Claimed By The Cyborg Commander: (Cybernetic Hearts #2) (Celestial Mates)

by Aurelia Skye

  It was no less daunting to see a group of cyborgs enter the enclave later in the day than it had been the first time, and Gwen wasn’t the only one who experienced a moment of anxiety. She could tell by the way the people around her stopped and stared for a moment before hurriedly looking away. Some resumed their tasks, while others just left the area.

  She was startled to see MX409 among the group, and she stiffened before shooting a look at JSN. “What’s he doing here?”

  JSN shook his head, obviously as clueless as she was about the other cyborg’s presence. With her lips pursed, she walked beside him as they approached the cyborg group, meeting in the middle of the entryway to the enclave.

  Before greetings were exchanged, Patrick rushed over with Heather at his heels. He stabbed his finger in MX’s direction. “What is that thing doing in here?”

  “Just calm down, and we’ll find out.” Gwen tried a soothing voice, but she could tell it did nothing to pacify Patrick.

  He glared at MX. “You killed my mother. What right do you have to be here now? Have you come to finish the job and murder the rest of the humans?”

  She was surprised that none of the cyborgs spoke up or said anything as MX took a step forward. She was further surprised by his contrite expression and the way his shoulders slumped forward. “I’ve come to issue a sincere apology. It was never my intent to harm Elena Sanchez. I overreacted and badly misjudged the situation with Carrie. I can’t make it up to you, and I can’t undo it, but I owe it to you and your family to face what I did and tell you it was unintentional.”

  “I don’t care if it was unintentional. You should be tossed on the scrapheap, or whatever it is they do to dispose of unwanted cyborgs.” Patrick glared at the other three cyborgs in the group for a moment before returning his gaze to Max, making it obvious he referred to all of them. “Come on, Heather. Let’s get out of here. It’s obvious where our leader’s loyalties lie now, and the enclave is doomed.”

  Gwen took a step forward when Patrick clamped his hand around Heather’s arm as she tried to pull away. “Let go of her.”

  At the same time, Heather wrenched free. “Do you mean out of the enclave, Grandpa? That would be suicide.”

  Patrick sneered. “Staying here will be suicide too, just you wait. The cyborgs will betray you all.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. I know you’re upset about Abuelita’s death, but you’re making a bad decision based on how you’re feeling at the moment. We can’t go out there, and you know it. It isn’t safe.”

  Gwen was aware of the cyborgs around her tensing and stepping closer as Patrick practically vibrated with rage. His clenched hands and red face suggested he was either on the edge of losing control or perhaps a heart attack. He almost roared in anger when he turned to Heather to shout, “Let the consequences of your actions be on your head.”

  Gwen watched him go with her mouth agape as he stalked off, slightly surprised that he hadn’t escalated things. She hoped his bluster about leaving the enclave was just that, because Heather was correct. It would be suicide for any human to try to live aboveground, with the desolate environment and the synthetics.

  “I don’t like how he did that. You should banish him, Gwen.”

  She looked at JSN, cocking an eyebrow. “I think that’s a bit harsh. He’s still grieving the loss of his mother, and it was understandable that he was upset at the sight of MX409 out of the brig and here.”

  “It wasn’t just MX that upset him,” said the cyborg general. “He was obviously enraged at the sight of all of us.”

  “He’s one of the humans I told you about,” said JSN.

  Gwen frowned. “Told him what?”

  “That some are more accepting than others, and some will clearly never soften their stance to the cyborgs. He’s in the latter category. It’s obvious he’ll never accept the truce between our people, even though we have a common enemy.”

  She wanted to protest JSN’s assessment, but when she opened her mouth to do so, she realized she couldn’t with any level of confidence. Patrick had his reasons for disliking cyborgs, and while she found his all-encompassing rage directed toward seemingly every cyborg illogical, she respected his point-of-view.

