by K. A. Finn
'Commander Rush!'
Desyl's rough voice has the desired effect, jarring her out of her thoughts in the worst possible way. Terra blinks a few times as all the faces around the table turn to look at her. 'What?'
Desyl frowns. 'That the way you address a superior officer?'
Terra bites the inside of her cheek to stop a snide remark from helping to embarrass her further. 'I apologise, sir.'
His eyes narrow but he doesn't comment on her tone. 'You still a Nomad?'
The awkward silence drags on as all eyes target her. She looks over at Gryffin and he slowly lifts his head and smiles at her. It's a brief smile but definitely a smile, and that gives her a little comfort.
She smiles back then addresses Desyl again. 'Yes, sir. I'm still a Nomad.'
'Fine. You'll be going to the surface.'
Terra stares down the table at him as his words sink in. Then she looks at Gryffin. If she hadn't believed the mods had changed him before, she does now. In all the time she's known him, Gryffin has done everything he can to keep her safe and on Ares. Every single time she had stepped off the ship it had been after a heated argument where she had to remind him she could look after herself. The fact he's silently staring at her, then nods once, is so out of character.
'Me?'
'You got a problem following orders, Commander?'
Seems Desyl is enjoying publicly throwing his command in her face. 'Of course not, sir.'
Evie takes over, diffusing the hostility between Terra and Desyl. Her stupid remark earlier had effectively ruined their friendship. And she can't blame him. She had no right saying what she did.
'So that's Dante, Terra, Bray, Rua, and Heath going on an outing to Earth. I want you all armed to the teeth and prepared for anything.' Evie pushes her hat back on her head, dislodging an unruly lock of hair. 'We've been keeping an eye on Foundation transmissions and, so far, there's been no mention of Morgan's farm, but that could change.'
Heath stands up and gestures to the other members of his team. 'Let's get prepped. I want to leave in thirty minutes.'
Terra glances over her shoulder at two of the most important people in her life. Desyl's cold eyes meets hers briefly before he turns away and examines some data Felix hands him. Gryffin on the other hand locks eyes with her and doesn't turn away. He's not happy about her going to the surface. She can tell that much from his eyes.
She slowly follows after Heath. Maybe once this mission is done, she'll have to give her long term plans a serious rethink. If she can't sort things out with Desyl, there's no way she's going to consider staying on Ares. What that means for Gryffin and her is anyone's guess. Right now, getting Garvan back is the priority. She'll worry about her place with the Nomad when she returns.
'Terra.'
She turns to see Gryffin standing outside the meeting room door. Heath gestures down the corridor. 'I'll give you a few minutes.'
Gryffin doesn't move until Heath disappears around the corner, then slowly approaches her. He looks down at her but remains silent for a minute. When he does finally speak, his voice sounds less confident than usual. 'Be careful down there.'
Terra can't help but smile at his words. When he hadn't spoken up during the meeting she thought he may not have been bothered about her going to Earth. 'I promise I'll be careful. We'll get Garvan then leave.'
He nods once then slowly reaches out with his flesh hand to take hers, squeezing it gently. 'I don't want you to go. You have to go, but I don't want you to.'
'You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that.'
'Why?'
'Because you've never wanted me to put myself in dangerous situations. If you didn't have a problem with this, I'd be worried. I thought the mods might have, I don't know, changed that part of you.'
'That would be the last part of me that would change.'
She hugs him close to her, and after a brief pause, he wraps his arms around her. He's different since he had the modifications done, but perhaps more of her Gryffin survived than she first thought. She does know one thing. Pressed against his chest, breathing in his scent, listening to the steady beat of his heart, she knows without a doubt that she still loves him.
He kisses the top of her head and she can't stop the tears that escape. This is just a reprieve before the real test. If he can't keep control of the implant in his head, he will be lost to her forever.
Gryffin moves back from her and frowns. 'Why are you crying?'
'I'm scared, Gryffin.'
