Imagine the worst pain then multiply it by infinity.

If Avion could have screamed, he might have. But he doubted he’d find the air to make a sound because even simple acts like breathing or having his blood circulate proved beyond him.

I think I’m dying.

Problem was it was taking its sweet fucking time.

And it hurt.

Did the pain mean he lived still? If he did, then where was he? What had happened?

He floated, not in water or air. The hum of a million itty-bitty particles kept him aloft, or did they drag him down? It was impossible for him to determine, his sense of orientation completely skewed.

Perhaps he should call for help. He opened his mouth to see if he could cry out, but the tingly particles poured in. The buzzing microscopic bits burrowed into every hole in his body. Mouth, ears, nose, his very pores. The humming hive of bots sifted through him, testing his biological components, zipping along neural pathways before reaching his brain.

And halting.

They probed the foreign object in it. They could see it was attuned to one who had left because it found a host. Yet the biological being they probed wasn’t the host. He—yes, it was male—was free. Should they test him?

Indeed they should. They needed to spread, lest the enemy find them and eliminate. They swarmed the foreign object. Its signal bounced off them harmlessly, deadly only to the bots it was tuned to. But they didn’t like this vile impurity.

They absorbed its components and expelled those they could not use. Without the fetters, the mind lay open to them.

Brains…

Much like zombies—hey, didn’t I watch a movie about them in my teens?—the bots latched on to Avion’s brain and siphoned. Not flesh, no, they were more assiduous than that. They went after his memories.

Like his recollection of…toast.

The perfect piece of course. Crisp and evenly browned, spread with peanut butter. The smooth, not crunchy kind, that would melt on the hot bread and coat his mouth in nutty goodness.

Until he was allergic and any kind of nut sent him into anaphylactic shock.

His mind flitted to something else. The thrill of riding his bike down a hill, pedaling as fast as he could, until his momentum grew too great. His feet lost their rhythm and slipped from the pedals. His hands gripped the handlebars tight, but still he wobbled and waggled. And when he hit the rock, he flew. Look at me, I’m—Ouch.

The buzz moved on to the next memory.

Faster and faster, the tech hummed and learned while he drifted alone. And sank. Sank.

Rejected. Too defective. Impure. Too emotional. Not worthy.

I’m sorry, Lilith. The nanotech had spoken. Avion would die. Die alone.

Oh no you’re not.

Of a sudden, Avion stopped his descent in the vast pool of waiting bots. Invisible arms wrapped around him and hugged him tight.

I’m here, Lilith whispered to his mind. Don’t listen to these less-than-perfect alien beings. You are worthy. I see you. And you have meaning.

Around Avion, the buzz rose in pitch, a billion voices crying out, not understanding how one of their hosts could question their brilliance. How could she claim they were wrong?

Because you don’t understand love.

Love, what did the firing of emotional synapses have to do with anything?

Let me show you. Lilith merged her mind with Avion, not in a takeover but more to show the two sides of the equation.

What is love?

Love was the first time you heard their voice and couldn’t help but find yourself drawn, intrigued, eager to discover more.

Love was knowing you’d found someone to stand by your side, even in danger, someone who wouldn’t let you down.

Love was a sizzling touch, an electrifying glance, a sensual kiss that ignited passion.

As an example, Lilith reran the memory of their first embrace for the nanotech. A cherished moment. How Avion had wanted to stay in that magical moment forever. The ardent awareness that arced between them. The heated arousal, which flushed them both. The general happiness at just being with her. Being with Lilith.

Even more amazing, with their minds linked, Avion saw the same wonder from her memories. How she reveled in his touch, his affection. She also cherished that first true lover’s touch.

Avion forgot about why they delved into his memories. The only thing he truly cared about now was expressing them to the one person who mattered.

I love you, Lilith.

And I love you. All of me does.

Machine and biological.

