Consumed by the Cyborg (Cyborg Protectors Romance Book 1)

by Alyse Anders

  He hated this, being reduced to little more than his component parts rather than the sum of who he was as a man. To the Grus, he wasn’t anything other than a weapon; something to be feared or controlled. The other cyborgs who’d been condemned to spend the rest of their lives on the remnants of their planet either took pride in their augmentations, or were constantly comparing who was the strongest, smartest, most cunning. Those who thought they were lacking would continue to augment until there was little left of who they’d once been.

  Aidric tilted Rykal’s head forward and connected the data cable to the port in the back of Rykal’s neck. “What are your symptoms?”

  Gods, this was going to sound ridiculous. “I have a constant itching in the back of my brain.”

  Aidric paused briefly but continued connecting Rykal to the computer. “What else?”

  The normal urge to argue evaporated as worry shifted up to the surface of his consciousness. “There’s a sector in space that keeps drawing my attention. I don’t know why, but I believe there’s something approaching.”

  That got his brother’s attention. “What sector?” Aidric moved to stand directly in front of him. “Why didn’t you notify us of an impending attack?”

  “Because I couldn’t detect anything from the planet. As far as I could see on the scans, there’s nothing there. But I know, know that there’s something on approach. This means there’s either something wrong with my programming or someone is coming through with stealth technology we haven’t encountered before now.”

  “And you decided you were the problem and not the sensors.” Aidric turned to the console and began his scans. “This will take a moment to sift through the code and check for irregularities.”

  The moment the station’s computer connected with Rykal’s matrix, the normal chatter of code that would buzz in his mind jumped to a roar.

  Systems…analyzing…reviewed…testing…analyzing…

  Emotional control check…analyzing…reviewed…testing…analyzing…

  Error…analyzing…expected outcome…testing…analyzing…

  The itching in his brain continued to grow. “Have you found anything?”

  “No. But your code has expanded greatly since our last scan of your matrix.” Aidric’s eyes reviewed the lines of code nearly as quickly as they whizzed past Rykal’s mind. “It’s surprising how much data you’ve collected.”

  “It’s been fifty years. Of course I’ve collected more data.” It felt like a lifetime had passed since the day he’d faced the Sholle on the battlefield, giving everything of himself in order to keep his people safe.

  Anger bubbled up as the code scans increased in speed, and the itching increased. He found it difficult to sit still, wanting nothing more than to get up, to move, to slam his fist into and through the closest wall to ease whatever this insanity was building up inside him.

  “Rykal?”

  Gods, all he’d ever wanted was to do his duty, find a mate to settle down with and live his life. He’d never wanted to be a leader, let alone a leader of a new, manufactured race of cyborgs. Why the hells had he been the one to die that day, to have his brother turn him into a machine that could kill with the slightest touch.

  “Rykal, look at me.”

  He grabbed his head in his hands and squeezed hard, digging his nails into his flesh – didn’t matter, he’d heal himself, nothing mattered – until he bled.

  “Rykal!”

  His gaze snapped over to look at Aidric, now squatted in front of him with his hand on a blaster. “There’s something coming.”

  Aidric nodded. “I believe you.” Those simple words were more than enough to ease the panic that threatened to blow past his emotional controls. Rykal relaxed further when Aidric shifted his hand from the blaster butt to his thigh, squeezing him gently. “I’m going to disconnect you, and we’ll go to station control. We’ll run the scans to see what’s out there.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “Don’t move. This will hurt.”

  Rykal gasped as Aidric pulled the cable free from his port, turning his stomach and sending a jolt of pain through his normally tightly controlled body. “Gods!”

  “This isn’t right. All the scans came back normal.” Aidric helped him to his feet, even handing him his shirt, though Rykal didn’t put it back on. “We better get to control in case what your system is picking up on is a prelude to war.”

  This wasn’t like the Sholle attacks. Rykal couldn’t pinpoint their communications or determine their plan of attack from their data streams. It felt different, strange, and unsettling in a way that he’d only experienced once before; back when he’d first been cybernetically enhanced. He stumbled when he tried to take a step, forcing Aidric to grab his arm for support.

  “Let go!” He jerked his arm, which sent him stumbling again.

  Aidric stepped away immediately. “You fool. I was trying to help.”

  “I’ve had enough of your help to last a lifetime.” He fought to regain control of his body. “Let’s get to control so we can determine what in the hells is going on so I can return to my home.”

  The light in Aidric’s eyes dimmed. “Fine. Follow me. If you try anything while you’re outside of this room, you’ll be shot, and disabled immediately.”

  I’d like to see you try. “Understood.”

  The moment they stepped out into the corridor, Aidric pressed the communicator badge on his wrist. “Station command alert. We’re under attack.”

  Chapter Two

  Every muscle in Rykal’s body ached to do something, anything to relieve the rampant urge to run. Instead, he stood still, focused on an invisible point off in the distance of space that revealed nothing. “I’m telling you, that’s where you can find whatever it is. The closer it gets, the more I’m aware of its presence.”

  Aidric glanced over at him from behind where the officer behind the system’s scanners sat. “We’ve checked the sensors three times now, and they’re showing nothing at all in that sector. And put your shirt on.”

