by Lisa Lace
“You’re crazy!” Part of Rachel wanted to slap him, but she didn’t want to insult the only other human around. Besides, she needed his phone, and it might be password protected. “Even if you can convince a bunch of cyborgs to come with you, how are you going to move them? We don’t have the vans anymore.”
Clayton glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he dialed a number. “Don’t you think I’ve thought of extraction? All I have to do is make a call, and another team will get out here. Cyborg Sector can send out a hired driver. Maybe they can find a prison or use Uber Cyborg. Government agencies have plenty of pull, and they’ll figure it out. I’m not going to give up.” He held the phone to his ear. “This could be your lucky day. If you want a news story, now is the time to get it. I’d say you have an exclusive on your hands.”
The scientist spoke quickly into the phone, summarizing everything that had happened in the last few minutes as well as his plans to continue the mission. The voice on the other end was muffled, but Rachel could tell that it was irate. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who thought Clayton’s plan was foolish.
He sounded quite confident. “You don’t have to send anyone out here. Do whatever you want. I’m going to do my job either way. But I feel obligated to tell you something.” He looked at Rachel suggestively. “If you don’t want to back me up, a reporter is standing right next to me who is ready to document everything. The media will have a field day covering the government agency that abandoned people in the middle of New Mexico.” After another few seconds of listening, Clayton turned off the phone. “They agreed with me. We’re good to go.”
The reporter folded her arms over her chest, ignoring the pain in her muscles. “I have no plans to go anywhere. Even if I did, a negotiation with cyborgs would be at the bottom of the list.”
Clayton shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine with me. Figure out how to get out of the desert yourself instead of getting a ride back with Cyborg Sector. They assure me someone will be here within the hour. Coincidentally, that’s just enough time to find Green Squad and speak with them. Do whatever you want.” He began moving in the same direction as the van had been going, sidestepping pieces of burning debris.
“Wait. I’m coming with you.” Rachel scrambled after him. She didn’t want to be a part of this, but she instinctively felt that she would be safer with a companion. For all she knew, Clayton was a master negotiator, and she would be on her way to a comfortable hotel room by the end of the day.
Clayton moved through the rough terrain like he had spent his life in the wilderness instead of inside a laboratory. His long legs stretched comfortably to the next foothold as they climbed closer to an outcropping that seemed to be at the top of the world. Rachel struggled to keep up. Her arms and legs betrayed her, showing exactly how weak she had become from years of office jobs that demanded little of her body. She vowed to start working out again if she ever got back home. Rachel picked her sweaty hair up and fanned the back of her neck with her hand.
Finally, the scientist paused behind a boulder, peering around it carefully before ducking back down. “Do you see that up there?” He gestured over his shoulder.
Rachel tried to see where he was pointing without exposing herself. Clayton had indicated a large hunk of stone protruding over the top of the hill. It was surrounded by other rocks and boulders and didn’t look particularly unique compared to the rest of the landscape. Still, she nodded. She would agree with anything right now.
“I’m sure that’s where the cyborgs are,” Clayton continued. “I’m going to climb all the way to the top. You can follow me if you want.”
Rachel shot him a contemptuous look. “I thought you said the media should stay far away from your project. Aren’t I supposed to be carefully roped off, so I don’t get in your business?”
The scientist ignored the jab. “None of that matters anymore. If a bunch of us were going to be up there, it would have been a different story. Now my team is down to one. If I’m going to take on an entire cyborg unit by myself, I might as well have a witness. I’m going inside.”
Without another word, Clayton stood up to his full height, making himself noticeable against the barren scenery. He held his hands above his head as he walked up the hillside. “I come in peace,” he began. “I don’t wish to harm you. I’m from Cyborg Sector, and I’m here to help.” He repeated his words like a robot as he ascended.
