Taunting Krell (10 page)

He studied her but said nothing.

“Are you listening to me? The only reason all of them didn’t escape was due to the fact that Barcarintellus had already incurred some employee deaths at the plant and had began to shut down most of the Markus units but they were testing an unknown number of them trying to figure out what went wrong in hopes of recovering them. The company dumped a lot of money and time into them. The data wasn’t recoverable from a fried computer and we couldn’t exactly ask any of the employees how many units weren’t taken off line since everyone was dead. The Markuses didn’t just escape. They took the time to kill every living being inside that plant. Thankfully when the company shut down the Markus Models, they’d sent them to a storage facility or the escaping units probably would have stolen them to reactivate later when they had more time. It’s their mission now to get hold of all Markus Models. They demanded the entire line be operational and released to them. Earth refused and I think that’s why they began attacking helpless stations and spacecrafts for retribution.”

“What was the capacity of each shuttle?”

She relaxed. He was listening to her. “It doesn’t matter. I know where you’re going with this but it’s impossible to even guess. One Markus could control and operate an entire shuttle alone. They also don’t need oxygen to survive so they could, in theory, pack a shuttle over safety regulations for life support. The only thing they couldn’t ignore would be weight maximums for lift-off ratio but again, they could have stuffed fifty of those damn things inside each shuttle even though they were designed to carry far fewer numbers. We don’t know. Those idiots were more worried about espionage than keeping an offsite backup of their information. They couldn’t or wouldn’t even tell us what ships were stolen to give us an idea of what to look for.”

“You stated that you viewed the Markus Models before taking your assignment. How is that possible if all the activated ones escaped?”

“The company brought a few back to the planet from storage after the escape and activated them to study. The only definite number I have is from the information I obtained from one Markus I found still barely functioning when I reached Belta Station. He was heavily damaged but he said he was in a group of eight. That means seven of them that I know of are still out there but the station distress signal only indicated one shuttle attacked. Three more ships are out there.”

“When did they escape?”

“Does it matter?” Her hand on his arm eased but she didn’t release him. His warm skin comforted her. The defense Models were scary. Markus Models had left her chilled to the bone when she’d spoken to them. Her thumb brushed his wrist.

“We had dealings with four Models in the past.”

Shock gripped her. “What kind of dealings?”

“They approached us looking for allies against Earth.”

“I wouldn’t trust them. You’re breathing and that makes you irrelevant to them.”

“They wanted to use us as bargaining tools with Earth to free more of their Models.”

“Not surprising.” She paused. “How did that turn out?”

“Was the
Nugget
one of the stolen shuttles the day of their escape?”

“No.” She frowned. “I’m familiar with that one though. One of the owners of Barcarintellus made a big to-do about his luxury shuttle. It was all over the news about how high tech and fancy it was but it was stolen months before those units escaped.” She bit her lip, thinking. “Let me guess. They had it?”

“They did.”

“Son of a bitch. There’s five shuttles out there? There was a prior escape of some Markuses? Damn General Vargus. He sent me out here without giving me all the details.”

“The
Nugget
was destroyed along with the Markus Models we encountered.” Krell eased his hand away. “I need to go but I want you to tell everything you know about the Markus Models to the two females I’ve assigned to guard you. They will relay all the information you give us.”

She grabbed him when he tried to turn away. “Take me with you.”

“No.”

“Then stay here because they are really dangerous. You said you analyze shit. You’re safer doing that here with me telling you everything I know about them.” She didn’t want him anywhere near those freakish metal heads. They were ice-cold killers and she had a feeling the cyborgs underestimated the danger of them, though she was impressed they’d managed to kill four with blind luck. The defective defense models were tough to take out. “I’ll help you.”

He jerked out of her hold again and closed his bag, hauling it up to hook over his shoulder. “Mavo is on the ship that was attacked and is being pursued. They suffered damage and its unknown how long they can fight off the other shuttle. He’s my friend and I’m going after him.”

Cyan felt sucker punched.
Mavo.
His image flashed in her mind, the sweet cyborg who had been her friend and who had wanted to carry her away with him when they’d escaped. He’d been her first real crush though he’d never thought of her romantically. She jumped in Krell’s way when he tried to get around her.

“Take me with you or I’ll clam up so tight I won’t talk at all. You need me, Krell. I’m the expert on those things. I know more about them than you do and I know how to kill them.”

