by T. J. Quinn
“The order to return to the base was, too strong. I’m still feeling the excruciating pain for not obeying it,” the other man was able to explain.
And indeed, the soldier on the vehicle couldn’t care less if one of the cyborgs had gone missing. Shaking his head, he pulled the man’s right arm up and quickly accessed the primary control system.
“You’re free,” the cyborg said, with awe.
“Yes, and so will you, as soon as I’m done with you. How long was the battle?”
“A few hours ago.”
“They must have noticed your absence, and they will come for you. We have to take you out of here,” Bretdon explained as he introduced the main codes and freed the other man. “What’s your name, my friend?”
“Kirkcal and you are?”
“I’m Bretdon. Is some of the pain gone?” he asked, putting the man’s skin in its place.
“Oh, yes. I’m feeling much better, but I won’t be able to get out of here on my own,” Kirkcal said, looking at the extensive damage to his body.
Ophelia was amazed at the man’s endurance. She was sure a human would have quickly died with such wounds.
“We’ll get you out of here.”
Bretdon carried the man to the vehicle and asked Ophelia to sit on his lap. They had to get out of there as soon as possible before the soldiers returned to look for Kirkcal.
They traveled most of the night, into the thick woods and going a bit out of their way, before Bretdon dared to stop. He had found a cave big enough for them to hide for a while.
“I know how much you want to get to your mother’s house,” Bretdon started saying after he had installed Kirkcal inside the cave.
“Bret, we’re not leaving your friend alone in these conditions. I can wait, trust me. Just help him to get better,” she interrupted him.
He kissed her with passion and gratitude. “Thank you. As soon as he gets a bit better, I’ll take you to Jackson to find your mom.”
“I know you will.”
That night, Bretdon tended to his friend’s wounds, as best as he could, while Ophelia stayed as far away as she could. She had almost passed out the first time she had seen the bloody body of the other cyborg.
It took Kirkcal two days to seal his wounds. He still wasn’t able to move on his own, but he no longer was bleeding, and his injuries seemed to be healing.
“We can go to Jackson tomorrow. Kirkcal can stay here while we travel there and we’ll pick him up on our way back,” Bretdon suggested.
“Yes, that sounds great. It shouldn’t take us more than a few days.”
“Exactly.” He turned to look at his new friend. “We’ll leave you enough food and water, so you should be fine.”
“Yes, of course, I will. You’ve done more than enough for me.”
They left the cave and headed to Jackson city. They should arrive at her mother’s place the following day in the morning if they traveled the whole night. She wasn’t thrilled with that idea, but Bretdon wanted to return as soon as possible. Kirkcal still wasn’t able to move by himself, and he wanted to take him to Sandra’s caves, for his full recovery.
The sun was coming up in the sky when they arrived at the outskirts of the city.
“I can’t sense any military presence. I believe we can get to your mother’s place,” he told her.
“You can’t go with me, it would call too much attention,” she pointed out, rubbing her face, worried.
“I’ll be in the back. We can darken this vehicle so that no one can see me,” he assured her.
“Alright. With luck, mom will be home, and I’ll be able to talk to her,” she said, with a grin.
He nodded and darkened the vehicle before they headed to her mother’s house. It was still very early in the morning, so her mother should be home. With a deep breath, she hopped out of the vehicle and headed to her mother’s back door.
She didn’t knock. She looked for the key her mother kept hidden underneath a flower pot. She entered the house and closed the door behind her, looking around, making sure everything seemed alright.
The dim light of the dawn was enough to let her see the untidiness of the kitchen. With a frown, she headed up to her mother’s bedroom, with her heart drumming in her chest.
Her mother wasn’t home. And by the looks of it, she hadn't been back in a few days. Desperate, she ran to her mother’s study, to check her computer, looking for a possible message.
Other than a few messages she had sent her the day she had met Bret, asking her where she was and why she wasn’t answering her calls, there wasn’t anything else.
She wanted to send her mother a message, but she figured they would be monitoring her accounts. It wasn’t worth the risk.
She left the house and quickly headed to her mother’s neighbors’ house. Mrs. Sullivan had been her mother’s friend her whole life. If anyone knew what had happened to her mother, it was her.
She rang the bell a few times, looking around nervously. The old woman opened the door and pulled her in.
“Ophelia, what are you doing here? You have to escape, they will get you,” the woman said before she was able to open her mouth. “They took your mother to one of those camps. Of course, they said they were doing it for her own safety, we both know that’s bullshit,” the woman ranted.
Ophelia hugged her. “Oh, Mrs. Sullivan, I was hoping to find her here.”
“They came the day after Marisa lost contact with you. They said they suspected you had been abducted by the aliens and that they would take her to one of the camps, to protect her.”
“Oh, that makes me so mad” the human caressed her face. “Do you have any idea where they took her?”
“They wouldn’t say. ‘For security reasons’ was what they kept saying,” Mrs. Sullivan replied. “You have to go now, sweetie. I’m sure they’ve left spies around, in case you returned.”
