Page 8 of Rebels Rising (The Intergalactic Union #3)

Cadmus

I hadn’t spoken up.

I should have, I knew that, but there was so much fear and uncertainty around what had occurred that I was unsure how to proceed. I didn’t even really know what had happened, but I knew that it didn’t bode well for me.

And my lack of understanding over the matter only added an extra layer of mystery.

I ran over the words Artemis had used when describing the web . It was exactly like what I had seen, and I just knew that I had been in there with her while she had been opening the airlock gates.

But something didn’t make sense. If she was in there with Bromm and they spoke with one another, why was I nothing more than a phantom? I had been ghostly presence as I was dragged along an unknown path, and there was no sign of anyone else in there with me despite knowing now that there was.

Nothing made sense anymore.

When we entered the room we’d claimed as our own, Henrik studied the unfamiliar space. This was his first time here, his efforts keeping him trapped in the infirmary up until now, and I knew he wouldn’t stick around for long. His place was back where others would need him, and he was only here for a quick nap until he was rested enough to get back to work.

He had fixed up most of the more serious injuries, leaving the less serious ones to be seen to after some rest. There were thankfully no injuries that were life-threatening among the turncoats. Was that even the correct terminology? I didn’t know. What I did know was that the Intergalactic Union was crumbling, the military was compromised, and these people were the only ones willing to stand up for what they believed in rather than following orders like mindless cattle.

‘Are you okay, Cad?’ Henrik asked from beside me and making me startle. I hadn’t noticed him approach.

‘Uh, yeah. I’m fine.’

‘You sure? You look a little… off.’

‘Positive,’ I lied. ‘I just need to sleep the past few days off, that’s all.’

My answer seemed to placate him, because he relaxed enough to step away from me towards on of the bunks. ‘Yeah, me too. I’m wiped.’

I scowled at the clear exhaustion lining his features and dragging his movements as he pulled off his blood-stained clothes. We were all still in our cadet uniforms, and I wanted out of mine as soon as possible. Thankfully, Artemis had pointed out where we could find more jumpsuits, and there was a handy little machine another one of the soldiers found in what we’d originally believed to be a closet that created more if we ran out. I had a feeling we would be using that sooner rather than later, especially since I couldn’t wait to burn anything related to the military at the earliest available time.

I wasn’t against the IU in theory, but after witnessing how easily it had been infiltrated all the way to the top I couldn’t stand the thought of being a part of it. I’d enlisted and enrolled at Nova Academy because I wanted my life to mean something more than money and entitlement. I knew I was well-off and kind of a brat, but none of it was really mine , and I was bored. I wanted to pave my own path, do something I could be proud of, and learn from real experiences away from the gilded cage of my father’s home.

It hadn’t always been this way. When my mother was still alive we’d lived happily on Fernilum, our home high in the tall jungle trees where Father and I could stretch our wings and Mama would watch on in delighted contentment. But then she’d died and everything changed, Father most of all. He’d reclaimed his duties as the majority shareowner of the Entario Station, and we’d moved away from the simplicity of jungle life and into the metallic kingdom of the space station.

I was only a small child then and could barely remember life before, but sometimes I swore I could still hear my mother’s laughter ringing through the air, bright and happy, or smell the earthy scents of the jungle wilderness, thick with damp soil and fragrant foliage. But they were nothing more than shadows of a time that no longer existed, the true memories long forgotten as I’d grown older and settled into life amongst the metal, even when some small part of me would always crave that wild freedom of my long-lost childhood.

I didn’t know what had brought on such thoughts, my focus typically on the present. I never liked to look behind me, the pain of the past something I refused to let in. I never looked towards the future, either, my path always laid out in front of me with the expectations of my father. Even joining the military wasn’t something that would have gotten me out of whatever he had planned for me, my end goal always his.

Until now, it seemed.

Perhaps that was why my subconscious was drumming up the echoes of the past, because my future no longer made any sense. I had turned my back on everything my father stood for, but in doing so, had I turned towards the path my mother would have been proud of me for following?

