Her Cyborg (11 page)

“That's better,” Silver said, his grin widening.

Silver's cuffs were gone and where Silver had gotten his hands on the gun was a mystery, but Shade noticed the two cyborg soldiers lying still on the ground. Had he taken them down?

He heard the chaos around him. The screaming and running still went on. People fled for their lives, most aimed for the damaged entrance to get away. What was going on? It had all happened so suddenly.

Shade pulled out the dart from his stomach. It didn't take long for his body to weaken from whatever the dart had been dipped in. His knees shook, almost unable to hold him up.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a shaky voice.

“What has to be done.”

Shade turned his head to the entrance as he noticed movement coming from there. Despair filled him as he watched cyborgs dressed in black, carrying heavy guns storm the reception area. He recognized one of them. The sight of the cyborg sent chills down his spine.

Nightmare.

The leader of the Fighters.

He was a tall, muscular, dark cyborg with nasty looking shining eyes. The scar on his throat didn't ease the frightening and maddening impression of him. Anger rose within Shade as Nightmare locked gazes with him. No one was going to hurt his Phoebe. He would fight to defend her, to protect her.

Dizziness filled his head, his sight became blurry, and his knees finally gave in beneath him. He fell to the floor, hurting his injured arm in the process. He groaned with pain but didn't let it stop him from crawling closer to Phoebe, shielding her with his big body.

Nightmare stopped in front of him with a pleased smile. “Don't worry, Shade. Everything will be all right.”

Shade glared at the cyborg as confusion sang inside him. “What do you want? How do you know my name?”

“I know everything.”

He was unable to hold his eyes open. His eyelids felt heavy, so heavy ... His body felt even heavier as each muscle relaxed. He wanted to sleep ... needed to sleep ... No. He had to protect Phoebe. He looked at her, placed his hand on her in a desperate attempt to keep her away from Nightmare.

“Sleep now, Shade,” Nightmare said.

Shade's head slumped to the side. Darkness took him.

CHAPTER 17

Shade opened his eyes and jerked up to a sitting position. His heart pounded like crazy inside of his chest as he frantically looked around for Phoebe, but all he saw was a big bedroom. He sat on a king size bed with white linens. The walls were painted in bright yellow and right in front of him was a big window, going from the bottom to the roof, letting through gentle sunlight. Thin, white curtains decorated the window.

To his left was an open door, and next to it, stood a wide wardrobe with glass doors. Next to the bed sat a beautiful but unfamiliar woman on a chair reading a book. When she noticed that he was awake, she gave him a surprised look, flew up from the chair, and headed for the door. She stopped in the doorway, leaning her head out.

“He is awake!” she yelled out to someone before she turned around and approached him.

“Who are you?” he asked and glared at her. “Where is Phoebe?”

If Phoebe was hurt, someone was going to regret it.

“Relax, Shade. You are among friends.”

The woman was tall with a slim figure. Her hair was light blonde and put up into a ponytail. She reminded him of a doll with her cute and innocent-looking facial features. Her green eyes radiated kindness and love, but also shyness and insecurity. And yet, something also told him that this woman was highly intellectual. He looked down at the book she had been reading. The title said: “Cyborgs and Science”.

“Who are you?” he asked again and gave her a look that said that he demanded an answer.

The woman swallowed loudly. “I am Celise. I am a friend of Phoebe's.”

When he heard Phoebe's name, his mood darkened even more. He pushed the cover aside and stood up. An image of Phoebe, lying hurt somewhere, crossed his mind. The image triggered his anger, making him tense his muscles to the point of pain. Celise's eyes went big as he approached her like a hunter approaches its prey. She gasped and took a step back. He would make the woman talk. He wouldn't hurt her, but he could use fear to make her tell him everything she knew.

“What have you done to Phoebe?” he growled.

“I haven't done anything. I'm her friend. Didn't you hear me when I said that?”

He had heard, but his rage was too great for him to care. He had no idea where he was, but he remembered what had happened before he had passed out. Nightmare, the leader of the Fighters, had leaned over him. That could only mean one thing. They had taken him. This place had to belong to the leader, and this Celise was a part of his gang. That fact that she was human didn't stop Shade from coming at her.

Running steps came from outside of the room. It made him turn his focus to the half-closed door. He clenched his knuckles. He would fight anyone who came through that door. They would regret ever taking him away from Phoebe. He felt ready. He would be the first one to strike. He would take them by surprise.

The door opened wide.

Shade lunged. His body tensed, prepared for a fight.

