Neither did the laser gun pointed right at her.
Next to him stood two cyborgs Celise didn’t recognize, but they were just as mean-looking as Nightmare. They were tall, muscular, and with cold expressions.
The blond one seemed dead on the inside, no emotions on his face. The look in his eyes was almost robotic.
The redhead, on the other hand, sent cold shivers down her spine. He radiated rage in a way that neither Nightmare nor the blond cyborg did. She’d never seen so much hate in someone’s eyes before.
“I must say I didn’t expect to find anyone but the cyborg here,” Nightmare said. He looked at Faye. “But it’s nice to see you again, Faye. Silver can’t wait to see you.”
Faye took another step back, worry in her eyes. “We should leave, Celise. Like right now.”
Determination awakened within Celise. She wouldn’t let these cyborgs scare her. “I’m not leaving Wind.” She glared at Nightmare. “Why are you here?”
The rogue leader studied her and the device she held, ignoring her question. “You’re one of MedAct’s doctors.” It was a statement.
She frowned. “I work for them, yes.”
He rubbed his chin and exchanged a look with the other Fighters.
A feeling of dread went through her when the redhead grinned.
The blond only nodded.
It was as if they had a conversation without words, but cyborgs couldn’t communicate telepathically, so they had to know something she didn’t.
“You can’t save him, you know,” Nightmare said.
Anger awakened within her. “Watch me.” Celise ignored him and focused on Wind. She pressed the scanner against his chest again. She didn’t have time for anything else. Her cyborg’s life hung on a thin thread, and if she didn’t do something soon, he’d die.
The scanning indicated the bond wasn’t working as it should. Probably because of Diane’s death, but something also told her that wasn’t only it.
The bond shouldn’t be there in the first place. It should’ve malfunctioned as soon as Wind had spotted Diane’s body, but the bond didn’t show any signs of malfunctioning. Instead, it was as powerful as ever.
She’d never seen what actually happened when a cyborg died. She only knew the theory, and what the scan said went against everything she’d been taught about the bond.
Nightmare handed the gun to the redheaded cyborg and crouched next to her. “Your name is Celise?”
She only nodded, not taking her eyes off of the scanner.
“You know who I am?”
Celise frowned. “Is there someone who doesn’t?”
“I guess you’re right, but you don’t seem afraid.”
Faye snorted. “She just hasn’t had the pleasure of seeing your exquisite personality for herself yet.”
Nightmare glared at Faye. “But you have, and I’m sure I left an impression on you, just as you left an impression on Silver.” He turned his gaze back to Celise. “How long have you been working for MedAct?”
“About six years. Why do you care?”
He once again avoided her question. “What does the scan tell you?”
Suspicion washed over her. “Why should I tell you?”
“Let me guess. It tells you the bond is still there, and that it’s fully functioning, but its behavior has changed. It’s not doing what it was designed for anymore. It is instead spreading in his body, shutting off one part after another.”
Celise stared, tried not to show her surprise. “How do you know that?”
He frowned, ignoring her question a third time. “But I must say I’m surprised it’s taking this long.” Nightmare ripped the scanner from her hands, making her wince. “He should be dead by now.”
Silence filled the area as the leader studied the scan. Then he lowered the device and gave her a look that made her tense. It told her he was someone she shouldn’t take lightly. He was dangerous. He’d snap her neck without a second thought, but there was also something else.
Loneliness.
So much loneliness …
For a second, it made her feel sorry for him, but then she remembered who he was. Celise grabbed Wind’s hand in a hopeless attempt to protect him from the Fighters leader.
He wanted something. That was why he was there, but how had he found them? “There’s another bond here,” Nightmare said. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her hand holding Wind’s. “You were trying to take over his bond, weren’t you?”
It really was scary how observant he was. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “I don’t have time for this. I need to get him to MedAct so I can save him.”
He frowned again. “You haven’t told Jade yet?”
“There was no time.” Celise couldn’t believe she was telling him all this, but despite the unnerving look in his eyes, there was also something else there.
Understanding.
What the hell was going on? How could he possibly know these things?
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve seen this before.”
A grin spread on his plum lips. It made him look handsome and harmless. Almost. “Oh, yes. Many times.”
“Tell me what’s going on?”
He got to his feet. “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
Celise’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Faye gasped. She didn’t say anything, but the fear in her eyes was unmistakable.
“You really expect me to go with you? I need to take Wind to MedAct. I can’t do anything for him here. My bond to him is the only thing keeping him alive. The scan tells me I have less than two hours to save him.”
His face went expressionless. “MedAct can’t do anything for him, and trust me, they won’t. The bond has already made the transformation. To them, he’s already dead.”
This jerk was starting to get on her nerves. “What do you mean? They always do everything in their power to save a cyborg.”
Nightmare sighed. “You’ve been working for them for six years, and yet, you know so little.” Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’m willing to give you a chance of a lifetime, Celise— the insight of the Fighters’ lives. I can bring you inside our headquarters, show you our world.”
