They didn't deaden the area before removing the locator chip. Danika didn't think she would have passed out if she hadn't been so weak already, but she wasn't actually sorry that she 'missed' the procedure.
When she came around from her swoon it was to the sounds of a battle being waged practically on top of her.
"Cease!" Reuel roared furiously.
The voice, she recognized. Darkness was still too prevalent for her to really make out what was going on or who was involved. All she could see when she forced her eyelids up was a blur of motion, but that was enough to ascertain that there was a brawl in progress even if she couldn't see well enough to tell who was involved.
"She is not dead! Yet! You will crush her, you lunatics, if you persist in fighting virtually on top of her!"
What lunatics?
When the darkness finally receded sufficiently for Danika to see what was going on, Seth, Dane, and Niles were being restrained by six other cyborgs and all of them looked as if they'd been through a meat grinder.
Actually, Reuel was looking a bit worse for wear himself.
"What happened?" Danika asked weakly, trying to push herself upright.
"You!" Reuel growled. "Stay put or you will swoon again." He glared at her squad. "Take them to the brig!"
"Why?" Danika demanded angrily.
"Disciplinary action," Reuel responded. "And do not question my commands again or you will join them! I am your commanding officer--that goes forallof you! We are still soldiers and you will be expected to behave like soldiers! Not like the ... rabble that we left behind!"
"Yes, Sir!" Danika responded instantly to the authority in his voice. Self-appointed leader or not, there was no doubt in her mind that Reuelwastheir acting leader. "I beg pardon, Sir."
Reuel shook his head. "Rest. When you feel like you can get up without fainting, go to the mess hall and get something to eat."
The suggestion made a wave of nausea roll over Danika, but she knew it was from emptiness and, in any case, she didn't feel up to arguing.
Besides which Reuel had borne home the situation with absolute clarity.
Insane or not, despite his paranoia, Brown hadn't gotten that part wrong. Reuel, clearly, had been considering deserting for a while or he wouldn't have kept the location of the enemy base secret. And it was just as clear that he'd convinced, or the other cyborgs had convinced themselves, that Reuel was their leader.
She didn't actually think Reuel had done so with any sort of premeditation. He'd responded to the situation when a clear headed leader was needed at the battle of Slaughter Ridge. She thought he'd become the leader of the cyborgs in that very moment and no one had actually questioned his right to lead or his ability to lead.
She didn't if it came to that. She couldn't say that it hadn't annoyed, and unnerved, her when she'd lost command of her own squad to Seth--because she knew she had almost from the moment he'd changed. But she didn't consider herself capable of leading the cyborgs in revolt even if they wanted a human leader.
She still considered ignoring the order to head for the mess hall, but she was weaker after the procedure to remove her locater chip than before. She was so wobbly, she thought for a little bit that she wouldn't be able to make it even that far. It was sheer determination not to let the cyborgs know just how weak she was that kept her on her feet until she could reach the dining hall.
She couldn't eat much, regardless. Her stomach had shriveled like the rest of her. She thought, in fact, that she might throw up for several moments after the cyborg serving kitchen duty piled a plate high with unrecognizable food chunks. It smelled appetizing enough, though, and she didn't ask what it was because she didn't want to know.
"It is the beast we found here when we returned to take possession of the base."
Surprised but relieved, Danika sent the cyborg a weak smile of gratitude. "That's a relief anyway. I mean ...."
"We are not very good hunters, but we are very good killers. It was a very big beast. We will not lack for food for a while even if there is not much variety."
Danika relaxed, even more grateful that he didn't harp on her being human, and what the humans had done, than she was that he'd soothed her fear about the food.
But maybe he didn't know?
One look in his eyes was enough to assure her that he did. They probablyallknew.
"I do not hate humans."
Danika's smile flat-lined. "Well, that's good to know."
He looked a little disconcerted. "I do not have a woman, but I have been thinking that I would like to have one."
