Chapter Sixteen

Melissa draped herself over the fence. She was wearing boots and had one foot on the split rail while her elbow perched on the top. The horses gamboled in the late afternoon sunshine while the tall grass of the pasture bent and flowed around them in the breeze. It was sleepy and pleasant here, and she didn’t know why she had ever chosen to leave this life. Major cities and a college full of men weren’t going to make her happy. Neither would a wild adventure. She belonged at home.

Someone called out her name from the end of a long, dusty driveway. Melissa turned and squinted, flattening her hand and putting it over her eyes so she could see the tall, gangly figure coming toward her. He wore a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. She couldn’t immediately identify him, but she knew the man belonged here. Underneath a cowboy hat, he flashed a smile filled with straight, white teeth. Melissa’s heart leaped out of her chest. Maybe he was the one. She tried to call out and ask if she could do anything for him, but her voice wasn’t working.

The man appeared at her side. He had moved too quickly to have walked all the way down the long drive. He grabbed Melissa’s wrist in his hand and twisted it behind her back. This wasn’t how she had imagined things would happen. “Let me go.” She wished she was carrying a gun, but she had left it somewhere else.

“You’re coming with me.” The man pulled harder on her arm. “You don’t belong here.”

“This is my home.” Melissa struggled and tried to pull her arm away. She twisted and fought, hoping to escape and make her way to the barn. There was an old shotgun in the tack room. Her father kept it loaded in case anything came after the livestock. It was far away, but she could get there if she hurried. Melissa had the raw strength and speed that came from working on a farm. If given a chance, she was sure she could blow the man’s head off.

The stranger produced a knife and didn’t hesitate to use it. He dug the blade into her flesh, ripping it out, and stabbed her in the chest. Melissa could see her blood glistening on the weapon. The bright redness was a stark contrast against the coloring of the landscape around her.

Melissa used her free hand to claw at the stranger. She barely managed to scratch him, but she had to fight back. Melissa slapped the man’s hand and pummeled at his chest without seeing any effect.

Finally, she reached up and dug a finger into his skin. Melissa could easily pull back huge chunks of it. The imitation flesh fell to the ground and sent up puffs of dust as it landed.

Underneath a human façade, the man was made of metal. His eyes were glass spheres rolling around in a silver skull. His teeth became razor blades in a steel jaw. Melissa’s screams should have been echoing across the plains, but she couldn’t get her mouth to work.

When she opened her eyes, Melissa was staring up at the rusty ceiling of a van. She lay awkwardly on the dirty carpet with one hand trapped underneath her back. Pulling it out and rubbing the pins and needles out of it, she struggled to remember where she was and forget the vivid imagery of her dream.

Memories started slowly coming back into her mind. Compass and the remaining cyborgs had fled from the warehouse with her in tow. They had made their way through a maze of alleys. The route was so complicated that she wouldn’t have been able to get back to the building if she wanted to. They stayed in the shadows, checking around corners before advancing down the streets.

At one point, a squad car with popping lights and blaring sirens came speeding past their location. Compass had grabbed Melissa by the waist and dragged her down behind a dumpster, holding one hand tightly over her mouth while they waited for the police to pass.

“Why did you do that? I thought you understood I’m on your side.”

Compass had glared at her. “I don’t need to justify myself to a human, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t scream. We can’t trust you because you might reveal our position.”

Melissa shot the cyborg a derisive look, but she let the matter drop so they could keep moving. Some points weren’t worth arguing over.

Their team turned a corner and found a battered cargo van waiting for them. She felt sore and bruised. Melissa didn’t remember lying down on the floor of the vehicle or going to sleep, but she must have tried to relax even though she was still exhausted. She sat up, feeling the exertion of the journey in her muscles. Running her hands through her hair, Melissa rubbed several knots out of her legs and wished she had a toothbrush. A cyborg she didn’t recognize was driving, and another one sat in the passenger seat. Compass sat on the floor near her with his head leaned against the metal wall.

“I see you’ve decided to join the living.” He had his eyes closed. “You’ve been out for hours.”

Melissa didn’t know how he sensed she was awake, but she was grateful she didn’t have to look him in the eyes. Something was unnerving about him, even taking into account the fact that he was a cyborg. “Where are we?”

“Far enough from New York that they’re not going to find us.” The swarthy soldier straightened his head and looked at her. His eyes still gleamed even after he had been asleep. “We make a loop before we turn around and head for the coast again.”

“The coast? Where are we going?” It was hard for Melissa to believe they had been traveling for so long. She would have thought that Purity Force would have tracked them down by now.

Compass smiled, but the expression seemed artificial. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out. You keep saying you’re on our side. You’re going to have to prove it if you want us to trust you. We don’t understand you the way Thunder did. At least, not yet.”

Despite the hunger that gnawed at her belly and the pain in her joints, Melissa still had the energy to get angry. “What do you expect me to do? I had already come into that holding cell to release the cyborgs. I left with you instead of surrendering to Purity Force.”

“And then there’s the matter of what you did with Thunder.”

She turned away and concentrated on the scenery that scrolled past the windows. “Stop talking about him.”

