by T. J. Quinn
“You’re saying there are nanocybots inside me?”
“Yes, and by the way, they reproduce when in a friendly environment, I would say they have taken over your whole body,” he said, apologetically.
She looked at him flustered. “But… but I haven’t felt any different,” she mumbled.
“How often have you felt ill in the past years? How fast did you recover from giving birth to Luciana?” he asked, tilting his head to look at her.
Her frown became more profound as she tried to find a moment where she had felt ill, and there were none. And the day after Luciana was born, she felt as if she hadn’t gone through a rather painful labor.
“You might be right,” she accepted.
“I am right. There’s no room for doubt here.”
She rubbed her forehead, trying to take all that in. “And you say she has been hacking into the system for a while now?” she asked, sounding a bit scared.
He nodded. “She has been using the communication room for it. She’s good at it, probably even better than me. With some training, who knows what she is capable of,” he said, and he sounded so proud she couldn’t hold back an amused smile.
“You’re thrilled with it, aren’t you?” she asked, in a soft tone.
For the first time since she had seen him, after his return, a real smile cracked his face lightening it. “Damn, yes. I never thought I would have children, but she’s all I could ask in a child of mine,” he admitted. “She’s amazing, in every possible way.”
She chuckled. “She can also be a terrible brat and very disobedient,” she warned him.
“I’m sure of it. But she’s still amazing.”
She nodded. “I have to admit she worries me a bit. She stands out wherever she is, and someone is bound to start asking questions,” she said in a low tone as she watched the little girl outside through the kitchen window.
“We’ll think of something. Don’t worry about it, for now,” he advised her. “Now I’m here. I’ll help you as much as I can,” he assured her.
“Yes,” she said, but her tone denoted some uncertainty.
He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, from behind, pulling her into his embrace. “I’m not going anywhere without you and Luciana, Sabrina, you better get used to it” he whispered in her ear, as he nibbled her earlobe.
A thrill rushed down her spine, and she leaned against him. She wanted to believe his words, but she couldn’t. Not yet anyway.
Luciana entered the house, and her eyes shined when she found them hugging so intimately.
“Are you ready to continue with your work, papa?” she asked, sounding amused.
He reluctantly released Sabrina and nodded. “Sure thing. Let’s go, partner.”
Sabrina watched them disappear down the hallway and sighed.
Yes, their daughter was exceptional and she had gotten used to that fact. But she was starting to think this planet wasn’t ready for her.
They ended up spending fewer days at the cabin. With Luciana’s help, Jarcor finished all the upgrades he had created sooner and sent them out safely, a lot easier than he had expected.
For Luciana, the whole thing was nothing but a game, but her knowledge had helped them to provide the rest of the cyborgs with all the intel he wanted, in a safe and encrypted way. The government would never even suspect their programming had been changed to make things easier for cyborgs.
Chapter Fifteen
They returned to the ranch, and their arrival was celebrated. People really cared about Sabrina and Luciana, and Jarcor was pleased to see his daughter had grown up surrounded by good people.
Back at the ranch, Sabrina called Sandra and told her some of the new events. The old woman deserved to know the truth after all the help and support she had given her.
“I should have known when I saw his eyes. Not many people have eyes with that shade of blue,” the old woman said, with a faint smile.
“Yes, somehow, Luciana knew it the minute she saw him. How is still a mystery to me.”
“Cyborgs’ abilities are greater than anyone ever predicted,” Sandra stated.
“Lucas is sure she has inherited his nanocybots from the spermatozoid and the egg.”
Sandra frown. “What do you mean the egg?”
Sabrina sighed. “Well, he thinks his nanocybots adopted me and are reproducing inside me.”
“We’ve suspected that when we found out Ophelia was expecting a baby when all thought it was impossible,” Sandra agreed.
“Right.” She stayed in silence for a moment. “Do you think it’s possible Luciana inherited all of Lucas knowledge?”
“You mean, through the nanocybots?” the old woman asked, considering the possibility.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I guess it’s possible. But then, you should have it too,”
“Perhaps, I do, but perhaps they didn’t consider that knowledge useful for me since I’m not really a fanatic of computers and technology.”
“That makes sense. They are supposed to develop according to what they consider is best for each individual.”
“Exactly,” she sighed. “There’s so much we don’t know about this, the government had no idea what they were doing when they created the cyborgs,” she stated, frowning.
“I totally agree with you, but you know, it was a good thing they didn’t even suspect. Otherwise they wouldn’t have created them, and the universe would have missed some incredible creatures.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“What are your plans?” Sandra asked.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t discussed it with Jarcor. Luciana is so happy to have her father with her she hasn’t left his side,” she let out a heavy sigh. “We’ll have to sit down and discuss what to do. He has asked me to help him explore some ruins they found on Arcadia, so I guess we would be going there, at least, for a while. Then, we shall see.”
