think maybe you're the cyborg. The sex is amazing."
Noah laughed. "Thank you."
"For what? You've been thanking me since you walked into the shower."
He pulled his head back to gain a small bit of eye contact with her. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."
"I could say th
e same to you."
"Then say it."
She kissed him before descending onto her knees. "I'd rather show you."
It was situations like this that Noah didn't mind being late for work. Fuck them. He'd given the Federation too much of his personal time already. Time for a little "me time" now, especially since time on the moon was growing short.
* * * *
"Everything all right, Dr. Wiit?" Officer Ionta walked with him to the interview room. "I've never seen you come in so late…and smiling."
"I'm fine." Noah was about to share that he'd been in the company of a beautiful woman, but his guarded nature returned. "Just send in the first cyborg."
"I thought the interviews were over."
Noah opened the door to the interview room and stood in the doorway. "Not yet. We still have some time to weed them out. Send one in."
"Yes, sir."
As he waited, Noah set out his usual tools of the trade on the table. Out of habit, he reached for his Kicker but stopped himself. He no longer needed the drug because he didn't need to forget anymore.
The door opened, and the being standing on the other side had Noah wishing he had taken his shot of Kicker. The officer brought in a brick wall of a cyborg. His head and neck were both the same size, and thick. He had to turn sideways in order to walk through the doorway. The scowl he carried on his face caused a shiver to go up Noah's spine.
The cyborg sat at the table, placing his palms flat.
"This one is known to be aggressive. You want me to cuff him?" Ionta patted his handcuffs on one side while keeping his other hand on his weapon.
Noah swallowed. After he had just thought about his previous behavior with these beings, ignoring them instead of helping them, thinking of them as machines instead of human, he didn't want to come off as a hypocrite.
"No, leave them off." He glanced at the cyborg, who remained expressionless. Noah clicked on his recorder, spouting the date and time into it. "What's your full name?"
"Joseph 6T991HV572."
Very efficient. If Old Joe could get through this interview, he would be perfect to fight for the Federation.
"How long ago were you assembled?" Noah asked.
"Approximately two years ago, sir."
Noah's gut wrenched. The previous cyborg had told Noah that he was one of the last ones made about four years ago. That was about the time Dr. Urlean's misdeeds had been discovered and he was forcibly thrown out of his lab. What this cyborg was saying couldn't be true. No one had continued with Lars's work.
"Maybe I wasn't clear, Joseph. I need to know when your skeletal system was replaced with titanium and when the chip was installed in your head."
Joseph's face curled into a menacing scowl. "I told you. Two years ago. Check my records."
"That's impossible. Dr. Lars Urlean created the sexbots and no one continued making you all after his termination."
"Are you talking about his firing or when one of us killed him?" His tone was filled with hatred and bitterness.
On second thought, maybe Joseph wouldn't be good for the Federation. Soldiers had to be loyal to one cause. They also had to be honest. Joseph couldn't have been created two years ago. Lars was dead then.
Joseph probably noticed the skeptical look on Noah's face. He pounded his huge fists on the tabletop. "I'm telling you the truth. Here, check the tattoo on my head." He jumped to his feet and ran around to Noah's side of the table.
"Resume your seat! That's an order!" Officer Ionta raced around the table and held his weapon to the cyborg, who only wanted to redeem himself.
"Please, take your seat." Noah pointed to the empty chair.
"You aren't listening to me. Why won't you listen to me?"
Faster than Noah could think, Joseph grabbed Noah's collar, lifted him out of his chair, and slammed him to the floor, flat on his back, forcing air and Noah's senses from his body.
As Noah gasped and grabbed Joseph's arms, the cyborg straddled Noah. Joseph's face loomed over Noah's.
"You have to listen to me." Joseph spoke through gritted teeth, occasionally letting his saliva spray from his mouth. "There is something going on here that's going to destroy the humans. You've got to stop it."
Noah stared into Joseph's black eyes for truth. His onyx pearls contained a secret that threatened to break through.
Joseph took a deep breath before speaking again. "Don't trust anyone. The people you think are your friends are devils in disguise. You need to know that—"
The buzzing sound from Officer Ionta's laser shot rang in Noah's ears before he saw the smoking hole in the center of Joseph's massive forehead and the first drop of blood that fell into Noah's eyes.
Noah's heart raced as this hulking mass of man and machine collapsed on top of him, pushing out the remaining bit of oxygen that he needed for sustenance. As the blood flowed over Noah's face, through his beard and down his neck, he struggled to roll him off him.