Rachel watched with a trembling stomach as the cocky scientist walked away. She prepared for him to fall over at any minute, either from being shot through the chest or accidentally stepping on another explosive device like the one that had blown up the vans. Rachel wished she’d never taken this assignment and never even gone to work for World Community News. If she had been content to stay where she was, she would probably be covering an adoption event at an animal shelter or telling the townsfolk about a local fundraising dinner. Instead, she was cowering behind a rock and waiting to see if her only way out of there was going to get himself killed.
“Stop!” a voice called out. The sound echoed against the bluffs. The voice was deeper than Clayton’s and more commanding. “Who are you?” Rachel couldn’t see a body attached to the voice. Its owner remained hidden.
The scientist responded, but Rachel could barely hear what he was saying. He spoke quietly, keeping his hands at shoulder height where the stranger could see them. “I’ve come to help you.”
Finally, the soldier stepped into view. Rachel sucked in her breath. She had seen pictures and video footage of cyborgs, but she had never been close to one in real life. Up close, they looked magnificent. She could not dream of a more perfect man. The cyborg had broad shoulders under his tattered uniform, and he stood tall and straight as though he had not been living in the desert for the last year. His figure stood out against the blue sky, making him seem larger than life. He had dark skin that seemed to absorb the sunlight. If she hadn’t been afraid he might kill her, Rachel could imagine fucking him.
The soldier began to advance on Clayton. He held his elbow at a ninety-degree angle with his fingertips pointing straight at the scientist. Rachel understood the significance of the stance. His plasma gun was charged and ready to fire if the researcher proved to be an enemy. “Where is the rest of your party?” the cyborg demanded.
Clayton bowed his head and whispered. Rachel knew he was telling the cyborg about the explosions. The soldier grinned, his teeth flashing a startlingly bright white. “Knowing this, realizing that you are not welcome here, you decided to continue traveling and meet your demise?”
Rachel felt like she could taste her heart in her throat. Didn’t she have enough for a story? Eighteen People Die in New Mexico Explosion. Sole Survivor Gunned Down in Front of Reporter’s Eyes. It would get clicks, but she had to get out of the desert if she wanted to tell anyone. If things continued the way they were going, Rachel would end up as a nameless victim in someone else’s story about the Green Squad Incident.
“Let me come in and speak with your leader,” Clayton implored, his voice sounding stronger now and carrying down the hill. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
The soldier nodded and gestured with his hand for the scientist to enter their dwelling. Rachel gave a small sigh of relief and slid down against the boulder. With luck, it would only be a matter of time before Clayton finished his negotiations and got them out of here. The only problem was if they killed him. If Clayton died, she might as well throw herself off a nearby cliff.
Rachel closed her eyes against the bright sun, wondering what would happen to the arrogant scientist. He might be successful, but he also might get both of them killed.
The noise was slight. It was quiet enough that it might have gone unnoticed if Rachel weren’t so nervous. The sound could have been a bird landing or a snake making its way through the sand. In her heart, she knew the noise could not be an animal. She didn’t have that kind of luck.
Rachel opened her eyes slowly. The sun was dazzling as
it danced off the sand, but as she adjusted to the intense light, she saw a pair of dirty boots planted on the ground directly in front of her. The figure before her wore a camouflage uniform. It was too bright to make out the man’s face, but she knew he couldn’t be a survivor from the group.
“I found another one!” a voice called out. “This one’s a woman.” The sound sent a shiver through Rachel despite the heat.
“Bring her to me.”
Rachel didn’t bother trying to fight as the cyborg grabbed her arm and hauled her upright. She had never thought about what it would be like to touch a cyborg. Rachel was surprised to discover his flesh felt normal. There were no outward signs that he was part machine. She might have thought he was merely a freak of nature if she hadn’t already known about his origins in a laboratory.
Her legs wanted to give out underneath her as the massive man dragged her up the hill. She bumped her shins against sharp rocks and tripped over her feet. If the cyborg hadn’t supported her, she might have simply collapsed onto the sand.
“I know you can walk. Resistance will not help you,” the bionic man growled. “You’re going to end up at our headquarters no matter what you do.”
