Vyken Dark: Cyborg Awakenings Book One Read online

  “And convenient for you…” Danya quirked an eyebrow as she looked at him speculatively.

  “And for you to know me better, Danya. You and your father will be safe here,” he said. “We are here to recruit people to rebuild a civilized society and suppress the gangs of thugs that prey on females and males not skilled in fighting.”

  “You want me, but then what?” she asked boldly meeting his gaze.

  “You are mine,” he said with complete certainty. “It’s genetic. You are my female.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Pheromones,” he said simply.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “It’s something your body releases to attract your mate. I sensed yours and reacted to them,” he explained. Even then he could smell her arousal, but she seemed to be fighting it.

  “What if I don’t want to mate with you?”

  “You do. Your body is telling us both that you do,” he said softly.

  Danya’s face grew hot, and her cheeks turned pink. Her nipples were hard, and her pussy contracted as she sat looking at him. “Well, don’t hold your breath. I don’t just bang every guy that saves my life and my father’s.”

  Vyken took that as a ‘no,’ but he could wait. It would take time to gather the people to set up the Enclave in the old cyborg facility. The female would not be part of it; she would understand eventually. Bonding with her would take time.

  “And I don’t wish to ‘bang’ just any female.” He gave her a faint smile and took a sip of water. “You are the only female I want. I would agree to bond with you before breeding.”

  “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” she teased, and her eyes sparkled with humor.

  Vyken was only sure that she would be his mate and that she wanted him. He just didn’t know how long she would resist her desire for him.

  “If you have finished eating, we can go to the storeroom and get you fresh clothing,” he said, rising from his seat.

  “Yeah, okay.” She got up, and they left the mess hall together. He led her down the hall to a lift and they took it down four levels to the cargo bay. It was located adjacent to the storeroom and the landing bay.

  Vyken had already scanned Danya, so he knew what size clothing to get for her. She wore a common size to women in the fleet, so he found her a couple pairs of pants, shirts, a jacket, and boots. Since they were there, Vyken asked Kydel to scan James Hill so he could bring clothing up to his quarters on deck three. When he came back to the counter where Danya waited, he had a plastic crate containing all the items.

  “I will show you to your quarters where you can shower and change and rest if you wish. Your father will be in the cabin next to yours, the medic will guide him down when he is recovered.”

  Vyken carried the crate with the clothes and boots. He and his men were going back to the city once they got the new people settled. The women and children would go to the cyborg facility which was redubbed the Civil Restoration Enclave. He guided Danya up to Level Two which was where the enlisted crew cabins were located. They stopped at the one where James would sleep and left off the clothing for him then Vyken showed her to the one next to it.

  He had Danya stand in front of the door and signaled the AI to scan and recognize her to open the door automatically when she came to stand in front of it. The door opened, and the lights came on inside. It was small but looked like a luxury cabin to Danya.

  “I have to return to duty,” Vyken said. “If you need anything call for Star, our AI, and state what you need. I will show you how to work the shower and the entertainment screen. Kydel will bring your father to his room and let you know he’s here. I will come see you when I return if you are not sleeping.”

  “Thank you, Vyken. Be careful out there,” Danya said with a warm smile.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The four cyborgs flew back to the city in their air shuttle and went about patrolling the streets until well after dark. Even though their clothing was unmarked with any military insignias or patches, the four were unmistakable commandos. They were the best warriors in the galaxy, or they never would have held their own against the Mesaarkans. Since the Peace Treaty, they repurposed themselves for law enforcement in a dozen cities around the world.

  Recruiting for the Enclave was more than a little outside their original purpose---killing the enemy. The enemy was whoever the Federation told them to kill. While their current operation was sanctioned by the Federation and they were required to follow Federation laws, the Federation was no longer telling them what to do. They had taken a new upload to their databanks from old USA law archives as well as law enforcement procedures to guide them.

  It was a little disconcerting to change over from merely killing the enemy to learning to judge who was the enemy then to determine whether killing them was justified.

  For Vyken and his brother cyborgs choosing this job gave them the freedom, they had craved all their lives. They had agreed to collect a few thousand people for the enclave and train those who were fit in defense and combat techniques they would need to continue law enforcement on their own. Initially, what was left of the world government wanted to draft the cyborgs as enforcers and peacekeepers, but Vyken and his brothers weren’t interested.

  The world government had no legal standing to draft the cyborgs to do anything. The Federation ruled that Earth must make a plan to release the cyborgs from the military. They should have been paid for their service, but the world government collapsed before the war ended. Vyken and his brothers were owed so many credits combined, they took the Starfire Nemesis in payment. They were actually owed more than the ship was worth, but they knew it was all they could get in the deal---that and their freedom.

  With the Starfire to take them wherever they wanted to go, Vyken and his brothers thought it was a good deal. The ship gave them real freedom. That was payment enough.

