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In the span of a single heartbeat, Jacob’s crossed the space between him and Sam. His palm and fingers span the smaller alpha’s entire skull, and then a crunch rings through the air, followed by a spray of blood coating the doorframe, the walls—and General Smith.
Jacob tosses the colonel’s skull to the floor and rounds on his father.
“Jac—” I don’t manage to finish calling his name before Jacob grabs the general by the ears andtwists.
I stare in abject horror as the older alpha’s body sinks to the floor, as headless as his son’s.
My mate tosses his head after him and rolls his shoulders. Our bond still throbs with his fury, but there’s a distinct undercurrent of satisfaction running through it.
“Oh, my God,” Dr. Green whimpers from the conference room. “W-what have you done?”
The sound of his fear somehow numbs my own. Our mission has just gone thoroughly tits up, and I have to get a handle on itright fucking now, or we are all dead.
I turn away from the carnage to regard the simpering beta. “Pull yourself together. And relinquish your control ofmyAX units—now.”
THIRTEEN
ADDIE
“What the fuck,” Welsh says.
He just nearly tripped over the bodies of General Smith and his son on his way into the room with AX1 bringing up the rear. Both have clearly been through some shit themselves, not all of it without casualties. Blood spatter has cast crimson freckles across his left cheek.
I grimace, and before I can answer, Jacob cuts in. “It had to be done.”
Welsh scowls. Behind him, AX1 glances down the hall, then beckons with a wave. Apparently, the other AX units are here.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Welsh seethes. “Do you have any idea how narrow our window to pull this off is gonna be now? Youreallycouldn’t keep your ham-hands to yourself for another five fucking minutes?!”
AX1 snorts as he ushers the other units into the room, but Welsh isn’t in a laughing mood. The NSA agent shoots him a withering look as Jacob levels Welsh with one of his own.
“No one,” he begins, voice preternaturally calm, “and I meanno onedisrespects my fuckingmate.”
“Uh… Mate?” AX23—Jack—asks as he looks from Jacob to me—the only female in the room.
Welsh drags a hand down his own face and shakes his head. He mutters something obscene, then turns to the other AX units as AX1 drags the bodies into the room and shuts the door. “That story will have to wait. We’ve brought you all here because tonight, for the first time in quite a while, you get to make a choice.
“Here’s what you need to know: Dr. Thompson here is willing to remove your behavioral modification chips.” Every single AX soldier tenses, but he continues. “That means you’ll all be free men, able to make your own decisions on where you want to go from here. However, if the current administration stays in power, I think we’ll all know that freedom will be spent hiding in the shadows.
“What we’re hoping is that you’ll agree to one more mission before you clock out—a mission to save this country’s democracy from the tyranny of those who would destroy it. In return, if we win, you will be allowed to live freely however you see fit. Your files will be destroyed, and you get to return to society as men. Not machines.”
AX6—Dwayne—is the first of the soldiers to speak up. “I’ve had my fill of living without freedom,” he says, folding his arms over his chest as he gives me a pointed look. “That’s not something I’d wish on anyone, let alone my entire fucking country. I’m in.”
Gradually the others nod their assent.
I force down the wave of guilt as they all look at me. This is the closest I’ll ever get to undoing what I’ve done to these men, and I vow to myself that I’ll make sure every one of them, survives their chip removal operation. And to do that, I need a calm mind.
“The conditions won’t be as optimal as they would have back in my lab,” I warn them, setting my kit on the conference room table. I open it up and begin donning a pair of gloves. “I’ll have to work fast—get in, get it out, and staple you shut. I can’t offer you any pain management, and I’ll need you to remain completely still for the duration. But youwillcome out okay. I swear it.”
Before anyone can answer, someone pounds on the conference room door.“Dr. Green, open the door.”
I glance at Jacob. He looks at Welsh, who looks to AX1. Nobody answers.
Another series of pounds, harder than the last.“Dr. Green! Colonel and General Smith are missing…”Then, more quietly,“Is that blood fresh?”
Welsh shoots Jacob a glare and sighs through his nose. He makes for Dr. Green, but before Welsh can get to him, the doctor shouts:
“Help me! They’ve got me trapped!”
