Chapter One #3
She nodded. Not looking up. “I hope we can conclude this business quickly. And not delay you on this world for too long. Good day.”
Not hearing him leave, she kept her head down. They moved so silently she reminded herself. Like shadows. Not really there when they were.
Cyborgs were tenacious. She shouldn’t have challenged. Or dismissed him but she was tired and had no patience for the bullshit. Him coming to her office irritated her. And now she was pissed at herself that she’d shown the emotion.
It would call to him, make him want to confront it. Understand it.
A dominance thing that was in all of them.
Not necessarily personal. And likely he’d be back. Taking a chance, she glanced up seeing the space empty. And blew out a breath. He was right. She knew Cyborgs. One had practically brought her up. Well had. She smiled.
He’d found her in that alley. An orphan. Lost. Or rather dumped she concluded with time. She’d been hiding out. Scared and alone. About 4 years old they think. No ID. Her PID missing. A Personal Independence Device everyone had at birth but hers, was taken or missing or deliberately removed.
He could have walked on, plenty of humans had she remembered but he hadn’t.
A child. Only months after his rotation on her world had started, he’d found her.
Taken an interest in her. He’d sat in the dirt near her giving her space and just sat there for hours until she started talking.
Asking questions, him answering. Her showing him her precious.
Her book. Eventually he’d asked her if she’d trust him to take her somewhere safe. She had.
He made sure she ate, slept, was cared for and safe.
She didn’t know why he’d done it. He’d never said and she had never wanted to insult him by asking.
She knew he’d tried to do a blood match to find her parents but nothing showed.
A housekeeper had been there caring for her while she lived in his space.
A large house in the Cyborg Compound, the CC.
Having her own room, he provided for her asking for nothing in return.
Later, when he was concerned about the choices she might make, he’d told her they should negotiate.
It became a permanent thing in their lives.
Every time he needed more data, needed to understand her decisions or wants, he’d say they should negotiate.
At that age, the first time he’d said it, she’d no idea what that meant but he’d used data to show her. He taught her. And she learned.
He’d taught her many things. How to not be a victim the main one. How to defend herself. How important knowledge was. To find her own answers. Not accept what others told her. How she needed to learn, to understand to make informed decisions.
And when his 5 years were nearly up and her 9, he’d stayed on for another 5. Teaching her to be more, be better, be all she could be. At 14 he’d placed her in boarding school, paid for it for the next 5 years until she was of age to decide for herself. Providing her with her first home without him.
He’d been the best of men.
And she loved him. Like a father. Wrote without fail once a month to let him know she was alive and doing well.
His reply always the same. 5 words that meant a great deal to her. ‘Thank you for telling me.’ Not asking or demanding, just there.
There was quiet comfort in those five words.
She never expected more. He gave what he could. He’d explained it once.
That his emotions were turned off. That he didn’t feel like humans did. His logic ruled him. But that didn’t stop him from saving a child that had desperately needed help.
She couldn’t remember how many people had walked past her that day on the street. Or the days and weeks before that. In truth, she knew she’d been there a long time, living near the waste bin. People ignoring her. Pretending she wasn’t there.
But she had been there. Living out that waste bin for weeks. Before that was blank. Nothing. She couldn’t remember.
He’d seen that that day, she remembered and he’d clenched his fists. She’d been thin, dirty. Knowing instinctively that he didn’t like what he was seeing.
Kneeling down to her level had been a struggle for him.
But he’d tried and then sat. Recalling how he’d just stared at her for a long time.
Not threatening. Just there. Answering her questions.
Eventually asking quietly if she was ready to go.
Without thinking, she’d said yes. She’d grabbed her book and stood. Taking his hand. Like a child would.
And he’d escorted her to his accommodation, told the housekeeper to care for her like her own child. To give her everything she needed. To teach her how to care for herself. How to learn the human way, make decisions and achieve in this world.
She couldn’t even say how she knew he was safe to be with, but she did.
He was the only man, she ever truly trusted. Not man, Cyborg.
You didn’t need emotion to be a good man. He’d taught her that a long time before her work did.
You either were or you were not.
Elon, her benefactor, told her to be who she wanted to be.
And she’d chosen the name Jane after that Old English Classic novelist of her precious book.
Jane Austin the author. A woman centuries before the colonisation program existed back on Old Earth.
She wrote about women, their lot in life and how they strove to challenge it in a bygone age. Not let ‘convention’ hold them back.
Not that she knew what the word ‘convention’ meant at that age.
And it wasn’t all plain sailing in those stories; they showed disappointment, loss, loneliness, wants, wishes, good people and bad.
And what being dependent could mean if you had no other option.
But it also showed her what could be achieved if you believed.
If you held true to yourself.
And she had believed. In everything he’d taught her. How one bend in the road, once choice taken, changed it all.
Another knock and it was beginning to feel like her office was a transport station.
Zee. She waved him in. “Wow, that guy was intense.” She stared at Zee.
“Yeah ok, anyway gave him all the intel reports we have. A personal update and I’m taking him to meet Counsellor Frost. He requested you come.
” She blankly stared at him. “Right. Not coming.” He scratched his chin.
“Did tell him that? Cos he was kinda insistent.” Zee staring at her. “Said something strange.”
“What?”
“Said family looks after family.”
“All Cyborgs are brothers, so family. What’s strange about that?”
“Not sure that he meant Cyborgs, Jane.”
She shrugged. Not sure what that was and wasn’t going to investigate it more. “Guess we’ll find out. Time to go, you’ve that meeting in 20.” With a nod she watched him go.
She had that feeling more trouble was on the horizon.
Ignoring the Cyborg presence for a couple more days until Zee knocked coming in with his latest report. He swiped it to her, she looked it over. Her people had done a good job. There were definitely links. She sat back. “So what do you think?”
“I think its well-coordinated, and they know the system.”
“How many would know that?”
“Too many.”
She nodded. “Change the system. Give a different lead-in to each supplier. And the same to their shipper. See where that takes us.” Zee nodded. “How’s the Cyborg connection doing?”
“I give them the intel and that’s it, they’re working their own angles.”
Nodding. “Ok, see where it leads us.”
Her staff coming and going throughout the day. The night creeping in. She did long hours and enjoyed it. It kept her on top.
Clearing her day before the next day started was important. Going to the kitchen, she replicated coda taking it back to her office. Working on. Losing all track of time.