There was no way to know for sure, but I liked to think so.

I hadn’t thought of her for so long, but there was something about the way she persevered despite the odds, even if she did eventually succumb in the end, which reminded me of Artemis. Maybe that was it. Cancer stole my mother from this world, and Artemis had mentioned something about that too. The Program had healed her of the formidable illness, and she had taken that opportunity and used it to become the woman she was today.

Would my mother have done the same if she’d been gifted a cure?

I wanted to be bitter about it. There was an entire organisation out there that had a solution for so many problems. So many lives could have been saved, and they’d chosen to abuse that power and knowledge by not only by hoarding it to themselves, but by weaponizing it as well.

I recalled the information Artemis had bestowed upon us about her life within The Program, and I decided I was glad my mother had passed on into the next realm rather than be subjected to the whims of such evil just to survive.

As I settled into my bunk, clothes still on, I realised that was one of the things that drew me to Artemis in the first place. Her resilience, her strength, and her courage to stand up for what she believed in; the way he protected those she loved even to her own detriment because she knew it was the right thing to do. She stood firm and unwavering against the odds that were stacked so heavily against her and it drew me in, beckoned to me like a siren’s call.

The real question was, was I interested in answering that call, even if it led to my demise?

The answer was obvious. I was here, after all, throwing everything I could have had away for the chance to be a better person, to do the right thing. It was a new concept for me, but these people surrounding me were more than enough proof that I was on the right path. I had found friendship and loyalty in Henrik I had never experienced before, and I was opening myself up to the concept of building a completely different life for myself. A family.

And there was still so much to discover about the mysterious woman. A cyborg, she’d called herself. All her trials, pain, and suffering had moulded her into the incredible woman I had the immense pleasure of starting to know, and I wanted more. She was like an addiction. I couldn’t get her out of my head, and lying here, sleep eluding me, I realised I didn’t want to. I wanted to know everything about her, starting with her strange abilities.

But that led me back to my original thoughts. Why was I experiencing an echo of those abilities? I hadn’t been able to control them, that much I knew. If I was correct in my summations, I had merely been dragged along for the ride while she controlled them. But why me? Was this what had happened to Bromm?

My eyes widened in the darkness at the thought. Was I about to succumb to the same fate as the Griknot Prince, unconscious and on death’s door in the infirmary?

I really did need to inform someone of what had happened with me if that was the case, but was it truly? It had only happened once, and there wasn’t much to speak of. So I’d been sucked into the web alongside her, but it sounded like I hadn’t truly been there at all. Not physically, at least, which was a good sign, right?

Right?

The panic that rose at the possibility was tamped down quickly at what else that might mean. If I was experiencing these side-effects for who knew whatever reasons, did it mean I was changing, too? Was I becoming just like Artemis, and now Reece and Adara?

The excitement at the prospect overrode any negativity I felt towards the situation. If that were true – and I fucking hoped it was – then a little pain and suffering was a small price to pay to be a badass just like her.

Cadmus, the Drakfern-Terran Cyborg, Hero of the Intergalactic Union.

Damn, that had a nice ring to it.

The fact of the matter was that I had no clue what was happening to me, but I wasn’t going to let myself worry about it. I would come out the other side stronger for it, I had no doubt.

It was those happy thoughts that allowed me to finally relax and let sleep tug me under the cloak of darkness, a smile fixed unwaveringly on my lips.

???

I was back.

It wasn’t just a fluke, then, I thought to myself as I took in my strange new surroundings. Just because I’d been here once already didn’t mean I was still awestruck at what I was seeing.

White lines spread out in a web of intricate designs, Artemis’s name for the place an accurate description. The glow that emanated from each line varied, and even in different clusters there was an array of intensity. All of them, however, were muted compared to the one I had found myself perched on.