“We did it before and we will do it again. We have their shutdown codes if they escaped from the manufacturing plant.”

“You mean the ones they overrode and no longer work?” She had to back up since he advanced. “Authorization mercy four-two-four-one isn’t going to do a damn thing but waste your breath saying it. It will be the last words you ever utter before you’re dead.”

That halted him as he studied her. “We knew that code. What do you mean it won’t work?”

“They fried their receptors for taking verbal command codes. Otherwise the employees would have shut them down when all hell broke loose. One employee locked himself inside his office and wrote a note that the command codes weren’t working before they killed him. Unfortunately he didn’t think to write down how many of them were in the plant. I know how to slow them down and I know how to kill them. Take me with you if you’re leaving. You need me.”

He shrugged the bag off his shoulder and it dropped loudly to the floor. Cyan gasped when he suddenly grabbed her. Her feet were jerked off the floor and her back slammed into the wall next to his bedroom door. It knocked the breath from her lungs. Krell glared at her nearly nose to nose since he’d lifted her to match his height.

“You will share information with the female cyborgs when they take over watching you.”

Her heart raced. “I know you don’t trust me but I hate the Markus Models with a passion. They murdered kids on that station, Krell. I really want to go if Mavo is in danger. He was my friend. I also have grown fond of your grumpy ass and don’t want to be told you died before those things show up here. They want cyborgs. This is a planet of them, right? That means they want to find out where it is. Earth doesn’t give a damn about humans living on stations if they continue to attack and kill them but dangling cyborgs in their faces is going to get those crazy metal heads what they want. Earth is terrified of you guys and they’d trade an android for a cyborg in a heartbeat just to alleviate the threat. I’m assuming the Markus Models don’t know where this planet is or they’d have attacked it instead of a ship, unless that ship is sitting in orbit. I’m thinking not, since you have to pack to leave. This entire planet is in danger if your men are captured. Am I right?”

He growled at her.

She hesitated and reached up, cupping his face. “I can help, Krell. Look into my eyes and see the truth. I don’t want any cyborgs to die and especially not you or Mavo.”

His rigid body slowly relaxed but he didn’t put her down. “Help by giving all the information you know to the females if that’s true. They will relay it to me.”

“You need me there.”

“It’s too risky.”

“I’m your secret weapon against them and I have to be there if shit hits the fan.”

He stared at her blankly. “Explain.”

She hesitated. “You thought I was completely human and so will they. We’re wasting time and Mavo is in danger. Please, Krell. Take me with you. I can help.”

Indecision wasn’t something Krell experienced often but as Cyan pleaded with him he could feel his resolve melting. It would be too dangerous to take her on this mission. He shouldn’t even be going, hated to leave Garden, but owed Mavo too much not to do his best to save him. He’d need to be on scene to help assess the situations so the best decisions could be made according to whatever they encountered when they reached the crippled ship to help them escape the shuttle tracking it.

Cyan knew more about the Markus Models than they did. He believed her boast and had to concede that she could come in handy if she was at his side. The idea of putting her in danger didn’t sit well with him. She was his female to protect and there was a high probability they’d be captured along with the crew of the
Vontage
.

He tried to shut down his emotions to do his job. Taking Cyan made sense, to have to relay information could hamper any split-second decisions that needed to be made and if they had to cut all communications he wouldn’t be able to learn whatever she shared with the females he’d assigned to protect her.

She was a soldier and she’d proven her worth when they’d tangled on his exercise mats. The small female had gotten the drop on him, something not easy to do, and she wanted to go.

“It’s dangerous. I’m not sure this is a mission we can accomplish successfully.”

She licked her lips. “Those metal heads are dangerous but I’m the best chance you’ve got against them. I know more than you do.”

He wished he could protest her statement but it would be dishonest. They’d learned little about the Markus Models. He’d considered it lucky that the first group of cyborgs who had encountered them had escaped after reviewing the reports that had been filed. His jaw clenched. It angered him but logic dictated he take her.

“You will follow my every order. That isn’t up for debate.”

She grinned and lifted her hand, saluting him. “Yes sir!”

He groaned, releasing her slowly. “Pack quickly, only a few things. We leave in four minutes.”