Rachel wasn’t trying to defy him, but she was having problems moving her legs. Her body understood the danger she was in and was no longer controlled by her mind.
As they approached the rock formation on top of the ridge, she realized there was something different about this piece of stone. It was the mouth of a cave and barely large enough for two men. Beyond the entrance was a consuming darkness. The configuration of the landscape around it concealed the cave well. Rachel understood why no one had found them before.
A different cyborg was standing in front of the cave. The muscles in his arms bulged as he crossed them over his chest. He seemed to be composed of equal parts power and terror. His biceps pressed against his skin, and the sinews in his neck stood out like long cords. He scowled at Rachel with pale blue eyes above a broad nose and full lips. His hair was the color of sand, long on top and combed back. It matched the scrub of a goatee on his chin.
The sight of the cyborg made Rachel’s knees turn to jelly. Cyborgs were terrifying. She had known that before coming to New Mexico. But seeing one she recognized was a shock.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” he barked. He did not change his stance at all. His large feet were rooted into the ground shoulder-width apart.
“She is unarmed, sir.” The soldier still had his hand under her arm, lightly restraining her. “I haven’t detected anything on her besides her clothes.”
The blonde cyborg nodded curtly as his eyes roamed over her body. “We can detect one thing without using our scanners. She is from Cyborg Sector. Therefore, she is our enemy.”
Rachel finally found her voice. She hadn’t even been able to scream when the soldier found her. “No, I’m not.” She looked down at her Cyborg Sector shirt. Her throat felt dry, and her vision began to go dark around the edges. “It might look like I’m part of Cyborg Sector, but I’m just a reporter. Please believe me.”
She had to be imagining things. Did she know the man who stood in front of her? There were plenty of men on Earth with blonde hair and blue eyes, and it was unlikely for the cyborg to be someone she knew. Maybe the heat of the desert was baking her brain. A quick execution by one of the cyborgs would be a blessing.
“Should we kill them both?” asked the cyborg behind her.
The blonde shook his head. “Bring her inside. Let’s get some information out of them first. After that, you can do with them what you like.”
Chapter Five
The inside of the cave was pitch-black and a stark contrast to the blazing sun outside. Rachel couldn’t see anything. Until her eyes adjusted, she relied on the cyborg roughly guiding her along the dirt floor. It was a comfortable temperature in the shelter. All Rachel wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. But not with cyborgs around.
A pair of large hands shoved her roughly to the ground when they entered a room. Rachel heard a deep voice in her ear. “Don’t bother trying to escape. I will be more than happy to kill you if Wrath orders me. There are many guns that I’ve been aching to practice with on a live target.”
“I don’t think she’ll be going anywhere if she wants to live.” Wrath had seated himself on a wooden chair and had not taken his eyes off the human since she entered the room. “We’ll find her no matter where she runs.”
Sand was working its way into Rachel’s shoes and up her pants. Clayton was already in the cave. He looked relaxed as he leaned against the rock wall. His hands were in the pockets of his khakis as he looked at everything around him. Unlike Rachel, he didn’t seem concerned that he was a prisoner of the cyborgs and didn’t make a move in Rachel’s direction. A cyborg handler stood next to Clayton, keeping his eyes focused on the human.
The scientist smiled genially at the cyborgs. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time. Cyborg Sector discovered there was an issue with your communication devices, which is why we weren’t able to send you any further orders. But we’re here now, and we’re ready to take you back.”
Wrath swiveled his gaze from Rachel to glare at the scientist. “It took you a year to figure that out? It took us seconds, but we’ve been waiting here for a year. What makes you think we want to be thrown into a cell again? Cyborg Sector abandoned us, and we have no desire to rush back into their arms.”
Clayton held up his hands with his palms out, as though he were putting up a shield against the cyborg’s anger. “Look, don’t shoot the messenger. I can’t force you to come back, but maybe you want to know what your options are. I’m sure you guys could use some maintenance.”