  Rykal growled and continued to ignore the request.

  Every time he came up to station Grus Prime, the urge to rebel, to fight the enemy was nearly more than he could handle. The war was long over, and he’d been reduced to little more than a diplomat, a living shuttle of information between the planet and the Grus on the rare occasions when that was necessary. But now another potential threat was here, and despite them not being able to detect it yet, Rykal knew it was something fundamental, something that would change their lives forever.

  All he needed to do was convince the others that he wasn’t losing his mind. “Check again.”

  Aidric stared at him hard but gave no outward indication of annoyance. “Scan sector three point seven again. Check all sectors surrounding it as well. If we don’t see something this time, I authorize a shuttle to go out and visually scan the area.”

  “Yes, sir.” The technician frowned at his screen but wasn’t foolish enough to disobey the station commander. Aidric might be little more than an administrator now, but no one would forget what he’d done to stop the Sholle when they’d threatened their homes. Even those too young to have been alive during the war knew Aidric’s name and his role in their success in driving off the enemy, and treated him with reverence.

  The cold station air rolled across Rykal’s skin, helping to ease the tension building inside him. It had the unfortunate side effect of putting his cybernetics on full display of the Grus on the command deck. Rykal knew what he looked like – a manufactured monstrosity – but he also knew each and every one of the Grus here would run behind him for protection if they fell under attack.

  The temptation to connect himself to the station’s mainframe and help enhance and direct the search was almost more than he could handle. It would mean his death, but it might just be worth it if that meant they were able to finally see what he knew to be out there in space. “Let me into the system.”

  The gasp of su
rprise around the command deck was loud enough to be heard over the alert claxon that continued to blast over the intercom. Aidric straightened and faced him. “Why would I ever allow that?”

  “Because I know exactly where whatever it is, can be located. I can feel the spot in the back of my brain. You’ll take forever to locate it this way, and by then it could be too late.”

  Aidric pulled his blaster from his holster but left it by his side. “Come here.”

  Rykal complied, ignoring everyone but his brother as he moved to stand beside the technician and the console. “It’s the fastest way to ensure everyone is safe.”

  Despite how he and the other cyborgs were treated, the Grus were still theirs to protect and keep safe. Even when Aidric lifted the blaster to Rykal’s head, he knew this was the only way.

  Aidric’s hand was steady, as was his gaze. “Do it. But if you attempt anything but direct the mainframe sensors to the location of the enemy, I’ll shoot.”

  Rykal nodded even as he grabbed the data cable and slid it into the connection port in his arm. “I’d expect nothing less.”

  He slipped into the code and waited for the station’s computer to recognize his presence.

  Alert! Alert! Unauthorized cyborg infiltration!

  “I need your approval.” His eyes were open, but he could no longer see Aidric or anyone else around him – only the code.

  “Computer, cyborg entry authorized. Commander Aidric zero-beta-nine-nine.”

  Authorization granted.

  Despite the approval, Rykal could feel the computer’s AI keeping a close eye on where he was going. If you want to watch, fine with me. Keep up if you can.

  I plan to.

  Ignoring the AI’s presence as best he could, Rykal took control of the station’s scanner. It only took him three microns to redirect the scanners to the exact spot in space he knew there was a presence. “Scanning.”

  Aidric’s breath washed across his neck. “Have you found anything?”

  “No, wait. Yes.” The ship was so small it would have been easy for the most experienced technician to have missed. “Bringing it up on the screen now.”

  His vision returned to his eyes as he removed the data cable, and stepped away from the computer console so he could finally see the presence that had been driving him insane for days now. The ship was small – either a cargo ship or one that couldn’t have contained more than the smallest of crews – and the slate grey ship’s walls hardly stood out from the inky blackness of space.

  “Sir, I don’t recognize the ship’s registration, markings, or even their metallic composition.” The technician slid back into the spot that Rykal had abandoned. “If they’re here to attack us, then they have technology we’ve never encountered. There doesn’t appear to be any weapons or even shields. Of any kind.” The young man looked back at Aidric, frowning. “I don’t know how they survived out there.”

  Rykal did. Somehow, he knew that it was a ship out there, populated with people. They’d slipped through space like a ghost, hiding in the radiation blind spots as they silently sailed past. He could feel the people on board, was somehow aware of their presence as they drew closer.

  He knew she was there.

  “Bring them here.” He turned to the technician. “Grab them in the tractor beam and pull them in. Now!”

  His heartbeat had doubled, and the muscles in his chest tightened. She was out there all alone and unprotected, and he’d be fucking damned if he wouldn’t get her and pull her to him, back to safety. He looked down at the crew, but none of them were jumping to do what he’d said. “Why aren’t you getting them? They’re in danger.”

  The technician looked over at Aidric, who still had his blaster drawn and pointed at Rykal. “Sir?”

  No, he wasn’t going to let some inexperienced Grus boy be the reason she got away from him, not when she was this close. With a low growl, he pushed the technician away, sending him crashing to the floor as he leaned over the computer console. “I’ll do it myself.” The high-pitched whine of the blaster charging up didn’t force slow him down, but when Aidric pressed it to the back of Rykal’s head, he stopped. “What are you doing?”

