Their towering and steady presence could no longer shelter us, nor keep us safe from the dangers of the outside world.
I blew out a breath, feeling a nagging rush of pain shoot up my hand, reminding me that my hand was too damaged to be of any use in a fight. Helplessness churned in my gut. Here we stood, out in the open, many of us in a state that left us vulnerable to attack.
I hadn’t felt this useless since I had been dragged away from the remaining Tank Classes from my batch, the battle we had been fighting lost to the enemy as one by one my brothers were left dead and dying.
A small hand slipped into mine, grasping it tight. I gazed down to find Theo watching me, a frown on his lips. My processors scanned every inch of his frame, searching for injuries, but there was nothing.
He was unharmed. I let go of his hand to crush him against my frame.
His arms shot around my waist as his body gave a shudder. “You made it.” His voice wobbled, and my heart gave a lurch inside my chest.
“I did, Theo.” I clutched a bit tighter, reassuring him I was here.
He tipped his head back, finding my face. “Dad got hurt. He protected mom and me when the rocks started falling.” He blinked, his lower lip trembling. “Why can’t they leave us alone? Why do they hate us?”
I shook my head, a lump rising in my throat. I wished I had the answer.
Oz stepped up beside us. “Because they are fucking idiots.”
“Oz, language?” Aria sighed.
Theo unwound his arms from around my frame. Spinning on his boot heel he turned around, his gaze catching on his fathers damaged face.
“The rebellion just exploded around us. We are in the middle of the freaking woods, the Global Allegiance is at this very moment gathering another hunting party since it’s now open season on cyborgs, andyouare worried about Theo hearing meswear?”
Aria sputtered, her hand dropping to grab for the handle of the dagger sheathed on her belt.
Oz’s eyes narrowed. “Really? You want to fight me, Aria? Come at me, gorgeous!”
“Fuc-freak no! You are like a tiny fairy on steroids. I am not that dumb.” Aria seemed to realize at the moment where her hand was resting. She let go of the dagger’s handle. “That…I wasn’t…my dagger is like my security blanket. I grip the handle when I’m stressed.”
Oz deflated. “Sorry. I’m a little jumpy right now. We almost all died, didn’t we?” She leaned forward, gripping her thighs as she sucked deep breaths. “Holy hell that was close.”
Viper came up and pulled her to him, tucking her against his frame. His face was cut in multiple places. The biggest cut was one that had slashed right through his bottom lip. Dark fluid stained his lip and chin and Oz kept darting her eyes over the sight.
I cocked my head at Viper, “You good?”
“It’s just surface damage, Tank class. I’ll be fine.” His eyes zeroed in on the large dent on my head before they swept down to take in the sight of my mangled fingers. “And you?”
“I’ll live,” I told him, working hard to keep my voice calm. The rebellion couldn’t have their only Tank Class falling apart.
“We need to get moving.” Lennox’s voice rang out through the stillness of the trees.
“Who the fuck put you in charge?” Reaper shouted in retort, and I turned to find the two of the standing toe to toe. The female had her head tipped back, glaring up at Reaper. Dark hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head, not one strand out of place. There was no fear in her eyes. This female was used to holding her own.
And she was dressed for it, too. She was decked out from head to toe in all black tactical gear. Combat boots, cargo pants, with a form fitting black top and matching vest completing the ensemble. It was the vest that caught my eye. It was packed full with all different sized weapons and a bunch of gadgets.
It looked like the deep pockets of Reapers cargo pants had flung themselves at her chest and stuck. The Military Model always wore specially designed cargo pants that hosted a variety of weapons and tools.
That cyborg loved his battle axe, but anyone would be a fool to believe that was the only thing he carried. He had cut the amount he carried recently, no longer storming around the rebellion as if he was getting ready for war. I could only guess that today had him regretting that decision.
“I’m not going anywhere without seeing if I can salvage anything from my lab,” Dax declared, arms crossed over his chest.
“Ever needs more than the clothes on her back and Quackers.” Marley added, choking back a sob.
“You heard them,” Reaper growled. “We aren’t leaving without seeing if the structure is safe enough to salvage any supplies.”
“Get it through that thick skull of yours, Military Model; your headquarters is toast. It’s over. That thing is nothing now but a fucking death trap!” She shoved a finger into his chest. “I didn’t risk myself and my team to rescue your stubborn asses to have you run right back into danger! This is no longer your show. I have transports headed to this location for an extraction. Get your people together. We roll out as soon as they arrive.”