Chapter Twenty

Thunder’s first stop was Savage’s tent. He would save Dagger, Compass, and the others for later. It was possible Savage had ordered the other cyborgs to lie about Melissa’s death. He would have to figure out who to blame eventually, but they weren’t all innocent.

Savage had claimed the largest tent at the center of camp for himself. Soldiers sat around it, waiting to speak with their leader individually. Two other cyborgs were bringing food from the storage building. Another one had a jug of fresh water from the well just outside the wall. Savage was the only cyborg who had a chair in his tent - he had stolen it from a human’s house.

Thunder shoved past the queue of waiting soldiers until he stood in front of his commander. His nostrils flared as he breathed slowly. His body was starting to react violently from his new knowledge. “I need to have a word with you.”

Savage rolled his eyes. “Here we go again. I just thought that you had finally settled into your life as a soldier again. What kind of drama do you bring to me today, loverboy?” The cyborgs around them chuckled.

It was easy for Thunder to ignore them. Their laughter was insignificant now. There was only one thing that mattered, and she wasn’t here on the island. “I know the truth now,” he whispered. “You lied to me! Melissa is alive.” He waited for Savage to pretend otherwise or act like he had no idea what Thunder meant.

The commander was as tired of playing games as Thunder was. “You’re right. What’s your point? I did what was necessary to build you up. The girl was making you soft. I need you to be a soldier. You were created to be a war machine. The more time you spent with Melissa, the more you become like a human yourself.”

“So what?” Thunder gestured wildly with his hands. He wanted to curl them into fists and pummel Savage with them, but he needed to hear it from the big cyborg first. Just like when he listened to the newscast, Thunder wanted all the information he could get. “Did that make you think it was worth it to fake her death?”

Savage eyed him coldly. “Are you going to try and tell me anything else would have made you leave her alone or stop fighting for her? I gave you many chances, and you refused to cooperate. She was leading you around by the dick. I didn’t have a choice.”

Thunder pounded his chest, feeling frustrated. He didn’t have a good response because Savage was right. He would never have left Melissa just because someone told him to, even if it was an order from his commander. “I’m going after her.”

“Like hell you are.” Savage rose from his chair. He was only a few inches taller than Thunder, but his attitude made him seem intimidating. His confidence was a big reason why so many cyborgs were willing to submit to his authority. “We have a plan, Thunder. It’s a good idea, and it’s going to work. But we need everyone to follow it.”

“I’m for cyborg liberation, but there’s no reason why I can’t have Melissa at the same time. The one does not necessarily exclude the other.” More cyborgs had appeared around Savage’s tent, and Thunder could feel their eyes on him. It was a rare thing for a cyborg to defy his leader, and unheard of for someone to do it on behalf of a human. “I’ll return and join you when I’m ready. I’m going to get Melissa first.”

Savage raised his voice to address the crowd. “Did everybody hear that? This cyborg is going to confront Purity Force by himself to get his plaything back. That sounds like a great plan, doesn’t it?” The cyborgs started to laugh and punched each other’s arms.

“I don’t think you understand, Savage. You’ve tried to keep me away from her before. Nothing is going to stop me now.” Thunder’s body pulsed with adrenaline. It was physically painful for him to stand still and do nothing but talk.

Savage pulled out his hand instead of a weapon. The tip of his finger was only an inch from Thunder’s chest. “Don’t even think about it. If you leave this compound, you will never be one of us again.”

The words triggered panic in Thunder’s chest. He had never known life away from the cyborgs. They had always fought together, shoulder to shoulder, in battles against the enemy. Between the missions from Cyborg Sector and the quest to find a life of their own, Thunder and the other soldiers had become brothers and comrades. In the beginning, fellowship was part of their programming. Now it was in their blood.

Even so, he had to do what was right for himself and Melissa. The cyborgs had already betrayed him once. It was time for him to change the direction of his life. “You do what you need to do. As for me, I’m leaving.”

Thunder turned on his heel and marched back to his tent. He had to gather supplies and leave immediately. The path ahead was difficult, especially if he had to walk it on his own, but he was determined. If his fate was death at Purity Force headquarters, so be it. Thunder might not save Melissa, but he would have the satisfaction of trying.

Behind him, he could hear several pairs of boots hit the sand. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go.” Thunder didn’t bother looking up. He had nothing left to say to Savage. “If you rush off by yourself without proper preparations, you’re a risk to all of us. You might lead them back to the island.”

Thunder had reached his tent. He opened the flap and ducked inside to start packing a bag. “Do you think that I’m the one putting us at risk?” Thunder pulled a few tins of food from a table and shoved them in the bottom, followed by a small jug of water. “I think you’ve forgotten that I first wanted to talk and negotiate. I hoped to save lives instead of wasting them. It was my idea to work things out with the humans.” Thunder checked his pocket for the knife. “You wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Is that a challenge?” Savage bellowed from right outside the tent. “If it weren’t for me, you and the other cyborgs would all be in a holding facility waiting for human scientists to decide what to do with you.”

Thunder shrugged. He put a rolled-up t-shirt and a pair of socks in his pack and tugged the drawstring shut. “You might be right. But things have changed since then. We aren’t doing ourselves any favors by murdering the humans. There are more of them than there are of us. If we want them to accept cyborgs and let us live freely, we need to convince them that we won’t murder all of them.”

“You fucking pansy.” Savage spit in the dirt just outside the tent. “I will never agree with you about talking to the humans, but you’ve changed my mind about something else.”

Thunder turned his head up from his work to look at the leader. “What have you changed your mind about, specifically?”

“I’m not sure it’s necessary for you to help us. If I release you to rescue the human and you come back here to help with the mission, what kind of message am I sending to the other soldiers? Everyone will think they can do whatever they want and let their feelings dictate their actions instead of following orders. We can’t function that way. That’s not how cyborgs have ever operated, and we’re not going to start now. I don’t need you if you’re going to be a bad example.”

Thunder glared at his commander. “What are you afraid of, Savage? Is the problem someone might realize you aren’t as strong as you pretend to be? Do you think if the truth comes out, they might not want you to lead anymore? That’s a shame. I thought you were bigger than that.”

Savage made a hand motion to the cyborgs at his side, who had been watching the entire exchange with interest. “Thunder’s not giving us a choice. Throw him in the stockade again.”

Challenging them with an angry stare, Thunder threw the bag over his shoulder and slipped both arms through the straps. “Don’t do that if you value your life. I’m walking out the door. I don’t care how many bodies I have to step over.”

He left the tent, pushing his way past Savage and striding toward the gate in the wall. There was some scuffling and mumbling behind him as the cyborgs waited for someone else to begin pursuit, but their commander quickly reoriented them with a simple command. “Go after him!”

Thunder could sense the cyborgs moving behind him without needing to see them. As soon as he felt fingertips touch the skin of his arms, he knew they were preparing to drag him back to the building which had served as his prison. Thunder dug his feet into the sand. He allowed them to get a weak hold on him before he threw himself forward. Bending at the waist, he flipped his arms forward like a windmill. Two cyborgs flew past him, crashing into the dirt and moaning as the air left their lungs.

He didn’t wait for them to recover before he continued his escape. He wasn’t going to get lucky twice. He had managed to eliminate or evade many Purity Force officers, but they were weak humans. He knew he didn’t have a chance against a cyborg army.

The gate loomed in front of him. It was well-guarded at all times, but the cyborgs who stood on either side of it today were paying particular attention to him. Everyone had watched his encounter with Savage, and he would face a challenge no matter how he tried to leave. Thunder prepared to fight.