His female was determined to trade her lifespan for his freedom, believing that would help him.
A shift later, some of Malice’s anger over her plans remained. Her death, the grand sacrifice she proposed to make, wouldn’t benefit him. At all.
It would destroy him completely.
He would watch over her, would keep her safe—from herself and from their enemies. That required leaving the chamber and the lab, relocating her to somewhere the Humanoid Alliance couldn’t touch her.
Malice cradled his little medic in his arms as he surveyed the arsenal Valor had sourced for them. She slept. Her breathing was deep and level. Her eyes were closed.
His human’s systems were suboptimal. His lips twisted. She needed his protection.
And she needed his care. She was clad in her white jacket, a replacement flight suit, and her boots. He’d polished her footwear and cleaned the jacket. They had been a mess.
Valor had retrieved the flight suit, along with containers of beverage and a handful of nourishment bars from her chamber. The warrior had forgotten her hair fasteners.
Malice had to send him back to the chamber to retrieve those.
His female’s visual system was limited. He couldn’t allow it to be further impeded by her long locks of black hair. And his medic preferred to be tidy.
He perused the array of guns and blades. We arm ourselves with the best weapons. He held his tiny female with one arm, grabbed a dagger with his other hand, slipped it into a sheath built into his body armor.
Valor had located those protective garments also. They had been stuffed into a container in a storage chamber.
The E Model didn’t choose a weapon. He had a dazed expression on his face.
Valor. Malice barked at him through the transmission lines.
Oh. The male jerked. There are so many transmissions. He’d destroyed the blocker. And we’ve heard silence for solar cycles. The constant streaming of communications is…distracting.
It was blasted irritating. Malice grunted.
Most of our brethren have been free for solar cycles. Valor grasped a dagger similar to his. And they are…whole. He gazed down at his purely mechanical hands. The good roles have been filled. They might not have a need for us.
Malice didn’t give a fraggin’ hole if their brethren had a need for them.
But his friend cared about that. Very much.
They have a high-ranking Captain with mechanical feet. He had sent Valor the specs about Vector, the permanently damaged and very much esteemed C Model. That Captain has a female.
His friend was concerned about that also. He worried he wasn’t worthy of a female.
The male was malfunctioning. Malice shook his head. Having mechanical arms and legs hadn’t hampered Valor’s fighting skills. He had downed the beings in the lab like a C Model.
He achieved Captain status before his damage was revealed. Valor sheathed the dagger.
That revelation didn’t cost him his role or his female. Malice scowled at his friend. The E Model was emotionally damaging himself for nothing. The Humanoid Alliance has sent a ship to annihilate us. That information had been conveyed over the enemy’s systems. Focus on remaining alive now. We’ll chatter about roles later.
He preferred to never chatter about it. Knowing his talkative friend, that wasn’t an option.
Malice selected a gun, looked along its barrel, tested the feel of it in his hand. It was adequate. He holstered the weapon.
The Humanoid Alliance’s monitoring equipment is deactivated. Valor choose a gun also, spun it on his palm, slid it into a holster. They could sweep the structure first, try to retrieve their test subjects. We could pick them off one by one as they move through the lab.
We’re replaceable machines to them. Malice chose his next weapon, a small gun for his female.
Because of her fabrication of her nanocybotics-booster formula, she was much more valuable than they were. But the enemy didn’t process that, viewing her as a disposable female.
He slid the lever to the stun setting because he didn’t wish a projectile in the groin. And he slipped the gun into one of her pockets. The Humanoid Alliance will use missiles.
I was referring to the rotting beings. Valor’s tone was dry. He selected a blade. They were savage and challenging to kill.
The Resurrected, as Illona called them, were the reason his female wanted the lab destroyed. She was convinced the beings were the Humanoid Alliance’s next great weapon.
Malice couldn’t project how reanimated humans could kill anything. Humans were easy to defeat even when they were fully functional.
He chose another blade. We’ve already set up trip lines in the lab. Valor had attached those wires to explosives. If they enter it, they’ll die. We’ll wait outside the structure and commandeer their ship if they land.
Vengeance was good. Vengeance and a means of transport was better.
Valor chattered about the path they had to take out of the lab, the placement of the trip lines, the thin air on the planet, other things. The E Model was hopeful their brethren would arrive before the Humanoid Alliance did.
Malice had no such optimism. They hadn’t heard from Cadet. The transmission line previously utilized no longer existed. They couldn’t determine the order of the approaching ships, and he wouldn’t base his female’s safety on luck.
A gun in his hand was more reliable.
He rested his chin on top of his female’s head, breathed in her succulent fragrance, as he listened to Valor’s flow of words. They filled all the sheaths and holsters on their body armor. The weight of the weapons was familiar, comforting. He was a warrior again—not a captive, not a test subject.
