Endless Abduction

by Gloria Martin

  Micah's breath caught in her throat. Her green eyes widened and she couldn't help the rise of her body temperature. This man was surely different from many of the other cyborgs she had encountered, and fought. What bothered her the most was the way he seemed to affect her. But what gave her some satisfaction too was the realization that she seemed to have the same effect on him.

  "You're certainly a handful," he whispered, his look of exasperation shifting into one of interest and curiosity. "I want to know more about you and why you're doing this. I want to gather information on your renegade team, which you will give to me willingly."

  "Why would I do that?" Micah asked angrily, meeting his intense gaze and then feeling her heartbeat racing wildly. She didn't know if it was some sort of attraction or she just hated his guts. Even her anger was now quick to manifest and she was having difficulty controlling her emotions around this guy.

  "I know you don't have any more family left so I cannot use them to threaten you," he began slowly, his face moving even closer. "I know that you probably wouldn't care less for your own life, although you would surely fight to the death. And I also know very well how passionate you are about what you are fighting for."

  Micah waited for him to go on. His closeness was sort of distracting her, though, but she struggled to remain focused. Besides, his little speech was making her totally intrigued.

  "You're going to give me all the information I want because I just might be able to help you with your own mission," he said, breathing heavily.

  She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. But more than the weird reaction of her body to this, she was most definitely dumbfounded. What the hell was he talking about?

  He leaned in closer and spoke, his voice almost penetrating her skin. "Make me understand your mission, Micah," he said in a serious tone. When he took on that serious tone, his voice was intoxicating. She wanted him to speak to her more in that tone.

  Micah tried to read his face, her eyes sweeping from his intense brown eyes down to the bridge of his nose and to the strong features of his jaws and finally to his tempting mouth, surrounded by stubble. She was intrigued… and lost.

  "Release me first," she demanded. "Unlock this chain around my feet."

  "No," the cyborg immediately answered. He pulled away, turned and began to walk away, finally making her breathe normally.

  But then she realized that she now had to use her intellect rather than letting her pride get in the way. "Fine," she gave in loudly. "After I tell you my mission, you've got to unlock the chain."

  He stopped walking. Slowly turned around, a smile playing on his lips. "Deal," he said, leaning against the nearest wall and folding his muscular arms across his chest. "Go on."

  "The New Government is planning something really bad. It's going to destroy humanity. I want to put a stop to it."

  The cyborg's mouth dropped open. Then, he was bursting out laughing. "You're crazy," he said, shaking his head in amusement.

  Micah felt enraged. How dare he laugh at her life mission! "You know nothing," she seethed.

  "Enlighten me…" he said, opening his arms wide in a mocking gesture.

  She glowered at him. "I told you my mission. Unlock the chain now."

  He looked at her incredulously. "You have to make me understand first."

  "Look. I promise to explain further, but you have to do two things first- release my feet and take me seriously."

  When the cyborg saw that she was dead serious, he stopped laughing, pulled the key from his pocket. He walked toward her and stooped down in front of her, and unlocked the chain. Without any reaction, she shook her feet and flexed them. She did some lunges to shake off the pain and discomfort. Then she stood up straight only to feel a laser gun pointed at her temple. She instantly threw her hands in the air. "I'm not going to run, okay! I can keep promises."

  He did not remove the gun. "Just making sure," he said. "Sit on the floor, now."

  Micah stood her ground, ignoring him and even stretching her arms and legs. She then leaned back against the wall and faced him.

  He remained standing in front of her, but his face carried a serious look of fury. She simply smiled back at him. He crossed his arms and faced her squarely. "Fine. Go ahead. Speak."

  She found his actions amusing and felt herself being pulled in by his charisma. She pushed the feelings aside and began to tell him of her life passion. "My mission is to expose the New Government. Do you really think feeding people the happy pill will actually improve their lives and make the world a better place to live in? It's just turning humans into robots, for Christ's sake! I know for a fact that you cyborgs don't take those pills but are brainwashed through chips inserted in your brains. Were you even aware of it?"

  "Yes," he answered.

  Her voice grew louder as she continued. "See? You don't even care because you blindly follow them. Those in power have plans to build a world of robot slaves. When the pills are not taking effect on some people, they kill them without any remorse. They have no heart for these ordinary men and women, or even children. What about rebels like me? They would not hesitate to kill anybody who crosses them or speaks against them."

  "I know," he said, nodding in agreement. "I've been getting restless myself because of our rulers' ways. The men you met earlier feel the same."

  Micah started at him in surprise. Then she narrowed her eyes, doubting his sincerity. He could very well be making it up or just leading her on to gain her trust. She would never divulge the details she had gathered in her research.

  "I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me either if I were you…"

  She stared at him, astonished and apprehensive.

  "We couldn't do our own research inside, of course…" he continued cautiously, "but we did get some data that might be of interest to you. We can exchange information… or we can choose to work together."

  Micah was silent. After about a minute, she simply said, "I'll think about it."

