Programmed To Protect (The Tau Cetus Chronicles)

by Jenna Ives

  No one would be able to touch him.

  “A simple, yet elegant plan,” he said aloud. “Always the best kind.”

  A satisfied smile tugged at his thin lips, and he turned his attention back to the five robots who would guarantee his lofty future. They were his own personal soldiers of fortune, so to speak. Feeling a bit like a general before a battle, he straightened, clasped his hands behind his back and paced the row of camouflaged men, inspecting them. Hmm. Homogenous faces and standard-issue bodies. It really was a shame that he’d had to shut down his Beautiful Dolls sex business with its luscious fembots and mascbots of all shapes and body sizes.

  Hell, he could have used a female sexbot last night to take the edge off this nervous anticipation.

  He missed Ginger.

  No matter. If agent Wyatt stayed loyal to him during today’s demonstration, Carron would let him keep Ginger. Hell, Carron might even indulge himself like he’d promised to do for Verraine, and create a personal sexbot just for his own private use.

  Hmm. Maybe he’d fashion one after that little spitfire ex-partner of Leith Wyatt’s, agent Jai Turner. Carron had wanted her from the first moment he’d seen her last year, had even entertained fantasies of forcing her sassy mouth to take his cock and suck him dry. Mmm. This idea was sounding better and better. He would definitely derive a certain satisfaction by fucking a robotic doppelganger of Marque Callex’s woman.

  In fact, once he had Tau Cetus firmly under his thumb, maybe Carron would even reinstate his Beautiful Dolls business. After all, the Dolls had made him a very rich man.

  Carron barked out a small laugh. Hell, this was going to be fun. He almost couldn’t wait to get the day – and the rest of his life – started.

  “What’s so funny?” Titus Veraine entered the lab and looked around, obviously searching for the source of what Carron had found so humorous.

  Carron shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just lost in my own thoughts.”

  Veraine crossed the room, dumped his backpack on his desk, and started powering up various computers on his lab console. “You’re in early. Couldn’t sleep?”

  “No. And I’m certain you had trouble as well.”

  “You could say that. It’s a big day.” Veraine settled into his computer chair, and glanced at Carron over his shoulder. “What’s with the outfit?”

  Raising an eyebrow, Carron looked down at himself. Well, I’ll be damned. He’d unconsciously dressed entirely in black this morning, just like the current premier of Tau Cetus’ High Council. The current short-term premier. Theus would be dead by this afternoon.

  “Think of it as an omen, Titus,” he cooed smoothly. “The day will surely be ours.”

  Veraine frowned, continuing to flip switches as the robots started to power up. “I still don’t understand why you’re coming to the demonstration at all. Aren’t you afraid Theus’ men might seize you? Why take a chance with your safety? Let me and the robots do our work, and then, when it’s all over, you can swan in and take command.”

  Carron shook his head indulgently. “You don’t understand what it means to be a true leader, Titus. I’m no coward. I want to be there to witness the Council being destroyed. I want them to know they’re falling before my superior power. I need to feel the exact moment when the fate of the planet changes hands.”

  Veraine made a small sound. “You’re a fucking egomaniac. Hell, if there were any way I could do this remotely I certainly wouldn’t be going.”

  “Oh, you’re going,” Carron assured him. “I need you there with your computer to deal with any unexpected events. It will be a very fluid situation this afternoon.”

  “Fluid? I’ve been testing the soldiers since yesterday. There’s nothing they shouldn’t be able to handle.”

  “Nothing they won’t be able to handle. We’ll see to that.”

  A beep on Veraine’s console drew the attention of both men. Veraine read the information on the screen, then glanced up at the soldiers. “That’s it. They’re ready. Set to kill when we give the word.”

  A small smile pulled at Carron’s lips. “Very good. But I want you to make one tiny little adjustment. Make sure that each of the robots’ self-destruct sequence is on standby. If for some inconceivable reason we lose control of the situation today, detonating the robots will destroy those nearest to them as well.” Carron’s eyebrow arched. “Call it a back-up plan.”

