Chapter Three
Chapter Three
She woke in complete darkness.
While that was slightly alarming, it wasn’t the most pressing issue she had at the moment. The throbbing pain in her head was more of an immediate concern that she needed to deal with, but when she tried to heal herself, it didn’t work.
She tried again…and nothing.
Well, shit. That was definitely a problem.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out, but it was enough to leave her feeling completely disorientated. Shifting to try to sit up, her head exploded into sheer agony the second she moved. She froze in place and breathed through the pain until it reached a more manageable level. Obviously, something bad had happened to her, but she couldn’t recall any of the details.
She also couldn’t seem to remember who she was.
Hellfire, what had she gotten herself into?
Sheer terror consumed her for a few seconds, then she forced those useless feelings aside. The head injury she’d suffered was most likely the cause for her lapse in memory. There was no point panicking about it when the problem would probably correct itself once she had enough time to heal. She needed to figure out where she was and what had happened. If someone had caused her injuries, she could still be in danger.
And that was something she wouldn’t tolerate.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was grateful that she hadn’t gone blind. She quickly realized she was trapped underneath a large sheet of metal that was blocking her view. Shoving it aside, it fell with a muffled crash as it hit the ground. That sound triggered her hearing to come back in a loud rush, making her head ache even more. She struggled to adjust the volume to a more reasonable level and instantly breathed out a sigh of relief when it worked.
That gave her hope that the rest of her abilities would sort themselves out soon.
Studying her surroundings, she saw that she was partially protected inside the destroyed remains of a brick building. Heavy rain fell in a steady stream outside, and the cool mist coated her skin as the breeze blew in through the opening in the wall. Her head pounded fiercely as she sat up, and she lifted her hand to touch the sore spot at her left temple. She was relieved when she pulled her hand back and there was no sign of blood, but she must have been hit hard to cause that type of pain.
There were a few sensitive spots on her arms that felt as if she’d been burned pretty badly, but when she looked down, the skin only looked a little raw. There were traces of blood on her skin, signaling that she’d had other injuries that were no longer there. Satisfied with the fact that she already seemed to be healing, she moved on to cataloging the rest of the damage that had been done to her.
Thankfully, she didn’t find anything too serious. The head wound seemed to be the worst of her injuries, though there were other scratches and scorch marks along the vulnerable skin that wasn’t protected by her black leather vest, pants, and boots. Whatever she’d been through must have been rough, but she had come through it relatively unscathed.
There were knives strapped to her thighs, but she instinctively knew she didn’t need them to protect herself. She was confident she could handle any trouble that came her way, yet easy access to weapons wasn’t a bad thing. They were something tangible, and she felt comforted by the slight weight of the blades.
“Jecca?” a strained voice said inside her mind. “Thank the gods you are okay. What in hellfire happened? Something is blocking me from transporting to you. Where are you?”
Her head exploded with pain, and stars burst behind her eyes. Her stomach flipped and rolled in a disturbing sensation, and she leaned over and retched in response. She wasn’t sure if she was grateful or not that nothing came up. The sheer agony slowly faded, but in the aftermath, she was left with a faint ringing in her ears that was annoyingly distracting.
The voice sounded familiar, but she didn’t know who it belonged to. Still, there was a deep affection between them. That was clear enough through their bond. It was also evident by the way she was immediately reassured the moment she heard the other female’s voice despite the pain it had caused her.
However, she wasn’t ready for another round just yet.
When the voice tried to speak to her again, she blocked it in self-defense. Thankfully, she didn’t push. The other female had sensed the pain their telepathy had caused her, and Jecca knew she would wait until she was ready to speak to her again.
At least she knew her own name now.
Knowing her own identity was a relief, though it was troubling that the rest of her memories weren’t coming back to her. She knew she had to be patient, but it was difficult under the circumstances. Until she regained everything that she had lost, she would just have to figure things out as she went. While that notion was slightly unnerving, she was sure it wouldn’t be the first time she walked into the unknown.
Slowly rising to her feet, she had to brace a hand against the wall for support. She hated feeling so weak. It felt unnatural and strange, but she reminded herself that it was only a temporary state. At least, she hoped it was. The faint sound of voices drew her attention, and she strained to focus on the conversation happening outside over the sound of the rain and the damned ringing in her ears that was still present.
“You sure, Nico?”
“Yeah, I heard a loud bang coming from somewhere over there. Let’s check it out,” a second male voice said. “The bots caused a lot of destruction when they attacked during the protest a few days ago. We cleared this area out, but some people might have taken shelter from the storm. It will be dangerous for them to stay here, especially if one of the buildings collapses and they get trapped inside.”
“You’re right. We can move them someplace safer,” a female voice said.
“I wish this fucking rain would stop,” another male complained. “Too bad none of us have the ability to control the weather. I’m tired, wet, and hungry, and that makes for an annoying combination. Maybe we should find someplace to wait it out.”
“It’s not like you’re going to melt,” the female snarked, but there was clearly fondness in her tone.
“Keep it down,” a deep voice ordered. “If there are bots in the area, your chatter will draw them here. Let’s just finish our patrol so we can call it a night and get the fuck out of this downpour.”
That commanding voice had Jecca making her way toward the opening in the wall. It was more than just mere curiosity. Hearing it stirred something deep within her, and she needed to see who that voice belonged to.
It was night out, but the dark rain clouds blocked out any hint of the stars and moon overhead. There was some light coming from lamps that lined the streets, but several of them looked like they had been broken or deliberately disabled. Confusion flickered through her mind. Everything looked familiar, but not. Added to that, she sensed something strange about the entire location.
She just wasn’t sure why that was, though.