Relief finally came when the officer who had taken down the cyborg kicked Joseph's corpse off of Noah. Noah scurried back, wiping some other man's blood from his face, which was a mistake. His slick palms skidded across the floor when he continued his crabwalk backwards.
He landed hard on his elbows and took in the gruesome scene before him. Faced down on the once all-white floor remained the still body of the man who tried to warn Noah of something that made his gut twitch.
"Sorry, Doc." The officer held his gun to the dead man as though he would jump up at any moment. "I should have been quicker."
Noah sat up. "Quicker to what?" He stood. "To keep him from coming after me or revealing to me what he did?"
Officer Ionta glared at Noah. A chill gripped Noah's spine when Ionta reached into his back pocket like he was retrieving a knife to throw at Noah and cut into his throat. Instead he pulled out a handkerchief and held it up to Noah.
"Wipe your face, Doctor Wiit."
Noah stared at Ionta's hand, at the hollow gesture, and continued to back away, heading right to the door. "I'm leaving early." He wiped away enough blood from his eyes to snatch his recorder from the table and make his way to the door. "I'll register a report of this incident tonight. For your sake, Officer, I suggest you do the same."
From behind himself as he hurried down the hallway, Noah heard Ionta say, "Don't worry, Doc. I'm covered."
Just as Noah took a step outside of the room, guards tackled him.
"Doctor Wiit, get down! Don't move! We'll get you to the infirmary." One overzealous officer pulled Noah to the floor then held his head to keep it straight.
Noah wanted to laugh. If he had a head or neck injury, the guard's treatment of him would have exacerbated his problems.
"I'm fine." Noah struggled to stand again. "Let me up."
"Sorry, sir. Procedure. You're covered in blood." The guard held Noah's shoulders down against the floor. "We received a distress signal."
"Not my blood."
"We'll get you straight, Doc."
Officer Ionta strolled by Noah. "Yes, the good doctor needs a little straightening."
That was the one thing Noah could agree with Officer Ionta. He needed information and he needed it now. He had a feeling that his life and the life of every human depended on the truth being revealed.
Chapter Ten
With his dignity gone after an invasive examination, Noah was found to have no open wounds, and there was no other trauma to his body other than a bruised backside and ego from being pummeled by a cyborg.
Noah hopped off of the exam table and headed to the door to get back home when he heard someone calling his name.
"Noah, wait."
He turned and found Al-Tomlyn in bed, summoning Noah to him with a wave of his hand. Noah went to him.
During the trek, feelings of guilt shook his insides. He should have been a better friend to Al-Tomlyn. He should have visited him as soon as he was admitted. Instead Noah was consumed with his project at home, a woman without a planet. Vivian.
/> "How are you feeling?" Noah asked before he stopped his trek.
"A lot better. Because of my age, they're administering the accelerator in small doses. I should be out in a couple of days." As Al-Tomlyn spoke, he sat up higher.
Only a couple of bruises marked Al-Tomlyn's face. With his body covered in a sheet, Noah couldn't see the other injuries that the doctor had rattled off in the meeting.
"So what happened?" Curiosity got the better of Noah and the question blurted out before he could stop himself.
"I guess I asked a question I shouldn't have." To lighten the mood, Al-Tomlyn chuckled. "The monster leapt across the table and grabbed my throat. I went unconscious. I awoke here." He rubbed the back of his neck then stopped. "On that same note, why are you here?"
"Same thing." Noah scratched the back of his head.
"Looks like he did a number on you."
Noah peered down at his bloodstained shirt. "No, his blood, not mine."
"His? A male cyborg attacked you?"
Noah felt his eyebrows pull together. "A female cyborg attacked you?"
Al-Tomlyn blinked. "Of course. You really don't pay attention during the update meetings, do you?"
Noah crossed his arms over his chest and gave his full attention to his colleague to look more interested than normal. "Apparently I must have missed something in the meetings."
"The female cyborgs are the craftiest, the most cunning, and the most vicious of the lot. Lars Urlean not only made them sexy, he made them murderous. They will stare you right in your face and tell you a lie that would make you question yourself."
"Really?" Noah's mind drifted to Vivian. Had she lied to him?
No, it would be impossible. He checked her arm. She didn't have the skeleton like the other cyborgs. She was human.
"I hear we're getting off this rock soon." Al-Tomlyn smiled. "Do you know where you're going yet?"
Noah shook his head. "Supposed to know today."
"I'm surprised you're still doing interviews. Just let the rest of them perish."
"But there are soldiers that could be made and we still haven't located the chameleon." Noah took a couple of steps back toward the door.
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