Rafaroy returned after they had gone to bed. Elena heard him pacing the beach in front of the shelter for a few minutes before he went to where Zandar was sleeping and woke him up.
“What’s going on?” the other man grumbled.
“Is there anything on the vessel we could use to scan a human body?” he asked his friend, ignoring his protests.
“What do you mean? Like look for a broken bone or something?” fully awake, Zandar got up and faced his friend.
“Yes, something like that.”
“I guess there is… the same scan we use to look for enemies inside thick structures.”
“Could we use it to scan Elena?”
Zandar frowned. “Why the hell would you want to do that?” he asked, looking at Rafaroy as if he had lost his mind.
“I have reasons to believe she’s pregnant…by me,” Rafaroy replied miserably.
Zandar’s expression went from delight to terror. “Are you sure? Cyborgs aren’t supposed to be able to breed,” he asked, sounding horrified.
Too upset with the men’s reactions to her possible pregnancy, Elena jumped out of bed and walked to where they were standing.
“Listen, I understand you’re not happy with the possibility, but there’s no reason for you to show your horror to my little sister. She wouldn’t understand it, so why don’t you take this conversation somewhere else?” she ranted, through gritted teeth.
With a desperate look on his face, Rafaroy grabbed her by the arm and took her out of the shelter, next to where they had landed the vessel. Zandar followed them.
“You have no idea what this implies, Elena,” he said, rubbing his face with his hand. “All the women the doctors used as a human incubators for cyborgs died before giving birth to the babies. Apparently, a cyborg baby is too demanding for a woman’s body, and it drains her completely. None of the women survived,” he explained. “If you’re pregnant by me, that’s exactly what will happen to you.”
For a moment, she was unable to utter a single word. “You can’t know that for sure,” she protested.
“I’m not willing to take the risk, damn it,” he shouted, closing the distance between them and taking her in his arms. “I can’t lose you, not now that I’ve found you, don’t you understand that?”
She was so surprised with his confession, she wasn’t able to utter a single word for a few moments. “You won’t lose me…” she assured him.
“Yes, I will… if you’re pregnant, then I will… I will lose you and the baby…”
She cupped his face and pulled him closer, grazing her lips over his. “Have a bit more faith… if I’m pregnant, then this baby was conceived against all the odds. It’s a special baby, and it won’t kill me, I’m sure of that.”
“Why don’t we check instead of making suppositions?” Zandar said, after clearing his throat, feeling the couple had forgotten he was still there. “Let’s scan her body, and once we have proofs, we’ll be able to make better decisions.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to scan her?” Rafaroy asked, turning to look at his friend.
“If the baby has bones, then yes, we’ll be able to see it. It’s not a medical scan, but I’m sure we’ll be able to know either she’s pregnant or not,” Zandar explained.
“Let’s do it then.”
“Will this harm the baby in any way?” she asked, stopping Rafaroy.
“No, not at all. These rays won’t harm any of you,” Zandar assured her.
“Very well then.”
“Please, stay here. You won’t feel a thing,” he promised, entering the vessel.
Rafaroy stood beside her.
A few moments later, Zandar called them to the vessel. And there, displayed on a huge screen, she saw the first image of her baby. She was pregnant.
“There’s no doubt, you’re expecting a baby,” Zandar confirmed it.
Rafaroy turned to look at her, one step from losing his mind. “You have to end it.”
“No… I could never do such a thing…” she murmured, taking a step away from him.
“It will kill you… we’re on a desert island with no medical assistance, and we can’t get you to a hospital in case of an emergency. You’ll die.” There was so much desperation in his tone, her eyes filled with tears.
“You don’t know that. You thought it was impossible for me to get pregnant and yet, I am… this is a miracle, don’t you see it?” she said, trying to convince him. “The nanocybots inside me allowed this to happen. They will also make sure I’m alright during the whole process.”
“You’re not alright. You already look tired, and you felt dizzy back there, on the beach…” he pointed out, still far from accepting her refusal to have an abortion.
“Those are natural things on a pregnant woman… Rafaroy, I can do this alone, if it comes to it, but I need you at my side. I need you with me, our baby needs us,” she pleaded.
He shook his head, still too anguished to even accept the possibility of losing her. In just a few days, she had become the center of his universe. He didn’t quite understand why he felt that way about her, but he had no doubt. He didn’t want to live without her.
