by Maya Carnage
The cells are set off by themselves. He takes her down a couple hallways before opening the door that takes them into the corridor housing the cells. There are three doors on each side. They are solid metal without any bars or windows. He places his hand down on the screen next to the second door on the right. The light above it switches from red to green. The door's locks click, Axe grabs the handle and turns it. Opening the door, he propels her into the dark room and closes the door behind her. As he walks away, he hears her fists thumping against the door. Ignoring it, he continues up to the bow of the ship.
◆◆◆
Both of his pilots are seated at the helm. They chat idly about what is going on in Teraz. None of them has been back there in almost a year, but they all receive updates from the cyborgs they are closer to who live there or visit more often than they did. He nods to them but doesn't stop to say anything. They don't bother asking him what he has been up to either. Most of the crew onboard The Pursuer have an unspoken agreement not to dig into each other's lives.
Axe sits at one of the desks. He logs onto the forum and checks to see if Rodrick messaged him anything else since last night. Nothing. With a sigh, he gets up.
"The boss man didn't have anything else for you?" Enzo spins around in his seat and faces Axe. Pax checks to make sure they are ready to leave the docking bay. Their fuel levels were low before we landed and before we can make our way to The Gregory, the tanks need to be filled up. There aren't many refueling stations between here and where The Gregory is located.
Axe shakes his head.
"How's the prisoner?" Pax looks over at him without turning his chair from the widescreen.
"Dawn Perkins is in her cell. There weren't that many mishaps during her transport, though I believe she will try to cause some trouble before we arrive at Gregory."
"Is she going to be questioned?"
"Rodrick didn't say anything else besides making sure she is delivered to the prison."
"Yeah, but we know how the Malviks are. They can't stand humans, especially the ones who are rebels," said Enzo.
He's right. The Malviks are known for their disgust and prejudices when it comes to humans. It would not be below them to throw her into prison simply because she is human. Axe runs his hand through his hair. He's always put his job first and his emotions second. He's never had an issue putting aside his thoughts on what he is ordered to do. Enzo is different. Since the beginning, he has always held sympathy in his heart for those he thought were being mistreated. Axe would prefer to ignore the injustice and do what he has been commanded, but he does feel wrong about it. He shakes his head. "I'll question her to make sure she deserves her imprisonment."
Enzo smiles and gets back to his work.
He pauses at the door that will take him back to the cells. Thinking back to when she was dragged on board the ship, Axe can say with certainty that she seemed feral and capable of all the crimes listed against her. But there seemed to be something broken about her, but he can't put his finger on what.
Deciding that it would be better to put it off for another hour or so, to give her time to settle down, Axe heads in the direction of his bunk. He opens the door to his pristine room. The room is small and only has three objects in it. A bed in the center, a set of drawers adjacent to it, and a trunk at the end of the bed. He closes the door behind him and strides over to the bed. Laying back on the green blanket, he shuts his eyes, trying to get some rest.
Chapter Three
Dawn
The cyborg comes back to her cell a few hours after having left her there. He comes into the room quietly. If she weren't staring right at him as he did it, she wouldn't have known he was even in the room. It doesn't seem possible that a man his size can be that quiet. He's well over six feet and as wide as the doorway he just came through. His muscles are thick, and Dawn shivers at the thought of being on the wrong side of that strength. There are rumors that a cyborg can kill a man with one hit, looking at her jailer she can believe it.
When she overheard the officers talking about the man she was to be handed over to, she couldn't believe her ears when they said he was a cyborg. She has only ever heard tales about those monsters. Dawn couldn't repress the overwhelming feeling of hate that coursed through her body at that moment. The rebels had never planned for a cyborg to be the one taking her to the correctional facility.
He stands there staring at her. She doesn't know what he is doing here. When she was on the other ship, the officers mostly left her alone.
She raises a brow and smirks. "Is there something you wanted? Or have you just come to see a human up close?"
"I've seen your kind before. They aren't that interesting to watch."
His words anger her. What does he know? The only times he has probably interacted with humans was when he was slaughtering them or unjustly sending them to prison. They always think they are above humans. "Then what the hell is it that you want?"
"We'll be arriving at the prison in seven days. Don't you want to use that time to your advantage? It would be in your best interest to convince me you're not guilty of the crimes listed in your file," he said.
Dawn smiles. It is hilarious how everyone always wants to assume she is innocent. Dawn knows how she looks. Her face isn't something someone would correlate with the heinous crimes she has committed. Her pale complexion paired with her sweet face make most underestimated her. Kayla is the one who looks the part of a rebel. With her black hair and stern gaze, plus the scar running down her left cheek, it makes me think twice before messing with her. It's why they have always worked so well together. They make the mistake of believing Kayla's the one they need to be cautious of and they forget about Dawn. She's the one that sneaks behind their backs and cuts them all without blinking an eye. That was how she was raised. The Malviks and those that give into them are the enemies. They don't deserve compassion.
"I don't have anything to say. Everything in that file is true. I'm as guilty as sin," she said.