Illona stirred in his arms, pressing her slight curves against body armor-clad muscle.
The movement excited his body. He had to force himself to concentrate on their escape, to not become distracted.
“Malice.” His female gazed up at him. Her gaze was soft, unfocused. “Is it time for you to leave?”
“It’s time for us to leave.” He hefted her high against his chest and stalked toward the chamber door. “Valor, you cover the rear.”
“I usually do.” The E Model’s tone was edged with excitement. “This is just like old times.”
Malice huffed his disagreement. He didn’t have to worry about protecting a fragile human female during those old times.
“I can walk.” That human female wiggled in his grip.
“You will remain still and silent.” He slung his little medic over his right shoulder and smacked her ass, seeking to end her protests. “We’re moving at cyborg speed.”
The structure should be devoid of living beings, but he wouldn’t take any risks with her. She was delicate and his and no one would damage her.
He raced along the hallways with her, passing dead bodies, severed limbs, destruction. Valor followed him closely. The aroma of gunfire and death mixed with Illona’s enticing fragrance, the combination exciting Malice’s primitive soul.
An explosion rocked the structure. His female gasped but didn’t say anything, obeying his command to stay silent.
That pleased him.
As he entered a stretch of space, he slowed his pace.
Someone is here. Malice warned Valor. He detected three lifespans in front of them.
His nose twitched. He smelled them also. They stunk.
Three forms shuffled around at the end of the hallway. A naked rotting male bumped repetitively against a wall. Another male fed on the third form, chewing on the armless female’s shoulder.
The first male turned toward them. He snarled, baring yellowed teeth, and he ran at a surprisingly fast pace toward them.
“It’s the Resurrected.” Illona drew her gun.
Before she could find the trigger, Malice shot their attacker. Multiple times.
That slowed but didn’t stop him. The other two beings joined the lead male.
“Frag. There’s more of them.” Valor drew both his guns. “Shoot them multiple times in the head.”
Malice blasted the male’s skull with four projectiles, blowing what was left of his brains out. The male fell. Malice took aim at the armless female to the right, downed her.
Valor shot the other male, leaving his brains plastered against the wall. “No lifeforms appear on my scans. They should be dead.” He peered at their motionless forms. “But they didn’t appear on my scans the last time I downed them either, so I could be wrong.”
“They were dead when you scanned them last time. And they’re dead now. But they’ll resurrect if they have sufficient brain cells to heal.” Illona shuddered in Malice’s arms. “We should go.” She waved her gun at him.
Malice snatched the weapon from her fingers before she accidentally stunned him. “You don’t need this.”
His clever little medic clearly hadn’t stored any information about guns in that big brain of hers.
“I’m your warrior. I’ll protect you.” He returned the weapon to her jacket pocket.
She frowned at him. Her lips parted.
“Because you’re right.” He tightened his grip on her. “It’s time to go.” He ran with her, leaping over the bodies, propelling them at cyborg speed toward the exit.
Valor trailed them, chattering about the Resurrected he’d previously downed.
Another explosion shook the structure. Two more followed in rapid succession. Debris fell from the ceilings. Walls crumbled around them.
“The Resurrected must be triggering the explosions.” Valor said what Malice was projecting. “They’ll destroy the entire structure.”
“I hope they destroy themselves also.” Illona’s voice was soft. “That would be a kindness. They’re in continuous excruciating pain.”
She had asked him to level the lab, to ensure nothing was left of it, had told him that would honor her deceased friend, the being who had sacrificed herself to free them.
He carried his medic through the hallways. Valor moved behind them.
Malice accessed the Humanoid Alliance systems and activated the cleaning bots. “Run.” He opened the exterior doors, rushed through it with his female in his arms.
His systems adjusted instantly to the lower light and the thinner air.
His little human had more difficulties. She panted, her chest heaving against him.
Malice continued running. The booms behind them grew louder and louder until they merged into one auditory-system-stressing roar.
A force hit his back, the heat of it felt through his body armor. He fell forward, covering Illona’s form with his. Shrapnel shredded the back of his skull. The agony took his breath away.
Then there was silence.
“Are you damaged, female?” He braced himself over her. Concern twisted his stomach.
“Other than a bit of trouble breathing and blurry vision from the thin air, I’m fine.” She wiggled onto her back, squinted up at him. “Fuck. You’re a mess.”
She gently smoothed a flap of skin back over his right cheek. The caring in her eyes warmed him all over. She wasn’t looking at him like he was her patient, her test subject. There was no coolness in her expression. She was gazing at him like a female might gaze at her male.
He pushed his face into her palms. “I’ll repair.” His tone was brusque with emotion. “Valor?”
