Chapter Three

The cyborg observation specialist poked his head through the entrance of the cave to speak with the squad leader. “We have incoming vehicles, sir. Two vans.”

Wrath looked up at his soldier and squinted his eyes in thought. He had abandoned the designation MD-782 long ago. Cyborg Sector had given him that name, and he was eager to break all ties with the group of filthy humans who had betrayed them. It hadn’t taken long to choose a new name for himself. He was a weapon made of human flesh and machine. One day, he would use his abilities for vengeance against Cyborg Sector. He was Wrath, and his companions accepted the change without question. Following his lead, they had chosen new names for themselves as well.

“Thank you, Watcher. Can you determine the origin of these vehicles? We don’t see a lot of traffic here.” In this remote area of the desert, all they ever saw was an isolated backpacker. There had never been cars before.

Watcher shook his head. “They are plain white vans and unmarked. The license plates don’t appear to be government-issue. I won’t know for sure until they get closer to us.”

Wrath nodded. “Keep your eye on them, and let me know as soon as you find out. I want plenty of time to plan an attack if it’s necessary.”

“Why are we waiting? Let’s just blow them up now,” suggested a soldier from the back of the cave. He had been sitting with his feet propped up on a rock while he sharpened his knife. His boots fell to the hard-packed earth, and his dark eyes glittered with excitement at the news of intruders.

“We need more information first, Weapon.” Wrath had had a hard enough time containing his own anger, and it had been a challenge to help the ammunitions specialist control himself as well. The man was an expert in battle strategy, and he had been itching to use his skills. “If they are hostiles, there’s no point in giving away our position too soon. We don’t know if another convoy is following them.”

Wrath looked at his communications specialist out of the corner of his eye. Wire stared blankly at the cave wall as he accessed his databases, then shook his head. His computer systems had begun to deteriorate without regular maintenance from Cyborg Sector. The time in the cave had not been kind to their cybernetic parts.

He wondered if the decision to stay in the terrorists’ cave had been correct. At the time, Green Squad had no further instructions from Cyborg Sector and no summons to return. They didn’t have a place to go. Cyborg Sector had programmed them with mission parameters to kill particular people, not to live in the desert. Their onboard computers had not contained information relevant to their new situation.

Fortunately, it had not taken long to settle into the cave. The terrorists had lived simply but had filled the cave with furniture, weapons, and food stores. It was the safest place the cyborgs would find in the desert and provided excellent cover from any potential enemies.

Wrath admired the way the terrorists had set up their base. It was high in a rocky outcropping. The cave provided not only shelter from the weather but also a good view of any approaching parties. Any soldiers on guard duty could see for miles in all directions. A small creek nearby ran through a narrow, rocky arroyo and was their primary source of water. When the cyborgs had consumed the stored food stockpiled by the terrorists, they turned to local wildlife for sustenance. They managed to catch snakes, lizards, birds, and the occasional coyote. Wrath had forbidden Green Squad to use plasma guns for hunting, but the radicals had provided plenty of conventional guns and bullets.

It didn’t take long for Watcher to return. “They’re headed directly toward our location, sir. I have new information to report. Their shirts have the Cyborg Sector logo.” The younger soldier licked his lips nervously as he waited for a reaction from Wrath or the other cyborgs. If the intruders were from Cyborg Sector, they were the last people any of them wanted to see.

“Should I take care of them?” Weapon set down his knife and started checking his arsenal. Like the other cyborgs, he had a plasma gun built into his hand, but he took pride in taking care of the armaments the humans had left behind. Weapon had carefully cleaned and maintained them ever since the cyborgs took up residence in the shelter. Without waiting for orders, he stood and reached for a large gun resting on a natural rock shelf.

“Not yet.” Wrath wanted the humans from Cyborg Sector to die just as badly as Weapon did, but he wanted to make sure the unit survived as well. They had limited ammunition. Wrath didn’t want to waste it on a small group of humans if a larger group was coming right after them. “Let’s see if they get past our border security first.”

Wrath stepped outside the cave and looked off in the direction of the enemy. The two vehicles were still far away, but it wouldn’t be long before they met Green Squad’s first line of defense. Eliminating humans by hand provided a sense of satisfaction, but the explosives seized from the terrorists might do the job for them.