Her Cyborg (14 page)

The house was bigger than Shade had expected as they drove closer to it. It wasn't really a house either, not anymore at least. There was only one floor, but a part of the roof had collapsed and it had brought down the walls in the process. Most of the windows had bars and a terrace of old and worn-out wooden panels was in front of the front door. The house had probably been beautifully painted in yellow once. Now, only paint flakes decorated the walls.

Shade looked around and saw that this house was the only one standing, but here and there, there were ruins of other houses. Everything was surrounded by a dull and lifeless wasteland. In the far distance, he saw majestic mountains with the sun slowly disappearing behind them.

“I don't like this,” Faye said from where she sat on the backseat.

“Me neither,” Wind said.

Shade kept looking at the surroundings. “What is this place?”

“This used to be a flourishing town about a hundred years ago, long before there were any cyborgs in the world,” Wind answered. “The ground started dying and people moved away, leaving the town to its fate. This is what remains of it.”

“A perfect hideout for the Fighters,” Shade said.

“I doubt this is their main hideout. This place is too easy to find.”

“We shouldn't be doing this,” Faye said.

Wind stopped the car a short distance away from the house and irritation crossed his features as he turned to Faye. “You shouldn't be here in the first place, so you will stay in the car.”

Faye's chin dropped. “No way!”

“Don't argue with me, Faye. You have already done enough. You should be glad we had come this far before we discovered you. Otherwise, I would have turned back to make sure you stayed with Diane and Celise where you would have been safe.” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “The Fighters are dangerous. I have no idea what they are planning, but I will do my best to protect you. And if protecting you means you will stay in the car, then that is what you are going to do. Do you understand?”

Faye glared at him but didn't say anything.

Shade had no interest in joining Wind and Faye's conversation. They hadn't been talking about anything else since they had discovered Faye in the trunk. The irritation in the car felt like a thick wall, and Wind, who was usually calm, looked like he would snap any second if Faye kept arguing with him.

Shade liked Faye less and less. She was constantly all over the place, couldn't shut up, and never listened. She believed she could reach Silver, make him think things through, and change his mind. Not only was she loud, but she was naive too if she believed that. Nightmare was the Fighter's leader, not Silver. Shade had no idea what kind of position the cyborg had among the Fighters, but in the end, it was Nightmare's words that counted. That much he understood about the Fighters after reading up on them on the Internet during his time at MedAct. They followed their leader. Overall, there wasn't much inside information, but the Fighters had been caught on camera plenty of times revealing a pattern. They robbed places for provisions and they killed anyone who stood in their way. Thankfully, they had never hurt innocent people, but police officers or MedAct's soldier cyborgs got killed without a second thought. Luckily for MedAct, they could repair most of their cyborgs, but the police officers were human and they didn't stand a chance against the Fighters. Why a human would stand in a Fighter's way in the first place was beyond him. They should know their efforts were pointless, and yet, they tried to take the Fighter's down over and over again. Why the police stations sent out human officers to places the Fighters were robbing was another mystery. Sometimes, Shade just couldn't understand how the humans thought. After watching plenty of videos from the surveillance cameras, he got the feeling that some humans thought they were invincible.

Despite the Fighters, the humans didn't seem to mind having cyborgs around them according to what he had found out, and that pleased him. MedAct had proven a long time ago that they knew what they were doing and people decided to trust that, and over the years, people had gotten used to the cyborgs. The cyborgs were now a part of the society.

But there were some who despised the cyborgs. He had read articles on the Internet of people trying to attack the cyborgs or trying to take down MedAct. Of course, those missions had failed, and such situations were also rare. Those humans must have had something wrong with their heads, he had decided. He knew humans didn't have any programming or cybernetics as he and the other cyborgs had, but some of them seemed to need an update. Their irrational actions were difficult to understand. He knew he still had a lot to learn as a newborn cyborg, but even he understood the consequences of what would happen if he attacked someone who was a lot stronger than him. Some humans seemed to lack that logic, though.

A sound from the house brought his attention back to the present. Faye and Wind looked up too. It had been the door. The old wood and the rusty hinges squeaked as the door opened.

