The Exchange Part 1 by N. Isabelle Blanco Page A

good. Holy shit, I’m going
     to come so fucking hard just from dry-humping this girl. I undulate harder against
     her, wrapping her in my arms. Right there. Right fucking there —
    Integration complete. Rest period initiated.
    Say what? I break my kiss with her and open my eyes—the room spins again. Faster than
     before.
    Suddenly, I’m exhausted , my eyes fighting to stay open.
    “Deimos?”
    I try to open my mouth and say her name. Nothing. The strength in my upper body is gone. I fall back onto the bed,
     dimly aware that Sapphire is still above me. Wait. I try to shake my head and fail. What’s happening?
    “Oh God,” Sapphire groans on top of me. “I forgot to reprogram them not to do that.”
    The nanobots? They’re causing this? Dangerous!
    “I’m sorry.” She cups my face in her shaking hands. “It’ll only be while your body
     and the bots do some last minute healing.”
    I’m fucking pissed! Too tired to show it, or even process it, but those microscopic
     motherfuckers are doing this to me. They’re knocking me out without my permission!
    Getting rid of them later. Don’t care , I think, fighting to stay awake.
    Sapphire moves off me. Blindly, I reach out to her.
    She grabs my hand and lays it next to me. “Shh. It’s okay. Just rest.”
    No, it’s not okay. She is not okay, and I haven’t forgotten that. I can’t leave her alone—

 
     
     
     

     
     
     
    REST PERIOD ENDED.
    Sapphire.
    My eyes fly open. A report slides across my vision; a breakdown of how bad the damage
     had been and what was done to fix it.
    I don’t spare it a single thought. Don’t care about any of that right now. I look
     around the darkened motel room.
    The empty room.
    Panic. It’s such an unfamiliar emotion to me.
    I hate it.
    The fear has me shooting upright, my head whipping side to side. My heart beats like
     a stampeding elephant.
    I’m fucking frantic.
    Where is she?
    Right as I’m about to lose my shit, I pick up the sound of running water coming from
     the bathroom.
    Relief weakens me, brings back the vestiges of exhaustion in my body. I banish it
     to the back of my mind. Sapphire first; exhaustion later. Throwing back the covers, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and get to my feet. It quickly
     becomes an exercise in patience.
    And hate.
    My free-will is one of the things I value most in this world. It’s been stolen by
     these intrusive fucking nanobots.
    Either they have the ability to drug me, or worse, they can control my sleep patterns.
     Either way, it infuriates me that I was knocked out without so much as a warning.
    Letting me know half-a-second before it happens does not fucking count.
    And I had left Sapphire with her nervous system acting up. Hyper-aroused. Alone.
    As I all but stumble the few feet to the bathroom door, sleep is on my heels, calling
     me. Trying to lure me back. Laughing and making my head spin when I refuse to listen.
    Dr . Allen is a dangerous individual. Yes he is. His creations are nothing short of deadly.
    Sapphire included.
    Case in point: my current predicament.
    I make it to the door and lean on the frame for support. The water shuts off. I knock
     on the door a lot harder than I intend to.
    “Deimos?”
    My knees go watery at the sound of her voice. I don’t know what I expected to find.
     Her, unconscious perhaps, but knowing she’s awake relaxes some of the tension in me.
    Hands tight around the doorframe, I raise my head enough to lock eyes with the door.
     My voice is shot to shit but it doesn’t stop me from demanding, “Get out here Sapphire. Now .” There’s no patience to word it in nicer terms, only an anxious urge to lay eyes
     on her.
    I love that she doesn’t hesitate, that she rushes to open the door for me, because
     right now I need it.
    A whoosh of air leaves me as I drink her in. Yeah, definitely needed this.
    And there’s something we both need more.
    I do a quick catalog of her state—the still dilated pupils, the