Her Cyborg

by Nellie C. Lind

  “Grab our things and return to the base with Silver. Edge, Hunter, Heaven, and I will stay behind to see this through,” Nightmare told someone.

  Silver roared from outside. He seemed to be close to the entrance door.

  “Oh, my God,” Faye said with a gasp. “What is wrong with him?”

  Shade closed his eyes and tried to focus on the invasive signal, but their words still reached through to him.

  “I'm guessing he is pissed off at you for kissing him, and he is probably also trying to get to you to finish what you started. I doubt he wants to, but you didn't give him much choice. His programming is screaming inside of him now to finish the bonding process,” Nightmare said.

  “Damn it, I just kissed him to break up the fighting.” Faye sounded scared.

  “You were told what would happen if you touched one of us intimately.”

  “I guess I didn't take it seriously. It sounded too weird.”

  “And that proves you don't have much of a brain. You bonded a cyborg to yourself whether you intended to do it or not. He will do everything in his power now to reach you. He will never give up until he is completely bonded to you. I might be able to drag him away from here today, but mark my words, he will come for you, and you won't be able to run away. He will finish the bonding process and the only way to do that is through intercourse. He will fall deeper and deeper in love with you.” Shade heard him take a deep breath. “And you know what? He will hate you for it.”

  Someone stormed into the room, breaking Shade's concentration. A loud roar was heard before something smashed into a wall. Shade heard a groan of pain followed by quick footsteps. More groans were heard. Something broke. It sounded like wood, maybe a chair. Shade didn't know and he didn't care. The final part of his protective shield crumbled into pieces. The signal had free access to his programming now. There was nothing that he could do to stop it from doing what it was designed for.

  “Don't let him come near me!” Faye yelled as the chaos around him grew.

  He heard screaming, roaring, and something being dragged around on the floor before he heard the sound of something hitting the wall again.

  “Sedate him before he wrecks the place!” Nightmare yelled. “Keep him away from the cage and from Shade.”

  Shade heard more noises, but it became more and more difficult to tell them apart. The signal invaded his programming and he lost track of time. He felt it working as it sent thousands of tiny inputs into his mind, slowly replacing one bit after another of the bond. He saw an image of Phoebe flash by. She was reaching out her arms toward him as she smiled. He desperately tried to hang on to it, but within a few seconds, it was gone, and he could no longer remember what the image had been. Only a feeling remained. A feeling that said that something important had been forgotten.

  Shade screamed out as a heart-wrecking pain surged through him. As his love was taken away from him, a deep emotional hole inside of his chest grew. It was strong enough to break his heart, literally. Strong enough to kill him. Nightmare's signal wasn't able to fill that hole, and as it grew bigger, Phoebe faded further and further away from his mind. It felt like Nightmare's signal was ripping out his soul, his reason for living. It made him scream louder as he writhed on the gurney. He threw his head from one side to the other as he desperately tried to get free.

  He was losing her, one memory after another. He knew it because there was nothing but darkness and emptiness where he knew that he should have a memory. And now, he also knew Nightmare's signal was failing. It wasn't setting him free from the bond. It was killing him. Nightmare's signal would never be able to replace the bond and fill that emotional hole inside of his chest. Once the bond was gone, his programming would think his bound one had died, didn't matter if she stood just a few feet away from him.

  An image from the first very time that he had seen her flashed by. He had been lying on a bed and she had leaned over him. She had smiled ... her eyes had been so gentle and filled with love ...

  ... and then she faded away ...

  CHAPTER 27

  Phoebe stared at Silver with huge eyes. He had been wrestled down to the floor by the other Fighters, but his gaze was set on Faye. He had gone crazy after storming the house, destroying everything in his way just to reach Faye, but the Fighters hadn't let him. Faye stood behind Wind with fear in her eyes. She peeked out from behind him to look at Silver.

  “Hurry up,” Nightmare growled. “All of you and Silver must be gone before MedAct's cyborg soldiers show up,” he told the Fighters.