What caught my attention with an even greater sense of awe was the endless mass of nothingness spread out beyond the web. It gave off the impression of both utter emptiness and bone-crushing pressure all at once, and it was completely disorienting.

And yet…

Disorientation was a sensation, and the last time I had been here there was no sensation whatsoever.

I looked down at myself and realised with a jolt that I actually could. My neck bent, my gaze adjusted course, and there I was. Only I still wasn’t totally tangible. Instead, that sense of being a phantom was impressed upon me again with the vagueness of my form. I could see the outline of my body, but details were hazy. And I was transparent , the line beneath me shining through with a muted glow where my body attempted to block it out, only it wasn’t fully successful.

‘Cadmus?’ Bromm’s distinctly sensual voice came from behind me and I swirled in place to look at him.

‘Bromm!’ I beamed, relief filling me at the sight if him standing before me looking strong and alive . But then I tilted my head in confusion. ‘You can see me?’

‘Mostly,’ he said with a frown. ‘How are you here?’

I shrugged, hoping the motion was visible enough for him to catch. ‘I don’t know. How are you here?’ I threw back at him.

He snorted. ‘Touché.’

‘Do you know what’s happening to me?’ I asked, eagerly taking a step towards him. I wobbled, though, my weight now present enough to send me almost toppling over the side of the thin line beneath my ghostly feet. My arms windmilled as I fought to regain my balance, and Bromm rushed to me to help before stepping back again, unable to actually touch me. Thankfully, I found my centre of gravity once more.

‘Shit,’ I huffed, the chill of the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

‘Yeah, you need to be careful here or you’ll fall right over the edge.’

I snorted. ‘Yeah, no shit.’ I looked over the side, vertigo making my eyes swim. ‘What happens if you do?’

His beard shuddered with the rest of him as his eyes darkened. ‘I would assume you would be… lost.’

The void suddenly seemed even scarier and I pulled my limbs closer to my centre as possible, unwilling to even let them dangle close to that fate. But I hadn’t missed Bromm’s confidence as he stood before me, unfaltering in his stance.

‘How are you doing that?’

His expression took on a wistful note, his beard parting to reveal the smile tugging at his purple lips. ‘Artemis showed up one day. The lines grabbed us and sort of… magnetised us to them before merging into one. They won’t let me fall.’

My bottom lip poked out as I pouted. ‘Why won’t it do that for me?’ I knew I was whining, but I couldn’t help it.

He just chuckled, ignoring my petulant tone. ‘I have a feeling it will eventually. It took an entire solar before I connected with Artemis like that. Maybe it will happen for you sooner when she comes back. I assume you’ve already been here before if you’re somewhat opaque now?’

I nodded. ‘Yeah, last night. When was your first time?’

‘Right after Artemis and I were intimate for the first time,’ he admitted, a longing note in his tone that bled into his expression as he gazed into the distance, clearly remembering their time together with a fondness I was suddenly envious of.

Lucky bastard.

‘What do you think is causing this?’ I asked.

‘Artemis,’ was his immediate answer.

I puffed out a breath in frustration. ‘Well, duh. Of course it has something to do with her. But how?’

His shoulders lifted with a nonchalance I was struggling to match. ‘Beats me. Nothing to be done for it now, anyway.’

‘But… what exactly is happening?’

‘Again, I don’t know, but we seem to be meeting Artemis on her wavelength somehow. Whatever this is, it’s connecting us to her . She’s the common denominator.’

We devolved into silence, and I couldn’t decide if it was awkward or peaceful. Perhaps it didn’t have to be either, or it could be both. Either way, I wasn’t going to be the one to break it. Artemis was a sore subject for me with him, since my feelings for her were growing exponentially with everything breath that passed through my lungs, and he was the man she had chosen to love.

Not that love was what I was after, nor did I even know what it felt like, but it seemed the longer I dwelled on the enigmatic cyborg badass the more whatever these feelings were swelled. I knew that they would crescendo until they were too loud to contain, but I wasn’t ready to rush into that, especially considering my chances of her reciprocating were so low. A single sexual encounter – or even the potential of more – did not equate to a commitment.

