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She couldn’t believe her luck. No security detail meant the birds would be more comfortable, and she could start observing them the moment they left camp.
“I’m here to do a job, and I will perform it to the best of my abilities. That means I have to go back out this afternoon.”
“Then go. I’d task a drone to keep watch, but your pet cyborg destroyed the only ones we had.”
She didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, she gathered up the remains of her meal and tossed it all into the recycling unit. She still had time left on her break but saw no reason not to go back early. She just needed a few minutes to check on her subjects and release the two due for some exercise. Oh, and to remove the tracking devices she’d found in several pieces of her field equipment. She’d had enough of Douglas spying on her.
The sooner she got out of this camp and away from the controlling, arrogant asshole, the happier she’d be.
10
Axe returned home after Rin went back to camp. Once there, he went straight to his shop. The hours he spent with her each day had put him behind on several projects, and he usually spent this time doing some work.
He’d been up late every night, too. His medi-bots allowed him to go for days without sleep, and thoughts of Rin had danced through his mind every time he closed his eyes. Staying busy was better than thinking about things he was sure he’d never have, so he’d work until Amun complained about the light and noise.
The hawk had taken over his workshop and now considered it his domain with Axe more of a tolerated guest. At least, that’s how Amun saw things. Axe’s version of reality was quite different, but most of the time, he let the bird have his delusions.
All attempts to get any work done failed as his thoughts returned time and again to that kiss in the woods. If those drones hadn’t shown up… Veth, he got hard just thinking about what could have happened. Like all male cyborgs, his corporate creators had ramped up his hormones to make him more aggressive. They hadn’t considered what that would do to someone like him, whose purpose was to operate alone.
By the time the war ended, he’d learned to ignore his physical needs. He’d controlled them for years by this point in his life… until Rin. Now she was all he could think about, even when he needed to focus on the higher priority mission—protecting the psy-hawks from the military, and anyone else who wanted to possess and control them.
Axe eventually gave up on working and went inside to eat. Amun followed him and settled on top of the open door. That worked for now when the weather was warm, but Axe made a note to build a proper perch for the hawk before winter.
He retrieved a plate full of roasted tumpa out of the cooler and carved off a few slices for himself as well as one for Amun.
“You caught it, so it’s only fair you get to enjoy it, too.” He tossed the slice to the hawk, who caught it in his beak and proceeded to tear into it. The bird had quickly learned to enjoy cooked meat, a fact Axe had no intention of sharing with Rin. She’d probably lecture him about Amun’s dietary requirements. When it came to the hawks, she was as protective as any mother in the wild. It was one of the many things he liked about her. Her kind heart and cheerful disposition were almost as tempting as her kisses. Almost.
He shook his head to free himself from thoughts about the pretty scientist and back to the crisis at hand. They needed allies, something Rin wouldn’t find among the military. That meant any help would have to come from Haven.
It was time he made some calls.
He considered contacting Striker, a friend and the leader of the rangers, but decided to go straight to one of the few cyborgs with real power in the colony. He didn’t know Edge well, but he respected him and trusted he would understand what was at stake. He’d been the leader of the cyborgs while they were prisoners and was one of the cyborgs chosen to sit on the leadership council.
He could have reached out via the internal comm channels all cyborgs on Haven shared. He didn’t. He opted to send a text message summarizing the situation and ended it with a request to contact him when Edge was free.
He might respect the man, but he was also aware Edge had a temper and his own way of doing things. This way might take longer, but it was more likely to bring Edge on board. If not, he’d have to go to River for help… and that would piss off Edge for sure. Axe had no idea what the deal was between those two, but when they were together, sparks flew. What kind of sparks exactly was anyone’s guess.
That done and lunch made, he carried his plate over to the table to eat.
He never got to finish his meal.
One second he had a mouthful of food and a head full of ideas about how to protect the hawks, and the next he was charging out the door with Amun screaming in his head and out loud.
Rin was in danger.
The beast came out of nowhere.
One second Rin was walking through the woods and the next she was fighting for her life… and losing.
Hera and the other hawks did their best to fend off the predator. They attacked it continuously, tearing at its face and slashing at its body while buffeting it with their wings. Rin did the best she could, beating away claws and teeth and yelling until her voice was hoarse.
If she could have run, she might have made it to a tree and climbed it the way Axe had told her to do. None of the local predators could climb well, but right now, neither could she. The initial attack had left her crippled, her left leg shredded from hip to knee by the animal’s claws.
The pain was there, but it was a distant thing, easily ignored while she fought to stay alive. When she raised her hands to fend off the cat-like creature, they were coated in blood. She didn’t know if belonged to her or her attacker, but there was so much of it she knew one of them was in a lot of trouble.
This is how I die. The thought came to her with crystalline clarity, despite the chaos of the moment. Even knowing it was probably true, Rin didn’t stop fighting. She needed to stay alive. There was so much more she needed to learn about the psy-hawks and about Axe. She wasn’t ready to die. She wanted to live. To find out if that kiss could lead to something more.
The next time she tried to raise her arms to ward off an attack, only one of them moved. She saw the gap in her defenses at the same time the predator did, and for a moment they stared at each other.
