“Sore. Like I lost a fight with a jaguar.”
Her mother gave her a tiny smile. “But normal? Like yourself?”
That was a weird question. Who else would she be? “Yeah. Myself after being hit by a bullet train.”
Another tiny smile from her mom, who usually hated her jokes. She grabbed Ionia’s hand gently and held it. “Yes. It’s you.”
Another avalanche of panic hit her.
“What happened? Why are we here? Sera did this to me. She held me—”
Her mom put up her hand. “I know what my sister did.” The world sister came out as if it were made of ape shit. “And now she’s making it right. The only reason she’s alive is that she knew how to help you.”
“But how did I get here? Where’s Den?”
“Den.” For the first time, Ionia thought she might hear a hint of affection. “He’s getting repaired and recharging. He would not leave you or put you down, even until we wrestled you from him. He finally agreed to let you stay with me.”
“When can I see him?”
“Soon as he’s done.”
Den was near. That made the horrible ache in her body feel slightly less horrible.
Then she remembered. “How do I look?”
Her mom rolled her lips in a bit them closed. She double clicked an area on one of the exam tables. Instantly, a vidcap showed Ionia her face.
The part of her face with the replacement eye looked smooth, silver, and droid-like. But just the part around her eye. The rest of her face looked normal. She looked down at her hands. Scrapes and bruises covered her knuckles. She pulled back the light sheet over her and looked at her legs. Black and blue all over.
Then she remembered all the craziness with her body. She was hooked up to a rehydration bag.
“It would seem, even when you are using the nanobots, that you still suffer damage to your skin.” Her mom took on the scientist’s voice, but there was a hint of something else. Anger? Disgust?
“I feel okay.” Her replacement eye seemed to be working as a real human eye now. No extra info flowed. Even when she tried to see better, it only gave her basic responses. Like a real eye.
A weird knowing told her if she thought too much about it, or really wanted to see something at a distance, that she could. The abilities spooked her. And thrilled her. She’d never felt as powerful as she had fighting Chirag. It had been amazing.
“So why am I here and not in some detention area or at the police station?”
“Chirag was one of theirs. One of theirs who lost his mind in a recorded setting. They wanted to disavow anything or anyone he had contact with and quietly get us out of the limelight.”
“Really?” That sounded too easy with all the general weirdness in the government.
“I may have threatened to distribute information about their policies with supporting evidence. How you were kidnapped, and they did nothing. Even your uncle helped. Mostly to save his own skin and get his precious bill passed.” She balled her hand into a fist and hit the side table. “I want to take them all to task in a world arena. Maybe I will once we’re safely out of here. We have an agreement as of now. We don’t talk, and they don’t.”
Ionia noted the floor length window with sunlight streaming in and let the calm, quiet seep in. Her life had been on fast forward so long she’d forgotten what it was like to just breathe and enjoy being alive. Then she thought about something else.
“Aunt Sera—”
“The only reason and I mean it,” she stared hard into Ionia’s eyes, “The only reason I let her live was that she is the only one who knows about the nanobots. She may be able to help you in the future. Who knows what will happen? To your skin? Your organs?” She snorted air in and out of her nose, like a bull ready to charge. “They are acting as normal cells now, but what about five years from now?”
“Listen. I’m okay. I think.” There was a swirl in the back of her head. A dam of numbers and calculations and vid clips lapped at the gate of her mind. They wanted to be seen, but she pushed them back. She’d keep pushing them back until she needed them. She had it under control. “Pretty sure I’m fine. No need to worry about me.”
“Ionia. I haven’t even said this. And I never thought I’d have a chance, but I’m so sorry. I never should have allowed my sister to experiment on you.”
As angry as she had been before, with everything she’d been through, all the lies and trials—having to let Den go, having to sacrifice to save him—her mom had done it for her. She’d wanted to save someone she loved. “I think I understand.”
Her mom shook her head. “But I should have told you. You are beyond old enough to know. And I don’t say it, but—” She actually looked pained to say the words, but also relieved. “I—”
“I know. You show me all the time. And I understand. How it feels to make a decision that may be wrong to save someone you love.” She’d risked her life to save Den. She hadn’t thought about anything but helping him.
