Chapter Twenty-Three

After Cyborg Sector had retrieved Rachel from the desert, everything became a blur. She had watched as people strapped Wrath to a stretcher and lifted the cyborg into the chopper, staring at the flying vehicle until it was a speck in the distance. They placed Rachel in a separate vehicle from the cyborgs, who rode in a heavily armored SUV. Clayton sat next to her. They didn’t speak to each other. There wasn’t anything to say.

Cyborg Sector wasn’t interested in letting her fly directly home. She boarded a private plane with a guard on either side of her and went to Washington. After she had deplaned, she found herself getting a complete examination at a hospital. A never-ending stream of doctors and nurses put her through every test they could order. Rachel was too dazed and exhausted to give them a proper accounting of her ordeal. Eventually, the visits to her hospital room began to slow down.

In a few days, they transferred her to a nearby hotel room. Rachel had cooperated enough so that they no longer worried about her running off before they finished questioning her. Cyborg Sector dismissed her security detail after the first day. Her time was her own as long as she showed up for all the scheduled appointments.

“How did the rescue make you feel?”

Rachel had come dutifully to another psychiatric evaluation. Cyborg Sector had determined there was nothing wrong with her physically other than some minor dehydration, but they weren’t finished going through her brain.

“How is that relevant at all? Does it matter?” She glared at the man sitting across the room. He looked like he was on the verge of retirement. With glasses and a graying beard, the psychiatrist looked like the stereotypical example of a professional in his field. Dr. Rickson scribbled on his notepad as they talked. The notetaking was beginning to wear on her.

The doctor set his notepad on the arm of the chair and folded his hands in his lap. “Sometimes victims find getting rescued is harder than being a prisoner. They develop emotional bonds with their captors and don’t want anyone to save them. It’s a normal reaction. We can treat it with therapy. You don’t have to be ashamed if you feel this way, but we can’t help you unless you’re completely honest with yourself.”

Rachel shook her head. Of course she had feelings for Wrath, but the whole story was more than this psychiatrist was ever going to understand. Wrath had meant something to her before the recovery incident. Her feelings toward him weren’t going to change.

The cyborg was probably livid with her now that she had forced him and the other cyborgs to surrender, but she didn’t feel like she’d had a choice. If they ever met again and he hated her, at least he would still be alive.

“Do you know what happened to the cyborgs?” she asked. “Did Cyborg Sector destroy them? Or did they start the rehabilitation?” She was vaguely aware that she presented positive for Dr. Rickson’s preliminary diagnosis. She didn’t care. They had been the ones asking all the questions so far, and it was about time she got some answers.

The doctor creased his eyebrows and picked up his notepad again. “What do you want them to do with the cyborgs?” She didn’t answer, and he continued asking questions after several seconds of silence. “Would you prefer their destruction or would you like rehabilitation?”

Rachel sighed in frustration. The conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “I think our time is up.” She stood from her chair and strode out of the room.

Several messages were waiting for her when she returned to the hotel. The media had managed to find out where she was staying. She knew how determined journalists could be. If things had been different, she would have been the one pursuing the story.

There were messages from tabloids, newspapers, television stations, and a book publisher. Rachel pressed delete on every one. She had already spoken enough to Cyborg Sector. The last thing she needed was to have lights and a camera shoved in her face.

Rachel realized that she hadn’t contacted anyone at work since returning from the desert. She’d been too busy being poked, prodded, and questioned to give any thoughts to her job. Did she still have one? Lifting the receiver, she dialed World Community News.

The receptionist put her directly through to the manager, Cindy Edwards. After several clicks and fuzzy connections, her boss finally answered. “Rachel! You little scamp! I thought I sent you on an innocent little assignment, but you turned it into something major! Way to go! This will be a great start to your career.”

“Actually, Cindy—”

The enthusiastic manager was not about to let her say a word. “My flight just landed, and I’m on my way to see you. I tried to call the hotel, but they kept telling me that you weren’t in or not taking any calls. I knew you had probably told the staff to screen everyone and keep the other news channels away. Clever girl.”

Rachel glanced at the side of the phone base. She had switched off the ringer the first time she came into the room. She hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone, including Cindy. That wasn’t an option any longer.

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes, and we can talk all about your exclusive. This is so exciting!” She ended the connection without a thank you or goodbye.

Rachel sighed and sank onto the memory foam mattress. Cindy was an unstoppable force of nature, and now she would have to find a way to fend her off. She considered putting on some makeup or doing her hair, but she had nothing to fix herself. Cyborg Sector had sent someone to acquire outfits in her size as well as basic hygiene products. But they were used to taking male cyborgs out into the world, not female humans. She had no makeup or jewelry.

