Kingston 691: Book Two of Cyborgs: Mankind Redefined by Donna McDonald
Authors: Donna McDonald
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you have time to wait on Seetha to return. I’ll make us some iced tea. I remember exactly how you like it.”
King touched Annalise’s arm as she turned to leave. “Is there something wrong? Your body is exhibiting multiple stress indicators.”
Annalise couldn’t help it. She snorted over his comments. “You know, I haven’t heard you talk like a cyborg in a long time, Kingston. I can’t say as I missed your cybernetic observations either. A woman has a right to keep some thoughts to herself. How about I just say I’m fine and you don’t have to worry about me? Does that make you feel better?”
Chastised for doing the very thing Peyton had warned him against, King removed his hand. “Sorry. Old habits. I didn’t mean to intrude on your reactions to things.”
Annalise laughed. “Of course you didn’t. Go into the Florida room and have a seat. It’s a couple rooms in that direction in case you don’t remember. I’ll be right there with our tea.”
King nodded and let Annalise go this time without saying anything more. He wandered through the house trying to remember how it had felt to live there. Recollections of it were absent. They had been wiped away when Doc removed the husband chip. He could only access minor details about his surroundings from what was stored in Annalise’s files. He did discover what he needed though. The Florida room was seventeen steps through the arched doorway he’d seen from the domicile entrance.
Just as Doc had explained, there was no sensory information attached to the knowledge he had about Annalise or her home. He was neither emotionally saddened by his lack of memories nor did he think he was made better by their absence. His human side routinely shrugged off all his musings about such things as being no big deal. Yet at the same time there was an emptiness in his gut which defied his understanding…and for which he could find no physiological cause.
As he walked, he found himself wishing for more data than just what he’d accumulated in previous visits. He took a seat in the room and found himself wondering what it would feel like to actually feel at home here.
His gaze raised to the woman who appeared in the doorway carrying a tray with drinks. Annalise sighed as she walked in and saw him sitting in the biggest chair in the room. Choosing the giant chair had seemed the most logical option. The chair was the single piece of furniture in the room he calculated as best capable of supporting his size and weight.
King frowned as he read multiple indicators of stress again on Annalise. Her adrenaline was spiked. Her heartbeat was rapid. Her breathing was shallow and ragged. He tried not to say anything, but found restraint impossible once more.
“Does my presence in your home bother you, Annalise? Would you rather I stopped coming by?”
“No—I definitely do not wish that,” Annalise said firmly. “If you must know, I’m wishing things were like they used to be when you and Seetha were still together. Seeing you sitting in your chair brings back many good memories. Seetha went with me specifically to buy you that monster chair which fits you so well. Memories of our shopping trip are as clear to me right now as what I had for yesterday’s lunch. I can’t help wishing the new version of you could morph into the old version of you we lost. You’ll just have to be patient with me until I get used to the impossibility of it happening.”
She set King’s glass of tea on the coaster still in the same place it had always been on the table beside the chair he used to use regularly. Material possessions could stay the absolute same forever and a day, but unfortunately the people who used them always changed. If you wanted to be philosophical about it, you could say change was probably the best and the worst part of being a one hundred percent organic creature.
Annalise sighed at the blankness on Kingston’s face as she put the serving tray on the coffee table
King touched Annalise’s arm as she turned to leave. “Is there something wrong? Your body is exhibiting multiple stress indicators.”
Annalise couldn’t help it. She snorted over his comments. “You know, I haven’t heard you talk like a cyborg in a long time, Kingston. I can’t say as I missed your cybernetic observations either. A woman has a right to keep some thoughts to herself. How about I just say I’m fine and you don’t have to worry about me? Does that make you feel better?”
Chastised for doing the very thing Peyton had warned him against, King removed his hand. “Sorry. Old habits. I didn’t mean to intrude on your reactions to things.”
Annalise laughed. “Of course you didn’t. Go into the Florida room and have a seat. It’s a couple rooms in that direction in case you don’t remember. I’ll be right there with our tea.”
King nodded and let Annalise go this time without saying anything more. He wandered through the house trying to remember how it had felt to live there. Recollections of it were absent. They had been wiped away when Doc removed the husband chip. He could only access minor details about his surroundings from what was stored in Annalise’s files. He did discover what he needed though. The Florida room was seventeen steps through the arched doorway he’d seen from the domicile entrance.
Just as Doc had explained, there was no sensory information attached to the knowledge he had about Annalise or her home. He was neither emotionally saddened by his lack of memories nor did he think he was made better by their absence. His human side routinely shrugged off all his musings about such things as being no big deal. Yet at the same time there was an emptiness in his gut which defied his understanding…and for which he could find no physiological cause.
As he walked, he found himself wishing for more data than just what he’d accumulated in previous visits. He took a seat in the room and found himself wondering what it would feel like to actually feel at home here.
His gaze raised to the woman who appeared in the doorway carrying a tray with drinks. Annalise sighed as she walked in and saw him sitting in the biggest chair in the room. Choosing the giant chair had seemed the most logical option. The chair was the single piece of furniture in the room he calculated as best capable of supporting his size and weight.
King frowned as he read multiple indicators of stress again on Annalise. Her adrenaline was spiked. Her heartbeat was rapid. Her breathing was shallow and ragged. He tried not to say anything, but found restraint impossible once more.
“Does my presence in your home bother you, Annalise? Would you rather I stopped coming by?”
“No—I definitely do not wish that,” Annalise said firmly. “If you must know, I’m wishing things were like they used to be when you and Seetha were still together. Seeing you sitting in your chair brings back many good memories. Seetha went with me specifically to buy you that monster chair which fits you so well. Memories of our shopping trip are as clear to me right now as what I had for yesterday’s lunch. I can’t help wishing the new version of you could morph into the old version of you we lost. You’ll just have to be patient with me until I get used to the impossibility of it happening.”
She set King’s glass of tea on the coaster still in the same place it had always been on the table beside the chair he used to use regularly. Material possessions could stay the absolute same forever and a day, but unfortunately the people who used them always changed. If you wanted to be philosophical about it, you could say change was probably the best and the worst part of being a one hundred percent organic creature.
Annalise sighed at the blankness on Kingston’s face as she put the serving tray on the coffee table
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