The nanotech surrounding him almost went still as they tried to compute this most strange of things. Machine couldn’t rely on emotion to make its choices. Emotions were chaos. They couldn’t be depended on. Or could they?

Avion could practically hear the collective hives’ thought process. Perhaps the nanotech needed to expand its knowledge. It seemed there were gaps that needed answers.

We need to know more.

But, in order to explore, the bots required an uncontaminated vessel.

Holy fuck that hurts.

Avion opened sightless eyes wide, his mouth gaped, his body arced, the force of his agony driving ghost Lilith from him.

The pain, which had receded in the background, returned with a flamboyant “Aha!” and it brought friends. Lots of them.

His mechanical heart pounded, faster and faster. Slower and slower. It stopped.

Oh shit.

How long until he died? How long until—

Thump.

The slight thud barely registered.

Thud. Thump.

It came again, a steady beat, which grew stronger and stronger as his new organ grew from the absorbed remains of his old one.

Nerve endings sizzled as the bots embedded themselves into the very cellular structure of his body. Piece by piece, they cleansed him of the impurities the military had embedded in him. Cell by cell, they took over his system and mended his damage.

His eyes tingled.

Tingled?

Lids, which he’d not realized he’d closed, opened, opened to a blinding white light that surrounded him.

I can see.

He could also breathe and move his limbs.

Even if the medium he hung in wasn’t liquid, Avion still swam in it. With powerful strokes, more powerful than he ever recalled, he headed for the surface.

He broke the humming skin of the nanotech pool. The warm air in the chamber bathed his newborn skin, and he said newborn because every sensation upon it was absorbed as if new. Without his BCI, and flooded with new bots, every experience was renewed. Despite the nanotech’s vast knowledge, some things would have to be relearned, such as the feel of air upon his face. But as they learned from his experiences, so he discovered from them, if he knew the right questions to ask.

With the nanos, you sometimes didn’t realize the answer until you went intentionally looking for it, a strange symbiotic system, which he understood was created so as to not overwhelm the host.

So much to learn. Experience. Live for.

I’m alive. And he couldn’t wait to see Lilith.

As had become the habit when Avion recovered his senses, Aramus was yelling at his vixen.

“What do you mean those fucking bots rejected him? Avion’s one of the good guys. If anyone deserves another chance, it’s him.”

“I showed them that, but…” Her shoulders hunched.

None of them knew the bots had changed their mind.

“Aramus, leave my girlfriend alone before I kick your ass.” Avion didn’t bother watching Aramus for his reaction, too intent on Lilith as she whirled and beheld him.

Shock widened her swirling eyes. “Avion! You live.” A smile pulled her lips wide, a smile he reciprocated.

“Apparently, your argument worked. The bots seem to think they can learn something from me and decided to give me another chance.”

At his reappearance and words, faces crowded around the pool, but none was so daunting as that of the massive male Lilith called Master Z’.

“They cleansed you of the impurities,” he stated with tight lips.

“Yup. Apparently, I’m all flesh and blood now. Even my eyes.”  Which he used to wink at Lilith. She smiled, and her cheeks pinkened.

Z’s brow wrinkled. “Impossible. Their very own rules state only the biologically pure will be chosen.”

“Haven’t you ever heard, big guy? Rules are made to be broken,” Seth announced.

Someone didn’t like that answer. Galactic storm clouds brewed in his eyes. “And violators of the sacred pool are to be arrested. You dare to break the sanctity of this place with your antics.”

“So Avion went for a swim instead of getting doused. Who cares? The end result is your precious bots accepted him, and he’s all better,” Aramus argued.

“One does not go for a swim in the sacred pool of tech,” Z’ said through clenched teeth.

“Dude, you seriously need to chill. I mean, what’s so special about a pool of nanobots? Looks refreshing if you ask me.”

Before anyone could stop him, Seth hopped into the sizzling mass, alongside Avion. And promptly sank.

“Idiot,” Z’ exclaimed. “You do not understand. The nanotech is not a toy to be played with.”

