by T. J. Quinn
“Why? Is your female ill?”
“She has a name, learn it,” Khajal snarled as he helped her to enter the vehicle.
Noticing it wasn’t the moment for questions, Jarcor drove them to the hospital as fast as possible.
“What are we going to do here?” Jarcor asked as he parked the vehicle in front of the hospital’s emergency doors.
“We need to scan her abdomen,” Khajal replied before he jumped out of the vehicle.
Jarcor looked at Savannah puzzled, but he didn’t have time to ask any questions. Khajal had already opened her door and was helping her out of the car.
Jarcor drove to the parking lot as fast as possible and joined them at the emergency’s reception where Khajal was already snarling at the female cyborg working there.
“I need your identification documents to register you in our system.” The woman was telling him, in a calm tone.
“He still doesn’t have one, Annalyn. They just got to the planet today,” Jarcor explained, approaching them. “Call doctor Haycor, and tell him I’m here with the new female. He’ll want to see us immediately,” he explained, but the woman didn’t seem convinced.
Nonetheless, she picked her communication device and called the doctor Jarcor had just mentioned.
The man himself came to meet them on the emergency floor.
“Jarcor, I thought we were doing this in the morning.” The man, very similar in built and looks to the other cyborgs, said, as he walked towards the small group.
“Me too, but Khajal seems to think different,” Jarcor explained, scowling. “Khajal, Savannah, meet Dr. Haycor. He’s the one selected by the elders to conduct all the tests related to Savannah.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you. Let’s go to my office, we can talk there.” The doctor said, guiding them through the hospital hallways, ignoring the receptionist intents to talk to him.
Once in the doctor’s office, the man invited them to take a seat, but Khajal refused. “Let’s not waste time with courtesies. I need you to scan Savannah right away.”
The doctor frowned and turned to look at her. “Are you in pain or something, female?”
“She has a name, use it, and no, she’s not in pain. We need to confirm some suspicions.” Khajal snarled at the man, and he cautiously nodded, realizing something else was going on that he wasn’t aware of.
“Very well, let’s go to the scanning area.” He guided them out of the office, while he asked Khajal a few other questions. “Is there a special area you would like to scan? Or do you want a full body scan?”
“Let’s start with her abdomen, then we’ll see,” he said, in a very impatient tone.
Savannah looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on, why he was acting as if her being pregnant of his child was the worse news he could get. She braced herself as she walked down the hall trying not to let his attitude affect her, but it was becoming harder and harder.
Once inside the scans room, the doctor directed her to lay down on an examination table. Pulling a small screen from under the table, he started scanning her.
“What the hell…” were his first words, as images of her scan showed up on a bigger screen right above her. “Is this what I think it is?” he asked, turning to look at Khajal. “She’s pregnant? Is this a human baby?” the doctor shot the questions trying to keep calm and failing miserably.
“A baby?” Jarcor’s question was ignored.
“Is she pregnant?” Khajal asked, demanding certainty.
“Yes, she is. No doubt 's a baby is growing in her womb.” The doctor assured him.
Khajal let out a loud growl of pain that surprised them all.
Intrigued, the doctor turned to face Savannah. “Is this baby is human?” he asked.
“No, it can’t be human. I was on birth control. I hadn’t been with a man in months before I was abducted by the Taucets,” she explained, making a huge effort to keep the tears welling up in her eyes, at bay.
“Then, maybe it’s a Taucet baby?” the doctor tried again.
“The Taucets didn’t touch me sexually, and they aren’t compatible with humans,” she replied, in a firm tone. “I was given to Khajal the night I arrived in the colony,” she added, looking at Khajal, trying to understand the despair on his face.
“It’s my baby, Haycor. The nanocybots destroyed her birth control implant, considering it an alien object,” he explained, exuding all the pain rushing through his body.
“But… that’s not possible… the nanocybots would have destroyed the embryo as well.” The doctor pointed out, staring at the screen, trying to find an explanation for what had been impossible so far.
“The nanocybots adopted her body. They’re living and reproducing inside her as we speak.” Khajal grunted.
“This is amazing.” The doctor said as he moved the scan all over her belly trying to get as many details as possible from the baby. “According to my knowledge, this baby is at least a month old, on a cyborg scale, what’s about eleven weeks old on a human scale,” he said, after a few minutes of analyses.
“I want it out of her,” Khajal growled.
Savannah gasped, as pain rushed through her whole body. He couldn’t do that to her. She couldn’t let him. She covered her belly with her arms and stared at him with all the pain and hurt she was feeling written on her face.
“No… you can’t do that,” she muttered.
But Khajal wasn’t paying attention to her. He was facing the thunderstruck doctor. “You have to take it out before it’s too late,” he snarled at the man.
“This is a naturally engendered baby. You know what this can mean.” The doctor said, shaking his head.
“This means I’ll lose her and the baby before the pregnancy is over and you know that,” he retorted, anguished.
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“I’m not willing to take the risk. She’s mine and I won’t lose her in the name of science, believe me,” he yelled at the doctor.
