Titanium (Bionics)

by Michaels, Alicia

  The line closes off and I immediately pull up Blythe’s frequency. “What do you think, B?” I ask, watching as the Annihilator creeps through the underbrush, slowly making its way to the clearing. I’m separated from it by several feet of brush and trees, so I continue watching its progress from relative safety.

  “Rosenberg here,” Laura says from the other side of the comm. device. “We’ve got a plan, but we’ll need your help.”

  “Go ahead, I’m open to any ideas that don’t involve us getting fried by that thing.”

  “I need you to catch Blythe. I’m going to fly as low as I can and she’s going to jump to you. Then I’m going to crash this thing into the Annihilator.”

  My eyes widen at her crazy-but-genius idea. “Are you nuts? You’re going to get yourself killed!” I hiss over the line.

  A feminine laugh filters through before Laura says, “Kid, when the blasts hit in ’06, I took a six inch shard of glass to the chest, and so much shrapnel they had to replace my tits with a metal plate and my heart with one that has a V-6 engine. I’ve already cheated death once— I think I can do it again. This isn’t a kamikaze, okay? I’ll jump at the last second, once I’m sure the bike is aimed at the Annihilator.”

  I don’t like it; the risk of losing Laura is too high. In the short time I’ve know her, I’ve become attached and I want her on our team permanently.

  “Use your head, kid,” she says when I am silent for too long. “Even if you lose one man, it’s worth it to save the rest of you from getting your faces melted off. Trust me.”

  She hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so I’d be an ass to ignore her plea for trust.

  “All right, Rosenberg, you’re up. I’m about a hundred yards from the target now and they’re approaching the clearing. If we’re going to do it, we need to do it now.”

  “I see you,” Laura says just as the hum of a hover bike’s engine grows louder. “Heads up.”

  I have about two seconds to react before Blythe’s body comes hurtling at me out of the sky. I catch her and we both go hurtling into the underbrush. I turn to my back so that I take most of the impact, bringing Blythe down on top of me as we skid across the dirt and brambles below. I barely have time to register the sting of branches scoring my back through my t-shirt before Laura’s bike comes whizzing out of the sky at full speed, aimed right at the Annihilator.

  The M.P.s scatter like cockroaches, all but two of them getting out of dodge in time. An orange ball of flame billows upward, followed by thick black smoke, as Laura’s aim proves true. I swiftly switch me and Blythe’s positions, placing her under me and covering my head as shards of metal and fiberglass rain down in a cloud of smoke, dirt and debris. I flinch as a shard of falling shrapnel embeds itself in the back of my shoulder, but I remain in my position until I am sure most of the falling wreckage has cleared. When I lift my head, a flaming hunk of metal rests where the annihilator used to be. What’s left of the bike lies in pieces around the now useless weapon and the bodies of two M.P.s are in just as many bits on the ground.

  “Did she make it?” Blythe asks, reminding me that I’ve got her pinned to the ground. I stand and give her a hand up, brushing my clothes off and ignoring the shooting pain running up and down my arm from the shrapnel. Whatever is in my shoulder is in deep and hurts like hell.

  “I don’t know,” I rasp between deep breaths of smoky air. The ash and smoke are so thick, I can barely see. I am unprepared for the attack, but Blythe is not. By the time I realize the two M.P.s that survived the blast are on us, Blythe has stunned one with her gun, and smashed in the face of the other with her bionic arm.

  “Nice,” I mumble with a nod of thanks.

  “It’s the least I can do after you let me use you as a human shield,” she jokes, nudging me with her elbow.

  “Ah,” I groan, flinching on contact.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks, grabbing me by the arm and turning me to inspect my shoulder. Her gasp confirms what I already suspected. “It’s in deep,” she says as she gently pokes at the skin around the chunk of metal sticking out of my back. “I don’t think I can pull it out by hand.”

  “Let’s not try it then,” I say, instinctively inching away from her searching hands. “I’ll be okay for now.”

