Her Cyborg (12 page)

Shade nodded and prepared himself. For some reason, he expected this to hurt a lot, but he would do this, for Phoebe. She was out there somewhere and she needed him. He needed her. The hole in his chest grew with each passing minute, filling him with loneliness and despair. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what cyborgs who lost their bound ones felt, but for them, it was probably a lot worse. He could barely imagine how much more it would hurt, knowing that most died because of the loss.

He turned his gaze to Wind. That fate awaited Wind in a near future if something wasn't done, but Diane didn't seem worried.

“Are you ready?” Celise asked him.

Shade turned his focus to her. “Yes.”

“Good.” She pressed a button. “I will begin ... now.” She pressed another button.

Shade felt himself tense all over. He clenched his knuckles and waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead, he felt a harmless tingling in his head. Celise focused on her laptop, pushing buttons and spinning the holographic images that showed up. Her expression was serious and determined. She seemed to know what she was doing and that gave Shade hope. Maybe this would work.

Wind moved restlessly where he sat on the bed. “I feel a strange sensation in my head.” He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the feeling.

Celise jerked and stared at him with big eyes. “I'm not doing anything to you.”

“What exactly are you feeling?” Shade asked.

“Like thousands of ants are running around inside my head. It's not painful, but it's not comfortable either.”

“That is exactly what I am feeling.”

Both cyborgs looked at Celise and she looked back at them, her gaze going between them. Then realization flashed in her eyes.

“Damn it!” she yelled.

She returned to her program, pushing the buttons like never before. No one dared to say a single word as to not disturb her intent focus. The minute that followed felt like hours.

“I got him!”

A few more buttons were pushed before the holographic images disappeared along with the tingling sensation inside Shade's head. Celise leaned back in her chair with a big exhale after she had turned off the laptop.

“That was close,” she said.

“What just happened?” Faye looked confused.

“Remember that I said that the signal connects all cyborgs?”

“Yes. So?”

Celise pulled her hand through her hair. “Well, now all cyborgs know that something was being done to one of them. I didn't connect to Wind, and yet, he felt everything I did to Shade. Meaning, every cyborg out there felt it. I didn't expect this to happen. It crossed my mind, but I thought the chance of it happening was slim. I wouldn't be surprised if MedAct also caught that the signal was being tampered with.”

Shock crossed Diane's gaze. “That's not good.”

Celise looked down at the floor with shame written all over her face. Wind rose from where he sat and approached her. He placed his hand on her arm. He gave her a gentle smile.

“Don't worry. Most cyborgs will not know what happened. All I felt was a tingling inside my mind, and figuring out what caused it, will take time. Many will not even pay much attention to it.”

Celise looked up at him with gratitude in her eyes. “Let's hope so.”

“You said you found Nightmare.”

She kept looking at Wind. Shade recognized the look in her eyes. Phoebe used to look at him the same way. It was a gaze filled with love, desire, and happiness, but in Celise's eyes, Shade saw no happiness. He saw sadness and longing.

“Yes, I found him.”

Wind's gaze turned serious. “Where is he?”

The first thing Phoebe noticed when she opened her eyes was how heavy her body felt. It was as if she had been drinking all night, and now as she woke up, she had to face the consequences. The brain fog didn't let go of her easily and all she wanted was to go back to sleep, but when she managed to look around with her gritty eyes, she realized that she wasn't where she should be. The light inside the unknown room was dim and it took a while for her brain to register her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was a sting in her leg. After that, there was nothing, and now, she was here. Where ever here was.

She sat up on the bed she lay on and noticed that the room was in desperate need of renovation. The wallpaper were decorated with heavy patterns in a sharp yellow color. A worn out lamp hung from the ceiling and yellowish curtains covered the only window. The bars in the window made her tense.

There was a rundown, wooden wardrobe next to the door, and if she didn't see wrong, mold grew in one of the corners. Phoebe wrinkled her nose as disgust filled her. The air felt almost warm and moist. The room desperately needed a good airing, but the window looked like it was sealed tight.

At least, the linens were fresh and clean.

Phoebe jerked when the door opened. Silver walked in and he smiled at her as he approached the bed, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

“You are finally awake.” He sat down on the bed next to her. “We have been waiting for you to come around. I guess the dose was too strong for you. It was meant for a cyborg, but I managed to hit you first. Sorry about that.” He didn't look sorry one bit, though.

Phoebe glared at him. “Where am I?”

“Somewhere far away from your cyborg, but don't worry. We will stay put here until he finds you. In the meantime, make yourself at home. Do you want some coffee? I was thinking of making some for myself.”

