I could never risk the Global Allegiance learning about what the Science Model had crafted. It would too much of a temptation, and they would do anything in their power to obtain it.
Once we were out of this mess, Dax and I would need to talk. I needed to understand exactly what had been changed.
Why does my heart tell me that I’ll end up all alone when this is all over?
Reaper walked over toward us. My eyes zeroed in on the large gash that cut down the right side of his face. Dark fluid stained his skin, and his left eye was black instead of its normal bright blue. His good eye scanned over the six of us then lifted an eyebrow. “Torque?”
Brone shook his head and my heart sank in my chest. In the midst of getting trapped and almost dying, my brain I hadn’t remembered that there had been a third cyborg with Brone and Fuse.
Freaking hell. Now I truly felt like crap.I had been so wrapped up in all the conflicting emotions swirling through me that I had forgotten about the purple Technology Model. His face flashed across my mind, a hot rush of tears welling up.He had lost his life and here I am freaking out. Get it together, Nara. There are more important things than you right now.
That point was hammered home when I had a front row seat to the sight of Reaper hearing the news about his lost cyborg. He rocked back on his heels, absorbing the loss like a physical punch to the chest. Pure pain flashed across his face, and I was struck with the urge to hug him.
I was fairly sure he wouldn’t appreciate it. I wasn’t anyone to him. In fact, I still sometimes caught him staring at me suspiciously out of the corner of his eye. I couldn’t blame him. The only reason I had been allowed to stay at the rebellion headquarters was because of Core, Chaos, and Caliber.
That and a certain Tank Class had tossed me over his shoulder without any sense of remorse.Stop thinking about him,I ordered myself.
Aria walked up behind Reaper, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight.
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered low. Reaper’s hands curled into fists before he leaned back into her embrace, letting her take some of his weight.
Love. This is what real love looked like.A pang of something like envy struck, but I forced it back into the dark where it belonged. I hadn’t come to the rebellion seeking to fall in love.
Fuse glared at the sight of the two of them together. My hand shot out and smacked him. Yanking it back, I stared at it like it now had a mind of its own. Fuse narrowed his eyes and I took a step back, putting some more distance between us.
“Sorry.” I wasn’t sorry.
Reaper cocked his head to the side and examined me like he was seeing me for the first time. It felt nice… and completely terrifying. His working blue eye held a wealth of hurt and sorrow, but he managed a ghost of a smile when he met my gaze.
I actually think hitting Fuse had made him like me more, not less. Warmth bloomed inside my chest along with the ever present feeling of dread at what the cyborg rebellion would think of me when they learned the truth.
I bet Brone will wish he had never plunged that injector into my neck.I shook my head and gathered myself back together.
When all of us were safe, I’d fall apart.
I could only hope that I’d be able to put myself back together again.
Brone
Nara refused to look at me. I hated the sinking feeling of regret swirling through my circuits. Saving her life had been the right choice. But the flare of betrayal in her eyes had burned me right down to my core.
If she hadn’t wanted me before, she’d never want me now. I had sealed my fate the moment I had put the injector against her neck. I wanted to wallow, but danger still surrounded us. The faces of my fellow brothers and sisters were weary and bleak. A lot had suffered damage in the attack, and we were sitting ducks for the Global Allegiance to pick us off once they regrouped.
We had nothing. We had nowhere to go. My shoulders drooped. My strength couldn’t battle our way out of this. I couldn’t fight the heavy weight of the tension and despair that hung in the air. I couldn’t erase the look of loss on Reaper’s face.
The new female started barking orders around us, telling us we had to get moving. Reaper’s jaw stiffened, a tick pulsing beneath his one working eye. Military Models were not happy with someone else giving orders.
Aria took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. It didn’t escape my notice that the hand she grasped was the one that was all metal. Since the day he had come back online, one hand missing all its synthetic skin, Aria always reached for that one. The act was a declaration. One that told the whole world she loved Reaper no matter if he wore flesh or nothing but his exposed frame.
Being the female to the leader of the cyborg rebellion wasn’t easy. Aria handled it all with grace, courage, and the strength it took to stand by his side. If Reaper was the head of our family, then Aria was the heart.
As the group of us walked battered and broken down the rest of the tunnel towards the exit, I marveled at how things at the rebellion had changed. In a short amount of time, we had discovered that some humans loved us rather than despised us. Iris, Aria, Marley, Poe, and Oz had been the breaths of fresh air us cyborgs hadn’t known we had needed.
And Theo and Ever? They were miracles none of us had thought we’d be granted. Grudgingly, I had to admit that the addition of Core, Chaos, and Caliber had been wonderful surprises.
That left Nara.From the moment I saw her, I was a goner. Taller than any of the other females at the rebellion, my chest squeezed tight at the thought of how she would feel tucked under my arm. Her height seemed like the perfect size to compliment my larger frame. I still towered over her by almost a foot and a half, but I wasn’t terrified I might accidentally squish her. I would need to be careful but maybe, just maybe, my size could be a good thing instead of a fucking curse.
I watched the backs of my family as we exited the tunnel, stepping out into the sunlight. When it was my turn, I blinked against the bright light. It felt like we had been in there for days, not hours. The quiet sounds of the forest echoed around me. The trees swayed in the breeze, unaware that those that now stood underneath them were without a home.