by Maia Starr
“I have part of a machine in here. Come see,” I said as I opened the door to the giant vault. He followed me inside.
“I don't know exactly what it is, but I assumed that it was part of a keddle at one time. It was already here when I came here. I guess before the machines took over and everything was outlawed, someone in Providence decided to keep one in the vault. Probably to study it to figure out a way to bring them down. But I don't know for sure what it is. That is why I need you,” I said.
He turned and looked at me quickly. I knew it was my choice of words.
“I mean, I need you, I need your help,” I said making my statement clearer.
“It is a keddle, or a part of it. I have seen this before. This here was where Dr. Lopez put in the virus.”
“I thought so. I did connect to the virus,” I said as I took the virus jump drive out of my pocket and put it into the panel. “See, nothing happens. It needs power,” I said.
“Yes, I think you are right. I will see what I can do,” he said as he began to take a walk around the panel and the instruments that I had set up. Before I knew it, he was deeply involved in working on creating a power source for the panel. I watched him work. He was smart. I was very impressed as I watched him. I had never met anyone like him. He intrigued me. He aroused me. How was he able to do this to me?
“There,” he said, making one last connection. Suddenly the panel lit up. I stepped back. It's startled me. Seeing any machine come to life was always terrifying, even if it was a small portion of one.
“That is amazing,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said arrogantly.
“You did it; you really did it,” I said as I walked around the panel, studying it. I was completely fascinated that he was able to do this in only an hour’s time. It was true he was more advanced, and very smart.
“Go ahead and try it,” he said looking at the drive in my hand.
I smiled. “With pleasure,” I said excitedly. I put the drive in the slot on the panel. Nothing happened; I looked at him.
"Be patient,” he said.
About a minute went by, and then suddenly the lights begin to blink off and on. It was glitching.
"It's working,” he said.
Then the entire thing went dark.
"Is it the power?” I asked.
“No, it is still connected. It is the virus. It has killed it,” he said.
“That is amazing. This is such great news. Thank you, Azlo. Thank you for bringing this to us,” I said.
“I am glad that I am able to do something for you personally, not just protecting the village,” he said behind me. I didn't even hear him move close behind me. I thought he was on the other side of the vault. I could feel his hot breath on my neck.
His lips pressed against my neck and felt hot. My entire neck felt a rush of heat going through it. How was he able to do that? My eyes closed, and my mouth let out a sigh. I felt turned on over every inch of my body. It was like his hands were rubbing me up and down, but they were not. Somehow his kiss on one part of my body made me feel like my entire body was being fondled. I felt lost in this kiss.
He grabbed me by the waist and turned me around to face him. I gasped at his dominant move. Then his mouth covered mine in a hungry kiss. I moaned loudly. My breasts pressed against his chest. I didn’t know what I was doing, but my hands moved on their own. I had no control over it anymore. They were wrapped in his long silver hair and moving up and down his strong masculine shoulders.
I could feel his hard cock throbbing against my belly. He was so tall, and his cock was rigid against me. I ached to reach my hand down and clasp it around his staff. But I fought the urge to do it. But his hands were not so conservative. They moved on my waist and up the sides of my body. The palms of his hands grazed the sides of my breasts. I moaned again. Adrenaline was rushing through me. I felt a slight pulsing between my thighs as blood rushed to my clit and made me completely aroused, primed, and ready to be fucked by this alien weredragon. I wanted him. I desired him badly. I wanted him to pick me up and take me, ravage me. His large, hot hands moved down the sides of my body and grabbed onto my ass. He squeezed and massaged, and as he did so, he pulled my body closer to his. I was on fire.
But then as I kissed him back, suddenly a flash of Devon’s face came into my mind. I felt extreme guilt as I thought about my lost fiancé.
“No, I'm sorry. I must go,” I said as I pushed Azlo away from me.
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? My strength, sometimes I don’t know—”
“No, it is not that. I just have to go. Tell no one of this, I beg you.”
Then I left his side. Damnit, I wanted him, but I wasn't ready. I couldn't, could I? Being with another male made me feel like I was betraying my true love. I felt like I was cheating. Even though Devon had been gone for a long time, I still felt like he was with me. I could not do this to him. I walked faster until I was running. I wanted to get somewhere to be alone as fast as I could. I needed time to think. My heart was fighting with my body over what each wanted. My heart wanted to be faithful to my dead fiancé, but my body wanted to revel in desire, lust, and passion with an alien weredragon lover. I didn’t know which one would win, but both scared me.
