Page 46 of Her Cyborg Warriors

“No one can swim but Rachel, and she’s not going out there,” Maxim said, stating the obvious.

“We can use a transport beacon,” I said, considering the simplest solution.

The governor nodded and came over to me, slapped one in my palm.

On The Colony, there were rules and protocols in place for everything. Within the Coalition, warriors survived by rules.

Mikki’s voice came through, even a little muffled. “You guys fight wars in space, but no one learns how to swim? That doesn’t sound very smart to me. Don’t any of the other planets have water on them?”

I could breathe again, and Mikki’s scolding actually made me grin. “Prillon Prime has large oceans, mate. But the water is ruled by many deadly predators. We do not swim because we do not go into the water.”

“Don’t you have lakes? Swimming pools?”

I looked at Trax, who shrugged. “I’m going in.”

We stared at the water, whose surface was completely calm even though we could hear the machinery through Mikki’s comms. The beeping through the data scanners confirmed it was anything but placid beneath the surface. I felt helpless. Just as useless as I had when my family had died and I could do nothing to save them.

“I’ll go,” I said, determined. I’d die a slow death if Mikki didn’t make it.

Trax looked around. “No. You’re out of your head. I’ll go.”

“How?” I practically shouted, raising my arms in the air.

While I was fighting down another bout of rising panic, Trax was becoming sharp and focused. This was a situation he recognized, and it had nothing to do with water. There was a problem that needed solving with action. The Hive was the enemy, and he knew battle better than most.

Trax’s gaze narrowed as he faced away from the beach, away from our mate who was slowly—or possibly very quickly—being sucked into some kind of water transport system directly to the Hive.

“Give me the transport beacon.” Mindlessly I held my hand out, and he took it from me and stuck it in a pocket. “I’ll surf.”

What? With those words, he sprinted toward the nearest trees, disappearing into the thick foliage, only to return seconds later with a huge piece of wood. It was about a foot shorter than he was, but sturdy and thick. If he weren’t a Prillon, he might not be able to carry it. It was stripped of bark and branches, rotting in places. A dead tree, slowly rotting back into the ground.

“Are you crazy?” I called as he ran toward the water. “You’re not accustomed to being on land, let alone in water. It’s going to sink and take you with it!”

He didn’t slow down or turn. His feet hit the water, and he tossed the log out in front of him, creating a splash and a huge ripple. It dipped beneath the surface, then bobbed. He looked over his shoulder and shouted, “You’re right. I can’t relate to being on a planet, on real ground. I sure as fuck know nothing about an ocean. I do know about being a mate. She needs our help, and I’m going to give it. No matter what. I might not be able to swim, but I can save our mate. I can.”

He grabbed the end of the log and pulled it back so he was standing beside it, the water level with his waist. He leaned forward so his chest was centered on it, legs and arms on either side, just as we’d seen in the comm videos of Rachel and the surfing competitions from Earth. There were no waves, thank fuck, but Trax had no idea what he was doing. He moved his arms and legs like we’d seen on the vids, and he somehow propelled himself farther out into the water without falling off or sinking.

While he had his helmet on and a full supply of oxygen, if he went under and didn’t find Mikki, there would be no other way to save her. If he couldn’t get the transport beacon to her, she was as good as dead.

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