Chapter Fifteen

Rachel was ecstatic when Wrath finally brought the formation to a halt by announcing, “We’ll stop here.” She had felt like extra baggage while Weapon carried her. The trip had lasted forever and the cyborg had not made the journey pleasant. There had been no attempts to be gentle or polite. Once Rachel had recovered from her panic attack, she began to worry about hitting her head while riding over the shoulder of the scarred cyborg.

Though she appreciated the break, Rachel wished they had already emerged on the other side of the wretched tunnels. She didn’t know precisely where they were, but it couldn’t be anywhere near the surface. Pitch-black darkness surrounded her. She wished she had asked Wrath how long they would be underground, but she wasn’t confident he would have answered her. He had been avoiding her since their last conversation over the rattlesnake meat. Wrath had refused to glance at her.

Without warning, a blinding flash of light illuminated the room. Rachel blinked her eyes rapidly to see that the cyborgs had lit a few torches. The company was in a large rocky cavern with reddish-brown walls. She had never been good at estimating measurements, but she thought there would be enough room for everyone to stretch out and rest.

The small lights Green Squad had activated were sufficient to light up the floor and the walls, but the light wasn’t able to penetrate the cloak of darkness hiding the ceiling. The floor was level here but still rocky. She had imagined they were heading to a grand cyborg throne room. It looked just like another cave, but it was wider than the tunnels.

Wrath pointed to a smaller cavern off to the side. “Put the humans in there.”

Weapon didn’t give Rachel the opportunity to get up and walk into the other room by herself. He snatched her by the waist and carried her to the cavern under his arm. Wire violently pushed on Clayton’s shoulder, forcing him to stumble along. Another cyborg materialized and stood guard at the entrance to the humans’ makeshift prison cell.

Weapon cut through the bindings around their wrists with a large knife and gave them a single light. They were then left alone while the cyborgs prepared food. Rachel wasn’t sure if the meal was breakfast or dinner, but at this point, she didn’t care as long as she ate. The little bit of rattlesnake hadn’t settled well in her stomach, and she was willing to eat anything, even if it was raw.

As she waited, Rachel studied the room. She could see all the way to the ceiling because it was only about eight feet high. The room was round and big enough for both of them to relax without disturbing each other. She was happy to stretch her cramped muscles; Rachel had been bending over or stumbling for a long time.

“I want you to know that I’m sorry for everything,” Clayton whispered as he slowly sank to the cave floor. The purple swelling on the side of his face was starkly visible even in the dim light. “It’s my fault that we’re in this situation.”

Rachel shook her head. The slight motion was enough to make her dizzy after the forced march on no food. She lay down, putting her arms under her head to keep the rocks from digging into her skin. “There was no way you could have known what would happen here.”

She tried to sound generous, but Clayton didn’t deserve forgiveness. Rachel couldn’t deny that she was only here because Clayton had insisted on continuing the mission after the cyborgs obliterated the vans. Then again, she didn’t have to follow him up the hill to the cyborgs’ den. “We still have a chance of making it out of here alive, unlike everyone else.”

The consultant nodded sadly. “I’ve only been with Cyborg Sector for six months and never made an effort to get to know anybody. I thought the assignment was temporary, so there was no point in making lifelong friends. I didn’t realize how short life was. Everyone was kind to me and much nicer than I deserved.”

“Why do you say that?” Rachel had already taken a measure of Clayton and knew he fell below her personal standards, but it felt nice to have an ordinary conversation with another human that didn’t necessarily have a point. She had expended too much energy trying to convince Wrath about their identities. Talking wouldn’t be an effort with Clayton. Rachel lifted her head off her hands and rubbed the sore spots where the rope had chafed her skin.

Clayton tipped his head back against the stone wall as he spoke. “I was there to eliminate their jobs. Everyone knew that. If I saw work being done by two people that could have been done by one, someone got laid off that day. They had every right to hate me. Somehow they managed to accept how things were.”

Rachel shifted on the floor as she tried to get into a more comfortable position before she sat on the ground again. “I heard they got great severance packages,” she volunteered, “and a lot of them ended up working in rehabilitation. Weren’t they all scientists? I’m sure they were logical. They knew things weren’t your fault.”

Clayton nodded but didn’t seem convinced. He stared at the floor, but it looked like his mind was back in Cyborg Sector. “Dr. Green was unbelievable. That man knew things that made me feel like my work was pointless and I had wasted my life with my job. I just went to school and got a degree like everyone else. My big accomplishment was shutting down corporations all over the country. Dr. Green was producing things and trying to solve problems. Wrath was right. I’m completely useless.”

“Don’t say that.” Rachel didn’t feel particularly close to Clayton, but she knew any negative talk would just bring them both down. She wanted to keep alive a secret hope that they would escape from the cyborgs. Clayton’s despair wasn’t going to help either of them. If she saw a chance to flee, she was going to need help. “I’m sure you’ve accomplished plenty in the past. You’ll do more in the future.”

Clayton looked at her curiously, his pale green eyes suddenly back in the present. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a beautiful woman. You don’t have to do a single thing. Everyone will still praise you. Even so, being a reporter means you get information to people and make sure they know about important things. That’s still helping the public and means you have a legacy to leave behind, unlike me.”

