They left right after a plentiful breakfast and Ophelia had to admit it was great not having to walk again. The vehicle glided effortlessly across the woods and though it wasn’t that fast, it was a lot better than walking, and a lot faster too.
They only made a couple of stops during the day to have something to eat and take care of their physical needs. The people in the caves had provided them with enough food and some cash to buy more in case they needed to. That was a great help, and Ophelia wished she could find a way to pay them back.
They stopped that night when they found a small cave for them to sleep in. Though the vehicle was comfortable to travel in, but not to sleep in. It had the shape of a wheel, curved all around and flat on the sides, and travelers were seated one after another, to make it very slim and able to travel through the woods.
They had a quick meal, and soon they were in each other’s arms, relishing in each other’s company.
“How long do you think it will take us to get to Jackson city?”
“More or less a week, depending on how fast we can make the vehicle go. So far, with all the trees in our way, we can’t go that fast, and since we can’t use the roads, it will take us a bit longer.”
“Good, we’ll get there a lot faster.” She stayed in silence for a few moments. “Do you think they’ve arrested my mother?”
He sighed and kissed the top of her head, trying to comfort her. “Yes, I’m sure they did. They are almost sure you’ve helped me escape, so they’ll want all the leverage they can get to make you come out,” he explained, in a soft tone. “Getting your mother would be the easiest way to get to you.”
“I know, I’m still hoping they’re waiting to see if they can capture me, before taking actions against my mother,” she confessed.
“I truly hope you’re right, but don’t get your hopes too high.”
“I won’t, I promise,” she assured him, with a sad sigh.
He lifted her chin and captured her lips in a kiss that was meant to be comforting, but the minute their lips touched, the passion between them exploded. Once they started, they weren’t able to stop. In just a few moments they were entangled in each other’s arms, exchanging kisses and caresses until they were merged into a single being.
After the waves subsided, Ophelia rested her head on his chest and sighed, pleasantly tired.
“You’re an amazing woman, did you know that?” he murmured in her ear, playing with it and sending thrilling chills down her spine. It didn’t matter they had just made love and her body was pleased. His touch was able to ignite her quite quickly.
“I’ll take your word for it,” she teased him. None of the men she had been with before had ever treated her the way he did.
It was as if she was precious to him and though she was sure it was just an illusion, it felt great being treated like a queen, once in a while.
They left before the sun came out and the following days were pretty much the same, and the day before they arrived at Jackson city, Ophelia was incredibly nervous. They were still too far away to determine if there were soldiers in the area and that only made her even more nervous.
They were looking for a place to spend the night when Bretdon stopped the vehicle abruptly.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, startled.
“I’m sensing the presence of another cyborg in the area,” he explained, with a stern expression.
“How’s that possible? Is he alone? Are their soldiers with him?” she fired the questions, scared.
“I can’t tell, we’re still too far, but he’s emitting a distress signal. That can only mean he’s in trouble,” he explained, starting the vehicle again.
“Will you get closer? What if it’s a trap?” she asked, still scared.
“No cyborg would betray one of his brothers. That would go against all of our instincts,” he protested.
“Not even if he was programmed to do it?” she insisted, not liking the whole situation, not even a little bit.
“Jarcor was able to install software into our programming chips that would erase immediately any kind of threat to the other cyborgs. He is a hell of a hacker, and I’m sure no one has been able to detect the hidden software,” he explained appeasing her fears.
“I truly hope you’re right.”
They approach the place where he was receiving the signal, and even before they got there, Bretdon was sure the cyborg was alone.
“He’s alone, but he seems to be very hurt.” He speeded the vehicle until he reached the place where the signal was coming.
They could tell it was a battlefield even before they got to his location. The wreckage all over the place was a silent witness of the destruction. Fortunately, there were no cadavers, and Bretdon told her Taucets took their dead away with them.
The signal was coming from underneath a massive pile of debris, from what looked like a Taucet vessel.
Bretdon ran to the place, and a few seconds later he was pulling another cyborg out from underneath it. He was very hurt, there was no doubt of it and barely conscious.
“Thank you. I thought no one was receiving my signal,” the man mumbled.
“Where’s your group? Why didn’t they take you with them?”
“The order to return to the base was, too strong. I’m still feeling the excruciating pain for not obeying it,” the other man was able to explain.
And indeed, the soldier on the vehicle couldn’t care less if one of the cyborgs had gone missing. Shaking his head, he pulled the man’s right arm up and quickly accessed the primary control system.
“You’re free,” the cyborg said, with awe.
“Yes, and so will you, as soon as I’m done with you. How long was the battle?”
“A few hours ago.”