  A red-haired cyborg pulled out a syringe. Phoebe assumed that several of them had syringes with them. The cyborg stabbed Silver in his arm and emptied the liquid into him. Silver groaned and made a grimace of pain. His gaze was still set upon Faye as his body slowly started to fail him. He eventually exhaled heavily, closed his eyes, and remained still on the floor.

  The cyborgs who held him breathed out and got up to their feet. Several of them glared at Faye, but no one said anything. Instead, they lifted up the unconscious Silver and left the house. A minute later, Phoebe heard a car leaving. Only Nightmare, Edge, Hunter, and Heaven remained.

  Hunter approached the gurney. “Are you sure you know what you are doing? We should leave too.”

  “I just need a few more minutes. We are so close. It's in his system now. The answer should come any second.” Nightmare watched Shade intently.

  “I doubt you have those minutes.”

  Nightmare didn't answer, but he didn't take his eyes off of Shade. Phoebe's heart ached as she watched the man she loved lay still on the gurney. His eyes were closed. He had stopped fighting. His head had slumped to the side, but his chest rose and fell as he breathed. That gave her some comfort. At least, he was still alive, but in what condition? She had no idea how Nightmare tried to remove the bond. All she saw was that damn machine that stood by the gurney. Its cords were attached to Shade. She heard it beep from time to time, but neither Nightmare nor Edge touched it anymore.

  Her eyes felt swollen from all the crying and her throat felt sore from all the yelling. It hadn't mattered what she had said. Nightmare had ignored her completely, and Wind's attempt to comfort her hadn't helped either. He was a great friend, but seeing Shade like this made her inconsolable. Faye was not her usual brave self either anymore. She stood silently in the cage and she wrung her hands together as she took one deep breath after another. Phoebe could only imagine what went through her mind.

  Minutes seemed to pass by. No one said anything as Edge and Nightmare watched Shade's emotionless body. What finally broke the silence was the sound of approaching cars. The door to the house was open since the cyborgs had left with Silver. They hadn't bothered closing it. They were now long gone, but Nightmare still remained along with the others. None of them moved, but their gazes turned to the door. Heaven stood by the cage along with Hunter while Edge and Nightmare remained by the gurney.

  The cars stopped and the engines died before the sound of opening doors was heard, and seconds later, the sound of them closing. Then there was silence again. Phoebe doubted it was the Fighters who had returned. Instead, she assumed it was MedAct's cyborg soldiers who had come to get Nightmare and his Fighters. Hope gripped her. This would be over soon.

  She expected the cyborgs to storm the house but nothing happened. She turned her gaze back to Nightmare and Edge when she noticed Edge move. He shut down the machine and removed the cords from Shade's body. Then, to her surprise, he slammed his hand right through the machine. She jerked and stared at him, expecting Nightmare to become furious, but Nightmare didn't move an inch. Instead, he just watched Edge in silence. Finally, he nodded, and Phoebe understood. They didn't want the machine to end up in MedAct's hands, but what about Shade? Why wasn't he waking up?

  Steps were heard approaching the entrance door before Jade enter the house. She was followed by two muscular and scary-looking cyborgs. They were dressed in black and held big, black rifles in their hands. The rifles
were pointed directly at the Fighters in the room.

  Jade’s eyes held a serious look as they rested upon Nightmare, narrowing even more as she made eye-contact with him.

  “Nightmare,” she said with a cold voice.

  Nightmare took a few steps away from the gurney. “Doctor Jade Silva. I didn't expect to see you here.”

  “Of course, you didn't. That is why I'm here.” Jade turned her gaze to the cage. “Let them go.”

  Nightmare's features darkened. “Why should I listen to you?”

  Phoebe had never seen Jade this cold before, but her determined and strong posture told Phoebe that Jade knew what she was doing. She didn't look the slightest bit scared of Nightmare or the situation. Phoebe was aware of Nightmare's hatred for the doctor and what he was planning to do with her once he got his hands on her, but did Jade know? Phoebe didn't think so. If they got out of here alive, Phoebe promised herself to tell Jade everything.