His face doesn't change. He continues looking at her, studying her face. He's probably searching for the truth in her words, but he doesn't realize that Dawn means every word. She knows she is guilty, and she is all right with that. It finally has some other use besides the times Dawn has brought it up in conversation, boasting her accomplishments against the others. It is what's going to get her into the correctional facility. It's what she needs. So, no, she doesn't have anything to say or beg for her freedom. Even if she did want to be set free, she wouldn't get on her knees for this man, if you can even call him that.
"The Gregory isn't a nice place to be, and for some reason, I get the feeling that you want to be there. Why is that?" He crosses his arm across his chest.
"I figured if I get sent there than I can consider myself one of the more dangerous rebels. Not many can claim that."
"Your group isn't as large as it once was, and with so many of you being caught and put away, it seems that you won't be getting many willing to sign up for your cause. That has to be concerning. You're not worried that this incident is going to put more strain on the rebel's numbers? I would. You need men to when a war, Dawn. The rebels don't seem to have as many as they need or want," he said.
She hates to admit he is right, even to herself, but he is. The rebels have not had as many new recruits in the last decade, and with the current events it doesn't seem likely there will be a lot joining their ranks. If she can manage to free the eighth ward rebels, once it gets broadcasted people might see the rebels as a worthy opponent against the Malviks, it is what we're all hoping for. "Why? Do you care if the rebels take on the Malviks? Is that what all you cyborgs are secretly wishing?"
"That would be a useless wish. Cyborgs are more than capable of doing the job."
"Then why haven't you?"
He shrugs. "Why would we? They leave most of us alone. There are a few of us who chose to work in the government or military and the Malviks call on us when they think a certain task requires
us. For the most part, we live our lives in relative peace from the Malviks. Why would we change that by going to war with them?"
"How can you not? We're treated like shit! Those who don't fight with the rebels are forced to work in the fields, handing over their crops and livestock to the Malviks."
She feels sick at just the thought of what is going on back home.
"You've gotten us off topic." He steps further into the room. "I thought that you would have pleaded your case, tried to get out of going to The Gregory, but you didn't. I don't understand you, Dawn, but before the week is through, I will." With that said, he turns around and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
Dawn's shoulders drop, and she falls back onto the bed, letting out a sigh. That man is going to be a pain in her ass. What does it matter if she wants to go to The Gregory? She's committed some terrible crimes, and she is guilty of far worse than what is in those papers. She deserves to go that prison. Why would he even care?
Reaching up she pushes her hair away from her face, and her fingers snag in the dirty locks of hair.
She groans aloud.
I'm filthy.
She gets up from the bed and walks over to the small sink and toilet shut off by its self. It's in a tiny room directly across from the door leading into the cell. She turns the faucet on. It would be a hell of a lot better if there was a shower, but she'll just make do with what she has. When the water is warm enough, she dunks her head under it, letting it run through her hair. She squeezes out some of the hand soap and lathers up her hair. When she thinks it as clean as its going to get, she rinses it out in the sink. Wringing it out the excess water, she looks around for a towel but doesn't find anything.
She lets go of her hair. It falls against her back, leaving a damp mark on the grey overalls the officers gave her to wear. She leaves the bathroom. As she moves to sit on the bed, there is a knock at her door. "Who is it?" Why in the world would they knock on her door? It's a cell. She's a prisoner. They don't have to be polite to her.
"May I come in?" A rough voice asked.
"Yeah."
After a second the door swings open. She doesn't recognize the man coming into her room. He's tall and slim. He's not as muscular as the other cyborg. She knows he is one, too. It's the way he moves; it's too graceful.
He extends his hand toward her. "I'm Enzo. I'm one of the pilots for The Pursuer."
She takes his hand. "Dawn."
"Dinner has been served. I didn't know if you would like to eat upstairs with us? The food isn't the best, but having company helps. You can eat down here if you want, that's up to you."
She frowns at him. Dawn doesn't trust him, why would he want to eat dinner with her? It seemed like the other one wasn't that fond of humans. Maybe Enzo is different. Cyborgs don't come across them that often, so maybe she's an oddity to him. "Wouldn't it be easier if I ate here?"
"The security is strong throughout the ship. It wouldn't be an issue if you didn't stay in the cell. Are you coming?" He reaches for the door handle and pauses, looking back at her.
"Fine."
He smiles and opens the door. He holds it open for her to go through. She frowns but goes ahead of him. He walks next to her, and she glances at him discreetly. It doesn't take them long to reach the commissary. It is mostly empty. Enzo walks with Dawn over to where the food is set out. They make themselves a plate and sit at one of the empty tables.
Dawn digs into her food.
"Were they not feeding you on the other ship?"
"They gave us one meal a day, but even with the rebels’ food is slim, it isn't easy to come by," she said, chewing. "I bet you all eat as good as the Malviks do."
"We have as much food as we need."