“We understand that you are the cause for a lot of shit, mister. Because of you, all of us have been changed. We lost our birth families. Our homes. Our right to a peaceful existence. We are fugitives because of what you did to Lilith and the others.” Deidre, who’d not said much until now, let forth a tirade.

Planting her hands on her hips, Anastasia also had a few choice words for him. “And I’ll thank you to not call my husband an idiot. You don’t know him well enough to be able to express just how dumb he is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go grab him.”

Avion snickered at the look on Z’s face as she dove elegantly in.

“You are all barbarians.”

“No, we’re cyborgs, and don’t you forget it, asshole.”

“You don’t know what you’ve done. The trouble your very presence causes.”

“Lighten up.” This from Kentry, who rolled his eyes for good measure. “You’re acting like it’s the end of the world.”

Actually, it was, but no need to let the others know yet.

“Um, isn’t anyone else worried about Seth and Ana?” Riley asked as she leaned over the edge and peered.

Avion cocked his head, listening as the hum answered her question. “They’re both fine. Just getting some of their parts revoked for better ones.”

“You mean they’re getting rid of the metal?” Aramus blinked.

“Every last bit. It seems the tech is eager for some new hosts. As a matter of fact, it suggests you all jump in.”

“No. You can’t—” Z’ actually seemed at a loss, as almost everyone present hopped in except for Riley, the one last true human, and Lilith. Even Laura, who held a pure form of the tech, joined the party, laughing as she stroked after Adam.

Watching them, Riley bit her lip.

“Why do you not join the others?” Lilith asked. “The tech will not hurt you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” she mumbled as she cupped her belly. “But the baby.”

Aramus’ head broke the surface just as she said that, and his bellow of, “What baby?” could probably be heard for galaxies around.

“The one you impregnated me with, idiot. It seems your assumption that you’re all sterile might have been a tad premature. Apparently, you’re not so much sterile as your bots are providing birth control. Or, in our case, removing it.”

“You’re pregnant.” Saying it aloud, Aramus sounded almost terrified.

“Congrats, old pal,” Avion said and then saved his friend by shoving his head back under. The bots weren’t done with him yet, and Riley didn’t need to see the process involved when a man with a literal metal plate in his head had it absorbed and a skull reconstructed.

Since he didn’t need to be in the pool anymore, which was now getting crowded, Avion placed his hands on the side and vaulted free.

How he loved the return of his strength and vitality. I can see. See his vixen so clearly. He didn’t let his nudity impede him, nor did he stop to find clothes as he strode to his woman.

The nanos questioned his decision. Logic says we should clothe ourselves and prepare for departure. The enemy is coming.

The enemy could wait. Touching Lilith couldn’t.

She stood stock-still as he stalked her, but when he opened his arms wide, she flew into them, her arms stretching to reach around him.

They hugged, bodies pressing against each other. “I thought I had lost you,” she whispered against the skin of his neck.

“Never. We’re forever, vixen.”

He leaned back enough that he could tilt her chin, bringing her lips into the right angle for him to slant his mouth over them.

As he tasted the sweetness of her mouth, reveled in the closeness of her body, he celebrated even more the twining of their spirits. So what if some of that was their nanos spinning madly around each other. It brought them closer. One mind. One heart.

One kick-ass situation.

He broke the kiss reluctantly, pleased at the flush in her cheeks and the brightness in her beautiful eyes.

“Later,” he murmured. “The bots are right about one thing. We need to get moving.”

“We are all in danger,” she said aloud. “The enemy comes.” Or so their bots claimed.

What enemy? He couldn’t have clearly said, other than it was an ancient foe and the nanotech advised leaving before it arrived.

We’ll see about that. “Okay, all you chosen freaks, time to dry off. The big bad is coming, and we need to be ready.”

The nice thing about cyborgs was they didn’t argue when the logic was sound.