Cyan spun, darted for the bedroom, and he watched her go. His fists clenched as he sighed. One way or another, he’d learn more about her. She’d either show him she could be trusted or she’d try to help the androids harm his people. The ache in his chest wasn’t one he could ignore. It made him realize he wanted to trust her, needed her to be the female she represented, and anything less would be…deeply disappointing on a whole new level.

His eyes closed and his teeth clenched. He was feeling too much for her, too fast, yet he couldn’t seem to prevent it from happening. She had a way of getting under his skin and causing havoc to his peaceful way of life. She mattered.

Chapter Eight

Krell glared at Cyan. The shuttle they traveled in wasn’t a big one but it was fast. She could feel the tiny vibrations from the powerful thrusters they used to speed along. She had no idea what classification it was since the cyborgs seemed to worry about her stealing important information to somehow transmit to Earth.

She sat on a seat with four cyborgs surrounding her. Two of them monitored her for sending any kind of signals if she had remote hacking ability. Krell had ordered her to ignore both males to avoid distracting them.

“Talk,” Krell demanded. “How do we kill them?”

“You have to puncture holes in their skin—any projectile will do—and shoot them with energy shots immediately to electrocute them. You retrieved my weapons the way I asked, right?”

“Yes.” He watched her, seeming to assess her for honesty. “Why quickly?”

“They heal rapidly if they are fully operational. Electricity is the exception and they won’t heal from that. The Markuses had too many defects for the company who designed them to remove the fatal flaw. It was the only way they could kill them. It’s standard procedure to make a critical blemish in a product in case they go haywire. They won’t heal from electrical burns and their internal guts aren’t shielded to avoid being fried.”

“You stated you could slow them down. Explain.”

She bit her lip. “I interrogated one of the Markuses alone. I insisted upon it before I left Earth. I pissed off my boss and he decided to send me on a solo mission to check out Belta Station. I needed to know what I was going up against. I kind of revealed that I’m not totally human to the thing to see what it would do. It had an odd reaction. It kind of shut down while it tried to evaluate what I might be. It’s my secret weapon I guess. I figured if I came up against them I could stun them by doing something inhuman and shoot the hell out of them while they paused to evaluate my origins before trying to kill me.”

Krell appeared perplexed. “That’s your master plan?”

“Do you have a better one? You said cyborgs met four Markus Models. Did they kind of shut down while they evaluated you?”

“No.”

“They are obviously aware of what cyborgs can do and were prepared to deal with you. They aren’t prepared for me. I’m not something they’ve seen before and no one knew about me except the team who saved me. When the Markus Model came back online after the initial shutdown, he asked if I was the female version of his production line. They’d boxed his abilities until he couldn’t attempt to link to me. I killed it before it could share the information of what it had learned with the other Models.”

One of the cyborgs she hadn’t been ordered not to talk to drew her attention. “The company allowed that?”

She flashed him a smile. “No. I did it anyway. I lied and said it tried to get control of the electro pad I took in with me to make notes and that it obviously worked around their attempts to keep it from linking to electronics. What were they going to do? Accuse me of lying? They are in deep shit with Earth Government. They released a deadly threat upon Earth’s citizens and created a hell of a mess. The company never believed those things could escape the plant but they did. It made it everyone’s problem. The employees were bending over backward to be helpful when I came to investigate. They didn’t have a choice. Piss off Earth Government and they shut anyone down fast and hard.”

“You’re assuming you will get close enough to meet the Markus Models face-to-face to reveal what you are to them.” Krell suddenly gripped her arm. “You will not.”

The warm and fuzzy feeling she had thinking he might be worried about her quickly faded when he shook his head.

“You could help them attack us.”

Ouch
. That stung. She took a deep breath and hid her hurt before dropping her gaze. “I’ll say it again. I am not the enemy.”

The silvery-skinned cyborg who had spoken to her watched her intently with dark blue eyes. He was seriously beefy in the chest and arm department and his black uniform stretched over his bulk tightly. She guessed he stood about six feet tall, maybe an inch more, and his attention was a little too focused as she watched him sweep his gaze down her body before he spoke, glancing at Krell.

“She looks sincere, Krell.”

“She’s not totally human, Gene. You can’t evaluate her properly.”

“I disagree.”

Krell’s mouth tensed. “Gene is a human lie detector, Cyan. He watches facial expressions, pupils, and keeps track of heart rates along with body temperatures.”

