Chapter 5—Simone

THE NIGHT SEEMED TRANQUIL as Simone lay beside Tiberius, his muscular arm draped over her waist. His deep, even breaths brushed against her neck, and she savored the warmth of his body next to hers. After months of suppressing her feelings, she had finally surrendered to the undeniable connection between them.

A deafening explosion shattered the stillness, the concussive force rattling the walls. Tiberius bolted upright, his combat instincts kicking in instantly. "Stay down." he said harshly, rolling off the bed and snatching his sidearm from the nightstand.

Simone clutched the sheets to her chest, heart pounding. Through the window, flashes of light illuminated the night sky, followed by more thunderous blasts.

Tiberius pulled on his fatigues, movements swift and precise. "We're under attack. Get dressed quickly." His tone brooked no argument.

As Simone scrambled for her clothes, another explosion rocked the compound, closer this time. She stumbled, catching herself against the wall. "Who's attacking us?"

His expression was grim as he looked at his comm, clearly communicating with one of his mercs. After a minute, he said, "The Sventian Scourge." He tossed her a laser pistol. "Can you handle this?"

She nodded, her grip firm on the unfamiliar weapon. Together, they raced into the corridor, the air thick with smoke and the acrid smell of scorched metal. Chaos reigned in the command center. Alarms blared, and screens flickered with images of the colony under siege.

Izzy rushed toward them, her face streaked with soot. "Vorn Drekar's forces breached the perimeter. They're hitting us from all sides."

"Casualties?" Tiberius's voice was clipped.

"Too many to count." Izzy swallowed hard. "The medbay's overflowing."

Her stomach churned, but she forced herself to remain focused. "What do they want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tiberius asked. "They want to plunder everything we have—our resources, our technology. That's what the Sventians do."

An explosion ripped through the far wall, showering them with debris. Tiberius shielded Simone with his body as chunks of metal rained down. "Get to the lab," he shouted over the din. "Lock yourselves in and activate the security protocols."

"I'm not leaving you." Simone's grip tightened on the pistol, her jaw set with determination.

Tiberius's eyes bored into hers, a tempest of emotions swirling in their depths. "This is my fight, Simone. I need you safe."

The thunderous boom of boots against the metal floor reverberated through the corridor. Her head whipped around, eyes widening at the sight of a towering figure striding toward them, flanked by a dozen heavily armed soldiers.

Tiberius tensed, his body coiled like a spring as he stepped in front of Simone. "Get behind me," he said, the laser pistol gripped tightly in his hand.

Vorn Drekar, the notorious leader of the Sventian Scourge, sneered as he entered the room. "If it isn't the great Tiberius Pe?a." His piercing blue eyes swept over Simone with undisguised disdain. "And a pretty little scientist."

Izzy inched closer to Simone, her fingers trembling as she clutched a datapad to her chest. "What do you want, Drekar?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Vorn's cybernetic claw flexed menacingly. "I want everything you've built here—your resources and your technology. This pathetic colony is mine for the taking. Putting Pe?a in charge invited me here, since he's the best." His tone was mocking.

"I've beaten you before on Sylko 7, and I'll do it again." Tiberius's jaw clenched, his muscles taut with barely restrained fury. "You'll get anything from our home over my dead body."

A cruel smile twisted Vorn's lips. "That can be arranged."

In a blur of movement, Tiberius launched himself at the Sventian leader, the two titans colliding with a bone-jarring impact. Laser blasts erupted around them as Vorn's soldiers opened fire, forcing Simone and Izzy to dive for cover.

Simone pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding as Tiberius traded vicious blows with Vorn. The mercenary commander was a whirlwind of precision and power, his fists and feet finding their mark with devastating accuracy.

Yet Vorn matched him blow for blow, his cybernetic enhancements granting him unnatural strength and speed. He'd clearly been to the outer rims, where she'd heard rumors of experiments and researchers who didn't worry about things like ethics. His enhancements were crude but far too effective. A vicious backhand from his metal claw caught Tiberius across the face, drawing a crimson arc through the air.

Izzy cried out, her voice laced with anguish, but Simone remained transfixed, unable to tear her gaze away from the brutal spectacle unfolding before her.

Tiberius staggered, his lip split and blood trickling from a gash above his eye, but he refused to yield. With a feral snarl, he launched himself at Vorn once more, the two combatants grappling in a deadly dance of violence.

Simone's knuckles whitened as she gripped the laser pistol, her mind racing. She couldn't let Tiberius sacrifice himself for them. Not when they were so close to unlocking the secrets of the biocircuit interface, to changing the course of human evolution forever...and when she loved him with all her heart.

Her gaze darted around the command center, searching for anything that could turn the tide. They settled on a control panel, its buttons blinking ominously. Without hesitation, she scrambled toward it, ducking a stray laser blast that scorched the wall beside her.

"Simone, no." Izzy's voice was a strangled cry, but Simone paid it no heed.