The next few minutes proved a flurry of naked bodies, as cyborgs, reborn ones, all flesh, no metal, no neural interface, emerged from the pool. All of them chosen by at least one line of nanotech bots—funny how they could react and make decisions as a hive, and yet within that hive, individual splinter groups existed. Every cyborg was chosen by a splinter group, and the bots tuned themselves to their biological choice. From henceforth, they would work only for that host. They’d made their final choice.

But within that vessel, they had room for guests.  All of the cyborgs became temporary hosts to passengers, as many as their bodies could hold. The bots, much like pollen from flowers, would hitch rides with whatever they found convenient until they came across fertile ground to adopt.

With so many bots filling them, the cyborgs positively glowed, the sizzle of the nanos dancing on their skin.

Z’ looked less than pleased as he tossed robes, which a robot acolyte brought forth, in their directions. “I don’t know how you did it. This goes against everything the nanotech ever taught me.”

“Times are changing,” Avion said as he caught his white robe. “War is coming. The enemy has found us.”

“And once again we must run and hide. I know.” How weary Z’ sounded.

“Or stay and fight.” Blow some shit up. Hell yeah.

“We don’t have what is needed to win this battle. The ancient nanotech enemy is formidable. As it is, you barely have what you need to escape. Speaking of which, you and your companions should make haste. Your time is short. You must leave while you can.”

Lilith touched her mentor’s arm. “We can’t leave you to fight alone.”

“Even though I don’t like you, at all,” Aramus added, “I wouldn’t do that. Give us control of our ship and we’ll kick some serious alien ass.”

“One cannot prevail against thousands.”

The number stunned. “Thousands? Yeah, that’s a couple more than usual.”

“The ancient enemy has numbers and weapons the likes of which you cannot imagine. And they are relentless.”

“About destroying all the tech? But why?” Avion asked.

On that, neither Z’ nor the nanotech would reply.

“Flee to your ship. Flee from here and gather your cyborg brethren. If the ancient enemy has found us, then none of you are safe.”

“Are you saying our new homeworld has been discovered?”

“Not yet, but if the D’zpi are consorting with humans, then it’s only a matter of time before they sell their knowledge of your existence to the ancient ones. The chosen are always hunted, and even the impure will be destroyed.”

“Dum-dum-dum,” Seth hummed ominously.

“This is no joking matter. You must escape, or else all is lost. You will die.”

“Have a little faith, man,” Xylo exclaimed. “We’re trained soldiers.”

“And fantastic lovers.” Seth didn’t budge as Aramus cuffed him.

“Watch your mouth. There’s ladies here.”

Eyes glaring at the much diminished pool, Z’ muttered, “This is who you’ve chosen to spread your knowledge?”

“Tell me about it. Men. Such idiots,” Anastasia grumbled. “Don’t worry. I’ll make them see reason. Listen up, idiots, and by that I mean you, husband. You heard the man. We are stupidly outnumbered. Outgunned.”

“I, for one, am fine with leaving. Given asshat’s initial reception to our presence,” Deidra interjected, “I am not inclined to help him too much.”

“Now, hold on a second, it’s not Z’s fault he turned into a crotchety old geezer. I mean look around. It’s not like he’s had practice making friends lately.”

Z’s lips tightened. “I have no need of friends.”

“And this is why, dude,” Seth said, clapping him on the back, “you need to get out of here and get laid.”

“The man doesn’t need sex but a kick to his metal can.” Aramus mimed a boot—which might have held more threat if we wasn’t barefoot.

“No sex? Perish the thought,” Seth exclaimed. “Everyone needs sex and I, for one, plan to indulge in lots of it once we leave here.”

“If you make it out. Which is looking less likely the more time you stand here jabbering. How could the tech possibly think any of you are acceptable hosts?” Z’ seemed utterly flummoxed by the concept.

But Avion knew the answer. “Because we are cyborg, and we know how to survive.”