  *****

  Micah woke up with a start in the middle of the night, sweating and panting. It's just a dream. She tried to console herself, forcing her breathing into normal speed once again. She could still picture her former best friend Elise, and other people she knew, smiling at her creepily, moving in on her as the New Government controlled them. "Kill Micah, kill Micah, kill Micah…" they were chanting in her nightmare.

  When she was feeling calm again, she closed her eyes and focused on returning to sleep. She turned and twisted on the wooden floor but could not go back to sleep anymore. It wasn't as if she was not used to lying down on hard surfaces. She'd slept in far worse conditions before. Perhaps it was just everything that had happened that was bothering her. Or maybe it was what awaited her in the future.

  "Ugh," she muttered, finally sitting up and rubbing her eyes. As her vision adjusted, she saw a fresh set of clothes that had been left for her. She changed quickly into the gray hiking pants and loose black shirt. She smoothed her blonde chin-length locks with her fingers and went to the door. When she tried to push it open, she was not surprised to find that it was locked.

  She didn't want to cause any commotion so she didn't dare try to break the door down. She looked around for something to pick the lock with, but she could not find anything. Next, she attempted to peel off the wooden panels that had been used to board up the window. To her joy and relief, it worked. Her efforts were paying off and she could already smell freedom nearing.

  Fresh air blasted from the early dawn atmosphere, giving Micah a chill. She climbed out the window soundlessly and was surprised to discover that there was no one around. She followed the nearest trail to the dense clusters of trees. The moon above her gave enough illumination so she didn't have any problem finding her way and watching out for potential dangers.

  All of a sudden, a series of gun shots sounded, piercing the quiet night. It was followed by, what sounded like a female, letting out a bloodcurdling scream, filling Micah with unexpected t
error. She shuffled faster along the trail, but the next screams of fright and pain made her pause and reconsider.

  The sounds were coming from her left, so she turned to that direction. She could hear whimpering sounds growing louder. She was getting closer.

  Under one of the tall trees, she found the cyborg crouched down beside his sister. Shelley's arm was bleeding profusely. "It's going to be okay," he whispered to her, as he took off the top of his uniform and threw it aside. He was wearing an undershirt which he quickly ripped off and wrapped around the open wound tightly.

  A few feet behind them lay a lifeless body on top of dried leaves. He was wearing the same cyborg police uniform, one of the men who had been introduced to her. Why is he dead? Her mind was racing.

  Her eyes went back to the head cyborg who had captured her. Taking care of his sister, he appeared to be a totally different person. It was his gentle, caring side showing. It made him so much more human than most people living in the new cities. It was genuine compassion, not the effect of some special drug.

  Something drew him to her. The scene unfolding in front of her made her want to help instead of run away. So she decided to stay.

  As she approached them, the cyborg whipped around, laser weapon in hand. Micah immediately put her hands up in the air. When he recognized her, he put down his gun. "What are you doing out here?" he asked gruffly. "Planning to escape? You're free to go now."

  "What happened?" Micah asked, as she crouched down beside him. "Is she alright?"

  "Shelley's going to be okay," he answered. "Philip's an ass, that traitor. He suddenly turned on us. The government probably paid him off to rat us out. I suspect Vince is in on it too. I have to find him."

  "Okay, go," Micah said. "I'll stay with Shelley."

  He hesitated before taking off.

  Shelley was beginning to recover from the shock of what had occurred. She was still very much in pain, but she reached out and squeezed Micah's hand. Giving a little smile, she whispered, "Thanks. And I'm sorry for shooting you."

  "Oh, no worries," Micah said. "It was painful, but at least it was just a temporary sleeping drug and not a real bullet."

  "We never had plans of killing you," Shelley said. "Actually, my brother Drake had been searching for you for quite some time because we knew that you had a lot of valuable information that can help us with our own mission."

  "Drake," Micah repeated the name, thinking of the good-looking cyborg who affected her so much. "So what's your mission exactly?"

  "He'd always suspected that the New Government was using the cyborgs, not for peace and order but to keep people at bay so nobody would find out what they were really up to," Shelley explained, in between her heavy breathing. She paused for a while to rest before continuing. "Yes, we know they're up to no good. We just don't have an idea yet what it is they want to accomplish."

  "But why are you training to become part of them?"

  "I've always wanted to be a cyborg too, just so I could keep avoiding taking those happy pills," Shelley confided. "All our relatives and friends have become like… dolls… We can't even recognize them anymore apart from their faces and physical features."

  "I know what you mean," Micah said, thinking of her good friend Elise. "That's why we've got to expose them while it's still early."

  "But we need proof," Shelley countered. "And so many people will never believe us. Besides, as soon as we go out in the open, we're as good as dead already."

  Micah had been coming up with a plan for months now. She didn't want to share it just yet so she kept quiet. But she could sense Shelley's honesty and desperation. She knew that this girl was telling the truth and that just maybe, she and Drake could help out in her mission.

  *****

  Drake could not track Vince down anymore. Even the others had gone, afraid to become fugitives or to be considered rebels. He'd already hidden Philip's body and was positive that he had not been able to communicate anything to their headquarters. Nevertheless, he was certain that some of their bosses were already looking for him.

