Chapter 16

16

B y the time Covak and Jesh arrived, the rest of the crew had already assembled in the briefing room. Holographic displays flickered to life, casting an eerie blue glow across the faces of his fellow Reapers as they sat around the table, waiting for them. Ryke stood at the head of the oval table, his ice-blue eyes pinning them as they walked through the door.

"Glad the lovebirds could join us," Anson commented, arching a brow at them.

Covak flicked him the finger as he settled Jesh into the seat next to the one he usually claimed. He'd rather sit her on his lap but figured even the suggestion might earn him some bruises.

"Alright, folks," Ryke's gravelly voice cut through the tension like a plasma blade. "Davis has some intel on our target. Let's hear it."

Davis nodded, his fingers dancing across a datapad.

"I've—"

A delicate cough made him pause, and he inclined his head to Mira, sitting next to him. " We've managed to locate Jex," he announced, looking up at the holo-display.

A three-dimensional image of a nondescript storage facility materialized above the table, rotating slowly.

Covak's eyes narrowed as he studied the hologram. The facility looked unremarkable, out of the way, and not anywhere you'd stash something as valuable as a cyborg from another universe.

"It's an out-of-the-way storage facility," Davis affirmed, zooming in on various sections. "Which is odd given the great lengths they went to in order to keep and then get Jesh back."

Jesh shrugged, folding her arms. "Not really. I'd say they probably weren't able to access his onboard," she said. "Without a Zodiac power core, Jex would be completely inert. They might know what it is, but they'd have no way to activate it."

"Zodiac power cores?" Anson asked. "They're not compatible with our systems. Are they? So what exactly are we dealing with here?"

"Well, they're not compatible with the technology you have aboard the Dream . But human tech in this universe isn't particularly sophisticated. Compared to nonhumans that is," she said. "Zodiacs have Tri-sappherium crystal power cores, which are incredibly powerful. They can also be set to overload, essentially turning us into high-yield nuclear bombs."

A tense silence fell over the room. A chill ran down Covak's spine.

Her lips quirked at the unspoken question in the room. "Yes, we can be remote triggers to become suicide bombers. Needless to say, that remote coding was the first we purged when we freed ourselves."

She turned to Davis and Mira, frowning. "How did you two manage to track Jex down? If he's inert, he's basically a paperweight at this point. You wouldn't have been able to get any information back from him."

Davis shrugged. "I'm very good at tracking down shit people don't want me to find. I found some unusual storage codes, and then we cross-referenced them with shipping manifests from your known locations. It wasn't easy, but…" he trailed off, the corners of his lips quirking slightly.

"Good work, you two," Ryke grunted in approval, and Mira beamed. "Now, let's talk strategy."

Rann arched an eyebrow. "What for? The place looks completely unguarded. It should be a walk in the park."

"Jesh." Ryke turned to her. "You're our expert on these people. Does this look like one of their facilities?"

She leaned forward to study the plan of the facility on the hologram. "This location makes sense for storage. It's isolated, unremarkable. Perfect for keeping something they can't use but don't want to lose."

Ryke's eyes narrowed. "Is there anything particular we need to do to rescue Jex? Will we need any medical intervention or specialist equipment?"

Jesh shook her head. "He's just an onboard at this point, no body. All we'll need is a backpack. He's like…" she measured with her hands like she was cupping a deearin kitten. "About this big."

"If he's just an onboard, isn't he essentially dead?" Anson asked bluntly. "Why do we need to rescue him if they can't use him? Why put the team at risk?"

She shot him a look. "Not dead. Inactive. The J8 in his code means he's from the same genetic batch as me. He's the closest thing I have to an actual brother. I'm not leaving him there. If you guys won't help me, I'll do it on my own."

Something in the center of Covak's chest eased. He'd wondered about the bond between the Zodiacs and whether there had been anything romantic between Jesh and Jex. Hearing that Jex was her brother…

"We're not leaving anyone behind," Ryke said firmly, cutting off any argument before it could begin. "Alright, here's the plan. We'll approach in two teams. Covak, Davis, and Jesh will be with me for the main assault. Rann, you'll provide air support and run interference on their systems. Anson will stay with the Dream and bring in the big guns if needed."

