Her Cyborg

by Nellie C. Lind

  “Go on,” Nightmare said when Phoebe became silent.

  She sighed. “Fine. Don't ask me how, but somehow they came up with the idea for cyborgs, but the cyborgs only lived for a short time before they died. No one knew why until Doctor Carolyn Williams decided to bind one to her. She discovered there was a malfunction in their programming. It made them unsteady and created emotional havocs inside the cyborgs which eventually killed them. But by binding a cyborg to herself, she realized she could keep them steady and alive. That was how the bond came to be.”

  “Yes, that is the official story,” Nightmare said, “but most of it is bullshit.” He turned to Wind and Shade. “That is the information you had about MedAct when you woke up, didn't you? They gave you everything they wanted you to believe and you didn't question it one bit.”

  “You are mad,” Wind hissed between his teeth. “Why should we trust anything you say?”

  Anger flashed in Nightmare's dark eyes. “Because I was the cyborg Carolyn bound to herself!”

  Silence filled the room that seemed to last for several minutes. Shade stood stunned and just stared at him. He hadn't expected him to say that.

  Nightmare finally took a deep breath, as to calm himself. “I was fine ... and very much alive ... long before she bound me to her. There never was any need for a bond for us to live.”

  Shade felt the doubt grow inside of him. Trusting Nightmare was the last thing he would ever do, but he needed to hear what the cyborg had to say. “So why did she bind you to her?”

  “There were four of us at that time. From the moment we opened our eyes the doctors and scientists treated us like brainless machines. They didn't care that we had feelings, that apart from our cybernetics, we were humans,” Nightmare said. “After a few years, we became tired of being lab rats and revolted. It didn't go well. It became chaotic and the others lost their lives. I got hurt, but I survived. Carolyn wasn't happy with our actions and decided to try her latest experiment on me. The bond. She bound me to her to make sure a revolt would never happen again. And it worked. She forced me to fall in love with the woman I hated the most in the entire world. Do you have any idea what it's like to feel love and hate at the same time for the person you are bound to? Or what it's like to have intercourse with that person?” Nightmare's eyes sparked with anger. “My body desired her, but my mind despised her. Things like that can drive you crazy, and I lived like that for several years.”

  Shade realized that a small part of him felt sorry for the cyborg. He had a hard time believing him, but it was obvious that he had been through a lot. The question was; what if what Nightmare said was true? There was no doubt in Shade's mind that Nightmare believed in everything he said.

  “How did Carolyn Williams die?” Shade asked.

  Nightmare snorted. “I didn't kill her if that is what you are asking, but believe me, I wanted to. I just couldn't do it because of the bond. And I am aware of the rumors that my bound one was murdered, but they are all false. No, Carolyn had an easy way out. She was killed by a drunk driver and that was the end.” He shrugged. “Just like that, I was free. It hurt like hell and it almost killed me, but I was free, and I managed to escape.”

  “Why did you hate her?” Faye asked.

  “Weren't you listening to what I just said? Because she didn't care a shit about me. I was nothing more but an experiment to her, and once she found a way to control us, she made sure to use it in every newborn cyborg after that. I watched it happen in front of my eyes. Newborn cyborgs who didn't know better. They were in love with their bound ones from the moment they opened their eyes, and they never questioned it because they were happy.” He shook his head. “If only they had known how their love had come to be. Fear has always been a means for control among humans, but Carolyn discovered love was a stronger force. She convinced every scientist and doctor that cyborgs can't live without the bond, that the other three had died because they weren't bound, and I guess the rest is history.”

  Faye snorted. “I guess you blame everyone at MedAct for what was done to you.”

  He gave her a glare that said “be careful”. “MedAct is the enemy and they must go down. The doctor who created you,” he looked at Shade and Wind, “Jade Silva, she has taken over Carolyn's work. She will be the first to die as soon as I get my hands on her.”

  Shade's anger grew further. “You will not touch Jade.” He didn't like her all that much but she had helped him in many ways. It became more and more obvious to him that Nightmare lived in a fantasy world. Jade was not the enemy. “Carolyn Williams died forty years ago. Jade wasn't even born then. You have no idea what Jade has done with Carolyn's work.”

  “I know more than you think. Jade makes sure the bond is there, doesn't she? That is enough for me to want her dead. Jade should know that cyborgs can exist without the bond. It was all written down in Carolyn's papers.”

  Shade shook his head in disbelief. “You really are crazy.”

  Nightmare's expression remained stern. “Believe what you want. Soon, you will see things from a different perspective.” He turned his head toward the cyborg who stood by the machine. He was still pressing buttons, probably putting in some kind of programming. “How is it going, Edge?”

  Edge didn't look up. “A few more minutes.”

  Nightmare nodded and strolled around in the living room, waiting.

  “Why me?” Shade asked.

  Nightmare's gaze shot to Shade. “Because you are a newborn. I've had my eyes on MedAct for years. It's not difficult for me to get access to their projects and find what I'm looking for. I'm the oldest cyborg out there after all, aren't I?” He grinned.

  “That was how you knew about me,” Shade growled.

