Break the Mold (Mechanical Advantage Book 3) Read online

  “It is my pleasure. I have wanted to get you into a healing unit since I met you.” He gave her a quick smile. “Now, over we go.”

  Her face was cradled in the soft gel, and the unit closed over her to run the assessment scans on her acid-scorched body.

  An injection struck her shoulder, and she eased into a shallow stupor while her head was moved, and the broken control unit in her skull was removed and replaced. She was crying when the peculiar and nauseating sensation rippled through her. There were few nerves in the skull, but the slide of the equipment against her flesh made her vaguely ill.

  Stitch whispered, “Shit, you are still awake.”

  Lucky didn’t say anything; she didn’t have to.

  “Here comes the primer. This is going to suck.”

  She knew what was coming, but when the jab struck her thin thigh, she tried not to gasp at the pain. She didn’t want to blow the screaming that her body wanted to do as the nanites ranged through her system and compared her genetic design to what was available in her current condition.

  Once the primer had spread throughout her system, she was carefully turned over by Harkon, and Stitch was standing by at the controls of the unit.

  “Okay, Lucky, what do you want first?”

  She opened her mouth and said, “Hands. Voice. Breasts.”

  Stitch chuckled. “We can do that. Okay, here we go. Secondary nanite injection ready. Let’s start rebuilding.”

  The micro injections hit her hands, and Lucky relaxed into the support of the gel bed as it lifted her and kept her in the location that it wanted her in.

  Despite her pain, Lucky fell asleep.

  * * * *

  Stitch kept working on the machine, and Alphy came by to keep the healing running. The med machines were not designed to run nineteen hours on one patient, so they kept trying to turn off.

  Stitch stretched while Alphy used her overrides to keep the unit functioning.

  “I can’t... she was so badly burned, and they could have healed her.”

  Alphy muttered, “You could have healed her. The med unit was overtaxed, and she was stable. I read the report. They wanted her safe so that she could continue her work, and once she was capable of working again, it was good enough. This is the military, not a fashion show.”

  “It is still an easy fix with a med machine.”

  Alphy shook her head. “Khiron Station lost all of its physicians. They had basic medics.”

  A voice from behind them said, “We lost the doctors in the third Splice incursion into the station. All we could do for Lucky was nutrient baths and keeping her comfortable.”

  Stitch looked at the man crouched on the floor. “Why wasn’t she on pain control?”

  “She refused it. She had it when she first arrived, and it impeded her mental acuity. She insisted that her brain was the one thing that worked like it was supposed to, so fuck you.”

  Stitch grinned. “That does sound like her.”

  Harkon looked at her and then over to the med bed. “She is being rebuilt.”

  Stitch chuckled. “Yup. But the first ones I did were as she requested them. Hands, voice, and breasts. The fact that we kept her in there and kept the machine running, that’s a surprise.”

  Alphy smiled. “There were fluid supplements added, but she will have silvery skin until hers begins to recover. It wasn’t safe to leave her as it was. To remove the scarring, it would expose her to infection, and the amount of skin we are dealing with, she would probably die.”

  Stitch chuckled. “So, she will have a silver front and a natural ass. She will get used to it.”

  Alphy snorted. “She used to say her butt was her best feature. Now we get to see if that is still true.”

  * * * *

  Lucky opened her eyes and smiled at the lashes that were in place. Her vision was already better, and she could hear her friends talking outside the chamber.

  “My ass has always been my best feature, or at least it was until they used it for grafting material.” She spoke softly, and the harsh tone of her voice had mellowed into something familiar.

  The injections had ceased, so she had one thing to ask while she waited. “Why am I still in here?”

  Stitch answered, “The nanites are working on the tissue and tendons. You are going to be in there for another hour, and then, you need a day of rest before you try to run around.”

  “Run. Funny.” Lucky held up her hands and moved her fingers. They moved far more easily, but the tingle in her joints told her that the nanites were still at work. Her skin had the distinctive silver tone of the nanites, and she lay back and planned her tattoos until she fell asleep again.

  * * * *

  The report of the repairs scrolled by and kept scrolling. Stitch whistled and shook her head. “Aside from the risk of infection, none of her original injuries were life-threatening.”

  Alphy was standing by, and her head whipped around. “What? She was at the focal point of the blast.”

  “The acid got into her skin immediately, but it didn’t burst into flame until exposed to higher amounts of oxygen. Her hands were broken, but the rest of her would have been fine if they hadn’t tried to put her in a med bed to assist her breathing right away.”

  Alphy looked at her unconscious friend. “Shit. I thought for sure she had been blown to hell.”

  “No, that was your gift. You were crushed in the blast wave; she was just inside it.”

  “Lucky, indeed. So, do you want to carry her to the main med bay, or shall I?”

  The man who had carried Lucky in got to his feet. “I will carry her.”

  Stitch looked at him. “Who are you again?”

  “Harkon. Gunner and emergency medic for Khiron Station.” He smiled slightly. “Captain Hesker tends to call me nanny.”

  Stitch blinked. “She got elevated to captain?”

