Mated to the Cyborgs(45)

I wasn’t sure if there was a glitch or if he wasn’t finished with his transition, but he’d been there, if only for a few seconds. Would he return again? Could I save him during a lucid moment?

I had to test it, to see if he could be saved.

“Perro, don’t let them do this,” I said, my voice loud. Hunt turned his head, looked at me, but I ignored him. He’d sensed the change in my emotions through the collar. While he might not know what had just transpired, he’d sense a hope that wasn’t there just a minute ago. A new resolve to get our fellow warrior out, too. “You’re a fucking Prillon, not a Hive.”

Nothing. No response.

I tried again. “Warrior, armor up.” I gave my best command voice, used the words that were always given by a commanding officer before going into battle.

Perro’s head turned, met my gaze and I watched as his pupil dilated, his grip loosened but did not drop away. “Sir,” he replied, but the Hive Unit beside Hunt stopped and turned. He pressed a button on the comm unit on his wrist and Captain Perro’s body convulsed. He didn’t fall to the ground, but it was as if he’d been shocked, as if the Hive brain implant had been rebooted. When the Hive lifted his finger, Perro stilled. His hand fell, the eye black again. Empty. I knew then he was gone. For good? I couldn’t be sure, but he’d been right. There was nothing left. He didn’t deserve to be left this way. He deserved an honorable death, a warrior’s death, instead of being controlled by a comm unit.

He’d given me the gun in one of his last moments of lucidity to save ourselves and perhaps some of the others. I would give him his final wish. I would set him free.

Seemingly satisfied—I had no idea how a Hive unit could have feelings—the Hive who’d reset Perro turned and began walking again.

My mind was processing everything so quickly it was hard to analyze. Perro had been cognizant enough to help, perhaps in his last moments as a Prillon, or he wanted to ensure I helped him escape. Perhaps he’d held on, fought the processing enough to get to us, to escape in the only way available to him. Death.

But now we were free, at least out from behind the energy field. Out here, my strength couldn’t be contained. When I’d been captured by the Hive the first time, they’d made me powerful, strong. No, beyond strong. My bones, my muscles had been altered and I made an Atlan beast look like a small child. The Hive unit in front of me was no competition. I could rip the head from his body while maintaining mental clarity, unlike the beast. I could do it. I would do it. But I had to wait. Now was not the time to raise attention. We needed out of the brig and to see what was beyond. To see if there were others who needed rescuing as well. To discover if we faced a dozen Hive or a hundred.

All I knew was that we were still on the Colony, that there was this secret base, built and being used by the Hive to destroy the new life Hunt and I, and every warrior on the Colony, was building. It must be destroyed. The warriors would need a plan, or at the very least, information.

After I’d seen what I needed to see? Then all the technology the Hive had put in me would be used against them. They’d be destroyed by one of their own creations. They’d built a monster, and to get back to Kristin, I would unleash him.

The Hive were fucked.





Chapter Fourteen



Kristin, Outside Hive Secret Base



“How the hell did a secret Hive fortress get built on the Colony without anyone knowing?” I whispered. Kiel was beside me, both of us just peeking over the edge of a rock formation to see the entrance below. It was well fortified by rock, as if it had been built into a volcano or something. Guards manned the single wide door.

“I’m new to this planet,” he said. “From what I understand, we arrived the same day.”

The Everian was just as big as my mates, which was a surprise because they were downright huge. For someone of such large proportions, he was stealthy, his feet all but silent on the rocks as we’d followed the path he alone could see.

It was as if he had infrared vision or could see invisible bread crumbs or something, because he hadn’t changed direction once since we’d left Krael’s quarters. Part bloodhound? I had no idea, but the man was a fucking genius at tracking. No one else on the planet knew about this base—at least the good guys—and he brought us right here. Well, it hadn’t been that easy. The trek had been long and there hadn’t been an actual path to follow. No, I felt as if I’d climbed more rocks than a mountaineer scaling Everest. There wasn’t a mountain—we hadn’t gone up anything steep—but more over undulating formations that were sharp and craggy. My armor was scratched in several places from bumping the rocks and my hands were sore from gripping the rough surface to keep my balance.