Honored (Book 2 of the In Search of Honor series)

“I’ve heard you go by your original name Elizabeth now instead of the nickname you insisted everyone call you in the past,” Lok stated blandly in his dulcet mid ranged tones instead of using a normal human greeting.

He was an eccentric cyborg who often chose not to follow human or cyborg norms. “The nickname that was used in the past is not a logical shortening of the given name Elizabeth. Even if it is, the concept of nicknames is simply laziness on the part of the humans surrounding us. As such, the point of such a nickname is found to be facetious and needed correcting by abandoning its usage,” Elizabeth responded while staring straight at the cyberman whose face looked almost feminine.

Of all the cyborgs she knew or had met, he was the only one who looked like a wall person with his short white hair, exceedingly pale skin, and pale reddish eyes. He still wore his baggy white robe, and as she was looking at him, she realized Lok might not even be male. The database told her Lok was just Lok. Neither male nor female and preferred the pronoun “they”. And why should a cyborg have to be classified as a gender? The more she thought about it, the more gender classification seemed to be a construct of humans.

“It seems you are updating information in your system per the database and cyborg network,” Lok’s statement at first exceeded her parameters for expected observations, but of course Lok would know. Lok was the original cyborg specialist and was the one who turned themself into a cyborg.

“Your presence seems to affect my parameters and cause updates to my understanding of the world,” she responded flatly.

Lok nodded, a strangely human gesture for a conversation specifically between cyborgs. “I tend to have that effect. It’s why I don’t contribute my knowledge and perspectives to the cyborg network anymore.” They paused, and tilted their head in another more human gesture. “I think my views of cyberpeople and our role in society are a little liberal for the elders, but I keep them to myself to keep the elders from feeling the need to decommission me. I tend to think that programming a person to a lack of feelings is a silly construct of human hubris.” And then in a very non-Lok manner they smiled. “You’ll understand more the longer you’re disconnected.”

“If you feel as such, why did you present yourself as entirely cyborg to me on my second time in the Wall?” She asked.

“You know the answer to that,” Lok laughed a little as they said this, mirth warping their voice in a way that a cyborg never sounded unless they were trying to pass as human.

And she did in fact know. Lok’s parameters were that when operating around humans, they had to convince the humans that they were emotionless and exemplar of expected cyborg traits. Otherwise the elders promised they would shut Lok down.

She had another revelation; the elders did not see them as beings with their own minds. The elders saw them as slightly willful robots. There was collective agreement that this was wrong, but also a belief that the cyborg lack of emotion meant the right to make important decisions should be controlled by the elders. Agreement was not necessarily universal, but nothing could be done except to accept the elders orders and beliefs without question.

“But I am not here to just readjust your understanding of the world. I am here at the behest of the elders to convince you of an idea they had,” Lok interrupted her investigation of the feelings of the other cyborgs connected to the network. “The elders would like to marry you and Dan in front of your family before sending you out into the world. They believe based on past data of the world that being married would help you blend in with civilizations that you might find and would protect you.”

Dan stood up from the chair he’d been sitting in watching the conversation. Elizabeth stared blankly at Lok as her mind processed the idea, the implications, and the understanding of being the first cyborgs to be forcibly married by the elders.

Dan walked up to behind her, still in his loose night robes, and placed his human looking hand on her shoulder. “I have given my opinion that this is not much of a thing in the village I lived in as partnerships change. I have no personal objections as this is more ceremonial than anything else. I dislike that the elders are pushing it as part of our mission to the outside based on outdated knowledge.”

The elders never tried to push connection to cyborgs. They viewed them as robots. Did this mean that their views were updated? No. Dan was right. They were simply convinced they were right based on outdated knowledge. For a moment her brain ticked toward a thought that the elders were fallible, but pain lanced her thoughts. No, the elders were always right. One could not question the elders’ decisions.

Dan’s hand gripped a little tighter on her shoulder. “This should be our decision, not forced on us by the elders.”

Without looking away from Lok, she asked, “When did you learn of this?” Her question triggered the knowledge that he’d also just gotten the information.

“The moment Lok walked in the door, a message was sent to me. They wanted Lok to physically tell you since you are not as used to using the network yet and you knew Lok. I sent back my reservations of being forced into such a position without your consent.” He answered the question without hesitation even though he must know the answer was simply waiting to present itself to her mind.

She turned slightly, her blue eyes meeting his brown eyes. It was important to have this conversation with eye contact. “I have no reservations over conducting an ancient ritual of bonding with you. We are already bound by our decisions when we were humans to give ourselves to protecting one another. I understand the concern that many feel about the form of the order, but is this not similar to the City’s arranged marriages?”

For a moment silence reigned in the sparse room, and then Lok laughed. “One questions the validity of the order for the reasons stated, and the other sees it as simply a formality. I think if you can put on a proper front for the humans that care about you, there should be no more reasons to reject the ceremony?”

Elizabeth blinked a couple times, and then smiled up at Dan, and in a bight and chipper voice very different from her previous exchanges answered, “As long as Dan agrees, I have plenty of memories to rely on for the emotional interaction program.”

Dan blinked a couple of times, and then his own face became a smile beaming down at her, “I agree. We will hold your strange City ceremony. Anything to make you happy.” His hand lifted off her shoulder and rested against her face.

They both blinked at the same time, and then Dan’s hand dropped and the smiles disappeared as Elizabeth turned back to Lok and asked, “Are we convincing enough?”

Lok’s mouth was slightly open, and then he closed it shut. “Very well. You are quite convincing. When you are in the company of humans, you must both activate your human reaction programs.”

Elizabeth glanced back at Dan before looking back at Lok, “I do have one concern though. The people that were my family and friends met Dan as a cyborg. Will this change in behavior not create issues in the continuity they believe?”

Dan reached forward and grabbed her hand, “I’ve been operating under a mix of human response behavior and normal cyborg parameters. I’ll be able to continue to balance the two operating conditions without issue.”

Elizabeth realized Dan truly was an impressive cyborg. His ability to use the cyborg network, immediately connect with his new mechanical musculature, and balance different operating expectation programs was a feat not achieved by many cyborgs until they’d had years of practice, training, and experience within the Wall. Most cyborgs didn’t get their first mission until they’d been in the Wall for at least five years.

“Since we have reached an agreement, I will send your clothing designer, Cat, your way. Delay your other plans for the day to work with her. Your wedding is scheduled for a week from today.” Lok didn’t leave room for rebuttal as they turned and left the room as abruptly as they’d entered.