  However, she was reluctantly forced to admit JSN was probably right. If they continued to form an alliance with the cyborgs, some of the humans, including Patrick, were likely to protest or break away. It was a reality she would have to face at some point, but she knew they couldn’t continue without the cyborgs. They would be extinct within a couple of generations, if not sooner.

  “Is everyone ready to go who’s going?” asked DVS.

  Gwen craned her neck for a moment, looking for her children. “Britta and Pollux should be here any moment.” She let out a breath when she saw Britta’s curly hair moving through the crowd. Pollux came into view a moment later as well. “There they are.”

  Leith was behind them, his chair gliding a foot above the floor, and he had a bag on his lap. When he and the children reached Gwen and the cyborgs, he handed her the bag. “Here’re the pulsers you requested.”

  She smiled and said thanks before looking down at Britta, who dragged two bags in one hand while holding Pollux’s hand in her other one. The little boy also carried a small bag. “You didn’t have to bring my bag, but thank you, Britta.”

  Her daughter nodded, dropping both of the bags on the ground with a large exhale that suggested she was weary from the exertion. “You’re welcome, Mama.”

  Gwen turned to face DVS and JSN, who had been conversing. “How will this work? I want my children to be as safe as possible.”

  “We’re going to travel in a group, and we’ll go the most direct route. You and the children will be in the center, and everyone will have a pulser.” JSN looked down at Britta. “Is she old enough for one?”

  Gwen nodded. “So is Pollux. It doesn’t do anything to humans, and they both know how to use them.” It was an unfortunate fact of life that she had to teach her children from an early age how to defend themselves. Pollux had been two when she’d first started instructing him on the use of the pulser, and Britta had been about the same age as well.

  “What if we run into synthetics with their new weapons?” asked MX. “Will these pulsers stop the weapons?”

  Gwen shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. I don’t know if Carrie remembers much about what happened, but when she was attacked—and I assume it was with their newest weapon that works better against cyborgs—I saw what was happening and fired the pulser. It was enough to disorient the synth and scramble his systems for a couple of minutes.

  “They tend to forget what they were doing and remain unaware of their environment for a few minutes after being pulsed, so they’re wandering aimlessly. We use it as a way to escape, since we don’t have good enough weapons to destroy a synthetic, but it might give you the edge you need to take out any you come across. We’d like you to keep all of the ones Leith has prepared as a token of our sincerity.”

  DVS nodded as he took the bag JSN handed him. The commander had already issued the pulsers while she explained the process to MX, but there were clearly a few left in the bag. There should be at least four more if Leith had produced the dozen she’d asked for. “I guess were ready then. Leith is going to take over for me here while—”

  Before she could finish the sentence, a rumble filled the cavern. At first, she thought it was another earthquake, at least until the fireball approached. She stood numbly for a second, unable to act, as a wall of flame reached them. Someone jerked her against them and underneath as they collapsed to the floor, and she recognized JSN by his familiar weight. “The children,” she cried out, uncertain if he could hear her over the whoosh of flame engulfing the area.

  It burned out quickly, and she scrambled to her feet as soon as she could once JSN released her. She looked around for Britta and Pollux, at first noticing most of the humans were fine, but the cyborgs had been burned, and some badly. She couldn’t
spare much concern for them, even the awful burn on JSN’s back and arm, when she saw Pollux and Britta on the floor.

  She rushed to them, and as she got closer, Pollux wiggled out from underneath Britta and threw himself into her arms. She took him automatically, embracing the boy as she fell to her knees beside her daughter, who wasn’t moving. “Britta.” Even as she called her daughter’s name, she was certain it was useless. The little girl had been badly burned, and it was no wonder she wasn’t moving.

  “We have to get her back to our base,” said JSN as he knelt beside Britta, folding her into a blanket someone had provided and lifted her.

  Gwen remained frozen for a moment on the floor, tears coursing down her cheeks. It was only when she heard Britta whimper in pain that she was able to move again, still clinging to Pollux as she got to her feet. “Our medical bay is this way.” Not that they had the supplies required to treat this kind of wound.