Wind, Diane, and Faye came in.

Shade jerked to a halt. “Wind?”

Wind smiled and approached him. “I'm glad to see you are finally awake. You have been out for hours.”

Shade looked around at the people in the room. He blinked with surprise at seeing them instead of Nightmare, but he didn't see Phoebe. “Where am I?” His gaze returned to Wind.

“This is Phoebe's home ... your home.”

Shade winced. Phoebe's home? His home? He took a quick glance around again and found the room's interior delicate but appealing. On the other side of the room was a white bookshelf. On it stood plenty of colorful books. There was also a framed photo of her. Phoebe.

His Phoebe.

His anger returned. “Where is Phoebe?”

Wind's smile faded away. “You'd better sit down and I will explain everything to you.”

Without wasting another second, Shade sat down on the bed. Wind sat down next to him while Celise, Faye, and Diane sat down on chairs next to the bed.

“What is the last thing that you remember?” Wind asked.

“Nightmare leaning over me and the Fighters storming the reception area.”

“They did, but they didn't manage to take it. MedAct's cyborg soldiers came to the rescue within a minute and managed to take the Fighters down. Some were arrested but most fled.” Guilt filled Wind's eyes. “I couldn't help you or Phoebe. You were both out of my reach and Diane was my priority.”

Shade nodded. “I understand. She is your bound one and the bound one comes first.”

“We managed to get us to safety thanks to Jade. She has access to MedAct like few do, but watching what was going on behind safe doors was almost worse. The cyborg soldiers did everything to protect you and Phoebe from harm, but they barely had the chance to move you before the Fighters were all over them.” Wind wrinkled his forehead. “It was as if you and Phoebe were the Fighters target.” Wind met Shade's gaze. “They came for you and her.”

Silence filled the room. The tension grew almost so thick that it became difficult to breathe. Shade stared at them. They all had sadness in their eyes, even the unknown Celise. Shade noticed her peeking at Wind from time to time. There was something else in her eyes as well, something he couldn't place. Something that only crossed her gaze when she looked at Wind. He could be wrong, but was it ... longing?

“They took her,” Shade said, his focus returning to the situation.

Wind nodded. “They did. She was the easier target.”

The pain in his heart shredded him up on the inside. Every cell in his body screamed with despair and frustration. All he wanted was to go after Phoebe. He had to make her safe again. If Nightmare hurt her, he would pay with his life. A dangerous cyborg was not to play around with, and right now, Shade felt deadly.

“Why?” he growled. “Why did they take her?”

“We don't know,” Faye answered, “but one thing that was obvious was that they wanted you first. When they didn't succeed, they went for Phoebe. Her weight difference compared to yours probably made it easier for them to snatch her.”

“What did Nightmare and Silver say to you?” Diane asked.

“Not much, but their words didn't make much sense. Nightmare told me everything would be all right and Silver said he was doing what had to be done.”

Everyone looked at each other.

“They are up to something,” Faye said. “They must have had an eye on you and Phoebe to be able to know you and to target you. I don't know how, but I heard Nightmare say your name, Shade. He knew you.”

Shade nodded. “Yes, he did say my name.”

“That is worrying,” Diane said. “Jade should be here. She needs to hear this.”

“Why isn't she here?” Shade asked.

“The fighters ruined the entire reception area. Thankfully, they weren't able to get anywhere else, but they did create a lot of damage. Not only to the reception but to the cyborg soldiers as well. Jade had to stay behind to help the wounded ones.”

“Of course. Why was I taken here?”

Wind answered. “MedAct isn't safe right now. Besides, you had been signed out and you are no longer their responsibility. Jade believed you would be safer here. Glaswell is a protected town behind high walls. The outside world isn't the safest place and those who can afford it move here. No one can get in without permission.”

Shade nodded and understood. He looked forward to the day when he would be able to take a look around in Glaswell, but he wouldn't do it without Phoebe. He needed to get her back first. Everything in his body screamed for her. He wanted to scream to show his anger and frustration.

“We have to do this on our own,” Faye said.

Everyone looked at her.

“Do what?” Diane asked.

“Save Phoebe of course! Do you expect us to just sit around and do nothing while Phoebe goes through God knows what?”

Diane's gaze darkened. “No, I do not, but what can we do?” She looked at the others.

“We have to find the Fighters,” Wind said, “but their location is unknown. No one knows where they reside.”

Celise raised her hand and blushed when everyone looked at her, especially when Wind met her gaze.