Dawn pauses. She sets her fork to the side and looks up at Enzo. "I thought cyborgs couldn't eat real food?" She grew up hearing all sorts of stories about his kind. Some were so far-fetched that she couldn't believe them at all, but she always believed the one about the food.
"We don't have to, but some of us like the process of eating. Not many, but there are a few of us."
"What about the one who doesn't like humans, does he eat, or does he think he's too good?" asked Dawn.
He looks puzzled at her question. "I don't know who you're talking about."
"The one who put me in the cell."
"Oh, Axe. He doesn't eat while we are on the ship, but when we're at Teraz, he'll sometimes join us for a meal."
She keeps hearing about Teraz, but there has never been a mention of it back on earth. "What's Teraz?"
Enzo takes a sip of his water before speaking. "It's a planet about five weeks from here. It's where we made our home after the war. The Malviks didn't have any use for us, and so they sent us away. We didn't know where to go. We spent some time at a sanctuary planet and while there, heard about a planet that was uninhabited by anyone except the beasts that called it home. We cleared a nice size section so that we could build ourselves homes. It's grown significantly since then. You'd like it; it's beautiful there."
"I've never heard of it before today."
"We try to keep it secret, that way the Malviks won't bother us as much," he said, smiling.
Enzo asks her about her life back on earth. Dawn tells him about her sister and that their mother died a very long time ago in a fight against the military. Her father was never the same after the loss of his wife. Something inside Kayla shut down, too. Dawn tried keeping the family together, but it seemed that no matter how hard she tried they both slip away from her. It is only because of their father's situation that Kayla and Dawn have spent so much time together in the last five years. Even now, she chooses to keep Dawn out of her business.
When they are done eating, Enzo tells her that she is free to wander the ship. "The cell is useless, no offense, Dawn, but you are an easy opponent against a cyborg." He clears away their dishes.
Dawn stands by the table and looks around the room. There has only been one other person come into the place since they sat down. They joined the three who were already in here when Dawn and Enzo came in. They waved to Enzo, but when they saw her sitting across from him, they walked in the opposite direction.
She might not be able to win a fight against them, but she can tell that they aren't a fan of hers. That's fine. She doesn't like them either.
Deciding to take him seriously, she walks out of the commissary, not bothering to let Enzo know she is leaving. She walks down the hall, away from the direction of the cells. She takes her time, strolling through the ship's passages. She doesn't run into many people, though she can hear voices off in the distance. She heads that way.
A tiny part of her hopes to run into Axe. She doesn't know why, probably because she is bored. When she makes it to the group of people, it is a rec hall, none of them are Axe. She moves to make her way back to the commissary but stops when someone in the room calls out.
"Does Axe know you're out and about?"
"I don't know, how about you ask him." She leans against the doorway.
The man who spoke to her has pale skin with freckles and strawberry blond hair. He gets up from his seat, walks over to a communication device on the wall, presumably dialing Axe.
The snitch.
From where she stands she can see a tiny picture of Axe on the screen, but she can't hear what he is saying.
"All right, if you think it's best." The man presses a button, shutting it off. "He said it's fine, though I don't like you just being able to go where you please."
"You're not the boss, now are you?" Smirking, Dawn pushes away from the door and walks away with the sound of the man complaining behind her.
Chapter Four
Axe
Axe sits in the security room. Several small screens are laid out in front of him. He watches the one showing Dawn Perkins. She is in the rec room playing a game called billiards with Enzo and Pax. The pilots must have put the ship on cruise control. It shouldn't irritate him, but it does. He doesn't like
seeing Dawn laugh with two of his crew. He's been watching her since yesterday. After Gregor called him on the comm reporting to him that the prisoner was free of her cell, Axe decided to avoid her, but he wanted to keep an eye on her always. He knows she is up to something, but so far, he hasn't come up with an idea of what that is. With their current speed, they should reach the Gregory in six days, but Axe plans on knowing what her plan is before then.
Turning from the screen, Axe gets out of the chair and leaves the dark room. He walks the long corridor leading to his room. When the door shuts behind him, he calls the rec room on his comm.
Pax answers. "Hey, Axe. What's up?"
"Bring the prisoner to my room."
Pax doesn't hesitate. He shuts the device off after telling Axe he'll bring her right over.
Axe paces his room, feeling anxious. Dawn is an enigma to him. He rarely transports criminals to The Gregory, but even if he has never been there, he's heard enough about the place. It doesn't make sense for her to want to go there, but yet, she does. He can tell that she is anxious to arrive at their destination. With her involvement with the rebels, it can't be a good thing.
What troubles Axe is that a part of him hopes that the rebels are planning some type of attack against The Gregory. The most dangerous criminals are there. If it were to be attacked, the Malviks would be in a lot of trouble if those prisoners were free. Contrary to what the human said, the cyborgs are not friendly with their creators. Far from it.
In hushed voices, even on their own planet, they talk about starting a war with the Malviks. All they've done to them and the humans, it is about time that they paid for their wrongs.
There is a knock at his door. Axe shouts for the person to come in. Pax swings the door open and nods at his superior. "Dawn's here."