  Alphy grinned. “She had to, to gain access to the programming centre of Khiron Station. She was given a battlefield promotion, and she optimized the programming of everyone on the station.”

  Harkon chuckled. “We had no idea that she had rigged her crutches for electronic interference. That was an entertaining surprise.”

  Alphy cocked her head. “Why did they try and stop us?”

  Harkon cleared his throat. “Since the Earth cut us off, Khiron has specialized in optimizing the programming of other smaller warships. The exchange in supplies and equipment was very effective and lucrative.”

  Alphy snorted. “Well, hell. That’s easy. I will get a list of required supplies from Khiron, and we can work something out. We might even have either a doctor to trade, or we can offer positions on the ship to the staff at the station.”

  Harkon blinked. “You would offer them positions here after they tried to attack you?”

  “They didn’t. Lucky made sure that they couldn’t so that the ship wouldn’t be forced to defend itself. So, there was no attack on this vessel, and so, no hard feelings.”

  The med bed opened, and Harkon picked up the sleeping form of Lucky. He turned to Stitch. “Where am I putting here?”

  Stitch smiled. “Come this way.”

  Stitch led the way to the medical bay, where only six of the three dozen beds were occupied. She pulled back the sheets, and Harkon tucked Lucky in, carefully pulling the fabric up and over her naked limbs.

  He smiled slightly. “I have never seen her with a face. No wonder she slipped into flirting so often.”

  Stitch looked at her. “She used to be less silver, and there was a scar over her right eye, but yes, this is what Lucky was born to look like.”

  She watched as the gunner found a chair and took a seat next to Lucky. If she needed something, he was there. Huh, nanny indeed.

  Stitch headed back to Niko and filed her report as she undressed. He was sound asleep when she arrived, but he still rolled over and wrapped his arms around her when she crawled into bed next to him.

  “How is your friend?”

 
; “Shiny, but she is on the mend.”

  He nodded and squeezed her. “Good. One less stray for you to worry about.”

  She wrinkled her nose and relaxed against him. “Only three more to find.”

  Chapter Three

  Lucky carefully sat up, and she looked down in amusement at the sheet that covered her. “So, Stitch went for it.”

  Stitch walked toward her carrying a tray. “Yes, I did. It was necessary to get you into a general final shape. You can do all the fiddling you want. You probably will anyway.”

  Stitch put the tray on the swing-out arm and settled Lucky against her pillows. “There you go.”

  Lucky smiled. “Yay! Food!”

  Stitch took the chair that was at the side of her bed, and she leaned back, crossing her arms. “So, you used a projection to talk to me.”

  “Yup. The station wouldn’t let me use direct coms. I had to communicate using redirected signals and bounced data feeds. My fingers were really sore after that.”

  “That was you typing?”

  “Yeah. Windy helped me to commandeer a few broadcast satellites. I bounced it around, but it seems that there wasn’t much lag. Alpha Base must have been closer than I thought.”

  “You have been in contact with Windy?”

  “Sure. We swap data packets, and I help her out with communications routing.” She took a mouthful of what turned out to be yogurt. “Wow. This tastes fresh.”

  Stitch grinned. “It should, it is your recipe.”

  “Okay, so it was a little disingenuous on my part. I have been uploading better combinations to all the Earth troop bases.”

  “Upgrading the ship’s systems while Alphy wasn’t looking. That takes some serious skills.” Stitch smiled.

  “What I lost in dexterity I made up for in creativity. Just because my life sucked didn’t mean that I couldn’t make small improvements for others. I even found the recipes for chocolate and coffee. Proper coffee.”

  “Are you holding out on us?”

  “No. It is in the emergency ration file. It takes a lot of power to make it. I don’t want anyone to run the program if there is any chance of a battle sequence in action. The amount of power needed to fight the Splice isn’t to be underestimated. Even in a ship like this.”

  She took another bite of the yogurt and continued working through the meal.

  Stitch smiled. “Well, I am glad you have an appetite. You will be eating pretty much constantly to make up for the mass the nanites need to replace. All of your curves are back, but they are mainly fluid.”

  Lucky nodded. “I know how it works. Can I have an office?”

  “Alphy is arranging one for you. We also have a compression suit that will fit you comfortably. Your nanny is off getting some rest. He was at your side until an hour ago. He is very attentive.”

  Lucky chuckled. “I have noticed. He has carried me around enough that I can confirm even my emaciated and damaged self can turn him on. It is a little bit concerning if you want to know the truth.”

  “He isn’t repelled by your new body.”

  “I get the feeling that he is the type to be attracted by wounded birds. I don’t fall for nurses.”

  Stitch nodded. “I can understand that. It is a good thing that Niko was such an ass when we met, or I never would have crawled into bed with him.”

  Lucky finished eating and set the tray aside. “I am glad you have found someone, also glad that Alphy is knocking boots with your brother.”

  Stitch stared at her with her mouth agape. “How did you know that?”

  “I wrote her a subroutine for arousal. She gave me his specs so that there wouldn’t be any issues with his implants versus her new body.” Lucky lifted the sheet and looked down. “Silver boobs, huh?”

  “Silver everything important. You have an issue with your own groin as well. Your nerves are burned out, so the grafts have to take.”

