Page 14 of Raven Blackwood (Cyborg Guardians #2)

Raven

I led the way on my sky cycle, flying low over the treetops as we traveled to the labor camp under the cover of darkness.

Crude fencing and makeshift wooden watchtowers surrounded the camp.

A few dim lanterns flickered, barely cutting through the darkness, but with my enhanced night vision, I could see just fine.

There were two guards at the entrance, but the watchtowers appeared deserted.

“You sure about the numbers?” Orion’s silent message fed directly into my mind from my CPU.

“Thirty prisoners, ten guards. At least, that’s what I counted last night. If Jenkins moved more men in, we’ll find out soon enough,” I confirmed.

“That’s okay. A few more won’t make any difference. We’ll handle it,” Trinity assured me.

“Go ahead and land. I’ll move in to get a better look at the camp and see if anything’s changed. ”

I could see a few people moving near the central barracks, but no one had noticed our arrival. That was a good thing. We needed to surprise them.

I doubled back and went to land near the hover transport; then we approached on foot. When we reached the fence, Steele used his cybernetic strength to tear through a section like it was paper. As soon as he opened it, we slipped inside and fanned out, weapons drawn and set on stun.

I set my sights on the watchmen at the gate. I fired both blasters at once, and the two crumpled. With only two guards stationed at the entrance, it was evident that they had not expected any invasion.

At that point, we split up. Steele and Orion took the guards' barracks while Trinity and I opened the prisoners' hold.

Steel stormed the guard barracks, taking the door so hard it came off one of its hinges.

Orion lunged through the open doorway and started shooting, taking down the guards before they could even get their weapons—all stunned and unconscious, of course.

Shots whizzed through the air as prisoners roused when we stunned the guards unconscious. One of the guards managed to squeeze off a couple of wild shots in Steele’s direction before Orion dropped him with a stun bolt to the chest.

Two of the guards escaped, heading towards the storage shed.

“I’m on it.” Steele indicated through our cyborg channel.

One managed to fire his weapon, but the bullet glanced harmlessly off Steele’s nanite-reinforced armor.

He grabbed the nearest man by the collar and slammed him to the ground hard enough to knock him unconscious.

The other tried to run, but he didn’t get far before Steele caught up with him and slammed him to the ground.

By then, the prisoners had fully aroused, and a few were stepping hesitantly out of the barracks. They all looked beaten and underfed. One man, looking incredibly gaunt, staggered forward. His eyes locked onto mine, and I recognized him immediately. “Zach Lawrence?”

“Yeah. Who’s asking?”

“Your sister and Grace sent me.

He stood there for a moment like he couldn’t believe his ears. “They’re okay?”

“They are fine. Grace is hoping you’ll get home before she delivers her baby.”

“I can hardly wait to see her. But first, we need to get everyone out of here. These people won’t make it another week in this hellhole. They’ve been working us twelve to fourteen hours a day and barely feeding us.”

Momentarily, the hover transport landed in the barracks yard, which was called forth remotely by Trinity.

Orion and Steele quickly dragged the unconscious prisoners into the transport while Trinity and I ushered the abductees into a separate section.

Some of them were too weak to walk, so we lifted them and carried them into the vehicle.

They were so thin they hardly weighed anything.

Medics were few and far between in these parts, but fortunately, my cyborg brothers and I had been trained enough in emergency medicine that we could treat malnutrition and bumps and bruises.

Fortunately, my teammates brought additional medical supplies with them.

We had more than enough to bolus them with nanites and supplements. They would recover within a few days.

“Is that everybody? They are holding a dozen men back at the ranch, and we need to secure them as soon as possible. We need to fly,” I said, scanning the perimeter.

“Lookout!” Someone shouted from behind me. I spun around just in time to see one last guard lunge from a hidden supply shack, rifle raised. His shot whizzed by my cheek, too close for comfort.

Trinity took him down before I had the chance and before the enemy could shoot again. The last prisoner was quickly loaded, and the transport started to lift off. I mounted my sky-cycle to follow. I was more than happy to be going home to Hannah.

Hannah

Grace was up and down, walking around and then returning to the birthing chair when the labor pains lasted longer and came closer together. During the respites in between, she got up and walked around inside the house.

Everything was ready, so there wasn’t much for me to do except watch and wait while giving Grace moral support.

With dawn, her labor pains became almost continuous.

Each one had barely stopped before another came.

At that point, Grace took her seat on the birthing chair, pulled up her robe, and began to push.

I sat on the floor in front of her, waiting to catch the baby as she pushed it out. It wasn’t the most convenient way to assist, but it worked better for the mother not to be flat on her back. Sitting in the open birthing chair, Grace was in a better position to push her baby out into the world.

By then, I didn’t have any time to worry about what Raven was doing.

In the back of my mind, I just hoped that he would be safe.

When the baby crowned, I thought it would take longer for it to come out.

Once the head emerged, I had to act quickly to catch it before it hit the floor.

Even though it had a cushion underneath the mat, he still could have been injured.

“He’s out!” I cried, holding his slippery body between my hands.

“Is it a boy?”

“He sure is.” I turned him over and patted his back until he started to cry, then I laid him on the mat.

It seemed to take so long that both Grace and I shed tears of relief.

Tying off the cord with two pieces of string, I used a sharp knife to cut between the two.

Then I took the baby to the kitchen, where I had hot water heating on the wood stove to clean him.

I worked quickly because I didn’t want to leave Grace alone for too long, and she still had to deliver the afterbirth.

As soon as I finished washing him, I swaddled him in a large soft towel and carried him back to Grace.

She opened the front of her dress and put him against her bare chest while she finished delivering the placenta.

I went back to the kitchen for a pan of warm water and a soft cloth to clean Grace so I could check for tears during the delivery. Fortunately, she had none. Once I got her into bed with the baby, I moved the birthing chair and cleaned up the birth products off the floor beneath it.

By the time I had finished, Grace had the baby nursing from her breast. Then we heard the whine of the transporter returning.

If Raven had commed, I wouldn’t have had a chance to check my tablet. “I’ll be right back, Grace,” I told her as I dashed out of the house. I paced back and forth impatiently as the transport landed and lowered its ramp, my heart pounding.

Without Grace to tend to, the wait would have been excruciating. I was too scared that something would go wrong to worry about Raven. My other fear was that he wouldn’t find Zach.

But as I watched and waited, his familiar form appeared in the hatch opening. He was so thin, worn, and weary. Every step down the ramp was an effort. Yet, he managed a tired smile when I spoke his name and threw my arms around him .

“Brother, I missed you so much.” I hugged him, patting his back. “You’re just in time. Gracie just delivered your son. She is inside, waiting for you.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, and so is the baby. They are in your room.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of her.”

Zach withdrew and headed into the house. Then Raven was beside me, and I turned into his arms, feeling suddenly drained.

“Is it over?” I asked, pressing my cheek against his solid chest.

“Not until we take Jenkins down.” He kissed the top of my head and lifted me into his arms. “Let’s get you into the house. I can see you’re exhausted.”

“I am, but I feel much better now,” I murmured, snuggling against him. How did I ever live without him?