Chapter Thirteen

The keys shook in Natasha’s hand as she unlocked the door. She was nervous all the time lately. Though Natasha had slept better than she had in ages after the encounter with Fury, she now spent most of her waking hours wondering if she had made a mistake. What if someone found out? What if the cyborg understood that he could take advantage of her and was planning to take things too far?

Despite her worries, she found herself intrigued by the cyborg. Fury wasn’t concerned about fulfilling her needs during sex, but she had gotten what she needed. He’d made her quake inside purely from the raw power he held over her. The nurse had never been with a man like that before. He didn’t play games or pretend to be someone he wasn’t just to get in her pants. What they had experienced was pure desire. She knew it would be addictive.

The ringing phone startled Natasha out of her thoughts. “It’s John.” His voice sounded flat, and he didn’t say her name. Natasha wondered if he had heard the rumors about their supposed affair going around the workplace. She felt flattered that he would take the effort to try and dispel them. He could have easily benefited from the hearsay and made himself sound like quite the ladie’s man. “I’m calling to let you know I finally picked up the tools I need to finish installing your television.”

“That’s great! When do you think you can come over?” Instantly, nervousness had her on the edge once again. She didn’t need any coffee to get the jitters.

John sighed. “I was thinking tonight if you’re available. I need to get this job done so I won’t have it hanging over my head anymore. Do you know what I mean?”

Unfortunately, Natasha knew exactly what he meant. It was impossible for her to think about anything else. She wanted to know what would happen when Fury received the upgrade. Would he remember his former life, possibly including a wife or other love interest, and set off into the world to find himself? Would he suddenly understand the power of fucking? Or would he be disgusted with himself for taking advantage of her?

Perhaps he would be one of those unfortunate cyborgs who were unable to handle the upgrade. What would Natasha do then? She didn’t want to terminate him, especially since that meant coming clean about everything. Only the skeletal remains of the Cyborg Sector, kept in place purely to monitor the integration of the soldiers, was capable of eliminating a cyborg.

John showed up shortly after Natasha arrived home. He looked beaten down. His mouth had a grim set to it. He had circles under his eyes, and his shoulders seemed to slump a little. Even his hair reflected his mood, with several pieces sticking up randomly.

“Are you all right?” Natasha asked nervously. “You’ve looked better.”

“I am exhausted,” John admitted. “This project has kept me up every night since I found out about it. I’ve been doing research all the time, looking over the files from your father’s computer, and imagining all the possibilities. I think it’s killing me.”

Natasha nodded sympathetically. “I know. I’m sorry. I should never have dragged you into this.”

He waved her off as he entered and shut the door behind him, taking the liberty of locking it as well. “Don’t worry about it. You had to talk to someone, and I’m glad that when you needed someone, you chose me.” He gave her a feeble smile that made her heart warm.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, ready to get down to business. If Fury stayed in the basement any longer, they were both going to lose their jobs, either because they got caught stealing medical equipment or because they fell asleep at their desks.

John pulled out a small flash drive and a bunch of other electronic equipment. He stepped into the kitchen and spread everything out on the dining table. “I think I have the right software now for the upgrade. It’s a little risky, but it should be a close enough match to work.”

“What do you mean when you say ‘match’? Don’t the cyborgs all have the same operating system?”

The tech shook his head. “Not anymore. Blue Squad’s original upgrade was a blanket improvement to their systems. They all got the same package, and each one reacted differently to it. Some of them only became confused, but there was at least one that we know of who went out of control. We’ve made some advances since then. We customize the software for each cyborg. Didn’t you ever wonder why it took so long to get every cyborg through the release program and out into the world?”

“That doesn’t make sense to me. Why do we change everything for each cyborg?” Natasha glanced over the items John brought with him. “If they all have the same operating system, everyone should be the same.” Natasha’s only point of reference was her usage of regular computers, not the biological ones implanted into cyborg’s heads. She had been hired for her nursing skills more than her technical knowledge.

“It’s complicated. Remember, Fury has a different chip because of his internal cybernetic organs, and that’s only scratching the surface of what makes each soldier different. We’re talking about a union between humans and computers. Differences are inevitable, and they make the upgrade process unpredictable.” John laughed a little as he pushed up his glasses. “It’s a hard thing for any scientist to handle, but at the same time it’s an intriguing problem.”

“Are you telling me you programmed an entirely separate upgrade for Fury?” Natasha had not realized what she was asking of John. She thought all he had to do was borrow a few things from Cyborg Sector. The Cyborg Rehabilitation Center was unlikely to notice a couple of missing syringes, but stealing custom software felt like corporate espionage.

“I wish I had. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to modify the upgrade without profiling the cyborg first. If Fury were still at Cyborg Sector and following the release process, I could make something precisely for him. I had to use what I could find. I sifted through existing profiles until I found one that looked close to his. I downloaded the software for the other cyborg and put it on this flash drive.” He stared down at the pile of junk on the table. “I could only account for his cybernetic implants. There’s nothing I can do about individual genetics. We have to hope it will be close enough to work.”

“Let’s find out.”

The two of them descended into the basement laboratory. Fury stood in his cell, inactive and unaware of their presence. A tingling sensation arose between Natasha’s legs and in her breasts as she once again remembered what they had done the other night on the concrete floor. She wondered if she should have told John. Surely a cyborg with sexual urges was something of note.