'About going to Earth?'
'No. About what's going to happen to us.'
'I am too.'
'You are?'
'Of course. I love you, Terra. I don't want to lose you because of what I am.'
'What you are?'
He pauses and looks down the corridor for a moment. 'I'm a cyborg, Terra. I don't think I've ever called myself that out loud, but it's what I am.'
She places her hand on the side of his face and smiles at him. 'Hey, that's never been a problem for me. My problem is with who did this to you, not the actual implants. My father did horrible things to you and so many other people. I just... I hate that part of it, Gryffin. But I promise you, I have never seen you as anything other than human. I mean that.'
He smiles and rests his head against her forehead. 'You better go.'
'I know. I promise I'll be careful. I'll see you in a few hours.'
'I do love you, Terra. The extra implants haven't changed that.'
'And I love you too.' She gives him a quick kiss on the lips then turns away and hurries down the corridor after Heath.
When she gets back from Earth she needs to sit down with Gryffin and figure out where they go from here. If anywhere. A lot still depends on the control implant in his head. At the end of the day, that's the part that will decide for both of them.
EARTH
One looks at the report on his screen and a chill settles over him. Jake. That ungrateful, backstabbing bastard has betrayed him. There's no other explanation why his son-in-law would be asking questions about the infernal Dixon's.
Everyone knows what those two irritating people do. Their very existence is damaging to the Foundation. People like that give the populace the belief that they can also defy the Foundation and the Council. That is not something One wishes to encourage. Quite the opposite in fact.
He leans back in his chair and stares at Jake's file. One is too late. He doesn't know how, but Garvan got to Liza who in turn brought her husband in to help reunite Wade with his friends.
One shakes his head and laughs to himself. He's been a fool. Zeke must have gotten his father out. The brat must have found out he was holding his father. So, after all he's done to Wade, his old friend has come out on top yet again.
He grinds his teeth together as he slowly shuts down the screen. Well, if that's the way they want to play, he is more than capable of joining in. He contacts Nova and waits as she takes her sweet time reporting to his office.
The cyborg has been in isolation since she returned from the Outer Sector with the others. Arriving back with only half her team, no prototype, and no Roman, had been more than a little irritating. Clearly she had malfunctioned in some way. There's no other explanation for such a colossal failure. Spending hours being thoroughly examined one piece at a time may have convinced her not to fail him again.
She enters his office without knocking, but he has bigger issues at the moment. She stands in front of him and looks at the wall above his head. She used to look him in the eye. Maybe her visit to the med bay had finally put some manners on her. 'What took you so long?'
'I had to wait while my arm was fitted again.'
He grunts and activates his screen. He turns it around so she can see the picture of Jake from his Foundation file. 'This man is married to my step-daughter. It appears he is a traitor. I believe he is working with an escaped convict Wade Garvan. I want you to kill them both.'
She examines the photo then looks up a
t him. 'Kill them?'
'Of course. Traitors to the Foundation must be killed.' He pulls up another file and shows it to her. 'This is a farm owned by the father of a former member of the security team. She conveniently disappeared after Alpha was stolen. She was involved. I have no doubts about that. The farm is empty, or it was last time we checked. I believe that is where Wade is hiding with Jake. Go there. Take as many cyborgs as you want. Kill these two and any others you find with them. They are a direct threat to the Foundation. Do you understand me?'
She frowns a little then nods. 'Yes, sir.'
'Good. Liaise with Leeson. He'll make sure you have enough personnel with you.' She nods again and turns to the door. 'Oh, and Nova.'
She stops and looks over her shoulder at him. 'Let me down again and what you've just been through will pale in comparison to what I will do to you.'
'Yes, sir.'
42
EARTH
Heath brings the transport closer to Morgan's farm and lands in a forested area about a mile from the residence. Terra checks the screen in front of her. 'I can't pick up anything suspicious. We're clear at the moment.'
