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and definitely not cyborgs. My father was military, Sir, and he guarded them at a
detention center so I know what a cyborg looks like. There was no mistake on my part
about who I saw attacking us.
Rage came across the speakers as the man spoke. I m reviewing your full file, Ms.
Gates. Your mother was a traitor to Earth Government and she stole five cyborg units
from the detention center she worked at and shot her husband helping those killers
escape.
Fuck. Talk about my past coming back to bite me on the ass. This guy is never going
to believe me. She took a deep breath. Sir, with all due respect, don t you think I would
hate their kind with that history? I grew up with a father who was bitter about his injury
and he lost his wife. I lost my mother and all because she felt sorry for cyborgs.
Order your pod to change course immediately to dock with the Gordon Lee, the
man s voice shook. I will get the whole story out of you because I know Dell was telling
the truth. I don t care if you re a woman, Ms. Gates. I m going to see you in hell if you
don t tell me the truth and tell me where the hell those bastards are so I can find my
nephew to see if he s still alive. I will order my men to cut the damn truth from you if
that s what it takes to make you tell me where Dell is, so in the time it takes your pod to
dock, you d better have a change of tune, young woman. End of communications.
Transmission ended, Pod 3 stated. Orders?
Full stop, Rena said softly.
Repeat order?
I said come to a full stop. Cut the engines. I need time to think, damn it. If the
general wants me, he can come get me. I ll be damned if I have you pilot me closer to
him.
Order confirmed.
She heard the engines cut off, the soft hum dying, but in seconds they executed again
and she knew the pod was reversing engines to slow their momentum. The sound died
within a minute and left her in utter and total silence, able to hear her own breathing. She
was dead in space.
Orders?
Silence.
Confirmed.
She took deep breaths, hearing each one in the eerie and unnatural quiet. The general
wasn t going to believe her after pulling up her history. He was a man who had lost a
nephew, obviously not reasonable by the way he d sounded over the com, and
determined to make her talk even by means of having her tortured. She hugged her chest
tightly, trying to find comfort in her own embrace. Earth Government was known to be
ruthless to humans they deemed traitors. She had no doubt the general would order his
men to do whatever it took to make her talk.
91
Kissing Steel Laurann Dohner
Shutting her eyes, she tried to calm her pounding heart, knowing that this couldn t
end well for her or for Steel and his people. She d be tortured until they broke her. I know
too much! But I don t know where their planet is, thankfully. That was her single
comforting thought.
* * * * *
Calm down, Gene ordered Steel as he watched his commander, in a rage, nearly
beat one of the control panels to pieces with his fists. There is nothing we can do for
your human. The best we can hope for is that she doesn t break if they do torture her.
Turning to give the other man an icy glare, Steel took a ragged breath. Open
communications to the pod now.
Blackie shook his head. If we heard their communications then they will hear us as
well if you try to talk with your human. They will know we are in range even though they
can t pick us up on their long-range scanners thanks to the droid extending the signal
from the pod to us.
The pod has stopped advancing, a black-haired cyborg said quietly. She seems to
have come to a halt for some reason. Do you think she will try to flee? That is a class-B
starship and will catch her easily. She would burn her fuel up and even if she reached
Outpost Five they would just search it to arrest her. He frowned at Steel. She wouldn t
reverse course to get back to us, would she? She has to know we re no longer where we
were when we parted with her hours ago.
Steel shook his head. She wouldn t risk exposing us.
She s human. Blackie sounded disgusted. Why did you release her in the first
place? We are all at risk now. She is going to tell everything she knows about us to Earth
Government.
No, Gene said softly. I read her when I held her during interrogation. She is a
fighter and she feels fondness for Steel. She will do with the humans what she did with
us. She will fight until she forces them to kill her.
Pain lanced through Steel s chest, regret over letting Rena go a strong emotion that
gripped him. But he had been certain at the time that she would be safe. He had been
wrong. He turned to glare at Blackie. I m taking the Bridden. She s still docked to us for
the crew to go over her specifications and to reprogram her computer. Tell them to start
the engines and clear out unless they want to test her capabilities with me.
Halt, Blackie ordered. Why are you taking the Bridden?
Steel turned. It s heavily shielded, it s a jumper shuttle so it s faster than a large
ship, and the Star didn t detect it until it was almost on them. He paused. I m going to
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