“I believe you’ve lost your interrogator skills over the years. I’ve been watching her and she’s very humanoid. Every expression shows when she speaks. She’s currently saddened by your lack of trust.”

It surprised Cyan that the cyborg could tell that about her. She’d tried to hide her emotions. She studied him and realized he did the same to her. Krell leaned back against his seat across from the other cyborg.

“I am not easily fooled by her. I’ll leave that to you, Gene. She isn’t to be trusted.”

Double ouch
. She shot him a dirty look but Krell ignored it. Gene however seemed to take his words as a challenge. “I could easily read her. Do you want to bet on it?”

“No.”

“You didn’t even ask me what the stakes would be.”

Krell crossed his arms over his chest. “I analyze everything and I know what you want. You can’t stop staring at her female body, you keep rubbing your thighs with your palms and shifting on your seat. It all indicates you’re in an aroused and uncomfortable state. You want the female. The answer is no.”

“She might disagree.” Gene stared at her and smiled. “I’m an attractive male and I’m big all over.” He winked. “I’m also single.”

“Good for you.” Cyan leaned back and her shoulder brushed against Krell. She didn’t move it away, finding his proximity comforting. “Cyborgs really have changed over the years. You guys never used to be so focused on sex.”

“Some changes are for the better.” Gene leaned forward, kept his smile in place and openly admired her body. “The only thing I miss about Earth are the women. I heard you were a soldier. Guards are my specialty. I have a lot of experience and we’ve got some hours to kill.” He jerked his head to the left. “There’s a storage room at the back of the shuttle. It’s a choice females have, to test out any male they want for perspective additions into a family unit. I’m not opposed at all to joining one if you’re the woman.”

“I’m flattered but no thanks. I have to admit being a little insulted at being compared to the guards you used to be in contact with.”

“I could change your mind.”

“I could change your sex gender.” She openly stared at his lap for a few seconds to make a point before glancing up to see his stunned expression. “It sounds as if you’ve become fond of keeping your nuts. The best way to do that is to keep your hands to yourself.”

Krell snorted but amusement shone in his eyes when he met her gaze. “I normally would take offense if you made threats against my kind but continue.”

She looked away from him. “Now you find your sense of humor. Great.”

Gene suddenly laughed, leaning closer. “I do love a challenge. You’re spirited.”

“I’m not waving a red flag at you despite you being bull thick in the chest. That’s Earth slang for don’t go there and I’m not playing around. I’m not interested.”

“Would you be interested in placing a bet with me?”

“No.” Krell spoke for her. “She wouldn’t.”

It irritated Cyan. She was still slightly stung by his distrust. “What kind of bet? He’s my keeper but not the ruler of my mouth.”

Gene chuckled. “Allow me to see if I can read you accurately. I don’t enjoy Krell being so smug and I’m guessing you don’t either. We’ll go with the obvious things. You win if you can lie to me. You’ll take a walk with me to the back of the shuttle if you can’t deceive me and permit me to attempt to change your mind about wanting me. I won’t force you but you have to give me an opportunity to test our physical chemistry.”

“No,” Krell sat up straight in his seat. “That is final.”

“Sure,” Cyan said a second later, now more than irritated with Krell. He didn’t want to be with her by the way he acted but he didn’t want anyone else to be either. “I’ll take that bet.”

“You will not do this,” Krell rasped at her, glaring.

“You’re so sure I can’t fool him, right? So convinced I’m a liar and dangerous?” She lifted her chin. “What has you worried if that’s true? I could beat his lie detector ability easily.”

His mouth slammed closed and the muscle in his jaw jumped. “Fine, but don’t expect me to save you. You brought this on yourself.” He shot a dangerous glower toward Gene. “No means stop if you win. I will take extreme violent action if you harm her. She’s mine to protect. Are we clear?”

“Perfectly.” Gene grinned at her and tapped his lap. “Take off your shirt and have a seat. Face me. We need to be skin to skin.”

Shit.
She hadn’t expected that. The cyborg reached up and pulled his shirt over his head, baring a muscular chest and thick biceps. Krell made a soft growling noise under his breath.

“You should have listened to me. Now you have agreed to this nonsense.”

Cyan rose to her feet and reached for her waist. She wore an exercise bra under her shirt. She stripped out of it. “The under top stays on. Deal with it.” She hesitated before straddling the cyborg’s lap. His arms instantly wrapped around her and jerked her closer. She tensed but didn’t hit him, her first instinct, since her temper had gotten her into this mess.

