Cronus

by K. A. Finn

  'About twenty on this ship. All the belongings have names on them. This room was Mason and Troy's. The one next door was assigned to Ellis and Daegan. It's all kid stuff, Creed.'

  'Hang on.' Creed contacts Chayse. 'What was Gryffin's name. I mean before he was taken.'

  'Daegan Sawyer.'

  'I thought so. Hardy, Daegan is Gryffin.'

  'Fuck. I never thought of Gryffin before he was... well, Gryffin. Seeing his stuff here like this is not sitting well with me.'

  'Dammit. Okay. Change of plans. Leave the ship where it is. There are too many ghosts here. We're going to take this base too. I'm not giving the Foundation a chance to destroy all this evidence. Join with the other teams. We can sort out the rest of the ships once we've dealt with the Foundation.'

  He meets Baila on the loading ramp and she sprays a thick red X on the back. Chayse steps out from behind the ship beside them and shakes his head. 'This one's dead.'

  'Same here,' Creed mutters. 'Listen, I've decided to keep this place under Nomad control. Give us time to deal with the rest of the ships at a later stage - if any of us are still alive of course.'

  'Gryffin's ship?'

  'We'll leave it for now. His stuff is still on board.'

  Chayse's face drops and he looks away for a moment. 'Better keep going.'

  Creed lets him get back to work and turns in the opposite direction. He runs his hand over the hull of another ship. 'Well, let's see if you're going to cooperate.'

  ARES

  Gryffin twists Terra's dark hair around his hand as he crushes his mouth to hers. She moans and bites his bottom lip. Not able to hold back, he rips her shirt open, scattering buttons all over the floor, but he doesn't care. All he can think about is getting her undressed as fast as possible. He needs all of her. He needs to feel every part of her body, needs to taste her, needs to be in her, on her, under her.

  He pulls down her trousers and stands on the material so she can step out. Gryffin tears her underwear off her body and takes a step back to look at her.

  It doesn't matter how many times he sees her naked she still manages to knock him on his ass. Terra blushes as she tries to cover herself, but he gently holds her wrist. 'I want to look at you. Every damn bit.'

  Her long dark hair hangs over her shoulder in stark contrast to her pale, smooth, flawless skin. Skin he needs to be all over, right now. He lowers to his knees and licks, sucks and kisses his way down her breasts, along her side and across her tight stomach. She moans softly and grabs his hair when he slowly moves further down her body.

  He slips a finger inside, followed by a second. Terra writhes against his hand, pushing his fingers deeper inside her. He looks up at her, the expression of lust on her face tipping him over the edge.

  He keeps his fingers inside her as he rises to his feet and pushes his tongue in her mouth again. She scratches her short nails along the skin against his chest implant, sending fireworks up his spine. 'Goddammit, Terra,' he grinds out through clenched teeth. She writhes against his hand as he increases the speed, squeezing his hand tightly between her thighs.

  She looks at him through hooded eyes with a smile on her face as she moves her hand down further. He growls as she finds her target, holding him tightly through his leathers as she continues to move on his hand. She pushes his trousers down his legs and strokes him while she kisses along the scar on his throat, nipping playfully at the skin. He groans as she rubs her hand along his length. 'Gryffin,' she gasps.

  He licks his lips and pushes harder against her hand. 'Yeah?'

  'I want you inside me. Now.'

  Hell, he doesn't have to be told twice. He lifts her on to his desk and pushes his trousers down his hips. She wraps her legs around him as he slips inside her, before groaning as her body grips him tightly. She digs her fingers in the back of his shoulders and throws her head back against the wall as he slowly fills her. 'Gryffin.'

  He braces himself against the desk, slightly off balance thanks to his missing arm. Terra drags her nails down the edge of his chest implant sending jolts of pleasure through him. She mutters his name as she tightens her legs around his waist.

  He could listen to her saying his name forever. His name never held much meaning for him - it was just the designation Rayde had given him, but the way she says it, with him inside her, drives him crazy.