Was he serious? Nothing about him told her that though. He was either joking or messing with her head.

“Not thirsty?” he asked.

Phoebe put some more threat into her voice. “Where ... am ... I?” She wouldn't let him intimidate her. Sure, he was a scary looking cyborg with his muscular frame and sharp gaze, but she was an angry human woman.

“My, my. And here I thought Faye was the one with an attitude. I guess you don't show yours often, do you?”

“Are you going to answer the question or not?”

He got up from the bed with a grin and approached the window. He pulled back the curtain. “Take a look yourself.”

Phoebe's tension grew, but she slowly got up from the bed and approached the window with suspicion. She had no idea what she would see once she looked outside, but something told her that she wouldn't like it.

Her heart fell when she was greeted by the sight of nothing but sand and a few dried out bushes here and there as far as the eye could see. “Are we in the middle of a desert?”

“You could say that, so there is nowhere to escape. Remember that. You can run, but you will die from starvation or thirst long before you manage to reach any civilization.”

Her heart fell even further. How was Shade going to find her out here? Tears gathered in her eyes, but she dried them away. The last thing she wanted was for the bastard to see her crying. Sure, he was huge, but he didn't scare her, well only a little. Besides, something told her he wouldn't hurt her. He needed her.

If she wasn't mistaken, this was the desert that was located about three or four hours outside of Glaswell. About a hundred years ago, the area used to be filled with trees and life. Now, this wasteland was all that remained, and the sad part was that it stretched on for miles and miles.

“Why am I here?”

“I think you already know.”

She bit her lips together. Yeah, she knew. “It's not me you want. You want Shade. What do you want him for?”

Silver grinned. “Why don't you smile a little? That serious face of yours doesn't suit you. Your friend Faye was, at least, more interesting to talk to. She had some spirit. I wouldn't mind talking to her again.”

Phoebe snorted. “I doubt Faye wants anything to do with you after the way you flirted with her the last time.”

His grin returned as he shrugged. “Well, that is the only thing I can do lately. Your friend Faye is hot enough to have a few steamy hours in the bed with, but that would trigger a bond, and that is the last thing I want.”

Phoebe winced with surprise. “You can't have sex?”

He raised an eyebrow as if he was surprised that she didn't know that. “No, I can't touch a woman. If I do, my programming will think that I want to bond with her and it will initiate the bonding process.”

Phoebe stared at him. Somehow, it hadn't hit her before that the Fighters had to give up sex to stay unbound. “Not even a kiss?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not even a kiss. No touching, but I can flirt with women all I want. It's fun.” He winked.

Phoebe's anger subsided. “You must be lonely.”

That wiped the grin off his face and his eyes darkened. He took a step closer to her. “I am not lonely.”

“Yes, you are. That is why you are flirting with women and that is why you are such an arrogant prick. I see right through you, Silver, and I believe the things Shade and Wind told you at MedAct. You wish you were bounded again because you don't want to be alone, but you are afraid to bind yourself to a woman again because you fear that you will lose her too.”

He growled. “You know nothing about me.”

“Your defensive mode tells me otherwise.”

He grabbed her, making Phoebe gasp. He looked pissed. She realized that making him angry was not the smartest thing to do, but thousands of emotions lingered inside of her. It was everything from despair to confusion. She wanted to get away from here. She wanted to get to Shade and make sure he never came this way. Whatever the Fighters wanted with him couldn't be good.

“Let her go!” a deep voice boomed from the door.

She and Silver turned around, staring right into the eyes of a furious Nightmare.

Before she got the chance to react, the huge and intimidating cyborg lunged. He grabbed Silver by the throat and threw him against the wall. The whole room shook from the impact, making it almost feel like a small earthquake. Silver grimaced and groaned with pain.

Phoebe stared at the scene taking place in front of her with huge eyes. She backed away so as not to get in between them. The crazed look in Nightmare's eyes as he pressed his fingers tighter around Silver's throat told her that he meant business. He would snap Silver's neck if he wanted to.

“I told you not to touch her,” Nightmare growled at Silver.

“I wasn't going to hurt her.” Silver struggled to get free, but Nightmare was too strong for him.

“I don't give a shit what you think you were not doing. I told you to stay away from her, but you didn't listen. She is not one of your toys to play around with. She has a bound one. You will respect that. Now, get out!”

He pushed Silver out from the room and slammed the door behind him. Phoebe pressed herself against the wall as Nightmare turned toward her with a glare that would kill if it could. He flashed his teeth and gave out an animalistic snarl. There didn't seem to be much sanity left in him. She could be bitchy with Silver, but with this cyborg, that would be an awful idea. He was fierce, deadly, and definitely dangerous like no other. He was also the first of the Fighters, meaning he had had plenty of time to lose his mind. He had been without a bound one for about forty years, and after watching his actions in the media, she knew he had little regret. He killed without remorse and robbed places without a second thought. She knew he could kill her in the blink of an eye.