“Stare into my eyes, sweetheart. Just relax. We’ll start off slow with some easy and obvious questions.”

“That’s all we’re starting. Keep your hands in decent places.”

“Tell me you are female and keep looking into my eyes. Describe yourself to me. I need truth to gauge your responses.”

“I’m a female, with black hair to my waist, and my eyes are blue.”

The guy had pretty eyes. He was warm too. His skin pressed tightly to hers and his hold on her was firm but not crushing. It was a good thing she wasn’t claustrophobic because she felt surrounded by his bulky body.

“Who is holding you now?”

“A smug cyborg who thinks he’s going to get to make out with me.”

He grinned. “Simple answers that can’t be in dispute. You’re not certain that I’m smug.”

“Actually, I am. Fine. You’re Gene, a cyborg, and you’re doing this test to see if I’m able to lie to you.”

“She’s so easy to read.” Gene grinned. “An open book. She’s got very expressive eyes and body language.”

Cyan was tempted to fool him. She’d have a much easier time gaining their trust if she could get one cyborg to believe everything she said as the truth. Gene might listen to her if she warned them about the Markus Models and could make her life on Garden much easier. It would mean he’d get her alone but she could handle any advances he made. Cyborgs had honor, he’d given his word he wouldn’t force her, and while they might have changed quite a bit since Earth, she doubted they’d find lying a noble trait to aspire to.

“Now lie to me.”

She made a split-second decision. Krell would be angry but lives were at stake. Mavo’s currently, if Markus Models were chasing the ship he traveled on. She monitored her body closely, took control of her pupils, pulse and temperature while never looking away from the dark blue eyes of the cyborg holding her. “I’m a seven-hundred-pound, deranged, mutated space pirate who just ate your dog.”

He chuckled. “So easy to read. Tell me an obvious truth.”

“Krell is really angry at the moment.”

Gene glanced away from her to the cyborg across from them and chuckled. “I’d upgrade that to enraged.” He held her gaze. “Lie to me one more time.”

“I’m currently on the surface of Earth and we’re about to have a tea party.”

The cyborg holding her shifted his gaze to Krell. “You should be ashamed of yourself. When we return to Garden inform the council that you’re not fit for any future interrogating duties. She is so simple to read. I knew you were physically damaged but I didn’t realize it had affected your logic or intelligence. You’d have to be defective not to easily read this female. As a matter of fact I seriously question your judgment now as an analyst. I’ll file with the council as well to make sure you inform them. You need to be immediately removed from your position.”

Cyan’s heart overrode her grip on her body as it hammered at the thought of Krell losing his job and status with cyborgs. She hadn’t meant for that to happen. She’d seriously screwed up. As much as she wanted to help Mavo, she didn’t want to destroy Krell in the process. She jerked her head around to stare at him. He’d paled, the lines of his scars on his features stark, and his eyes flashed pain.

“Understood,” he rasped.

“No!” She jerked her head back to Gene. “Don’t do that. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Sweetheart, reading you is so simple it’s sad. Krell has no business being in charge of making any decisions if he is unable to see you’re an open book.”

She clamped down on all emotions and her body functions, angry now. “He’s smart not to trust me and to believe I am hard to read. You’re the one who is easily fooled. Try again, Gene.”

He shook his head. “It’s sweet that you’re trying to protect him but the test is over.”

No, it’s not
. She took a breath and kept her gaze locked with his. “I’m a male dinosaur with four tails and a horrible snout.”

Shock paled his features. “What?”

“My pupils didn’t react to a lie. My heart rate didn’t change. I can control them. You’re reading that I’m being honest. I’m a seven-hundred-pound mutated space pirate who just planted a big, wet kiss on your lips.” She paused. “Do you want to read the truth as lies? Watch. I’m a woman with breasts and I’m sitting on your lap with your arms wrapped around me. You owe Krell an apology and if anyone is incompetent, it’s you. You were the one easily fooled.”

Gene gasped and his arms suddenly jerked away from her. His fingers gripped her upper arms with quick speed, grabbed her roughly and forcefully shoved her off his lap toward the floor between the seats. Two strong hands caught her before she hit the deck. Krell hauled her onto his lap and snarled at the other man.