“I’ll repair also.” The E Model jumped to his booted feet, looked behind them at where the lab was once situated. “There’s no putting us back in those fraggin’ chambers now.”
Malice stood and looked in that direction also.
The site was a giant hole carved into the rock. Smoke billowed above it.
“We’ve left nothing for the Humanoid Alliance to retrieve, to use.” He modified words his female previously shared with him. “That won’t fully repay Medic Febris for her sacrifice.” He scooped Illona in his arms. “But it honors her bravery.”
“Thank you.” His little medic’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Malice grunted, pressed her to his chest.
They relocated next to a giant boulder. It wasn’t ideal, but there was no better place to hide. The lab had been situated on a large rock spire in the middle of a massive acidic sea. The top of the spire had been sliced off to create a flat landing pad and the site of the lab.
Their exposure made Malice uneasy. He hunched over his female, seeking to protect her with his form, to conceal her from view.
And he waited.
Several moments later, Malice heard a ship’s engine in the distance. He drew his guns.
Valor stopped chattering to Illona, did the same.
Malice’s female extracted her gun also. Judging by how gingerly she was holding it, she wouldn’t hit a fraggin’ thing with it.
Malice huffed, said nothing.
Her gun was pointed away from them. The probability of being stunned by his little medic was 3.2359 percent. And she wouldn’t be battling any enemies. He would safeguard her, would do most of the fighting…if fighting was necessary.
The ship broke through the cloud cover. He perused it, looking for markings, for any indication of its owners. The vessel bore no symbols, no letters. It had originally been a freighter. But it had been heavily modified. Guns and other weapons had been added to its frame.
“That’s not a Humanoid Alliance ship.” Valor frowned up at it. “But that isn’t the type of ship a cyborg would fly either.”
Malice agreed with his friend. Cyborgs preferred their weapons, ships, other tools, to be fully functional. The panels on the modified freighter were dull and dented.
“If they were cyborgs, they’d send you a transmission.” His female glanced at his hands, readjusted her hold on her gun. Her grip on it remained too loose, but she was less likely to stun herself. “Have they done that?”
“No.” Both Malice and Valor answered at the same time.
“We assume they’re hostiles.” Malice positioned himself in front of his fragile human. “Stay where you are, female.”
She was wedged between his big form and the boulder, should be protected from any projectiles.
“Move out of the way.” His female pushed on his back. “There could be numerous beings on the ship. If there’s a battle, you’ll need my help.”
Who is she helping—the other beings? Valor laughed through the transmission line.
Malice grunted and stayed where he was.
The pebbles around his booted feet gyrated as the ship landed. The doors opened.
He ran a lifeform scan and relaxed. “They’re cyborgs.”
He didn’t lower his guns, wouldn’t completely let down his guard until he confirmed they weren’t a threat. The Humanoid Alliance had used him and his brethren to kill in the past.
A D Model rushed down the ramp. He shot the guns out of Malice’s hands while moving at cyborg speed toward them.
A C Model with one organic and one purely mechanical arm followed the male. He shot the guns out of Valor’s hands.
A B Model, a model type Malice believed was extinct, exited the ship at a slower pace. His mechanics creaked.
Fraggin’ hole. Malice’s lips flattened. The three cyborgs sped toward him, toward Valor, toward his delicate female, and they all held weapons.
But they had disarmed him, not killed him. And they had stopped shooting.
He reached for two more guns.
“Don’t draw them.” The C Model aimed at his hands. “Step to the right and we won’t damage you.”
They wanted his female.
“No.” Malice widened his stance. “She’s mine.” He would die before giving her up.
“What’s happening?” Illona whispered that question. “I can’t see anything.” The blasted female ducked under his arm. “I—”
“Human.” The D Model leaped at her.
“Mine.” Malice grabbed him by the neck, snatching the big male out of the air.
The D Model punched and kicked. Malice absorbed that pain and, with a roar, threw the male. His muscles strained with the effort.
His opponent went flying, bellowing with outrage and surprise. He slammed against the side of the freighter, leaving a large dent in the panel, and slid to the ground.
“Fraggin’ hole, he’s strong.” The C Model lowered his body and jumped.
Malice widened his stance, bracing for impact. Their big forms collided, the force of it shaking both of them. Malice ignored the hurt, clasped the male’s shoulders and threw him also.
The C Model was heavier than his brethren. He landed a stride short of the ship, smacking hard against the rock.
“It’s my turn, little C Model.” The B Model cracked his oversized knuckles.
“Stop.” A female voice rang out.
The enemy cyborgs froze in place.
“We prefer not to fight our own kind.” A female C Model with no model number inked on her cheek exited the ship. She was trailed by another D Model male.