"Hey!" Anson complained. "Why do I have to stay with the ship?"

Ryke rolled his eyes. "Because you're the only one who can fly the Lady's Dream entirely solo if we get hit out there. That's why."

The B'Kaar grunted and leaned back in his seat, apparently mollified.

"Besides," Ryke added. "You'll have Mira for company. Mira, I want you watching the bodycams for the whole thing. You're our extra warning system if you see something we don't."

Covak nodded, ready for this mission. He felt the familiar rush of prebattle adrenaline coursing through his veins. It seemed the others felt the same way, the scent of excitement and anticipation filling the room.

"Equipment?" Davis asked.

"Standard loadout, plus EMP shielding," Ryke replied. "They know we've got a cyborg with us?—

Jesh chuckled. "I'm EMP shielded. Most of us are now. But… a little extra never hurt anyone."

Ryke offered her a smile. "We have energy weapons that could be affected as well. If they blast us, I don't want to be reduced to hand to hand. And we don't know what kind of defenses we're walking into. Better safe than sorry. Okay, let's hit the armory."

The team dispersed to prepare. Covak moved to follow Jesh, but Ryke's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Keep a close eye on her," the big mercenary leader murmured, his voice low enough that only Covak heard him. "We don't know how this is going to affect her. Especially if this is her brother we're talking about. If it goes sideways, I don't want her going off the deep end."

Covak nodded, his jaw set. "I'll watch over her, boss, don't worry."

She needed a moment to herself. Just a moment, and she'd be fine.

Jesh closed her eyes as the door to the quarters she was sharing with Covak slid shut behind her with a soft hiss, sealing her in a blessed cocoon of silence. She stood in the middle of the space, utterly still in a way that only a true cyborg was capable of. She didn't do it in front of the others—in front of Covak—but when she was alone, it was nice not to have to worry. To just be who… what… she was.

Everything had been moving so fast that she appreciated a moment to herself. Breathing in, she let Covak's scent soothe her, wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. It didn't really make sense, this visceral reaction to his scent.

The olfactory system is an integral component of your biological functions. Scent processing contributes to memory formation, emotional regulation, and environmental awareness, her onboard reminded her.

She ignored it and inhaled deeply, allowing Covak's scent to flood her senses once more. The rich, musky aroma tingled in her nostrils, sending a cascade of sensations through her body. It was strange how such a simple act could trigger such a complex response, her enhanced nervous system lighting up with data and sensory input. His scent seemed to activate something primal within her, a part of her that existed beyond circuits and code.

She'd ignored that part of herself for years. For decades she'd tried to ignore her biological side, her human side. How could she want to be human? How could she want anything to do with humanity after what they had done to her and the rest of the Zodiacs? And now, here in a completely different universe, humans were still being assholes to both each other and anyone else they could find.

She frowned. Covak wasn't human, nor were the other Reapers. Well, apart from Davis, who appeared to have honorary nonhuman status anyway. If she thought of it not as being human but as being organic, that wasn't so bad, surely?

Opening her eyes, she studied the quarters around her. The silence felt mocking. If only she had another Zodiac to talk to, to ask about the thoughts and emotions whirling through her head. She sighed. There were only three of them in this universe. Of the other two, one was deactivated, little more than spare components, and the other had no memories of his time as a Zodiac or of her. But that was better than nothing, right?

She sat behind the desk and leaned back in the chair, feeling it creak slightly.

It was the work of less than a minute to query the ship's computer and find contact details for Dael. She looked at the ID code and name on the screen. He called himself Zero now. Why had he picked such an odd name?

It took a little longer for the system to route her call. Each time it pinged back an out-of-range code, she just tried a different subroutine, at the speed of thought thanks to her onboard. Amusement rolled through her. Sometimes it did pay to be more than human.