“Are you two together?” Sandra asked with a frown.
“Not really. We were never a traditional couple. We met in the weirdest circumstances, and one thing led to the other, and I ended up alone and pregnant,” she explained. “He knew there was no future for us back then, though he never told me about it, and right now, I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. Luciana is our priority.”
“You can’t ignore your own needs, Sabrina. You too deserve to be happy,” Sandra protested.
“I am happy. Looking at Luciana’s face shine with happiness makes me the happiest person on this planet.”
“Yes, that makes you a happy mother, but not necessarily a happy woman. Think about it, sweetheart.”
“I will.”
They chatted a few more minutes about the hideouts and their next missions and by the time she ended the call, it was time to have dinner.
She met Luciana and Jarcor in the dining room, and they ate with a few other members of the council, while they updated Sabrina on the ranch business.
Luciana walked her father to his room when they were done, and Sabrina went straight to hers. Luciana would meet her there after saying goodnight to her father, and for the first time since Luciana was born, Sabrina wished she had her own house.
She hadn’t noticed just how much she enjoyed the privacy at the cabin. Living at the ranch was great, but being surrounded by so many people all the time was a bit tiring.
An hour later, Luciana was finally asleep, and she was lying in bed reading some reports one of the councils had sent her. She missed having Jarcor at her side in bed, but she guessed he didn’t feel the same.
He hadn’t mentioned their sleeping arrangements, and she wasn’t going to. It might be old fashioned, but she felt he should be the one bringing up the subject. The fact he hadn’t, didn’t promise much.
Unable to concentrate on what she was reading, she dropped the electronic reader on her nightstand and walked up to the window.
The moon was shining so bright, she could see ev
erything, and after looking at the gardens below her for a few minutes, she decided to go out for a walk. It might tire her enough so she could have a good night sleep.
She was walking past Lucas bedroom when the door opened up, and he stepped out, “Going anywhere?” he asked, stretching his arm to stop her.
“Yes, I’m going for a walk,” she said, but she hadn’t finished talking when he pulled her into his bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaning against the the door.
“I was about to go up to your room,” he said, under her inquiring look.
“You were? What for?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
“My bed feels empty without you in it,” he explained, with a wicked shine on his eyes. “I guess I got used to having you around.”
“Is that so?” she asked crossing her arms over her chest, in a vain attempt to hide her hard peaks from his penetrating look.
She knew he could tell exactly how he affected her. “I’m afraid I’m used to sleeping alone,” she replied in a cold tone, determined to keep her composure.
He took a few steps until he was standing in front of her. “Are you sure? You didn’t seem to have any trouble sleeping in my arms, while we were at the cabin,” he said grazing the tip of a finger down her cheek.
She did all she could to remain still, but just his masculine scent was able to send her hormones into a frantic swirl. His touch was enough to reignite the fire that burned inside her permanently.
She cleared her throat, “That’s your opinion.”
“One you share,” he replied, with certainty in his tone, as he leaned over and stole a kiss from her full lips.
Before her mind was able to come up with a sassy answer to that remark, she got lost in the powerful haze of arousal. By the time she was able to conjure a coherent thought, she was already naked in bed with him, their bodies completely entangled.
Caress after caress, kiss after kiss, they drove each other into the fantastic world of pleasure and bliss. When the waves finally subsided, he collapsed in bed next to her and pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve finished my business here on this planet,” he informed her, in a gentle tone a few minutes later.
She stiffened in his arms. “When are you leaving?” she asked, in a cold tone, trying to move away from him, but he didn’t let her.
“We’re leaving right after the next mission. That way we can take a few other cyborgs with us,” he replied, making emphasis on the word ‘we.’
“What do you mean with we?” she asked, determined not to assume anything.
“Luciana, you and me, Sabrina,” he clarified.
“I want you to come with me. Like I told you, I could your help with the ruins, and since it would be hard for me to live here, I would appreciate if you could try living in Arcadia.”
“What if I can’t? What if I hate the place?” she asked, testing his commitment.
“Well, the universe is a vast place. I’m sure we could find a place more to your taste. But if we didn’t, then I would live here,” he explained, in a firm tone. “I simply don’t want to be away from you and Luciana.”
For a moment, Sabrina allowed herself to believe he meant every word he was saying but her skeptical mind assured her he just wanted to be with Luciana and if that included her, he was willing to keep her happy, as much as possible.
“I guess we can try,” she said, in a cautious tone. “Do you own a house in Arcadia, or do you still live in some sort of camping site?” she asked him.
He caressed her hair and kissed it. “Yes, I have a house. Arcadia is a wealthy planet, and we’ve been able to develop it quickly, using its resources.
“I hope you’re not following our example here on earth, exploiting the planet beyond its capabilities,” she pointed out in a cold tone.
