Page 13 of Cyborg's Tether
As the tension mounted, his attention flickered again. The way Amaya’s brow gathered in thought and the intensity in her gaze as she stared at the screen pulled at him, stirring anunexpected protectiveness. He hadn’t anticipated how deeply this partnership would affect him. It was no longer just about the mission.
“What do we do now?” she asked, her voice softer as she turned toward him. The proximity made his pulse jump, an odd sensation considering his enhanced physiology. Heat radiated from her, an energy that seemed to heighten his own senses.
“We continue the investigation,” he said, voice firm despite the distraction coursing through him. He met her gaze, and for a second, the mission faded into the background. Her eyes held a flicker of uncertainty and a vulnerability that made something in his chest tighten. “We need to be cautious. If we’re right, and it’s someone within the team, we can’t trust anyone else.”
She nodded with a shadow of fear behind her eyes. “It’s just us then.”
Her words sent a surge through him—something primal and protective. “Yes. We’re more than capable of handling this.”
As she turned back to the console, he was hyper-aware of the smallest details, like the brush of her shoulder against his arm, or the slight rise and fall of her chest with each breath. It was all magnified, overwhelming his finely-tuned systems in ways he hadn’t expected. He forced his focus back to the task at hand, but his mind kept wandering.
They continued their work, diving deeper into the facility’s classified systems. He was impressed by the way she navigated the data with precision and speed. Each discovery brought them closer to the truth, but he couldn’t ignore the growing connection between them. It was more than professional now—something unspoken but real hung in the air.
He found himself stealing glances at her when she wasn’t looking, catching the way her lips pressed together in concentration, or the way she absentmindedly tucked a strand ofhair behind her ear. It was more distracting than it should have been.
Suddenly, her voice pulled him back from his strange thoughts. “I think I’ve found something,” she said, excitement tinging her words. She pointed to a stream of encrypted data. “Look at this—it’s encrypted differently from the rest.”
Xavier’s cybernetic eye whirred as it zoomed in on the data stream. The encryption was more advanced than anything they had seen so far. He leaned closer, absorbing the information. “You’re right. This is far more sophisticated.”
Amaya frowned, her fingers hovering over the console. “It’ll take time to break it,” she said, glancing at him. “And we have to be careful. If we trigger any security protocols, the saboteur could know we’re onto them.”
Xavier nodded, his focus sharpening once more. “We’ll take it slowly.”
As she worked, he studied her profile. There was a fierceness in her that resonated with him—she was relentless, just as he was, but beneath it, he sensed something more vulnerable that she tried hard to keep hidden. It only drew him in more.
And as he stood there beside her, working to unravel the sabotage that had infiltrated their systems, he couldn’t deny the truth any longer. This was more than just a mission now. Amaya had become more than just a colleague or even more than a partner in this investigation. She had become someone he couldn’t ignore, no matter how much he tried.
That realization was as unsettling as it was exhilarating.
Chapter 5—Amaya
ABSORBED IN TRYINGto crack the encryption, a flashing red light on the console caught her attention. She immediately switched gears, moving her fingers across the diagnostic panel and giving it every bit of her attention. The quantum stabilizer’s readouts flashed an angry red, indicating a critical malfunction. She muttered under her breath, running through potential causes in her mind.
Xavier sat beside her and shifted to look at her and the console. “What’s the situation?”
She glanced up, momentarily distracted by the pulsing green energy lines tracing across his dark skin. “The quantum stabilizer is offline. Without it, we can’t continue our investigation into the cyborg malfunctions.” She turned back to the panel, tapping furiously. “I’m trying to isolate the problem, but something’s blocking my access.”
Xavier stepped closer, his cybernetic eye whirring as it focused on the readouts. “Could this be sabotage?”
Amaya hesitated. The thought had crossed her mind, but she’d been hesitant to say it. “It’s very possible. The failure patterns are unusual, but I can’t be certain without more data.”
“Can you bypass the blockage?”
She shook her head, frustrated. “I’ve tried. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. They’ve locked me out of critical systems.”
His expression hardened. “We need to fix this. Now. Every moment we’re delayed puts more cyborgs at risk.”
Her stomach twisted. She took a deep breath, trying to focus. “I might be able to create a workaround, but I’ll need direct access to the stabilizer’s core. It’s dangerous without proper shielding.”
He nodded. “My cybernetic enhancements can withstand the radiation. I’ll assist you.”
Amaya looked up at him, surprised by the offer. She’d grown accustomed to working alone, trusting only her own skills, but time was of the essence, and it was nice to have a partner. “All right,” she said, standing up. “Let’s do this.”
They made their way to the stabilizer’s core chamber, a cavernous room dominated by a pulsing sphere of energy. Amaya had a thrill of worry as she approached the access panel. Even with Xavier’s protection, one wrong move could be catastrophic.
“What do you need me to do?” asked Xavier.
She swallowed hard, pushing aside her nervousness. “I need you to act as a living conduit. Your cybernetic systems can interface directly with the stabilizer. I’ll guide you through the process, but you’ll be our link to the core.”