Her fingers flew over the controls, inputting the emergency override sequence she had memorized for just such a contingency. With a final keystroke, the room plunged into darkness, the only illumination coming from the flickering emergency lights.

Vorn's soldiers faltered, their laser sights sweeping wildly through the gloom. Seizing the opportunity, she darted toward the melee, her heart in her throat.

Tiberius and Vorn were still locked in a brutal clinch, their bodies glistening with sweat and blood. Simone raised the pistol, her aim steady as she sighted down the barrel.

"Tiberius, get down." she shouted, her voice ringing with a conviction she didn't feel.

He didn't hesitate, dropping to one knee and exposing Vorn's back. Simone squeezed the trigger, the laser blast searing through the air and slamming into Vorn's upper back with a sickening hiss of scorched flesh, leaving a ragged two-inch hole that would have killed anyone not enhanced.

The Sventian leader bellowed in rage and pain, staggering backward as smoke curled from the charred wound. His gaze found Simone, burning with hatred and promised retribution. "You'll pay for that, bitch," he said harshly, clutching his ruined shoulder.

Tiberius surged to his feet, placing himself between Simone and Vorn once more. "Leave, Drekar," he said, his voice laced with menace, "Before I finish what she started."

For a long, tense moment, Vorn held Tiberius's gaze, his jaw clenched in a rictus of fury. Then, with a curt nod to his soldiers, he turned and stalked away, his boots ringing against the metal floor.

Simone sagged against the wall, her legs trembling as the adrenaline ebbed from her veins. Izzy rushed to her side, enveloping her in a fierce embrace. "You saved us," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You saved all of us."

Simone could only nod mutely, her gaze fixed on Tiberius. He stood motionless, his chest heaving, blood streaking his face and matting his dark hair. Then, with agonizing slowness, he crumpled to the floor.

The medbay was a flurry of controlled chaos as Lancer and Hawk rushed Tiberius through the doors, his limp body cradled in their arms. Simone's heart raced, her mind reeling from the violence that had erupted mere moments ago.

"Over here." A medic waved them toward an empty biobed, her face grim. Lancer gently laid down Tiberius, and Simone gasped at the extent of his injuries. His face was a mask of blood and bruises, his left hand a mangled ruin of shredded flesh and splintered bone.

Izzy's hand found Simone's, gripping it tightly as the medics swarmed around Tiberius, their voices a litany of urgent commands and grim assessments.

"Multiple lacerations...severe blood loss..."

"Crushed femur, possible arterial damage..."

"Prepping for emergency surgery..."

Simone's gaze locked onto Tiberius's face, searching for any sign of consciousness, or any flicker of recognition in his half-lidded eyes, but his expression remained slack, his features devoid of the fierce determination that had burned within him mere moments ago.

A medic approached, her expression solemn. "Dr. Wiley, we need to stabilize the commander before we can proceed with surgery." She gestured to a nearby monitor, its display a jumble of flickering vitals and diagnostic readouts. "His injuries are...extensive. Even with our advanced technology, his chances of survival are slim."

Simone's breath caught in her throat, her vision blurring with unshed tears. She blinked them back, her jaw set with grim resolve. "No," she said, her voice trembling but laced with steel. "We're not losing him. Not after everything we've been through."

Izzy's fingers tightened around hers, a silent show of support.

Lancer stepped forward, his expression etched with concern. "Simone, the medics know what they're doing. You have to let them—"

"No." Simone cut him off, her eyes blazing with determination. "I won't accept those odds. Not when we're on the cusp of a breakthrough that could change everything."

Comprehension dawned on Izzy's face, her eyes widening. "The biocircuit interface..."

Simone nodded, her gaze never wavering from Tiberius's battered form. "It's our only chance to save him."

The medic shook her head, her brow furrowed with concern. "Dr. Wiley, that technology is still experimental. We have no way of knowing the consequences—"

"We don't have a choice." Simone's voice rang with conviction, silencing the medbay. "Tiberius is dying, and conventional medicine can't save him, but the biocircuit interface can."

She turned to Izzy, her eyes pleading. "Prep the lab. We'll need to move him there immediately."

Izzy hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded. "On it." With a final squeeze of Simone's hand, she darted from the medbay, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Lancer stepped closer, his hazel eyes searching Simone's face. "Are you sure about this?" His voice was low and laced with concern. "Turning Tiberius into...into a cyborg? That's a hell of a decision to make for someone else."

Simone's gaze flickered to Tiberius's ruined hand, her throat tightening. "I don't have a choice," she whispered. "It's the only way to save his life." The thought of living without him was dismal and crushing, shrouding her in darkness. Maybe she was being selfish, but she'd save him no matter the cost, even if he hated her for it.

With a curt nod, Lancer turned to the medics. "You heard the lady. Let's get him prepped for transport."

As the medical team sprang into action, Simone allowed herself a moment of vulnerability, her mask of professionalism slipping. She reached out, brushing her fingers against Tiberius's bloodied cheek. "Hold on," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm not letting you go that easily."