She blinked. Everything inside her told her not to trust this cyborg. She’d heard enough about him to know he was the last person she should trust, but at the same time, there was something off with Wind’s bond, and he seemed to have the answer.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I can show you the truth MedAct doesn’t want you to see.” He gave her a once-over. “It’s obvious you’re not one of their top doctors, and because of that, I’m willing to show you what no one on the outside has ever seen. They’ve barely let you inside MedAct’s facility, have they? You seem … fresh.” He grinned.
“Don’t do it, Celise.” Faye gave her a wary look.
She shook her head, emotions going wild inside her. “You don’t even know me.”
“No, I don’t, but I know your kind. I can save him, and it’s obvious you care about him. Besides, I’ve had my eyes on him since we met some time ago,” Nightmare answered.
Celise gawked. “You’ve been watching him?”
Nightmare shrugged. “It’s not difficult to bug someone, especially a cyborg who’s too distressed to notice. I saw him as a potential candidate for my tests, but I guess that’s not going to happen now. He’s in no condition for what I had in mind for him. You on the other hand; you’re exactly what I need.”
She took a step back. “What do you mean?”
“I need someone on the inside.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve just seen what no MedAct doctor in your position has seen. You’ve stumbled upon something you don’t understand, and you want answers.” He pointed at Wind. “You have your proof lying right in front of you. The scan doesn’t lie. You know that. Come with me, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Celise swallowed and licked her lips.
“There’s something wrong with the bond.”
He nodded. “Yes, and no. The bond is functioning just as it was designed to. It’s just that few know what it really is designed for.”
“And that is?”
He reached out his hand. “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
“Celise …” Faye warned.
Nightmare turned to her. “Don’t worry, Faye. You’re coming with us, too.”
Her eyes widened. “In your dreams!”
“You have to finish what you started, my dear, or Silver will die.” He turned back to Celise. “How will it be?”
Faye glared at the leader. “I thought you were against the bond. I remember you said it isn’t real.”
“It isn’t real, but you got me all wrong.”
She snorted. “I was there when you hurt Shade, so don’t take me for a fool.”
“I’ll prove you wrong.” The light in his shining eyes intensified.
“You expect me to just trust you?” Celise asked. “You must be a fool if you think I’ll do that, but I guess you won’t give me a choice.”
His face turned serious. “I will give you a choice, Celise, to show you I’m not the man you think I am. Come with me, and I’ll tell you everything, but if you refuse, I’ll let you go. You can take Wind to MedAct, and watch him die. They’ll tell you there’s nothing they can do to save him. I can assure you that.”
“Don’t trust him, Celise!” Faye yelled. “He almost killed Shade.”
“To save many, a few must be sacrificed,” he said, giving Faye a cold look.
Celise’s gaze lingered between Faye and Nightmare. “What if I go with you? What happens then? Will I be able to leave?”
“I doubt you’ll want to leave once I’ve shown you the truth.” The leader placed his hand on his chest. “But I swear on my honor, no harm will come to you, Wind, or Faye. I’m willing to trust you enough to even show you where our headquarter is. I’m putting the Fighters’ fate in your hands, and if you still don’t believe me after you’ve heard me out, you can go to MedAct and tell them all about it.”
Celise couldn’t believe this was happening. Was he really willing to trust her? Just like that? He was either a fool or desperate.
Her gaze wandered to Wind. He still hadn’t moved. His eyes were closed as he lay still on the ground. He seemed peaceful, but with each minute, he came closer and closer to death.
Her heart bled. It cried from the knowledge that she’d lose him if she didn’t do something.
She didn’t know what the right thing to do was, but she’d seen a glimpse of something that shouldn’t be there. It was something MedAct had never even mentioned, and that awakened her suspicion.
Something was off …
Very off …
She took a deep breath. “I’ll probably regret this, but I’ll go with you, under the conditions you mentioned. No harm shall come to me, Faye, or Wind, and we’ll be able to leave whenever we like.”
Nightmare nodded. “You have my word.”
Faye didn’t seem happy but didn’t object. She looked at Celise. “I promised I’d stay by your side, no matter what happened, and that’s what I’ll do.” She threw up her arms and sighed. “Here we go again.”
CHAPTER 25
The van sped down the road. The blond cyborg drove it, and no one spoke. The only sound that was heard was the tires against the pavement.
The vehicle was big enough to accommodate ten people, but apart from the front seats for the driver and a passenger, the windowless rear only had seats for four.
It surprised Celise that it was clean and seemed well taken care of. The interior was white, and black rubber mats covered the floor. Guns hung behind the driver, locked behind bars, and next to it, a med kit. There was even a computer tablet attached there. She had, for some reason, imagined the Fighters to be a sloppy gang, but much pointed to the opposite.
Nightmare and the red-haired cyborg sat in the back with her and Faye.
Wind lay on the floor with the scanner against his chest. If anything changed, she’d know instantly.
The worry refused to release her, making her keep a watchful eye on him. She could only hope their destination wasn’t far.
