Page 7 of A Mate For Matrix (Cyborg Protection Unit #1)

Chapter Five

M atrix narrowed his eyes at the small building below. The structure looked innocent enough—white paint, drooping porch, flowerpots overflowing with vibrant blooms. Too innocent. The type of place a predator might build to lure in prey.

A scan showed the area was still clear of the Crawler, but it might have gone underground. He leaned forward and switched to the infrared scanner.

On the screen, he picked up five heat signatures. Three of them were so small that he had almost overlooked them. They appeared to be clustered around the fourth signature.

He tapped out a command to zoom in on the emergency beacon. The three small dots were positioned almost on top of K-Nine. He turned his attention to the last heat signature. It was in a separate room, which could benefit him.

Turning the transport away from the building, his lips tightened into a grim line. Whatever had captured K-Nine must be very advanced, otherwise K-Nine would have taken them out.

He lowered the transport onto the ground a short distance from the structure. He would go in, eliminate the threat to his partner, and finish their original mission—destroy the Crawler before she had time to lay her eggs.

Matrix shut down the transport system and waited until the automatic seat harness retracted. He exchanged the energy charge in his gun for a nine round low impact energy magazine and carefully stored the charge on his person in case of emergency, then twisted and stood up.

He rolled his shoulders to release the tension that was fatiguing him. He would have plenty of time to rest and relax once they were headed back to base. Until then, he needed to stay alert.

He grabbed the harness containing his razor-sharp blades and strode down the narrow aisle to the door of the transport.

Leaning forward, he pressed his palm to the scanner.

He quickly exited the vessel and programmed it to hover just above the trees.

It could remain invisible on the ground, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t touch the transport.

“At least the structure is in an isolated area,” he muttered.

It was several kilometers to the closest buildings. He wondered if that was why the inhabitants had chosen this location. Whatever the reason, it benefited him.

He frowned as he speculated about the type of restraints the captor might be using on K-Nine.

There had to be some kind of disruptor involved, something that could take K-Nine’s systems offline and prevent him from communicating and escaping.

There were also three small heat signatures in proximity that needed to be taken out.

“They have to be armed explosive packs,” Matrix concluded softly as he moved among the trees lining the long unpaved road. “Whoever is holding him must have set the explosive packs to detonate if K-Nine moves.”

A grim smile curved Matrix’s lips. It looked like this mission was about to become a little more exciting.

He weaved his way through the trees, pausing once to look down at the scanner. There was still no trace of the Crawler. His transport would have been much faster than the Crawler could dig. They would have some time before their quarry found them.

He paused when the small wooden structure came into view through the trees. There wasn’t much to it. The structure was slightly longer than it was wide. It was constructed of wood, painted white, and had a small covered porch across the front.

He stared at it, puzzled. The front porch was full of color, with brightly painted pots filled with equally bright vegetation. He had yet to encounter a hostile that loved to grow things—well, at least not things that didn’t eat you or poison you.

There was a door with several panes of frosted glass in it and long, narrow windows on each side of the door frame.

From what he could tell, neither provided very much protection from attack.

He surveyed the area for a few seconds longer, noting that the place needed extensive repairs in certain areas, if the sagging porch and patches of discolored tiles on the roof were any sign.

Matrix moved silently around the structure, noting additional windows.

From what he could tell, there were only two proper entry points—windows not included.

There was another small enclosed porch that ran along the back, with a door that led inside.

Out back, an old green transport sat on the gravel drive.

Matrix glanced down at the scanner. The three small dots had moved. They now appeared on different parts of K-Nine. He cursed softly.

The larger life form walked through K-Nine’s section once again before disappearing into yet another smaller section of the structure.

Deciding that now was the time to strike, Matrix pulled an electromagnetic disruptor from his belt and tossed it toward the house. He slowly counted to ten, waiting for the flash.

Satisfied that all surveillance equipment would be disabled by the short, powerful burst, he ran toward the building and braced his back against the wall.

Twisting, he peered through the window. He couldn’t see anything because of the cloth and furniture.

Bypassing the stairs, he grabbed the banister and jumped up onto the edge of the porch.

His eyes widened when the sudden force of his weight caused the end of the long plank where he’d landed to sink down under his foot with a crunch while the other end of the plank suddenly rose.

Off balance, he reached out to grab the banister with his free hand while trying to retain a grip on his gun.

The wooden banister cracking and falling under his hand and the wobble of one of the colorful pots had him rethinking his plan too late.