Bray opens the hatch and looks over at Dante. 'Don't suppose you're picking up anything?'
Dante tilts his head to the side and the inner workings of his ocular implant spin. 'No. I can usually feel Trace and Boone when I'm near them, Gryffin too. But there's nothing.'
'Doesn't mean they're not out there,' Bray says. 'You may only be able to pick up on your own group.'
Rua checks her gun then stands up. 'You heard them. We're clear right now. Why are we sitting here? Where's the house?'
Bray points through the trees. 'That way. We should probably leave the transport here. We don't want to attract attention by landing right on their doorstep.'
'Okay,' Heath says. 'Let's head out.' Bray waits until everyone is out of the shuttle then seals the door and activates the signal blockers the Dixon's installed. Hopefully the ship will stay out of everyone's sights. The last thing they need is to get back and find the place surrounded by Foundation personnel.
With Dante taking the lead, they move towards the old farmhouse, keeping to the trees lining the edge of the field. Bray follows at the back using his new eyes to scan their surroundings. He hates to admit it, but the ability to zoom in and out is pretty damn useful.
They get to the barn without any problems and Terra and Heath cover the surrounding area while Bray keys in the code to open the floor. Dante, Rua and Bray stand over the entrance as the floor retracts to uncover someone he didn't think he'd ever see again. Bray smirks as Garvan grins up at him from the bottom of the stairs.
'Hello mate.'
Bray's smile falters when he notices what the Foundation did to his friend. 'Fuck, Garvan.'
'Hey, I'm fine and dandy. Could do with a lift though if you've got room. Foundation hospitality isn't to my liking.' A tall blond-haired man joins them at the stairs. 'Bray, this is my son-in-law, Jake. He was able to get the message to you.'
'Nice to meet you, Bray, but we've got a problem.'
Bray takes a deep breath. 'What is it?'
'Just got a heads up from a mate at work. We could have trouble heading our way. One of my superiors took a little too much interest in what I was looking into on the system. I— Damn it, I knocked him out. I should have killed him and hid the body, but I didn't. He's screaming bloody murder now. Not saying they'll track us here, but who knows.' He holds out a destroyed Foundation transmitter. 'I dug this out of my arm just in case.'
'By destroying that you'll have put yourself on the wanted list.'
Jake shrugs at Bray. 'Who the hell cares about that? We're in the shit as it is. Can't see how the level of shit makes a difference at this stage.'
'We left the transport in the forest behind the barn. How many are coming with us?'
'Six including me,' Garvan responds. 'Two of those are my granddaughters. I'd prefer if we kept things relatively light-hearted with them if possible. No need to scare the hell out of them if we can help it.'
Liza, Jake, Zeke, and the two children grab their things and follow Garvan out of the barn.
'Shit.'
Bray turns to look at Dante.
'Excuse me?'
The cyborg tilts his head to the side. 'They're here.'
'Who's here?'
Dante pauses then looks at Bray. 'I can feel them. There are cyborgs here.' He turns to the road leading to the farm. 'Coming in from there.' He points to the left of the house. 'There too. Don't think they can pick up on me but I don't know for sure.'
'Damn it. Time to pick up the pace.' Without letting on they're up to their necks in a world of trouble, Liza and Jake gather the kids in their arms and hurry after Heath. Dante takes the lead again, guiding them away from any possible company hiding out in the trees while Bray covers the rear with Terra and Rua.
After a few minutes Dante stops the group and turns to Bray. 'They're gaining on us.'
'Fuck. Okay. Dante, you get them back to the ship and make sure you keep them safe. I'll run interference.'
'Not alone you're not,' Jake says as he joins them. 'I'm trained. Dante and Zeke too. Let Heath take Liza, Wade, and the girls back to the ship. The rest of us can deal with our guests.'
Bray isn't keen on getting anyone else involved but Jake has a point. Bar Liza and the girls, everyone here is more than capable of handling themselves in a fight. 'Heath be ready to take off as soon as we're clear.'