Shade tensed and his mood darkened as he watched four cyborgs leave the house. Nightmare was in the lead and Silver was right behind him. The other two were in the back. He saw a dark grin of excitement on Silver's face, but Nightmare remained emotionless. His eyes were as cold as ice. His determined expression revealed a hint of danger if any of them dared to confront him the wrong way. Shade knew, by what he had read about Nightmare, that he was the most ruthless and the most dangerous cyborg of all the Fighters. He never doubted, he never thought twice, and he would do anything in his power to survive. MedAct, and the people there, had once been his home. Now, they were his enemy.

Without taking his eyes off of Nightmare, Shade opened the car door and got out. Wind got out too. Faye, to his surprise, remained seated, but she held the car door slightly open. Shade and Wind walked a few steps forward, putting themselves in front of the car.

Shade scanned the situation. The three cyborgs behind Nightmare looked dangerous and unpredictable. He had no idea what they would do or what they were capable of, but he suspected they would do anything Nightmare told them to do.

The two in the back looked intimidating with their stern looks. The one to the right was tall and muscular with androgynous facial features. Long, blond hair fell down upon his broad shoulders. Something told Shade that he should not take that one lightly. He had never seen such emotionless eyes before. Nightmare's eyes were cold, but this cyborg showed nothing. Nothing at all.

The other one was shorter, more slim, but with masculine facial features and with light brown hair hanging down his back. He didn't look as strong as the other cyborgs, but Shade suspected he was fast and could pull off a deadly attack with the dagger that hung by his hip.

“I must say I didn't expect you to show up so fast, and you brought your friends,” Nightmare said. “I thought it would take you longer to find us, but I guess that buzzing in our heads told you where we were.”

Shade's gaze narrowed. They knew about the signal. Somehow, they had figured it out faster than he had expected. But at the same time, it didn't surprise him. They were cyborgs after all, and figuring it out couldn't have been too difficult. They had all felt it at the same time as he and Wind had.

“At first, we thought MedAct was up to something, but once Heaven,” he nodded toward the white, blond cyborg, making Shade assume that Heaven was the cyborgs name, “confirmed it wasn't them, I realize it had to be you, or someone from your surroundings.” Nightmare took a step closer. “Tell me, how did you do it?”

Shade ignored his question. “Where is Phoebe?”

Nightmare's gaze darkened and a tiny grin appeared on his lips, but it disappeared as fast as it had shown up. “She is safe. We don't hurt humans unless we have to.”

That much Shade had figured out. “Let her go.”

Nightmare snorted. “Do you really think we went through all of that trouble just to let her go?”

No, of course they hadn't, but Shade didn't care. “I want to see her.”

“Sure. All you have to do is follow me inside the house.”

Warning bells rang inside Shade's head. Entering the house was the last thing he should do. Phoebe was in there. He was sure of it. He could feel that she was near. He gazed at Wind. The cyborg's gaze told him he would help, and it didn't matter what Shade chose to do.

Shade turned to Nightmare. “I'll go with you.”

“Not enough,” Nightmare growled. “All of you are coming with us, even the woman in the car.”

Shade winced, but he calmed down fast. “It's me you want, isn't it?

“Yes.”

“Then I am the only one going.”

Shade watched Nightmare clench his fists and jaw as his eyes flashed with anger. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door to the car flung open, interrupting him. Fade got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She approached Wind and Shade. Shade heard Wind sigh and he didn't miss the wide grin on Silver's face.

“I told you to stay in the car,” Wind said.

“And he said,” she pointed at Nightmare, “that we all must go inside the house if we want Phoebe back.”

Shade didn't see any fear in her expression, but there was an underlying insecurity in her self-assured posture. She looked the cyborgs right in the eyes. For that, Shade admired her. She was a small human female, weaker than most human males, and here she was, standing up against the unreliable cyborgs.

“Are we going, or not?” Faye asked Shade and Wind before she approached the other cyborgs.

Shade and Wind had no other choice but to follow her. Any unexpected move and the cyborgs might attack, so grabbing Faye to push her back was out of the question. She wouldn't agree with it and would make a scene that they didn't need right now. She stopped in front of Nightmare and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him an angry glare.

“I assume you are Nightmare,” she said. “You look like him from all the images I've seen.”

Nightmare tilted his head slightly, taking in Faye slowly with a gaze that didn't show much interest. “And you are?”

“Faye Summers. I'm a friend of Phoebe's and if you have so much as pulled out a hair from her head, you will have to deal with me.”

