Page 20 of Human Reclaimed (Cyborg Planet Alpha #2)

TWENTY

RUNE

Night had fallen over Planet Alpha as Talia and I headed back to my quarters. The twin moons cast long shadows across the stone path while the ambient glow from the colony’s lights illuminated her face in soft blues and silvers. Even exhausted, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“Two days,” I muttered, unable to keep the tension from my voice as I unlocked my door. “Why didn’t our intelligence catch their acceleration sooner?”

Talia stepped inside. “Sometimes even the best intelligence fails. We’re adapting. That’s what matters.”

I watched her move through my space with a familiarity that both surprised and pleased me. Five days ago, she’d viewed this place with unease. Now she moved with the easy confidence of someone who belonged here.

“I need to review the northern quadrant charges once more,” she said, already pulling up schematics on her datapad. Her blonde hair fell across her face as she leaned over the table, and I resisted the urge to brush it back.

“I had Tegan triple-check the triggering mechanisms before we left,” I said, pouring us both water from the purifier. “If we can funnel them through the narrow passes here and here…” I pointed at the display. “We can isolate their forces.”

As I stood beside her, hovering over the plans, a tightness gripped my chest. This brilliant, fierce woman had transformed our entire defense strategy in days. She’d given us a fighting chance. And I might lose her in two days.

The thought slammed into me with alarming force.

“Rune?” Her voice pulled me back. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I set down my water and took her hands in mine, my larger fingers engulfing her smaller ones. “Stay with me again tonight.”

Her blue eyes widened slightly. “We agreed to focus on the mission. The pirates?—”

“I know what we agreed to.” My voice came out rough. “But what if tomorrow is all we have? What if?—”

She pressed her fingers to my lips. “Don’t say it.”

I pulled her against me, burying my face in her hair. “I can’t lose you, Talia. Not when I’ve just found you.”

“You won’t lose me.” Her arms wrapped around my waist, her head resting against my chest. “I’m too stubborn to die. You know that.”

“Promise me you’ll follow the evacuation plan if things go south.” My hands framed her face, tilting it up to look at me. “No heroics.”

She smirked. “Says the man who once charged into enemy fire to save a whole squadron of cyborgs he didn’t even know.”

“That was different.”

“Was it?” Her fingers came up to trace the small scar on my jaw. “We’re the same, you and me, warriors who’ll do whatever it takes to protect our people.”

I leaned down to kiss her, softly at first and then with mounting urgency. Her body melded against mine, warm and solid and real. When we broke apart, I kept her close.

“Please stay,” I whispered. “Not for tactics or planning. Just stay for me.”

She nodded, her fingers intertwining with mine. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

Later, as moonlight spilled across my bed, I held her sleeping form against me.

Her golden hair splayed across my arm, her breathing deep and even.

I memorized every detail—the slight furrow between her brows, even in sleep, the curve of her shoulder, and the weight of her arm draped across my chest.

Destruction might occur in two days’ time. The pirates were coming for us, and our colony—my home—faced its greatest threat yet. But at this moment, with Talia warm and safe in my arms, I allowed myself to imagine a beautiful future beyond the coming battle—a future with her here, safe and happy.

I woke before dawn, Talia’s warmth still lingering on my skin as I slipped from my bed. The weight in my chest had grown heavier overnight. One day. We had just one day to prepare for what was coming.

While she showered, I found myself staring at the defense grid schematics, willing them to reveal any weaknesses we’d missed. My fingers traced the perimeter lines, following the layered defenses Talia had designed with such elegant precision.

“Second-guessing me already?” Her voice carried a teasing note as she emerged, her hair damp and gleaming.

“Never.” I handed her a mug of synthesized coffee. “But four days becoming one doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”

She took a long sip, her eyes never leaving mine. “We’ve done everything we can do. The acceleration just means they’re desperate.”

“Or they know you’re here and don’t want to give you any more time to help us build up our defenses.”

The morning suns shone brightly as we quickly made our way to the security center. Several colonists hurried past us, carrying supplies toward the cavern bunkers. The entire settlement vibrated with purposeful tension.

Once inside the security center, we found Tegan hunched over his console, his eyes narrowed at the satellite feeds. Sage stood nearby, her blonde ponytail bobbing as she gestured emphatically at something on the screen.

“They’re definitely approaching from the northwest quadrant,” Tegan announced without looking up. “Atmospheric readings confirm at least three capital ships.”

Talia moved to his side. “Show me their formation.”

I watched her study the data, her mind calculating possibilities faster than most battle computers. The way her brow furrowed slightly when she concentrated sent a wave of tenderness through me.

“Let’s call in the brigade,” I said. “Final briefing in five.”

As they gathered, I surveyed the faces of my brigade. These were my people—cyborgs who’d fought alongside me in different battles, and humans who’d joined our colony seeking refuge or purpose. All of them looked at me and now, remarkably, at Talia.

“The fallback sequence needs another rehearsal,” Talia stated, pulling up a three-dimensional map of the jungle maze. “The timing between phases one and two was still off by twelve seconds in yesterday’s drill.”

“That’s the difference between life and death,” I added, my voice rising. “Every trigger point, every escape route has to be perfect.”

