Page 41 of Mated To The Cyborgs

I pulled it from the holster, settled it into my grip. The cool metal was reassuring. Familiar. “Yes.”

“Good.” He knelt beside me. “While we only see one entrance, there is always another.”

“Yeah, and where are his friends? You said they always travel in threes.”

Kiel squinted over the rock, scanning the surroundings. “I believe they must be inside, just out of sight. But we will leave them be. The Hive would not have just one way to escape this place should there be an emergency or attack. We will find their second ingress and infiltrate from there.”

Fancy Hunter, fancy words? Ingress? But then, maybe that was just my NPU trying to speak Everian. Whatever. I nodded, then followed as he sneaked back the way we’d come, Marz and Rezzer falling in behind us. Rachel had returned to Base 3 and I hoped she was rounding up the troops. Rezzer and Marz were leaving a trail, deep groves in the ground behind us every few feet so they could follow us. Hopefully, reinforcements would arrive soon.

As a group, we moved quietly. We were so far off Base 3, deep into the planet’s cave and ravine system, that the standard communications weren’t working. That left us a party of four. No backup. At least not now.

I wondered just how many Hive were inside that cave.

Kiel crept around a boulder and we fell in behind him in single file, Rezz on my six, which was cool. Nothing was getting past the beast.

The air smelled dry, like the Arizona desert in July. But it wasn’t hot. I was comfortable in my armor, perhaps even a bit chilled with the faint light of the nearest star far from its zenith. I figured it was near dawn, or whatever they called it here. The light was weak and there was still the chill of night in the air.

It had been five hours since my mates had missed their check-in. Five hours which had sent the entire base into a frenzy. The news that warriors were going missing was a secret no longer. Governor Rone had everyone on lockdown, security doing room-to-room sweeps. But we knew the Hive weren’t there, knew the bad guys weren’t there. Krael was here, with my mates. I didn’t have to be an Everian to know that.

If anyone could find my mates inside the labyrinth of caves that had to be under the surface of this planet, it was Kiel. That was why, with ion pistol raised and ready, I was following him into hell.

We had to find them. Not just my mates, but all the missing warriors. We had to shut this place down, destroy it so the threat would be over. So there would be peace on the Colony. The alternative was unthinkable.

* * *

Kristin, Secret Hive Base, The Colony

The rock ledge where we lay sprawled on our bellies was no more than ten feet above the monsters. That’s what the Hive were to me now, monsters. Just staring at them scared the shit out of me.

We were deep inside the planet’s crust, the cavern we looked down upon was filled with activity. Two surgical stations were in the center, about thirty yards from our position, complete with lighting and a variety of computers and gadgets the likes of which I’d never seen. I did notice that nothing looked even remotely like anesthesia, which didn’t shock me, but made me even angrier than before. I felt nauseated from what they were going to do to the warriors. What they had done. Was this what it had been like for Hunt and Tyran before they’d managed to escape? The others, too? The warriors flanking me? Knowing they’d been through this kind of torture and survived, only to be returned to Hive control now, would destroy even the strongest, the bravest among them.

The area appeared to be a natural rock formation, a vast cave, a place where drug dealers liked to use on Earth. Below, we saw three Hive and two prisoners. Those prisoners were my mates, who both appeared to be unharmed, at least so far. My heart leapt at the recognition, but it wasn’t all happiness. I was close enough for my collar to sense them, to feel their emotions. They were hurt, I felt the edge of pain, but they hadn’t been tortured. I felt hatred and determination.

I watched as Tyran lifted his head, his gaze swinging across the room. He’d sensed me, but didn’t know where I was. My mind stilled, my own determination filling all of me. I couldn’t allow them to sense my fear, my worry. Now wasn’t the time. They needed to keep clear heads and if I was panicked, they would be, too.

Gripping my weapon, I looked to Kiel. Yes, I would take the others’ strength, buoy myself so the men felt it and that alone. Perhaps my strength would work for them. They weren’t free and they needed it for what was going to be done to them—

No. I wouldn’t think about that. Focus. I narrowed my eyes and studied the enemy. As my mates had to pay attention to what was going on around them, I had to keep my head. The collars could be our downfall but I wouldn’t let them. I studied the Hive in the cavern. Kiel had filled me in on the various types of units we might see as we’d been searching for the back entrance to their lair.

The Soldiers, like the one guarding the front entrance to this hell, and the one watching Hunt and Tyran a few feet to their left, were the biggest and strongest, supposedly the hardest to kill. They were integrated with enough technology to ensure that they were faster and stronger than any of the Coalition Fleet’s warriors, except the Atlans in full beast mode. That Soldier stood between me and my mates, and I didn’t like it.

Focus.

A Soldier classification was, I realized, the purpose the Hive had planned for my Tyran. When he’d been captured before, they’d been busy turning him into a Soldier, adding implants to his muscles and bones, making him Superman strong. Making him into the ultimate killer. But he’d gotten away.

But all the power was still inside his body, waiting to explode from him. They’d created a formidable enemy, and he was mine.

The Hive who marched behind them with a large weapon pointed at Tyran’s back was a Scout. With odd optical implants and an array of sensory material added to their flesh, the Scouts weren’t meant for hand-to-hand combat. Kiel said they were still hard to kill, but were designed for striking hard and fast and running away. If Soldiers were their front line infantry, the Scouts were their snipers, pilots, or recon units. They were made to be quiet and quick.

And that’s what they’d had in mind for Hunt.

But that was before, when my mates had been captured and tortured. I wondered what horrifying things they planned for my mates now. What else could there be? Tyran’s strength didn’t appear to matter. He was marching like a docile servant behind Hunt who followed the third Hive, this one a small, vicious Integration Unit, as the Scout brought up the rear.

The Scout that I recognized with a flash of horror. Next to me, Kiel stiffened as the Hive turned to scan the cavern and we both got out first clear look at his face. “Perro,” he murmured.

The missing warrior. Shit. I hadn’t met him before, but it wasn’t him any longer.

But I didn’t have time or energy to dwell on that. I returned my attention to the biggest threat in the room. The Integration Units, according to Kiel, were smart. While they followed orders, they could process various options and take the most ruthless action. And while the Soldiers followed orders and killed without mercy, they weren’t cruel. They were little more than mindless killing machines manufactured by the thousands by the Hive central command.

But the Integration Units were sadistic, enjoyed torture, by programming or design, they enjoyed their work a little too much. And the way that little black-eyed bastard was watching my mates, he had plans to make them suffer.

Big plans.

Focus.

My eyes narrowed and I squeezed the ion blaster in my palm with impatience.

I was going to kill that one myself.

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