This is from a WIP titled Salvaged Cyborg. The hero and heroine are secondary characters in my book ALIEN BLOOD. I plan to publish in August. It is set in the Diaspora Worlds Universe, where Terrans have expanded to the stars. They have found another humanoid race, the Zh' Cle, who have lizard characteristics. In the past, there has been great animosity for the Zh' Cle, but that is slowly changing.
Setting: A dark, shard-covered asteroid where cyborgs battled a mining company. Cyborg 2LN77's primary directive is to access lab data and minerals being studied. Cyborg is damaged and alone.
Excerpt:
Self puts the plasma hand blaster on ready.
A reinforced doorway is partially open ahead, leading into the lower level. The power isn’t on to open, so 2LN77 jams fingers into the seam, braces boots, and shoves it open with a harsh, grinding screech. To ensure exit path, self pulls a heavy chunk of debris into the bottom of the opening, blocking it so self won't have to push it open again.
Stepping inside, the throb in self’s head spiked. Internal stabilizers fluctuate, making the narrow hallway seem to lean to the left. Cyborg presses a hand against the wall to steady self, organic lungs drawing in shallow breaths until self forces deeper breathing. Self remains still until body calms.
A long hallway with flimsy doors. Self clears the first room. Standard crew quarters, a cot and shelves, empty of personal items. Two more just like it. But on the third door was a nameplate: Director Tryliss Weatherby, Exo-geophysicist.
Pushing the door open, self notices this room is different. The gray cot is covered with a silky sheer cloth, a splash of yellow, blue, and pink all blending together. On the shelf above the cot was a small, clear display case.
Inside are three tiny, molded figurines, about the size of self’s smallest digit. Self freezes. Processors whir, accessing a deeply buried, restricted data partition titled Early Organic Developmental Years.
Programming is glitched. Self should not be able to access partition.
Then recognition flashes through self’s neural pathways like lightning.
Data retrieved: The Chronicles of Starhopper Spaceship, a children’s story series.
Self has breakthrough thoughts. Many. Star Hopper books. Self’s child-form had read many. The toys—child had longed for the playsets, but toys like those were never in cargo that came to Ull 3.
Ull 3: Arden Coalition agricultural colony, 2nd gen. Where self lived as child.
Self steps closer, armored finger lightly touching the case. There is the brave female child, Gelli, molded in a faded green utility suit. Next to her is the small genius brother, Toc, in a tan tunic with many pockets, holding an oversized multi-tool. Standing at the end was Prince Keerin, with white teeth gleaming in a wide smile and golden-brown hair to match his skin, wearing a black suit with a glittering star on the shoulder. Just like in the stories.
A sudden, intense ache flares in self—not a mechanical failure, or physical injury, but a profound, irrational desire. Self wants the toys. Self grasps the small case.
Aberrant behavior. Error: Asset acquisition does not align with priority mission. Cease behavior.
Self knows there is no actual overseer checking thoughts. There never is. Just programming with an auto-generated command.
Self posts for record: Override. Special mission parameters.
It is a false statement, self posts it anyway. Somewhere deep inside, self is shocked and delighted at the aberrant actions.
Carefully, self looks at the case, running a scan.
Scan results: 0% toxicity. 0% explosive threat. Safe.
It had a data storage area in its base. The books, self realizes.
Keeping this. Cyborg opens a small storage compartment under the chest armor and tucks the case safely inside.
As self leaves the room, the silky scarf ends up in the hidden pouch as well. A strange feeling wells inside; something in bio body. Self did not know the name of it. Warm feeling. Good.
Spurred by the strange comfort of the hidden treasure, 2LN77 pushes through the debris and keeps looking for the lab.
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