But this whole experience had proven one thing to me. I wanted a commitment. That was what I had been chasing, after all, but the type of commitment I realised my entire being was craving was what was shocking me speechless.

‘You can go for it, you know,’ Bromm spoke up softly, and I raised my head from where I had been staring unseeingly at my see-through feet.

‘What?’

He peered at me from beneath half-mast lids, the lust I found there almost knocking me off the line again with its intensity. ‘Artemis. I’m not adverse to sharing. In fact, I quite enjoy it. And she deserves all the love this life can offer after everything she’s been through. If you want that with her, I’m not an obstacle.’

I frowned, stepping back automatically as if I could physically put space between me and this conversation, suddenly uncomfortable. I may be able to admit to certain things to myself inside my head, but speaking them aloud to another soul was out of the question. No way.

Once those words were out there, there would be no putting them back.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I said, my mask of superiority and indifference falling back into place far more smoothly that I liked.

His expression turned sad at my response, and I was torn. A part of me wanted to take it back and spill everything I was thinking, release all of my unchartered emotions on this man so he could take the weight of their load, but the larger part of me shut it down.

‘I’m serious, Cadmus. When you’re ready, if it’s what you want and as long as you mean it, I would be glad to have you join us.’

I couldn’t speak, my stare boring into him. I hoped my eyes weren’t giving away my emotions, but I had a feeling they were shining through bright and clear for him to see without my permission. His answering smile was soft, knowing, and patient, and I just knew he could see right through me.

Well, metaphorically. Physically, that was currently a given.

No point in denying it when the jig was already up. I may as well just be honest with myself as well as Bromm, though that would not extend to the woman in question. I was certainly not ready to put myself out there like that, the idea of rejection twisting my stomach so harshly I actually felt sick. I could act as tough and uncaring as I wanted, but the reality was I was afraid. Always afraid. If I didn’t put myself out there, I couldn’t get hurt. Not again.

But Bromm wasn’t taking my silence for what I had intended it to be. Instead, he was calling me out on my bullshit, and he didn’t even have to say a word to call his damn victory.

‘So what if I do have feelings for her?’ I snapped. I knew I was using anger as a shield, but it was an involuntary response that I was perfectly happy to keep in place.

‘I think you’ll find she’s more open to letting people in than she seems,’ he responded evenly.

‘The last word I would use to describe Artemis is open ,’ I snarked.

‘She’s very open when she wants to be,’ he said, a smirk pulling at his cheeks.

‘Yeah, I’m sure,’ I deadpanned, but the image of her on the floor, legs spread wide as she held Bromm’s cum inside her had my cock stirring. It wasn’t the most ideal situation, and there were shadows that haunted the memory no thanks to that scientist bastard, Demari, but my cock still stirred at the image she had presented. She was definitely more open in some ways than I had previously seen, but she was no longer hiding behind the mask of a man. Could she be open to more? With me?

‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, I’m just saying I won’t stand in your way if it’s what you decide. Though I won’t be going anywhere. We’re a packaged deal now, you know.’

The silence descended once again, heavy with unspoken words and feelings desperate to escape. I wasn’t in love with her, but the potential to fall was so much greater than I had ever experienced before. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. It was overwhelming.

‘I highly doubt a woman like that would ever look twice at a prick like me,’ I confessed, my voice small yet cutting through the quiet like the sharpest of blades.

‘I don’t think she would have let you touch her in the first place if she wasn’t at least attracted to you. She has a soft spot for all of us, but she won’t make the first move.’ He paused, his face twisting as he mulled over his own words. ‘Okay wait, I take that back. She might make the first move sexually, but you’ll have to let her know if you want to bring emotions into it. She’s not so good with expressing those without a little guidance.’

I chuckled. ‘She’s something else.’

His grin was blinding and a reassurance I hadn’t even known I’d needed. ‘Indeed.’