As she climbed through the opening in the wall and walked out into the rain, the cool liquid felt good against her heated skin. Ignoring the rain, she glanced around. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to see, but she hadn’t anticipated what looked like a war zone. A few of the buildings had big holes blown into the walls, and part of the street had deep cracks in the pavement that had likely been caused by some sort of explosive device.
Four individuals were making their way down the street, carefully avoiding the crevasses and burnt-out husks of damaged vehicles that had been left behind. Even through the rain and the hoods that covered most of their heads, Jecca was able to see them quite clearly.
One of the males looked like a Krytos, while the lone female in the group was definitely a D’Aire. The other two males seemed to be human, and while the entire group was outfitted all in black, it was the big man standing in front of the group that drew her full attention.
He was dressed in scarred black boots, cargo pants, and a rain jacket with the hood pulled over a gray hat that covered his head. While his clothing made him blend in with the rest of his group, there was something extra about him that made him stand out. It was as if he were shining with an inner light that drew her out of the darkness toward him.
His dark gaze was steady as he scanned the area, and there was an intriguing scar on his handsome face that ran down his left cheek to his jaw. The mark didn’t diminish his good looks. If anything, seeing the scar made her want to trace it with her fingertips. Her hand actually flexed as she fought the urge to reach out to him and heal him with her touch. While she didn’t mind the imperfection, she couldn’t stand the idea of others judging him.
She spotted guns in the two holsters that were secured to his thighs, and he carried a larger high-powered weapon in his big hands. That alone told her that he was a soldier, but his bearing and the way he immediately reacted when she stepped out of the shadows solidified that he was an experienced warrior.
He held up a fisted hand to signal the others to halt, and the group immediately complied and trained their weapons on her. She came to a stop so they wouldn’t be provoked into doing something they would regret.
“Greetings,” she called out, trying to sound as nonthreatening as she could. “Would you mind telling me what planet we are currently on?”
When they all just stared at her like she was out of her mind, she wondered if perhaps she was. Then again, she didn’t think her question was outlandish enough to warrant the types of looks they were giving her.
Trying again, she asked, “Is this Earth?”
“Of course, it’s Earth,” the smaller human male called out. “Did you hit your head or something?”
“Aye, I did.”
That was met with silence.
After several long heartbeats passed, the Krytos male whispered, “What the fuck is going on? Her eyes are glowing.”
“She could be a bot. I mean, look at her. No one is that perfect.” The smaller human male quickly smiled at the D’Aire female. “Except you, Lina, my love. You are better than perfect.”
“Nice save.” Lina rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe the glowing eyes has something to do with her powers,” she stated softly. “I don’t think she’s a bot, and those marks on her arms clearly show that she was injured somehow. Nico, what do you think?”
“Let’s see what she has to say.” The Krytos cleared his throat before calling out, “Are you a super?”
Jecca blinked at him in confusion. Obviously, they didn’t think she had heard their conversation, but the distance meant nothing to her. Now he was asking if she was super? She’d never been called that specifically. Exceptional, yes. Brilliant, naturally. Awesome, many times. Perhaps super was a recycled term they were currently using as slang. She guessed it was an accurate description overall, so she nodded in agreement.
“Aye, I am super.”
The big male in front took a step forward, and she thought she saw concern flicker in his dark gaze. “How did you get hurt? Do you need medical attention? Did you have a run-in with the bots?”
“Bots?”
He frowned. “The robots the Corporation sends after people like us.”
None of that sounded familiar to her, but the others clearly thought she should know what they were talking about. As he moved forward, the rest of his group slowly trailed after him. They seemed reluctant to get closer to her, and she couldn’t really blame them for that.
“Don’t bother explaining, ZK. I still think she’s one of them,” the smaller human male grumbled. “This could be a honey trap.”
Ignoring him, Jecca focused on the name of the leader of the group. ZK seemed like an odd sort of name, but she figured it might have been a nickname or a moniker his friends called him. She repeated it in her head, liking the sound of it the more she said it. She was sure she had never met the male before, yet he felt strangely familiar to her as if there were some connection between them.
“I really don’t think she is, Travis,” Lina stated.
“Maybe she’s a new model of bot they are experimenting with,” Travis insisted.
Jecca’s lips twitched as she fought back a smile. “You think I am a robot?”
She wasn’t sure if she should be amused or offended. She could accept being called an alien, but an android? That was a new insult to add to her list. At least, she thought it was new. She was pretty sure no one had ever accused her of not being a fully sentient being before.
At least, not that she could recall.
“Maybe,” the male hedged. “You talk funny. Like, too formal and shit.”
Her brows furrowed. “Do robots speak formally?”
“Ignore him,” ZK ordered. “Were you captured by the Corporation or the government? We’ve rescued people from their testing facilities but…did you escape from where you were being held? Is that how you got hurt?”
“I am not sure,” she answered honestly. “My head injury seems to be impairing my memory at the moment.”
Zack found himself moving toward her before he could stop himself. He needed to make sure she was okay, which seemed absolutely crazy. He didn’t know her. She was an unknown subject at this point, and he couldn’t be sure if she was friend or foe.
That didn’t seem to matter, though.
Something must be seriously wrong with him. Honestly, he hadn’t been able to think clearly since the moment she had appeared. His friend had been right. She really did seem too perfect to be real. She was undeniably drop-dead gorgeous. In fact, he’d never seen someone as beautiful and alluring as she was in his entire life, and that was with her being injured and rain-drenched.
Actually, her wet body in that leather outfit made it seem like she had emerged out of one of his wildest fantasies. However, there was more than just his hormones at play. He was attracted to her, there was no denying that. But he also felt an almost desperate need to protect her. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being injured, and seeing those marks on her made him want to kill someone.
He was well aware that sounded insane, but he didn’t give a fuck.
It was the simple truth…whether he liked it or not.