Natasha decided to keep her mouth shut.

John moved purposefully about the lab, first plugging the flash drive into the laptop. He connected one cable to the back of the computer and put the other end into a converter, finally attaching another piece to the exterior of the cyborg’s box. John didn’t speak as he worked, focusing on the task in front of him. His glasses showed the reflection from the computer screen, turning his eyes into bright squares.

Natasha tried to prevent herself from staring over his shoulder, but there was nothing else for her to do but watch. She couldn’t help John with this part of the project. Instead, she meandered around the basement, looking at the labels on stacks of random boxes in the corner and wondering if she could use the vast array of electronic equipment scattered on her father’s workbench.

Finally, John looked up from the laptop. “I think that’s it. If I did everything correctly, he should be downloading the software now.”

The two of them turned to stare at the cyborg. Fury’s eyes were still closed, but they twitched visibly as the new programming made its way into his biochip. Muscle spasms appeared on Fury’s face and worked their way down his body.

“Is that supposed to happen?”

John held his fist to his lips as he watched. “I don’t think so,” he replied quietly.

“Well, then stop it!” Natasha surprised herself with her vehemence. She looked at the computer screen, hoping she would see an abort button.

The tech pushed her gently away from it. “Don’t touch it! If you stop the upgrade process midstream, we don’t know what the effects will be. He might have problems with the upgrade, but you could kill him instantly if you touch anything now.”

Biting her lip, Natasha backed away. She couldn’t avoid looking at the soldier once again. Fury’s entire body was shaking and every muscle in his ripped body convulsed and shuddered. His eyes flew open, pain and fear visible in their blue depths. Fury smashed his arms against the side of the box, gritting his teeth.

“We’re hurting him!” Natasha protested, desperate for the procedure to be complete.

John backed away from the holding cell without moving toward the computer. “All we can do is wait. Everything is up to Fury now.”

“Do you think he will remember any of this?” The nurse hoped that Fury’s inactive state would prevent his mind from being damaged.

“Most likely,” John admitted. “It’s just like if one of us went through a painful experience. Our brains would block out some of it later to protect our sanity, but we would still know something hurt.” He was shouting now. The cyborg repeatedly pounded against the side of the box with his fists. Fury had bloodied his knuckles, and streaks of red dripped down the interior walls of the cell.

The spasms continued, racking the cyborg’s body. Fury’s shoulder muscles now bucked against the back of the box as his fists pummeled the front. A crack ran through the wall, threatening the integrity of the box. Fury roared, but the sound was different than the other night. He was not exulting in the body of a woman he was about to bury himself inside. This noise was full of pain and anger. The blue in his eyes looked electric.

Without warning, the process finished. Fury’s body relaxed and he slumped against the side of the glass. He began to breathe slowly, trying to recuperate from the nasty experience. He glared at the two watching humans.

“What do we do now?” Natasha whispered. Her voice seemed horrifically loud in the sudden silence that had descended over the room.

“I think it would be best if we gave him a tranquilizer,” John advised. “That will let his body adjust to his new brain wave patterns. It takes time for the upgrade to start rebuilding the neural network.” He changed the tubes on the cyborg’s life support system and injected a sedative.

“You’ve thought of everything,” Natasha marveled.

John started to pull apart the small cables and put them back in the black tool bag he had brought. “If you don’t plan everything out ahead of time, you’ll fail.”

“Well, I’m still impressed. Why don’t you come upstairs for a drink?”

When they were seated at the kitchen table, each holding a beer, Natasha sat back and sighed. “This has got to be the strangest week ever.”

John set his drink down and picked at the label on the bottle. A small smile played on his lips. “I think that’s safe to say. From my point of view, it’s been incredible. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in just a few days. And now I’m sitting down and having a beer with a gorgeous woman.”

Natasha felt her cheeks grow hot as she blushed. “Oh, stop.”

“I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. You’re beautiful, funny, and smart. Any man would be an idiot not to want you.” John’s gray eyes burned as he spoke. The only thing separating them was the corner of the table. The more he talked, the less space there seemed to be between them. “I would have stolen from the company and worked with an illegal cyborg a million times over for you.”

Natasha met John’s gaze, both flattered and terrified at the same time. It had been years since she had considered a man other than Nick as something more than a friend. The nurse didn’t quite know how to take the compliment. She enjoyed spending time with John…but she wasn’t sure what she felt.

She was about to confess her confusion when John leaned forward and kissed her boldly. Natasha relaxed into the kiss, giving him a chance to sweep her off her feet. She didn’t want Nick, and John was a good guy. His mouth was gentle and eager. She could taste the remnants of her drink on his breath. She’d had worse, by a long shot. But as he brought his hands up to cup the back of her head, Natasha felt herself pulling away.

“I’m sorry, John. I don’t think I feel that way about you.” She kept her focus on the weathered wooden surface of the dining table, not wanting to see the disappointment she knew lurked in his eyes. “You’re very sweet.”

“It’s all right. You don’t have to explain anything.” John slumped back into the chair and took another slug of beer.

Natasha felt relieved. She wondered if the tech could understand that there wasn’t anything wrong with him, but the problem was that her heart was fixated on Fury. It was illicit and would never work out, but she didn’t want to string John along.

The two of them sat in a deeper, more oppressive silence, mutually agreeing to let the moment pass. Soon enough, their conversation turned again to the cyborg in the basement.