He was a cyborg warrior reporting to the captain of a ship. They were both attempting a dangerous rescue mission, could perish during it.
But he had her heart now and forever.
Their tongues tumbled and twirled in a dance known by only the two of them. She pressed her body against his. He strapped his arms around her. His nanocybotics fizzed and popped inside her mouth, all over her form.
She wanted him to hold her for eternity, wanted him to never let her go. He was her safe place, her wild passion, her fun. With him, she could be herself, could be a whole being. She—
“They’re approaching.” Truth drew back from her, the embrace over much too soon. “You are to stay behind me at all times.”
“You’re planning to block the projectiles with your form again, aren’t you?” She frowned at him. The prospect of him absorbing that pain for her was unsettling.
“Let me have my fun, Princess.” He grinned at her as he drew his guns.
She shook her head and did the same. Stars. She was nervous.
Nancy hid her inner turmoil under a serene expression, her royal mask.
This wasn’t her first time facing danger. When Royaume was under Humanoid Alliance control, she spent many moments with the enemy, learning their secrets. She had been acutely aware they could have uncovered her activities, might have ended her lifespan at any time.
But only she had been at risk then, not every being she loved.
She stepped closer to Truth, instinctively seeking the comfort of his form.
Claude and Valentin rejoined them. Claude’s beard sported a hint of lip coloring. Valentin’s normally immaculately styled hair was slightly mussed. Her two fathers gripped guns in their hands also.
Valentin’s weapons were as ornately decorated as his garments normally were. Claude’s guns had seen many battles, were polished yet severely worn.
“It’s time to increase our kill rates.” Truth opened the doors.
He stormed out of the ship, not waiting for the ramp to lower, blasting every being he saw. Nancy followed him, shooting to the left and to the right, hitting more ships than beings. Claude and Valentin covered their rear.
A being ran toward a control panel. Truth blasted him before he could set off the alarms.
Her cyborg dashed between vessels, ending lifespans with glee. She trailed behind him. They killed everyone they saw, targeted the monitoring equipment, disabled the bots.
There was no time for thinking, for regrets. It was shoot or be shot.
They covered the entire docking bay, crossing from one side to the other, downing beings as they ran. No one was left standing. No possible threats were overlooked.
Truth halted when they reached the far wall, gazed around them. “The space is clear. For now.” He rushed to the control panel, holstering his guns. “We have to move quickly.” He tapped his fingertips against the screen.
The cyborgs’ research had garnered them entry codes and, as Truth had explained to her, he was a cyborg, half machine. There were very few systems he couldn’t access.
Truth extracted a device from his pack, pointed at her and then at the floor.
She nodded, acknowledging the order, looked behind her. Claude and Valentin nodded also.
The next step was key, could only be completed by someone with her cyborg’s speed.
He hadn’t been certain he could accomplish it, giving himself a 78.6982 percent probability of success. Tension stretched across Nancy’s shoulders.
Truth lowered his form more and more. The doors slid open.
He sprang forward, propelling his form along a white hallway. Beams of red sliced through air. He rolled and jumped, climbing up the walls, pushing off them, trying to avoid the ship’s defenses.
Her cyborg was a blur of motion. He twisted and turned, dodging the deadly rays. Every step was calculated, his control over his big physique remarkable. He leapt, pointing his toes, flattening his hands, barely fitting through an impossibly small gap.
He neared his target. One of the access points for the system controlling the red rays was affixed to the ceiling. Any modification to that defense had to be hardwired. He veered to the right.
Her cyborg must have misjudged the timing of that move. A ray connected with his form, cut through his body armor, shaved a hunk of the flesh off his shoulder.
Blood spurted, painting the tiled floor crimson.
Truth hissed, that sound of pain twisting Nancy’s insides.
She gasped, took a step forward. He was hurt. She had to go to him.
Claude grabbed her wrist, stopping her from rushing to her cyborg’s side.
Truth didn’t slow. He ran up a wall, rammed the