Rachel wasn’t sure if she should take his words as a compliment or an insult, so she decided to change the topic of conversation. “I was nothing like the other reporters. What about Samantha Houston? She was a serious journalist and also practically a celebrity. She had done overseas reporting in hot war zones. I’ve never done anything like that, but I don’t regret it.” She gave Donnie the cameraman a quick thought. He was now nothing more than a piece of meat somewhere in the desert. She should have been nicer to him.

“Samantha was beautiful,” Clayton agreed, “but don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got something that she could never have.” He pushed himself to his knees and crawled over to Rachel’s side of the cave. “She was hot, but a guy could tell that she was cold on the inside. Not like you. You’re warm and inviting. You have a girl-next-door vibe.”

Rachel suddenly became uncomfortable under his gaze and struggled to sit up. She couldn’t have a serious discussion with Clayton with him looking down at her lustfully. But as she braced herself up on her elbows, he reached out and put a hand over her shoulder.

“No, don’t get up. You look great where you are with your hair falling all over the ground. You know, I’ve never been into art, but I can appreciate beauty wherever I see it. We’re both going to die soon, you know. If my end is near, I ought to go out on a high note. What better way than by being with a woman so attractive that a cyborg can’t resist her?” Clayton bent his head forward, moving to kiss her lips.

“Stop!” Clayton’s grip on her shoulder was surprisingly powerful, but Rachel managed to shove him away. “I’m very flattered, I assure you, but I’m not interested.”

Clayton sat up and could barely suppress a sneer on his lips. “Are you kidding me? We’re the last two people around, and I’m not good enough for you? You’d rather go fuck a cyborg? Well, let me tell you something. Those robot men have tiny little dicks. I guarantee it.”

Rachel began to wonder how hard Wrath had hit Clayton. He seemed to be losing his mind. “I’m not interested in any of that with anyone. All I want is to get out of here alive. I’m sure you want the same thing. They’ll bring us food, and we can get some rest. Everything will look different in the morning.” She wondered if it was even nighttime right now. She supposed the time of day was irrelevant. Rachel would get no rest being so close to Clayton.

“Do you know what I think?” Clayton had not returned to his side of the cave. He was on his knees, trying to intimidate Rachel with his height. “I think Wrath is right about you. You’re a spy, just not a spy for Cyborg Sector. You’re watching me for the cyborgs. You’re reporting back to them on everything I say. Hell, for all I know you are a cyborg.”

“That’s ridiculous. I came to New Mexico on the same plane as you. I had never even seen a cyborg until we arrived.” She wanted to move farther away from him, but the wall stopped her.

Clayton wasn’t listening to her. He had already convinced himself that he was right. “It makes sense. You didn’t die in the van accident. What a happy coincidence.”

“Neither did you!” Rachel was starting to get angry. Why was Clayton suddenly making these accusations?

“It’s the only explanation for your actions. I’ve seen the way you look at Wrath, that big behemoth you claim you once knew. Your eyes reveal all of your feelings. I know it, and I’m sure he does too. The only way you’d prefer him over the only other human around would be if you’re working for them. I’ll show you.” Clayton started to nod. His eyes glittered as they swept over her body. “I can make you remember what it means to be human.”

He grabbed Rachel by the shoulders, shoving her painfully to the ground. The motion scraped her back against the rocks behind her. Before she knew it, Clayton was on top of her, his weight pinning her painfully against the rough floor of the cave. “There are plenty of things you and I can do together that a cyborg wouldn’t understand. You think you want him? He’s just a machine. What does he know about pleasing a woman? You don’t want a cold robot, Rachel. You want a warm human.” He pushed her shirt up over her breasts.

Rachel tried to pull it back down, but he grabbed her hands by the wrist and slammed them to the ground. He straddled her and pressed his erect cock against her body. She tried to squirm out from under him, but her struggles were fruitless. The motion only made him press down harder.

“Oh, yeah, baby. Keep on doing that. We’ll have a good time together.” Clayton buried his face in her breasts.

The noise that erupted throughout the cavern sounded like an animal cry. It was a shriek that could have come from a dragon guarding its hoard of gold or a banshee wailing in the Irish countryside. Once it had subsided, Rachel realized that it had come from her mouth. The noise didn’t dissuade Clayton from doing what he wanted, but it summoned Wrath.

He stood in the doorway between the cyborgs and humans, eyes darting from side to side and nostrils flaring. “What are you doing?” His bellowing voice filled the cave as much as Rachel’s scream had.

Before Clayton had a chance to run away, Wrath reached down and grabbed him with one hand. He easily picked up the human and threw him against the opposite wall. The air was knocked out of Clayton’s lungs with an audible grunt as he hit the rock and fell to the floor. He crumpled into a ball and stayed there with his nose leaking blood.

Rachel was grateful that the cyborg had saved her, but she shriveled in fear at the way he looked at her. His hands curled into fists, and his blue eyes blazed in the dim light. She flinched as he reached for her, expecting the same treatment as Clayton. Perhaps this would be the end for her. She wouldn’t survive the impact. Her corpse would rot in an underground dungeon.

Instead of swinging his fists, Wrath pulled Rachel to her feet. Her head reeled as she looked up at Wrath. “The girl stays with me.” Wrath wrapped his hand firmly around her wrist as they left the smaller cave together.

As they emerged into the larger cavern filled with cyborgs, Rachel felt shy as all their eyes turned toward her. Wrath gestured to a corner where she obediently sat down. He lay down in front of her, facing away, and didn’t speak. Rachel did her best to sleep.