  Veraine stared at him, and then let out a low whistle. “You really are an evil genius.”

  #

  “They’re here.”

  Wyatt didn’t know exactly who’d uttered those fateful words, but he certainly knew what they meant: Anson Carron had arrived in the building with his robot soldiers.

  The tension in the High Council chambers went up palpably, but the men present were as ready as they could possibly be. Two impostor Council members sat on each side of Theus on the raised dais; the five guards stood just behind their chairs; and the five men who would be involved in the demonstration – including Ferren – were gathered in the open area in front of the Council’s dais.

  Fifteen men against five robots. Sixteen men, if Wyatt threw himself into the battle. Those were the best odds they could muster.

  Theus stood slowly, and his gaze swept the room. “Men. Make no mistake, Anson Carron is here today not for a demonstration of his robot soldiers, but to destroy the Council and wrest control of Tau Cetus for himself. So today we fight. Not only him and his evil machines, but also his goal of a dictatorship for Tau Cetus. If you should die, know that I will die with you. But even if we lose this battle, we can take comfort in the fact that our four remaining Council members are safe in their home territories, and will avenge us by destroying this megalomaniac and returning Tau Cetus to a land of peace.”

  Rousing words. But these men were under no delusion as to why they were here. Every one of them was prepared to fight to his last breath to defend the ideal of the High Council. That’s why they’d been chosen.

  Theus made eye contact with every single man, offering his silent encouragement, before nodding his head and sitting back down.

  Wyatt understood why Theus sat. He would show Anson Carron no respect by standing to greet him. However, Theus’ granite gaze was now trained on the door through which Carron would enter.

  And every other set of eyes in the room followed suit.

  Wyatt turned to Ginger, who was standing next to him. “Okay, so is everything clear?” he whispered. “You and I will be here, off to the side of the High Council’s dais. It will draw Carron to us, because it’s a good vantage point for him to observe the action, plus, he thinks I’m on his side. Just remember, if Theus’ men need my aid in shutting down the robots during the demo, I’m going to help them. If that happens, your job will be to secure Carron until the fighting is over.”

  “Leith—“

  “Don’t argue that you’re stronger than me and should be the one to fight. I want you safe, and if you’re involved in the action I’ll be distracted, worrying about you. Which will make me lose focus.”

  “All right, Leith, I understand.”

  “Good.” He gave her the most confident smile he could muster.

  The creaking groan of the Council chamber’s thick reinforced doors swinging open was loud enough to call Wyatt’s attention back to the scene in front of him. He felt his heart literally skip a beat as Titus Veraine led the five robot soldiers into the chambers, followed by Carron at the rear, smiling serenely. Carron’s gaze took in the room, as if strategizing, but this was Wyatt’s home field. He wasn’t about to give any advantage or opportunity to the opposition. The trick was to make it look like he was.

  He stepped forward from his place at the side of the room. “Welcome, Carron. The High Council has gathered as you requested for this presentation. We look forward to your demonstration. I suggest you line up your soldiers in the area in front of the Council’s dais. One of Theus’ men will stand next to each of your soldiers for the demo.�
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  Before Carron or Veraine could object – if objecting was on their minds – Wyatt quickly added, “That would be the best arrangement for the counselors to get a good view of your soldiers.”

  Wyatt was hoping Carron would interpret the words good view to mean easy access for Carron’s soldiers to kill the Council members once they were through with Theus’ men. He held his breath, waiting for Carron’s answer.

  Anson Carron couldn’t stop the rush of pure adrenaline that was coursing through his body as he looked at the five High Council members sitting regally in their throne-like chairs.

  By God, he’d done it. They’d all come.

  Zelonis, Troian, Alon, Reigh. He’d never seen them in person before, but they were all clearly identifiable by their distinctive skin color or native facial traits, their tribal marks or territorial piercings. And all were dressed in their magnificent robes of state.