Celise looked at Faye, sitting next to her, but her friend didn’t spare her a glance. Faye was being so mellow. Why? There was no trace of the rebellious person she usually was.
She had suspicions to why Faye had agreed to this. She’d seen the guilt in Faye’s eyes when Nightmare had mentioned Silver. Maybe, she had finally accepted she had to face him.
Celise turned her gaze to the redheaded cyborg. He had unusual beauty and appearance, with high cheekbones and a wide mouth. She hadn’t paid much attention to him before, but she did now, and his shining eyes had a red glow. She’d never seen that before. She’d also never seen such pale skin. It was almost as if he lacked pigmentation.
“I’m Blaze,” he suddenly said.
She winced. Hadn’t expected him to speak, considering the anger she’d seen in his eyes in the forest. Strangely, that rage didn’t seem to be there anymore. Instead, his eyes were filled with anticipation.
“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Blaze, but I don’t think it fits the situation.”
His lips twitched. “Don’t worry. You have nothing to fear from me. We’ve been waiting for you.”
She blinked. “What?”
Blaze looked at Nightmare with a silent question in his eyes.
The rogue leader only nodded, and the redhead turned back to Celise. “The world has a messed-up image about us. Most people believe we’re crazy, dangerous, and not reliable.”
Celise frowned. “You kill people.”
Blaze remained calm. “Not without cause.”
“And you rob places.”
“Also, not without cause. We have to survive.”
“Many of you are also damaged because of the broken bond.”
He nodded. “We’re damaged because the bond tried to kill us once our bound one died. We do everything we can for those cyborgs. No one is terminated unless there’s no other way.”
“So I’d say the world has a rather good image of you.”
His lips tensed, but he still remained calm. “There’s more to us than you think. You’d be dead by now if we were the bad guys media portray us to be. We’re about to show you everything about us, and we’ll even let you go once our talk is over. We’re sacrificing everything here. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
Silence filled the van for a short while.
“You need someone to tell your story,” Celise gasped.
Blaze nodded again. “We’ve been looking for the right person for years, and it couldn’t be just anybody. It had to be a doctor who works for MedAct. We’ve had our eyes on you, and other doctors, but you are the one we considered.”
Her jaw dropped, and she stared at the cyborg as everything he’d said sank in. “Why me?”
“Because you seemed like a kind and understanding person. You also have something most of the other doctors lack.”
“And what is that?”
“You see us as equals, and you really care about us.” A gentle smile played on his lips as he reclined against the wall of the van. “You’re also the one who created the program that can track cyborgs using the forgotten signal inside our programming.”
Shock went through her, and she straightened her shoulders. “How did you know that?”
His smile slid into a grin before he chuckled.
Nightmare chuckled with him.
“I didn’t,” Blaze said. “You just confirmed our suspicions.”
Her heart pounded as she stared at them. They seemed amused by her surprise. Celise was unable to speak. Her brain felt like toast, but as she slowly came back to her senses, she understood it’d been just a matter of time before they’d find out.
“We might be a bunch of damaged cyborgs, but we’re still smart,” Nightmare said. “We managed to track the s
ignal you sent out. When we realized it came from Glaswell, it didn’t take much to understand that one of the doctors who work for MedAct operates it from there.”
Defeat filled her. “Is my program the reason I’m here?”
“No. We’ve already told you why you’re here. You’re here because we need you. We want you to see the truth. We want you to understand everything.” The leader’s eyes were serious.
She nodded, relief flooding her. For a short moment there, she’d thought she’d been played.
Celise glanced at Faye. She’d remained silent during the whole conversation. It worried her since it was so unusual for her friend. She took a deep breath. “Why do you trust me? It’s obvious you’d been spying on me, but you don’t know me.”
“We don’t trust you,” Nightmare said, “but we’re willing to take our chances. Something has to be done to change our fate. We hope you’re one step in the right direction.”
“And what is your goal?”
The cyborgs remained silent for a while. They exchanged glances as if they were trying to decide what to admit. “To eliminate the bond and take down MedAct,” Blaze finally said.
Faye snorted, breaking her silence. “Good luck with that.”
Nightmare snorted. “I know you both think it sounds crazy, but when you know what we know, you’ll rethink.”
The van slowed, and a few seconds later, turned right. The ground changed and became bumpier.
Celise tried to look through the driver’s window. She had no idea where they were, and all she saw were trees. It’d taken about fifteen minutes to get from where they’d been.
“Where are we?” Faye asked.
“About an hour from Glaswell,” Blaze answered.
The vehicle drove for another minute before coming to a halt.
Nightmare opened the back door and got out. Faye followed, and Blaze after her.
Celise hesitated. She looked at Wind, who still lay on the floor with closed eyes. The scanner on his chest still indicated the same thing — he was dying, and if she didn’t stop it soon, there’d be no way to bring him back.
His bond to Diane had changed. It should be gone, but instead, it was still there, and she had no idea how to interpret that. She just hoped Nightmare had a solution.
Loved Cyborg (Bound by Her Book 2) Page 13