  Terra has a way of making simple things like his name mean so much more. It makes him want to do things he would never have considered before. She bites her bottom lip and breathes faster. Not wanting her to come yet, he forces himself to slow down.

  'Gryffin, please!'

  'Look at me,' he growls.

  She digs her nails in his back. 'Gryffin... don't stop.'

  'I said look at me,' he commands. 'I want to see your face.'

  Terra raises her head and he locks eyes with her as he moves again, increasing his pace, diving deeper. He hisses in pain as her nails dig in his flesh.

  In response, he slams in to her faster and faster until she screams out his name. Her body squeezes him tightly as the waves of her orgasm ripple through her. He follows her a few seconds later and his body tenses as his release hits him.

  He stays inside her as a few final tremors work through her body. She blows out a breath before smiling lazily at him. 'How about we try the shower next?' She kisses him again, slow and deep. He pulls away to catch his breath and playfully nips at her neck as he grinds against her.

  He slowly pulls out of her and carries her over to the bed. He gently lays her on it then collapses beside her. Terra rolls over and rests her head on his chest, tracing her fingers along the black lines of his tattoo. 'Shower now?

  He lifts his head to look at her again. Damn, she's stunning, with her dark hair falling over her shoulders, her red, slightly swollen lips turned up to a small satisfied smirk and those green eyes that bring out his human side.

  He knows what she's doing. She's trying to delay things, but, as much as he'd love to take her in the shower, he's out of time. 'They're waiting for me.'

  She continues to trace the lines of his tattoo, as her body tenses. 'I know.'

  'Why did you come to see me? Not that I'm complaining, I just want to know.'

  She rests her chin on her hand and looks up at him. 'I know you have to do this, but I'm terrified about what's going to be done to you. About how you'll be after. We've been through so much together, Gryffin. What's happening... you're reacting to the situation we're being put in by the Foundation. They're doing this to us. I'd give anything to change your mind, but I know I'd be wasting my breath.'

  'Terra—'

  'No, let me finish. You're doing what you have to do. I understand that. I'm not happy about it, but I understand.'

  'Am I going to lose you?'

  She wipes a tear from her cheek and looks away from him. 'I want to say no, but I don't know, Gryffin. I've seen you twice after you've had more work done and you weren't you afterwards. What if deep down you won't be my Gryffin anymore? What if you're more like what he...' She shuts her eyes and shakes her head.

  It hits Gryffin like she punched him in the gut. 'What your father designed me to be.' She nods, but keeps her eyes closed. How the hell had he not thought of that? No wonder she's tempted to run from him as fast as she can. 'This coming up because of the mods or has it been there all along?'

  'Ever since I found out the Scientist was my father I haven't been able to get the images out of my head.'

  'What images?'

  'Him working on you. Him hurting you. Enjoying the pain and torment he was causing you. I thought I'd be able to ignore them or they'd lessen in time, but it's not going away. If anything, the shame and guilt I feel knowing what he did to you is only getting worse. It's absolutely not your fault and I hate what it's doing to us. But I don't know if I can be with you while I feel this way. It's not fair to either of us.'

  Gryffin nods. He understands what she's saying. Realising how he feels about her came a few hours too late to
help them. But there's no way he's going to tell her now. It wouldn't help either of them. All it will do is make things so much worse. He doesn't want her to be with him just because he's finally figured out how he feels. 'You should have said something sooner.'

  She takes his hand and squeezes it. 'It really just hit me when you told me what you're planning. I meant it when I told you I have no problem with your implants.' She runs her finger along the edge of his ocular implant. 'You have to believe that.'

  'I know. If the Foundation hadn't created this army of theirs I'd ditch the plan, get the work undone as much as I can, then disappear on Ares with you. But if there's the smallest chance the Foundation will make more cyborgs I can't do that.'

  The comms unit beside his bed sounds. As one, they turn to look at it. 'Damn it. I have to go.'