Rachel watched the scene in awe. How could the scientist be calm around these monsters? Had his work with cyborgs in the lab desensitized him? She wished she could be as relaxed as he was.
“What makes you say that?” Wrath asked.
Clayton lifted his shoulders and dropped them again apathetically. “I’m making an educated guess. You’ve been out here in a dry heat without a mechanic. From your training, you know how to take care of your plasma guns, but that doesn’t mean you can prevent your biochips from degrading.” He pushed himself off the wall and strolled to the middle of the cave as though it were a lecture hall. The cyborg assigned to guard him followed closely. “There are more obvious signs, as well. For example, you’re speaking to each other out loud. You wouldn’t have to do that if your operating systems were functioning correctly.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open, and she shut it quickly. Clayton’s knowledge — or his pretense of knowledge — was impressive, but she was shocked at the amount of braggadocio he had when dealing with the cyborgs. By this point, they were enemies of the government, but he treated them as though they were nothing more than slow school children.
“Let me help you,” Clayton insisted. “I can only do basic work in the field since you blew up all of my equipment. If I still had everything I brought with me, I might have been able to repair you completely here. Without my tools, I’ll have to take you back to Cyborg Sector for a complete checkup.” He tossed his hands in the air helplessly.
“We aren’t going with you. You’re only alive because we haven’t decided what to do with you yet.”
“Okay. There’s another team on their way here with a couple of nice air-conditioned vans. They can provide you with food, shelter, clothing, and anything else you might need. It’s a pretty sweet deal for you. I can’t imagine what they’ll do if you don’t cooperate with them.”
“We have food and shelter already. You have nothing to give us that we can’t provide for ourselves. Your silly offers of luxuries are not tempting to us.” Wrath seemed comfortable in his wooden chair, leaning against the back of it with his arms crossed like he was having a conversation about a football game in a bar. He looked wary, but he was not worried.
The scientist laughed and ran a hand through his light
brown hair. He kicked a small pile of animal bones that lay on the cave floor. “I wouldn’t call this food by any stretch of the imagination. What the hell are you guys eating out here? It can’t be enough to sustain you or fill your stomachs at night.” He walked in front of Wrath.
Rachel had an odd sensation. She thought the leader expected the scientist to bow down, but Clayton made no such gesture. “There’s a lot you don’t know about Cyborg Sector. It’s changed since the last time you were there. We’ve changed.”
The cyborg at Clayton’s elbow spoke up. “I don’t think the human is listening to us.”
Wrath nodded. “Yes, Wire, I believe you’re correct. Perhaps he needs some additional incentive to help him understand.”
“Let me do it!” Weapon was eager for violence.
Wrath held out a hand to keep Weapon in his place. “I know you want the opportunity for revenge. We all do. This human is Wire’s captive, and he deserves the first chance.”
Clayton watched the interaction between the cyborgs with a grin on his face. Rachel wondered if he was listening to what they were saying. Why wasn’t he apologizing to them or trying to escape?
He never saw Wire’s fist fly into his stomach. All the air in Clayton’s lungs rushed out of his lips as he bent over. His knees hit the floor of the cave, sending sand flying into the air. His face turned red, and his attitude changed immediately. He didn’t look as cavalier as he had a moment ago.
“Do you understand us now?” Wrath watched the human curiously. “I would have thought that blowing up the rest of your party would have clarified our intentions. Apparently, I underestimated the learning ability of humans.” He laughed and the sound echoed eerily off the cave walls.
Clayton coughed and nodded, but he could not reply. The wind hadn’t returned to his lungs.
With Clayton out of commission, Wrath was free to focus his attention on Rachel. She was unnerved by his stare but thought his eyes looked familiar. The sensation of déjà vu disturbed her and triggered something in her brain that hadn’t come to the surface for a long time. The fear instilled by the cyborg was enough to keep her mouth shut for the moment, at least until she clarified her memory. By now she was sure Green Squad was going to kill both of them. If they didn’t want to be bothered, they should have put up a Do Not Disturb sign, she thought.