by Maya Carnage
"Pax said she's not in her cell. Would you like to explain that?" He doesn't show his emotions.
Axe doesn't know what his superior thinks about Dawn wandering the ship. Rodrick is old fashion and believes that the rules are there for a reason. Axe used to be the same way. "The ship's crew is made up entirely of cyborgs. I didn't think it was a risk, sir."
"She's a prisoner, Axe. She should be in a cell not roaming The Pursuer's halls." Rodrick massages his temples. "Just make sure she doesn't get into anything."
The comm goes dark.
He goes to find Dawn after Rodrick hangs up on him. She isn't in the rec room or her cell. After he walks through the surrounding halls and doesn't find her anywhere, he begins to get worried. Axe goes over to one of the comms lining the hall. He connects to the helm. Enzo's face appears.
"What's up, boss?"
"Can you connect with the security feed? I can't find Dawn," asked Axe.
"No need, I know where she's at." Enzo steps away from the comm. After a second, Dawn takes his place. "Hey."
Axe breathes a sigh of relief.
He shouldn't have been worried. They are in the middle of space. She couldn't have gone far. "Why are you at the helm?"
"I was bored. Enzo said he would show me how to pilot the ship."
He frowns.
"Oh, don't give me that look! It's not like I'm flying the damned thing. He's just showing me, that's all." She pushes something on the screen and becomes angry when it doesn't do what she wants. "Ugh! How do I turn it off?" She looks to the left. Presumably talking to Enzo.
Enzo stands behind her. Reaches over her and presses the button on the side of the comm, powering it off.
Axe tries calling her back, but there is no answer. With a groan, he turns around, heading toward the helm. When he gets there, Enzo is gone, but Dawn sits in one of the pilot chairs. She watches the screens.
When Pax and Enzo are not using them, and the ship is on cruise control, they show images of the ship's surroundings. Right now, there are thousands of stars across the computers.
"This is my first time in space." She turns her head toward him. "I've never wanted to leave earth. My sister did, but I was fine on the ground."
"Then why did you let yourself get caught?" Axe has been wondering the reason behind her actions since he read her file. Dawn's picture has been up on wanted posters for months now. She managed to keep out of the authority's sight since the beginning, but over a month ago, she showed up at a state park. That isn't the strange part. What's odd about it, is that it was down the street from where local officers eat lunch. She showed up at the busiest time. On the way back to their car, the officers spotted her. The report said that she didn't even try to outrun them. Axe couldn't wrap his head around that one. Dawn isn't the submissive type. She should have tried to run. Hell, she shouldn't have been there in the first place, but she was.
"I can't say, but maybe one day I'll tell you the whole story," she said with a sad smile.
"If you would trust me, I might be able to help you." Axe steps closer to her. He reaches out to touch her, but he lets his hand drop when he realizes what he is doing.
"That's very unlikely. You work for them, so I know where your loyalties lie." She leaves her seat. Dawn goes by him, and he grabs her. She glares. "Do you mind? I'm tired. I want to go to my cell to take a nap." She looks pointedly at his hands around her waist.
"You can trust me, Dawn." He tells her before letting her go.
She stares at him. Neither of them says anything. Silence fills the space around them.
"We're not friends. I'm your prisoner. Your task is to deliver me to The Gregory. I'm not going to trust you, Axe," she said.
Dawn glances at him one last time before leaving.
He stands there staring after her. Axe knows she right. He should let her walk away. There are only two days left until she is gone. It would probably be for the best if he left her alone. There isn't anything he can do even if she needed his help. He would be in a hard spot if she did confide in him, so it's best that she didn't.
Axe sits in the chair she vacated. Looking at the computers screens, he wonders what she saw in them. At the beginning of his life, he was under the control of the Malviks, everything he did was at their bidding. When he gained his freedom, he chose to continue working for them because it was easier. He rarely spends time on Teraz. When he's there, he's directionless. Axe has never been good at filling his free time.
