Chapter Nine

Wrath sat back down and considered the idea of the consultant trying to bring the cyborgs back to Cyborg Sector. The easiest way to deal with the proposal was to kill Clayton. He wouldn’t have to listen to the human’s drivel or make any more decisions. He wanted to know what the other cyborgs thought about Clayton, but he was reluctant to look weak. Wrath knew their biochips were failing.

The first problem the cyborgs had noticed with the biochips was their communication problems. Clayton might be telling the truth about one thing. It was possible there was an error in their locational system a year ago, leaving Cyborg Sector without a way to locate Green Squad. As the months went by, there were other instances when it became evident that their circuitry was breaking down.

The cyborgs began to get headaches, which was an experience they had never had before. Some were minor, but others left the members of Green Squad writhing on the cave floor. The others were helpless; all they could do was wait and watch their comrades suffer. The pain eventually subsided, leaving each cyborg to wonder when it would be his turn.

Wrath hadn’t missed the way Rachel looked at him as he spoke to Clayton. At first, she had been intimidated, just as he wanted.

As his conversation continued, the look on the girl’s face began to change. Rachel still stared at him, but she no longer looked terrified. Now she gazed with intense interest, leaning forward like she wanted to get closer to him. She was no longer crying. Instead, the reporter curiously examined him.

He growled to himself. A mere human shouldn’t unnerve him at all. It was bad enough to have the male try to convince him to return to Cyborg Sector and slavery, but the female had no right to affect his emotions. She parted her lips as though she were about to say something to him. He turned away before she could speak.

The soldiers scattered throughout the cave watched him almost as closely as the humans did, waiting to see his next move. His first loyalty would always be to Green Squad, but it was becoming harder to make the correct decision. He knew how to work within the parameters of orders. Today he had little information. Wrath needed to get everything he could out of the human.

“You said that there are some repairs you can do here,” he said skeptically, purposely keeping his back toward Rachel. “What are you capable of?”

A drop of sweat ran down Clayton’s face. “Not much of anything. I only know what I’ve learned while observing the real scientists in the lab. They brought me in to help them figure out which parts of Cyborg Sector could consolidate and what they could shut down. I specialize in helping corporations downsize.” He sighed, his eyelids suddenly drooping with exhaustion. “I’ve watched some training videos. They’ve trained me to understand what’s going on with cyborgs in the middle of rehabilitation.”

“What you’re saying,” Wrath replied slowly, allowing the words to roll around on his tongue, “is that you’re useless to us.” He twitched the fingers on his right hand impatiently.

The consultant watched Wrath’s movement and stood up straight immediately. “I’m the opposite of useless. I can’t do much for your biochips, but I can serve as an effective mediator between you and Cyborg Sector. I can speak for you, letting them know your desires and requirements. You don’t have to have any other interactions with humans. They know me and won’t harm me.”

Clayton’s words came faster now. His eyes darted around the room as if he could find a phrase that would convince the cyborg of his value. “Maybe we can make a deal with them. You can have them come here to perform some routine maintenance, and they can help you find a place to live. We can make it work for you.”

Wrath glanced at his men and then back at Clayton. It would be asking a lot to put the lives of his brothers into the hands of this nervous human. “I don’t have any reason to trust you,” he snarled. “You’ve already lied to me about who you are and what you can do. Why should I believe you would ally yourself with us?”

“Well, ah…” Clayton licked his lips apprehensively. “I didn’t mean to lie. But I know that nobody, especially someone like you, is going to give a shit about a consultant. My job is improving a company’s management skills.” He laughed quickly. It was a sound like dry leaves rubbing against each other. “It’s ridiculous that I’m even here.”

“You aren’t answering my question!” Wrath roared, getting to his feet. He was becoming restless and found himself unable to sit in one position for long before it became uncomfortable. The cyborg knew his men could see his problem. The humans might sense it as well. He wanted straight, hard facts, and he wasn’t getting them. Playing guessing games with Clayton wasn’t helping. A pain jabbed at his skull just behind his ear and began to spread around his head. “I don’t care why they sent you. After spending some time with you, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent you here hoping you’d die in the desert, either from the heat or by my gun. I asked you why I should trust you. The only thing you have shown me is that I can’t.”

“I’m sorry.” Clayton had no idea what to say. “I’m nervous, and I don’t want to die.”

With a minute flick of his wrist, Wrath started charging his plasma gun. A muffled thud inside his body indicated that the weapon’s safety protocols were disengaging. He felt a mildly intoxicating sensation as energy was rerouted from other parts of his body to supply the firearm. It was a gratifying feeling that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Wrath had warned the other cyborgs to refrain from using their plasma guns unless necessary. They had plenty of ammunition for conventional weapons that wouldn’t call attention to them, unlike their built-in armaments. The terrorists had left behind rifles that did not create high-pitched squeals while charging or send out a ball of blue flames upon discharge. They also didn’t drain the cyborgs’ energy levels.

When it came to dispatching Clayton, he needed something that would display the power of Green Squad to the humans. Rachel would be the only witness to cyborg superiority, but Wrath would take whatever he could get. If necessary, he could eliminate both of them with two quick volleys from his gun and leave the bodies in a place easily accessible by Cyborg Sector. The corpses would keep them off Green Squad’s trail.

Wrath waved the plasma gun in Clayton’s direction. He didn’t even need to aim carefully at such a close range. “I understand that you don’t want to die, but unfortunately I’m not confident you’ll survive a single shot.”

“Don’t do it, Robert!”

The woman’s scream seemed to use every bit of air in the cave. Wrath pivoted to see Rachel on her knees in the sand, one hand reaching out for him with her fingers spread apart. Wide green eyes implored him to listen. On another day, the sight would have made him more determined to take action.

But there was something about Rachel that made him freeze in place. Wrath twisted his mouth in anger when his muscles refused to obey him. This human female had no right to give him orders or interrupt his plans. Her empty words should have encouraged him to pull the trigger instead of thoroughly stopping his proposals.

“Who are you talking to?” he hissed.

The shock of her bold interjection took over Rachel’s face as she sat back down. Her eyes became wider as she looked from Wrath to Clayton and back again. “I don’t want to see you kill anymore. I know you’re better than that, Robert.”

“What did you call me?”