Blade. Scrapper. Part 6.. Damantha Makarova
checking his pulse, before administering him a shot.
Hunter handed her one from his backpack and kneeled next to the captured soldier, squinting.
«Please! I had nothing to do with her being beaten!» the young man cried out.
The cyborg tilted his head and caught his chin, studying his face:
«Ricks?» he breathed out.
The sound of his name made the young man freeze in panic for a second, but then he recognized the face before him and his eyes grew wide:
«Hunter?» the guy lowered his gaze at the metal cybernetic body of the Terran he knew from a very long time ago.
«Fuck, Ricks! How the fuck are you here? And why?» Hunter let go of his face.
The soldier frantically looked around, glancing to Wolfin with his hands in fists and boot still pressing him to the ground, and Serena, who was more interested in the unconscious man beside her.
«Classified…» Ricks replied shakily. «We came here on a classified mission. You don’t have clearance.»
Hunter gritted his teeth and raised his cybernetic hand, showing it to the man:
«Now, look here… Since you and I were acquaintances before, I am giving you a choice of a lifetime. You either talk on your own, or I can use this new cybernetic arm of mine to cause you pain beyond what you’ve caused to the woman I love while she was with you guys.»
Ricks threw a panicked glance at Serena.
«And trust me…» Wolfin leaned on his leg a little bit harder, pressing the man down. «You don’t want me joining in, as that is my named daughter.»
«Please! I have nothing to do with…»
«Talk, private.» Serena stood and stepped up. «Because I’m even worse than they are when it comes to interrogations. Either talk… or you’ll start losing limbs. And we’ll take turns causing you pain, until your little act fades and your true self comes out.»
«I never hit you! Not once!»
Serena lowered to him, baring her teeth:
«Should I tell them what you kept suggesting instead?»
Ricks looked at Hunter and Wolfin and noticed their eyes squinting in anger.
«Now that… in itself deserves a couple of broken bones.» Hunter said, gritting his teeth and placing his hand on the man’s kneecap, slowly tightening his grip and smiling maliciously at the scream that the soldier let out.
Chapter 7. Classified
Lindon opened his eyes and saw Serena sitting next to him, looking angrily in front of her. The man moved slightly and felt his chest bursting with pain, making him cough out a little blood. Serena immediately kneeled and helped him roll to his side to cough out some more blood, spitting it to the ground.
It took him a couple of long moments to begin hearing through the ringing in his ears something resembling pained screams.
«Serena…» he reached out to the woman, grasping weakly onto her arm.
«Easy, Lindon.» she replied, touching his face and looking into his eyes. «You’ve done something… stupid, when breaking my fall.»
«Stupid?» he smirked. «Or heroic?»
Serena chuckled, leaning in and planting a kiss to his bloodied lips:
«Both, Lindon. Thank you.» she sighed. «I’m just happy you’re alive, honestly.»
«Ah… hence the kiss.» the man smiled.
Serena squinted teasingly and leaned back:
«Don’t dare ask for more.»
«Not in this state, my lady…» he moved again, trying to push himself up, and bared his teeth in pain. «Where are we?»
«In a cave under the surface.»
«Ah… explains the injuries I’m feeling.» Lindon froze in surprize for a few long moments, seeing Wolfin and Hunter interrogating a soldier at the far wall. «What the fuck happened?»
«Uh… Well, a lot happened, my dear Lindon. As I came to, we were stranded in a deep cave. Neither my jetpack, nor yours were operational, so I had to carry you on my back out of there. Then we were surrounded by some cave dwellers that tried to eat us as a snack. I killed the creatures, all the while trying not to let them drag your pretty ass away. And later I had to carry you on my back again for… I don’t even know how long, before we were attacked by a regiment of Terran soldiers.»
«Terran soldiers? The fuck are they doing here?»
«That’s what the guys are trying to find out.» Serena tilted her head. «How are you feeling?»
«I’ll live.» Lindon felt his strength failing and slowly lowered himself back onto the ground. «But I definitely need a bit of rest.»
The woman unclasped a syringe and administered him some stimulants.
«To tell you the truth, I was afraid I’d get you back to the ship all mangled, as we lost all our meds during the fall…» she said.
Lindon met her gaze, surprized to hear that.
«We did?» he exhaled.
«I had one and had to give it to you, even though I’m quite beaten myself… If it weren’t for Hunter and Wolfin coming to my aid in a nick of time, I’d be in a… let’s say, in a worse condition.»
Lindon frowned:
«What?»
«The Terran soldiers… they caught me off-guard, because I didn’t hear them approaching from the ringing in my ears. They beat me a bit. And tried to beat your unconscious body, so I had to shield you as well, because I was already too weak and hurt to fight back. Plus, they cuffed my hands behind my back, so… that was fun.»
«Are you alright?»
«Better than you, that’s for sure.» Serena smirked, looking back at the interrogation. «But we’re both on their meds now. Let’s hope we won’t need more while we’ll be getting back.»
«If the Terran soldiers were here, that means they must have camp somewhere near…»
«My priority right now is getting you back to the ship. You definitely need medical attention. Everything else can wait.»
The woman felt his palm on her hand and looked at him again.
«Serena…» Lindon slowly shook his head. «This is more important than my well-being. We have to move quick, because people in camp might move when they won’t have their comrades return. You can contact Lyssa and they can pick me up, if…»
«We can’t, Lindon.» Serena gritted her teeth. «Our communication devices aren’t working. We suspect that the Terrans are using some sort of a scrambler. I’m almost certain it was one of those Falana sold to Elijah.»
Lindon fell silent for a few long moments, surprized to hear such news, but then took a cautious breath:
«Then it’s vital we find their camp!»
«We have no clue how many soldiers can be there.» Serena growled. «And if you hadn’t noticed, you and I are not in our best form to enter a scuffle.»
«A couple of broken ribs don’t make me useless, Serena. I can cover you from behind.»
«You’re underestimating our injuries…» Serena gritted her teeth again. «We have more than just a few broken ribs, Lindon…»
She grasped her head and winced, feeling the painful burst of her headache becoming stronger because of the anger she’s been experiencing.
«Serena…» Lindon heard Hunter walking