“Yes?” Wind asked Celise with a gentle smile.

She blushed even more and looked down. “Well ... um ... I have an idea.” She looked around. “As you all know, I have been studying cyborgs for many years, and what I discovered lately, might help us get Phoebe back.”

That got Shade's attention. “What did you discover?”

“The Fighters have been out there for forty years, ever since Nightmare lost his bound one, but no one has ever been able to locate them. I think it's because no one ever thought about connecting the cyborg's vibrations.”

“What do you mean?” Diane asked.

Celise's eyes shone with excitement as she explained. “There is a signal within every cyborg and it connects them all. A universal signal. It's no secret. It's mentioned in almost every book about cyborgs I have read and I'm sure you are both aware of it.” She gave them a look. Wind and Shade nodded. ”As you also know, it's a signal that was not intentionally created by MedAct. They discovered it sometime after the first cyborgs had been created, so deleting it was out of the question. The signal was already a part of the programming that makes a cyborg a cyborg. Taking it away is like taking away a human's heart, so MedAct just left it there. It is harmless; at least, they seem to think so, but there is almost no information at all about it. All the books ever say is that it links the cyborgs together and how it was discovered. No one seems to have ever considered that the signal can be used for more ... a lot more.” She gave them a longer look this time as she smiled.” I discovered it can, for instance, be used to track down a cyborg.”

Faye wrinkled her forehead. “So, what you are saying is ...”

Celise's eyes shone even brighter as a wide smile decorated her pretty face. She almost seemed unable to sit still on the chair. “If I can pinpoint the signal through one of you,” she looked at Shade and Wind, “I will be able to track Nightmare down and give out his exact location. That way, we will be able to find Phoebe.”

Shade almost flew up onto his feet. “Do it.”

Celise was startled momentarily from his unexpected move. “Now?”

“We have no time to lose.”

Wind stood up and placed a hand on Shade's arm. “Wait, Shade.” He turned to Celise. “Are you sure that the process is safe? The last thing we want is to injure Shade.”

“Maybe we should call Jade,” Faye suggested.

“I have studied the signal for some time now and nothing indicates that it is dangerous. I don't know what it will feel like though,” Celise said.

Wind nodded and looked at Shade. “It's your choice.”

Shade took a deep breath. Determination was written all over his face. “Let's get on with it.”

“What about Jade?” Faye asked.

“There is no time,” Shade said. “Phoebe might be in danger.”

Celise left the room for a short while. When she came back, she held a small laptop in her hands. She placed it on the table in the room. She opened it and pressed the “on” button. Holographic images arose from it, showing some kind of device. Shade studied it, and within seconds, he knew what it was. It was an advanced search program designed to wirelessly connect with a cyborg's hidden signal.

Celise gave him an uncertain smile. He knew his intent gaze made her unsure.

“You created that program,” he said.

“Yes, I did. It's what I do. I study cyborgs and create ways to help them. Many cyborgs here in Glaswell also turn to me if they need help with something that they can't fix themselves. All I have right now is MedAct's license that gives me the right to help cyborgs with technical issues. I studied at their school for many years, but the dream is to work for MedAct one day the way Jade does.” She got a dreamy look in her eyes. “I would love to be a part of the creation of cyborgs.”

“You should talk with Jade about it.”

“I will ... when I'm ready. I still have a lot to learn.”

Wind snorted with a grin as Celise prepared the program by pushing on the computer screen, making the holographic image react, but Shade didn't pay much attention to what went on with it.

“Don't be shy, Celise. You know a lot already. You know almost more about me than I know about myself, and I'm the cyborg,” Wind said, making Celise blush again.

“You want to create your own cyborg, don't you?” Shade asked.

Celise stopped what she was doing, glanced at Wind, making the pink on her cheeks turn red. There it was again, that look in her eyes whenever she looked at Wind; that look of longing and desire.

“No,” she answered and went on with her program.

Shade glanced at Wind. Wind gave him a knowing look. When Shade looked at Diane, he saw the same understanding and awareness in her eyes. She knew too. They all knew.

A short silence followed. All that could be heard was the tapping of digital buttons on Celise's laptop. “There, it's ready,” she finally said.

Shade approached her as she grabbed the chair she had been sitting on and indicated with a hand motion to him to have a seat. “Like I said, I have no idea what it will feel like. It might hurt, it might not. The signal is buried deep inside your programming so I assume there will be some kind of sensation. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for me to locate Nightmare ... if everything goes as it should. If you want to interrupt just let me know and I will stop.”