Chapter Eleven

The pain in Wrath’s body increased in intensity. It had started as a mild throbbing behind his biochip, but the more he listened to the girl the worse it became. Rays of agony swept through his brain. He’d had injuries before, but they had never felt like this. Something felt different about the girl. What was she doing to him and why did it hurt so much? Why did it have to happen now and make him look weak in front of the humans?

He finally regained his voice when the waves of torment slowly began to subside. “You’re trying to trick me. Nothing you say is true.” Wrath had to deny her words to keep himself from going berserk. He couldn’t possibly admit that her words had penetrated his mind, hammering at his brain and demanding acknowledgment.

Everything she said had to be a lie, but he didn’t know a way to prove it. The stories of the two humans matched, making it even harder to disbelieve.

A howl of frustration escaped his lips. Wrath beat his fists against a wooden table. The cyborg could barely feel the pain of the splintering wood against his skin. He didn’t know if she was right or not. He smashed the table repeatedly and heard the crackle of the boards as they began to split. The sharp points stabbed into his hands, but he wouldn’t stop the destruction. He wanted more. The self-inflicted pain was real and undeniable. It did not require knowledge, decisions, or understanding.

Wrath was breathing heavily now. He was spent physically from charging the plasma gun without using it and challenged emotionally by the female. Without hesitation, Wrath grabbed the wooden chair and raised it over his head. It shattered to pieces as he smashed it against the cave floor, sending parts of the seat flying throughout the room. Pieces of debris bounced off Weapon’s arm, but the cyborg didn’t flinch. Several others clattered against the stone wall and scattered across the ground.

Rachel cringed, covering her face with her hands and cowering against the wall. Wrath instantly regretted his rash actions but didn’t know why. Didn’t the woman deserve to be scared after everything she had done to him since her arrival?

“Explain to me why you’re wearing Cyborg Sector clothing if you are nothing more than an innocent reporter. You want me to believe you but offer no evidence. The sight of the insignia on your chest proves that you are my enemy.”

Rachel looked down at herself like she realized what she was wearing for the first time. She clutched uselessly at the collar of the shirt, looking like she would rip it off in an instant if she thought it would help her case. “One of the scientists gave it to me when I spilled coffee on my top. Look at this. It doesn’t even fit me properly.” Rachel held out her arms.

Her motion made the material stretch across her breasts and enticingly cling to her waist. Wrath stared at her body thoughtfully. Perhaps he could find uses for her even if she was working with Cyborg Sector. Rachel caught the look in his eyes and quickly wrapped her arms around her body again.

The guard at the door called out to Wrath. “Sir, there is another vehicle approaching our position. It is alone.”

Wrath looked at Clayton. “Who is it?”

The consultant shrugged. “I have no idea. It might be someone from the government. I haven’t been in communication with anyone since I came into the cave.” He hung his head sheepishly. “But I did call for backup once you destroyed our vans.”

Wrath took several quick steps toward Clayton, ready to give him another pounding.

“What did you expect me to do?” Clayton blurted as he tried to shrink against the wall. “Wouldn’t you have done the same as me if you were outnumbered and alone?”

The blonde cyborg paused while holding his fist in the air. “A cyborg is programmed to rely on his brothers. When they are gone, he relies on himself. Do you know why, human? Because there is no one else to do the job.” He let his hand fly, smashing into Clayton’s jaw and sending his head spinning on his neck. He watched as the consultant fell to the floor. Clayton was hurt but still conscious.

“What did you tell them?”

The side of Clayton’s face was beginning to swell up. Rachel could see an unusual shade of purple developing underneath his skin. “Barely anything. The explosions and that we’re alive.” He pointed a pale finger at the other side of the cave toward Rachel. “But that’s all.”

Wrath nodded. “So they are coming here with the idea that cyborgs are murderers. There’s no need to disappoint them. My cyborgs will arm themselves.”

“Please don’t escalate the situation,” Rachel whispered from her side of the shelter. “The higher the body count, the harder Cyborg Sector will work to kill you.”

“Why do you think that matters to me? I am dead either way. If I cooperate, they will take me back and terminate me. If I fight, I can die with honor.”

“I don’t think they want to kill you,” the girl protested. “I’ve seen what they’ve done for the other cyborgs. Rehabilitation changes cyborgs. They can help you recover your memories as a human and readjust to living a civilian life. There are programs to help you get a job, a house, and a car. Some of the cyborgs have families now. I’ve seen it. I’ve covered it on the news more times than I can count.”

“Maybe I don’t want rehabilitation. Do you really want a news story? You’ll have one by the time we finish here, but you might not be alive to tell it.” He addressed the guard at the mouth of the cave. “Watcher, what’s their progress?”

The warrior didn’t bother to look over his shoulder to give the report. Instead, he kept his eyes on the intruders. “They have stopped at the site of the explosion, and are searching the area. They appear to be looking for survivors.”

“Let me know if they start approaching our position. We don’t have any other mines in place, but that will give us a chance to—” A tinny, jangling tune interrupted Wrath. It was coming from Clayton’s body.

The man remained sprawled across the floor. He started going through his pockets frantically with shaking fingers. “It’s my phone,” he quickly explained when he saw Wrath’s cold gaze on him. “It’s probably the same people you’re looking at.” Clayton finally pulled the phone out of his pants and held it to his ear. “Hello? Yes, we are with the cyborgs. I don’t think they’re ready to return to Cyborg Sector.” He paused, listening to someone talking to him on the other side of the connection, then looked up at Wrath and held the phone out to him. “They want to speak with you.”

Wrath snatched the device out of Clayton’s hands. “What do you want?”

“My name is Sergeant Dickson, and I am with the Sheriff’s Department. We understand that you have two hostages, and I’m asking you to release them. We’d like to get this incident resolved without any further bloodshed.” The voice on the line sounded brusque and efficient. Wrath might have been able to appreciate the human’s dedication to duty if the situation had been different. “I’m sure you want the same thing. Send the two humans out unharmed. After that, we can talk about working something out for all of you.”

“Sheriff, I may be a cyborg, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. If I send the humans to you, what is preventing you from attacking us? We are not returning to Cyborg Sector.”

Dickson was not ready to give up. “Please give me your identifying number. I want to know with whom I am speaking.”

Wrath snorted. “My identifier is Wrath. This conversation bores me.” He hurled the phone away and watched it smash against the rocks, landing in pieces at Clayton’s feet.

As he looked at the phone wreckage, the cyborg wondered if he had made a mistake. Keeping the humans meant figuring out a plan for them. They were frustrating creatures, and the easiest thing to do would be to kill both of them. But the woman possessed an alluring quality that was awakening primal urges in his body.

The pain in Wrath’s head started again.