  Jade shrugged. “Well, you don't have to if you don't want to, but if you don't, these guys will pump you full of lead. The choice is yours.”

  Nightmare stiffened and he looked like he wanted to strangle Jade, but she still seemed unafraid even if he was one of the most frightening cyborgs Phoebe had ever seen.

  Nightmare nodded toward Hunter. Hunter approached the cage, took out the key, and placed it into the lock. As soon as the door was open, Phoebe lunged for Shade. Edge moved out of her way. He didn't stop her, and neither did Nightmare. Her tears had run dry, but her heart still ached. The pain inside her chest was excruciating.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Wind leading Faye toward the entrance door.

  Jade approached the gurney. “What have you done to him?”

  Nightmare didn't answer, so Phoebe decided to do it for him. “They tried to remove the bond.”

  “What?” She glared at Nightmare. “Have you lost your mind? Why would you want to do a thing like that?”

  Without warning, Nightmare took a step toward Jade, invading her personal space, but Jade didn't move away. The cyborgs near the entrance door reacted and pointed their rifles at Nightmare. Jade raised her arm with her palm toward them, telling them to back down. The cyborgs remained still, but didn't lower their rifles.

  Phoebe didn't like the atmosphere in the house. It was filled with insecurity and it felt like a ticking time bomb. A bomb that could go off at any second. She was glad that, at least, Wind and Faye were out of here. She hoped that Wind would stay with Faye to keep them both out of danger. She doubted Faye would object at this moment.

  Phoebe shook Shade gently, but there was no reaction from him. “Please, he needs help.”

  Nightmare didn't move away from Jade.

  “You heard her. Move out of my way,” Jade said.

  “He will wake up when his reprogramming is done.”

  “What kind of reprogramming?”

  Nightmare grinned. “You are the scientist, you figure it out.”

  They glared at each other.

  Their staring contest got on Phoebe's nerves. She opened her mouth to yell at them, to yet again state that Shade needed help, but she knew Nightmare wouldn't care so she closed her mouth. He wouldn't let Jade near Shade. She was the only one who could help him now.

  “You are killing him,” Jade stated.

  Nightmare growled. “I am saving him. When he wakes up, the bond will no longer drive him. He will have no memory of his bound one. He will be free to choose his own life. He will be free from the likes of you.” He took a step closer to Jade, his chest almost touching hers as he looked into her eyes.

  Everyone in the room jerked when Shade suddenly gave out a scream of pain. He writhed on the gurney, throwing his head back and forward. Jade reacted instantly. She pushed herself around Nightmare and approached the gurney. She took out a small device from her bag and pulled out two cords from it.

  “I wouldn't attempt to stop me,” she told Nightmare without looking at him. “Remember the lead.”

  Nightmare's shining eyes radiated pure hatred toward Jade, but he didn't move from his spot. It made Phoebe glad to see how powerless he was right now. If he tried anything, the cyborg soldiers would shoot him, and that would be the end of him. Phoebe didn't feel sorry for him one bit.

  None of the other Fighters moved. They watched their leader with emotionless eyes.

  “Take them out of here,” Jade said as she attached the cords to Shade's temples.

  The cyborg soldiers reacted immediately and more of them entered the house. The Fighters were given no choice but to go with them peacefully or risk death. To Phoebe's surprise, they went quietly. She had expected more from them considering that they had chosen to stay behind, or maybe they just didn't want to get killed.

  She turned to Jade and watched her work with an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. Jade's fingers flew around on the small screen of the device that she held in her hand. Phoebe felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do for him. Watching him writhe in pain made her feel pain too. It felt like she was being shred apart on the inside.

  “That bastard,” Jade hissed.

  “What? What is it?”

  “He is trying to replace the bond with another signal, but it's not working. The bond is almost gone, and because of that, Shade is dying. The signal is not capable of replacing the bond even if it's trying. He needs to be taken back to MedAct at once. There is nothing I can do for him here. I will sedate him for now and lower his heart rate. That will slow the signal's progress.”

