Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Drift was enjoying the best planet rotation of his lifespan.
He had met his female, the one being he was manufactured to care for. She was everything he could hope for and more. He’d flown his modified freighter all-out, and he’d been a rider on his little human’s mounted transport. His female loved going fast also. And he had killed one of his enemies after the male threatened his female.
Once they disposed of the bodies, he projected they’d breed. He breathed in her tantalizing aroma. After he’d defended her, his female’s need had increased and her suspicion had decreased. That boded well for his prospects.
If breeding with his female didn’t happen during the current planet rotation, he would wait until she was ready to take that step. They had an almost endless lifespan to finalize their bond.
Though, admittedly, he preferred to go fast…in all areas. And, more importantly, if he bred with his human, she would sport his nanocybotics and any damage she incurred during confrontations with the Humanoid Alliance would then be more easily repaired.
His female was brave. And daring. And it would be a challenge to safeguard her adequately.
He wouldn’t fail her. “Where are we disposing of the bodies?” He picked up one of dead Humanoid Alliance males and slung that corpse over his right shoulder.
His female tried to lift the other male. “Ugh.” She huffed. “He’s too heavy for me to move on my own.”
“I’ve got this.” Drift draped that male over his left shoulder.
His female gazed up at him. She blinked once, twice. “Okay.” She shook her head as though to clear it. “There are caves near where we parked. The Invaders don’t enter those spaces. They’re afraid of them. And, if we dispose of the bodies in there, a fissure might eventually open up and the exposed monster-maker ore will dissolve them.”
Or Drift could simply find a cave with an open fissure and ensure they were dissolved. But he’d do that on his own. His little human was fragile, and that being-dissolving ore might damage her.
“But we can’t be seen transporting them there.” She stared down at the dried blood on the pathway. “The insects will soon erase those marks.”
The little creatures were already crawling over the crimson stain.
“No one will see us, my female.” He waved one of his hands before him. “Lead and I’ll follow.”
He’d follow her to the ends of the universe if that was needed. Preferably in a ship sporting powerful engines and a sleek design.
Similar to her. His lips curled upward as he trailed her through the settlement. She might be wearing baggy garments now but he’d felt her form during their ride. His female had no drag on her.
Though, being human, she wouldn’t break his on-booted-feet speed records.
Very few cyborgs could do that.
His female moved slowly and cautiously. He matched his pace to hers.
She also didn’t have his monitoring systems.
He sensed activity in front of them and used that excuse to grasp her right hand.
The skin-on-skin contact calmed him.
It seemed to have the opposite impact on his female. She frowned at him.
He tilted his head toward the lifeforms he detected.
She looked in that direction. Her shoulders lowered. And her lush lips softened.
Orange-skinned, dark-haired humanoids scurried by them, along an intersecting pathway. Their expressions were fearful.
That was a logical and prudent reaction to have. The Humanoid Alliance tortured and killed the local populations of every planet they inhabited.
His female waited until they passed. Then she slipped her hand out of Drift’s grip and dashed across the pathway.
He followed her.
She continued moving in the general direction of their mounted transport. His clever little human didn’t travel in a straight line toward that destination. That might lead beings to that location. She crisscrossed back and forth, seeking to lose any hostiles who might be pursuing them.
Blood from the corpses was dripping down Drift’s body armor-covered back. He looked behind him. But he wasn’t leaving a trail. The parched air on the planet dried the rivulets before they reached his boots. No one would be able to track them that way.
His female shouldn’t be in danger. And if she was, he’d protect her.
He monitored their surroundings as they ran.
My contact finally arrived. Cure relayed that update through a private transmission line. The medic didn’t sound happy about the situation.
Is there a problem? If his friend required assistance, he would provide it.
Drift’s gaze fixed on his female’s back. Doing that would create challenges. He suspected the moment he left his little human’s side, she would try to escape him.
Forever.
That couldn’t happen.
But he wouldn’t abandon Cure.
She’s human. The medic paused. And female.
Oh. Drift bit back a laugh.
