Chapter Nineteen

Thunder stood at attention with the other cyborgs. Although it was early in the day, it was already getting scorching hot. The sun didn’t leave a cold spot on the tiny island.

Despite the heat, the cyborgs were exercising to make sure they stayed conditioned. Thunder and the other soldiers glistened with sweat as they followed their instructor. The training leader stood on a platform so everyone could see him while he demonstrated the workout routine. They would always have the physical advantage over any humans, but they didn’t want to grow soft during their time at the compound.

Savage had ended Thunder’s sentence early after a few days in a makeshift stockade. He preferred soldiers to be training and preparing instead of wasting their time guarding each other. The blonde cyborg had made no further moves to assault his leader or anybody else. “I’ll still be keeping an eye on you,” Savage growled. “Something’s the matter with your head. Maybe one of the humans made a mistake when they programmed you at Cyborg Sector. I heard a rumor that someone had created a sex slave once instead of a cyborg. You could have been the prototype. I don’t know what the answer is. All I know is I’m not going to deal with it again.”

Inside the small building, Thunder was doing his best to behave despite his anger toward both Savage and Purity Force. There was little to do besides work out and sharpen the knife he kept in his pants pocket. He knew he could easily eliminate the guards posted at the doorway, but he refrained. In a sense, Savage had been right. The humans would always be his enemies. Now that Melissa was no longer with them, he wouldn’t have any qualms about killing Purity Force officers or anyone else who got in his way while rescuing the other cyborgs around the country.

Now he did whatever Savage asked of him and was merely part of a larger force. He had used his anger, forging it into something fresh and strong. Thunder had beaten it down until it had taken a new shape. His state of mind left him numb to anything but training and killing. He was a machine, not a man. It was time to forget Melissa and anything he once had with her.

The instructor helped them stretch and strengthen their muscles while doing intense cardiovascular training. They followed him to the letter, and all the soldiers moved in unison. “Come on, you pussies!” the instructor shouted. “I want to see perfect form on your squats. Otherwise, I’ll have you doing pushups until the sun sets!”

Thunder knew the threat was real, but that wasn’t what drove him to follow the trainer. He was willing to do pushups until the sun set and rose again if he thought it was necessary. He wanted the perfection only a cyborg could achieve. Human soldiers were physically superior to the civilian meat bags, but Thunder knew they were nothing compared to a cyborg.

The instructor stood up and wiped sweat off his face. “Time’s up! I expect to see every one of you back out here tomorrow morning for another session. If you’re not here and I notice it, I’ll tie your sorry ass to the back of a truck and drag you through the surf at high tide.”

The group disassembled and meandered off into the tents. Thunder trudged slowly through the camp, watching the cyborgs around him begin preparations for the night. Most of them kept the flaps of their shelters open to let in fresh night air. They hung sweaty shirts on poles and hooks to dry, ate out of small tin cans from the food stashed away in one of the buildings near the wall, and found ways to entertain themselves.

“Do you want to join us?” A newly rescued cyborg looked at Thunder curiously as he passed by the tent. The cyborg squatted on a small stool near a table in front of his shelter and dealt out playing cards to two other cyborgs.

Thunder shook his head and walked on. He didn’t need to sit down at a table to know that he would never be able to sit still and concentrate enough to win, no matter what game they chose. There was still plenty of time before they went out again, but he was not content to wait around idly.

All the action was happening at the center of camp. Larger tents were here, claimed by cyborgs who had established themselves as outranking the others. Specialized equipment filled them.

Dagger had modified his canvas structure. The side walls didn’t reach the ground. Instead, they were propped up on poles to create a pavilion. He sat inside on a low workbench surrounded by tools. A line out the door showed there were plenty of cyborgs who wanted things fixed. Dagger waved to Thunder as he passed by. The blonde cyborg gave an almost imperceptible nod before passing on. He didn’t want to stop and talk. He knew the skinny soldier had been near Melissa when she died. Talking to Dagger would make the memories worse.

Thunder ended up in front of the communications area. A few cyborgs had special software packages that let them monitor radio waves and television signals. Long ago some had been equipped with hardware that let them show information on small screens. Those days died when the rehabilitation program started. Despite their limitations, the cyborgs were always interested in doing their designed jobs.

Inside the tent, TV monitors, computers, radios, and unidentifiable metal boxes were stacked on top of one another. The dedicated cyborgs who sat in front of them tweaked knobs and twisted dials, continuously processing information as they became aware of it. Thunder found the sound of everything together to be irritating. He didn’t like hearing radio programs and television shows blast simultaneously.

He paused at the entrance flap, which someone had pinned back. Cyborgs weren’t particular about privacy. Anyone who wanted to watch the monitors was welcome to join communications. Thunder hadn’t bothered to visit this area before. He had wanted to keep a significant distance between himself and any humans. Something made him stop today.

A single monitor rested on top of a stack of equipment. It was high enough to brush the canvas ceiling and currently played a news program. In the picture, a woman sat behind a large, colorful desk and recited information humans found interesting from a teleprompter.

Thunder had seen the broadcasts before, and he had never understood the appeal. He already knew what the weather was going to be like the next day. All he had to do was look at the way clouds moved through the sky. Watching sports was nothing more than a way to pretend you were active without actually getting out and doing something. The other events newscasters spoke about were boring to anyone who wasn’t already involved with them. Television was typically a waste of time.

