by Maya Carnage
"Find out what you can about the rebel and the sympathizers. They've eluded us for years, and if we can find out where their headquarters are on Teraz, we can get rid of them once and for all."
"What about the rebels back on Earth?"
The Malvik laughs. "They're nothing but insolent children, nothing we can't handle."
Rodrick hurries back to the waiting room as the cyborg disconnects. After a few minutes of waiting for him to burst into the room and accuse him of plotting against the Malviks, Rodrick realizes the cyborg must have left. He slumps into the hard chair, sighing in relief.
Leaning forward, he lets his head drop into his hands. What are they going to do now? Things have gotten impossibly harder, and the damn nervous doctor is to blame. Rodrick always knew he was a risk but was willing to take a chance on him.
Stuck in his head, he doesn't hear Havix approaching until he taps him on the shoulder.
"Patton's asking for you."
He pushes through the double doors, and races up the stairs, taking two at a time.
Patton sits stiffly in his chair behind his desk, tapping his fingers on the desk. He's chewing on his bottom lip, and when Rodrick slams the door shut, he bites his lip hard enough to puncture it. A bright red drop of blood blooms, sliding down his chin. "Was that necessary?"
"The Malviks know about our plan because of you," he bit out.
Patton holds his hands up and asks for a chance to explain.
He rushes forward and brings his hands down on the hard surface of the desk. A harsh crack reverberates throughout the room. "I never should have trusted you."
"You really shouldn't have, and I tried to explain that to you, but you're too pigheaded! If only you would have listened. We could've avoided all of this."
He pushes off the desk, taking a seat in the free chair. The second cyborg sits in the other one. Rodrick glowers at him.
"I'm not a threat," he said, chuckling.
"Then what are you?"
He and Patton lock eyes. Something passes between them and a second later the doctor nods. "I want to join the rebellion."
Rodrick studies him for a second, listening for any sign the cyborg's lying. It's fucking sucks that cyborgs are such good manipulators. You can never tell when they are telling the truth because they can control every single one of their reactions. "Why?"
"I hate them just like you do."
"Maybe we're not looking for recruits."
"Perhaps, but you can't deny the benefit of having a sympathizer on Earth."
He curses.
"He's right," Patton said. "You said it yourself."
Really, the doctor says too much sometimes. He regrets enlisting the man's help.
"What do you say?"
"What's your name?"
"Kingston, sir."
"Well, welcome to the rebellion, Kingston."
Chapter Nine
Kayla
The wind beats against the cabin, and it groans its displeasure but stays standing. Gripping the steaming mug tighter, she tries to ignore the gnawing feeling in her gut. It’s been there since yesterday, and it’s a relentless, pesky bastard. With a sigh, she leans her head forward, sipping her tea.
Dawn should be escaping The Gregory any day now.
There’s nothing she can do to help her sister, and it bugs the living hell out of her to be sitting here doing nothing.
She’s more than capable of kicking any of those guards’ asses. Her sister’s a badass, but she can be the toughest woman out there, and Kayla’s going to still worry about her.
For five years they prepared for this mission, and it should go just fine, but one of the variables changed, and sometimes the smallest shifts in a plan can fuck it up severely.
Her chest tightens, and she heaves a heavy sigh. It won’t do her any good to get all worked up about what she can’t control. Biting her bottom lip, she glances around the cabin.
She shakes her head. If only Rodrick wasn’t such a clean freak than she’d have been able to clean the house, but there isn’t a speck of dust anywhere.
It never occurred to her they would become friends, but that’s what has happened since they began living together. At times she wants to strangle him because he gets on her nerves, constantly trying to protect her or leaving her behind as if she’s a liability. She understands why he does it. Hell, she even feels guilty when she snaps at him over it, but she’ll never be able to stand down or hide away. She’s a fighter.
Rodrick’s this big, bad cyborg and has the idea that humans are weak and frail. No one has proven him wrong, yet. She will and so will the other rebels.
There’s nothing else to do, and so she shrugs, drinking her tea. She should savor this moment because it’s rare that she gets to sit back and do nothing. Although, she hates the inactivity, it’s good for her to relax every once in a while.
The door open and slams against the wall as she’s swallowing. Her face reddens as she struggles to breathe, coughing up the tea.
“What’s wrong?”
She flips Rodrick the middle finger, getting up from the couch. She retches a little in her mouth as she coughs up the tea. Her heart races, pounding against her rib cage. Shit, she’s scared. It was only for a second, but damn it’s terrifying not to be able to breathe.
He closes the door and walks around to stand next to her, laying a hand on her upper back. His brows creased. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that would startle you.”
“It’s fine.” She sets the mug on the coffee table and settles her hands on her hips. “How’d it go?” She’s been dreading this moment since he left this morning. The Malviks are sneaky cunts, and she suspects the two visiting cyborgs aren’t as friendly as they appear. Of course, she didn’t mention any of that to Rodrick. Afraid that he would push it off as her being apprehensive of them. That’s part of it, but it has more to do with the fact that they work closely with the enemy. It’s not ridiculous to think that they are here to spy.