Without a word, he came at her, approaching her quickly. Phoebe couldn't help the squeak that escaped her lips when he invaded her personal space and locked her in between his arms as he placed his palms against the wall on each side of her head. She barely reached to his shoulders and he seemed twice as wide as her. He could break her neck without much effort.

She expected him to threaten her with all kinds of awful things. But to her surprise, he did the last thing she expected him to do. She watched his facial expression relax as he exhaled and leaned his head against the crook of her neck. His heavy body pressed against hers as he cuddled himself against her. His body heat surrounded her and his appealing and masculine scent filled her nose. She was unable to move, but it felt like her heart would explode out of her chest. What the heck was he doing?

“Just a little while,” he mumbled against her throat. “Please ... let me stay like this for a little while.”

His words stunned her. “What?”

She felt him press his lips and nose against her neck as if he was breathing her in. He didn't kiss her but his lips brushed her skin, sending goosebumps all over her body. And when he pressed his big, muscular body even closer, Phoebe was ready to fight for her life, but she remained still. Nightmare didn't move. He just remained like that, snuggled up against her. He didn't say anything either. He was silent for several minutes. All she could hear was his silent breathing.

“Don't be afraid, Phoebe. I will not hurt you. I just need to feel ...” His words were a whisper, but he didn't finish his sentence.

“Nearness to someone?” she suggested with a gulp.

He nodded against her neck. “Yes. I need it so much. You have no idea what it's like to be alone for so long. My programming tells me to find a woman to bind myself to. It screams inside of me like crazy every single day, driving me mad.”

“Silver said you can't touch a woman without binding yourself to her.” Fear gripped her. The last thing she wanted was this dark and intimidating cyborg bound to her.

“That is true. Intimacy will tell my programming that I want a bond with her, but I can't bind myself to a woman who already belongs to another cyborg. My programming recognizes that you are not available and will not initiate the bonding process. You are safe ... and so am I.”

Confusion struck her. “You are safe?”

“Yes. You can give me this moment of intimacy without me risking binding myself to you. Don't worry. I will not touch you in an inappropriate way. I just ... want to stay like this for a little while.”

He went silent again, and Phoebe had no other choice but to let him lean against her. She heard his steady breathing and felt the heat from his skin against hers as the minutes passed by. He seemed to be relaxing, but she remained tense. She worried that he would suddenly switch back to the dangerous cyborg she had seen when he had entered the room.

“You told Silver not to touch me, to respect that I have a bound one, and yet, you are touching me yourself.”

“I'm respecting you,” he answered. “Silver would have toyed with you. That is what he does to get his fill of nearness.”

“And you turn to women with bound ones.”

“No, I rarely get the chance because most of them live in Glaswell. They are out of my reach. The women I encounter don't belong to a cyborg. They belong to a human male and human males don't count. My programming approves those women as potential bound ones. It tells me they are accessible.”

Phoebe couldn't help but feel pity for the cyborg. He wasn't crazy. He was lonely. Desperately.

“Why do you fight a bond so much?” she asked.

“Because it's not real.”

Phoebe swallowed. “What Shade and I have is real.”

“Yes, for you it's real. I don't doubt that, but Shade never had any say in it. From the moment he woke up, his programming told him he was bound to you, that he loved you and why would he question it? You make him happy, and that is all that matters. But once you lose your bound one, you realize how fake your life has been. MedAct makes you believe they bound you for your own survival's sake and that cyborgs can't exist without the bond.” He raised his head and looked her deep in the eyes. “I say they plant it inside us to control us. We will function just fine without it from the moment we wake up.”

Phoebe's chin trembled. His shining eyes with the black pupils were mesmerizing and frightening at the same time. “But most of you die when the bond is broken.”

“Yes, MedAct made sure of that too.”

Maybe she had been wrong about him. Maybe he was crazy after all.

“Do you have any proof of what you are saying?”

“Just my own past and every cyborg that stands with me. They experience the same.”

“That is not enough. No one will listen to you.”

“Not yet, but we will get there one day.”

Confusion struck her once again. “So what do you need Shade for?”

“He is a newborn cyborg. We hope he will be able to help us solve the biggest riddle of them all.”

“And that is?”

Nightmare remained silent for a while, just looking at her, never moving away from her. His need for nearness was great.

“How to free a cyborg from his bound one without killing him.”