The screen above the small desk flickered to life, and Dael's face appeared, a frown across his heavy brow. His familiar face sent a pang through her, a reminder of a past that was lifetimes away now. Were the other Zodiacs even still alive after so many years?

"Covak, is Jesh okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. Then his console must have caught up and displayed her video feed because his expression leveled out, becoming polite and curious. "Ah… hi, Jesh."

She smiled. He definitely didn't remember her.

"You look exactly as I remember. Well, apart from…" She lifted a hand and waved at her cheek, disengaging her chameleon patch to show her alphanumeric code.

"Ah! Yes." He smiled as a code appeared on his cheek.

She frowned. 00-S1057. That wasn't the right code.

"Hold on, I think your chameleon patch is a little jacked. Pinging now," she warned as she made contact. Even the brief touch of another mind was enough to ground her, a reminder of home.

"Hey, that tickles." Zero grinned as the code on his cheek changed. "Did I do it right?"

"D5-10M4." She smiled. "Good to see you again."

"D5-10M4?" he asked.

Aware that time was short, she kept it quick.

"D5 means you were cloned from the D genetic group and were in the fifth batch." She watched his face carefully, wondering if he was aware that he was a clone as well as a cyborg.

"Clones?" he asked, his expression neutral. "So there are other me's out there?"

"Not identical," she explained. "The Zodiac genetic system is more mixed up… Each batch is slightly different genetically but from the same base group."

He nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "So what's the rest mean?"

"Ten means you were assigned to section ten, the same as me." She tapped her own cheek. "And four means you're a Mark four. You're also a Scorpio class. You're the only D batch Scorpio I've ever heard of actually. They usually go K or W batches for Scorpios. No idea why."

"Scorpio class?" he asked, leaning forward. She could tell she had his interest. But… if he hadn't known anything about where he'd come from, she didn't blame him.

"Each Zodiac class has a specialty. Scorpio is desert warfare. You lot seem to like things hot for some reason."

His grin got wider. "That makes a lot of sense, actually."

"So you don't remember anything?" she asked, unable to keep the little note of hope from her voice.

He shook his head.

"Nothing. Just when I wake up screaming a name—your name." He tilted his head again. "What did you just send me?"

"Everything. Everything I know or remember about the Zodiac program and where we're from. Everything I remember about how we got here."

He watched her in that deadpan way she remembered, his eyes searching her face. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to do something very stupid?"

She let her grin widen. "Maybe because I'm— we're —about to do something very stupid. There's a third one of us out there, Jex. Or rather, his onboard is here. We're heading to recover him."

Dael nodded, folding his arms across his broad chest. Once, years ago, she had found him attractive and hoped that something would develop between them. Now she knew that Covak was the only man for her. The realization brought a warmth to her chest, a certainty she hadn't felt in a long time. It was nice… comforting. She had a place, and her place had turned out to be a person.

"If anything goes wrong," she said, her voice dropping serious, "that data contains information on what you need to do to find a Zodiac cyborg. Find out where they're holding us and nuke the place."

Concern etched lines around his eyes. "What about trying to rescue you?"

She shook her head. "If those assholes get ahold of me again, all you'll be able to rescue will be spare parts. Don't bother. Just make them fucking pay."

The armory doors slid shut behind them with a soft pneumatic whoosh, and Jesh inhaled deeply, savoring the familiar scents of gun oil and metal. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine herself back home, at a Zodiac forward base, arming up before a big battle.

But this wasn't a forward base, and she wasn't back home. She was aboard the Dream, a mercenary ship crewed by aliens that didn't exist in her reality. She opened her eyes. She just hoped they had enough guns.

Her eyes widened as she looked around the armory. Oh, they had guns. They really had enough guns. Racks upon racks of weaponry lined the walls, their polished surfaces gleaming under the harsh overhead lights. Rifles, pistols, energy weapons, and an array of blades she couldn't name filled every available space.

Covak's deep chuckle rumbled behind her, vibrating through her back as he slid his arms around her. "You look like a kid in a sweet shop."

Her smile dropped.