  Theus, who was seated in the center of the five men, was looking more imperial than usual. His all-black attire was a stark contrast to the jewel-toned outfits of his fellow Council members. It made him seem more serious. Arrogant, Carron might say. Well, he’d wipe that arrogance from Theus’ face before this afternoon was through. In fact, he’d make sure to wipe Theus’ face with his boot as the man lay dying.

  Carron’s gaze shifted slightly. Hmm. He hadn’t expected there to be guards protecting each Council member on the dais. The five sentinels stood discreetly, one behind each Council member’s chair. That made ten men his soldiers would have to dispatch before reaching the counselors, but it hardly mattered. No one could stand against his robots.

  “Carron?”

  His gaze moved to Leith Wyatt, the lynchpin in his master plan. None of this would have been possible without the easily manipulated Tau Cetus police agent. Carron smiled at him magnanimously, but then his gaze caught on the Beautiful Doll, Ginger, standing next to Wyatt. Carron’s eyebrow arched. Why on earth had Wyatt brought her here?

  His surprise quickly eased. Ginger’s unexpected presence posed no problem. In fact, Carron could turn it to his advantage. She was his creation. Therefore, she would follow his orders. Yes. She could help protect him if things got tricky while his soldiers were slaughtering the Council.

  Carron waved a hand. “Proceed, agent Wyatt.”

  Wyatt nodded, and the soldiers lined up in the open area in front of the Council’s dais, with one of Theus’ men to the left of each robot. Carron noted that his programmer, Titus Veraine, had seated himself at the end of the first row of the semi-circular seats of the Council’s gallery area, his laptop propped open on his knees. Veraine threw him a glance, jerking his head to indicate the seat next to him.

  Carron shook his head. He wanted to be strategically placed during this fight, and to his mind, the best location for that was off to the side of the Council’s dais, near Wyatt and Ginger, where he could control them both while safely observing the action.

  With a confident step, he moved to stand next to them.

  “How long will this little demonstration of yours take, Carron?” Theus asked dismissively. “Since the Council is so rarely together, we have a long agenda of items to discuss as soon as you’re through.”

  Carron didn’t think he could hate Theus more than he did at this moment. So his demo was a mere inconvenience for the Council members, was it? Well, we’d see about that. Perhaps he’d stop his soldiers at the last moment from killing Theus, so that he could do it himself.

  “Oh, don’t worry, premier,” he cooed. “My ‘little demonstration’ won’t take long at all.”

  “Get on with it, then.”

  “Certainly.” Carron cleared his throat and spread his arms in a benevolent gesture. “My dear Council members. Thank you for gathering here today to allow me to demonstrate for you in person the power of my robot soldiers. They are a formidable asset. A potent weapon. With them, all of Tau Cetus can be controlled. Titus?”

  Beside him, Carron could feel Wyatt tense. Hell, Carron couldn’t help but tense himself. This was the moment the fate of Tau Cetus would change. Carron watched as Titus Veraine’s finger came down on a computer key, and with that simple motion, all hell broke loose.

  Carron jumped in surprise as the five men Theus had assigned to this demonstration began to dance around, waving their hands wildly, their bodies jerking like marionettes on a string. What the hell were they doing?

  It was the most bizarre sight.

  As Carron watched, his robot soldiers quickly took care of them. One snapped the neck of his opponent, one punched a mechanical fist through the chest of another, while a third left his challenger nothing but a broken bag of human bones. But… wait…two of Theus’ men at the end of the demonstration line were still alive. And two of his robots were standing eerily still. Had they malfunctioned?

  Carron’s mouth turned down into a frown even as he watched his third robot soldier quickly break the back of the man standing next to him, while the final one of the five survivors scrambled out of the way, heading for the Council dais.

  The whole scene had taken maybe ten seconds.

  “Carron!” Theus roared, as the five Council members shot to their feet. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Carron shrugged negligently. “This is the end of the High Council. Tau Cetus now belongs to me.”

  Wyatt’s feet had felt rooted to the floor as he’d watched Carron’s robots quickly kill three of Theus’ men. And then, a moment later, a fourth. Thank God Ferren had had the presence of mind to get the hell away from the robots’ reach and head for the Council dais.