For three hours, we drilled them relentlessly. Talia moved among the teams with calm authority, correcting positions and suggesting adjustments. I caught Sage watching her with something like admiration.

“She fits here,” Sage murmured as she sidled up next to me. “Like she’s always belonged.”

My chest tightened. “She does.”

By midday, we broke to check on Aeon’s progress with the bunkers. The construction crews worked tirelessly, reinforcing walls against both the jungle’s humidity and potential weapons fire.

“We’ll be finished by nightfall,” Aeon promised, wiping sweat from his brow. “The environmental controls are already operational.”

Talia nodded approvingly. “Good. The colonists will move in at dawn tomorrow, using your silent alarm. I want them safely underground before those ships breach the atmosphere.”

As the day wore on, the knot in my stomach grew.

Not because I doubted our preparations—Talia had thought of everything—but because I couldn’t shake the feeling that CyberEvolution’s fingerprints were all over this pirate attack.

The timing, just six months after our truce and after Talia’s arrival here, felt calculated.

And the thought of them getting their hands on Talia because of what she knew about their experiments…

“You’re doing it again,” she said quietly as we watched the final drills.

“Doing what?”

“That thing where you grind your teeth and look murderous.” Her hand brushed mine, just briefly. “We’ve got this, Rune.”

As the suns began their descent, I gathered the brigade for a final address. They stood at attention, their faces determined, and their bodies poised for the battle ahead.

“Tomorrow, we face an enemy who believes we are vulnerable,” I began, my voice carrying across the training field. “They expect to find a scientific outpost, unprepared for conflict.”

I paced before them, meeting each gaze. “They’re wrong. Thanks to Captain Reed, we have become a powerful force worthy of this planet we call home.”

A murmur of agreement rippled through the ranks. I turned to Talia, standing proudly at my side.

“Captain Reed didn’t just improve our defenses. She showed us how to think like warriors again. How to protect what matters. Tomorrow, we fight, not just for our lives but for our future on Planet Alpha.”

Without prompting, my brigade snapped to attention, their arms raised in perfect unison as they saluted her. “Captain Reed!”

The pride that swelled within me was unlike anything I’d felt before. I watched a flush of emotion cross Talia’s face as she returned their salute.

At that moment, I knew with absolute clarity that I would do whatever it took to ensure she survived tomorrow’s battle. Not just because she was our best chance at victory and survival, but because I couldn’t imagine a life on this planet without her by my side.

Later that evening, I glanced down at Talia’s sleeping form, her chest rising and falling in the gentle rhythm that had become as familiar to me as my own heartbeat.

The soft glow from Planet Alpha’s moons filtered through my window, bathing her in ethereal silver light.

Her blonde hair was splayed across my pillow like a golden halo, and even asleep, her features retained that determined set that had first challenged me in the medical bay.

She looked beautiful. Fearless. Perfect.

Tomorrow we’d face a battle that might well claim my life. I’d fought many times before, faced countless enemies, but never with so much to lose. Never with someone like her to protect.

I carefully slipped from the bed, my bare feet silent against the cool floor. Her datapad sat on my desk, abandoned after she’d reviewed the final perimeter adjustments. I picked it up, its familiar weight settling in my palm, and moved to the living room of my quarters.

My thumb hovered over the recording function. What if I didn’t return from tomorrow’s fight? What would remain unsaid between us? The thought of leaving this world without telling her everything that burned inside me was suddenly unbearable.

I activated the recorder, the small light blinking softly in the darkness.

My reflection stared back at me—my auburn hair slightly disheveled and my blue eyes intense even in the dim light.

I took a deep breath, feeling the strange constriction in my chest that always came when I tried to express the emotions that still felt so raw and so new.

“Talia,” I began, my voice lower than usual. “If you’re watching this, then… I didn’t make it back.”

I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated at the inadequacy of words.

I took a steadying breath, and started pouring out my heart to her, staring directly into the tiny camera on her datapad.

The words came easier, the more I let myself fully open up and be completely honest. I let her know exactly how I felt about her so that nothing was left unsaid if I happened to die tomorrow.

I paused, struggling to find the right words to end this message.

“If I don’t make it back… live well. Live free, for me. And know that I died loving you completely.”

I ended the recording with a tap of my finger, feeling strangely lighter despite the heaviness of my words. After hiding the message in an encrypted folder she’d only find if she went looking, I set the datapad back on the desk.

Returning to bed, I slid in beside her, gathering her warm body against my chest. She stirred slightly, instinctively curling into me as her head found its perfect place beneath my chin.

“Rune?” she murmured sleepily.

“I’m here,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead.

I tightened my arms around her as if I could somehow keep her safe through sheer force of will. Tomorrow would bring what it would bring, but tonight, in this moment, she was mine to hold.

“I’ve got you,” I promised, the words a prayer against her skin.

As she drifted back to sleep, I found myself doing something I hadn’t done much of since I was reprogrammed.

I prayed. Not to any specific deity but to whatever forces might be listening in this vast universe.

I prayed for strength. For victory. For one more day, for one more night, for a lifetime with this extraordinary woman in my arms.