  She nods, but doesn't say anything. He sits up and rubs his hand over his face before heading for the shower. He stops as he gets to the door. 'I could use some company.'

  'What about Bray?'

  'I want you in the shower with me, not my brother.'

  'That's not what I meant.'

  'I know.' He walks over to her, lifts her off the bed and takes her to the shower. 'They can wait another few minutes.'

  36

  DIXON SPACE STATION

  Gryffin takes Terra's hand and pulls her aside as they near the med bay. He opens his mouth to speak, then sighs and closes it again. He rests his hand against the wall, pining her against the wall with his towering body. 'I don't know what to say.'

  'That makes two of us. After everything we've been through, neither of us can escape fate.'

  'I'm still glad you shot me on the station. No regrets.'

  Terra laughs in spite of the gravity of the situation. 'Are you so sure about that? I've brought you nothing but trouble.'

  He pulls down his t-shirt and places her hand over the scar left by her bullet. 'Like I said. No regrets about anything. Understood?'

  'No regrets.' She squeezes his arm and he winces in pain. 'What's wrong?'

  'Nothing.'

  She pushes his sleeve up to get a better look. Blood is weeping from the casing covering the tip of his arm. 'That doesn't look like nothing.'

  'The Dixon woman checked it. One of the connectors is broken. It's digging in me. It'll be fixed with everything else.'

  Terra swallows and forces a smile on her face. She can't stand watching him deteriorating in front of her. Every day something else seems to go wrong with him.

  She pulls the red bandanna from her hair and ties it around the wound on his arm. 'Can't have you dripping blood all over Evie's floor. You'd never hear the end of it.' She looks back up at him and her breath catches in her throat. This is probably going to be the last time she's with him. The real Gryffin. Her Gryffin.

  He bends down and kisses her, long and hard and deep. He rests his forehead against hers and squeezes her hand. 'I love you, Terra.'

  She hears the words and knows it was Gryffin's voice, but her brain can't link the voice with the words. Terra lifts her head and meets his eyes. 'What did you say?'

  Gryffin looks her straight in the eyes. 'I love you.'

  Terra has no control over the smile that breaks out. 'You do?'

  He nods and brushes her hair back from her face. 'Yes. I should have told you weeks ago, but I didn't know what it was. I only realised today what I was feeling. Bad timing I know, but I love you and you deserve to know how I feel.'

  She wraps her arms around him and hugs him close. Terra's lost count of the number of times she'd hoped and wished for him to say those words to her, but actually hearing them from him is so much better than she could have imagined. He holds her for a few minutes then she feels him move away from her.

  'I better go.' She nods, unable to trust her words to come out without the accompanying tears. That's the last thing he needs right now. He walks towards the door, only letting go of her hand at the last second. Gryffin turns around to look at her again. 'I love you.'

  'I love you, too.'

  As the doors close behind him, Terra is aware of someone standing a little down the corridor. She turns around to see Rua silently watching her. As if aware of the exact second Terra is going to break, Rua rushes over and awkwardly takes her in her arms. 'You're coming with me.'

  'I want to stay out here.'

  Rua forcefully turns her in the opposite direction. 'Come to Lir. I have numerous comms units that could do with attention. Take your mind off what's going on in there.'

  Terra nods and allows herself to be led away from Gryffin.

  DIXON SPACE STATION

  'Are you okay, dear?'

  Desyl lifts his head from the sink and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. He looks over his shoulder at Evie and attempts a smile. 'Oh yeah. Just great.'

  Evie sits on the edge of the bath and hands him a glass of water. 'Forgive my bluntness but you look like... well, shit, if you don't mind me saying.'

  He takes a long drink then wipes his mouth on his arm. 'Cheers. I feel like shit.'

  'You did very well.'

  'I've been there while Gryffin's been worked on in the past, but knowing he was awake and in pain through the whole thing was a big incentive never to do it again.' He laughs harshly as he runs a hand over his close-cropped hair. 'At least those times we were helping him. Now... we've hurt him and taken something from him. Something he may never get back and I don't just mean his leg. I'm meant to have his back, Evie. How could I have let this happen?'