This particular airing was different. The woman at the desk identified herself as Carlita. She leaned forward and spoke dramatically while a photo of the holding facility appeared in the corner of the screen over her shoulder. “Most of you will remember the showdown late last week between Purity Force and a dangerous pack of cyborgs intent on freeing twenty prisoners in New York City. The firefight proved fatal for cyborgs and humans alike, but it isn’t over yet. Jim is on the scene with the story.”

“Make it louder.” Thunder gestured at the screen. One of the communication specialists jumped up and adjusted the volume.

The scene switched to a man standing outside an elegant building that was definitely not the holding facility. “Thanks, Carlita. I’m here at the Center for Pure Science, where officers have taken into custody a person who might have critical clues about the location of the rogue cyborg cell. Authorities say their leader is a cyborg going by the name of Savage. If there were a most wanted list for cyborgs, he would be at the top of it.”

The screen changed again, showing shaky footage of Savage and other soldiers as they made their way out of the old warehouse. Thunder wondered where they got the video. He saw Savage firing at Purity Force officers as he made his way to a vehicle. The man’s voice continued over the film as it played.

“We’ve learned some exclusive information. The fight in New York City was not only between the cyborgs and the Purity Force. A small group of Liberators was part of the plan. It’s not clear which teams were working together, but one of their own ended up being taken prisoner by the cyborgs. They captured Melissa Quinn, a college student from the Midwest, and held her as a hostage during the grisly battle. While many sources believed she had died when the building collapsed, the Center for Pure Science claims she is alive and well.”

The monitor changed to show Melissa. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail that didn’t do justice to her beauty. She had huge, dark circles under her eyes, and she refused to look at the camera.

Thunder’s blood rushed through his body like a swiftly moving river, pumping into his veins and brain. He understood from the other cyborgs that the things humans said on television weren’t always accurate. His heart told him they weren’t lying this time. Melissa was still alive. Purity Force hadn’t murdered her, and neither Savage nor Dagger had seen her dead body. His muscles started to twitch, fueled by the desire to act. He felt like running to Savage and giving him the punishment he deserved. But he needed to hear the rest of the broadcast. Thunder wasn’t leaving without learning the truth from the humans.

A different woman was on the screen now, with blonde hair and a lab coat. A reporter held a microphone in front of her face while asking questions. “Ms. Quinn sustained a few injuries during her time with the cyborgs, but most of them happened when she came back to us. A cyborg by the name of Compass threw her out of a moving vehicle and into the arms of Purity Force officers. She was lucky she only had a few broken bones. It’s a perfect example of what those beasts are willing to do to us.”

Thunder clenched his teeth and fists, imagining which one of Compass’s limbs he would rip out first.

“Do you feel that all cyborgs are dangerous?” the reporter asked. “Some people say they can be quite friendly.”

The doctor shook her head vigorously while pressing her lips together. “That kind of thinking is what gets people hurt. I am a doctor for humans, not man-made machines. I wouldn’t trust my life to a single one of them. They’re dangerous and unpredictable. Anyone who thinks differently is putting themselves and others at risk.”

The camera cut back to show Jim standing outside the building. Another figure had joined him. The new man had gunmetal gray hair and a suit jacket that seemed slightly too small for him. “Meet Director Sullivan.” Jim gestured to the guest. “He’s in charge here at the Center for Pure Science, and he thinks the patient might be able to lead them to Savage.”

Director Sullivan nodded. “That’s correct. Here at the Center, we study the mind of cyborgs as well as their bodily functions. We seek to understand how they think and what kind of logic they use. Our hope is that spending time with Melissa, who was heavily involved with the cyborgs for a few days, can give us clues which will help us discover Savage’s plans for the future. She doesn’t know it yet, but we think we can use her to predict cyborg behavior.”

Jim nodded and checked a piece of paper in his hand. “An inside source is telling us the cyborgs didn’t want to give up Melissa to Purity Force. Perhaps the interest was mutual. Did Melissa want to stay with the cyborgs? What your thoughts are on that?”

The older man glared at the reporter. “Who said that?”

Jim’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. “Our source wished to remain anonymous.”

“Of course they did!” Sullivan howled. “They know that if we found out their identity, they wouldn’t have a job by the end of the day. I know you and all the other reporters are looking for a story that can make people’s hearts drip pink sparkles, but look somewhere else. We designed cyborgs to be vicious. If you knew how they treated Ms. Quinn, you would understand. They can’t change their true nature. If our patient has a soft spot in her heart for these animals, it’s because she’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome.”

“Are you a psychiatrist, Director?”

Sullivan angrily waved his hands through the air. “No, I am not. I’m just trying to make a point. I’m finished with this interview.” He turned his back on the camera and stomped up the steps of the medical facility, disappearing quickly into the building.

Jim watched him leave before addressing the camera with a bemused grin. “You saw it with your own eyes, folks. Purity Force has not only found Melissa Quinn alive but believes she may be able to help them locate the cyborgs who abducted her. Back to you, Carlita.”

Thunder had heard enough. All his suffering over the last few days had been for nothing. The humans had not killed Melissa. Even worse, cyborgs had lied to his face trying to keep him away from her.

He had been itching to do something. He wanted to act even though his orders were to wait. Now he knew what he was going to do.