His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Enzo pushes through the door. "Hey, I passed by Dawn on the way here, she didn't look happy."
"She got herself caught on purpose, and she knows that I know it. I tried to get her to open up to me. I might be able to help her, but she refuses. Says that she can't trust me," said Axe.
"Can you blame her? Humans don't like us, Axe. And on top of that, she was raised as a rebel. To them, we're the same as the Malviks." Enzo sits across from him. He turns the computers on and deactivates the cruise control. "If you want her to trust you, then you have to prove to her she can."
"How do I do that?"
"Can she trust you? I mean, seriously, would you choose her over your duty?"
Axe stares at his friend, processing his words. For the first time in his life, he wants something of his own. The Malviks might have given him the task of transporting Dawn to The Gregory, but in the short time he has known her, he felt something inside of him that he never has before. Hope. She can be his. He'll have something in his life that he chose to have, and he realizes why the others have fought for that themselves. As long as their creators make every decision for them, they aren't free. It doesn't matter that the Malviks say that they are, they are free once they take their lives and do with them as they please regardless of what the Malviks want. Axe wants to be free. More importantly, he wants her.
Without a word, he leaves the helm.
At a fast-paced jog, he catches up with Dawn right as she opens the door to her cell. She looks toward him at the sound of his feet hitting the hard floor. Frowning, she opens her mouth to speak, but he stops her words by pressing his mouth to hers. Her hand touches his chest, above where his mechanical heart rests. Her fingers dig into his shirt. He pushes the door open behind her. He lifts her into his arms and walks into the room.
Setting her down onto the cot, he reaches back and pulls his shirt over his head. She stares at his chest. "Shouldn't you have scars?"
Axe looks down at his perfectly smooth skin. The Malviks made sure to place nanobots into all of the cyborgs. They were enhanced to speed up the healing process and not to leave behind a trace of what occurred. "The Malviks wanted us to look indestructible. The humans would have feared us more if they thought we were impenetrable." He undoes his belt, pulling it free of his pants. He takes a seat on the bed. She scoots over, making room for him.
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
He shakes his head, untying his boots.
"This is an awkward question, but with what is about to happen, I need to ask. Can you feel pleasure? If we were to have sex, would it feel good for you? Because I don't know if it would sit right with me if it didn't."
"I decide what I feel, and so I choose to block the pain receptors. That's all." He sets his boots to the side. He stands up to slip out of his pants. Axe lets Dawn look at him when he is completely naked. She swallows thickly when her gaze falls below his waist. He can feel himself becoming harder beneath her stare.
Her eyes meet his. She stands up. After she sheds all her clothes, letting them drop to the floor, she walks the short distance over to him.
Axe stares at the naked length of her body. Her nipples harden as he rakes his eyes down her body. He steps closer and presses his hardness against her.
She gasps.
Taking her face between his hands, Axe kisses her. He loves the taste of her on his tongue. He swallows her moans. Walking her backward, he presses her down on the cot. He levers himself
above her. She spreads her legs. He comes to rest in the cradle of her body.
She wraps her arms around him, deepening the kiss.
Axe knows what he is doing is wrong. She's his prisoner, and if Rodrick were to find out, he would be in serious trouble. But he doesn't care.
He trails his lips down her throat. Making his way down her body, he comes to rest above her cunt. She groans when he licks her clit. Her fingers tangle in his hair as he devours her pussy. When she begins to lift her hips, about to come, Axe pulls away.
She moans for him not to stop.
He smiles. Settling back above her, he places his arms on either side of her head. He presses his forehead to hers. "If you don't want this let me know now."
Looking up into his eyes, she presses her hand against his cheek. "If I didn't want this, I wouldn't have even let you into this room." She reaches down and takes hold of his cock, pressing it to her opening. He surges forward when the head of his cock touches her wetness.
They both groan.
