by Rena Marks
Rush cocked his head. “No. I suppose we have that in common with your AI.” He jerked his head in the direction of the others. “But the difference is, now that they’re re-embodied, they can have children. We cannot. We can create possibly fully grown offspring, but there would be no parental connection there.”
“The Protected aren’t even interested in having children. Not when we’ve had so many monsters bred from our genes.”
She wondered if that was a problem between her and Serepto, one that she didn’t remember. Did he crave children since he’d never been one and now had the capability? Did she reject the idea when he’d brought it up to her? Is that why she blocked him from her memory? She decided to change the subject.
“So Blade is a surgeon. What does your computer processor brain do?”
“I can become one with computers.”
“Like the AI?”
He shrugged. “I imagine so.”
“Why are you called Rush?”
“I can meld right into a computer. Before most people even realize what’s going on, I’m in. One with the mainframe. It’s definitely a rush.”
“So they don’t chop up people anymore? To add Cyborg parts? Now you’re grown in a lab?”
He nodded. “Until Serepto. It appears some lost technology is back. If it works.”
She turned back toward the doorway where he had disappeared. “Is he okay?”
Rush shrugged. “Who knows? He’s a walking, talking experiment. We don’t know if the legs will take or not. He could be a cripple soon.”
A cripple? Not that wild, wonderful warrior. He’d never accept it. It would break him. Again, her eyes darted toward the door.
“They’re in sick bay,” Rush whispered. “Do you think he’d even tell you if something was seriously wrong? You can see for yourself how the legs are doing.”
Without another word, Shala found herself rising and heading for the door. She was barely aware of the sudden silence from the others, or the way the blue eyes flashed at each other.
She entered sick bay to find Serepto lying on the bed, one leg extended as Blade leaned against it, forcing it down.
“Push harder,” Blade said. “What is your pain level?”
“Eight,” Serepto growled.
“Tess?” Blade grunted. “Measure his force.”
“Force is recorded at one thousand Newtons, handsome.”
Blade grunted. “Tess, notify Orion of the changes in your response programmed by Tian.”
“Done, sexy.”
“You’re learning quick,” Shala said. “Though normally he just needles Orion with Tess’s programs.”
“I expected no less. His momma forced him into a public apology.” Blade gave her an unexpected grin.
She moved to Serepto’s side, where he dropped his leg, panting. “How are you doing?”
“I am fine. We’re just testing.” For his casual words, his eyes showed his pleasure in her arrival. No, in the fact that she…cared. She’d have to store that information away.
“So the legs will take?”
Both men stared at her like she grew another head.
“Of course,” Serepto said.
“We don’t expect them not to take,” Blade said arrogantly. “It’s my finest work. And as a prototype, Rush nearly measures up to me. Plus we had the AI for instant research, including methods long ago forgotten. We’re not worried.”
She turned her head quizzically. “Are you sure? Rush seemed less sure.”
Blade snorted. “He’s dramatic.”
Shala doubted if they would tell her the truth anyway, big tough guys that they were. No, it was probably Rush that was more correct in his assessment.
“Legs are progressing normally. No drawback on power. You’re adjusting to the new weight perfectly. The strength is progressing normally, as your nerves re-attach. We’re lucky you had a metal skeleton. It made the limbs easier to attach, though it’ll never match ours.”
Serepto grinned. “Says you.”
“Tess, send the stats to the AI and to Rush.”
“So we’re done here?” Serepto asked.
“All finished.” Blade barely gave them a glance. “Next lesson will be in the virtual reality room. We’ll do some kickboxing to test the connection between the nerves of the legs and your brain. Probably after the rest of us get back from the assignment.” He glanced at Shala briefly.
Serepto nodded.
“Aren’t you heading down to the planet to help rescue Ghost?” she asked him.
“Of course not. I’m never leaving you alone again.”
“I’m on the ship surrounded by crew.”
“As you were last time.”
“I’m not likely to be tricked again.”
“I’ll never leave you alone again, Shala.”
Suddenly they were alone in the room after the sound of the doors closed as Blade exited. Serepto lowered his legs to the floor, and then stood.
“How do they feel?” she asked.
“Exactly like mine, only stronger. Heavier. They’re just a different color. Do you mind that?”
“No, of course not. Why would I mind?”
“You liked me the way I was…before.”
“Serepto,” she said, laying her hand on his forearm. “You lost your legs for me. I’d have to be pretty shallow to be turned off by them. Truth is, I’m a little bit glad I didn’t see the accident.”
“You saw it,” he murmured. “You just don’t remember.”
“Thank the stars for small favors.”
He looked down at her hand, still holding his arm. Self-consciously, she began to pull away.
“Don’t. Please.” His voice was raw. “I miss you so much. You have no idea.”
But she did. There was something she was missing, too, she just wasn’t sure what it was. She stepped in close, leaning her head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her.
“I miss the way we were,” he said. “It hurts that you remember everyone but me.”