  'Firstly, they all volunteered. You didn't force them to do this. The Foundation did in a roundabout way. Secondly, he's your leader. From what I know of the Nomad, disobeying a direct order is a bit of a no-no.'

  He leans on the door-jamb and rests his forehead against his raised arm. He blows out a long breath as he peers inside the room beyond. Some of the Dixon's personnel are helping to make the men as comfortable as possible after their procedures. 'He's not my leader anymore. Not my captain either. I should have pulled rank and stopped this from happening.'

  'Perhaps you could have, but how would that have helped anyone? This needed to happen.'

  He wipes a hand over his face and watches the Dixon personnel hook Dante, Boone, and Trace up to dozens of monitors. Gryffin was still in the rejuvenation pod having his dozens of wounds healed.

  With the help of the Foundation files and the implant stores on board, they added everything Bray and Gryffin wanted. Retinal implants have given each of them perfect night vision as well as the ability to increase magnification when needed.

  Together with neuro-pharmaceuticals, their concentration level has increased. Neural interfaces have been fitted to the men linking them to each other. The plan is for the team to work as a single unit without the need to give vocal instructions. Gryffin is still the only one able to hook directly with a computer, but being able to communicate telepathically with the team will be a definite bonus.

  At that moment, Gryffin's bed is wheeled back in. Each of the men had been heavily sedated but, as usual, Gryffin’s implants fought to neutralise it as fast as they were pumping it into him. His friend had felt everything they were doing to him. His extraordinary pain threshold helped him during the procedure but because Desyl knew this, every time the Captain winced or grunted Desyl knew he was in a serious amount of pain.

  As well as having the same work done as the other cyborgs, Gryffin needed a little extra work. With no other viable option, his leg had been removed. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway. Desyl fully believes it was only a matter of time before it decided to detach itself from the rest of his body out of spite. His new arm was attached but they were giving his body time to adjust to the new connectors before the artificial leg was attached.

  His bed is slotted in place against the wall and the bile rises up Desyl's throat when he sees the new ocular implant. Watching that being fitted was the worst part for Desyl and for Gryffin. The Scientist had made a right mess of the process initially, li
ke he did with all the implants.

  To make sure the upgraded parts worked as they should, Gryffin needed extensive work done to his eye socket. No amount of sedative had kept him under once they started poking around there and no amount of ale would help Desyl forget his friend's roars of pain. It had been a relief when they were finally able to fit the new eyepiece in place.

  Desyl closes his eyes and curses himself. Two years ago he was just another member of the crew. Following orders and trying not to get on the wrong side of Gryffin. Now, he's acting Captain of the flagship after letting his captain - his friend, go through hell again.

  This isn't what he signed up for. Chayse was the one Gryffin earmarked to take over the Nomad. He got the new ship and the hand-picked personnel to help him. What does Desyl have? A shit-load of inexperience and self-doubt mixed with a generous helping of not-having-a-clue-what-he's-doing.

  'He has faith in you.' Evie squeezes his shoulder, startling him.

  'What?'

  'You look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Gryffin has faith. Trust that.'

  Desyl rests his head on his hand as he looks down at the strange little woman. 'You in my head or something?'

  She smiles. 'Not too difficult to get in there.'

  He looks back at Gryffin. 'Cheers.'

  'I didn't mean that as an insult. It's not too hard to figure out where your head is. I don't know much about that impossibly rude man out there, but I have figured out one thing. Ares and her crew are his world. By deciding to do what he has is a pretty hefty compliment to you.'

  'How'd you figure that out? His head is on the Foundation and revenge. He barely gave Ares and the Nomad a thought.'

  'Exactly.' Evie rolls her eyes when Desyl shoots her an irritated look. 'Oh come now, Commander. You just proved my point. He trusted that you have it under control. I have no doubt he gave the ship and crew a great deal of thought and came to the same conclusion I have.'