Axe begins thrusting slowly, taking his time.
The wet clasp of her sheath feels punishing. She squeezes tightly around him as she comes. Her body trembles beneath him. He picks up speed. Trusting harder into her, Axe hardens and grows larger. Her breath catches as Axe comes. His release shoots out of him, and he thrusts once more before pulling out of her.
He rolls to the side. He pulls her into his arms. Her heart hammers against her ribcage. Her hot breath pants against his throat. He likes the way she fits against his body. Dawn can take care of herself. The rebels raised her. Every inch of her is capable of defending against danger. But it feels good to have her in his arms, where he can protect her.
I won't let anyone hurt her. Including myself.
"Are you going to spend the night?" she asked, her voice hoarse from her moaning.
"I would like to, but that's up to you."
She nods against his chest.
Axe caresses her back. Trailing his fingers up and down her spine, thinking. Dawn drifts off to sleep, but he stays awake.
He has less than two days to figure out how to help her. It would be easier if he knew what her plan was, but he'll make do with what he knows.
By the next morning, Axe's mind has figured it out.
Chapter Seven
Dawn
Dawn stands in her cell. Cuffs encircle her wrists. Axe said that she could have waited at the helm with him, but Dawn turned the offer down. It would look bad if she was free. What happened with Axe a couple nights ago could put him at risk with his superiors. She doesn't want him to get into any more trouble because of her. If he's lucky, then no one will find out about the sex.
Tapping her foot, she looks up at the camera in the corner of her room. She flips it the bird.
She's not a patient person. This waiting is getting on her nerves. The Pursuer stopped at its meeting spot over an hour ago. All they are waiting on now is The Gregory. It should have been here by now. It's a big ship, so there could be a hundred reasons why it is running behind. Axe said there is no reason to be concerned about it. Most of the larger ships take a while to get going.
The locks on the cell click open. Axe walks through the door.
"You're not supposed to be here," she said. They agreed that they would stay apart until it comes time to do the handoff. It's not because she thinks that they will be able to tell that they fucked, but because she doesn't know if she can keep her hands off him.
"The Gregory is going to be late. We received a message from them. They won't be here until this evening. I figured you would want the cuffs taken off, and to leave the cell. They'll let us know when they are close," said Axe.
She looks around at the room. The evening is several hours from now. Dawn really doesn't want to spend that long cooped up in this room. She extends her hands out to Axe. He unlocks her cuffs. He opens the door for her. She walks out into the hall. After taking a few steps down the hall, she realizes he is behind her. "Are you coming?"
He pauses for a moment before shutting the door. They walk beside each other.
"You said that you didn't trust me. I get it, but I want you to know that I'm going to help you," he said.
She snorted.
"You don't have to believe me. I'll prove to you that you can depend on me, Dawn."
She looks at the earnest expression on his face. It would be nice to trust him. Her plan for The Gregory would be executed a hell of a lot easier if she had Axe's help. But too much is at risk. "I don't need your help. I don't know how else to explain that to you."
"Yes, but-"
"No, look, if this about what happened between us the other night, just stop, okay? We fucked, that's it. You don't have to be nice to me or anything." She turns to go into the rec room.
He pulls her to a stop. Taking her by the shoulders, he turns her to face him. "I like you. If you don't want anything more that's fine, but I want to be your friend. And whether you like it or not, I'm going to help you."
She shrugs out of his grasp and goes into the rec room. She comes to a sudden stop. Axe runs into the back of her.
"So, has the mission changed?" Pax sits on one of the lounges with a book in his hands.
Inside the room is Enzo, Pax, Gregor, and two other cyborgs she doesn't know. They've all stopped what they were doing before she and Axe came in. They must have heard everything.
Dawn nods at them. She walks over to the snack bar ignoring Pax's question.
