Page 2 of Her Alien Cyborgs
She’d been listening for footsteps outside the door to her cell or at least a click as they let themselves in. Instead, she heard a low, electronic hum followed by a soft chuckle.
“That does not look comfortable,” a familiar voice drawled.
Hezza’s eyes snapped open, and she straightened in her chair. “Phylomenia Harrington, what thefraxxare you doing on my wall?”
The silver-haired woman on the monitor laughed. “Yourwall? Did you take over the port security office already?”
“I could have, but they gave me some pretty bangles, so I’ve decided to behave.” She raised both wrists as far as the cuffs would allow, to show off the restraints.
“Qarf. They weren’t supposed to do that.” Phylomenia turned to glare at someone out of view. “Did you tell them to restrain her?”
“I told them she was a potential flight risk,” a deep male voice replied.
“And you wonder why people distrust those in authority.Thisis why, Scott Archer. You and I are going to talk about this.”
Archer. Hezza felt like she should recognize the name, but nothing popped into her head. Phylomenia had left the life a few years back. Whoever this guy was, she must have met him after she went straight.
“So all of this is your fault,” Hezza stated. It had to be true, but it made no sense. Phylomenia was not exactly a friend, but they’d been in the same orbit most of the time. She was someone whose word you could trust, and they’d had a few laughs and drinks over the years.
Phylomenia gave her a rueful smile. “All of it? No. You got yourself into this mess, Hez. I’m here to offer you a way out.”
“From what? No one here will tell me what I’m charged with.”
“That’s because they weren’t given the details. And you’re not under arrest. You’re being detained for questioning.” Phylomenia arched a brow. “And don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. You helped not one but two dangerous cyborgs escape from Haven colony.”
That made her laugh. “They’re no more dangerous than anyone else you and I have done business with. Hell, they’re a lot better than some I could name.”
Phylomenia’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t just help them out for money? You actuallylikethese cyborgs?”
Hezza raised her head and stiffened her shoulders in response to Phylomenia’s tone. What did the woman have against cyborgs?
“They’re decent beings who got a raw deal from the day they climbed out of their maturation vats. So yeah, I like them.”
“Enough to help one get off the planet she was legally required to stay on, and to hell with the consequences?” Phylomenia asked.
“Keeping them on Liberty was a bullshit call that should never have happened. As for what I did? It wasn’t about the money. River needed help, and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in a supernova that anyone from the corporations or the military was going to step up. It was about doing the right thing.”
She leaned forward as far as her restraints would allow. “Was a time you’d have done the same thing. What changed?” It wasn’t the question she should have asked, but it was out of her mouth before she could reconsider.
Instead of the rebuke she expected, Phylomenia’s expression softened, and she chuckled again. “Sorry, Hez. I needed to be sure you were on the right side of this mess. I didn’t change, but you could have, and that would mean you’re not the one we need right now.”
“I heard a lot of words, and none of them told me a damned thing. What in the void is going on, Phyl?”
The woman on the screen gestured with both hands, and two men joined her. They were older but still fit with neatly trimmed gray hair and a physical presence that screamed of military training.
“These are my husbands, Scott Archer and Garrett Michaels. Archer negotiated the original deal with the Vardarians for Liberty.”
“They got the planet for colonization, but they had to take the cyborgs the rest of the galaxy was too scared to deal with.” Hezza knew the story. “Which means he’s thebakaffawho made it so none of the cyborgs could ever leave.”
She intentionally used the Vardarian insult to remind the others of her ties to the colony. Her daughter and her mates all lived in Haven.
“It was necessary at the time,” one of the men said. She assumed he was Archer.
“And it was never intended to last forever. You know what corporations are like, Hez. Everything is a negotiation. They wanted to try for more before agreeing to anything else.”
“How much longer will they be stuck?” Hezza asked.
Archer answered, “That’s being discussed right now. I can’t give you an answer because I’m retired and out of the loop. But it won’t be long. Too much has happened.”