“Of course not. We’re taking only enough to cover our initial needs. We’re using the sun, the water, and the wind to get energy for the buildings on the planet and we’re selling the minerals we find, while we look for other ways to make money,” he explained.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it,” she said, in a polite tone.
“That’s all I ask,” he assured her.
Chapter Sixteen
The following days went by in a blur, and after another successful rescue mission, Jarcor called Arcadia and asked for a ship to come and pick them up.
Talking with the cyborgs rescued in the last mission; three men that were recovering from severe wounds in a small military facility; allowed Jarcor to find out the scope of his upgrades.
Jetlee, one of the men rescued told him how frustrated the government was with the escape of so many cyborgs.
“They can’t understand why we’re still escaping. They’ve intensified all of these blocks and firewalls against your hacking and reinforced the military presence around us, and nothing has worked,” he explained.
“What about the fight with the Taucets?” Jarcor asked, curious to know what was going on.
“Their numbers have diminished, and I guess that’s the reason they’re raiding entire villages again. They need women to carry their eggs, and they are getting them as fast as possible,” Jetlee replied, with a frown. “For all we’ve learned, they live very short lives, around ten of our years and they need to reproduce as fast as they live, or they will simply disappear.”
“Have they found the way to get women to carry their eggs successfully?” Jarcor asked, worried.
“We believe so. We need to end the war before those newborns reach adulthood. Otherwise, there will be no way to end it.”
“Judging from your tone, the government doesn’t believe this is even possible,” he said, scornfully.
“They refuse to see the truth. We could share our knowledge with them, but they have never asked, even though we’re the ones in touch with them, body against body, in the battlefield. Especially now that we’re can collect most of their communications, thanks to the upgrades you sent us.”
“Well, it’s their loss. We do more than enough fighting their war.”
“I totally agree with you.”
Like most newcomers, Jetlee and his friends decided to stay with the people in the cave for a while. They had learned about the cyborgs that had formed families with local women, and they wanted a shot at it. There weren’t enough females in Arcadia for them to consider finding a partner there. Jarcor needed to study the situation and look for a solution.
Luciana was so excited she couldn’t stay still. She wanted so much to fly into outer space and visit Arcadia, she couldn’t control her excitement. Undoubtedly, she was sad for leaving behind so many of her friends, but Sabrina was sure she would be in touch with them as much as possible, especially with Sandra.
Jarcor had invited her to visit Arcadia, but the old woman had refused. She told them she still had a lot to do back on Earth before she was able to even consider the possibility of leaving the planet.
“Just keep it in mind, will you?” Sabrina asked her, as sad as Luciana for leaving the woman behind. “You’ve done more than enough for this planet.”
The old woman chuckled. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be fine, I assure you, and when this war is over, I’ll gladly visit you on Arcadia,” she promised.
The big day finally arrived and after a few trips to the main vessel, to carry all the passengers and their luggage, they were finally ready to leave.
Sabrina walked around the ranch saying goodbye to the place. She had left a few people she trusted in charge of it, and she was sure they would do a great job. Even so, she had a hard time saying goodbye to the place she had built almost from scratch.
“Are you ready to leave?” Jarcor’s voice sounded behind her.
She sighed and turned to look at him. A sad smile was pasted on her heart-shaped face. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“We’ll come back. Every time you feel the need to see your friends and this place, all you have to do is tell me so, and we’ll come back,” he
assured her.
“Why would you do that?” she asked, tilting her head, doubting him.
“Because I want you to be happy, Sabrina, more than anything in the universe.”
She was sure he meant he wanted Luciana to be happy and probably thought keeping her happy would ensure his daughter’s happiness.
She nodded and allowed him to guide her out of her room.
Flying up to the main vessel was quite an experience and Luciana was so excited she couldn’t utter a word.
Once onboard the main vessel, she forced Jarcor to show her around the whole place, eager to know all about the ship and how it worked.
Sabrina left them to it as she took her things to her chambers, following a small map Jarcor had given her. It was quite easy to get lost in a place this big, where all hallways looked alike.
She noticed he had put Luciana in a chamber next to hers and not with her. She assumed he would be sharing the one assigned to her and a naughty grin crossed her face.
She was starting a new life, and though she had no idea where it would lead her, she hoped it was with Lucas, at least, for a little while longer.
The trip to Arcadia only lasted a few days, too short, according to Luciana’s complaints, who spent the whole trip wandering around the ship, asking a million questions, eager to learn all she could on the vessel and how it worked.
“You’ll have more opportunities to learn more about the vessel,” Sabrina comforted her.
“I want to know it all. I’ll become a pilot when I grow up, mamma,” she assured her.
“You can be whatever you want, sweetheart.”
Their first view of Arcadia was breathtaking. Lucas had been right when he told them Arcadia looked a lot like Earth.
“Have you explored the whole planet?” she asked Lucas.
“No. We’ve scanned it, looking for intelligent life, but we’ve only explored the continent we’re living on,” he replied.