“Khajal, you have to calm down. You’re not thinking clearly. This is a naturally conceived baby. The nanocybots inside her would not allow it to be there if it represented a threat to her or her health.”
“The pregnancies killed the women incubating the baby cyborgs,” he insisted, and Savannah finally understood why he was so against her pregnancy. She remembered a conversation they had held, where he had explained to her the pregnancies had been too straining for the women and they had all died.
“This is different. She’s different. Unlike any other women, she has nanocybots inside her, that will make sure she’s alright and healthy during the whole pregnancy.” The doctor pointed out. “This is what we have been looking for. You can’t ask us to terminate it.”
“And you can’t expect me to sit back and watch her die and not do a thing,” he replied.
Sitting up on the examination table, she turned to the other men. “Would you please leave us alone for a moment? I need to speak to Khajal,” she asked them.
At first, she thought they were going to say no, but after a few seconds, they nodded and left the room, leaving her alone with her stubborn cyborg.
He looked at her for the first time since the doctor had confirmed the news. “I’m not changing my mind,” he warned her.
“Forget for a minute the possible consequences of this pregnancy and tell me how you feel about this baby,” she asked him in a soft tone.
“Don’t ask me that. I can’t do it, there’s too much at stake here,” he growled at her.
“I know, we’re talking about our unborn child, Khajal. Not a device, not something you can get rid of as if it meant nothing,” she pointed out, and he closed his eyes for a few moments.
“I’ve just found you. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t bear the thought of losing you,” he confessed, and a wave of warmth and peace flooded her like nothing else.
Her cyborg loved her as much as she loved him.
With an endearing smile, sh
e leaned forward and cupped his face with her hands. “You won’t lose me. The doctor is right. If the nanocybots considered the pregnancy was a risk for me, they would have prevented it from happening,” she said, oozing her love in each and every word coming out of her mouth. “This was meant to happen, we were meant to be together and have this baby,” she added, taking one of his hands and resting it over their unborn child.
“We’ll be fine. The three of us, I assure you,” she said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Yes, she was a bit scared, but she was also sure he would be there for her the whole time. She leaned closer and grazed his lips with hers in a gentle kiss.
He growled and deepened the kiss until they were both breathless.
“Are you sure of this?” he asked, as he rested his forehead on hers.
“Yes, I am. This baby is part of us. I could never harm him or her in any way,” she replied, with so much conviction, he finally nodded in acceptance.
“Very well, but I want you monitored at all times, and if there’s any sign of threat we’ll terminate the pregnancy,” he stated.
She could accept that. Though she was sure, there wouldn’t be any threat. Her nanocybots would make sure of that.
He kissed her once more before he called the doctor and Jarcor inside the room.
“I want this to be a secret between us until the baby is born. If the elders know about this, they will put pressure in all of us, and that’s the last thing Savannah needs,” he stated his conditions.
“Yes, you’re right. We’ll deal with them after the baby is born.” The doctor accepted, sighing relieved. “But I do believe it would be better for her to be here at the hospital during her last month of pregnancy so that I can monitor it at continuously.”
Khajal opened his mouth to protest, but he quickly realized it was a reasonable petition. Cyborg babies were usually a lot bigger than humans, and Savannah wasn’t a big woman.
“Very well, but I’ll be here with her,” he said, challenging the doctor.
“Perfect,” he accepted, with a smile, reading Khajal’s body expressions very well. He would give the man the moon if he asked for it, to get what he wanted: the chance to give birth to the first cyborg baby naturally conceived. “For now, she must come here every week, to check on the baby and on her health.”
Khajal nodded, rubbing his face, feeling suddenly drained. He was still worried about the possibility of losing Savannah, but he would have to put his fears aside and pray for the best.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The following weeks turned out to be more straining for Khajal than for Savannah. He stressed over every little detail, and she found it amusing. The baby seemed to be developing very well, and though she was starting to look like a whale, she was actually feeling very well.
By the time the doctor asked her to move to the hospital, the baby was already weighing six pounds, and her belly was quite stretched. That was one of the reasons why Khajal was so stressed.
Since they couldn’t determine exactly when the baby was conceived and had no records to rely on, the doctor decided to perform a C-section the moment he concluded the baby was ready to come out.
And the moment arrived a couple of days sooner than they expected.
Khajal demanded to be next to Savannah at all times, and so he was there when his baby boy was born, screaming and kicking as if he didn’t want to abandon his mother’s womb.
Khajal had the opportunity to hold him in his arms for a few moments before the nurses took him away to do all the tests needed to check on the baby’s health.
He was sure he would never forget that moment. When his baby opened his blue eyes and smiled at him, he felt a wave of love and pride rushing through him, allowing him to understand for the first time, why so many parents were willing to die for their children. It was a bond like none other, something he had lost hope ever feeling.
Savannah was taken back to her hospital room a couple of hours later, and when she woke up, Khajal was there, holding their baby in his arms. She had been sedated during the procedure since the doctors hadn’t wanted to take any risk.
“It’s a boy,” he announced, proudly, as he handed the sleeping baby to her.
