Read Cyborg for Free Online

tried to delude herself into thinking of herself as average or typical, she never had been and she had the emotional scars to prove it from the taunts and teasing she’d received from the other children as she was growing up. She liked to think she appeared, on the outside at least, fairly average now--because being average was much, much better than standing out from the crowd if standing out meant being a target for revulsion, criticism, or amusement.
    It would never have occurred to her to consider herself more than passable, however, and she couldn’t help but wonder what Dante saw that made him perceive her as ‘beautiful’.
    And how would a machine perceive such a thing anyway?
    Trying to wade through her confusion made her head ache even worse than it had been. “You should locate the pain centers and switch them off until the nanos have mended the organic cells.”
    The comment caught Amaryllis by surprise. She was within a hair’s breadth of snapping that she would if she had that ability when she thought better of it. Instead, she merely slipped from the table and bent to gather her uniform up as he stepped back, giving her the signal that he was through with her.
    He clasped a hand over hers, stilling her movements. “You are hunter no more and you will not wear that uniform any longer. Come. While you shower, I will find clothing to fit you.”
    Amaryllis was instantly torn at the mention of a shower and fresh clothing.
    However, she’d been in worse condition, on missions, and had to endure it for days. It wouldn’t kill her to wait, and being around this particular cyborg might be the death of her. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the cyborgs as possible, not chum with them. “Actually,” she said when he’d pulled her torn uniform from her fingers and tossed it to the floor, “I’d as soon dress now.”

    He caught her arm just above the elbow and tugged, leading her past the other gurneys toward the door they’d entered. “You will not get the chance until tomorrow if you do not go now.”
    “Fine. Just give me my uniform back. I’ll wait for the others.”
    “You are afraid?”
    The question was asked without inflection. Amaryllis thought, perhaps, it was the complete lack of inflection that put her on guard. “Should I be?”
    “No.”
    Amaryllis ground her teeth. She’d fallen right into that one. She cast around in her mind trying to think of an objection he might heed. He’d bandaged a couple of her more serious wounds, but it seemed doubtful the ship was equipped with anything but particle showers--she hadn’t seen a real, honest to god, wonderfully primitive, water shower since she’d left the colony--which wouldn’t present a problem.
    It wouldn’t really have been a problem even if he was talking about a water shower. She had scratches and slightly deeper scratches, only a few cuts had even warranted sealing. She might have suspected his motives for bandaging her at all except that the only thing that came to mind as a possibility was a desire to keep her longer and she couldn’t imagine why he would want to.
    “Maybe you’re the one who should be wary,” she said finally, when they’d reached the corridor once more.
    He glanced down at her questioningly.
    “I am a hunter.”
    “I don’t doubt your skills, but you are without weapons.”
    “I don’t need them.”
    He sent her a look of amusement. “Against a male cyborg, who is fully aware of your training?”
    He had a point. Even her cybernetics didn’t make her stronger than a male and he had the advantage of a good deal of reach and weight besides. The only way a female hunter could bring down a male cyborg toe to toe was to outwit them, or catch them off guard. She doubted, under the circumstances, that she could manage either.
    She fell silent. They passed, after a time, through a large room filled with supplies. Dante released her long enough to select a number of articles, which he