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At last, he nodded, as though understanding her.

Corinne expected him to lean down to her.

Instead , he surprised her by dropping to one knee.

He was so much taller that they were still almost eye-to-eye, even with her standing and him kneeling.

He was still giving her that skeptical look, though, as if he was saying, Look , lady— I’ll give you a chance but you’d better not fuck it up.

Which was exactly what she was trying not to do.

“All right—good.”

Corinne nodded encouragingly and lifted the Linking star so he could see it more closely. The outer rays were made of pure, conductive gold and the inner jewel was still dark. It wouldn’t light up until it was attached to him.

“Now, I’m going to put this on you? All right?” she said to the Cyborg .

She tapped his temple with her free hand and raised her eyebrows.

Many of the male Handlers treated the Cyborgs as though they were stupid or children.

But Corinne had never believed in acting like that.

Good Handling skills were ninety-nine percent communication.

She never talked down to the Units she worked with.

Her gentle but firm approach seemed to work. The Rogue Unit studied her for a long moment, his eyes holding hers. There was still fear and anger in them—uncertainty and loss fighting with confusion. Corinne returned his gaze steadily.

“I’m not going to hurt you— I just want to talk to you,” she said clearly. Even if he couldn’t understand her words, she hoped her meaning would come through.

At last, it seemed to work. He nodded his head and then turned it so she could easily access his temple.

“Good. That’s good.”

Carefully, Corinne pressed the second Linking star into place. He flinched slightly—probably when he felt the points of the star piercing his skin—but she cupped his jaw and looked into his eyes.

“It’s all right, big guy—it’s going to be all right,” she reassured him. “ In just a minute we’ll be able to understand each other.”

But it wasn’t just language they would share.

With the Linking Stars in place and a Neural Link established, Corinne would be able to feel his emotions and even occasionally catch glimpses of his thoughts.

Though of course, that would only happen if they had an exceptionally strong Link .

She didn’t know if that was possible with such an old Unit .

Of course, the connection went both ways, but most Cyborgs were too mind-wiped to care about digging into their Handler’s personal thoughts and feelings.

The Neural Link simply made them easier to control because calming emotions and thoughts could be poured into their empty minds like clear water filling a glass.

But when the Link established itself, Corinne was surprised—she didn’t find an empty void. Instead , there was another mind there—an alive, engaged one. An angry one.

She’d been right—the K - Unit thought he was in danger. He’d been fighting for his life—trying to escape and get back to his ship, which he seemed to think was waiting somewhere for him.

“There’s no ship and you’re in no danger here,” she said and thought at him at the same time. “ It’s all right now—everything is going to be all right.”

She felt a sense of skepticism from him—as though he wasn’t sure he believed her.

“I won’t lie to you.” She looked steadily into his eyes. “ You’ve been in Stasis for a long time—hundreds of years. There’s no ship waiting. The people you knew in the past are gone. I’m sorry— I know that’s hard to hear.”

She hoped he was understanding her—and believing her.

He searched her eyes with his own and she could feel him pushing on the Link , as though he was looking for verification.

Oh yes, he was completely different from the modern Cyborgs she was used to working with.

She’d never met a Unit who tried anything like this.

Still, he needed to know she was telling the truth. Reluctantly , she dropped her carefully cultivated mental barriers long enough to let him in…just a little. She felt him probing again and then his eyes widened.

“You…speak the truth.” This time his deep, hoarse voice came out in Standard —the universal language spoken all across the system. Good , the Link was doing its job.

“I do.” Corinne nodded gravely. Through the Link , she could feel his skepticism melting. But there was still a stubborn core of anger and distrust in him.

I need to comfort him—to calm him down.

Gingerly, she put a hand on one of his broad shoulders. His whole big body was trembling with tension—the Neural Overload he’d experienced had traumatized him, even if he didn’t want to admit it. She felt a rush of pity that overcame any fear she might have had of the huge, deadly K -unit.

“It’s all right now—there’s no danger here,” she reassured him. “ Calm …be calm.” She pushed calming emotions at him through the Link , trying to project a feeling of home and safety. “ You’re going to be okay. I won’t leave you. I promise.”

Her words seemed to have an effect because some of his anger and suspicion seemed to melt.

“I am calm,” he stated in that deep voice of his.

“I feel that you are. Good .”

She found herself staring into his pale blue eyes. The irises were ringed in black, giving his gaze an intensity she’d never seen before. His cheekbones were high and he had a knife-blade nose and full, lush lips. His eyelashes were surprisingly long for a male’s.

He was quite handsome, she thought, in an old-fashioned kind of way. These days most people had body-mods or permanent facial tattoos or cloned parts—whatever was the latest fashion. The K - Unit’s features were classic and despite his cybernetic parts, he looked mostly unmodified.

“There is…no danger here?” He lifted his eyebrows.

“No danger,” Corinne assured him. She took a chance and stroked the shaggy dark hair away from his face gently, surprised at how much she wanted to touch him. She’d never had a Linking like this, but then, she had been a supervisor, not a Handler , for years.

The K - Unit allowed her touch without complaint. He cleared his throat.

“What…is this place?”

“You’re on a science station located in an asteroid orbiting the Inner Rings of Saturn ,” she told him.

“ We’re a research facility. Nobody’s going to hurt you here.

I won’t let them.” She pushed peace and calm and protection through their Neural Link .