  When they got back to old Chicago proper, they set down their air shuttle in an empty lot and set out on foot. Each went in a different direction on their own. All were heavily armed not knowing what to expect. They used their enhancements to scan the buildings on both sides of the streets as they walked. Where they found occupied buildings, they tried to make contact with the people to let them know about the Enclave.

  It was a slow process because almost all the infrastructure of Earth was gone. There was no longer mass communication, many people couldn’t read so posting notices was of no use. The most significant organizations if one could call them that were gangs. It would take weeks to canvas the city, and when they finished there, they would move to the suburbs then to the surrounding towns.

  Basically, they were planting seeds by putting out the word that they could have a better life by joining the enclave. They would still have a massive job ahead of them, educating the people to rebuild the civilization. But that wasn’t Vyken’s problem.

  At least the Enclave had a beneficial location. There was room for them to grow crops and keep livestock to feed the people of the organization. First, they had to get people to join the Enclave.

  It was dawn before the cyborgs returned to their airship with just a handful of people who wished to come to the Enclave. However, they had put out the information among many more people, telling those interested where to meet in two days.

  Vyken was glad to finally return to their ship that morning as he wanted to see Danya before his rest period. He could even forego it for another day if he had to. He found Danya in the hallway on deck one coming from the mess hall. She gave him a shy smile as they met.

  “Come with me,” he said without preamble and steered her into an empty conference room. As soon as the door closed behind them, he took her head in his hands and tilted her head up to cover her mouth his.

  Danya was startled at first but didn’t resist. She had thought about kissing him ever since she’d sat across from him in the mess hall, watching his full lips as he spoke to her. She made a little sound in her th
roat and opened for his tongue as she kissed him back. He wrapped her in his arms, pressing her body against his and continued kissing her at length. She put her arms around him and just held on, surrendering to his thorough claim of the inside of her mouth.

  The big cyborg warrior felt like home, something Danya never really had. Home was wherever they could find a sheltered place to sleep where no one would bother them. Something blossomed inside her that she had never felt before. It wasn’t just sexual arousal, but something joyful bubbling up inside her.

  It could also have been the nanocybots tickling inside her mouth as they kissed. Neither seemed to want to end the union of their lips, or the sensual caresses of their tongues swirling together and the heat of their bodies pressed together.

  She could feel his hardness against her belly, and he picked her up to press it against her aching core. Her nipples went tight and erect against his chest. She wanted him like she had never wanted a man before. It was like her body knew that he was the one and she was starting to believe him.

  Vyken cupped her buttocks as he held her against him and Danya moaned. She wanted him to keep going until they were both naked and he was inside her, but sex wasn’t going solve anything between them. Pregnancy was a concern as well. Finally, Danya pulled her mouth away from his and pressed both hands against his chest.

  He groaned but complied and let her down on her feet as she wished.

  “I want you, but I can’t,” she said uncertainly. At the moment she couldn’t think why she was making him stop.

  “For one, I’m not ready to be pregnant. That happens when you breed,” she finally said after she regained her senses a little.

  “Kydel can program my nanites, so I won’t make you pregnant. I would also prefer not to make you pregnant before we have fully bonded,” he said.

  “That’s nice of you. I appreciate the offer, but I would like to do more bonding before we get to the breeding even without pregnancy being an issue.”

  “You will tell me when you wish to breed?” Vyken asked. “I scent your arousal, even though you say you don’t wish to breed.”

  “I can’t help that I am attracted to you. You are one of the most beautiful males I have ever seen,” Danya tried to explain. “But I don’t know much more than you how this male-female courtship works. I only know what I’ve read in books, but those were fantasies. One thing I did get was that you have to care about the person you sex with.”

  “I care about you. I want you to be safe and happy and to have the resources you need to be healthy. I wish to share affection with you.” Vyken said. “What else is needed?”

  “I’m not sure I can explain. My Dad always told me that you should really love someone before you sex with them,” Danya told him. “I feel a lot about you right now. You saved my father’s life, and you brought us here where we are safe. I’m grateful, and I like you. But does that mean we should have a relationship?”

  “Not by itself. I would have stopped those thugs from hurting any human in the position you and your father were in. But I would not react to any other female’s pheromones but yours,” he said earnestly. “So, you should be my mate, and no other female can be but you.”

  He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers, holding her loosely. “I wanted to kiss you ever since I brought you here,” Vyken murmured. “It was even better than I imagined.” He smiled at her.

  “Yes,” she whispered and smiled back at him.

  “Are you refreshed now that you have showered and had a night’s sleep?” he pulled back from her looking at her face as though he liked the view.

  “I am,” she said. “I want to go out with you the next time you go out. I know many people that need help. Many families are struggling to survive. I can help you find them. They might hide from you, and they know me.”

