Bernard placed the bottle of pills on the table. As soon as the plastic bottle hit the metal, weight lifted from his shoulders.

His last week on station. His first tour of duty since completing his training at twenty-one, in the boring wastelands of Europa for three years, was done. No more libido inhibitors. No more constant vigilance to make sure every machine that mined the precious resources they needed back home was working perfectly.

He could go back to Earth and hopefully receive an assignment that actually allowed some relaxation, not to mention made real use of the enhancements he’d gained as a cyborg and the skills he’d honed in his training. He’d be able to see blue skies when he looked out the windows, not the pea-green soup that passed for atmosphere here.

Of course, before he could leave, he still needed to get through the medical exam. And judging by how David, the only other cyborg who’d served on Europa twice, had laughed when he heard Bernard was leaving, that exam was going to be interesting.

“Ah, Bernard.” Dr. Severian Bell stepped through the door, raising a pale blond eyebrow. “Going home, eh?” He eyed the pill bottle with his one good eye. A patch covered the other.

Bernard’s face heated immediately. “So, when will I feel it?” Bernard asked. “I mean, you know…”

“When will you feel arousal again?” Bernard’s face heated further at the doctor’s careful words. Doctor Severian tended to Bernard and all of the cyborgs who were stationed on Europa. The tall blond man was completely unflappable, and every cyborg suspected he too took the libido inhibitors that aided them in their vigilant watch of the mining operations on the planet.

“Um, yes.” Bernard swallowed hard.

“Have a night planned?” Severian scribbled something on the notebook he held and then placed it on the table. “I hate to tell you, you’ll have to remain here.” He lifted the bottle of pills, stowing them in a glass case on the wall next to an assortment of other bottles. “I’ll have to make sure everything’s in working order before you leave.”

“I…what?” Bernard squeaked.

“Did no one tell you?”

Bernard shook his head.

“It’s part of the medical exam,” Severian continued, his voice neutral. “We have a room prepared for this sort of thing. Some individuals can have unpleasant reactions when they stop the medication.” He met Bernard’s gaze. “Relax, please. It’s very rare, I assure you. But the other half of it is simply making sure everything works. After all, each of you cyborgs gets different enhancements. Remind me, you…?”

Bernard swallowed down a thick combination of embarrassment and anxiety. He held up his hands, both made of cruel metal. “Dexterity work. And increased lung capacity.”

“Hm. Nothing out of the ordinary to consider then. It’s the cardiac enhancements that always cause trouble. Of course”—he snapped on a pair of white gloves—“those hands are going to make masturbation difficult.”

Bernard choked.

Severian grinned, turning toward the door. “Don’t worry. That’s not how we have to do things. Come, and let me show you to the space you’ll be occupying.”

* * * *

The space was furnished with a bed, a separate bathroom, and every sort of pornography Bernard had been forbidden to imagine for the past three years.

A computer sat on a desk next to one wall. Next to it lay stacks of books, the covers emblazoned with women in lascivious poses. In the corner sat a life-size doll. Bernard quickly averted his gaze. His eyes alighted instead on a pair of vibrators and a tube filled with soft, flesh-like material.

I can just imagine what that’s for.

A pair of handcuffs, a whip, and what looked like a collar, were bolted to the wall.

Bernard’s heart began to pound.

“Feel anything?” Severian eyed him from the side, the way he always did during medical exams. Bernard had always figured that was because Severian had only one eye, but the glance felt different now. “Some start immediately. When was your last dose of libido inhibitors?”

“Um…” Bernard coughed, looking away from Severian. “Yesterday morning.”

“I see.” The doctor’s eye narrowed. “Do you have any special requests? Fetishes you need satisfied? The faster you do this, the faster we can finish the medical procedure and get you home.”

“I…I prefer men. So the women won’t do it for me.” He made a half-hearted gesture to the books and the doll.

Severian actually smiled. “I see. Wait here, then. I’ll go and collect a few things that will serve you better.”

“Just…wait?”

“Well, try and enjoy yourself, of course. The computer might satisfy—you can search for whatever you want. We have quite the collection of videos.” Something flashed across his face. His single eye was a startling blue, and Bernard realized he was staring. “Search for Brunette Lover 9. It’s one of my favorites.”

Bernard blinked. The doctor’s words sent an ancient, familiar heat kindling in his core. The doctor likes men too.

The heat remained as Severian left to collect whatever other things Bernard might need and the door closed behind him. Bernard’s heart rate increased. He chased the feeling. Might as well get this over with.

Doctor Severian Bell. A normal human among powerful cyborgs, save for the eyepatch. Rumor had it the patch concealed a bionic eye that the doctor used to make diagnoses. A tall, taut blond man, always dressed in a blue and white lab coat. Before this, Bernard had never thought of him twice, too focused on the intricacies of the machines he worked with.

He clasped his metal hands into fists as he realized he was drumming his fingers in the same rhythm he always used when recalibrating a drill. He was done with work. He was done with libido inhibitors. He shouldn’t even think about Severian. The doctor was too bound up with the memory of Bernard’s work here.