***

He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, watching in slow motion Zeph turning on Rylie. A wildfire of warning coursed through his tech, sensing and discerning the violent and volatile transmissions coming from his partner. A series of events erupted.

He saw red.

He acknowledged a threat.

Zeph became his number one target. Rylie’s safety was paramount and he accepted it for what it was. Netto thought of her as his, even if she would never be. He had Zeph over his head, throwing him into the ocean and as far from the Montihans as possible—acting more like an animal than a machine.

Netto let his instinct take over. The plates in his body vibrated as he dove into the water after his target—and was met by the snap of a jaw that overpowered his own. Zeph had shifted into the saltwater crocodile he was and had Netto between his jaws. They sank below the surface and the sharp edges of his metal teeth tore into Netto’s thick flesh, grazing the man-made skeleton within.

Netto roared, sucking in a gulp of salt water as the pain fueled his rage. My territory. Mine! He howled, unheard.

Rylie.

They thrashed like men claiming their own, fighting for what they wanted as theirs, for something they could stake their life in and rule over without competition. Netto slammed an elbow into Zeph’s jaw.

Zeph flung him back and forth. He maneuvered and clamped down on Netto’s stomach, with the animalistic urge to kill and eat.

Netto grabbed ahold of Zeph’s transformed head and threaded his fingers between the Cyborg’s incisors and pulled, releasing himself from its grip. He braced against the thrashing as Zeph fought his strength.

Netto pulled his jaw apart, intent on seeing Zeph’s face explode with gore, the Croc’s head rip in two.

Zeph’s teeth pierced the padding of his hands. He didn’t feel it. Netto only saw death and with that clouding his head, his eyes, the plates in his back disengaged and shot out to connect to the back of his skull. A sharp back fin with a serrated edge sprung out from his spine. His mouth widened and his head expanded as his jaw grew to accommodate his shark and the additional teeth that popped out.

Netto became the beast within and Zeph used that shifted moment to release himself with a gush of thick blood in his wake.

They stared at each other, unmoving, transformed, with the smell of fresh blood between them. Zeph looked hungry and pissed, Netto’s reflection in his green irises.

The last rays of the sunlight vanished, making their eyes glow brighter, Zeph’s glinting a murky green and Netto’s the greyish-blue of the depths. They sized each other up, waiting for the other to make the first move.

“Netto!”

He jerked at the yell and canted his bulging head. The word crawled with the speed of molasses through the water and it took a second for him to register it as his name.

Rylie called for him.

Zeph took advantage of his distraction and pummeled him with enough force to battle the press of water. Netto swiveled and brought his hands down on the Zeph’s head, snapping his mouth shut; sharp nails scored and slashed his sides. They frenzied and the water clouded with red. He needed to get to Rylie; he needed to answer her call.

Zeph tore at his skin, digging into his internal wiring, intent on claiming the win. Netto fought back, Zeph’s frustration grew at being thwarted and he turned on the bull shark, thrusting him down through the deep to the ocean floor.

Seaweeds and flowers engulfed them. Hundreds of swimmers fled the scene.

Thorns pierced his thick skin and burrowed into his body, a flush of alien venom flooded his organics. Netto seized, locking the Croc in a death grip below him.

Their frenzy ended as abruptly as it had begun. Netto released his nanocells to neutralize the venom, as the hold he and Zeph had on each other was reinforced by locking muscles. They no longer had control of their selves, their beasts; the toxins rushing through their bodies had taken control.

The flowers waved overhead, hiding them from the world above. The release of venom continued as fast as his cells were able to clean them from his body.

God. Damn. It. Netto cursed knowing even if he did beat it—if the weeds depleted themselves—he would only be immobilized again if he moved away. It could be hours, days even, for him and Zeph to escape.

Time passed as they stared at each other, as the oxygen levels in their bodies depleted. Every time either one was able to move, the plants freed more barbs.

Slimy weeds and long tentacles slithered over every inch of his body, into his cuts, over his eyeballs, and up inside his open mouth and across his teeth. They shredded over their sharp points. Whatever passed for sap in these plants tasted awful, Netto decided.

Dusk took hold, further darkening the water. Netto knew the moonless night would throw them into a pitch black abyss before long. They would be alone, alone with only the lights from their eyes to illuminate their watery jail.

He dove into the wireless connection between them. Zeph met him halfway.

‘We’re stuck,’ Zeph messaged.

‘Yes.’

‘My cells are overloaded.’

‘Same,’ Netto admitted, straining his muscles before the venom stopped him. He inwardly sighed and wished he could close his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at Zeph’s scaled face. His target was close and yet, unattainable. It made him hungrier than he would ever admit.