I can handle this. Cure’s reply was edged with resignation.
Handle it carefully. Drift smothered his amusement. I have visual confirmation the Humanoid Alliance is operating on the planet.
Include me on your communication with Captain. Cure assumed that would happen.
And he was correct. That relay of information had to occur .
I’ll update him at sunrise. There was no urgency for the debrief, however. And Drift wanted to focus on his female and her safety now. You’ll be included in that information relay.
Thank you. Cure ended the transmission.
Drift’s full attention returned to his female, protecting her, ensuring no one detected them or the bodies he was carrying.
They reached the last of the structures.
If Drift was unencumbered, he’d scoop his female up in his arms, secure her high against his chest and run at cyborg speed along the empty pathway.
He projected his speed loving genetic match would like that.
And there were categories in the speed records for beings conveying other beings. They could try break a few of those.
But Drift was carrying the two dead humans. His shoulders and his arms were full.
He, instead, jogged behind his female at her slower pace. And he continued to monitor the space around them, looking for hostiles.
There were no human or humanoid lifeforms near them. Lizards hunted insects in the dark. A small feathered flying creature glided high above their heads.
When they had progressed 84.1258 percent of the way along the final pathway, they passed yet another cave and a metallic scent teased Drift’s nostrils.
He reached out and touched his female’s arm. That physical contact with her soothed some of the tension building within him. “I’ll meet you at the mounted transport.” He spoke at levels only she, with her human auditory system, should have been able to detect.
She nodded and continued to run.
He turned and doubled back to the cave. The metallic scent intensified as he entered it. Energy levels that would’ve damaged his human female swept over him. An orange glow lit the space.
A fissure stretched across the rock floor. He approached the edge of that gap. His visual system adjusted to the brightness. Molten ore ran like a river below him.
According to the databases, the substance was Belel 6 Uraninite. Drift projected it was the monster-maker ore his female had referred to.
He set the males down on the rock beside him. They were sporting handhelds. And the Humanoid Alliance, if they looked into the males’ disappearance, might track the final communications their beings had made.
Drift crafted a series of five communications between the two males, using their previous communications as templates.
Thank the fuck we got off that fuckin’ planet. It was boring as fuck.
I hear they’re fighting in the Alkaphrah quadrant. That’s what I signed up for.
Fuck yeah. We’ll finally have some fuckin’ excitement.
You don’t think they’ll reprimand us for leaving Cancri B, do ya?
Fuck no. They don’t track that shit.
Drift accessed the Humanoid Alliance databases through their devices and located a freighter en route to the Alkaphrah quadrant. He changed the send location on the messages to the current coordinates of that ship and then he sent the communications.
The Humanoid Alliance, if they cared sufficiently to look into the situation, would assume the males had left the planet.
In reality, they would soon become part of the planet.
Drift chuckled at his own joke and rolled first one male and then the other into the fissure. Their bodies dissolved immediately. The molten ore bubbled. The stench intensified.
He tossed the devices into that heat and watched them disintegrate.
Then he ran at his top speed in the direction of the mounted transport, toward his female. There was no time to waste. Because he projected his female would fly away as soon as she reached her machine.
She came into view, and a laugh burst from his lips.
His prediction was 100.0000 percent correct.
She straddled the mounted transport. Upon hearing his chuckle, she turned her head and scowled. “Fates. How did you get here that fast?”
“I was the fastest warrior on booted feet of all the cyborgs manufactured in my vat.” He said that with a pride he felt to his frame. “And my speed was warranted.” He skidded to a stop beside her. “If I got here slower, I’d be running back to the beverage outlet.”
She glowered at him, but she didn’t deny she was planning to leave him in her dust. “What did you do with the bodies? The Invaders will be looking for them.”
He assumed the Invaders were the Humanoid Alliance. “They won’t find them.”
“Or so you believe.” His female huffed.
He struggled to contain his amusement.
She questioned his competence. He would have to work for her respect.
Drift liked that.
