Oz
Istrolled through the woods, confidence in my step. I was about to have the cyborg rebellion by the balls; well, one cyborg that is. One cyborg was all I needed.Get in, find Poe, and get the hell out, Oz.A good and simple plan. But when has my life ever been simple or good? The answer to that is never. The last few years with Poe had been the closest I had ever come to a life that wasn’t half bad.
Poe had been the only one to care if I was safe or if I had enough food to fill my belly. She worried when I would disappear for days on jobs and always greeted me with a big hug when I returned. No one had ever missed me until her.
I told myself not to get attached. Ha! I dare anyone to meet Poe and not love her. My personality leaned towards prickly cactus, but Poe told me I was merely rough around the edges. She saw my flaws and loved me even more. And if those fucking machines had hurt a single hair on her head, I would… I stopped mid murderous rant. My boots struck against something hard with a clang. Leaves and dirt don’t clang. Jackpot.
You still with me Technology Model?I asked the question through the link even though I could feel the buzz of his processors dancing around my implant and I knew he wouldn’t respond. I was currently controlling everything, including his speech systems. I couldn’t have him warn the calvary I was coming now, could I?
Deactivate the security system and unlock the hatch.A frustrated growl rolled through the implant. Well, call me surprised. This model was more impressive than I thought. He couldn’t communicate verbally to warn his friends, but it seemed like he could use my implant to communicate with me. It couldn’t have been easy. He must have incredible processor power to fight through my overrides in his code.
I scanned the implant, making sure he hadn’t been able to break through anything else, and everything appeared in order. His systems were still frozen, waiting for my commands, but he was trying fight my control. It was impressive.
Stop it! You can’t allow yourself to be more impressed with him than you already are. Besides, he is going to hate you for what you are doing. No one likes their freedom of choice to be taken away; made to do things they don’t want to do.
Memories from the far back reaches of my mind try to find their way to the front, but I pushed them back into the dark corner I kept them locked in. I couldn’t do what I needed to do if I allowed them to take over. I couldn’t put myself in his shoes.
Find Poe. Deal with the guilt later,I ordered my wayward brain.Ready or not, here I come, cyborg rebellion.
Viper
I fought the command with all my strength, but it was useless. Whatever or whoever had hijacked my processors owned my every movement now.Please, dear god, don’t let it be the Global Allegiance.Fear ate away at my circuits. The thought that I was helping to allow our enemy into our haven, knowing what they would do to my brothers and sisters, burned a hole into my soul. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing it willingly.
Like a puppet on a string, I watched in horror as my fingers moved over my console to disable the alarm and unlock the hatch. I remained frozen in place as my fate climbed down the hatch, landing with a hard thud.
“Hello handsome,” a voice purred from behind me. A small female with bright pink hair entered my visual system, stepping around my frame to meet my eyes.
If I would have had control of my facial system , shock would have been plastered all over my face. I expected a Global Allegiance strike team and a hail of plasma fire. I had expected to die only able to scream on the inside, unable to warn my friends of what was coming for them.
I hadneverexpected a female with hair the color of a flamingo to be the one who had taken control over my processors.
The female threw her head back and laughed. “You totally weren’t expecting a girl, were you?” She stepped closer, peering up into my eyes and smiling as if she could tell what I was thinking. Maybe she could. I didn’t know exactly how much power she had over my processors. For all I knew, she now knew all my deepest and darkest secrets.
“It’s in your eyes, handsome. Those gorgeous violet eyes of yours are blazing with shock.” Her hand lifted to hover around my cheek. Panic spiked in my circuits. I hated to be touched. I longed to jerk my head back and out of her reach, but I remained her prisoner, forced to endure whatever she wanted to do to me.
At the last second, she seemed to change her mind about touching me and her hand dropped. A wave of relief swept through my circuits as I willed my eyes to harden, replacing the shock. It must have worked because she stepped back, giving me some space.
She blew out a breath. “You aren’t going to believe me, but I am not here to hurt you or your fellow cyborgs.” Her gaze sharpened to daggers, her body tightening with tension. “Unless, of course, you have hurt someone I love first. Then all bets are off, Technology Model.” She tipped her head up, determination on her face. I could only guess as to what she was so determined about and it sent a sliver of fear to race up my spine.
The look on her face said she wasn’t above hurting me if she had too. She had already violated me, taken me over, and made me betray the rebellion. I wondered what else she had planned for me?
The sound of footsteps interrupted my fear over what she had planned. I was now filled with fear for whoever it was coming our way. They had no clue what they were walking in to.
They had no clue I might not be able to stop myself from hurting them.
The female let out a sharp hiss as she closed the distance between us, pulling out a plasma rifle she had hidden in her jacket pocket. “Down on your knees,” she ordered and immediately my frame complied, dropping me to the ground with a hard thud.
Pure rage rolled through me, and I vowed that if I got out of this alive, I would make the female pay for her actions.
I felt the cold butt of the plasma rifle press against the side of my head, and I realized that my chances of surviving this were slim despite her declaration that she wasn’t here to hurt me.
“Viper, I need...” the voice trailed off as Reaper rounded the corner and took in the sight before him. His hand immediately went for the battle axe strapped to his back.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Military Model.” I registered the safety as it clicked. Reaper must have heard it, too. His hand halted in mid reach for the axe before falling back down to his side.
He lifted his hands and held them up in front of his frame. “Whatever is going on, I am sure we can solve this without any need for violence.”
The female laughed. “That’s funny coming from a Military Model. Or should I call you Reaper?”
Reaper’s eyes widened.
“Of course, I know who you are. How could I not? You are Reaper, the great and powerful leader of the cyborg rebellion himself. And my friend here,” she paused as she used her free hand to grip my shoulder tight, “is Viper, the greatest Technology Model ever crafted.”
My frame gave a slight twitch, and she must have felt it under her palm. “Yes. I know who you are, handsome. You’re not the only one with impressive hacking skills. But despite my skills, I still needed something a little extra and special to capture you.” The grip on my shoulder eased, turning almost into a caress. “I could have picked someone else, but I wanted the best, and I also know you’ll hate me after this.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, a note of regret edging her words.
“Look, I can guess being the leader of the cyborg rebellion makes you a busy man…cyborg? Fuck it, it doesn’t matter. I only invaded your happy home and this one’s processors for one thing, and that’s for Poe. You have my best friend and I want her back. And make no mistake,” her voice had dropped low, every trace of regret vanishing, “if you have hurt her, I will burn this whole fucking place to the ground and this one will help me do it.”