  “Yes, and that is why I sent Silver there. He allowed himself to get caught by MedAct and play their little game of finding a new bound one for him. It didn't really go as planned, but instead, it went a lot better. You came straight to him for a little chit chat. It gave him the chance to scan you, to see if you were the right one for this experiment.”

  “And that you were,” Silver grinned. “I knew they would eventually want to transfer me to a place that they say other unbound cyborgs live, and I knew that would be my way out. It was perfectly timed with your sign-out from MedAct thanks to us. Getting into their system is way too easy.”

  “What is that place that they wanted to ship you to?” Faye asked.

  Silver shrugged and came closer to the cage where she stood. “I have no idea, sweetheart. No cyborg is given information about that place. We don't even know what it's called, but MedAct gladly keeps telling us we will be shipped somewhere if we don't agree to bind ourselves to a new person. We haven't been able to find any information about that place either. Strange, don't you think?” He winked and his gaze traveled hungrily down the length of her body. “But you made me almost consider binding myself. You are hot and feisty enough to make me want to tame you.”

  Faye grinned at Silver. She grabbed the bars as she glared into his eyes with a determination that made Shade wonder what she was up to.

  “Oh, really?” she said and looked him over the way he had looked her over, then she snorted as if she wasn't pleased with what she saw. “I guess you are good enough for a one night rumble and nothing more. A guy like you will never be able to keep up with me.”

  His grin disappeared and he came even closer to the cage. Irritation flashed in his eyes. “Want to find out?”

  Phoebe grabbed Faye and pulled her away from the bars with a wary look in her eyes. “Whatever you do, don't touch him in an intimate way.”

  Faye shot her a surprised look. “Why not?”

  “An unbound cyborg cannot touch a woman that don't have a bound one. If Silver touches you intimately, the bonding process will initiate. Even a little kiss is enough to initiate it, so quit your teasing and stay away from him.”

  Faye stared at Phoebe aghast. Shade felt shocked himself. That was new information to him, and Wind seemed jus
t as surprised.

  “Who told you that?” Wind asked Phoebe.

  Phoebe turned her head and looked at the leader of the Fighters. “He did.”

  Faye stood mute for what felt like several minutes, but eventually she pulled herself together. She seemed to have lost all of her desire to argue with Silver. He gave her a grin that said it was all true.

  “Still interested?” Silver asked Faye.

  She straightened her back. “The last thing I want is a buffoon like you bound to me.” She nodded toward Nightmare. “I would rather do him than you.”

  The rage that Shade saw in Silver's face was unexpected and ... strange. Shade heard the cyborg growl before he lunged at the cage, trying to grab Faye, but before he managed to reach her, he and Wind had pulled her behind them. It was clear to Shade that something wasn't right with the cyborg's mind. He was playing with Faye, but in a way, he also seemed serious. Maybe it was a desperate need for attention. After all, none of the Fighters seemed sane in their minds. Nightmare was a complete madman if he believed in the fairy tale he had told them, and Silver played a dangerous game. He wanted to remain free, but if he touched a woman, he would bind himself to her. Why he played around with Faye was beyond Shade. It was like playing with fire.

  Heaven hadn't moved a muscle. He just watched them with his emotionless eyes, waiting for an order. It was almost as if he would remain in that same spot for an eternity if Nightmare didn't tell him to do something else. Edge, who stood by the machine, seemed to be a little ... well, edgy. His head jerked from one side to the other from time to time, as if he had muscle spasms. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other several times per minute, almost as if he had too much energy within him and didn't know what to do with himself. The other cyborgs in the living room didn't look much better.

  Neither Shade nor Wind said anything to Silver. They just glared at him, warning him that if he tried anything, he would lose a finger or more.

  Nightmare looked bored. “Give it a rest, Silver. You don't want the little female to trigger the wrong sides of you.” He turned to Edge. “Time?”

  “Two minutes.”

  “Good.” He came closer to the cage, pushing Silver away in the process. “Here is the thing.” He looked at Shade. “You can either co-operate with us or we will tie you down. It will not be pretty if we have to do that, and I don't think you want your dear Phoebe to see us hurting you.”

  Shade didn't move, but he felt his body tense. He looked at Phoebe. There were traces of tears in her eyes. She wasn't crying now, but the thought that someone had hurt her during his absence triggered his anger further. He felt like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any second if the Fighters tried anything with her.

  Then he thought about their bond. He knew that he would do anything for her. He felt his love for her linger inside of his body as if it were his life force. She was his breath, she was his life, his everything ... and he would die for her.

  He turned to Nightmare. “Let them go, and I will do what you want.”

  Chapter 24

  A shock went through Phoebe when she heard Shade's words. “No! I won't let you.” She grabbed his arm in a desperate attempt to make him see reason.

  He looked at her. There was so much love in his beautiful, shiny eyes that it almost tore her apart. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to break their bond, but what choice did he have? They were surrounded by cyborgs. Getting out of here in one piece seemed almost like an impossible task.

  “I don't want to lose you.” Her chin trembled.

  “You really do love him, don't you?” Nightmare asked.

  Phoebe turned an angry glare at him. “Yes, and I'd bet you have no idea what love is. You are nothing but a monster.”