  “But it isn’t safe…”

  “You’re telling me,” she said and laughed. “I’ve lived there my whole life. Usually, I can take care of myself---one way or another. They wouldn’t have caught us yesterday when you found us but my father hasn’t been feeling well, and he’s not as fast as he used to be.”

  “He’ll be well now. The nanites will cure whatever is wrong with him.”

  “That’s what Kydel told us. He seemed fine this morning,” she said. “We can both help. Dad knows even more people than I do and they will talk to him. What are we going to do here while you are all gone?”

  “I don’t want to put you in danger,” Vyken said.

  Danya laughed. “You mean like I haven’t been for my whole life? I know more about who and what is out there than you do. This is a real nice ship, but there is nothing for me to do here but watch your picture screen.”

  Vyken didn’t seem to know how to reply. He was still holding her and looking down at her with his brows slightly knit.

  “If I come with you, we can spend more time together,” she suggested.

  “I know this, but I have seen so many people killed---both cyborgs and non-enhanced soldiers,” he said. “I don’t want that fate for you, Danya. I have only just found you.”

  “But I don’t want to stay safe in here while I have friends out there that need help. I can get to them where you can’t,” Danya said. “I can fight, and I can run. I can’t bear to be confined in this place and neither will my father. We can both help you.”

  Vyken seemed to be processing as he ran his fingers through her soft, shiny hair. Something flickered in his eyes that made her believe he was considering what she said and was conflicted.

  “What you say makes sense because you have lived among many of the people we seek, but my instincts are telling me to protect you and keep you safe because you are my female,” he said.

  Danya bristled, inwardly that he called her his, but he was looking at her like a lover, not an owner. He bent to kiss her again, pulling her against him with one arm and caressing her face with his fingers as he stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue. Danya found that potently arousing as he was plainly staking his claim with his kiss.

  “I know you’re a tough, badass cyborg, but I want you to be safe out there too,” she murmured when her lips were free again. “You can watch my back, and I can watch yours.”

  “Will you do exactly what I tell you when I tell you?”

  “Probably not---but I’m not stupid either,” she said. “I’m not a soldier. I’m a street fem, and I know the city better than you.”

  “At least that’s honest. Do you know how to use a weapon?”

  “Just knives and a crossbow I use to hunt small animals,” she said. “Only the gangs have guns, and they don’t share.”

  “We’ll get you and you and your father weapons and show you how to use them,” he said. “What kind of guns to the gangs have?

  “The kind that shoots bullets.”

  “Projectile weapons. Ours are a little more sophisticated than those. The hand weapons can stun or kill. That’s what I will give you,” he said. “While I prefer you to be safe, here, I believe you can help us, and I would be pleased to have you come with me.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Danya smiled. “When do we go out again?”

  “We need to meet with the Enclave council, and then we will be ready to go back to the city.”

  “Can I meet them too?”

  “Perhaps, you should, and we should ask your father to come as well. Did he ask to come with us?” Vyken asked.

  “Not exactly. He said that we probably could help you find people to join the Enclave though. Let’s go find him and ask him. If he’s not in the mess hall, he’s probably in his cabin.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “What can you tell us about this Enclave?” James asked Vyken. “What are their plans for the people we bring into it?” He sat with Danya, and Vyken at a table in the mess hall where he had just finished eating.

  “The ultimate goal is to rebuild a democratic society worldwide, starting with the farmland here and the underground structure. T
hey plan to give everyone an education and teach them skills to help build a community around the farm.” Vyken explained. “That’s the information we were given with our final invitation.”

  “Can we trust these people?” James wondered. “We have struggled for years with no one to help us, and it’s only gotten worse instead of better. Why didn’t they start helping us before this?”

  Vyken shook his head. “Those are questions I can’t answer. I’ll comm Jacob Black ask him for a tour and have him explain their overall plan for the Enclave. Those details weren’t included in our communication with them.”

  “Forgive me if I am skeptical about this plan,” James said. “Unlike a lot of people these days, I learned how to read and write, and Danya learned as well. Her mother and I scavenged books wherever we could because we had no electricity or batteries to run any tech that we found. We read a lot of history, social science, and even fiction. There are so many ways a thing like this can go wrong with even the best of intentions.”

  “I am familiar with the history of this world as well,” Vykan said. “This mission was the last request we received before our commander died. We have outlived all of our human forces and all but the remnants of the Earth government. There is no one left to force us to do anything.”

  “Then why did you come back here? You have a starship, you can go anywhere,” James said. “Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful when you showed up when you did.”

  “I was made here,” Vyken said. “This is my homeworld, too. My brothers and I decided it was worth trying to save it before we went our own way. We also thought we might find mates, as I found Danya.”

  “Danya?” James looked at his daughter, eyebrows raised.

  “We’ve got sparks, Dad. That’s all I can tell you.”

  “I know she is the one,” Vyken said. “I just have to convince her of that.”

  There was a great deal of heat in his gaze as his eyes met Danya’s.