  “If I find someone I am interested in, I can always write my own subroutine.” She smiled. “I have already done all the research.”

  Stitch sighed. “You are too funny. Right. Okay. I have to get back to tweaking the other implants, and you need to recover.”

  “Can you get me that suit?”

  “Yes, we can get you that suit.” Stitch winked. “If an alien delivers it, just take it from me that he is supposed to be delivering it.”

  “The Alguth are here?”

  “They are on the ship and flying every chance they get. Their wings are amazing up close.” Stitch stood up and patted Lucky’s leg. “Get better. Let the nanites set up housekeeping and enjoy being able to move around again. You were in miserable shape.”

  Lucky grinned. “It is so nice to be among friends again. No one tells you the truth like a friend who wants you to get better.”

  “I am glad that you are back as well. When I saw you in the med bed, I have to confess that I was surprised you were still alive.”

  “It takes more than holding an exploding birthday present to knock me down for good.” She took hold of Stitch’s hand and squeezed. They met each other’s gazes, and the fourteen lost lives of their friends and co-workers washed through them. The six survivors had been broken, but they could be rebuilt. The dead were just dead and needed to be remembered.

  “It was a helluva party. It still rings in the minds of the cyborgs left out here to be torn to pieces at the hands of the Splice.”

  “Right. So, stop with the pity party and get me on my feet.”

  “You got it.” Stitch smiled and then left her alone.

  Lucky sat still for four whole minutes before her mind demanded that she move. With awkward care, she wrapped the sheet around her torso and moved her legs until they were dangling free in mid-air. She kicked her feet and smiled as they moved the way they were supposed to. The silvering of her skin occasionally gave way to her normal olive tone, and the patchwork of her body suited her. She felt very comfortable with her nanite limbs, if considerably heavier. Stitch must have reinforced her skeleton.

  When she was sure that her blood wouldn’t rush from her brain, she hopped off the bed and held onto it for support as her legs took her weight completely for the first time since the blast.

  Having her thighs touching was a luxury that she had forgotten the feel of. With a focus on balancing, she wrapped the sheet around her so that she had enough clearance to walk, and she took a few steps.

  The tendons at the top of her thighs and around her lower pelvic region flexed with every step. They hadn’t done that in quite a while. Her propulsion had consisted of using her crutches for balance and using the adductor muscles to rock her feet from side to side for small steps. It had taken patience to learn to move even that much.

  Now, she could take slow and careful steps, so she needed a goal. There were occupants in some of the beds at the far end of the ward, so she walked to them, slowly and carefully. She would take her time or end up on her face. She hated going slowly, but it was her only option.

  The men in the beds sat up, one by one, to watch her approach.

  She took in their repairs and wished that she could check their specs. Stitch could figure out what would make them move more easily, but Lucky wrote the code that let them move using strength and speed.

  “Are you an angel?” The third man leaned up on one elbow and gave her a complete look.

  “Are you an idiot? Did the Splice knock your brains out?” Lucky couldn’t help it; snark was her first line of defense.

  The other men sat up and laughed. The third man grinned. “So, not an angel then.”

  “I have never been accused of being one before. I am a programmer.”

  One of the men looked at her with an analytical gaze. “You have been damaged.”

  “Something blew up in my face. Yes.” She inclined her head. Her face still felt a little peculiar.

  The men looked at each other, and the third one said, “Don’t say that you were in the blast that broke the admin base.”


  “Fine. I won’t say it, but until then, it was a helluva party.”

  He inhaled, as did the others. The first man looked her over. “You look like you just got repaired.”

  She gave him a blank look. “I did. The base’s medical system was overloaded, and they didn’t have a lot of equipment that fit women. In fact, there was none. All the best assessment officers had been blown up in that bombing, and those that remained were quickly distributed to other facilities. We were stabilized and got the same treatment.”

  She looked the guys over. “You had the dignity of going to fight and defend. We were laughing over some slick lingerie that the newbie had managed to import as a present, and the next gift was the bomb.

  “Some of us were set in stasis, others were experimental, and I don’t even know what happened to the other three survivors yet. It isn’t something you can tell each other over a hidden commlink. I couldn’t tell my friends that my face and half my body had been burned down to bone and tendon, but now, my survival is a matter of pride.”

  The guys looked at her with skepticism in their gazes. She could show them later when she had her pre-treatment scans.

  “So, what are you guys in for?” She walked up to the third man and looked at the liquid metal that made up his arms and the yoke of muscle around him. “Massive dislocation?”

  He nodded. “You seem to know what you are looking at.”

  “More or less. I normally get the scan and work out the code to make you more effective.”

  “You are the programmer?” The man behind her was shocked.

  “Yes. I have been doing a lot of mail order data-patching, but seeing it in action is easier. I can write the code to make the nanites cooperate.” She stroked the man’s arms and pressed the tissue to check the depth and strength of the connection. “Bone replacement?”

  “Full arm replacement. They were ripped from the sockets. All the muscles in my back were affected as well.”

  She nodded. “What do you want from the implants? Strength, speed, maybe a hidden weapon?”