“I—I’m so sorry. I wish I could…”
“I know. But in the meantime, we’ll need to forge new memories.” He took a deep breath. “One thing I realized is how different you are. How much you’d grown, and now it’s been taken away. I know I have to let you grow, stop trying to protect you from everything and let you experience some things. I still won’t allow unnecessary harm to come to you, but for you to get back to the way you were—I think I need to back away.” His arms tightened around her.
Her fingers began to stroke lightly on the small of his back, right above the swell of his butt, trying to soothe him. He was hard and muscular all over. She had an insane urge to squeeze a little lower—that firm, intense ass. But she’d refrain. While he knew her, she didn’t know him. Not in that way.
“How are you planning to back away?” she asked.
“Instead of keeping you away from things that may upset you, I’ll need to let you ask to be taken away. I’ll monitor the crew as they break onto Zeta again and if you wish, you can be right alongside me.”
She took a deep breath, knowing this was huge. She’d have to make a choice if she wanted to see that ugly planet, the scary Zetans again. Most of her screamed, No, no, no! But another part realized, she would be safe. They were blocked from being beamed, she could reach for Serepto’s touch whenever she needed, and she could possibly even help.
“I would like to be alongside you.” As soon as she said it, she realized the comment had a dual meaning. She would willingly be his mate, his equal. Now, this time, she had a choice.
She’d gladly take it.
He seemed to come to the same conclusion. “I never once asked you to be my mate before. I arrogantly assumed you were mine and there were no other choices for you. I’m sorry. I should have asked.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Part of me felt sure you would turn me down.”
“Then perhaps you were wise,” she said. “Though I’m sure I wouldn’t have.” Then, teasingly, she caressed his butt, slapping it lightly.
His breath caught.
Her hand froze. What was she thinking?
She looked up at him, and his eyes were intense. He looked at her lips. Nervously, she licked them.
“May I?” he asked.
She nodded. His head dipped down, blocking the light. She closed her eyes, and felt the warmth of his mouth on hers. He tasted of cinnamon and a heady maleness that she knew was all him. He worked her lips, opening his mouth to tease her tongue.
Stars, the man could kiss. She’d been a lucky woman before the memory loss.
His tongue stroked hers, like slick velvet. Pangs of need shot through her. It was confusing, like kissing a sexy stranger…but with a sense of familiarity. Of welcomed need.
She moaned.
He lightened the kissing, and pulled away. Panting, he brought his forehead down to touch hers.
“I love you. I will always love you, even when you can’t remember it. Remember us.”
She wished she could. No matter what horrors she’d blocked from her mind, these feelings he invoked were not worth losing in the mind numbing she lived with daily.
“Wow,” she murmured. “This is what we had between us?”
“Yes. We were a spectacle on the ship, and I didn’t even care. The others always teased us about blocking the hallways with our kisses, or taking too long in the lift. Sometimes they’d make a dramatic production about turning the other way if they were coming along the same path as we were.” His lips curved into a smile, and she stared at them, wanting him to kiss her again.
All she had to do was ask. But she wasn’t quite there yet.
He made good on his promise and didn’t push. “One of the things we used to do on the ship during trips is visit the virtual reality room. The last time, you asked me to see one of my memories from Sirius B.”
“I did?”
He nodded. “I can’t imagine why.” He scowled adorably. “Your favorite spot on Apleadian is what you normally want. But I requested Tess to access some memories from the AI to reconstruct our world.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for keeping your promise even when I’d forgotten it. I’d love to see your world.”
“I’ll take you after the mission.”
“I’d like that.”
He was staring at her, and she nervously licked her lips.
“Don’t do that, Shala. I’m trying so hard to be good. To not scare you. But that is so damn sexy.”
“I don’t think I’m scared,” she whispered.
His beautiful blue eyes began to flash. She waited a few seconds, knowing he was communicating with the others. “Everyone is requested in the conference room.”
She nodded, and he held out his arm. She took it, and he steered her toward the door.
“Here they are,” Orion said, as they entered the main hull.
Everyone waited until they sat. Serepto pulled out her chair for her, then sat in his own, and scooted near her. He picked up her hand to hold.
She glanced around at all the other faces. It seemed perfectly normal to everyone that she hold hands with Serepto. She squeezed his hand, and his thumb swirled small circles on her finger.
“Here’s the plan,” Jax said. “Orion will stay with Rush and Blade during the mission. The rest of the AI can communicate among each other. Orion can wear a Zetan com to tap into the AI transmission. Because the com is Zetan made, the technology won’t be traceable by them. Transmission will slide through undetected.”
“Won’t they be able to hack in?” Serepto asked.
“Eventually. But it’ll take time they don’t have. We’ll be long gone by then. It’ll be easier for Orion to hack the device, because he is taking one of our chips from our coms onto the ship. When we descend to the planet, he’ll steal a com and implant the chip. We’ll have instant communication and the teams can split up. I want teams of two AI each. I know we can handle ourselves, but I want at least two of us together in case anything goes wrong. A beam doesn’t work…anything. The other can reach out and touch him, bringing him back home for the ride. The only team with three will be Orion and the Cyborgs. Their mission is to seek Ghost before the ride back to the ship.”
“Is the beam set on a timer?” Serepto asked.