"I've never actually been in a sweet shop," she admitted. "Or been a kid."

He frowned, a hard line between his brows as he turned her around to face him. "What do you mean, you've never been a kid?"

She took a deep breath, steeling herself. This was it, where she admitted just how different to most people she was.

"Zodiac cyborgs aren't born like other beings. We're vat-grown, and force-matured. Essentially we're ‘born' as adults," she explained the cold, clinical truth of her origins. "I literally woke up the way I am now, in my rack. Most of us don't achieve consciousness before all our cybernetics are implanted."

She looked up, meeting the horrified gazes of the Reapers. Their expressions ranged from shock to disbelief, and something that looked dangerously close to pity.

Frowning, she turned to Anson. "You're a kind of cyborg as well… how does it work for you?"

He shook his head. "It's different for B'Kaar. We grow to adulthood naturally before being tested for ke'lath compatibility. It's never force-implanted."

Well… shit. Now they were all going to think she was… weirder than they already thought she was. Eager to move on now that she'd made a fool of herself and made them all feel uncomfortable, she turned her attention back to the arsenal before them.

Her eyes locked on to the largest weapons, the kind she'd seen Covak using the day the Reapers had rescued her. Without hesitation, she strode toward them, her fingers itching to wrap around the cool metal.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," she murmured as she reached for one of the massive rifles. "Come to mama."

Covak's hand gently caught her wrist.

"Whoa there, beautiful," he said with a grin that made her heart skip a beat. "Those might be a bit too heavy for you."

A spark of mischief flared within her. She grinned as she met his gaze and, without a word, she lifted not one, but two of the enormous guns, one in each hand.

"You were saying, big guy?"

Someone whistled softly, but she didn't take her attention off Covak.

His grin widened, heat filling his eyes as they raked over her. The look sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the chill of the armory. "Damn, that's hot," he growled, his voice low and husky, loud enough for the others to hear.

Ryke rolled his eyes as he walked through the door.

"Get a room, you two," he growled. "And not medbay this time. That diagnostic bed squeaks after what you did to it."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. Oh, shit. She hadn't realized they'd been quite so… vigorous.

Anson groaned dramatically. "That's it. I'm never getting sick again. Ever."

"Ignore him," Covak murmured, herding her to a bench in the corner of the room so they could arm up. "He's just jealous."

She snorted and let him help her get ready. It felt odd. She'd never had anyone help her get ready for battle before. Not like this anyway, where every touch felt like foreplay, loaded with meaning and emotion.

As she fastened a holster to Covak's thigh, her fingers brushed against the powerful muscle beneath. A jolt of electricity seemed to pass between them, and she looked up to find his eyes locked on hers.

"You okay?" he murmured, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

She nodded but couldn't quite keep the concern from her voice. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I'm built for this, remember? But you… all of you…"

"We've been doing this a long time, beautiful," he murmured in reassurance, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. "We know how to take care of ourselves. But having you with us? That makes us even stronger."

She leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the connection between them. For a moment, the rest of the world faded away, leaving only the two of them. She never wanted it to end. Wanted to stay in this perfect moment forever.

The others filing out broke the moment, and she looked over, a frown on her face as she watched Anson leave.

Her voice dropped so low that he had to lean in to hear her.

"There's something else," she began. "I think something's wrong with Anson's circuitry."

Covak's expression turned serious.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice equally low. "How can you tell?"

She bit her lip, struggling to put her intuition into words. "It's… it's like a discordant note in a symphony," she tried to explain. "Something in the way his systems interact… it's just off. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but my combat protocols are screaming that something's not right."

"Could it be that his systems are just too different from yours? A false reading?" His brows snapped together. "Or do you think it's something more sinister?"

"I don't know," she admitted in frustration. "But whatever it is, I'm worried its dangerous. For him, for us… for the mission."

They stood in silence for a moment, and his hand found hers, his thumb stroking over the back of her hand in reassurance.

"We'll keep an eye on him," he said. "Both of us. If something's wrong, we'll figure it out and deal with it."