She held her breath, waiting for his to respond.
Rodrick rakes his fingers through his dirty blond hair. “Patton told them about us and the sympathizers.”
She gasps. “I knew we shouldn’t have trusted him!”
“I’m not shocked. Patton doesn’t have the disposition to remain stoic when being question. It was inevitable that this would happen. I was hoping it would happen later, after we had built a considerate defense against the Malviks.”
“What did they do?”
“That’s the interesting part.” He strolls over to a chair, taking a seat. “They both went back to see Patton at the same time, but they didn’t exit the building that way. I followed the first one outside, listening in on his conversation with a Malvik.”
She perches on the edge of the coffee table and cocks an eyebrow. “Don’t you hate their snide tones? Their arrogance is apparent even in the way they speak.”
He shrugs. “They believe they’re superior.”
“That never gave them the right to take possession of the human race and turn them into their slaves. I dream of the look on their faces the moment we win. Their whole world’s going to come tumbling down, breaking the illusion. It can’t come fast enough.”
“You have a lot rage,” he said, chuckling.
“I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t.”
His gaze softens, and a wave of tenderness blankets his face. Kayla shifts uncomfortably in her seat. It makes her skin crawl when someone stares at her. The thick, angry scar on the left side of her face is usually the reason for the glances and long looks, but that isn’t why Rodrick’s eyes lock on her. No, it’s for another reason entirely. Her cheeks heat.
She slaps her hands together. “Well, what did he have to say?” she said, changing the subject.
Clearing his throat, he relays everything that happened at the clinic.
“It puts a kink in our plan, but nothing that’ll prevent us from moving ahead. It’s now more important than ever to convi
nce the cyborgs back home that serving the Malviks isn’t worth it anymore.”
“Kingston will be able to help us with that. I trust him. It might be a ploy by them, but he sounded sincere,” he said. “Our main problem right now is their eyes on me. It’ll be harder for us to move undetected.”
She leans forward, setting her elbows on her knees. It’s a good thing they never told Patton Ian’s name because if they had, they’d be in a shit storm right now on all fronts. He said they don’t believe he’s involved, but that can change at any moment. If it happens while they are unaware it could cause a lot of trouble. There’s even the chance they’ll call Rodrick back to Earth, wanting to question him themselves.
Kayla sits up straight with a wide, blinding smile on her face. “Don’t say no, okay? Give yourself a second to think it over, and you’ll realize it’s a good idea.”
He smirks at her and shakes his head, waving her on.
“Eventually you’ll have to leave the military. There’s no way you can continue serving them while being involved in the rebellion. Why not go ahead and quit?”
“I can’t quit. I signed a contract stating I’d work for them for a set amount of time, and there’s still another ten years left on it.”
She squints at him, pursing her lips. “You do remember we’re here on Teraz to gather a force to beat them, right?”
His shoulders sag. “Yes.”
She closes her eyes as she berates herself in her head. Sometimes she’s a selfish woman. No wonder her and Dawn don’t get along. It’s always about her, and most of the time she ignores everyone else’s problems. With a self-dejected sigh, she gets up, walking over to sit on the armrest. “I can be pushy. It isn’t that I mean too, but I don’t know, I get in a rush to finish the mission. The job’s always come first and making sacrifices for it is easy. It slips my mind that it’s not like that for everyone else.”
“It feels dishonest,” he whispered. “I’m a loyal soldier, and every fiber of my being fights against what I’m doing.”
“I get it.” She glances down at him, and by the expression on his face, she can tell he doesn’t believe her. “I’ve never been anything but a rebel. I was born into this life, and the whole time my father pushed me to dedicate every part of myself to it. Stanley’s the leader of us, learning that he was backstabbing us for years hurt. Not only did I doubt him, but also the rebellion.” Her chest feels lighter after having confessed. She felt like she betrayed her family by feeling that way, and for months now it’s been festering inside of her like an angry wound.
“Once this is all over, I think we’ll both come to terms with our new positions in life.”
“Does this mean you agree with what I proposed?”
He laughs and settles his hand on her thigh, squeezing it gently. “You wouldn’t relent otherwise.”
She swallows thickly, looking down at his hand. Ever since their kiss, she’s gotten turned on at the slightest brush of his body against hers. Heat begins slowly building in her core until it’s a throbbing, pulsing ache between her legs. She feels like a hormonal teenager again.
She lied to him the other day. The kiss wasn’t as meaningless as she made it out to be, but she was still feeling embarrassed over his rejection. It stung that day when he pulled away from her. After giving him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day and into the following morning, Rodrick finally got the chance to explain. It didn’t help her any, and in truth, it made her even more annoyed, and so she lashed out.
She’s attracted to him, and it’s been that way since the first time they met. She never let herself daydream about him. Well, not a lot anyway. She couldn’t help the occasional thought that popped into her head, especially the ones of her gripping his hair as he nibbled the sensitive skin beneath her jaw.
Her fingers twitch where they rest on the back of the chair, wanting to dive into the luscious blond locks. If only he wasn’t such a stickler for rules.
“We can’t stay here,” she said. “The Malviks knows about this place.”
