[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

pleasure of shooting you down.
60
F814 (Cyborgs: More Than Machines)
 You wouldn t stand a chance against our superior vessel and shields. A brave boast that even the
captain didn t entirely believe or so the bead of sweat rolling down his temple indicated.
A rusty, low chuckle erupted behind him as Aramus finally found something he could laugh at.  Good
thing we have the new weapons on board then. I ve been dying for a chance to use them.
Yes, he spotted definite panic in the captain s eyes, a look Solus quite enjoyed.  So, human.  He
said the word with a sneer, not bothering to make his disdain for the pathetic male.  Tell me, what
will it be? I m partial to killing you all myself, so feel free to antagonize me. In truth, while Solus
would enjoy taking on the larger vessel just for sport, he knew Joe would order he escape while he
could with his precious cargo and he didn t mean the ore.
The captain s head turned as someone handed him a piece of paper from the side. The other man
peered at the note s contents before turning back.  Did you encounter any active droids while on the
planet?
And here came the true reason for the military presence.  No, why?
 You don t have a female android on your ship?
 What? You mean to tell me you were hiding female bots on that godforsaken rock? That seems cruel
even by human standards. Or was she a sexbot? That seems rather benevolent of the company. Most
just encourage their male employees to play with each other.
 So your answer is no?
 No, we did not see any females. But I m now wishing we d looked harder seeing as how she must
be quite the model for you to be looking for her. Now if you re done with your inane questions, I m
still waiting for an answer. Do you want to die today? And do you want it to be a slow death, where I
incapacitate your engines and irrevocably damage your life support systems, or would you prefer to
die in a quick explosion?
61
F814 (Cyborgs: More Than Machines)
It seemed neither because the screen went dead and the radar unit showed the military vessel
reversing course.
 I guess this means we need to let them go? Aramus sounded so disappointed.
 Sorry, but Joe would have us on farming detail in a nanosecond if we intentionally chased them
knowing how much our cargo would be anticipated.
 Females! Always ruining my fun, he grumbled.
And rousing curiosity among other things Solus thought as he checked in on F814. He found her
paying close attention as Einstein showed her the ship and how to use some of its various functions
such as the computers and food processor.
Duty and logic told him he needed to remain in the bridge until he could be sure they d gotten clear of
the military vessel, but an irrational need urged him to join her.
Wanted him to be the one to lead her around and teach her what she needed to know.
More illogical feelings or a deeper problem? He d run a full diagnostic on himself later. Shoving the
internal video feed showing F814 to the back of his tasks, he concentrated on flying the ship, but she
was never far from his thoughts.
And he joined her as soon as he could, despite Aramus s derisive chuckle.
He just couldn t help himself.
62
F814 (Cyborgs: More Than Machines)
Chapter Six
The ship Solus made her board escaped the approaching military vessel and left behind the only
world, the only life she knew. The knowledge filled her with a myriad of emotions. I am a robot. I
don t feel. A lie even she didn t believe any more, not given the way her actions and words flitted
about erratically, blatantly ignoring logic and instead reacting on strange flares of her synaptics. More
surprising, she recognized some of the feelings she experienced. Excitement that she finally explored
something other than the asteroid. Fear that she would find herself somewhere worse than before. And
confusion, because the more time she spent around Solus and the others, the more she didn t
understand anything, especially herself.
Oh, and she couldn t forget the most powerful emotion of all; anger for the way that tall and
ridiculously strong male just carried her onto his ship without any care for what she thought or
wanted. This irritation flared to life when Solus appeared, interrupting her session with the cyborg
named Einstein, a male built on much slimmer lines than Solus, with robotic eyes who d taken it upon
himself to show her how to use the most mundane of items.
Seeing Solus, her frustration broke free and she spoke before her internal processor could stop her.
 You! She stabbed her finger in his direction.  How dare you kidnap me!  You didn t leave me a
choice. I wasn t leaving you behind. Besides, I was right. They were here looking for you. Quicker
than she could blink, her anger evaporated leaving in its place a tight sensation in her chest.  Why? Is
it because of what I did?
 It s because of who you are. The humans hate cyborgs.
63
F814 (Cyborgs: More Than Machines)
 Cyborg. She rolled the word around on her tongue. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]