“Why not? You’re not the first human to fuck a cyborg, you know. There were documented cases of it dating all the way back to Cyborg Sector. That doesn’t mean it’s right or natural. For all we know, you were using him.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow. “What exactly would I use him for? My goal was to free the cyborgs and get out of there, not hang around the area. We didn’t even know you were going to be there. I didn’t intend on sleeping with a cyborg.”

Compass shrugged. “Whatever you say, human. The truth will come out in time. It always does.”

Melissa eyed the other cyborgs speculatively, wondering what they had planned for her. None of them tried to talk to her or even look in her direction. It was hard for her to distinguish one from another. She couldn’t believe the way events were unfolding. Maybe she would have been better off staying in the basement and getting crushed by the building. That way she wouldn’t have to live knowing Thunder had died for her. They had come to New York for similar reasons, but by the end, they were only concerned with their love for one another.

She tried speaking to Compass again. “I have an idea. What if you guys dropped me off somewhere? You shouldn’t have to keep me around just because it’s something Thunder would have wanted. You could pull over at a gas station, and I’ll make my way home.”

Compass let the silence hang between them for a moment before finally responding. “That’s a possibility,” he murmured.

Melissa waited impatiently for an opportunity to escape. She hoped the van would run out of fuel. Maybe the cyborgs needed to pull over for food. She didn’t even know if they ate. The road was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but farm fields and trees. The only signs of civilization were a random barn or a farmhouse set far off the road.

“Time for action.” The cyborg at the wheel glanced at Compass in his rearview mirror. “We’ve got some company up ahead.”

The tawny soldier stood up and came toward the front seats, stooping over to peer out the windshield. Melissa rose up onto her knees so she could see too. White specks blocked the road in front of them. As the van drew closer, she could see cars with flashing lights belonging to Purity Force. A dozen figures waited for them outside the vehicles.

“What should we do?” the driver asked. “They were smart enough to pick a spot on the road where there’s a ditch on either side. I can’t go around them.”

Compass rubbed the stubble on his chin with one hand. “They’re in an excellent location to fight, and they’ll have the advantage. Go ahead and stop. It will make them less suspicious of us. We’ll have to play it by ear.”

Melissa’s heartbeat sounded so loud that she was having problems hearing anything else. She knew she was going to have to go back to the humans eventually, but she had planned to do it on her terms. In any event, encountering Purity Force like this meant the cyborgs were in danger. Melissa had seen enough bloodshed to last for the rest of her life. The van slowed down as it approached the blockade, and Melissa crouched behind the driver’s seat.

“We know what you are. It’s time to surrender.” The voice over the megaphone sounded fearful but determined at the same time. “We have human security standing by to escort you back to our headquarters.”

“You’re not taking us anywhere!” the cyborg driver shouted through the window.

Compass smacked him on the back of the head. “I’m in charge here. We’ll do what I say.”

“We have you surrounded!”

Turning around, Compass peeked through the back windows. “They’re coming up behind us, too. How did this happen so quickly?” He looked at Melissa. “Did you contact them?”

Melissa threw her hands into the air innocently. “How could I have done that?”

She had a point. There wasn’t any way for her to communicate with the outside world, but Compass needed someone to blame. “Tell them we have a human woman with us.” The driver relayed Compass’ information.

Purity Force conferred with each other for a few moments. “The best thing for you to do right now is let her go. You can negotiate for a lighter sentence when you get to court.”

Compass snorted. “Does he think we’re stupid? Cyborgs don’t have any rights. They’re not going to let us go to court. We’ll be executed immediately.” He rubbed his chin. “Tell him we’ll do it.”

“What?” The driver turned around to make sure he understood the order correctly. “Are we going to surrender so easily?”

“Of course not, but I want them to think we will. Just do what I tell you. Say we’ll relinquish her, but she’s injured. They’ll need to come and get her.”

Melissa watched the exchange in confusion. She was stiff and sore, but she could walk. Why couldn’t she get out of the van herself? The cyborg seemed to have an idea cooking, and she didn’t want to ask any questions. He would be harder on her than he had been on the driver.

A team of Purity Force soldiers broke through the barricade, pulling a gurney along between them. They advanced quickly. Behind them, their associates had guns aimed at everyone.

“When I say so, I want you to move as quickly as possible.” Compass looked out the window. “For now, slowly drive forward.”

The van began rolling, and Melissa wondered what was going to happen to her. It was one thing to say she would turn herself in, and another thing entirely to be given up against her will. Compass grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to the other side of the van near the double doors. “The cyborgs thank you for your service. Floor it!” He swung the door open as the van pulled up to Purity Force and casually tossed Melissa out of the van.

She flew through the air and time slowed down for her. She could see a look of shock on the faces of the people around her. Some reached out to catch her. None were able to do anything about the van racing toward the blockade. Melissa smashed against the side of the gurney and fell onto to the asphalt, scraping her knees against the hard ground. Gloved hands covered her and lifted her up onto the stretcher. Too many people started asking questions and poking at her.

Melissa felt under attack by the volume of questions and couldn’t answer anything. She watched the rusty van crash through the barricade, sending the members of Purity Force fleeing as the van sliced off the front end of one of the squad cars. The humans fired several shots at the cyborgs, but they all either missed or didn’t do any damage. The van kept moving.

She collapsed onto the thin mattress, squinting up into the brilliant blue sky and allowing anyone to do whatever they thought was necessary. She wondered if her situation had improved.