Containing Malice (Rebel Cyborgs #1) - Cynthia Sax Page 0,36

danger.

The beings were approaching from the opposite direction.

Malice glanced at the wall panel where he’d hidden the laser scalpel. If the beings passed his chamber, headed toward Valor’s chamber, he would retrieve the makeshift weapon, ensure his female and his friend weren’t discovered.

The beings stopped in front of his chamber. The door opened, revealing Picton, the guard who had dared to damage Illona. Malice also glimpsed Bonin’s face in the hallway.

Fury swept over him.

They would both die. Soon. Painfully. He would exact retribution for the agony they’d delivered to his female, his friend, himself.

But he couldn’t kill them now. Malice scrubbed all evidence of his anger from his expression, leaving his countenance blank.

The door closed. Bonin remained outside the chamber.

Picton aimed a gun at him. The male looked around the space. “The medic is missing.” He curled his top lip. “I told Bonin and Nelson to stay away from the cyborg chambers, but did they listen? No.” The guard answered his own question. “Those idiots must have let that cold-hearted human go.” His gaze paused on the pool of blood by the door and then stopped again at the blood splattered around the sleeping support. “She hurt before she was freed. Severely. I’m glad for that.”

Picton would hurt. Severely. Before he died.

Malice would ensure he felt pain.

“Get on the sleeping support, machine.” The guard waved his gun.

It would require very little effort to disarm the male, to end his lifespan, to leave the chamber and join Illona and Valor. But that would bring their activities to the attention of the Humanoid Alliance.

The enemy would take action sooner than they otherwise would. They would send their ships, their warriors, to kill them.

Allowing himself to be stunned, tortured, wouldn’t raise the Humanoid Alliance’s suspicions. It would give them more time, a better probability of liberation.

The humans watching them through the monitoring equipment expected him to obey the guard’s commands. Compliance was his normal response, a tactic he’d utilized in the past to shield Valor and himself from decommissioning.

This planet rotation, he’d utilize it to protect all the beings he cared for.

Malice suppressed his rage and reclined on the sleeping support.

“Good machine.” Picton laughed as he stunned him.

Pain jolted Malice’s form. His organics froze in place. He hated not being able to move, and he hated the fraggin’ human swaggering toward him.

Picton exchanged his gun for his reprimand stick. “If you had killed her, I might have showed you some leniency, machine.” He smacked the metal against his palm. “I might have done that.” His laugh sported a sharp edge. “I hate that frigid female.”

The guard rapped the reprimand stick across Malice’s shins. Agony shot up his legs. He endured it…because that was all he could do.

Valor. He contacted his brethren through the transmission lines. Keep the medic in your chamber.

His fragile little human would be in danger if she left that space. Loathing for her vibrated through the guard’s voice. The male would seek to damage Illona.

“The medic would add a note to my file if she knew I was here.” Picton targeted Malice’s groin next, slamming the reprimand stick across his cock. The pain was excruciating. “She believes hurting you impacts her damn results.”

The tension pulling across Malice’s shoulders eased.

His female hadn’t lied to him about trying to reduce his agony. The guard had no reason to fabricate her response, and she had used similar wording with the Humanoid Alliance, trying to convince them to allow the usage of pain inhibitors.

That argument was illogical…as their enemy must have processed. They’d denied her request.

Damage, pain, and other stressors created more nanocybotics. They would boost the results of her experiments, not hurt them.

His overly cautious medic would have proven that with her numerous tests. She would have processed that wouldn’t impact her results.

Illona had uttered those foolish statements, had risked her already precarious position with the Humanoid Alliance, for him, to decrease his pain.

Fraggin’ hole. There was an 86.2598 percent probability the blasted female would seek to protect him now if she processed his situation.

Don’t relay to my medic I’m being tortured. He sent that message to Valor.

His female might confront Picton, attempt to stop the torment. She was fragile, human, easily broken, and the guard hated her…more than Malice ever had.

The medic has removed the explosive. His friend gave him that update. I’m advising her to wait until that damage repairs before extracting the tracking devices. That will slow the process.

The delay would be required. Picton appeared to be in no rush