  As Shelley was healing, they decided it was best to lay low in the woods. During this time, Micah got to spend a lot of time with Drake. They talked a lot and eventually found out that they had plenty in common.

  "Our parents got into an unfortunate accident a few years back," Drake had told her one afternoon while they were hunting in the forest for their food. "But now I'm not so sure if it was really an accident. My dad was involved with the New Government's secret project- the development of the happy pills."

  "Oh," was all Micah could say. She listened as he went on to tell her the story of how the cyborg police had made him stronger and braver as a person. Helping protect people gave him fulfillment and somehow seemed to bury the pain of loss further down.

  "Must be tough," Micah remarked. "But from what I know, cyborgs are also injected with drugs. These are supposed to keep you loyal followers, right?"

  "They integrated special devices into my body so that I could be stronger and faster. I got the abilities, but the brainwashing drugs they injected seemed to have been impeded by these devices. Later on, I noticed that my colleagues were becoming different than they were before. I was the only one who wasn't following blindly. There were commands I didn't agree with, so they gave me more of the drug. My body wasn't responding accordingly, but I didn't want it to seem obvious. They did tests on me and knew I was different. They kept eyes on me. And so I pretended to eventually change. I copied the others and after a while, they dropped their guard on me. That was when I began to do a bit of research."

  Micah nodded thoughtfully, now fully understanding where he was coming from and why he was also determined to find out what was going on. At that moment, she knew she could really trust him and work with him closely. Somehow, that thought filled her with a warm feeling that she had never experienced before.

  She found herself sharing more, talking about growing up in a community of rebels and about how she went on to become Renegade Leader of the group. She talked about the great pain of losing so many of her loved ones in various ways, and the immense agony of being a failure because most of her team members had been seized or killed. As she recalled all the bitter memories, pain gripped her heart and she realized she wasn't as hard-hearted as she thought she'd become.

  "I want to bring them down," she revealed. "Really, really make them eat dirt." Her quiet words made him look at her in awe.

  "I understand," he finally said, after a minute of silence.

  They had come upon a cliff from which they could see the sun setting in the distance. In silence, they watched the sunset side by side, relishing the beauty of the sky bursting with swirling hues of pinks, oranges, and purples.

  It had been so long since Micah felt relaxed. The natural exquisiteness of the sunset and the forest setting made her feel renewed. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of the cool breeze on her skin. She didn't even realize that she had stepped forward a little too much. Suddenly, her eyes flew open as she lost her balance and almost tripped toward the open precipice. Strong arms caught her just in time, wrapping around her slender body and bringing her close to his body.

  The world seemed to pause for a moment as Micah caught her breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

  "Are you okay?" she heard him whisper on top of her head.

  She nodded, still wide-eyed from nearly falling. "Thanks," she murmured softly.

  He held her close, awakening all her senses and heating up her body. She could feel the beating heart beneath his chest, thumping in rhythm with the wind and the rustle of leaves. And as their surroundings darkened, she felt him tip her chin up gently. She gazed up into his passionate brown eyes which were fixed on her.

  Without a word, he leaned forward and dampened her lips with his in a sweet kiss that made her blood rush. She lifted her hands to his neck, which drove him to kiss her again- this time with more force and greater passion. She returned it fervently, losin
g herself in the pleasurable act.

  Their kiss deepened, their tongues eventually finding one another and intertwining in an erotic dance that filled their bodies with intense heat and aching. As they devoured and caressed each other, Micah felt Drake leading her back to the shadows of the trees.

  They stepped into pitch blackness where the moonlight could not reach them. Drake pressed her against a tree trunk with his arms resting on either side of her face. His lips moistened her neck while his tongue swirled circles on the surface of her skin. She felt the heat mounting inside her body, spreading to all her extremities and making her burn to be touched and fondled.

  His hand groped under her shirt, crawling under her sports bra and cupping her breast. His thumb rubbed against her nipple, making it taut. She let out a soft moan and felt the warmth pooling between her legs.

  BOOM!

  The sudden sound of an explosion made them jump apart, immediately alert.

  "What was that?" Micah asked breathlessly.

  "Come on," Drake said, taking off instantly. Micah ran after him, following his lead as they both shot across the deep areas of the forest back to the cabin where Shelley was resting.

  When they got there, they were shocked to find the cabin in flames. "Shelley!" Drake yelled, racing toward the fire.

  Micah grabbed him with all her might, trying to stop him from going in. He struggled with her and eventually came free. She couldn't do anything but watch him go into the burning lodge. He was a cyborg with extraordinary strength and speed, after all.

  After five minutes, he still had not come out. The black smoke rose to the sky in enormous billows, mixing with the sizzling orange blazes all around the cabin. Micah stood there, trying to look beyond. "Drake! Drake!" she screamed.

  Finally, after a while, she saw him come out coughing, his clothes seared and charred. He staggered to where she was standing and dropped to his knees. "She's… not… there…" he said, in between heavy panting.