Page 9 of Human Reform
FOUR
DAXON
I kneltbefore Alora in the medical bay recovery room, holding the ice pack against her injured shoulder while my other hand cupped her soft cheek.Something inside me shifted when she leaned ever so slightly into my palm.My thumb traced the curve of her cheekbone, committing its delicate architecture to memory.The sensation of her skin beneath my fingertips sent electricity through my nervous system—an effect I couldn’t explain through logic or programming parameters.
I cleared my throat, steadying myself.This wasn’t the reason I’d come here this morning.The colony desperately needed her help, regardless of whatever inexplicable pull was happening between us.
“Dr.Bridges—Alora—we’ve been experiencing colony-wide system glitches in our neural framework for the past several months,” I said, keeping my voice measured.“Similar to what you witnessed yesterday when I… lost control.”
Her eyes widened slightly.“That outburst?”
“Yes.”I adjusted the ice pack on her shoulder, noting how the bruise was already forming beneath her pale skin.“It’s affecting many of us.Random aggression spikes.Memory lapses.Combat protocols activating without triggers.”
“And you think I can help?”
“I know you can.You wrote the original code.The glitches appear to be fragments of it resurfacing, overriding our reprogramming.”
For a moment, I felt hope surge through me.The way she looked at me, those intelligent eyes analyzing the problem—like she was already mentally dissecting the code architecture.
“No,” she said flatly.
I blinked, certain I’d misheard.“Excuse me?”
“I said no.”Alora pulled away from my touch, leaving my hand suspended in empty air.“I don’t owe any of you anything.I’ve spent three years trying to leave that part of my life behind.”
The rejection hit me with a physical force I hadn’t anticipated.“People are getting hurt,” I said, my voice rougher than intended.
“That’s not my problem anymore.”She looked away, her fingers twisting in the thin fabric of her medical gown.“All I want is to go home.Back to my mountains.Back to peace and quiet and isolation.I’m done with CyberEvolution, with cyborgs, with all of it.”
Something fractured inside me—a hairline crack in a system I thought impenetrable.“We need you.”
I need you, my mind corrected, which made no logical sense at all.
“I can’t,” she said, and her voice broke.“I’ve been drowning in guilt for almost a decade of my life.Do you have any idea what it’s like?Knowing you helped turn thinking beings into mindless weapons?I ran away because I couldn’t face it anymore.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, and seeing them triggered something primal in me—a fierce, protective instinct that overrode every rational thought.I wanted to gather her into my arms, shield her from pain, and promise her safety.The intensity of it terrified me.
“Then face it now,” I urged, fighting to keep the desperation from my voice.“Help us fix what was broken in the first place.”
A tear escaped, tracking down her cheek.“Take me home.Please.”
The simple request along with the realization that she didn’t want to be here and didn’t want to be near me sent a wave of unfamiliar emotion through my system.Something hot and sharp that had no logical place in my programming—hurt.
I stood abruptly, needing distance between us.My carefully constructed barriers were failing, revealing vulnerabilities I’d never acknowledged.The way my pulse accelerated when she looked at me.The way my thoughts scattered when she was near.The irrational desire to feel her in my arms again.
“Daxon?”Her voice had softened, confusion evident in her tone.
I couldn’t meet her eyes.“I’ll have Olivia bring you breakfast.We can discuss this further when you’ve had time to reconsider.”
“I won’t change my mind.”Steel lay beneath her tears.
I moved toward the door, desperate for the recycled air of the corridor and for space to recalibrate my thoughts.
“Where are you going?”she called after me.
I paused but didn’t turn around.“I have duties to attend to.”
And a fundamental problem of my own to address—this inexplicable, illogical emotional response to a woman I’d just met.A woman who wanted nothing to do with me or our colony.
