Containing Malice (Rebel Cyborgs #1) - Cynthia Sax Page 0,52

from her fingers before she accidentally stunned him. “You don’t need this.”

His clever little medic clearly hadn’t stored any information about guns in that big brain of hers.

“I’m your warrior. I’ll protect you.” He returned the weapon to her jacket pocket.

She frowned at him. Her lips parted.

“Because you’re right.” He tightened his grip on her. “It’s time to go.” He ran with her, leaping over the bodies, propelling them at cyborg speed toward the exit.

Valor trailed them, chattering about the Resurrected he’d previously downed.

Another explosion shook the structure. Two more followed in rapid succession. Debris fell from the ceilings. Walls crumbled around them.

“The Resurrected must be triggering the explosions.” Valor said what Malice was projecting. “They’ll destroy the entire structure.”

“I hope they destroy themselves also.” Illona’s voice was soft. “That would be a kindness. They’re in continuous excruciating pain.”

She had asked him to level the lab, to ensure nothing was left of it, had told him that would honor her deceased friend, the being who had sacrificed herself to free them.

He carried his medic through the hallways. Valor moved behind them.

Malice accessed the Humanoid Alliance systems and activated the cleaning bots. “Run.” He opened the exterior doors, rushed through it with his female in his arms.

His systems adjusted instantly to the lower light and the thinner air.

His little human had more difficulties. She panted, her chest heaving against him.

Malice continued running. The booms behind them grew louder and louder until they merged into one auditory-system-stressing roar.

A force hit his back, the heat of it felt through his body armor. He fell forward, covering Illona’s form with his. Shrapnel shredded the back of his skull. The agony took his breath away.

Then there was silence.

“Are you damaged, female?” He braced himself over her. Concern twisted his stomach.

“Other than a bit of trouble breathing and blurry vision from the thin air, I’m fine.” She wiggled onto her back, squinted up at him. “Fuck. You’re a mess.”

She gently smoothed a flap of skin back over his right cheek. The caring in her eyes warmed him all over. She wasn’t looking at him like he was her patient, her test subject. There was no coolness in her expression. She was gazing at him like a female might gaze at her male.

He pushed his face into her palms. “I’ll repair.” His tone was brusque with emotion. “Valor?”

“I’ll repair also.” The E Model jumped to his booted feet, looked behind them at where the lab was once situated. “There’s no putting us back in those fraggin’ chambers now.”

Malice stood and looked in that direction also.

The site was a giant hole carved into the rock. Smoke billowed above it.

“We’ve left nothing for the Humanoid Alliance to retrieve, to use.” He modified words his female previously shared with him. “That won’t fully repay Medic Febris for her sacrifice.” He scooped Illona in his arms. “But it honors her bravery.”

“Thank you.” His little medic’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Malice grunted, pressed her to his chest.

They relocated next to a giant boulder. It wasn’t ideal, but there was no better place to hide. The lab had been situated on a large rock spire in the middle of a massive acidic sea. The top of the spire had been sliced off to create a flat landing pad and the site of the lab.

Their exposure made Malice uneasy. He hunched over his female, seeking to protect her with his form, to conceal her from view.

And he waited.

Several moments later, Malice heard a ship’s engine in the distance. He drew his guns.

Valor stopped chattering to Illona, did the same.

Malice’s female extracted her gun also. Judging by how gingerly she was holding it, she wouldn’t hit a fraggin’ thing with it.

Malice huffed, said nothing.

Her gun was pointed away from them. The probability of being stunned by his little medic was 3.2359 percent. And she wouldn’t be battling any enemies. He would safeguard her, would do most of the fighting…if fighting was necessary.

The ship broke through the cloud cover. He perused it, looking for markings, for any indication of its owners. The vessel bore no symbols, no letters. It had originally been a freighter. But it had been heavily modified. Guns and other weapons had been added to its frame.

“That’s not a Humanoid Alliance ship.” Valor frowned up at it. “But that isn’t the type of ship a cyborg would fly either.”

Malice agreed with his friend. Cyborgs preferred their weapons, ships, other tools, to be fully functional. The panels on the modified freighter were dull and