His brows furrow. The grip on her thighs tightens for a second. Her mind focuses on the heaviness in her lower belly, and she almost misses his next words. “What about Ian and the sympathizers? You think they might have a safe house we could use?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
Rodrick rises from the seat. Kayla shifts over, plopping down into the chair. Her eyes dart down to stare at his butt as he strides over to the comm. It’s a nice ass, nodding her head in appreciation.
With a sigh, she looks away, biting her bottom lip. Rodrick's off limits. It does herself no good to constantly tempt herself with what she can't have.
She snorts.
“Hmm?” He turns around as he waits for Ian to pick up.
She blushes. It seems she’s been doing a lot of that around him lately. Damn, she really needs to learn to keep quiet before she says something humiliating. “Oh, it was nothing just clearing my throat.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but Ian interrupts him.
“What’s up?”
Rodrick gives her one last look before turning to the comm. He and Ian talk for a few minutes, discussing the Malviks and the two cyborgs. “We can’t stay here now that they know about what we’re planning. We were hoping you might know of a place where we could stay?”
“Sure do,” Ian said. “I’m heading out to a safe house for a while, and my cabin will be empty for some time. You two are more than welcome to stay there while I’m gone.”
He meets her eyes, raising his brows.
She gives him a small nod.
“When can we move into it?”
“Right now, if you want to.”
“We’ll be over in an hour.”
Chapter Ten
Rodrick
They are sitting at a card table outside Ian’s cabin. Kingston brought it over, borrowing it from his neighbor. He lives on Teraz part of the year, and the woman who lives next to him didn’t question when he said he needed it.
He and Kayla arrived yesterday afternoon. Ian was already gone but left a note taped to the door with the key. They were both too exhausted to talk about the implications of their new situation. It’s in their best interest if the Malviks found out months down the road instead of so soon.
It made him anxious, and he paced the one-room cabin all last night, getting no sleep. He was built to survive in extreme conditions, so the lack of rest isn’t an issue. Although, Kayla didn’t like being kept up. He tried to be quiet, but she’s a light sleeper. By the time the sun rose, she’d thrown back the covers with a groan. All through breakfast she gave him the stink eye.
“Pax messaged me. He says everything’s on schedule for The Gregory rescue. It won’t be long before they’re safe,” Ian said.
Rodrick nods. “Kayla’s going to be happy. She’s been worrying about Dawn.” He’s surprised she didn’t join the three of them for this meeting since they’re going to talk about an attack against the Malviks, but when Ian mentioned the eighth ward rebels from the prison ship were going arriving today, she left to meet her sister.
He hopes everything goes well. She was vibrating with unspent nerves when she walked out the door. From what he’s heard, her and her sister aren’t the closest. It’s clear she’s worried about their reunion and whether it will go well or not.
“The rebellion doesn’t have the numbers for a direct attack, yet,” Kingston said. “Our first move should be bringing as many cyborgs from Earth here to Teraz. They’re the main defense for the Malviks. It will be easy to take them down once they no longer have their guard dogs.”
“I have a feeling that isn’t going to be easy.”
Kingston shakes his head. “There’s a reason only a certain number works exclusively on Earth. We’ve got to go through one hell of an interview and screening before being assigned to work planet-side.”
Ian sits up, setting his hands on the tabletop. “You’re not loyal. So, why can’t the
re be others?”
“There might be, but most of the soldiers I know would die for the Malviks. There’s no chance of them betraying them, and there’s no fucking way they’ll work with the rebels.”
He can’t argue with him there. The cyborgs on Earth are the very ones who enforce the rules set by the Malviks and the rebels fight every day to get rid of them. There’s too much bad blood for them to work easily together, but it needs to happen.
“We have to fracture that bond,” Ian said.
Kingston thrums his fingers on the table as he stares at the ground with a look of concentration on his face.
Ian and Rodrick share a look. He’s their best bet at coming up with a successful idea because he knows what could weaken the cyborgs’ trust. Kingston jumps to his feet, banging his knees under the table on the way up and startling them both.
“There’s something we could do, but it’s going to be risky.” Kingston gives them a smile wide enough to show all his teeth.
“We’re desperate at the moment. There’s no possibility of moving forward with what we’ve got right now, so we have to move some of the pieces on our board around to give us an advantage,” Rodrick said, leaning back in his chair with his fist propped on the table.
He scratches his beard, listening with rapt attention to every word pouring out of the younger cyborg’s mouth. His eyes widen, lighting up as Kingston comes to the end of his speech.
“Do you think it’ll work?” Kingston bounces on the balls of his feet.
“The Malviks won’t see it coming.”
He arrives back at Ian’s cabin to find a morose Kayla lounging on the bed. She’s staring up at that ceiling with a frown, and there’s a defeated set to her shoulders.
Quietly, he takes his jacket off, setting it on the back of a kitchen chair. He doesn’t know what to say. Obviously, it’s didn’t go well with her sister and is feeling like crap right now. It won’t do her any good to have him nosing around in her business. But he really wants to check if she’s all right. Even though she expected as much, it’s still going to be hard to handle.