Her boss arrived at the hotel room precisely on schedule. As soon as Rachel opened the door, Cindy cried, “You look like shit!” Cindy’s hair formed a fake blonde bubble around her head. She wore so much makeup that Rachel wondered if she had forgotten the difference between screen time and real life. “It won’t be a problem. I’ll have the hair and makeup team come here before we begin shooting. We’ll have to go shopping for some clothes because you certainly can’t wear that.” She gestured disgustedly at Rachel’s button-down plaid shirt and jeans. “Do you think we could do it right here in your room? Maybe Cyborg Sector will give us a room. That would be an interesting backdrop.”

Rachel shut the door behind her and gestured to a set of armchairs by the window. “Listen, Cindy—”

“We’ll have to have someone else do a full interview with you, of course. We all know that it’s your story, but you can’t question yourself. Think about everything this will do for me! And for you! You might be our featured reporter someday. Samantha Houston’s untimely demise is unfortunate, but leaves a hole in the prime-time schedule that someone is going to fill. Who knows what else will happen? You might even get a book deal!”

“Yes, that’s all true. But...”

Cindy was too full of pent-up energy to sit down. She strode between the two chairs, gesturing with her hands like she could conjure all the news stories herself. “This is big, Rachel. Huge. The other women who lived with cyborgs have nothing compared to you. They boosted our ratings like nobody’s business, but you will put us on the map. After we do your interview, maybe we can get the cyborg to do an interview too. You know which one I mean, right? The leader? We’ve already managed to get some of the rehabilitated ones live on the air. We called them to speculate about what might be happening to you. But if we can get an exclusive with the one who captured you, then we’re golden. World Community News will be right up there with CNN.”

“I’m not doing it,” Rachel finally managed to blurt out.

Cindy paused with her hands still in the air and gave her employee a deadpan look. She recovered a moment later with a nod of her head. “I understand. You’re still processing things. It’s only been a few days, and you want to get yourself together. I’ll send over a list of the interview questions. You can read them while you recover. I’d like to get things started before you leave the hotel. WCN will pay for an extended stay if necessary. The extra time will let us plan a big reception for your return.”

Rachel wanted to slap her palm against her forehead, or maybe against Cindy’s. “I’m not doing the story at all. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Cindy finally sat in the chair across from Rachel. “Of course you do. You can’t keep this sort of thing to yourself.”

“Do you know what? I can, and I will. I’m not doing a story with World Community News or anyone else.” Adrenaline pumped through Rachel’s veins. She had never stood up to any bosses before. It made her feel like she could do anything.

Cindy reached across and laid her hand on Rachel’s. “My dear, you’re a reporter. Your job is to spread the news to the people. You make a difference in their lives by keeping them informed. What you went through is not merely big news. It’s the kind of thing people see in the movies! You can make their dreams come true by sharing with them.” She absentmindedly touched a fingernail to her bright red lip. “You know, there might be movie options as well. We need to get you an agent.”

Rachel yanked her hand away. “You aren’t listening to me. I don’t want to do the story, and I won’t.”

Cindy leaned closer, raising one eyebrow and pursing her lips like could see straight into Rachel’s soul if she stared hard enough. “This isn’t about the cyborg is it honey? Did you develop feelings for him?”

Her cheeks flushed red. Rachel couldn’t tell anyone the truth. It would spread around like wildfire.

The news manager didn’t miss the horrified look in her employee’s eyes or the blush that took over her face. “You did! Did you fuck him? Oh my God, Rachel! This is bigger than I thought! Tell me all about it. You don’t have to wait for the official interview. Was it consensual? Was he big? You can tell me. What’s a little gossip among friends?”

Rachel stood and marched to the door. She rested her hand on the knob and looked at Cindy pointedly. “This is not going to happen.”

For the first time, Cindy looked angry. She wasn’t used to anyone defying her, much less a subordinate with a big story to tell. “You won’t work in the industry again if you deny me, Rachel. I’m warning you.”

“Try to stop me,” Rachel challenged. “Even if you can, I don’t care. It’s not worth sacrificing my integrity to be your plaything. Now get out of my room.”

Cindy stormed out, and Rachel slammed the door behind her. How could that woman ever imagine that Rachel could do such a thing? Cindy was looking at everything from a business perspective. She didn’t understand she was talking about Rachel’s life. Cindy didn’t know how much Wrath meant to her and couldn’t feel her heartache. A month ago, Rachel would have given anything to boost her career. She would have eagerly sunk her teeth into a new opportunity.

Telling her story now would be an act of betrayal.