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Brone
The training room exploded with activity. Every cyborg jumped to their feet, Reaper barking orders as those with females shoved them behind their frames like they could protect them from what was coming.
My eyes immediately sought out Nara. She was on her feet, her green eyes widened in fear as she bit her lip. Her three cyborgs stood as well, forming a circle around her, their frames filled with tension, confusion on their faces.
“I thought we would be safe here, Miss Nara,” the golden one, Core, said. His words seemed to break through and the fear vanished off her features. Straightening her shoulders, she moved to stand in front of them, eyes blazing.
“All three of you listen to me. They will have to go through me before they take you back. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Her declarations made my chest tight, my hands curling into fists.I wanted her to say that to me. I wanted her to promise that she wouldn’t let anything happen to me.I rubbed at the ache inside my chest.
The training walls shook around us.Push it down, Brone. Your family needs you.I forced myself to look away as the soft sounds of Ever crying, huddled in Acer’s arms, sent the reality of what we were facing slamming into my frame, my legs almost buckling from the force of it.
I loved that little girl. I looked around the room. Dash stood protectively in front of Iris. Aria had pulled a dagger from her boot, grim determination on her face as she stood beside Reaper, Theo behind them.
And Theo? He clutched a smaller version of Reaper’s battle axe, his gray fingers gripping the handle tight.
Dax had his arm wrapped around Poe. She looked at him and nodded her head before reaching up to brush a quick kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Dax.” He smiled down at her, his features brightening even in the face of the coming danger. They were preparing themselves for the worst.
Viper and Oz were eerily silent, their eyes moving rapidly as they navigated the security systems in an attempt to give us more time. Viper frowned as he looked to Oz. The expression on her face matched his. “Any cyborg not here will be arriving soon. I sent out a secure comm telling them we are under attack and to head to the training room,” he hesitated.
“But?” Reaper snapped.
Oz sighed. “I scanned their communications. They aren’t coming here to play. They brought the big guns, and we are outnumbered and out gunned.”
Another explosion rocked the room and Oz looked at Viper, a flicker of fear in her eyes. “They might not even need to take us out with their strike teams. It seems crushing us under a shit ton of steel and concrete would do the trick just fine. The headquarters is old. It was built a long time ago and I am not sure how many direct hits it can take before it collapses. Last time I checked, cyborgs could go smoosh like us mere humans. Your frames are tough, but I don’t think they can take the weight of the building, and quite frankly, I don’t want to put it to the test.” Her eyes landed on the few human females in the room and then on Theo and Ever. “I know for sure us human females, even with our upgrades, most likely wouldn’t survive. And Ever and Theo?” She couldn’t finish her sentence but we all knew what she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud.
Our children wouldn’t survive the impact either.
Marley let out a whimper and Acer dragged her to his frame, his daughter still held tight in his metallic arms, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage. Marley reached out, rubbing soothing circles over Ever’s back, trying to comfort her. Her eyes sought out Acer’s. “We can’t stay here.” Her lower lip began to tremble. “Our baby girl,” she said, choking back a sob.
“She’s right,” Iris chimed in. “Our home is now a death trap. All of us here know that The Global Allegiance won’t stop. Not now. Not after we took what was theirs. They didn’t care about us before. We caused no trouble. Never messed with them or their bottom line. Now it’s war.” She clutched Dash’s hand.
There was only one choice, and I was just the model to do it. “Reaper, you need to get everyone to the emergency escape tunnels and out of here.” The tunnels went on for a few miles before someone could get to an exit. Rich people didn’t want to be trapped unground if shit went south. So when they built this place, they made sure to have the tunnels constructed as well. None of us had ever used them before; we hadn’t needed to.
Until now.
I found Reaper’s gaze. “If headquarters falls, you should be safe from the collapse in the tunnels.”
Reaper narrowed his blue eyes. “If?”
I slapped a palm against my frame. “I am bigger, stronger, and can take more damage. I am going to target those that are attempting to blow us up.”
Gasps sounded from all around the room. I knew I couldn’t take out everyone by myself, but I might be able to take out the ones with the explosives. Then who knows? Maybe I could take a few more of those assholes out before I died.
Anything to buy my family more time.
This is why I had been built.The Global Allegiance had wanted me to be an expendable piece of tech, to use my massive frame to break through enemy lines. No longer.I hadn’t been built to destroy. I had been built to protect.And that is what I would do.
If I died today, it would be for those I loved.
The gray of Reapers knuckles clutching his battle axe bled out until they were white. He shook his head. “No. Another cyborg will lead them out. I will stay and fight with you.”
Striding over, I gripped his shoulder. “No, my friend, you won’t. You have a female and a son who need you. The rebellion needs you. I am unimportant. I won’t be missed. But you? The rebellion has nothing without you, Reaper. You led us to freedom before. Now you need to do it again.”
I gave his shoulder a squeeze and let go, stepping back. I was not prepared for a gray blur to strike me at cyborg speed, making me stumble.
Gray arms wrapped around my frame as far as they could reach. “I’ll miss you. Come with us. We’ll be okay if we are together.” Theo’s eyes met mine, dark fluid staining his cheeks. “We can find a new home. Family stays together. Don’t go.” He hugged me tighter.