Nightmare raised an eyebrow before his gaze darted to Shade and Wind. “A brave one.” He looked down at Faye again. He towered over her with his tall frame and his broad shoulders. He was at least twice the size of her. “Tell me, little one.” He leaned forward, maybe expecting Faye to flinch away, but she didn't move an inch. “What exactly can a little female like you do to hurt me?”

“More than you can image,” she hissed through her teeth.

Nightmare's lips twitched and amusement sparked in his eyes. “I'm all ears.”

Faye snorted. “Do you really think I will give away my secrets? Please, don't take me for a fool, but I can assure you that you are making a mistake if you judge me by my size.”

Nightmare's amusement died and Shade had no other option but to silence Faye. He grabbed her arm and pushed her against him. “Shut up, Faye. You are making things worse.”

Faye tore herself free from Shade's grip.

Silver laughed and took a step closer to her. “Feisty, little female, isn't she?” He reached up his hand toward her face, but he didn't touch her. Faye didn't move. “How about you and I find that room we never got the chance to visit?”

Faye eyed Silver from the bottom up and Shade noticed a blush on her cheeks. She had no issues playing strong and fearless in front of Nightmare, but when Silver came closer, she started behaving like a shy school girl who was talking to her crush for the very first time. Shade cringed on the inside. The last thing they needed was Faye becoming interested in one of the Fighters. It would only end badly.

“Dream on, big boy. You are not getting anything from me.”

Silver's grin widened. “We will see about that.” He turned his head to Nightmare. “She is mine.” He looked at Faye again, licking his lips with desire radiating from his gaze. “All mine.”

Phoebe walked around in the metal cage Nightmare had put her in several hours ago. A chair stood inside the cage and a small table stood next to it. On it stood a plate with the remains of her dinner along with a glass of water. At least, they fed her and took care of her. No one had hurt her and any Fighter who tried to get closer to her would have to deal with Nightmare. He had stated that clearly to all the Fighters. She had no idea why he defended her from the others, but she was grateful, even if she didn't say it.

The living room and the kitchen were one big room connected with the hallway that led to bedrooms and the entrance door. The cage stood in the middle of it all. There were plenty of windows in the living room and all were protected by bars, making her wonder what this house had once been. There were no curtains stopping the strong sunlight from entering, but at least, it didn't give her a headache. Sand was spread out on the floor and the walls had a dull yellowish color. Everything looked old. Even the air smelled old, but something told her that this wasn't the place the Fighters usually resided at.

For one, there were too few cyborgs here. She had seen eight in total and she knew there were a lot more Fighters out there. And for two, this place was a mess. Whoever wanted to live like this?

Phoebe looked around. A cyborg leaned against the wall. His shining eyes were set on her, but he didn't say anything. His gaze was intent, but his body looked tired, marked by a hard life. His black hair hung down his shoulders in tangles and he needed new clothes. The black t-shirt and blue jeans he wore had seen better days. He had never said a single word to her, but she had heard Nightmare and Silver address him. His name was Hunter and he looked just as dangerous as the others. Fortunately, he lacked that mad look in his eyes that some of them had.

Fear had lingered in her mind ever since her conversation with Nightmare a few hours ago. She hadn't liked him touching her, but he hadn't done anything to her, just leaning against her, searching for nearness to another being. It had made her wonder if all the Fighters felt the same. His actions had not been the reason for her fear, though. His words had been.

Nightmare believed he could remove Shade's bond to her without killing Shade. Nightmare hadn't told her more, but it had broken her heart in two. She had cried her eyes out, begging him not do it, but he hadn't moved a muscle. Instead, he told her someone had to be the first. After that, he left and didn't come back until he came to bring her to the cage. Phoebe had no idea what awaited now, but the stress she felt made her stomach turn. The pain in her chest refused to go away. All she could think about was Shade, hoping he would stay away. She didn't want to lose him.

In the living room stood a gurney. It was wide and big enough for a cyborg. Next to it stood some kind of machine that reached to her hips. It was slim and had a metallic color. On the top was a black screen and there were no buttons. Cords were attached to the machine as well. They hung onto the side of it. It all sent a cold chill through her, and she knew that this was where Nightmare planned to remove Shade's bond to her. It didn't look painless. Instead, it reminded her more and more of a horror movie. At least, there was no blood ... yet.