Heath nods and guides the others back towards the ship while Bray turns back the way they came. 'Time to see what these new cyborgs are made of.'
DIXON SPACE STATION
'Will you please sit down? You're making me dizzy.'
Gryffin barely suppresses a growl as he continues to stalk across the command centre floor. Whatever reply Erin was planning disappears when he glares at her.
Felix steps in front of him, blocking his path. 'Sit, please before you damage that new leg of yours.'
He drops into the nearest chair and clenches his fists together, cracking the knuckles of his flesh hand with his metal one. 'I should be down there.'
Erin pulls up a chair next to him, ignoring or not noticing the look he gives her. 'You had no choice but to sit this one out. It was risky enough sending Bray. You really think the Foundation wouldn't have your face programmed in every monitor, every droid, every security system on the surface? You'd set off a worldwide alarm as soon as you stepped foot down there.'
'I know that!' he snaps. Just because he knows Erin has a point, doesn't make it any easier to accept.
'Okay, so just relax and trust they know what they're doing.'
Gryffin swallows his less than pleasant reply and focuses on the screen opposite him. He's never been good sitting around while his people left the ship, but this is so much worse. If anything happens to her he'll tear the whole fucking planet apart.
He hisses as the control implant gives his head an intense kick. He can't keep it at bay and worry about Terra at the same time. The mods dulled the pain in the rest of his body, but nothing can help the one in his head.
He buries his head in his hands as it gets worse. Might be better if he stopped fighting and just gave in to the damn thing.
Someone grabs his hand so he reacts, wrapping his own hand around their neck. It takes longer than it should for his brain to register he's choking Erin. He drops his hand and she slumps to the ground gasping for breath.
'What the hell was that?' Felix asks as he helps Erin to her feet.
Gryffin looks at Erin. 'I didn't plan to do that.'
She rolls her eyes. 'Oh, that's okay then. Makes me feel so much better.'
'Fighting the programming isn't working.'
'So what do you suggest?' Felix asks.
'Maybe I need to just let it take over.'
Felix shakes his head and pulls over a chair so he can sit down opposite him. 'I get that is probably the easier option right now, but think long term
. The best thing for you is to keep a firm hold on that control implant for as long as you can. More chance of getting all these implants off you afterwards that way.'
'I keep zoning out. My reactions are slower than usual, not faster. The programming and my brain are confusing the fuck out of each other. It really hurts too.'
Erin sits back on the chair and rubs her neck. 'This isn't right. Surely he shouldn't be in pain. Can he not just let it take over then you undo it all when we're done.'
Felix shakes his head. 'If your cousin lets it take over there's a fair chance we won't be able to get him back.'
'Get him back?'
'I'm going to put this in simple terms to save time. If that control implant takes him over, there's a fairly high chance you'll never speak to Gryffin again. You can also kiss goodbye to Daegan, if there's any of him left in there. He'll be Thirty-Five forever. A programmable cyborg with an unimaginative designation just like all the others.
Erin turns to look at Gryffin. 'Is this true?'
'Yes.'
'Then why the hell would you do this?' She points her finger at Felix. 'You said he'd be getting some of his cybernetics upgraded. You failed to mention losing him forever.'
'Don't you wave that finger at me. This was his decision,' Felix replies. 'If it makes a difference, neither Bray nor Gryffin were entirely on board with the plan.'
'No, it doesn't make a damn bit of difference. You still went ahead with it. Are you all out of your minds?'
Evie takes off her hat and waves it in the air. 'Would you all just shut up. It's done. No point making anyone feel worse by going on and on about it. And no one is making any decisions about anyone else's brain until we get that team back from Earth.
'Now I suggest anyone who wants to keep breathing gives Gryffin a clear berth. Gryffin, you keep a firm grip on yourself and for goodness sake, don't attempt to strangle anyone else or you'll have to be restrained. Felix, get back over here and keep an eye on these screens.'