“I process that with 100.0000 percent certainty.” He met her gaze. “The bodies have been dissolved in molten ore.”
Her eyes widened. “The energy from that molten ore kills beings slowly and painfully.”
“It doesn’t kill cyborgs.” His kind was manufactured to survive in far-more-hostile conditions.
But her concern for him warmed his chest.
“You don’t have to emotionally damage yourself over my well-being, my female.” He grinned at her.
“I don’t care about your well-being.” The slightly higher pitch of her voice relayed she was lying. She did care.
His grin widened.
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “You want to go back to the beverage outlet. Why?”
His female was protective of her friends.
That earned her his admiration also. “You won’t take me back to your home base. I haven’t yet earned that privilege.” He didn’t expect that level of trust…yet…from his cautious little human. “I’m not leaving your side.” Ever. “That leaves my ship as a safe place to breed. It’s located near the beverage outlet.”
“I’m not fucking you, cyborg.” His female lifted her chin.
She looked so adorably defiant he couldn’t resist her.
He strode up to her, curved his right hand over her nape, and claimed her lush lips.
She tasted like engine lubricant, mineral-infused sand, and decadent female. It was a delicious combination. He sucked on her flesh.
Her lips remained stubbornly sealed.
Undaunted, Drift licked and pulled and prodded.
His female clenched her jaw and continued to block him. Her hands remained on her leather-covered thighs.
She was a delightful challenge, and fraggin’ hole, that excited him. He doubled his efforts, determined to break the seal over her lips.
Thirty heartbeats passed. He began to doubt his ability to seduce his female.
Then a sigh escaped her, and she parted her lips for him. Triumph coursed through Drift’s circuits. He immediately seized the surrendered terrain, stroking into her with his tongue.
She slapped him with her tongue. He chuckled.
That sound was muffled by her mouth.
He coiled his flesh around hers. She twined her tongue as aggressively around his. As they kissed, he felt along her hairline with his fingertips, exploring her.
Her hair didn’t resemble his. It was…mechanical.
Drift growled his surprise. His female was like him. She was part machine.
He embraced that revelation. And he embraced her.
Their kiss deepened. His female’s hands slid up his body armor-clad chest, and his need escalated. A first breeding on a mounted transport would be thrilling. They?—
A lizard skittered past them.
Drift’s female abruptly pulled away from him. “What did you do to me, cyborg?” She touched her lips. “I’m bubbling. And the pain?—”
“Pain?” The fog of his desire cleared with that one word. “You were in pain ?”
His fragile human female was hurting. And he projected the medicine she’d tucked in the humanoid offspring’s pocket would have eased her agony.
Yet she had given that relief away. To help a complete stranger.
His lips flattened. His female was generous, strong, brave, and…foolish.
“I’m not in pain.” Her brown eyes glittered. Her low tones relayed that was the truth.
She wasn’t in pain.
Because his nanocybotics had repaired her. Temporarily.
“We’re breeding as soon as we reach the ship.” He informed her. That transfer of nanocybotics would be permanent. “The bubbling you’re experiencing is you repairing.”
“You’re trying to tell me that your kisses can heal me?” She sounded amused by that prospect. “I’ve heard a lot of lines in my lifespan, but that’s the most outrageous one by far.”
“It isn’t a line.” He bracketed her face with his hands and locked his gaze with hers. “And I’m not trying to tell you that.” He was completely serious. “The nanocybotics found in my saliva and in greater amounts in my cum will heal you. That’s the truth.”
She frowned. “You sound like you believe that.”
His female didn’t believe that. That was 100.0000 percent clear.
He hadn’t yet convinced her. “Cyborgs were manufactured for war. We, like all warriors, can be damaged in battle.” They had been damaged often. And severely. “Our nanocybotics were designed to repair us. We can share those nanocybotics with our genetic matches.”
“And you can repair other beings.” His female pressed her fingertips against her lips. “You can repair me. Heal me. Somewhat.”
“I can heal you completely .” He didn’t process the extent of her damage. But he would breed with her multiple times, flood her form with his nanocybotics, and that would restore her functionality.