In the brief second it took him to realize his mistake, Matrix was already bracing himself for his impending impact with the ground. His hands rose instinctively to catch the brightly painted pot that was coming straight for his head. A low grunt escaped Matrix when he awkwardly caught it.

The grunt turned to a silent groan when the pot struck the gun in his hand and a long crack appeared before it burst open, dumping a large amount of moist, black soil all over his face.

Matrix grimaced, tightly clamping his eyes and lips closed to prevent the soil from getting into them.

Rolling to the side, he spat out the small amount that had found its way between his lips.

Sitting up, he pulled a large clump of the dark soil off his face and tossed it to the side.

A shudder ran through him when he felt something cold wiggling against his neck.

Reaching up, he carefully removed a worm as long as his finger that was trying to burrow down his collar.

With a flick of his fingers, he tossed it aside.

His gaze narrowed on the porch. Obviously, the place looked innocuous when in reality it was booby-trapped. Matrix and K-Nine had visited places like this before. They usually harbored the worst criminals in the star systems.

It would appear they were dealing with more than just the Crawler on this mission.

There must also be a hidden base of criminals on this planet.

They were probably using the planet’s primitive status as a cover.

It would explain why the Crawler had picked this region of the galaxy for its destination.

It had likely been drawn here by a signal someone was broadcasting.

He would need to proceed with extreme caution.

Matrix swiped the scanner on his wrist clean against his pants. He had only another twenty seconds to get into the building before the effects of the electromagnetic pulse wore off.

Rising off the ground, he opted for the rear entrance. The door had been left ajar with only a thin screen to impede him. Turning, he ran toward the back of the structure.

Taking all the back steps in one stride, he quickly scanned the enclosed area.

A feeling of unease rose in him when he saw a machine that looked like it was made for torture.

There was a padded seat, places for the victim's feet, and also hand grips that hung from overhead.

Behind it, several long metal plates were wired to it.

He stored the alien words attached to it—Bowflex PR3000—for further research once the mission was over.

Returning his focus to the door, Matrix reached out and tapped the doorknob with a finger before carefully pulling on the screen door. He was surprised when it opened easily.

Stepping inside, he glanced around the room. It was a kitchen. A grin curved his lips. This might be easier than he’d thought at first.

He quickly exchanged the gun in his hand for a small stunner. It might be better to keep his target alive. Any information about what was going on would be invaluable, after all.

Matrix quietly stepped into the short, narrow hallway. One glance told him that the alien was still in the small room. From the sound of water flowing, the room must be a cleansing unit. His priority was to free K-Nine. Then he would deal with his friend’s captor.

Crossing the worn wooden floor, Matrix stepped into the room and froze. K-Nine was on the floor, eyes closed and lips twitching. A quick glance told Matrix that the three small heat signatures had changed their positions once again.

His eyes widened when he detected movement in his peripheral vision. “K-Nine, to your right!” Matrix called out in warning, just as another movement caught his attention to the left. “What the…?!”

Matrix twisted when a small honey-colored creature jumped from the foot of a narrow wooden table.

It attached itself to his pant leg at the same time as two furry creatures, one cream and one gray, moved in on K-Nine.

The wolf exploded to his feet in a blur of blue fur, sending the two creatures scurrying for cover.

Matrix was aiming his stunner at the one attached to his pant leg but paused when it looked up at him with wide, confused eyes.

Matrix started to say something when he heard a shriek from behind him.

He swiveled on his heel and raised the stunner.

His mouth dropped open when he saw a very wet, scantily clad female staring back at him in horror.

“Who the hell are you?” Jana squeaked, her eyes wide with shock before they turned to the small device in his hand.

Matrix’s gaze moved appreciatively down over the rich, dark-wood color of her wet hair and the tiny droplets of water trailing down her body like a meandering stream, hypnotized by the curves they flowed over.

In a few brief seconds, his mind processed everything that was in front of him.

The female came mid-chest on his own six-foot-two frame.

The swell of her breasts peeked out from the top of the towel that inadequately covered her wet figure.

The fingers of her right hand tightened while his eyes roved over her, following the long gap beneath the joined corners of the towel.

Heat built inside him the lower his gaze went.

Matrix licked his lips when he saw the creamy flesh of her thigh exposed by the gaping towel. If it moved just a little to the....

His eyes widened when her other hand suddenly struck out.

He blinked as the world grew hazy and tilted while his eyes slowly rolled back in his head.

Three things flashed through his mind before everything went blank; first, he was thankful the creature on his leg had released him, second, the female was pretty, and, third, he should have checked both of her hands.