  “Are you kidding me? That’s barely a scratch,” jokes Laura’s voice from behind me. I turn to find her striding toward us through the trees, her once shiny chest plate now charred and blackened. A nasty burn covers the left side of her neck and her face is stained with ash, but a huge grin is spread across her face.

  “You’ll live and so will I,” she says as she inspects her ARX for damage.

  I laugh as we turn and tramp back through the woods, back toward the clearing. “Rosenberg, two, Death, zero.”

  Dax Janner, Blythe Sol, and Laura Rosenberg

  Memphis Hideout of Restoration Resistance

  August 18, 4010

  6:30 am

  By the time we reach the clearing, there have been losses on both sides, with the majority of those being on the side of the M.P.s. While the ones hiding in the tree are of concern, it’s the three massive tanks firing at the hovercraft that pose the biggest threat. If we can take them out, we’re home free.

  The Rejects have arrived, along with the others that came in on foot and I see them mixed in with our own, fighting ruthlessly. I spot the guy with the bionic arms, swinging down from his perch in a tree and landing on the back of a tank before grasping the head of the M.P. manning the turret and snapping his neck like a twig.

  “No!” I bellow, racing toward the tank and leaping up onto the top of it with him. Monkey Arms frowns at me as I push one of the M.P.s out of his grasp and stun him with my ARX before taking down three others in the same way.

  “What’s your problem, man?” Monkey Arms asks, his face a mask of rage and bloodlust.

  “My problem is, we don’t kill unless we have to. I thought I made that perfectly clear to you and your band of freaks. Taking lives is an action we save for desperate situations. You purposely broke that man’s neck when you could have just as easily knocked him out!”

  “Take it easy, mate,” says Baron from the ground as he head-butts one of the M.P.s into unconsciousness, cracking through the fiberglass front of the guy’s helmet with his metal-domed head. “Joe here’s just having a bit of fun.”

  Ignoring them both, I jump down into the tank’s turret. “Rosenberg, you know how to drive one of these things?” I ask as she runs by, her ARX firing into the trees. Her eyes widen and she grins.

  “You bet your ass I do.”

  I nod. “Good. You drive, I’ll shoot.”

  Laura jumps into the driver’s seat below me and steers me toward one of the other tanks, which is parked a few hundred yards away, still firing on the hovercraft. Jenica returns fire from her place at the controls. The tank bounces over uneven ground, but is swift as we approach the second tank. I fire a warning shot, hoping to scatter some of the M.P.s before I blow the thing to smithereens. One is all I give them, though; I uphold the Professor’s peaceful Resistance mumbo jumbo, but only to a certain point. I’m ready to go home and these sons of bitches are in my way.

  I let loose with everything in the tank’s arsenal and within seconds, the tank is blown sky high, flipped upside down with smoke billowing from its engine. A few bodies lay in the wreckage, but those that remain are merely stunned by the members of our team who have been lying in wait for this moment.

  Laura turns toward the third tank, but Jenica’s already on it, the hovercraft’s weapon blowing holes into the tank’s tough exterior. I add my weaponry to hers and take out the second tank, rendering it as useless as the first.

  Now left without their tanks and their precious Annihilator, the M.P.s are turning tail to run, disappearing into the woods in the opposite direction of the hideout. Laura and I leap from the tank and give chase, stunning as many of them with our ARXs as we can. Blythe, Blade, Spikes, Monkey Arms, and all the others
join us, and pretty soon, every last one of them is gone.

  A cheer goes up from the crowd, our victory sweet after hours of wondering if we’d ever make it out alive. I scan the crowd, counting those that remain, sad to see that we have lost many members of our security team, but knowing that it is necessary. In the end, those who remain at the hideout are safe because of our sacrifices. I notice that we’ve lost two of the Rejects and while I can’t say I care too much for any of them, I can see the sadness in the eyes of those that remain. Their brotherhood is as strong as ours, so I know that Baron, Spikes, and even Monkey Arms are in mourning as well.

  Jenica exits the craft and Gage jumps down from his perch on top, and the two head in our direction. I try not to let it show, but my gut is knots as I watch Gage rush forward and crush Blythe in his arms.