“Yes, I’m sure of it too.” She hugged the old woman one more time. “Please, take care. Don’t let them take you away.”
“They won’t. You know my Steven is one of them.” There was a mix of pride and dread in the woman’s tone.
Chapter Ten
Ophelia rushed out of the house and headed to the vehicle. Bretdon drove away, back to the cave they left Kirkcal in, the moment she hopped in.
“They took her away. They came the day after we met,” she informed him.
“That was fast.” There was scorn in his tone.
“Mom’s friend, Mrs. Sullivan, told me they took her to one of the freedom camps, but they wouldn’t tell her which one,” she added, feeling a huge knot closing her throat.
“You knew this was the most probable scenario,” he said, in a soft tone.
“Yes, after all, I’ve seen on this journey, my hopes of finding her safe and sound at home were very low,” she admitted. “I guess I’m just furious for the injustice. My mother has nothing to do with all this. She doesn’t even know what the hell happened to me.”
“We’ll find her, Ophelia and we’ll take her out of there, faster than you think,” he assured her. “I’ve discussed this possibility with Sandra and she is more than willing to help us set her free.”
Ophelia sighed, feeling a bit better. “I would love that. I can’t stand the idea of leaving mom in a place like that.”
“I understand and we’ll help you get her back.”
Once more, they didn’t stop on their way, other than to attend their physical needs, but by the time they arrived to the cave where they had left Kirkcal, Ophelia was completely exhausted.
The other man looked a lot better than when they left him and Ophelia couldn’t help feeling amazed by the way the nanocybots worked.
But she didn’t talk much, with either of the men. After she grabbed a bite, she lay down on the improvised bed Bretdon had prepared for her and closed her eyes. She was so tired, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Bretdon looked at her and sighed.
“I’m guessing your
journey wasn’t successful.” Kirkcal said, in a soft tone.
“No, it wasn’t. As we suspected, her mother was taken to one of the freedom camps,” Bretdon explained.
“Those places are terrible. I was stationed in one of them for a few months and I hated every minute of it. People are treated like prisoners, literally,” Kirkcal, grumbled.
“We’ll get her out,” he stated, firmly. “How are you feeling? You’re looking much better.”
“I am much better. Not completely recovered, but on my way to it.”
“We’ll leave in the morning for the caves. You’ll be able to fully recover there, while I go looking for Ophelia’s mother,” Bretdon announced as he started to prepare some food. He was sure Ophelia would be hungry when she woke up.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all these people. They sound quite interesting.”
“Yes, not all humans are bad. There are still good people out there.”
They left in the morning back to the caves and though they were traveling a bit uncomfortably, the journey wasn’t that bad. They were received with open arms, especially when they realized they had another cyborg with them.
Kirkcal was immediately taken to the infirmary for a full checkup, despite his insistence that he was perfectly alright.
The truth was he had gotten much better during the days that took them to reach the caves.
“Do you have any idea where they might have taken your mother?” Sandra asked Ophelia when they finally sat down to talk.
“No, not at all.”
“I’ll call my contacts and make them look for her. We’ll locate her as soon as possible, and after that, we’ll start planning how to get her out,” the older woman explained. “I’ll need her full name and her identity number so that we can track her down.”
“Her name is Marisa Stevenson, and her identity number is 320.568.458.784,” Ophelia immediately, gave her the information.
“Perfect, my friends will start looking for her, right away.”
Ophelia took a deep breath, nervous, as she wriggled her hands. “Do you really think we’ll be able to rescue her?”
“Yes. They will have more surveillance at the camp, for a while, since they are expecting you to come out looking for her. My advice is we should probably wait a few weeks before we strike, you know, as soon as they lower their guard.”
“I guess you’re right, though I dread the idea of leaving my mother in such a place for so long,” Ophelia said, in a sad tone.
“I know, but this way we’ll increase our chances of getting her out of there. It will also give us time to find exactly where she is and her routine, making it easier for us to act.”
“Yes, of course,” Bretdon agreed. “I’ll join you the day you decide to attack. I’ll be able to talk to the cyborgs at the camp and ask them for help.”
“They normally keep one or two cyborgs at the camps, usually when they are wounded, so we shouldn’t have problems with them,” Sandra explained. “In fact, we could release them as well. I would be more than happy to start working on their freedom.” There was an obvious eagerness in the woman’s tone.
“Yes, that would be a great idea. The more we free, the better,” Bretdon said, smiling.
“Meanwhile, you’re more than welcome to stay here with us. I’m sure we’ll be able to find something to keep you busy, up until then,” she suggested, with a wide smile as she got up, ending the meeting. “I’m sure you remember your way to the room you used last time. Make yourselves at home.”
“Thank you, Sandra, we’re pleased to stay here and help as much as we can,” Bretdon replied.
“Yes, surely. I’m a systems engineer, but I’m willing to help in whatever I can,” Ophelia added.
Sandra turned to look at her. “That is good news, darling. Come see me in the morning. I would like to show you what we’ve been working on. A fresh point of view will be more than welcome.”