Malice had never seen a female cyborg, but he would fight her too…if he had to do that.
“Step aside.” She repeated that ridiculous order. “And allow us to liberate you from the human’s control.”
“You won’t touch her.” Malice had folded his fingers into tight fists. “She’s mine.”
The female tilted her head upward and sniffed the air. “Ours.” She nodded, acting as though that one word was relevant to their confrontation.
Her reply didn’t relay any usable insights to Malice. It was nonsensical.
“She is yours.” The cyborg female acknowledged his claim on Illona. “We’ll merely subdue her, won’t damage her…much.”
“Human.” The D Model growled.
“Strain.” The female’s voice snapped over them. “Enter the ship. That’s an order.”
The D Model bared his teeth at Malice and then obeyed, stomping up the ramp.
“B, accompany him.” The female shook her head. “Ensure he doesn’t leave the ship.”
The B Model snapped to attention and complied with her command.
The female was their leader, had earned their loyalty. Malice narrowed his eyes at her. That wouldn’t stop him from killing her if that was necessary.
“You won’t damage the human.” He wouldn’t allow that. “She’s my captive.”
The female cyborg lifted her eyebrows. “Your captive has a gun pointed at your back.”
Fraggin’ hole. “Illona.” Malice rumbled at his female.
“I was trying to point it at them.” His little medic sounded as exasperated as he felt. “But you insisted on standing in the way.”
She must have lowered the weapon. The cyborgs around them visibly relaxed.
“You must be Malice.” The female cyborg studied him. “I’m Cadet.” She verified her identity. “This is Rancor.” She indicated the remaining D Model. “And Grudge.”
The C Model with the mismatched arms nodded at him.
“My human is Medic Illona.” Malice continued the introductions. “The E Model is Valor, my friend.”
“You mentioned the E Model.” The female cyborg wrinkled her nose at Valor. “And yourself.” Her gaze returned to him. “But you didn’t request a transport for a human.”
Many of their kind didn’t like humans. He had been in that group mere planet rotations ago.
“She’s coming with us.” That was non-negotiable for him.
“I make the decisions.” The female cyborg frowned at him. “Not you.”
“If she isn’t coming with us, I’m staying here.” He wasn’t leaving her. Ever.
“I’m staying also.” Valor wrongly projected Malice would allow that to happen.
He would toss the E Model into the ship himself if the male insisted on staying with them. One of them should be free, and his friend deserved some happiness.
“A Humanoid Alliance ship is en route to this planet.” The female cyborg ignored Valor. Her focus remained on Malice. “You’d allow yourself to be recaptured, give up your freedom for a human female?”
“I would give up my lifespan for my human female.” Malice scowled at Cadet. “She—”
“No.” His little medic pushed her fragile form forward yet again. “Go with them, Malice. Leave me here.”
“I am not leaving you.” He glared at her. “You’re mine.”
“That must be a C Model phrase.” The female cyborg muttered that bizarre comment, her tone bemused.
“Take him with you.” Illona shifted her attention to Cadet, appealing to her instead of to him. “Malice is too honorable to leave me here, but he has to do that. The Humanoid Alliance will decommission him if he’s recaptured.”
“Honor isn’t why I won’t leave you.” He yelled that truth at his infuriating human. “You’re mine.”
“I won’t ever use that phrase with a certain E Model.” Cadet continued her irrational side conversation with herself. “That tradition stops with me.”
“You will leave me.” Malice’s female raised her voice also. “Or-or-or…”
“Or what?” He stepped closer to her.
His little medic got that look in her eyes that she always did before she did something suicidal.
“No.” He bellowed at her.
“Yes.” She lifted her gun, pointed it under her chin. “If you don’t go with them, I’ll shoot myself. Then I’ll be dead, and you’ll have done the honorable thing for no reason.”
“I’m not doing the honorable thing.” His frustration meshed with his anger and his fear. She was intent on killing herself and that would kill him. “You’re mine. I don’t give a frag about honor.”
“But I do miss Dad.” The female cyborg sighed. “I look forward to returning home, seeing him and Mom.”
Should I tell the medic her gun’s setting is on stun? Valor’s transmission lilted with amusement.
If you tell her that, I’ll pound you into the ground. Malice watched his tiny human. Being stunned wouldn’t end her lifespan but it would hurt her.
“Give me the gun, female.” He raised his hands slowly, careful not to spook her, seeking to be within easy reach of her, of her blasted weapon. “You made a vow. The only being who will kill you is me.”
And he would never do that.
She belonged to him.
He would damage her. Temporarily. Their next breeding would be extremely rough. But he would die before he allowed anyone, including himself, to permanently damage one hair on her head.
She was his and he would safeguard her. Closely.