  “Thank God you’re okay,” he says as he holds her away long enough to look her over before hugging her again.

  “Me?” Blythe laughs. “You’re the one we were all worried about. I’m glad you made it out.”

  “You did good, Janner,” Jenica says as she steps between me and Blythe and Gage. Thank goodness too, because I’m about three seconds away from giving into the impulse I’ve felt since meeting Gage and kicking him square in the face. I focus on Jenica and try not to stare at them over her shoulder as they talk in hushed tones.

  “Hey, this is the person you should be thanking,” I say, grabbing Laura as she walks by. “Jenica Swan, this is former Army sergeant Laura Rosenberg. She was an integral part in helping keep the hideout safe, as well as getting rid of the Annihilator. We were lucky to have her on our side today.”

  The two women shake hands and Laura smiles warmly. Jenica, of course, keeps her stoic expression, a stony mask she hardly ever takes off.

  “Nice to meet you,” Jenica says as her hand drops back down to her side, “and thank you for all you’ve done. We should get moving before they come back with reinforcements. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a hovercraft or two nearby. We still have over a hundred people to load up before we can lift off.”

  “I’ll ride ahead and get everyone ready,” Laura volunteers, already throwing one leg over the seat of a hover bike. “We’ll be at the entrance and ready to board quickly. Dax had us stockpile food and supplies too, so if we have time, it might be good to load that up.”

  Without giving us time to answer, Laura is off and whizzing over the trees, leaving the rest of us to board the hovercraft. I turn to find the Rejects standing on the outskirts of our group and am glad to see that they don’t appear interested in coming with us, which takes the task of telling them they aren’t welcome on board our craft squarely off of my shoulders.

  “You’re a good leader and a strong fighter, mate,” says Baron as he steps forward and extends his hand toward me.

  I keep my arms crossed over my chest. “Thanks for your help, but now is when we part ways,” I say. “That stunt your boy pulled over by the tank wasn’t cool. It reminded me of exactly why we don’t need people like you among us.”

  Baron smiles, curling his hand into a fist as his blade retracts back into his arm. “Ready or not, mate, we are here. There are more of us than you realize and we plan to take our lives back. And we don’t plan on doing it nicely.”

  “Why do you want to go against Professor Neville?” asks Blythe as she and Gage join our little powwow. “He is working for peace between us and the people of the United States. It’s not their fault the President has them afraid of us. His lies and dangerous rhetoric are the reason we have to hide. You guys going around killing people just because you won’t go too far in convincing them that we aren’t dangerous.”

  “See, that’s where you messed up,” Spikes chimes in, stepping up next to Baron who puts his arm around her waist, careful to avoid her jagged barbs. “We aren’t interested in convincing anyone that we aren’t dangerous. In fact, I’m more interested in showing them just how dangerous I can be.”

  As if to emphasize the point, her spikes elongate, sticking out of her neck like one of those clichéd biker chick dog collars.

  “You can’t win a fight against the government,” Gage challenges. “Any action you take against them will be used to show the people that they are justified in their treatment of the very people they created. Your logic is flawed. You aren’t helping the Bionics … you’re dooming them.”

  “We’re enlightening them,” Baron says, his voice edged in cold steel. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Normal. Aren’t you fighting for the wrong side?”

  “I’m fighting for what’s right,” Gage answers, a deep growl creeping into his tone.

  “That’s enough,” Jenica chimes in as she steps into the middle of our group. “Everyone going to Restoration Headquarters, get on the freaking hovercraft. The rest of you had better get out of my sight as quickly as you can. I won’t let you go so easily next time.”

  Baron bows regally at the waist in a mocking gesture. “As the lady wishes,” he says before motioning for his crew to follow him. They disappear into the woods as we board the Neville I.

  “We have to warn the Professor about the Rejects,” Blythe says as she takes her place at the controls beside Jenica. When we are all together, Blythe or Olivia navigates and mans the guns and Jenica pilots. Gage and I take seats on opposite sides of the aisle as the others slide into the rows behind us.