Chapter 7
General Azlo Bron
Why won't she let me in? She is so close to opening herself to me. But then she stops every time. I pulled the drive out of the panel and disconnected the power to the keddle piece. My actions had forced her to walk out of the bank. So I needed to secure it for her. I closed the bank vault and spun the metal bars just as she did. I pulled on it. It locked. But as I was walking toward the front door, I had another episode. Everything went dark, and I fell to the ground. I don't know how much time had passed when I finally woke up. I was alone. The symptoms were getting worse, and that meant that I was getting worse. Time was getting shorter and shorter for me. This was not good.
I walked back to the base camp and to the fourth floor that I had been using as my own personal meeting space.
“General, I have news,” Lieutenant Reqan said as he opened the door.
“Tell me,” I said. He walked in and looked at me. Then he stopped. Shock came across his face.
“General, you do not look well at all. You have had another episode, have you not?” he said.
“That is no concern of yours, Reqan,” I said.
He closed the door and then came back to my desk. “General, I beg you. The army needs to see you. You are letting us all down by letting yourself die. You know the cure. All you have to do is lie with a human female. I have seen many here that are ready and willing. Some of the human females have been laying with the officers already, by their choice. Choose one, choose anyone that is willing. I beg you to do this today. The blackness will not give you time.”
“Tell me the news, Reqan,” I said getting frustrated with his reminder that he was right.
“The engineers have met with me human Richard as you asked. They have come up with a plan to make the fence electrified. They were seeking your permission to begin,” he said.
“Permission granted. I don't need to see the plans. I trust my engineers, and I trust Richard. Have them proceed immediately,” I said.
“Right away, General. I hope that you will take my words seriously. We cannot lose you,” he said. Then he saluted me and walked out. I was feeling a bit tired. His words did not help. But I knew that he was right.
The following day, I headed to see Richard and the engineers. They were already in full force on their plan. But as I walked through the village, I heard a familiar voice.
“General?”
I turned to see the human female Chrissy. She had a big smile on her face.
“Good day to you Chrissy,” I said.
“I am very disappointed in you, General. You have yet to come to the kitchens as promised,” she said.
“Yes, apologies.”
“You can make it up to me by coming to my hom
e tonight. I am making dinner, and of course we will have dessert,” she said.
The sparkle in her eyes let me know what she meant by it. She wanted me. She was giving herself to me willingly. I thought about what Reqan said. The army needed me alive. The mission needed me alive. I was being selfish. I was only thinking about myself and my own desires. I was willing to risk everything simply to satisfy my lust for Sheila. It was wrong. It was very wrong.
“I accept your invitation, Chrissy Jones. Thank you. I shall come to you at dinner,” I said.
“Excellent; I will see you then. My house is on the east side of the village. Third street from the fence line; it is a red and white house.”
“I look forward to it,” I said.
She walked away with a bounce in her step. I should've been happy to, but I only felt remorse. But I was going to have to do what I had to do in order to survive.
I spent the rest of the day with the engineers and the human Richard working on the plan to electrify the fence. It was a good plan. But it didn't come fast enough.
In the evening, a siren pierced the air.
“The Clenok are here!” Lieutenant Reqan said as he crashed through my door.
“How many!” I shouted as I jumped out of bed.
“We don't know yet. It does not look like a big army, but it could just be the first wave,” he said.
“Get scouts into the air to find out! We need to get everyone else on the fence,” I said.
“On it,” he said. I shifted into dragon form and flew out the window over the base camp.
“To the gates! Commander Zai, take your team to the east side of the fence. Commander Aio, take your teams to the west side of the fence. The rest of you, with me to the gates,” I shouted orders over the base camp as chaos exploded. Veruka were shifting everywhere and gathering their artillery. They flew to their post.
I flew to the gates. I landed on the guard post. I looked around for Sheila. I could not see her.
“You, the one called Casper. Where is Sergeant Adams?” I asked.
“She is on the west side of the fence. The majority of the cyborgs are coming at us from the west and the east.” he said.
I looked out over the forest outside the village. I could see the lights of the cyborg eyes and the machinery. There weren't a lot of them, but they were spread out and surrounding the village in a horseshoe pattern. The cyborgs coming directly at the gate where I stood were very few. Probably only twenty.
“General. We have scouts in the air, and one has reported back. There are about one hundred cyborgs; it seems to be a small band and not an entire army. But they are converging on the west and east sides more than here at the gate,” Lieutenant Reqan said.
“Shit.” I knew that Sheila was on the west side. I needed to get to her. But Chrissy, who could not take care of herself and had offered to save my life without even realizing it simply because she offered herself to me, was on the east side. She could not protect herself. She was not a soldier like Sheila was. But Sheila was brave and courageous: too brave. I could see her putting herself in a dangerous situation. I did not want to lose her. I couldn't. But I had to make a decision, a very complicated decision. I could go help Chrissy and save my life, or I could go to Sheila, because it is what my heart wanted.