“They must have noticed your absence, and they will come for you. We have to take you out of here,” Bretdon explained as he introduced the main codes and freed the other man. “What’s your name, my friend?”
“Kirkcal and you are?”
“I’m Bretdon. Is some of the pain gone?” he asked, putting the man’s skin in its place.
“Oh, yes. I’m feeling much better, but I won’t be able to get out of here on my own,” Kirkcal said, looking at the extensive damage to his body.
Ophelia was amazed at the man’s endurance. She was sure a human would have quickly died with such wounds.
“We’ll get you out of here.”
Bretdon carried the man to the vehicle and asked Ophelia to sit on his lap. They had to get out of there as soon as possible before the soldiers returned to look for Kirkcal.
They traveled most of the night, into the thick woods and going a bit out of their way, before Bretdon dared to stop. He had found a cave big enough for them to hide for a while.
“I know how much you want to get to your mother’s house,” Bretdon started saying after he had installed Kirkcal inside the cave.
“Bret, we’re not leaving your friend alone in these conditions. I can wait, trust me. Just help him to get better,” she interrupted him.
He kissed her with passion and gratitude. “Thank you. As soon as he gets a bit better, I’ll take you to Jackson to find your mom.”
“I know you will.”
That night, Bretdon tended to his friend’s wounds, as best as he could, while Ophelia stayed as far away as she could. She had almost passed out the first time she had seen the bloody body of the other cyborg.
It took Kirkcal two days to seal his wounds. He still wasn’t able to move on his own, but he no longer was bleeding, and his injuries seemed to be healing.
“We can go to Jackson tomorrow. Kirkcal can stay here while we travel there and we’ll pick him up on our way back,” Bretdon suggested.
“Yes, that sounds great. It shouldn’t take us more than a few days.”
“Exactly.” He turned to look at his new friend. “We’ll leave you enough food and water, so you should be fine.”
“Yes, of course, I will. You’ve done more than enough for me.”
They left the cave and headed to Jackson city. They should arrive at her mother’s place the following day in the morning if they traveled the whole night. She wasn’t thrilled with that idea, but Bretdon wanted to return as soon as possible. Kirkcal still wasn’t able to move by himself, and he wanted to take him to Sandra’s caves, for his full recovery.
The sun was coming up in the sky when they arrived at the outskirts of the city.
“I can’t sense any military presence. I believe we can get to your mother’s place,” he told her.
“You can’t go with me, it would call too much attention,” she pointed out, rubbing her face, worried.
“I’ll be in the back. We can darken this vehicle so that no one can see me,” he assured her.
“Alright. With luck, mom will be home, and I’ll be able to talk to her,” she said, with a grin.
He nodded and darkened the vehicle before they headed to her mother’s house. It was still very early in the morning, so her mother should be home. With a deep breath, she hopped out of the vehicle and headed to her mother’s back door.
She didn’t knock. She looked for the key her mother kept hidden underneath a flower pot. She entered the house and closed the door behind her, looking around, making sure everything seemed alright.
The dim light of the dawn was enough to let her see the untidiness of the kitchen. With a frown, she headed up to her mother’s bedroom, with her heart drumming in her chest.
Her mother wasn’t home. And by the looks of it, she hadn't been back in a few days. Desperate, she ran to her mother’s study, to check her computer, looking for a possible message.
Other than a few messages she had sent her the day she had met Bret, asking her where she was and why she wasn’t answering her calls, there wasn’t anything else.
She wanted to send her mother a message, but she figured they would be monitoring her accounts. It wasn’t worth the risk.
She left the house and quickly headed to her mother’s neighbors’ house. Mrs. Sullivan had been her mother’s friend her whole life. If anyone knew what had happened to her mother, it was her.
She rang the bell a few times, looking around nervously. The old woman opened the door and pulled her in.
“Ophelia, what are you doing here? You have to escape, they will get you,” the woman said before she was able to open her mouth. “They took your mother to one of those camps. Of course, they said they were doing it for her own safety, we both know that’s bullshit,” the woman ranted.
Ophelia hugged her. “Oh, Mrs. Sullivan, I was hoping to find her here.”
“They came the day after Marisa lost contact with you. They said they suspected you had been abducted by the aliens and that they would take her to one of the camps, to protect her.”
“Oh, that makes me so mad” the human caressed her face. “Do you have any idea where they took her?”
“They wouldn’t say. ‘For security reasons’ was what they kept saying,” Mrs. Sullivan replied. “You have to go now, sweetie. I’m sure they’ve left spies around, in case you returned.”
“Yes, I’m sure of it too.” She hugged the old woman one more time. “Please, take care. Don’t let them take you away.”
“They won’t. You know my Steven is one of them.” There was a mix of pride and dread in the woman’s tone.