She closed her eyes when the thought of Shade on that gurney hit her. She could almost hear him scream and see him wriggle desperately to get free. It made her cringe and hope that it would never happen.

There was a sound from outside. Phoebe recognized it as the sound of an approaching car. Her fear magnified. It could only mean one thing ...

“No,” she gasped.

Hunter turned around and looked outside. Nightmare, Silver, and two other cyborgs turned up and looked through the window.

Silver grinned. “It's time.”

Nightmare opened the front door and left the house together with Silver and the other two cyborgs. One of them was a handsome cyborg with white blond hair and emotionless eyes. She had heard the other cyborgs call him Heaven, but judging by his dead expression, he had little to do with anything that came close to heaven.

Silence filled the house. She had no idea what went on outside, but all cyborgs who remained inside gathered in the living room. They were all tall, muscular, and dangerous. No one smiled, no one said a word, no one looked at her. They seemed to prepare themselves.

The restlessness she felt made her want to crawl out of her own skin. She couldn't stand still and frantically biting her nails didn't ease her pain. Even if she had no idea what went on outside, she knew Shade had arrived. Every minute Nightmare and the other cyborgs were gone felt like an eternity.

“Run,” she whispered, well aware that Shade couldn't hear her. “Please, please ...”

She grabbed the cage bars, her gaze fixed on the front door. After a while, she heard footsteps approach the house. The tension inside of her grew as she watched Nightmare enter the house, followed by his cyborgs and ... Shade.

“Shade!” she yelled out.

His gaze instantly looked onto her. He pushed himself through the cyborgs in front of him and ran up to her. The metal bars were between them, but he didn't seem to care, and neither did she. She wrapped her arms around him the best she could and pressed her lips against his. Shade answered to her plea, kissing her back frantically.

“You shouldn't have come here,” she said with mixed feelings of pure happiness and despair. She was glad to see him again, to see that he was all right, that nothing had happened to him. The last time she had seen him had been at the reception at MedAct. They had been about to start a new life together. Things were so different now.

She noticed movement in front of her and looked up. She looked right into the eyes of two familiar faces.

“Wind? Faye?”

She didn't get the chance to say anything else when Nightmare, without a warning, pulled out a gun and pointed it at Wind. Wind tensed but didn't move. Faye's jaw dropped and her eyes went big, but she didn't say anything.

“We don't have much time, so let's get started, shall we?” Nightmare said. “Hunter, open the cage.”

Hunter approached the cage, pulled out a key from his pocket, and opened the door.

“Get inside, all of you,” Nightmare said.

“You are going to regret this,” Shade said with a cold voice, but he didn't disobey. Nightmare was probably not the only one with a gun, and even if the others didn't have guns, Nightmare still had seven other cyborgs on his side. Shade and Wind were strong, but they stood no chance against so many cyborgs who didn't care if they lived or died.

“You think I'm the dangerous one?” Nightmare snorted and shrugged. “Well, I guess I am most of the time, but you don't want to mess with Heaven.” He nodded toward the white, blond cyborg. His face was emotionless, his gaze set upon them. “He's the one without emotions. It's all logic with him. When his bound one died a few years ago, he almost died with her, making him turn off his emotions in the process, so if there is anyone you don't want to mess with, it's him.” Nightmare's gaze darkened as he grinned and handed over the gun to Heaven.

Heaven's expressionless face didn't change as he pointed the gun at Wind. His eyes were cold, dead, almost as if he lacked a soul. An unpleasant atmosphere surrounded him, an atmosphere of emptiness.

“Move,” Heaven said with an almost robotic voice.

Phoebe saw that Wind was tense, but he did as Heaven said. He walked toward the cage with Faye by his side. Phoebe was glad to see them, but she couldn't help but wonder if they had thought things through. They had walked straight into the Fighter's trap and why did they bring Faye?

Phoebe hugged them all as they entered the cage and Hunter locked the door behind them. Thankfully, there was enough room for them all to stand, but barely enough space to move around. Wind gave her a gentle smile as he hugged her and Faye's hug was, as always, intense and strong.

“I'm so glad to see you,” she said with a smile and gave them a thankful gaze. “But you shouldn't have come.” She looked at Shade. “They are after you.” She put her arms around him with tears stuck in her throat. “I know what they want to do.”

Shade gently caressed her head. “What?”

“Nightmare believes he can remove the bond without killing you.”