Page 5 of A Cyborg for the Alien Mercenary

Opening her eyes, she yawned again as she looked around.

Her bedroom was still the same as it had been in her childhood. Soft lilac on the walls, a polished wooden floor with deep rugs that looked like clouds and frilly curtains framing the window. A picture-perfect bedroom for a girl who’d dreamed of being the fairy princess like in the books on the bookcase.

And she had never been here before in her life. She knew that as absolutely as she knew she needed to take her next breath.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath as she rubbed at the center of her chest with the heel of her hand. The doctors had told her the pain there was just the aftermath of the flyer accident and the radiation she’d been dosed with after the engine shielding had cracked. They told her she was lucky to be alive, that it was a miracle she was here at all.

She agreed, but not for the reasons they were telling her. For the reasons they were holding back, which she didn’t know yet… but she would find out.

Shoving the covers down, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet hitting the cool floor. The hardwood felt familiar, which was strange, so she filed the information away. She crossed the room to the window, pulling back the curtain to let the morning light pour in. As golden rays filled the room, she looked out. The house was situated at the top of a rise, and she could see the town laid out below, beyond the high fences of the large garden. Perfectly placed as a defensive position.

She shook the odd thought away. Why would she think something like that?

“Elena! Breakfast is ready!” a woman’s voice filtered through her door from further in the house. Her mother.

The trouble was, she didn’t recognize either her own name or the woman who said she was her mother.

Even though she knew nothing about herself, she knew her name wasn’t Elena Hargrove. And that Amanda Hargrove wasn’t her mother.

Her name was Jesh, and she’d never met any of the people posing as her family before in her life.

“Coming!” she called back, forcing herself to sound normal. Grabbing a sweater, she pulled it on over her short pajamas and left the room.

Each step on the stairs creaked slightly under her weight, which seemed odd. The house was a fairly new construction and looked luxurious… so either some shoddy construction was going on, or she was a lot heavier than she looked.

Following the smell of bacon and coffee, she reached the kitchen, where Amanda was bustling around, an apron over her business suit. Amanda Hargrove was the CEO of several multibillion-credit tech companies, which explained how her elder daughter had been able to afford the experimental flyer she’d almost killed herself in.

“Morning, sweetheart.” Amanda looked up and smiled. “I made your favorite—blueberry pancakes!”

Jesh sat at the table, her movements automatic.

“Thanks,” she said, keeping her voice steady. She picked up her fork and took a bite. The pancakes were amazing, the taste exploding on her tongue.

But… no. She’d never tasted blueberry pancakes before.

“We’re so happy you’re back home,” Amanda said, her eyes shining. “It was such a scare when the institute rescued you after the flyer accident. We were so lucky they had a research ship in the area. They did an incredible job treating your radiation sickness. You’re our miracle.”

Jesh nodded, forcing a smile as she shoveled more pancakes in. It didn’t matter that she’d never had them before. They were good and she needed fuel.

“Yeah, I’m glad to be back,” she lied smoothly, keeping her expression open and honest. She felt like an actress, concealing her real self behind layers of a character.

“I thought I’d come back early from the office so we could spend the afternoon together.” Amanda chattered away, washing dishes as Jesh continued eating the pancakes and downed some coffee. The stimulant sent a buzz through her, and the strange feeling in the back of her head intensified. She cast a small surreptitious look around. Three cameras were in here, covering every angle of the room. If she just concentrated a little more…

She found them. One was above the window over the sink where Amanda washed the dishes, one was nestled among the shelves of the hutch near the table, and the other was somewhere behind her. She “felt” the shape of them, how… she had no idea, but she did. And she also knew that with one sharp push, she could fry them.

But… that would give away that she knew they were there, so she backed off. Let them watch for now. She needed more information before she made her move.

Finishing the pancakes, she pushed her plate away. It was immediately collected by Amanda, who looked at the empty surface with satisfaction.

“I’m going to take a shower. I feel… cruddy after sleeping so long.”

They’d apparently kept her in a coma for two weeks as her body healed, but she felt like she’d been in bed for years.

“Of course, darling. Just relax and take it easy today,” Amanda said, her voice full of warmth. “Your sister is around if you need anything.”

Jesh nodded over her shoulder and then made her way through the hallway back to the stairs. She cast glances at the photographs that lined the walls and slowed her steps. She wasin most of them, her own image staring back at her. It was like looking at a different person with a different life. The most recent were pictures of her in high-speed flyer gear, a beaming smile on her face as she held trophies and medals… charting a career she couldn’t remember living.

But the childhood photos were the worst. She saw herself growing up, from a chubby-cheeked toddler to an awkward teenager, each stage carefully documented and displayed like a specimen under a microscope.

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