Viper
“Oz!” Poe’s scream of alarm rang out and I raced to the bathroom without thought. The sight that greeted me made the fluid in my circuits run cold.
Oz was unconscious in Poe’s arms, blood streaming from her nose, a shocking trail of red standing out stark on her much too pale skin.
I fumbled for my comm then realized I could get her to the lab faster if I took her myself. “Give her to me,” I ordered, reaching out my arms to take her. Poe’s arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go.
“She doesn’t have time for this!” I growled, making a grab for Oz, tugging her free from Poe’s grasp.
As soon as my processors determined I had her in a secure hold, I fled the bathroom, racing out into the hallway, my feet on a direct path to the lab.
I didn’t look back to see if Poe was following, not caring either way. My only mission was the female who was too fucking still in my arms.
“I need help,” I shouted, panic in my voice as I used my boot to kick the doors to the lab open. Axios and Dax raced towards my frantic shout, skidding to a halt in front of me, their eyes going wide at the sight of Oz in my arms.
“She collapsed,” I informed them as Dax pulled out a scanner, running it over her frame. The scanner beeped and the Science Model turned a pale shade of green.
“On the table now!” He ordered at the same time Axios growled, “Give her to me!”
There was no way he was taking her. “Never.” I rammed my shoulder into him, pushing his frame out of my way to run to the nearest exam table. I had to order my arms to let go and place her on the table, my every circuit protesting at releasing her from my hold.
“Is she…will she…” I couldn’t finish.
Dax glared at me. “I don’t know.”
Those three words were like a punch to the gut, and I stumbled backward. If Dax didn’t know then…then…I stared at Oz, terror zipping through my veins, unable to process that we…I…could lose her.
A hand grabbed my arm, tugging me away from the table, and I let out a snarl.
“They need room to work,” Reaper stated calmly, ignoring my outburst. “Come with me, Viper.”
I shook my head. I wanted to stay. Ineededto stay.
“I wasn’t asking, Technology Model.” His hold on me tightened. I wanted to scream that if it was Aria on the table, he would never leave her.
But Oz wasn’t mine.
I wasn’t her cyborg. I had been her captor. I had no right to demand to stay.
I met Reaper’s worried blue eyes. He didn’t want to fight me. “Will,” I swallowed hard, “will you let me know if she is, okay?”Or not.I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Reaper nodded, his hold on me loosening so I could tug my arm free.
With one last glance at Oz I turned, walking away, every circuit screaming I needed to remain.
Storming down the hall, forcing my feet to keep moving, I barely missed running into Brone. At the last second, I jumped back, saving my frame from a collision with the Tank Class.
“In a hurry, Technology Model?” Brone crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the hallway with his massive frame.
“Let me pass, Brone. I’m not in the mood for this right now.”
“In the mood for what?” He lifted a gray eyebrow before his face broke out into a wide grin. “Oh, that’s right! I bet you’re racing off to spend time with that female you locked away, huh?” He puffed out his chest. “Worried she might see me and decide bigger is better?”
My hands curled into fists.Don’t punch the Tank Class, no matter how much you want to.Brone meant well. He had been teasing me for weeks about Oz. Telling me that my circuits must be twisted up into knots over the female if I had resorted to stealing her from Axios to hide her away. I had to stop going to the common room to avoid him after realizing his words were hitting to close to home. I couldn’t admit what I felt, and now…I sucked in a breath.
Brone’s eyes widened in concern. “Hey, you okay, Viper? You don’t look so good.”
“It’s all my fault.” My back hit the wall as I hung my head.