“We’ll be here for her, Rafaroy and if things get too complicated, we can take her to see a doctor. There must be someone willing to help us around here,” Zandar said, trying to help his friend.
Rafaroy hid his face behind his hands for a few seconds. “We need to get in touch with Arcadia,” he said, with a determined tone. “You have to go meet the Taucets and ask them to contact them for us.”
“This is not the moment for that, Rafaroy. We only have enough fuel to get to Australia. If they refuse to help me, I’ll be stranded there, and you’ll have no way off the island,” Zandar pointed out in a conciliatory tone. “I think we should save the fuel for an emergency. I’ll keep working on the transmitter. I still have a few ideas that might work.”
“This is insane, you know that?” Rafaroy said, still feeling desperate. He was a man of action. Waiting to see what happens was not his modus operandi.
She gave him a faint smile, as she put her hands over her slightly swollen belly. “This is our baby, Rafaroy… our little miracle. How could I possibly give up on him?”
He crossed the distance between them and held her in his arms. “I know… I know… I’m just too afraid of losing you…”
His words warmed her heart so much she almost melted in his arms. “It won’t happen, you’ll never lose me, I’ll always be there for you,” she assured him.
He nodded, but she could tell he was still afraid. They returned to the shelter and tried to get some rest, but it was impossible.
Life on the small island changed completely. Rafaroy didn’t let Elena do much, and he used to spend hours looking for the best vegetables and fruits for her, along with the fish and meat he could get.
In two months, her belly was so big she looked seven months pregnant. Rafaroy explained to her cyborg babies developed a lot faster than a human baby.
“I guess that’s because of the nanocybots on his DNA, they work faster to develop the babies’ organs. The fact is a cyborg fetus develops in just four months,” he explained.
“We need to scan my body again, Rafaroy,” she asked him, looking at her huge belly. “If I still have one month to go, then it will be impossible for me to deliver this baby. There’s no way it will go through the birth canal.”
He paled. “I told you this was a bad idea. We have no means to perform a safe C-section here. You’ll bleed to death,” he grumbled, seeing his worst nightmares coming to life.
“Please, let’s not jump to conclusions,” she begged him, cupping his face. They were sitting on the beach watching the sunset.
“You know I’m right,” he protested.
“Where’s the nearest town? Do we have fuel to get there and come back?” she asked, ignoring his words.
“Yes, we do… the nearest town is on a nearby island.”
“I’m sure they have hospitals there. When the time comes, you’ll take me there, and I’ll go to the hospital,” she suggested.
“They would realize the baby is a cyborg and they wouldn’t allow you to leave. They have been trying to breed cyborgs ever since they developed this technology. You’re the answer to their prayers. I can’t let you near them. We have to find another way,” he explained, sounding stressed.
She stayed in silence for a few moments, trying to find a solution to their predicament. “What do we need to make the transmitter work?” she asked.
“A few small pieces we could get in any hardware store.”
“But we don’t have means to buy it.”
“No, but there’s bauxite in this island. Anyone would trade what we need for it,” he explained.
“Why would anyone want bauxite?”
“With the war, aluminum is scarce.”
“Oh, of course… they’ll want to know where I found it…” she said, considering the possibilities.
“You? You’re not going anywhere,” he rejected the idea, sharply.
“It’s our only chance of getting out of here in time for me to have this baby, Rafaroy,” she pointed out in a firm tone. “I’m the only person able to go into a town without raising any suspicions. The code bar from my neck is long gone, and I’m pregnant. People will be sympathetic towards me, especially when I tell them I live on a remote area and that I need the pieces to fix our transmitter,” she added, with a naughty smile, “you know, to call the ambulance when the time comes. It’s the perfect story.”
“It’s too dangerous,” he insisted.
“It’s the only way. I thought you wanted me to be alright.”
“Of course, I do, but…”
“This is the only way. We need to get to Arcadia before it’s time or I won’t be able to keep my word with you…” she said, in a stern tone. “There’s no way I can deliver this baby now… much less in a month,” she added, her worry evident in her tone.
He gasped and turned to look at her. “It’s too dangerous…” he insisted.
“I know, but it’s the only way.”
He stayed in silence for a few moments before he finally nodded, accepting her suggestion. “We’ll go find the rocks as soon as the sun comes up. We’ll go to the nearest town, and you’ll trade the bauxite for the pieces we need, and you’ll get out of there as fast as possible.”