‘Eighteen minutes and thirty-four seconds,’ Zeph transmitted.

‘I’m going to kill you.’

‘I wasn’t going to hurt her.’

‘Never. I’ll make sure you never will.’

Time went by and their bodies remained locked together, swaying in the water. Netto counted the seconds while continuously diagnosing his condition. He was on top and that gave him the advantage. If the Croc cleared the poison before him, he would still have to get out from underneath.

No small feat, even for a Cyborg. Netto was one of the largest, heaviest Cyborgs that existed.

‘Twenty-one minutes and ten seconds.’ Zeph’s eyes flared, illuminating the space around them further. ‘We have to abort the mission.’

‘No.’ He couldn’t imagine leaving now, leaving Rylie and her family behind with no hope of reclaiming the vitality of their lots—of potentially being the next humans to disappear in the Kepler wilds.

‘The contract is broken and any respect I had for clan Montihan died with it. The EPED will blame us for this failure. We’re here to bring home the stones, procure a lucrative deal, nothing more, nothing less.’ The light from Zeph’s eyes grew with his anger. The Croc had always been one of the best retrievers in the division. Hell, he might hold the crown now that Stryker was out of the picture.

When it came to a group of battle-hardened Cyborgs, asserting their supremacy was always in the back of their minds. Only a few went untested and less than a dozen in all their numbers could claim superior manufacturing. But even one of the best Cyborgs couldn’t take on two, and he and Zeph were relatively well-matched: Netto beat every other shifter Cyborg in strength, and Zeph had the speed to outmaneuver him and the personality to match.

‘When did you become a bitter piece-of-shit?’ Netto asked.

‘I won’t be held accountable nor will I be forced to pay further on the losses here because the EPED surely won’t. Not even for her.’

‘Her?’

‘Fuck off, freak.’

‘I wish I could!’ They stared at each other, unable to do anything else. The weeds slithered above them, casting eel-like green shadows throughout. Her? Netto’s fingers twitched despite the toxins as a tendril of jealousy coursed through him. He knew Zeph spoke of the other sister but he couldn’t process it. All he saw was Rylie, her petite, bronzed body, and long copper hair. Just the idea of Rylie and Zeph together blasted him with fury and if his partner even attempted, he knew any chance of winning her would vanish.

Zeph never failed when it came to seduction; his conquests spanned the galaxy.

‘She’s mine. Mine!’ He tensed, powering through the venom, needing to taste Zeph’s nano-laced blood.

‘Now you have an opinion? When no one’s around to see your freakish form? At least I don’t give a shit what humans think of me.’

‘Leave the goddamned EPED then if you hate your creators so much. I don’t need to express my opinion, that isn’t my job. I work for no man and I have the freedom to speak when I choose to. Do you want to know the real reason the EPED asked me to go with you?’

‘Several sentences! And here I thought your verbal processing tech was corrupted.’

The Croc’s eye twitched and the neon green of his eyes diminished to a dark forest glow. No matter how hard either of them wanted release from this Hell, they weren’t moving anytime soon.

Netto continued to transmit, ‘Because you’re reckless. Little better than Gunner.’

Zeph knew it, that deep down, his chaotic nature wouldn’t go unchecked, and to be compared to Gunner was being compared to scum. The lowest tier of Cyborg, an emotional cybernetic failure. Netto didn’t care.

‘Fuck,’ Zeph messaged him a short time later.

‘We’re staying.’

‘Fine.’ The Croc’s eyes brightened, his anger replaced with grim acceptance. It wasn’t unlike him to respond rashly but it was rare. Netto wanted to ask Zeph if it had to do with the other sister but knew better.

‘Something’s coming.’ He felt it, electricity and power coming closer, something that was too small to be the watership. In unison they illuminated the space between them, hoping the dark water wouldn’t muddy out their beacon.

It grew closer and slowed somewhere behind him and off to the side. He couldn't see it but he could feel it, and it was something he knew he didn't need to be wary of. If it had been a predator, then he and Zeph would’ve been in trouble; they could stare at each other but do little else. His partner would be protected under his frame but his back was wide open. The last thing Netto wanted was for something to eat him alive while the Croc watched. Embarrassing.

They waited, unsure if the vessel above would see them. Netto hoped that the lights they gave off were enough to penetrate the darkness.

It would be hell to be stuck at the bottom of the ocean staring at each other for God knows how many hours, days, weeks. Until they were able to get out of the weeds themselves.

Netto hated how intimate the position was that he and Zeph were in, and if he knew Zeph at all, he was probably seething at the indignity.

A series of lasers shot out above them he could feel the heat of them on his back. They arced over their bodies, and the barbs in their skin popped out as the weeds shriveled and died. Within moments they had been extricated.