“No. We have Rush’s mechanical camera on. It’ll transmit images from his eye to you to monitor. You’ll set the beam as soon as they find Ghost, and Orion can notify the others. I think we should set the beam for a thirty-second activation.”
“Thirty seconds might be a little long of a wait,” Dieroc said. “My vote is fifteen.”
“Let’s go for ten. We all move fast.”
“Agreed,” Jax said.
“Once we beam they’ll be on our asses,” Arian said. “They’ll have likely figured out the location from our first beam. The second is all they’ll need to pinpoint it. We’ll have to warp from the galaxy immediately, and jump into a black hole. The nearest will have to do, no matter where it deposits us. They may chase us, so we’ll have to warp again as soon as we’re free. If we’re lucky, we can find and jump into another hole before they emerge from the first.”
“Isn’t it rare to find holes?” Shala couldn’t help but ask. “What if we’re not lucky?”
“Our shields should hold. We have the best technology, even compared to Zetan standards. Hell, that far from their home planet, they weaken. We could probably disarm their shields and threaten to beam them aboard for slaughter,” Jax said.
Several of the AI grinned, cracking their knuckles. “We got this, Shala,” Echo said. “No worries.”
“Since Orion is half Zetan, no one will wonder anything if they see him. Blade and Rush can be in hiding behind him. Tian is working on scrambling facial recognition software so it doesn’t trigger an alarm that Orion is my son,” Arian said.
“So what will the other AI do?”
“Provide distraction,” Jax said. “The Zetans have no idea how to fight without their guns, and since the guards from the last slave farm were all slaughtered, no one had a chance to tell anyone why their guns didn’t work. We can use the same trick this time.”
“Jax and I will be in the engine room, keeping track of the heat levels and manually adjusting the throttles to thrust into warp speed once everyone’s safely aboard,” Arian said.
“Serepto will be here monitoring things through Rush’s eye. He’ll let loose the beam when Ghost is found, and give us ten seconds to prepare. Easy-peasy. Let’s get moving.”
Chapter Nine
On the control deck, Shala sat with Serepto.
“Good luck, my brothers,” Serepto said softly, and pushed the button.
All of the men shimmered, their faces frozen in time, while their images slowly disappeared.
“I still can’t believe we can do that,” Shala said.
“Orion’s amazing.”
“Tian helps a lot. But he doesn’t ever admit to how much,” Shala said. “They’re a great team. Closer than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“They were raised together,” Serepto said. “It means a lot when you have to depend on one other soul. Jax and I were raised together. Born of the same batch. This embodiment, we used the same slide of DNA, though his body was created differently. We’re the epitome of the term brother. I had a hard time when he took up with Arian. I was sure she was manipulating him. I was wrong. I discovered it when I found you. Then I realized how the heart just knows.”
Shala didn’t say anything. She wished she could remember when her heart “just knew.”
“Visuals coming online,” Serepto said, pushing a button to magnify the screens. “Remember, we’re watching through Rush’s eyes, so it’ll be jumpy. Makes you dizzy.”
On the screen, they saw the team break up, darting into various areas of the hospital. The AI darted down the hallways in groups of two, taking dow
n guards, while Orion, Rush, and Blade snuck into a small wing of offices.
The inner door was locked. Blade reached out and smashed the handle.
Orion headed over to a computer. He hurriedly typed some commands, cursed when he couldn’t get through, and then typed some more.
“Come on, Tian,” he said aloud. He typed some more, and then smiled. “He did it. We’re in.” Then he suddenly frowned.
“What is it?” Rush asked.
“There’s a problem. Ghost is being held in maximum security, which is down the hallway where the AI are distracting the guards. That’s no problem. But once we reach the wing where experiments are conducted, there’s an opposite wing of concluded tests. And it seems there’s a collection of Cyborg parts there.”
“Are you kidding me?” Blade cursed from the doorway, where he kept watch. “People they’ve autopsied?”
“Worse,” Orion said, his face grim as he studied the images. “They were autopsied alive.”
Rush had been silent. “Then there’s still a chance they could be revived.”
“Would you want to be?” Orion asked.
The two men look at each other, and then nodded.
“Incoming,” Blade warned, motioning down the hallway.
“Change of plans,” Orion whispered to the two Cyborgs. “You two head for that opposite room and collect all the parts of your brethren. Sweep them into the center of the room and wrap yourselves around them for the beam. I’ll go find Ghost. Serepto, I hope you’re listening.”
“We’re not supposed to split up,” Rush reminded them. “We’re the only two without communication.”
“I know. But I’ve already populated our DNA to beam so none of us will get lost and left behind. This way we can save both areas while the rest of the AI distract the Zetans.”
With a quick nod, Rush raced out to clear the way so the other two could head out.
“Keep track of Orion,” Serepto instructed Shala, flipping a switch. A video opened in front of Shala, fed from an interception of cameras. It was definitely not Rush’s camera feed.
“How are we not being traced?” Shala asked.
“We are. It just doesn’t matter. We’ll be long gone by the time they’re no longer distracted. Keep an eye on Orion so we can send other AI after him in case something happens.”
