Bonus Content #2
“Wonderful.” In the past few All Hands meetings, there had been discussions about recruiting top-level medical support in the field.
“The VIPER operatives certainly look like they are physically thriving. I was pleased to hear about the progress they’ve made with the psychological aftermath of battle and losing a limb. ” For some of the men, more than one.
“It’s remarkable the way they’ve adjusted. Their steellike limbs aren’t just their new normal. They think they’re invincible, and that’s only with the enhanced strength of their prostheses. Once you network their weaponry with their brains, they’ll be unstoppable.”
Scarlett paused in front of a room marked “Exam Four” and placed her hand on Patience’s arm. She waited for two women in pale-green scrubs to pass before she spoke. “The team knows my technology won’t make them immortal, right?”
“I’m constantly reminding them they aren’t bulletproof, but if embracing their capabilities as superpowers helps to reinvigorate them, so be it.”
“I agree.” A surge of pride nearly burst Scarlett’s heart.
Her anxiety skittered away. This was why she’d found the courage to finally leave her stepfather’s company.
To make a difference in someone’s life. To finally break free of the prison she’d been living in since her mother had died and to focus on what she deemed worthy.
“I’m honored to be a part of their return to service. ”
“Glad to hear it because one of our guys needs a tweak to his steel.” Patience’s phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced at it and sighed. “I’ve got to take this. It’s my ex-husband. Go on in and introduce yourself. I’ll meet you in there in a minute.”
Patience opened the door and nudged Scarlett over the threshold.
Harsh fluorescent light attacked Scarlett’s eyes. She blinked once, twice, and froze.
Oh. My. Lord.
A shirtless man—no, god was more like it—perched on the edge of an examination table. Lieutenant Commander Christopher Daviani—VIPER’s first recruit and the SEAL with the smoldering gaze that burned through her laptop.
Her own gaze locked on to his shiny black prosthesis.
No, super arm.
But wasn’t super the understatement of the century?
The sight of the sleek limb seamlessly attached to the flesh and bone of any person would have been sensational.
On him, it was breathtaking.
The shiny metal covered in a hexagonal-shaped pattern originated in his shoulder, where synthetic and living materials meshed like reunited lovers.
She stepped farther into the room. Awe overrode her trepidation and propelled her forward.
She reached out to touch the bulky black bicep that matched the size of his real one.
He bent his elbow as her finger met his steel, his movement as smooth as if the muscles that had been cleaved off along with his arm had initiated the flexion.
A squeak popped from her throat.
His full lips turned up in a smirk. “Don’t worry; it’s not as deadly as it looks.”
She stared at the surreal man. The prototypes of the steel arm she’d seen and the photos detailing his journey from the battlefield to VIPER hadn’t prepared her for the real thing.
Her breath hitched under his intense scrutiny.
She lowered her eyes and stopped breathing altogether as she caught sight of the Project VIPER logo tattooed in shades of black and gray on his chest.
The fanged snake inked within a triangle that represented the past, present, and future hugged another tattoo of the same hexagonal pattern inlaid in his steel arm.
The artwork covered the scarring on his shoulder where science and medicine converged, making the bionic enhancement appear as natural as if he’d been born with it.
While his bionic arm gave him an otherworldly aura, like a sci-fi hero from a distant planet, the solid muscle underneath his inked skin tapered to sculpted abs, making him all man.
He hopped off the exam table and leaned against it.
The dark tribal tattoo on his flesh-and-blood bicep rippled with movement as he gripped the padded edge.
On the other side of his body, sleek black fingers, engineered in perfect anatomical form, performed the same movement.
As she stared, waiting for the table to break under the pressure of his steel, he studied her for a moment too long for her comfort.
“I’m Lieutenant Commander Chris Daviani. ”
She slowly reached for his extended hand, stifling a gasp when flesh met metal. “Dr. Scarlett Kerrigan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The hard mask he wore slipped for a fraction of a second but returned just as quickly.
She dropped her gaze to his mechanical fingers intertwined with her pale skin.
The warmth of his steel radiated up her sleeve and spiraled into her belly.
A simple handshake with her new colleague shouldn’t have sparked such a visceral reaction.
Kissing her ex-fiancé James had never created such pleasure.
She peered at the white cabinets above a counter on the side of the room and dipped her head so he couldn’t see the heat on her face. Maybe she’d imagined the strange response to his touch. When she looked back, he would be just a man.
Turning her head, she met his eyes and realized she’d been hopelessly mistaken.
“Something wrong?” He squeezed her fingers before he crossed his arms over the viper emblazoned underneath a light smattering of dark hair.
Responses fired in her brain, but the words bounced against her skull in an incoherent scramble. Why did Commander Daviani hold the power to momentarily steal rational thought?
Hooking his thumbs into the front pockets of his black cargo pants, he relaxed against the exam table. “I sure hope nothing is wrong, Dr. Kerrigan, because we’re counting on you to get us back in action.”
And there it was, proof he was just a man, like every other one in her life, who needed her brain to reach their goal.
Granted, his motivations weren’t greedy like others who wanted to profit from her genius.
He sought survival, honor, and the ability to serve his country. Yet, she was his means to an end.
She squared her shoulders and clasped her hands in front of her. “You will be back in action. Very soon.”
He rubbed his short, dark beard, which matched the color of his cropped hair. Silvery-gray flecks rimmed his deep-sapphire eyes. “Tell me, how do you plan on doing that?”
“I know you’ve been fully briefed on my role here at VIPER.”
“I was, but I want to hear it from you since my life is in your hands.”
She pulled in a full breath and latched on to the topic she not only understood but dominated. “Tomorrow, a neurotransmitter will be implanted into your cerebellum that will network with your brain stem and cerebrum.”