He perused her form.
Though she appeared fully functional at the moment.
“Where’s your damage?” He didn’t want to increase it inadvertently.
“Why do you need to know where my damage is?” His female narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you have to fuck that part of me?”
Drift hoped to breed with every part of her. “My nanocybotics will travel internally through you to the site of your damage. As they are spreading through you right now. There’s no need for me to fuck your damage.” He used her words.
“The fizzing is spreading over me.” She tilted her head to the side. “But it’s also fading.”
“The amount of nanocybotics I transferred wasn’t sufficient.” He captured her lips once more.
His female opened to him right away.
That pleased him. She was learning to trust him.
And she matched him for passion, sucking greedily on his tongue. He felt that tug right down to his balls. His cock strained against the confines of his body armor. Energy coursed through his circuits. His chest vibrated with wanting.
When their kiss broke, both of them were breathing hard.
“Tell me if your pain returns.” He met her gaze. “Don’t endure it silently, my brave little human.”
Her eyes widened and he processed he’d made an error.
“Your brave little human ?” She pulled away from him. “Do I look like a human?” She touched one of her orange-hued cheeks. “No. I don’t. So why would you call me that?”
He called her that because it was the truth. “Cyborgs have built-in lifeform scans.” His tone was dry. “I process you’re human, my female.”
She glared at him for five heartbeats.
He didn’t break their gaze lock.
“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t know that.”
He queried what else she didn’t process. “The Humanoid Alliance also have the ability to run lifeform scans.” It was dangerous for her to assume they wouldn’t detect she was human.
“I don’t normally get close to them when I’m not looking human.” The pigment brightened on her cheeks. “This shift was an exception.”
Drift nodded. “You broke your rule because the males targeted the humanoid offspring.” His female had honor. And courage.
“They would have tortured the boy and killed him.” Her eyes flashed.
“They would have done that.” He’d seen the Humanoid Alliance do the most horrific things.
She studied him. “You do hate the invaders, don’t you?”
“I want to kill all of them.” The Humanoid Alliance had tortured every cyborg they’d manufactured, including him, and they had decommissioned many of his friends.
“You did kill one of them.” His female’s voice was edged with approval. “I saw you do that.”
“Your visual system wasn’t faulty.” He projected, with 97.1485 percent certainty, she was attempting to convince herself of his worthiness.
“You didn’t kill any of the beings at Bubs’s Place.” She gazed at him as though requiring confirmation of that truth.
“There was no reason to kill them.” He wouldn’t damage her in that way. “They were seeking to protect you, and they have my gratitude for that.”
“You didn’t know me at all at that point.” Some of her suspicion returned.
“You’re my female.” He touched her fabric-covered thigh. That physical contact reassured him. And it erased some of the lines around her lips.
“Whatever that means.” She shook her shoulders dismissively.
But she didn’t move her leg. She didn’t break that connection.
“It means everything.” He would kill for her, die for her. “You feel the link between us.”
She stared at him for a moment.
And he projected she would tell him to fuck off. He had pushed her too far too quickly.
Instead, she released a ragged breath. “I feel the link between us.” She shocked and pleased him by admitting that. “And fucking you might give me more time.” She returned her fingertips to her lips. “If what you say about repairing me is true.”
“It’s true.” His nanocybotics would repair her. “And you’ll have unlimited time. Your natural lifespan will extend to forever.”
They would be together for all eternity.
“No one lives forever.” Her smile was sad.
“Cyborgs and their genetic matches can live forever.” He would ensure they enjoyed that future.
She said nothing.
Her forehead furrowed with processing lines.
Silence stretched.
“Okay.” She reached behind her and patted the mounted transport’s leather seat. “Get on, cyborg. We’re going back to your ship to fuck.”
They would breed.
Joy burst within Drift. He hopped onto the back of her machine and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Go fast, my female. My need for you, and for speed, is great.”
A burst of laughter escaped his female’s lips as she gunned the engines, and they sped into the darkness.