Page 1 of Craze

Chapter 1: Craze

2 Years Earlier—

The stolen Solcruean LightBlade ship overhead redlines its thrusters. Hope and energy surge through me. It’s been retrofitted by human rebels and is now piloted by one of our few CyberTitan sisters, Poppy. It lugs several hundred of my metal Brothers out of the burning prison work camp on Hyperion.

Until Poppy arrived, we had thought this was the end. We lost the war, lost our chance at earning mates from the Creators and freedom.

The hibernation chambers housing myself and all of my Brothers glow green, initiating their sleep cycles. But I am immune to the program like I am the punishment protocols meant to keep us in line. For once, I’m glad I am broken.

Our escape has not gone unnoticed by the enemy.

Explosions rip through the camp below us. Flames lick my chamber, heating the glass until it is stifling inside. Gunfire lances through the sky in an exchange from the LightBlade and the scaly bastards in charge of housing us while we sorted the parts of our long gone Brothers and Sisters collected from space, decommissioning us at their whim.

Warden Tav is the kind of egotistical prick that I’d expect would suck his own dick if he could reach it. He won’t let us go without a damn good fight.

We hang like hundreds of crystals from gravity beam threads that light up the sky between us and the ship. Many Titans slump as the hibernation programming takes control. Hibernation is useful for safe transport of the most dangerous of our kind. But we still talk because we never trulysleep.

Amp>>Local: Enemy ships inbound. Brace for impact.

When Amp’s communication comes through, I peer past rows of clustered cells like mine, at the emissary’s LightBlade cruiser he and Poppy are in. Menace, Rebel, and Diesel are with them, as well as a soft-body female named Cara. I hope they have the firepower for this level of defense.

The light of the portal shines beyond their ship, highlighting them like the angels my last human commander once spoke of. I am certain they are the best of us. I wish I was worthy of standing among them.

I would die for my Brothers and Sisters. If anyone has to, it should be me.

Turbo spins in his chamber, just above mine. He stops, looks up, and then spins again in excitement. His pace gradually slows as the hibernation programming takes a hold.

Turbo>>Local: if we get out of here, do you think we will find females where we land?

He is one of the horniest Titans I know.

Craze>>Turbo: Focus on escaping in one piece first, soldier. No females want a hunk of junk with a mangled cock. Besides, we need ships, weapons, and to win this war first.

Turbo>>Craze: I know. I know. I know!

His speed of operation reminds me of what it was like to be a fresh unit. Except he’s been in operation for a long time and hasn’t changed.

I’ve worked hard to focus, think, plan. We have to if we want to outmaneuver the enemy. But many of us are not designed for intricate things. My Relic brothers are the most primal of all the CyberTitan generations. The Rogues escaped. And none of us have seen a CyberGuard in ages, but they are the fewest in number of us.

Solcrue want to keep all of us CyberTitans and our human ancestors, under their thumb. They want to be in control and do everything they can to make our deaths as slow and agonizing as possible.

I have feared the worst of our Creators’ kind for years. Now, I know there are still humans out there.

They have not forgotten us.

The rebellion sent two females to save us.

My conviction to defy the enemy grows.

Boomer>>Local: The moment we are free, I’m putting together a munitions team. Anyone want to join? I’m thinking ofatomizingthem.

Solcrue and humans cannot hear Titan chatter on our private channel. It is one of our only advantages, real-time updates without verbal communication, even when we are caged and under threat of coilgun deaths. The Solcrue never figured out how we work.

Amp>>Local: Cara says the rebellion is alive and fighting, though few members remain. We must return to battle. Most have been taken as servants. Few human males have survived, and if they are not rebels, they are our enemy. It is up to us to find and protect what remains of humanity—if we make it through this.

I’m not sure if I understand him right. But it is Tumble who asks. I cannot see him in the cluster, but his signal registers further up in our group.

Tumble>>Local: Do you mean the human females are—captured?

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