  Beside him, Carron snickered. “Four dead, eleven to go.”

  “Twelve,” Wyatt corrected. Based on the ease with which the robots had murdered those men, Wyatt knew he was needed. Adrenaline shot through his body as he nodded to Ginger, signaling for her to contain Carron, and then launched himself toward the Council dais to join the fight.

  The scene was now one of sheer chaos. Twelve men against three robots should have been good odds in their favor, but Wyatt saw one of the machines quickly mount the dais and take out the impostor Council member and his guard at the end of the platform as easily as if the robot was slicing through butter.

  Ten against three.

  From the side of the room, Carron’s delighted laugh doubled Wyatt’s determination. He rushed for the far end of the dais, reaching for the robot’s off switch while it was occupied with the next Council member and his guard. Wyatt reached the mechanism easily enough, but it was too late for the two men. The robot froze just after it had crushed their skulls together.

  Fuck.

  Eight against two.

  There was no time to waste. The remaining two machines were located at either end of the platform, attempting to kill men on their way to get to the middle. To Theus. Wyatt ignored the cries of pain from injured men as he swerved, danced and ducked blows, desperately trying to get to the off switch of the robot closest to his side of the dais. In a moment of collective insight, the remaining two surrogate Council members and their two guards jumped on top of the robot, trying to hold him still while Wyatt lunged, finally reaching the switch.

  Eight against one.

  Damn. Make that six against one. The sole remaining robot came up from behind and roughly plucked two of the men off the deactivated robot soldier’s body, throwing them into the concrete wall behind the Council’s long table. The men crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

  Wyatt desperately lunged off the platform as the robot reached for the two men still holding onto the disabled machine. The crunch of shattering bones turned his stomach, but there would be time to mourn later. They’d all known what they were getting into in this deadly fight.

  It was now four against one.

  Wyatt scrambled along the floor on his hands and knees until he reached the other end of the dais. Jumping back up onto it, he quickly assessed the scene. There should be three guards left to protect Theus. But Wyatt only counted two. Himself a
nd Ferren.

  They must have lost another guard along the way. Hell, there were too many bodies piled up to count.

  “To me!” Theus ordered.

  Wyatt rushed to Theus’ side while Ferren covered his other. They watched as the remaining robot soldier turned from his last killing, eyeing them with its empty black eyes, sizing up the situation.

  “How do we play this?” Ferren growled, low.

  “You’re bleeding,” Wyatt pointed out, glancing at Ferren’s left shoulder. “Let me take the brunt of this.”

  “No,” Theus countermanded. “It’s me Carron wants dead. It’s my right to deny him that pleasure.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “Sir— ”

  “Let’s just see how this goes, shall we?”

  There was no more time for strategizing. The final robot was stepping over bodies, making its way determinedly toward them.

  Wyatt tensed, and looked at Ferren. “Let’s try to draw its attention above its head. If we can distract it upward, one of us will hopefully be able to get to its damned switch.”

  Ferren nodded his agreement. “If it comes straight at us, I’ll be closest to its left side. I’ll have the best shot at it.”

  Wyatt waited until the robot was within arm’s reach of them, and then he lifted his hands and waved them high above his head. Theus and Ferren followed suit. The robot’s head tilted up, as if looking for an attack from above, which gave Ferren his opportunity to drop one hand to the machine’s waist, searching for its switch.

  He wasn’t fast enough. The robot’s fist came down on Ferren’s forearm, audibly breaking it, and when Ferren doubled over at the pain, the robot’s right knee came up to smash into Ferren’s face. Ferren’s head snapped back on his shoulders, and as he collapsed onto the floor of the dais, Wyatt could see there wasn’t much of his face left.

  Fucking hell.

  Two against one.

  Before Wyatt and Theus had a chance to regroup, the robot reached up to capture their hands in the air. Wyatt desperately tried to jerk out of its grasp but the robot’s grip was too tight. He was caught. And the look on Theus’ face told Wyatt he was trapped as well.