Chapter 1 Fracture #3
Crezlith opens his mouth, and Roxi pries out a tooth. Then she reaches back in and pries out another.
“A backup is not common,” she remarks, eyeing him. “Get him in a chair. We’re going to chat.”
I half-march and half-drag Crezlith through the corridors to the dock, where we cross the skybridge into Ravenger III.
The map in my mind fills up as Brothers claim experimentation cells.
I find an available one, haul him into the small room, and drop Crezlith into the metal seat in the middle, among screens and racks of tools for torture.
I strap him in despite his weak protests.
“You did this to yourself,” I say, tightening the last strap over his chest.
Closing the door, I stand across the hall with a view through the window of him. Up and down the hallway, my Brothers do the same. We each guard our prisoners, claiming responsibility for keeping them in line.
After a few minutes, Navi announces our departure.
Ravenger flies us back toward the void between Rogue Fleet and Solcruean space.
We do not want to risk contamination of Aegis or leading the enemy home.
Our charge now is to pry our prisoners open and get as much information as we can before we send them to the void. Only then can we return.
Roxi walks up to me as the ship jolts and tilts. “Bomber is enjoying himself destroying all of these Solcruean supply ships.”
I suddenly feel self-conscious in my exposed husk.
My suit shredded when I did, and I am a bare Titan in front of her.
Roxi politely doesn’t look, even when I stiffen with interest in front of her.
I move my hands over my titanhood to avoid making her uncomfortable.
There is something about her, her curves, and her daring attitude that gets me worked up.
I have never had this much trouble around a female before.
“They only do this…” She motions the chip that she’s pulled from Crezlith’s tooth, “when they don’t trust the ones they’re around.
He’s a double agent. He works for Solcrue.
He works for CSP. This is a CSP tactic. Solcrue do not care about their soldiers if they are captured or die.
It’s why they never run rescue missions.
They only get the cyanide or the amphetamines.
Pussies use the sleep agent. They have to commission that personally. ”
I force a smile to the best of my ability. “I’m glad you’re here to catch these things. We didn’t know about them.”
She shrugs. “I am whatever I need to be wherever I’m needed.
But I’m only here because you were watching my back.
Thanks for what you did.” Roxi glances up at me.
When her eyes find mine, they widen slightly in surprise, then swing away again, like she felt something she didn’t expect.
“You saved my life. It’s been a long time since I had a Titan protect me like that. He…didn’t survive. None of them did.”
“It’s our job. Until we are decommissioned.” Feeling suddenly insecure, I lean back against the wall to get further out of her view.
Fracture>>Local: Can someone bring me some pants? Please?
“Nevertheless, I’ve been at this a while, and I almost made a fatal error.” She sighs. “Anyway, Toriszi is going to want whatever I can pull off of this. I’ll see you around, yeah?”
“Likely.”
Roxi starts to walk away, then turns back. “Rogue Fracture?”
I tear my eyes from Crezlith to look over at her. “Rebel Roxi.”
She gives me an amused once-over, head to toe and back up again, though much slower. There’s unexpected interest in her heated gaze. “You can put your fractal erector nanos in hibernation now.”
“Can’t. Too hyped up. Battle does that.”
And staring at you…
The ample curves of her hips and her breasts, her scent, and the way her voice tones resonate through my shards make my ultromotor spool up in my chest, my core aligner hum, and my cock swell so badly it’s becoming painful.
I squint at her and look down at my skin to see I’m still spiked-out.
“Wait, how’d you know what they’re called? ”
Roxi winks at me and sashays off, calling back, “Put your thumbs into the cubital fossas of your elbows, the ditch. Hold for fifteen seconds. That’s your fragment off-switch.”
As I depress my thumbs into the nooks of my elbows, my shards fold back in against my body like starcraft flaps retracting into the wings.
She leans back and steals one last look at me, biting her lip, before scurrying away.
Did she just trick me into revealing myself?
I pop off the wall and watch Roxi’s hips sway as she disappears down the hallway.
No female has ever expressed interest in me before.
We still can’t be mates. I will still hurt her soft body.
I’m not even sure a Titan female would ever want me. But I can’t help longing for another chance to talk with Rebel Roxi, preferably while wearing pants.
Rogue Omen shields his eyes from his view of me, where he stands guard at the neighboring cell. “Fuck, man. I know she’s hot, but damn dude.”
I scoff. “Shut up. I can’t help it.”