Axe follows her, takes a seat on one of the stools. Dawn cracks open a bottle of juice while he talks to his crew. "I won't ask you to disobey your commands or put you in a precarious situation with the superiors. I will let you know that from this moment on, I'm putting Dawn's best interest above my role as sergeant of The Pursuer."
"Why the fuck would you do that? She's not one of us, hell, she's a rebel that's worse," said Gregor.
Dawn shrugs. She can agree with him. Axe shouldn't put everything he worked hard for on the line because of her.
"Because I want to, and because it's time for the Malvik's control on humans and cyborgs to come to an end. They gave us a planet to call our own, but that's only an illusion of freedom. They still expect a certain number of cyborgs to join the militia every five years, and we give in, but what if we were to refuse? They wouldn't allow us to do that because we still belong to them," said Axe.
The cyborgs look at each other. Their brows furrowed.
"Are you talking about joining the rebellion?" asked Enzo.
Dawn could hear the slight note of hope in his voice. She figured Enzo was a sympathizer. In all of their conversations over the last week, he talked about how he thought the rebels were admirable. She thought it odd that a cyborg would even like rebels, but at that time she realized that was how Enzo was.
Axe nods.
"Then I'm with you, and so is Pax."
Pax looks at Enzo with an arched brow.
"What? I knew you would want to join. If Axe and I were going to stand against the Malviks, there's no way you would stay behind."
"Yeah, but I would have liked to make my own decision, it doesn't matter if you knew what I would have done," said Pax.
The comm lights up before it emits a beeping sound. Axe walks over to it and reads the message. He looks at Dawn. His face pinched with displeasure. "The Gregory is close by. They want us to make sure the prisoner is ready to be transported."
"I thought they weren't supposed to be here until this evening?" asked Dawn.
"They must have solved their issue sooner than expected," said Pax.
"Let's get this over with." Dawn puts the juice down. She walks out of the rec room. She waves goodbye to the crew as she leaves the room. When she is standing outside, waiting for Axe, Enzo comes out to talk to her.
"We will do our best to make sure everything goes smoothly. The Gregory's defense is not that strong, so whatever Axe has planned, it won't be difficult for us."
"Are you sure you want to
get involved? There's no turning back once the Malviks know you're working with the rebels."
"I've thought about it for a very long time, and this is what I need to do, Dawn." Enzo hugs her tightly before letting go and walking back into the rec room.
Axe comes out right after. He points at Enzo's retreating back, "What did he want?"
"He was saying goodbye." Dawn tucks her hair behind her ears. "Are we heading back to the cell?"
Axe nods. He takes her hand in his. Dawn doesn't pull away. They don't speak. The silence fills the air around them, weighing heavily on their shoulders.
This will probably be the last time she walks down these corridors. She never thought that she would actually enjoy being a prisoner, but she guesses the not everyone is like Axe. He brings them to a stop. She waits for him to unlock the cell, but he doesn't move.
"I won't be escorting you onto The Gregory. Protocol requires that a guard retrieves from your cell here on The Pursuer. Someone from the crew will be here, but I thought it best if I didn't make an appearance," he said. Unlocking the cell, he holds the door open for her. The rooms overhead light switches on. Dawn turns back to look at Axe. He steps into the room.
Their bodies press against each other. He looks into her eyes and Dawn waits for him to kiss her. He leans down and presses his lips softly to the skin on her forehead. Backing away, he leaves her standing there.
She stares at the door. Her feelings toward Axe are complicated, and she doesn't know how to explain them. They are all twisted up in her head. Her mind should have been on the mission, not falling for a cyborg. She wouldn't say that she is in love with him. Dawn doesn't think she is capable of that strong of an emotion, not toward someone she has hated her entire life. But she likes him. When she first met him, she thought that he was snobbish, it fed into her previous idea of his kind, that they thought they were better than humans. But, he’s just shy and quiet. He doesn't like to talk, and if it were up to him, he would spend most of his time alone.
It's adorable how he gets grumpy when he has to be around a lot of people all at once.