Oz
“Poe?” My eyes couldn’t believe it was really her. Relief bloomed inside my chest, quickly followed by pure terror. There would be no coming back from this. I had assumed the worst. I had not prepared myself for what would happen if Poe turned out to be fine. Not just fine. Glowing. Happy. Whole.
She had done it. She had found her cyborgs. And I had one held hostage with a plasma rifle to his head. Oh god. I was fucked.
“Oz, what the hell is going on? Why do you have a gun to Viper’s head? What have you done?” I watched as my best friends eyes filled with tears. This wasn’t the reunion I had expected. Hell, I didn’t know what I had expected. I had one singular thought-find my friend. I hadn’t mapped out what Poe would think about my methods.
It was a little too late to worry about that now. “I know this looks bad, but I did it for you! You vanished! No check ins, no hey I’m fine so don’t worry! What was I supposed to think?” All the weeks of worry and fear came crashing down and angry tears swam in my vision. “Youare mybest friend. What should have I done? Wait around when you could be out there hurt or worse? You know me better than that, Poe.”
I swiped at the tears that had managed to escape. “Fuck.” I hated this. Tears made you weak. Poe could cry. She was soft and sweet. Someone to protect and keep safe. I was a lost cause and all my tears had ever done was reveal more ways others could hurt me.
“I did what I had to do, Poe. There is only one person on this earth I would doanythingfor.” I lowered the gun with a sigh of defeat. I met Poe’s watery gaze. “And you know who that is.”
Poe’s eyes suddenly cleared as they widened. “Oz.” She lifted her hand to point a shaky finger at my face.
“What?” I questioned as I felt something warm and wet slide down my upper lip. I swiped at the offending substance and my fingers come back drenched in red.
“Tell me youdidn’t,” Poe begged, but the blood that currently streamed from my nose told her everything she needed to know. She had been there when the risks of the implant were explained. She knew what this meant.
So do I. And I still needed to use the implant to initiate the code to free Viper’s processors. A smart person wouldn’t do it. Using the implant would only accelerate the deterioration, but I refused to hurt him anymore than I already had. Poe was safe and happy. She was with the cyborgs she loved. That was all I wanted. And if I couldn’t stay around to watch out for her, then cyborgs were a good second choice.
I smiled, letting those tears I hated so much fall. I wasn’t going to be around to care about who saw me cry anyway. “It’s okay. This wasn’t your fault. I had to know you were okay.” My knees buckled and I hit the floor. Poe’s anguished cry echoed in my ears as she barreled past Reaper to rush to my side.
“You can’t go. You haven’t even met Dax yet.”
“You foundyourcyborg.”
Poe nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.
My vision began to dim but I forced the blackness back. My hand shook as I reached for her and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. “Out of the two of us, you were always the one that deserved the happily ever after.”
She shook her head, sending tears flying. “Not without you.”
“Don’t…really think your new friends like me much. It’s okay. I wouldn’t like me much either after what I’ve done. But I will fix it.”
I closed my eyes, focusing every thought I had on issuing the command that would release Viper’s processors from my control. I bit back a scream as pain exploded inside my head. Viper’s frame jerked, his palms hitting the floor as he let out a groan. A blur of gray rushed forward, dragging him away from me.
My eyes searched for the Technology Model. “I’m sorry,” I eked out before my eyes rolled back in my head and the blackness I had held at bay finally rushed to greet me.
Viper
My eyes remained glued to the spot where the female had dropped. My processors struggled to keep up with what had just happened. My thoughts were free. I was no longer under her control, yet I couldn’t drag my visual systems away. I couldn’t stop the frantic cries from Poe for the female to wake up from piercing my auditory systems.
“Viper! Look at me!” Reaper squatted down, his massive frame blocking my view of the female. I found I didn’t like it. I told myself it was because I wanted to keep my enemy in my sights.
I met his worried gaze. “Are you okay? Did she harm you before I arrived?”
I shook my head. “Not physically, no.” My frame shuddered and I took a deep breath, not really believing it was over. “She hacked my processors, ordering me to let her in. Then she explained she wouldn’t harm me or the other cyborgs if she found her friend safe and unharmed. You arrived right after that and were here for the rest of it.”
Dax cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt, but the female’s vitals are very weak. I fear if I don’t do something soon, she won’t make it.”
Reaper let out a snarl and spun around. “And I should care, why? She came into our home and threatenedmycyborgs! She usedone of my ownto do it! I can’t begin to imagine what Viper felt as his processors wereviolated.” He rose from his crouch on the floor, standing to his full height, his frame vibrating with rage. “She made her choice. If she dies, so be it!”
“No!” Poe cried. “Please!” She moved on her hands and knees, crawling over to me, tears spilling down her cheeks. “It’s my fault, Viper. Blame me.” She blinked rapidly, her pleading gaze meeting mine. “I know what she did was wrong and I’m so, so sorry. But please let Dax try to save her. I beg you!”
Fuck.Poe’s desperate pleas destroyed me. She wasn’t just Dax’s female. She had become a friend. Could I really damn her friend to death? I zeroed in on the amount of blood that had poured from the pink haired female’s nose and the stillness of her frame. She appeared lifeless against the cold concrete. Every trace of color had vanished from her face, her breathing growing shallow and slow. The sight made me suspect that it might already be to late.
I sighed. “Let Dax treat her.”