  Phoebe swallowed hard. “Nightmare was so sure.”

  “I don't give a damn what he thought he was. He will pay for this.”

  Phoebe looked at Jade with a plea in her eyes. “Can you save him?”

  Jade hesitated. “I don't know.” She pushed a few buttons on the screen and Shade relaxed. He stopped screaming. “I will do everything in my power to save him, but there is a great risk that he will never be the same again.”

  Jade's words awakened every possible emotion inside of her. It was a huge cocktail of everything from hope to despair.

  “Nightmare believes cyborgs can live without the bond,” Phoebe said with a trembling chin. “Can they?”

  Jade wrinkled her nose. “I have no idea where he got that idea from. The bond is what their programming is based on. Without it, they can't exist.”

  Confusion struck Phoebe. “But Nightmare said that he existed before he was bound and that the doctor, Carolyn Williams, bound him to her years after his creation.”

  Jade gave her a surprised look before she snorted. “All these years as a Fighter must have messed with his mind.” She removed the cords from Shade's temples and put the device back into her bag. “Wait here. I will call for a helicopter.”

  Jade left the house and everything suddenly became very quite. Phoebe placed her head upon Shade’s warm, muscled chest, feeling his soft skin against her cheek. She put her arms around him the best she could. She had never been religious, but in this moment, she felt the need to pray.

  “Please, don't take him away from me.” Her tears ran down on him, making his skin wet. “Stay with me .... please ...”

  CHAPTER 28

  Phoebe watched Shade where he lay on the hospital bed inside MedAct's walls. His eyes were closed. His breathing was slow, but stable. She felt numb on the inside. Three days had passed since they had left that awful house. It had been three nerve-wracking days, and Shade hadn't awakened yet. Jade and her team of doctors had done everything in their power to save him, but not even Jade knew what would happen once Shade awakened. The bond had been damaged and Jade had warned her that he would probably never be the same again. The bond was as fragile as a vase that had been dropped to the floor. It could be put together again, but the vase would never look whole again. The cracks would always be there.

  Her mind had been spinning these last few days. What would she do when Shade woke up and his feelings for her weren't there anymore? Would she be able to let him g
o? Just the thought of it almost broke her heart. It also made her think that maybe Nightmare was right. Shade was bound to her with love. The bond literally was love. It was real for her, but was it real for Shade?

  “You need to relax, Phoebe,” Faye said. “You are not doing yourself a favor worrying this much.”

  Phoebe turned around and looked at Faye who sat at one of the chairs that stood inside the room. There were four other chairs in there and three of them were occupied by Wind, Diane, and Celise. They had all been there for her and Shade, and Phoebe couldn't be more grateful.

  “I know.” Phoebe sighed. “I can't help it, though. I just wish he would wake up.”

  “He will wake up. That much Jade was sure of,” Diane assured her.

  So many things had changed since the time in the house. Wind had been a great support for both her and Faye after they had left. It had helped Faye to get back to herself, but she wasn't as vocal anymore. Worry now shone in her eyes, and Phoebe knew why. Nightmare's words had scared her when he had said that Silver would come for her. Because of that, Faye wished she had never kissed him.

  Phoebe sighed and ran her hand down her face. “I never believed that things would turn out like this. It feels like pure chaos. I thought it was over, but then Nightmare and his Fighters managed to flee from the cyborg soldiers before they could bring them in. Only Hunter didn't get away, but the others are still out there and who knows what they are planning. Nightmare will want Shade back. This is far from over.”

  There was an unpleasant silence.

  “I don't think Nightmare will bother with Shade anymore,” Wind finally said.

  Phoebe looked at him. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because the bond has been damaged. Even if Nightmare doesn't know that, I think he can figure it out. I think Nightmare realized at the end that his signal had failed. Shade can no longer help Nightmare with his so-called quest.”