I’m sharing scenes from the first chapter of Strive For Forever as we wait for its release on July 25th.
You can read the first scene of the first chapter here:
http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=10875
This week I’m sharing the second scene.
***
“He vowed to cover our backs.” Raw snorted.
“You’re surrounded by perimeter alarms.” Strive didn’t look upward. His systems relayed where his friends were situated. “Your backs are covered.”
“The perimeter alarms aren’t sufficient.” His warrior friend would never find any defenses adequate.
“They aren’t sufficient.” Grin surprised Strive by agreeing with Raw. His less-battle-eager friend lowered beside him. “The cracks in the simulated stone were intentional.” He touched one of the breaks in the material. “The vegetation will grow up the forest-facing walls and eventually conceal the structures from view.”
“You expect to be attacked.” Raw moved closer to them. His shadow fell over the seedling.
“A warrior I respect told me…one thousand, three hundred and ninety-two times.” Grin’s tone was dry. “To always expect an attack.”
Raw grunted.
The ass was pleased with himself.
The two of them did listen to him—Raw was the reason Strive had any warrior skills at all—but they didn’t always agree with him.
Strive had no interest in killing, in destruction. That stressed his systems. He preferred to create, to add to the universe, not take from it.
“We should tell them.” Grin’s female nudged her male. “They’re risking their lifespans by being here, and they deserve to know about it.”
“We processed there was danger.” Raw wrapped one of his arms around his female, partially shielding her from the unidentified peril with his body armor-clad form. “There are weapons in the warship. We could utilize those to defeat the enemy.”
“An outside attack isn’t the only danger.” Grin’s female mumbled that revelation under her breath.
Strive was a cyborg. He heard her. “You could be attacked from within.” He straightened and glanced toward the center of the settlement. Her kind was a threat. “They call you their guardians. Yet they’d damage you?”
“No. Never.” Grin’s female shook her head vehemently. “The Praecipuans can be trusted.” She looked at her male. “We should show them.”
“Are you certain you want to share that information?” Grin stood also.
“We need their help.” Grin’s female pursed her lips. “They can’t help us if they don’t know about our situation.”
“I don’t process what you’re talking about.” Raw gave voice to Strive’s bewilderment. “Do you process it?” He gazed at his female.
“I don’t have any inkling.” Raw’s female was as confused as they were. “But I’m hoping they’ll explain the situation.”
“We’ll show you the situation.” Grin grasped his female’s hand and led them around the structure. “Our domicile is in the center of the settlement.”
They headed in that direction.
“That’s the safest site for a domicile.” Raw gripped his female’s fingers also and followed them.
Strive trailed behind them. He was acutely aware of his unmatched status, and that clawed at his heart. He had always been out of spec. But now he was out of spec and lonely.
“The center of the settlement is the most protected location within it.” Grin’s modification of Raw’s statement was significant.
The domicile required extra defenses.
Strive perused the structure as they approached it. It appeared sturdy. Grin wouldn’t design a domicile that wasn’t durable.
Another set of perimeter alarms circled the building. Lights flashed and beeps sounded as Grin opened the door and they stepped over the threshold.
The interior was fully illuminated. There was a large central chamber with smaller chambers branching out from it. In the middle of that space was a water feature.
Strive approached it. At the base of the water feature were stones. Every second stone was engraved. He studied them. The design was his.
Except it had been altered slightly. He frowned. The flowers were the same. As were the twining vines. But there were five leaves on the first stone instead of the eight depicted in his fabrication, and the leaves on that stone were bigger.
His lips twisted. The modification damaged the composition.
He walked around the water feature. The third engraved stone hosted seven leaves. They were a similar size to his original piece. The fifth stone displayed nine leaves. Those leaves were the same size as his design.
The sequence then repeated. Five leaves. Seven leaves. Nine leaves. Five leaves. Seven leaves. Nine leaves.
Five leaves. Eight leaves. He stopped and gazed closer at that stone. It was set differently than the others. There was 0.9878 percent more space around it.
“You detected it immediately.” Grin moved beside him.
“You said he’d find it.” Grin’s female stood beside her male.
“It’s his design.” Grin shrugged. “That was an easy projection.”
“The modifications were intentional.” That eased some of Strive’s irritation. “You wanted me to find this stone.” He tilted his head, studying it.
***
Read the next scene (available July 10th) here:
https://tasteofcyn.com/?p=10879
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Pre-order Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