Without the poison being pushed into their bodies, they were able to disentangle themselves, but not before a metal clamp came from above and pulled them from the ocean floor. Netto didn't struggle, appreciating the fact that he had been saved. Zeph, on the other hand, fought the clamp and pulled its claws apart until he freed himself.

The pod lifted to the water’s surface, guided by nothing but the heavy darkness of the night. And when he reached the surface and Zeph popped up next to him, he transformed back into his human self. The mist was as thick as the ocean.

He had seen the mist the previous night when he stood on the shore with Rylie, but it was different out here in the ocean, far different. It was so thick it clung to everything, and although he could breathe again, it was still like breathing in water.

His nanocells cleaned out the rest of the venom. He and his partner looked as if they had gone through a shredder, but now that their cybertech was not preoccupied, they began to heal.

The pod opened up to reveal Janet with eyes widened with worry, blonde hair crimped and curled around her face, still half-wet from earlier.

“What the hell were you guys thinking!? If I hadn't come after you, if I hadn't looked for you, if I hadn't cared at all,” she pointed at Zeph, “you would've died stuck in those weeds. Only idiots would fight in the wilds of an alien planet without knowing the geography or the creatures within it. This proves that you’re little better than children, man-children. Cyborgs my ass.”

Zeph smiled, his lips twisted up devilishly, seductively, and Netto could sense the need coming off of his partner. He wanted Janet. It was obvious as the two of them stared at each other, and as Janet tensed in anger under Zeph’s gaze. Zeph’s hand reached up and curled around her calf. Netto knew the best way to keep his partner from exploding with violence again was to leave them alone.

“You are so beautiful when you're angry. I could kiss you until you felt better, dear, but you should know Netto and I had everything under control. We would've been out within an hour,” Zeph lied, his lips still twisted up in a grin.

“Thank you,” Netto interjected before her next outburst.

The Croc’s hand moved up her leg as he drew closer to the pod.

Netto took that as his cue to leave and dipped below the water to swim toward the watership. He had no desire to hear their conversation and didn't want to know how easy it was for Zeph to seduce the woman he desired. Any woman. It was something that he couldn’t do, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was for him to get to Rylie and answer her call.

There was something wrong with the water of this planet. He didn't know why and that made him uneasy. It was different now than when he first visited, back when it was as wild as any alien body of water, but now felt sick, diseased, and he suspected it might be the same reason that the Kepler lots yielded no crops.

It was up to the two Cyborgs to figure out the cause.

He reached the watership within moments. Although he could not see it, he could feel it; the fog clung to everything. All of his senses felt weaker.  He rounded the side and found the opening and pulled himself through it. Rylie stood before him, frightened relief in her eyes.

It took everything within him to not pull her into his arms and claim her for himself. It took all his control. Even the gashes and wounds on his body were not enough of a distraction from her. His nostrils flared with her scent; the scent of the ocean, sunblock, and the sun.

"What happened to you? You vanished below the water and didn't come back up. I was so worried!" she rushed toward him and placed her hands on his chest lightly enough to not disturb his wounds. Netto sucked in a breath and clenched his fists, restraining himself from touching her back. "Janet went after you, did you see her?" Her eyes filled with horror as she inspected the wounds closely. He knew she could see the plating underneath, and he knew his silence only further put her on edge. "Oh my god. How are you still standing?" She tugged his hand and forced him to sit. "What happened? It looked like you encountered a sea beast?"

"I neutralized Zeph," he said.

"He did this to you?" Rylie gasped. He loved hearing her voice; it soothed him. She located the aerosol can from earlier and began to spray the healing serum over his wounds. She was generous with it, and before he knew it, he no longer dripped water. He now dripped healing serum.

Netto took the can from her and sprayed the wounds she couldn't reach. He still wore his swim trunks but they were torn to shreds, so he grabbed a nearby towel and placed it over his lap. He didn't want to frighten her any more than he already had. The last thing she needed was to see his manhood.

***

“DID YOU KILL HIM?”

“No,” Netto answered.

Rylie quickly bandaged him up as he sprayed himself down several times over. He healed at a fast rate, faster than she would have ever thought possible. But as his wounds closed, she noticed that the ruined metal plating underneath remained the same.

"What about your skeletal structure? Won't it hurt if it's not fixed as well?"

"No."

"Netto," she hissed.

"It will need to be fixed up in a cybernetics lab," he said. "It doesn't hurt me."

Rylie watched as he closed his eyes and let the serum do its job. He remained unmoving, quiet, his breath even and predictable. She got up and found the rag he used on her hand earlier and wet it with distilled water. When she returned, the lesser wounds had closed up, leaving nothing but pinkened skin throughout his blue.