  JSN put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to pause and look at him. When he took a deep breath, she found herself mimicking it and calmed slightly.

  “We have to get her back to our base, where our healer might be able to help her. He was able to save Carrie, and she was missing limbs and had far worse injuries from the synthetic’s weapon. It might be the only way to save Britta.”

  Gwen nodded, finally understanding what he meant. “We have to hurry. She’s obviously in a lot of pain.”

  “Hold on,” called Elle as she came running toward them. She held a hypodermic in her hand. “I got this out of medical, and it should keep her sedated and in less pain for travel.”

  Gwen nodded her thanks at the older woman, who acted as their healer. Britta didn’t even stir when Elle inserted the needle into her neck.

  The next few minutes were a blur, and she wasn’t even certain how they had exited the enclave and entered the outside world. She must have directed them toward the secret passage, or else someone else had, but she didn’t remember doing so. She was still holding Pollux—and couldn’t let go if she’d wanted to—while JSN cradled Britta in a careful fashion. They were surrounded by the other cyborgs, and she appreciated their presence. She was still confused by what had happened at the enclave, but she knew Britta’s only chance of survival rested with the cyborgs.

  Recalling Carrie, who was half-blue and half her normal skin tone, she wondered if Britta would be the same way. It wouldn’t matter as long as her daughter lived, and that was the only important thing now.

  “How far is it?” she asked, raising her voice slightly to be heard above the gusting wind. She hadn’t thought to grab the face covering she usually used when going out, so the dust and particles in the air stung her skin and made her eyes well with tears. The tears weren’t solely from contamination by the particulates though.

  “About three hours on foot. The cyborgs could probably make it a bit faster, but you couldn’t keep up, especially carrying Pollux.”

  She squared her shoulders. “I can keep up. Go as fast as you can.”

  JSN nodded before moving forward a bit to speak with DVS. After their conversation, the speed increased until she was jogging to keep up. When hands appeared to take Pollux from her, she clung tightly to him for a moment until she realized he was whimpering from discomfort.

  Blinking, she slowly let go when she realized MX was taking Pollux. It would make it so she could move faster, and her son didn’t seem at all frightened as he cuddled up to the unfamiliar cyborg. Reluctantly, she let him go and focused on keeping up with the others.

  They ran for more than an hour, until her chest was aching, and her heart felt like it would explode out of her body. She felt the need to call a halt to rest, but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Every second counted, and they had to get Britta to the cyborgs’ base as quickly as possible.

  When the group suddenly stumbled to a halt, she thought they were taking a rest break. She opened her mouth to rebuke them, to insist that they keep pressing forward, but trailed off when she saw three synthetics entering the area, all armed with the weapon she’d seen them using for the last few months. It must be the one that had been so devastating to the cyborgs. She froze for a moment before reaching for her pulser. Those around her did the same, and she moved to JSN quietly, holding out her arms for Britta so he could free his for the fight ahead.

  Britta was heavy in her arms, but a welcome weight, and she held her as closely she could without hurting the little girl. Her daughter’s face was a mask of pain, and even the sedative couldn’t completely alleviate her suffering. She wanted to cry again, but held back the tears. Now wasn’t the time, because she needed to think clearly. The synthetics would destroy her, Pollux, and Britta just as quickly as they would any of the cyborgs—and far easier with their weaponry.

  As one, DVS, JSN, and the one whose designation she had forgotten stepped forward with the pulsers. They didn’t wait for the synthetics to attack before firing. There was no obvious explosion or even any real indication that the weapon had done anything until the synthetics started to shudder, and their cold metallic eyes appeared unfocused.

  MX was the first to fire on them, and she looked over at him to make sure Pollux was still safe. He’d tucked her son on his hip, shielding the boy with his body while firing with his other arm. The other cyborgs were only a millisecond behind, and the synthetics were soon a twisted heap of smoking metal.

  The unpleasant stench lingered in the air and followed with them for at least a quarter of a mile before they were out of range. The encounter had spiked her adrenaline, allowing Gwen to continue the frantic pace they kept. When she started to grow tired, JSN was there to take Britta from her again, and she managed to persevere.

