Bane’s lips quirked, “Will your wife mind?”
Hunter paused, mouth open then burst into loud chuckles. When his laughter faded, his eyes still sparked with mirth but there was now a mix of sadness tinged with regret in their depths. “I miss the camaraderie of Jutaks and the others I served with. There’s nothing like the friends you have on the teams.”
There could be only one reason why the ex-soldier no longer had those friendships. Many were lost during the war. “Agreed.”
Hunter placed his hands on Bane’s thighs. “Try not to panic. You might feel persistent itching as I try to access the implanted enhancements.”
Since Bane had full sensation in his legs, he felt the buzzing flickers. After a few moments, Hunter frowned and sat back on his haunches. “Hmm. That’s unusual.”
Worry this would all be for naught, Bane asked, “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, Hunter posed another question. “Where did you have the initial surgery?”
“On Enotia. Our team doctor performed the operation.”
Hunter arched a dark brow. “You trust him?”
“Without question.” Dr. Maku had saved their lives on too many occasions to ever doubt his loyalty.
Something obviously continued to bother Hunter. Bane wondered if he was looking for a way to soften the news he couldn’t fix or heal whatever was off about his legs.
“Hunter, I appreciate—”
Hunter put his hands back on the top of Bane’s thighs. Determination stamped his features. “This might hurt or cause discomfort.”
It was all the warning he got. Discomfort didn’t come close. His legs burned. No not his legs, his thighs. Every nerve was on fire. Sharp knives of liquid agony cut up and down Bane’s spine.
“Shit! Fuck!” He gasped out, clutching the arms of the hover-chair to keep from smashing his fists into Hunter Gils’ face.
The only thing stopping him from retaliating was what he witnessed the bar owner slash former soldier going through. His jaw was clenched, body rigid, suffering the same level of pain. When Bane searched his gaze, the whites of Hunter’s eyes had disappeared, leaving behind solid black orbs. It was unnatural and chilling at the same time.
Pain zinged down Bane’s legs and he had to work not to move and arch his back. The burn was now torture, unlike any he’d felt before. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. His teeth locked to hold in his screams.
Hunter’s head dropped forward and the electric pulses throughout Bane’s body ceased. Hunter wiped at a trail of moisture from his nose. He lifted his head, panting slightly. “May I continue?”
Bane uncurled his fingers from the chair and sank back. His own breathing wasn’t quite steady. “That wasn’t it?”
What he’d experienced was almost as bad as being blasted with the laser fire from Mannid. Maybe worse.
Ragged laughter from Hunter. Apparently, he was just as affected. “No. That was me burning out the virus someone set in your biotronics.”
“What?”
Hunter didn’t answer. He touched Bane’s legs and Bane jerked back. They both froze. Bane moved and his legs jerked again.
“Stop!” Hunter held up a hand. Bogan whined. Without turning the animal’s way, Hunter snapped out a command. “Las, Bogan.”
The war mongrel settled, but his attention didn’t waver from the two.
“Did my legs move?”
They had. Bane was certain they had. He started to stand.
“Wait, Jutak. There is more before you try to do anything.”
Relaxing his muscles and holding still wasn’t easy. “Go.”
Hunter gripped Bane’s legs again. “I’m going to correct the sync on the cybernetic enhancements with the chip in your brain.”
Whatever that meant. Hunter’s brown eyes rolled, the whites once more drowned out by a midnight hue. This time there was no gradual build to the excruciating pain. A pinprick dart drove straight through Bane’s temple and his jaw locked to hold in his screams as the fires of a thousand suns whipped through his head.
***
Bane woke with his head lolled against the neck rest of the hover chair. Across the room, Hunter leaned against the wall, legs crossed at the ankle. His eyes were brown again and contained a deep well of weariness. “Welcome back, Jutak Hardusho.”
“Bane,” he rasped, struggling to remember what had happened.
Hunter straightened. “Where would you like me to start, Bane.”
That was easy to answer. “Did it work?”
A short nod.
“There’s more?”
Another nod.
“You mentioned a virus before you zapped me unconscious.”
“I didn’t zap you unconscious. I realigned your cybernetics and reset the enhancements to sync with the chip in your brain.” Hunter scratched the ears of the war mongrel standing beside him. “No other way to put this. There’s a reason you couldn’t walk. Someone sabotaged your biotronics implants. Who would have access to do that?”
Bane didn’t have an answer, but he was sure of one thing—Torkel would not be pleased. “My Unit Leader will need to be informed.”
“Medic Tao stopped by. Routine rounds, I believe. There was some concern when I wouldn’t let him in but I assured him we were friends and it had been a while since we had a chance to speak privately.”
Because no one could know why Hunter was really here. For now, Bane had another pressing need. “Does this mean I can walk now?”
Surprise flashed over Hunter’s expression. “Of course. Although I suggest you take it slow and work with one of the therapists. It’s been a while and you may feel unsteady.”
Bane didn’t want to wait. He stretched his right leg from the base of the hover chair to the floor then his left. Both moved. Muscles twinged with small bites of stiffness but they responded and actually moved.
Fuck! He stretched his neck from side to side and blinked back the moisture building in his eyes. His legs moved. He could walk.
Above all else, he could remain a Jutak warrior.
“I promised Jaron I would stay a few days to see you on your feet. For now, I have to rest. That required more use of my gift than I expected.” There was no missing the man’s exhaustion. It was in the slump of his shoulders, the slight tremble in his hands which he tried to hide by shoving them in his pockets. “You might be weak and out of it. I don’t usually part with Bogan but in your case, I’m leaving him here to keep watch during the day until I can return this afternoon to check on you for any ill effects.”
Before he could leave, Bane said, “Thank you, Hunter.”
Gratitude wasn’t enough, but it was all he had. Hunter grinned. “Always glad to help a fellow Jutak.”
He signaled the war mongrel with a hand gesture. “Bewacchen, Bogan.”
The animal’s tail straightened and he pattered over until he was next to Bane.
“I’ll be back later. Anyone who enters and makes the slightest move toward you will have to deal with an eighty-pound war mongrel programmed to attack and take down an enemy without mercy.” Hunter smirked. “Try not to let that happen.”
***
The mid-day meal half-eaten on the table had grown cold. Dharma pushed her utensils away. She wasn’t interested in eating anyway. She had bigger concerns. Soon her rotation at the station would be over and another would take her place. The two years spent here had been more than she expected.