  “Stopping you from breaking the law and potentially forcing me to kill you in front of my crew.” Aidric leaned the blaster muzzle against his matrix hard. “Back away from the computer.”

  Rykal gripped the edge of the console, his cybernetically enhanced strength cracking and denting the metal. “You have to get them, bring them to safety.”

  “Who? Who’s out there, and what do they want?”

  “I…” He blinked rapidly, unable to clear his mind of the overwhelming rush of desire and need. “I don’t know. But they’re hurt. They need us, and I…we have to get them.”

  Aidric stepped in close, adding a hand to Rykal’s shoulder. “Brother, you need to stand down. Let me take care of this, to find out who is out there and what they want. They could be using your cybernetics against you to grant them access to this station, to hurt us.”

  Gods, there was no way to explain it to Aidric without sounding as though his programming had been infected with some sort of virus. Rykal knew that she was out there, and she was his. If he had to back down so she could be brought to him, then so be it. He could be patient; he could wait until her arrival. He swallowed and nodded. “Hurry.”

  As quickly as the tension on the command deck started, everything eased when Aidric put his blaster back in its holster and Rykal took three paces away from the now damaged console. Rykal could only watch as Aidric snapped commands at his crew, sending them scurrying to action.

  “Rey, send out a shuttle to get a short range tractor beam on that ship. Gunny, get a security detail down to the docking bay and ready to board the ship the moment its been cleared of the possibility of explosives and bioagents. Notify medical that we may have wounded people of unknown planetary origins coming their way. Move people!”

  Watching Aidric snap to action, it was easy to see why they’d eventually won the war over the Sholle. With his strategic mind maneuvering the troops from above, while Rykal and his kind destroyed the Sholle on the planet, they’d become an unstoppable force.

  It didn’t take long for the shuttle to launch and reach the sector of Rykal’s fixation. They watched as the tractor beam secured the ship and jerked it out of its original path and toward the station. Rather than feel relief knowing that she was finally on her way to him, panic set in. He could feel her emotions, practically hear her words in his head. No, no, no this wasn’t right. Someone was after them and she had to try and keep her people safe. How had they been spotted? They had no weapons to protect themselves. Oh Gods, would everyone be okay?

  Pain and fear cut through his head, making it nearly impossible to keep himself calm. Rykal pressed his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sudden onslaught of noise filling his head.

  “What’s wrong? Are you under attack?” Aidric again, closer once more. The concern in his voice was so unlike him. “Do I need to blow this ship up?”

  “No!” Rykal roared, jumping to his feet and shoving Aidric away as he ran for the docking bay. He needed to be there when she arrived. She needed to know that he was here and that he’d keep her safe.

  The station’s claxon screamed once again as Rykal raced through the corridors. Security guards yelled at him, but he didn’t hesitate, shoving them aside with the sweep of his arm, sending them crashing to the ground as he ran. Nothing mattered except her, getting to her and making sure she was safe.

  The docking bay doors were sealed shut, but he could feel the ship approaching. It wouldn’t be long now before she’d be here, and he could wrap her in his arms. No one would hurt her ever again. He was so focused on her that he nearly missed the sound of multiple blasters powering up behind him.

  “Rykal?” Aidric’s voice. “What are you doing?”

  “The ship’s almost here. She needs to know that no one’s going to hurt her.”

&nbs
p; “You can’t make that promise. We don’t know who they are or what their intentions might be. I need to know that you’re in control of yourself. That you’re not going to go mad and kill us all if we need to take this crew into custody.”

  Gods, the mere thought of someone other than him touching her sent a wave of rage through his body. “No one go near her. She’s mine.”

  Another chorus of blasters powering up. “I need to know that you’re not going to hurt us.” Aidric again, sounding far too condescending for his own good. “Are you going to hurt us?”

  He’d never harmed a Grus before, and he wasn’t about to start now. As long as they kept their distance from her, everything would be fine. “I need to know that she’s okay.”

  “What’s the ship’s status?” Aidric called out to one of his subordinates, Rykal didn’t know who.

  “Sir, the ship has cleared the docking bay and is undergoing scans. Things appear to be as we’d assumed. The ship has no weapons, no shields, and no bioagents that we can detect. The technology is basic, fission reactor for faster than light speed, but that’s all. I don’t believe they have the capability to hide anything from us. There are twenty-eight life signs on board, female. All but one are in what appears to be cryogenic sleep.”

  All but one.

  Her.

  Rykal finally turned his face enough to see Aidric standing with a veritable army behind him. Given a moment, he could easily defeat them all. “Open the doors.”

  “Quarantine protocols haven’t completed.” Aidric stood in front of his forces, his own weapon still holstered. “Once the ship has passed, I’ll allow you into the bay. But we will be coming with you, and you will do what I say.”

  He didn’t bother to respond – to agree with the conditions would be a lie – and turned his attention back to the shuttle bay. She was there on the other side, scared yet determined to keep her people safe. Rykal didn’t know how he knew these things, but he did, and he wasn’t about to let some foolish Grus get in the way, or worse, hurt her.