  Somehow, she kept up the grueling pace they set, they had taken her at her word that she could do so. It was less than two-and-a-half hours after leaving the enclave when they arrived back at the cyborg base. Gwen was too exhausted and too consumed with worry for Britta to pay much attention to her surroundings as JSN led them through the complex to their medical center.

  OWN didn’t take time to really introduce himself, but that was because he was focused on her child. His assistant, NKI, was also working diligently with him. She only knew their names because JSN shared them quietly.

  She stood outside the immediate area of where they were working on Britta, leaning heavily on JSN, who now held Pollux. “Can he help her?”

  JSN took her hand, squeezing gently. “I believe he can. OWN will do everything he can.”

  Several minutes passed, and Gwen could no longer go without knowing something. She took a step forward, moving closer to see, but not so close as to block the endeavors of the two cyborgs trying to save Britta. “How is she?”

  “She has second and third-degree burns, along with some nerve damage.” OWN spoke briskly, not looking up from her daughter and the machines.

  “She’s going to be scarred if she lives.” Gwen spoke with certainty, recalling an older woman who had died the last spring. She’d been part of the enclave all her life, but had fallen into a cooking fire when she was twelve. It had given her second and third-degree burns, and her skin had been puckered and mottled, with the fire leaving its mark on her permanently.

  OWN barely looked up. “No, she won’t. It’s actually a simple injury to address. I’ve given her some enzymes to speed her healing process, and I’m preparing grafts. She’ll need cybernetic skin and a pattern of circuitry to support it, but your daughter will be fine. Why don’t you rest for a while, because this is a tedious procedure? It will be hours before we can safely wake her because of the pain, and you look dead on your feet.”

  Gwen opened her mouth to protest even as Pollux yawned and laid his head on JSN’s shoulder. “I don’t want to leave her.”

  “He’ll be able to contact us in seconds if there’s a problem. We can be back at the medical center in less than a minute. You really do look tired, and Pollux clearly needs rest as well.”

  She allowed JSN to persuade h
er after one last look around the infirmary, which told her there was nowhere designed for family to wait. She doubted there was much call for that on the cyborg base anyway, since they didn’t seem to form traditional families that included spouses and children. With a weary nod of her head, she took his hand and followed him from the room, glancing over her shoulder a couple more times to catch a glimpse of Britta. “It feels wrong to leave her.”

  “There’s nothing you can do for her right this moment, and you’ll be able to help her better once you’re rested and thinking clearly.”

  She nodded, following JSN down the corridor to quarters that were nearby. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said it was less than a minute away. When he opened the door by placing his hand on the panel, it made a hydraulic hiss as it parted to let them enter.

  She didn’t have the energy to look around or determine where they were. She simply followed Pollux and JSN to the bed, collapsing face-first on it. She didn’t bother removing her clothes, in case she had to run back to medical in a hurry. She didn’t have the energy to do so anyway. As Pollux snuggled against her, and JSN lay down on the little boy’s other side, putting his hand on her hip to maintain contact, she surrendered to sleep that suddenly dragged her under and allowed no time for frightened thoughts or fears about Britta’s future.

  Chapter Nine

  She woke on her own a few hours later and scrambled from the bed. Pollux still slept there, but JSN wasn’t in sight. As she looked around for him, there was a chime at the door. Assuming it wouldn’t be JSN asking permission to enter, she hesitantly approached. It took her a moment to figure out how to open the door without using the biometric scanner on the side. After pressing the button, the door unlocked to reveal Carrie, and she smiled in relief. “Have you heard anything about Britta?”

  Carrie nodded. “Jason asked me to get you. Britta should wake up at any moment, and he doesn’t want her to wake up with strangers. I’m going to stay with Pollux, and if he wakes up before you guys return, I’ll take him to mine and Davis’s quarters to visit Penny and her puppies. Is that all right?”