“If we leave the planet for any reason, an explosive implant will rupture something vital, usually our hearts,” Isaac added. “Nuevo Biotech developed the technology so they could control the Shadow Teams during their off-world missions.”
“Can the implants be removed?” Tara asked hopefully. Voluntarily choosing to build a life on a primitive planet andbeing imprisoned there were two very different things. And why hadn’t the hybrids been warned about the nanobots? Were the people back on Earth hoping the hybrids would die trying to leave the planet? She understood the animosity toward the scientists, but the hybrids were victims of Nuevo Biotech. It wasn’t right to treat them like criminals.
“I don’t think any of the scanners on Rydaria are sensitive enough to locate the nanobots,” Isaac told her. “They move around inside the body. And we can’t travel to a more technologically advanced planet without setting off the implants.”
Trepidation tingled down Tara’s spine as a disturbing thought occurred to her. “Was this done to the humans too? Do I have a nanobot?” She’d been thinking in terms of another injustice perpetrated against the hybrids, but Isaac had said everypersonon the planet, not every hybrid.
Isaac nodded. “It was part of the departure physical that everyone underwent.”
“Did you tell Zion?” Kyle asked before Tara had time to react. His murderous expression perfectly matched the destructive emotions churning inside him.
With another nod, Isaac said, “He’s furious, but not surprised. The human leaders made it clear from the start that we would never be allowed to leave this planet.”
Tara and the other humans had been told the same thing. Still, a secret part of her always hoped that somehow, some day, she would find a way to escape. She didn’t deserve to be trapped here any more than her mates did. She hadn’t been involved in theexperiments. All her tasks had been clerical. Her only fault was working for the wrong company.
Isaac stood up and walked across the room. He didn’t appear to have a purpose. He was simply too upset to sit still. “Even dead, that fucker is torturing us.”
“It’s just another problem to solve,” Kyle concluded with a sigh. “Fixating on it isn’t going to make it go away.”
The main door to the cabin opened and Jon walked in. He nodded to his teammates, gave Tara a lingering kiss, and then hung up his coat by the door. “It’s bitterly cold out there. I couldn’t alter my body’s temperature enough to fight off the chill.”
“We wouldn’t have asked you to return unless it was important,” Isaac stressed.
“I know.” Jon went to the molecular conversion unit and printed a mug of some steaming beverage, likelykidolen. Everyone was obsessed with the spicy/tart cider. “Let me warm up for a minute and then we’ll see if we can network with Juan.”
A tense pause followed as Isaac and Kyle attempted to give Jon a moment to catch his breath. “You guys look like you just came from a funeral. What the hell happened?”
“Babcock is dead, but the scan revealed that every person on Rydaria was injected with boundary nanobots before leaving Earth,” Kyle blurted without his usual tact. “They wanted to make damn sure we never leave this planet.”
“It’s about fucking time Babcock paid for what he did to us, and are you really surprised by the nanobots? Nuevo used them tocontrol us for years. It would be more surprising if they hadn’t chipped us.”
Kyle nodded and silence descended again.
Jon allowed the gloom for only a moment before he asked, “Let’s think about this logically. Has anything really changed? We have no way of leaving the planet. The fuckers back on Earth made sure of that. The nanobots can be removed. We don’t have equipment sophisticated enough to remove them right now, but any spaceship capable of leaving the planet will have sensors powerful enough to detect nanobots. Our objective is the same. Reconstruct, borrow, or steal a spaceship.”
The tension finally eased from Isaac’s features. “You’re right. It’s just one more indignity to add to the list.”
“The human leaders claimed we’re not prisoners, that they’ve given us everything we need to thrive,” Kyle muttered gloomily. “The nanobots are proof positive that they’re all full of shit.”
“Again, not news,” Jon insisted as he finished his drink. “We have two options. One, put all our time and energy into contacting someone off-world and convincing them to come get us. The complications with that plan are endless so I won’t get into them. Option two, make our lives here as pleasant as possible while we work toward achieving the other goal. That way if it takes years, and it probably will, we’re not all a bunch of miserable assholes the entire time.”
Isaac started laughing and Tara couldn’t figure out why. Nothing Jon said was funny.
“Were the eagle brothers fighting again?” Isaac guessed. “You suddenly sound like Raphael.”
Jon smiled and tension flowed out of the entire room. “Gabriel was in one of his moods and not even Raph could talk him out of it. They have a team of their best engineers working to build a communications system from the components we’ve salvaged from the abandoned ships. There isn’t much more any of us can do in the meantime. Obsessing about leaving the planet is only going to make the person unhappy and hard to be around. Why do it?”
“You’re right.” Isaac looked at Tara and one corner of his mouth tipped up. “Besides, our life improved drastically a couple of weeks ago.”
Tara offered him a soft smile, but didn’t speak. She hadn’t known about the nanobots, but it mattered even less to her. Rydaria had been her prison from the start. She’d been exiled here as a punishment because she was an employee of Nuevo Biotech. Earth’s leaders didn’t expect anyone in her party to survive, much less escape the planet.
“Enough about nanobots and injustice,” Jon insisted. “Let’s see if we can locate the missing females.”
The three males moved to the center of the room and grasped arms. They paused and closed their eyes, then their breathing evened out. Tara could feel energy swirling around them, gradually building in strength and intensity. They were shielding the link, protecting it from outside interference. The protective barrier kept her from sensing their thoughts and emotions. She understood the precaution, but it made her feel excluded and useless.
Not wanting to distract them, she moved to the couch and sat down. Lexie and her mates originally formed their soul bond to save the life of one of the males. Lexie insisted that she didn’tregret it and that being completely connected to her mates was amazing. Would a soul bond allow Tara to participate in these missions? Even if all she did was feed them energy, at least she would have a purpose. Was being included enough of a reason to link herself permanently with three males she’d only known for a couple of weeks? She sighed. Life on Rydaria was so confusing. She wasn’t sure what she wanted.
She had pictured herself as a counselor, offering emotional support to those traumatized by abuse. Unfortunately, no one seemed interested. She had asked around, spoken with dozens of people, and everyone insisted that they didn’t need a therapist. Most of the males wouldn’t come near her. She was being courted by three powerful Shadows and they had no interest in upsetting them. The other part of the hesitation was cultural. Most of the feline hybrids were soldiers, badass warriors who took out their emotions on sparring partners and exercise equipment. Some of the women had shown mild interest, but insisted that now was not the time.