“Thank you, I will.”
They headed to the room they had used and like before, Ophelia headed straight to the bathroom. She hated not being able to bathe regularly, but other than two very cold streams, they hadn't found water to bathe while they were traveling. This time, Bretdon joined her.
“We need to save water, you know,” he teased her, as he took off his clothes. With Kirkcal traveling with them, they hadn't been able to be alone and let their passion follow its natural path.
Now that they were finally alone, nothing would stop him from taking her. He helped her out of her clothes and carried her into the shower stall, closing the curtain behind them. In a few seconds, the warm water ran down their bodies.
“I missed you,” he murmured in her ear, as his tongue teased her earlobe, sending chills of thrill through her body.
“I was never gone,” she teased him a bit, though she had missed him too. Sleeping in his arms and not being able to kiss and touch him the way she wanted had been very hard for her.
“It felt like you were a world apart,” he assured her, just before he claimed her sweet lips with the hottest kiss. He took away her breath but reignited the fire burning inside them.
Kiss after kiss, caress after caress, he guided her towards the blissful world of passion and pleasure.
With a loud moan, Ophelia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Without wasting a second, he pulled her up and pushed her back against the wall, his hard cock already poking her entrance.
This time, there were no caresses and exquisite foreplay. Their need and hunger were so strong, they just wanted release.
With their lips still pressed together, he thrust his hard cock into her and made her his once more. She pulled him closer and rocked her hips to make him go even deeper inside her, craving the pleasure and satiation only he could provide.
Thrust after thrust, he took them to paradise, throwing them over the edge, right into the swirl of pleasure and bliss.
He came with a loud growl and once more, it enhanced her pleasure so much, she let out a sob, and her whole body shuddered wildly against his.
When the waves of pleasure finally subsided, he allowed her down, and they bathed each other, relishing the pure comfort of the bath.
That night at dinner, they were introduced to a few other people living in the caves that would be working with them in the following days.
Sandra asked Bretdon to train her soldiers, to toughen them up and to make sure they would be prepared for another attack on the freedom camps. He accepted immediately, willing to get some exercise. Kirkcal, fully recovered, offered his help as well. They hadn't been conceived to wander around aimlessly, and they needed some action to get their blood rushing in their veins.
“Are you sure you’re well enough?” Marian, sitting next to him, asked with a worried tone.
“Yes, of course, I am. My nanocybots did a good job healing my internal injuries. I’m good as new,” he assured her, with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Ophelia was looking forward to working with the engineers’ team. She needed to keep herself busy while they waited for news on her mother. Jonathan, one of the men she would be working with, seemed happy to have her help.
“I used to work at the company where you work. We used to get fascinating projects, but after my sisters were abducted, I decided to resign,” he explained. “I had heard about Sandra and her group, so I didn’t hesitate for looking for her and asking her help.”
“Was she able to rescue your sisters?”
A shadow of sadness covered the man’s eyes. “No, she wasn’t. Soldiers have never found the Taucets’ colony she was taken to. We have managed to attack the freedom camps, but facing a whole army of Taucets is clearly out of our league,” he explained.
“Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“I haven’t lost faith I’ll find them.”
“I’m sure you will.”
They were about to go back to their cave when Sandra called them.<
br />
“We’ve found your mother. As expected, she was taken to one of the freedom camps, and they are keeping a close watch on her and the camp,” she announced. “Fortunately, the camp isn’t far from here, so we’ll be able to make several visits to study the area and plan our attack.”
Ophelia hugged the woman, excited. “Oh, thank you, thank you, it’s a relief hearing that. I was so worried we wouldn’t be able to find her.”
The woman held her back and patted her back. “We’ll get her. Now that we have the two cyborgs on our side, things will be easier,” she assured her, as she stepped back.
Ophelia nodded and turned to look at Bretdon, at her side. A sudden thought had crossed her mind, and it didn’t make her very happy.
Now that they had found the caves and these people, Bret was free to leave. His responsibility towards her was to make sure she was safe and out of reach for the government, and she was.
She didn’t want him to leave her. Incredibly, he had become a very important part of her and she dreaded the idea of losing him. He had gotten into her blood.
Chapter Eleven
“Yes, we’ll help you as far as we can,” Bretdon assured the old woman.
“By the way, what are your plans regarding contact with the cyborgs on Arcadia?” Sandra asked, curious.
“I’ll have to go to our rendezvous place and find a way to send them a message or leave them a message,” he explained.
“Yes, that would be a good idea.”
“We need an intergalactic communication device to talk to them and as far as I know, humans haven’t achieved that technology,” he explained.
“No, we haven’t. You would have to steal one from the Taucets. I’m sure you could use theirs.”
Bretdon chuckled. “Yes, that’s a very good idea. I guess I’ll have to find one of their colonies.”
“That’s too dangerous, you know that,” Ophelia protested, worried he would really risk his life in such a suicidal adventure.
“Yes, of course. But I sure would love to get my hands on one of their vessels,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and pulling her closer.