  “Professor Hinkley and I are well of aware of the activities of these so-called Rejects,” Jenica says, her face twisted in a snarl of disdain as she expertly steers the Hovercraft back toward the hideout. “We have been for months now. We’ve been waiting to see if their little uprising would grow beyond the pitiful numbers they began with.”

  “Do you think that there is cause for concern?” I ask, watching the trees speed by below us through my window. “They seem pretty damn serious.”

  “I think that our main concern is Stonehead, and the fact that they still have several of our people, including Olivia. The Rejects are a problem that will have to wait until another day.”

  “What will we do?” Blyth asks, her voice low. “About Olivia, I mean.”

  Gage reaches over the back of Blythe’s seat and places a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll think of something,” he says, his voice soothing. My teeth are grinding together so hard it’s no wonder they don’t shatter. “I promise.”

  Blythe seems to take comfort from his words. She turns and gives him a small smile. He smiles back and I see in his eyes the same emotion I know is in mine when I look at Blythe. I feel as if I’ve swallowed a molten rock. Blythe looks up and finds me watching them. She swiftly turns and shrugs Gage’s hand off of her shoulder, her eyes lowered to the control panel. Twin spots of red appear on her cheeks.

  This is exactly the kind of shit I don’t need right now. I remind myself that our mission is not over and concentrate on counting the minutes that pass as we near the hideout.

  I am almost grateful when the hum of another hovercraft fills the air and Jenica spews a string of curses. Almost.

  Through the back window of the craft, I can see that there are not one, but two military-grade Hovercrafts speeding through the air behind us.

  “Sol, the gun!” Jenica cries as she banks right, hard. I grip the seat behind me before I can go hurtling across the aisle toward Gage. Strap yourself in next time, idiot, I chastise myself as the craft straightens again.

  “Everyone, windows open, guns up!” I command as I throw my window open. Those with guns follow suit and as I stick my upper body through the window, I barely miss having my head taken off by a zooming hover bike. There are about six of them closing in on us, poised to shoot us through the windows. I have no doubt that after the beating they took, their guns are now trained on ‘kill’ instead of ‘stun’. As I take aim on the bike that nearly hit me, I am surprised to find Baron on its seat. He pulls up beside my window and salutes mockingly.

  “You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fu
n, did you, mate?” he bellows over the wind, his face split in a wide grin.

  “Hold your fire!” I command as I recognize the rest of the Rejects as the occupants of the other bikes. “The bikes are friendlies.”

  “They don’t look like any friends of mine,” Gage snorts from his position across the aisle.

  “Yeah, well they’re not the ones firing on us!” Blythe yells as she takes aim on the craft directly behind us using the radar screen.

  The hover bikes fall back, surrounding the craft that Blythe has blown a few holes into behind us. It’s going to take a lot more than that to take down the military craft, and we all know it. Jenica is working some impressive piloting skills, swooping low and veering through trees, but only so much evasive maneuvering is going to save us.

  “Hey, Bronson,” I call across the aisle, catching Gage’s attention. “Feel like getting some fresh air?” I ask as I point to the roof hatch above out heads.

  To my surprise he smiles and stands, his gun at the ready. His CBX1000 is nowhere near as badass at my ARX, but it’ll get the job done.

  “Now that you mention it, it is getting kind of stuffy in here.”

  “What are you doing?” screams Jenica as she banks left again, throwing Gage into me before righting the craft again. “Do you want to get yourselves killed?”

  “No, but we’d rather not let you go down with us if we do,” I answer as Gage pops the hatch open. He gives me a leg up first and once I’m out, I lean down through the hole and help pull him up. The current of air on either side of us is strong and each of us has to grab on to one of the steel handles on either side of the hatch to keep from falling off.

  “We need to get on those bikes,” I say, watching as the Rejects swarm around the hovercraft, smashing in its windows and laughing with glee as they snatch M.P.s through the circular holes and throw them to the ground. “Pick one and jump on. Throw the other guy off and try not to get killed.”

  “Got it,” Gage says, taking off before I can tell him to go.