Her mom must have felt the same. She leaned in and wrapped Ionia in the longest hug she could remember. Still stiff but strong, just like her.
“Enough of this mush, or I’m going to think you’re a weird clone or something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Her mom instantly pulled back, and they both smiled a sly smile.
She was back. They were back with a new line of understanding that made Ionia’s heart feel like a piece of warmed up chocolate.
The door opened, and Den walked in. He looked a bit ruffled, but his gait and movement were normal. Whoever had repaired him had done a good job.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Her mother shot Den a look of resigned acceptance and exited the room.
Den gave her a slight, heartbreaking smile and sat on the bed next to her, gathering her hands into his large ones as if holding a small, broken bird.
“Hi,” she said. She didn’t even know where to start.
“Hello. I am very happy to see you.” He sat patiently. His voice was as smooth and slightly accented as usual, and it did the usual things to her.
“How are you? How is Zee?”
“I have been externally repaired by government engineers thanks to your uncle’s influence and some public pressure, I am told.”
“And Zee?” She hadn’t looked good from a distance. A sour taste filled her mouth. If she’d been destroyed, it would be Ionia’s fault, and she wasn’t sure she could handle that.
“She disappeared, but I did receive a very cryptic message that leads me to believe she will emerge from this unscathed. I will search for her, but I wanted to make sure you were well and to find out whether you still desire my companionship.”
“I didn’t want to send you away. And I surely didn’t want you to end up with that man, cyborg, monster guy. I just wanted you to have a real choice. I’m so sorry. And you’re still free to leave.”
The doctor might as well remove her heart if he left. But it was his choice. She’d survive. Who needed a dumb heart anyway? All that matter was his safety and happiness.
“If you need help, we can help you get out of the territory, so don’t go joining some other fighting band of droids,” she said.
He nodded as if he had figured that out already, but it still felt good to say out loud.
“Thank you.” He paused and rolled his lips in, as if considering how to say something difficult. “I was made to love you. But being apart from you, I found I could care about other things. I like dogs. I have friends. I have issues I’m passionate about, but… I want to stay with you.”
“You don’t have to stay with me. I’m going to draw a lot of attention, and it could be a risk being near me.” Thinking about her silver skin around her eye and the way her brain had flipped to full on droid made her heart wither in her chest. The future was a huge unknown for her right now. Like standing on a cliff above an ocean—dangerous, exciting, mysterious, scary. Everything all rolled into one.
He sighed deeply. “Eve
n with a world of options, how could I find someone like you? So obviously made for me. Someone who would risk everything to save me. Someone who makes my life entertaining and challenging and special?” He leaned forward and stared intensely into her eyes. “I love you. Your heart, your crooked smile, your mechanized eye, your nanobots, your temper, your view of the world. I love all of you.”
She reached up and buried her bruised hand in his thick curls and pulled him down to her lips. “I love all of you, too.”
And for this special moment, that was enough.
THE END
Bio
My journey began long ago in a galaxy not too far away when the writing virus hit me in grade school. I have yet to recover. Two ornery cats call me mom. (Two human daughters as well, but they may or may not claim me.)
I placed third in the Rebecca Contest in 2013 with my manuscript: In Harm’s Way, and am also the 2015 winner of the WISRWA Silver Quill for my manuscript, Frozen Hearts.
A Wheadonite from way, way back (repeat after me-In Joss We Trust) I love Buffy, Firefly, and the Avengers. I have strong Marvel leanings, but I enjoy some of DC’s TV offerings (and OMG please Wonder Woman be good!). Musicwise, I like anything that’s really cool and alternative (basically my daughter’s playlist). I actually enjoy running and there is much to adore about Hatha Yoga.
I’m a believer, a dreamer, a trier. I love movies, adventure, and live in a world of my own making. I got an accounting degree and it pays the bills but would much rather write.
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Vagabond Souls: The Ionia Chronicles: Book 2 Page 31