"I...didn't want to go to bed without knowing if you," she licked her lips, suddenly nervous, "and Zeph—" he tensed, "—were going to be okay."

"He's not dead," was all he had to say.

"And you? You're not going to die I assume?" One side of her mouth curved up into a slight smile.

"I'll live."

Now reassured of his well-being, she realized they were alone.

She leaned forward and began to wipe away the ocean brine and dried blood. His eyes remained closed as she dabbed at his hands and forearms, moving up until she was wiping up around his shoulders and neck, using a fresh bottle of water to re-dampen the cloth. It wasn't much but better than nothing.

Everything will be back to normal in the morning. As she eyed his wounds, she knew Da had been right. Tomorrow it would be like this night never happened.

"I'm not afraid of your teeth." Rylie didn't know why she said it but knew that she needed him to know, needed to get it off her chest. "I wanted to tell you that before..." she trailed off.

Netto narrowed his eyes but his gaze did not leave her. His hand came around hers, hot and hard, and tugged the wet cloth out of her hands. He continued on cleaning his chest and abs without answering.

Her mouth went dry as the awkwardness between them intensified. "I'm sorry my father lied to you."

"Do you like Zeph?" He shot out, hard and thick, as if the question itself disgusted him. She was taken aback by the sudden vehement change in him.

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Do you want to have sex with him?"

Rylie stopped breathing abruptly, unsure how to answer or why he would even ask that. Her mouth opened and closed like an orange puffer swimmer. "No," she squeaked out at last. Zeph only had eyes for Janet, and anyone could see that. Zeph had never entered her mind.

Her answer didn’t comfort him; if anything, Netto only grew more rigid. Rylie repeated, “No. I would never want a man who wanted my sister. Every man does. So I don’t want men.” She hated that her voice shook. She didn’t want the Cyborg to know her insecurities, and she didn’t want him, or anyone, to be privy to her self-deprecation.

“I don’t.”

Rylie didn’t believe him. Every man was drawn to the siren. “She wants you. She wants you and Zeph.”

A look of disgust flashed across his face and he bared his teeth as his lips pulled back. Her eyes landed on them. Netto closed his mouth.

“She’ll never have me,” he spat.

Rylie smiled and was comforted by his disdain. She had never heard a man speak of her sister in such a way. She loved her sister beyond comprehension, but it made her happy that the man she liked didn’t carry some secret longing for Janet. Relief flashed through her and the tension between them faded into quiet.

“Oh, I don’t know. My sister can be very persuasive.” She couldn’t help but tease, hoping to see another look of disgust on his face.

“She’s not for me.”

“Why not?”

Netto rung out the rag, and her eyes slipped down to watch the blood-tinted water drip from its ends and pool on the floor of the boat. The trickle was the only sound between them as she waited for his answer. It meant something to her and she needed to hear it. She wanted the Cyborg in front of her regardless of how unmatched they were. That’s if he wanted her, her and not Janet.

And not because her sister wanted Zeph more.

“She is...doesn’t smell appealing. I can’t explain.” He soaked the rag again and ran it across the back of his neck. Rylie sat away and frowned. Netto wouldn’t look at her.

“Do I smell bad?” Maybe it’s her lavender. Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t wear perfume and often smelled of sweat from a long day at sea. She probably smelled terrible. It took most of her control to not sniff herself.

“No,” he answered, still without looking at her. She had hoped for something more from the Cyborg.

They sat in silence and the longer they went without speaking, the more tired she became. There was nothing but the glow of the watership around them and the glass enclosure to keep out the fog. Before long, Netto’s heat chased away the nighttime chill and made the upper deck stifling. Janet and Zeph had yet to return.

“Will you be okay?” Rylie broke the awful silence, at last, fiddling with her fingers.

“Soon. By morning the worst will be behind me.”

“Are you leaving?”

Netto finally turned toward her and she courageously glanced back at him. “No.”

“And your partner?”

“We’ll see this through.”

“And we’ll be in your debt. I’m sorry my da lied. I think,” Rylie paused and swallowed, “I think he’s stressed. We’ll make sure the EPED gets their end of the bargain. I’ll make sure of it.” She was already coming up with a plan in her head as she spoke. One that would close out all of their other contracts. Rylie got up and headed toward the interior.

“Rylie.”

She stopped. It was the first time he had used her name and the sound of it sent a shiver down her spine. “I don’t care about the EPED. I’m contracted, not an employee. Whatever happens, know that I’m contracted to you, too.”

Her heart swelled, she spun around and leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Netto.” Rylie fled into the ship before he could respond, her throat tight and her lips tasting of salt.