  Nightmare gaze darkened. “Do you think I'm doing this to hurt you or Shade? I have been working on this for years, and I can assure you it will be painless for him.”

  “If it works,” she said.

  Nightmare remained silent for a while. “It will work.”

  “And then what?”

  “And then, he will be the first cyborg free to follow what his heart tells him without MedAct's interference.” He threw out his arms. “Look at us. We all have been marked from losing the ones we were bound to. Shade will not experience that. He will be free. If he still wants to be with you once the bond is gone, then so be it. I'm not an impossible cyborg. All I want is to find a way out of the bond. Then, I will be able to free all cyborgs from the lie that the bond is.”

  “What about those cyborgs who don't want to be free from the bond? Have you thought about that, or are you going to force them like you are forcing Shade now?”

  “The bond is not real!” Nightmare roared, making Phoebe jump back. She instantly felt Shade's arm around her.

  “It is real to me,” Wind said with a cold voice. “I will kill you if you try to remove my bond to my bound one.”

  Nightmare snorted. “Once Shade is free, it will be your turn whether you like it or not. If it works for him, it will work for an older cyborg, but I will not try to set an older cyborg free before I'm sure it works with a newborn. Everything is new to Shade and so is the bond. Your bond is set like a rock inside of you.”

  “Do you honestly think that my bond isn't set just because I'm newborn?” Disbelief filled Shade's voice.

  “I know it's not. Like I said, I've spent years studying this. I know what I'm doing. Besides, you all walked in here freely, so don't blame me for being in this situation.”

  “We would not have been in this situation if you hadn't taken Phoebe.”

  Nightmare shrugged. “I wasn't able to snatch you from MedAct, so I had to make sure that you would come to me, and since you are a cyborg, I knew it wouldn't take long for you to figure out where I was ... if I stayed in sight.” Nightmare shifted his weight to his other foot. “But I'm still curious as to how you found that signal.” He looked them over. “You taught me something important today. I never believed the signal could be used for tracking. If MedAct knew about this ...” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “But I guess it's just a matter of time before they find out.”

  “It's done,” Edge said and straightened his back, looking at Nightmare.

  Nightmare nodded and turned his gaze to Shade. “So how will it be?”

  Phoebe put her arms around Shade, holding him hard to try to stop him. It felt like her heart was being ripped apart. She was losing him. It made her want to scream with despair.

  “Like I said, let them go and I will do it.”

  Nightmare shrugged. “Deal.”

  “Please, don't do it. Stay with me. I love you,” she whispered with an unstable voice.

  Shade grabbed her face between his strong hands and made her look up. It was almost impossible to hold back her tears as she watched his handsome but determined face. He was her everything. Her reason for living. She would not be able to go on without him. It would destroy her.

  “You will never lose me, no matter what happens. I promise you that.”

  He pressed his lips to hers and Phoebe instantly felt his heat and desire surround her. She gave in to his demanding kiss, giving him access to her mouth. He made promises with his tongue as he swept it against hers. It told her that he would never abandon her, that his heart would always belong to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Phoebe saw Hunter approach the cage. He put the key in the lock and opened the door.

  “Hurry up,” Nightmare said to Shade with no respect whatsoever for her situation. It was all about him and his Fighters, and his quest to end the bond.

  Shade pressed her against him in a strong embrace. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “Don't ever question that.”

  “I won't,” she sobbed, finally unable to stop the tears from coming. She let them run down her cheeks. It didn't take long before her eyes became warm and sensitive from the swelling that followed. Whatever happened now, she knew she would fight for him. She would never abandon h
im. He was her life and she needed him. She needed him more than the air she breathed. She wouldn't let Nightmare destroy them. She was sure Shade's love for her was real. It wasn't just the bond, it was a lot more. They already had a history together, and that meant something too. Shade would remember that, she told herself. He would remember and he would come back to her. He would remember her love for him.

  She could do nothing but watch as he stepped out from the cage. Cyborgs approached him with determination in their eyes. Phoebe knew that one hasty move from Shade and they would jump him.

  Silver grinned. “I must admit you are a brave one. I would have resisted until my last breath.”

  There was no amusement in Shade's face. “That is why you are the stupid one.”

  Silver winced. “What the heck do you mean by that?”

  “Do you really think that I will risk Phoebe's life or my friends lives? I'm fully aware of what will happen if I don't agree to this.”

  Phoebe noticed Faye approaching the open cage door, but she didn't care why. Her emotions were all over the place and she was unable to pull herself together. Wind stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She knew he was trying to give her support, but it didn't help much.

  Nightmare stopped in front of Shade. “Defending your bound one, aren't you?” He snorted. “I wouldn't put too much faith into her love. After all, she didn't stop me from being intimate with her. It was way too easy.”

  Phoebe felt like she had been splashed with ice cold water when she heard Nightmare's words. Because of all the tears and the stress in this painful situation, she had completely forgotten about Nightmare's embrace. It hadn't bothered her much and it hadn't scared her when he had done it. It had only made her feel uncomfortable and unsure. Besides, trying to get free from him had been impossible. He was twice her size and she was no match for his strength.