“ It’s all right, K - Unit . You’re safe—you can relax. ”

He didn’t relax fully but his broad shoulders lowered a few inches and the furrows in his forehead smoothed out. He remained kneeling in front of her and put one of his massive hands over hers. It was surprisingly warm despite the metal overlay.

“You are…very kind. And very beautiful… Mistress ,” he rumbled. “ You are an Elite —the Goddess must have sent you to guide me.”

Corinne’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She’d never gotten a compliment from a Cyborg before…

and she’d never had one stare at her with such intensity either.

He was looking at her like she was the only person in the whole universe.

It made her a little uncomfortable but she continued to meet his gaze.

“Well, um…” She cleared her throat. “ That’s very kind of you to say, K - Unit .”

“I am K - L -one- X ,” he told her. He pointed at a tattoo she hadn’t noticed before, high on his right pectoral. Sure enough it read “ K - L1X .”

“I see. And what does that stand for?” Corinne asked him.

His brow furrowed for a moment and she could feel him searching for the answer through their Link .

“Kindred… Lethality One … Experimental ,” he said at last. “ I was…the first one of my kind.” He looked around. “ Unless there are others now?”

“We do have other Cyborg Units here, but none of them are quite like you,” Corinne assured him. “ Look , K - L -one- X is kind of a mouthful. How about if I call you K -lx for short?” She pronounced it “ Kay -lex,” hoping he would like the new name.

The Rogue K - Unit seemed to think for a minute, then nodded.

“Very well. I will accept this designation from you, Mistress . I am K -lx.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘ Mistress ’—my name is Corinne ,” she said. “ Dr . Corinne Virelle . I’m a scientist here on the station. I? —”

“You’re nothing but a cleaning tech!”

Dr. Silas Drex chose this moment to come scrambling out from under the desk he’d been cowering under. His narrow face was drawn and pinched and his nostrils were flared as he glared at Corinne and the K - Unit .

“Silas. So nice of you to join us,” she said dryly. “ And you’re welcome— I’m sure you were about to thank me for saving your life.”

“Look at you—what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “ Fondling that thing. It trashed the lab and killed two techs and you’re petting it like it’s your new cyber-puppy!”

“I think I’m saving your ass,” Corrine snapped, but she pulled her hand away from the Cyborg’s face, feeling a rush of guilt.

It was true—the first rule of being a Cyborg Handler was not to get too close physically with the Unit you were Handling .

It was dangerous and could also lead to abuse.

She didn’t know why she felt the urge to touch the big K - Unit .

“That thing is a killer!” Silas snarled, glaring at K -lx.

“K-lx wouldn’t have gone Rogue if you’d brought him out of Stasis properly and gradually. You’re the reason he trashed the lab and those two deaths can be laid at your door!” She nodded at the dead techs.

Silas puffed himself up, his face going red with rage.

“How dare you speak that way to me, Virelle ? I outrank you—or have you forgotten? I’ll have you arrested and thrown in the brig! I’ll? —”

In a flash, K -lx was on his feet and glaring down at the angry scientist.

“Are you threatening my Mistress ?” he growled, his eyes narrowing. “ She is mine to protect! If you come near her, you will die!”

Silas paled and took a step back, nearly stumbling over the body of one of the dead techs.

Clearly he had thought the big K - Unit was completely docile or he wouldn’t have dared to speak so rudely to Corinne .

He hadn’t expected this flash of self-will from a Linked Cyborg . To be honest, neither had Corinne .

“I…you…you can’t keep him!” Silas snarled at her. “ I’ll speak to the Company —the Chairman will have him destroyed!”

“You and I both know the Company never destroys anything of value!” she shot back. Taking a step forward, she put herself between the huge Cyborg and the angry scientist. “ No doubt K -lx has a wealth of knowledge from the dawn of Cybernetics in his memories. They won’t let you touch him!”

“You can’t just have him!” Silas argued. “ You’re not a Handler !”

“Now I am,” Corinne said calmly. “ K -lx is under my protection. And if you have something to say about that, you can send a report to the Company Chairman . That’s what I’ll be doing,” she added.

Then she looked up at the huge Cyborg , who was watching the back-and-forth between her and Silas with a tense expression on his face.

“ Come , K -lx—let’s get you cleaned up. ”

The big K - Unit seemed willing to go with her, but he wasn’t quite finished with Silas yet. He pointed one metal finger at the scientist’s narrow face.

“Don’t ever threaten my Mistress again,” he rumbled. “ Or you’re going to be fucking sorry!”

Then, to her surprise, he bent and swept Corinne into his arms.

“Oh!” she gasped, as he lifted her like she weighed no more than a pillow. “ K -lx, you don’t have to do this. Put me down!”

“Negative. The human male poses a threat. I will keep you safe in my arms,” was his implacable reply.

Corinne thought about protesting further…but that would only make her look weak and Silas was watching them with his weasely little eyes.

“Fine,” she said at last. “ You can carry me to my quarters. They’re at the end of the hall and down two flights.”

“Very well, Mistress .” K -lx carried her to the door of the lab. Jose must have been following their exchange, because it slid open smoothly to let them out.

Despite the fact that she was being carried like a child by the huge K - Unit , Corinne kept her head held high—it was important to project confidence, especially in a lab full of male scientists with big egos. But inside, her stomach was churning.

She had just acquired a new and very dangerous Cyborg Unit and she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do with him.