“Orders, sir?” Lieutenant Reqan said.
“Double up the team is on the east and west fences. Start an air raid on these cyborgs now, before they even reach the fence line!” I shouted into my armband communication. I got confirmation from the commanders that they understood.
“Lieutenant, you are going to head the defense here on the front of the gate. You have thirty weredragons at your call, and the humans. Fire at will,” I said to him. He nodded in agreement. Then I lifted my armband and spoke into it to all teams, “Attack! Attack!”
Then I turned my back to the fence.
“Wait, where are you going?” a lieutenant asked.
“I am going to go help the sides under heavier attack,” I said and flew away to help the human female that I decided I needed to go to with urgency.
Chapter 8
Sergeant Sheila Adams
“Get on the fence, all of you. Lock and load! Prepare the Uzi!” I shouted, running along the top of the west side of the fence line. I could see the Clenok cyborgs going through the forest about a mile from us. They would be on us in no time at all. We had to attack first to take out as many as we could before they reached us. I could see about fifty of them headed toward us, but that could just be the first wave of attack, and there could be a massive army behind them.
“Look! The dragons!” a guard shouted as he pointed in the area behind me. I turn towards the village to see the weredragon army flying toward us. There was about eighty of them as they landed on top of the fence stretching across it where we were. I looked for Azlo but could not see him. But I could hear his voice. Where was he? I could hear him shouting orders. He was ordering his weredragons. Then I realized his voice was coming over a radio communication that they had on their arm.
"What's happening?” I asked one of the weredragons that had landed near me.
“We are under attack densely on the west and east, with a few going toward the gate. Our scouts have counted only a band of one hundred cyborgs, not a large army in our view so far. It must be a stray band of Clenok.”
“That is good news,” I said.
Then I heard Azlo's voice shout, “Attack! Attack!”
With that order, a loud buzzing sound came from overhead. I looked up to see several airships fly directly over us and toured the cyborg army. They were blasting laser blasts at the cyborgs.
“Hold here! Hold your fire here!” the weredragon next to me shouted to the team on the fence. “Humans, hold your fire!” he shouted.
I was impressed. They were organized. They knew what they were doing. They were going to attack from the protection of the airships first. Any straggling cyborgs that got through the barrage and came toward the fence line would then meet these dragons head on. It was a good defense.
They seemed to have everything under control, and I was very grateful that they had showed up now that they had shown their loyalty to us. I had no suspicions anymore. Then I remembered the virus.
“Captain, did your scouts see a keddle?”
“There was not a report of one, but to my understanding, all bands of cyborgs do not stray from their keddle too far. There must be one nearby if the cyborgs are here, but I don't know where,” he said.
I turned and ran for the spiral staircase that led down to the ground. I had to get the virus. It was in the bank vault. I needed to have it on me in case there was a way to get to a keddle. I had to get it. It was more important now than anything.
I ran across the field toward the west side of the village. I made it to the bank and quickly unlocked the door, leaving it open. I ran into the vault and put in the combination. It was so dark, it was hard to see. We were a village that lived in darkness at night except for a few candles here and there. It was our way of staying hidden. So because of this, I had to feel the round combination knob with my hand trying to get it right. Finally, it clicked. I spun the large metal bars around until the door opened. Then I heard a strange buzzing sound.
I turned around and was completely shocked by what I saw. What looked like a small drone flew down into the doorway. It had a cyborg attached to it. The claws of the drone opened, and the cyborg dropped, landing on its feet. Then it turned on, coming alive. Its eyes glowed a bright red.
“Shit,” I said as I pulled my pistol from the holster on my back. I am to end shot. One bullet after another ricocheted off of the metal body. I stepped backward, shooting until I was out of ammo.
“Motherfucker,” I said as it took steps toward me. Its head was turned toward me, but it did not have a gun aimed at me. I thought it was strange considering I had already shot at it and it did have a large gun in its mechanical hands. Then it's had turned directly straight an
d looked at the opened bank vault. It was staring directly at the keddle panel. Unbelievable. I stepped aside, slowly stepping away from its path from the opening to the vault. If it went inside, then I could close the door and lock it in. But then I suddenly saw a blur in the darkness. I felt a rush of wind. Azlo appeared behind the cyborg and grabbed its head and twisted it off, popping it off easily. He shouted as he reached into the back of the cyborg and pulled out the wire guts. The cyborg’s eyes went from red to black as the cyborg turned off. Azlo threw the head on the ground and looked at me.
“You like danger, don't you?” he said with a smile.
“Oh God, Azlo,” I said running to him, into his arms. He wrapped his warm arms around me. He let out a sigh of relief.