Marveled with her baby, Savannah stayed silent for a few moments, trying to assimilate he was actually in her arms. At almost ten pounds, he was a very big baby, but it was the most amazing miracle life had given her. He looked so much like Khajal, it was astounding. He would grow up to be a copy of his father.
“He looks so much like you,” she said, smiling at him.
“Yes, but he has your eyes.”
She smiled pleased.
“Is he like all other cyborg babies?” she asked, curious.
“Yes, so far, Haycor found no differences between him and any other cyborgs,” he replied.
“I’m glad to hear that,” she said, with a wide smile.
Though the doctor was very pleased with the outcome of the pregnancy, he wasn’t any closer to learning why Khajal’s nanocybots had adopted her to the point of allowing her to conceive a very healthy baby.
[“The elders are outside, asking to see you and the baby. I’ve kept them away for as long as I could, but we’ll have to see them sooner than later,” he explained, scowling.
She chuckled and nodded. “Let them in. Let’s get this over with.”
Though they were called elders, the men that entered her hospital room didn’t look a day older than Khajal or Jarcor.
Khajal had told her that cyborgs didn’t age after they reached majority, but no one was really sure all long they could live since most died in combat or were disconnected when the malfunctions were impossible to fix.
“Jarcor as filled us in on the situation and though we understand your reasons we would have preferred to have known about this from the start.” Dustrav, one of the elders, said, in a cold tone.
“I’m sure of that,” Khajal replied, oozing sarcasm.
The man scowled but didn’t add anything else, concentrating his attention on the baby.
“Is he totally cyborg?” Ellgar, another one of the elders asked.
“According to the tests results, yes, though he has blue eyes, not gray,” Khajal explained.
“You understand we need to follow his development closely,” Dustrav said, in a stern tone.
“We’re not going anywhere. But my son won’t be a lab rat.” Khajal stated, determined to set boundaries, here and now.
“Of course. It’s a pity we haven’t been able to determine why your nanocybots adopted her, but at least, now we know this is not an impossible dream,” Ellgar said.
“Yes, we’re aware of that,” Khajal agreed.
“I guess we’ve tried too hard to forget about our human part when it’s obvious our survival relies on them,” Dustrav admitted, with a heavy sigh.
“So it seems.”
The elders visited them for a while before they finally left them alone.
“We’ll have to put up with them for a long time,” Khajal grumbled.
“It’s only natural they want to be part of this. I’m sure you understand that ” Savannah stated in a soft tone.
“Oh, I do, I just don’t like it,” he replied with a scowl, laying the baby in the crib. He returned to her side and lay in bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Thank you for not letting me give up on our baby,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheeks.
“You’re welcome.”
“I always thought love was nothing but a myth, something humans used to explain their acts, but now I realize it’s real, and it changes your life forever,” he added, nuzzling her neck.
“You do?” she asked, feeling her heart beating faster inside her chest.
“Yes, because loving you and loving our baby has changed my life forever,” he replied, with a wide smile, kissing her.
“You love me?” she asked, gasping for air.
“I love you. I love more than I ever thought possible. You�
��ve brought meaning to my life, and for once I feel whole, more than just a war machine,” he confessed.
“You were never just a war machine. Humans have no idea what they are missing by not letting your people have a free life,” she assured him.
He kissed her once more, stealing her breath away. “I love you,” he whispered against her lips.
“I love you too,” she replied, turning to hug him as best as she could.
Savannah felt she was in heaven. After all, she had been through she had found a home in the arms of a tough cyborg and she couldn’t be happier.
The doctors allowed her to go back home with Jerant, their baby a week later. Incredibly, her recovery had been fast. Her stretched skin had gone back to normal so fast it was hard to believe she had been pregnant a week ago. According to the doctors, that was due to the action of the nanocybots, and she couldn’t be happier with them.
One night, after she put Jerant to sleep, she met Khajal on the terrace. He was watching the sun going down in the horizon.
“You look worried,” she told him, hugging from behind and nuzzling his back.
“I am. We haven’t heard from Rafaroy or Bretdon, and we’re starting to worry about them,” he said, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Do you think they were captured?” she asked, with a frown.
“We have no idea. They seemed to have disappeared. No one knows anything about them,” he explained, with a stern tone.
“Have faith. Rafaroy seemed to be a very strong, intelligent cyborg. I’m sure he managed to escape, he might be having trouble to get in touch with you guys, but he will, soon,” she said, trying to appease his concern.
“I hope you’re right.” He pulled her closer and kissed her. “I hope they all escape and find their soulmates, the way I did,” he said, with a sad smile.
“Hey… don’t lose hope, we’ve proved nothing is impossible, remember?” she said, slapping his chest teasingly.
He chuckled and nodded, as he watched the sunset. She was right. They had proven there was no impossible.
Epilogue
Ten years later.
Savannah looked around and sighed pleased. She had gathered all her friends to celebrate the arrival of her new baby. Her third one. With each pregnancy, Khajal got a little less worried and was able to enjoy the few months they lasted.
