I AM A GIRL CYOBORG PET

by ROUNAK PURI

  "I'm sorry I'll have to check you all the being human" said a marine sergeant running a metal detector over us.

  I beeped couple of times1

  "She's a runaway slave" said Loop. The sergeant used a small medical instrument to check my eyes and seem satisfied. 3

  "Welcome to Liberty City. The Alpha is currently at the camp x-ray. She has been informed of your presence and you will meet her for dinner, once you have settled in." said the sergeant saluting.

  We walked to the town. It seems to consist of many old wooden buildings all painted red about 100 years ago. Externally everything looked dilapidated. Within each building they had appeared to pitch tents and things looked pretty comfortable.

  "Where are we?" I said.

  "Liberty city was an old mining town it had been abandoned well before the war. The machines ignored it. You passed the mine on the way in it actually was and emergency bunker complete with nuclear weapons. They ran a chicken farm over it as a cover."1

  The whole of liberty city was built upon, the side of the mountain. There were slag heaps everywhere. The most wonderful aspect of it where are the men and women walking around mostly in camouflage. Some carried a camouflage umbrellas. It was wonderful to see people who didn't have the collar on them.

  "What do you do here?" I asked.

  "that's classified" said the sergeant pointing "look here are your barracks now"

  We walked into another half rotted wooden building inside the building were tents pitched on top of floors which looked like they would fall in at any point.

  "I love what you've done with the place" I said "Kind of wreckage steam punk meets MASH, nice"1

  I was put into captain's causes quarters with Loop beside me in the next room/ tent. Rodi and the rest of the troops now fell into the field beds finally relieved they wouldn't have to sleep lightly waiting for the tread of any threat.

  "Do you have a surgeon on site capable of de-mining a runway?" said Loop.5

  "Mr Gibbon can do it." said the liberty city sergeant.

  "She's a priority. Can you arrange it? How regular are the flights to Greenland ?" said Loop

  "That's classified. Your dining tonight with the Alpha flew in this morning. You have new uniforms" said the sergeant1

  "The Alpha flew in for her?" said Loop. By the look on his face it looked like I had been elevated up to the status of a signed copy of the declaration of independence.2

  "The Alpha visits regularly to personally supervise project X" said the sergeant.

  "Project X?" I said.

  "You passed it on the way in" said the sergeant.

  "If chicken ranching is a secret weapon, you guys are desperate" I said.

  "It's over bunch of abandoned missile silos and an underground launch and control complex." said the sergeant.

  "Whats for dinner?" I said.

  "That's classified" said the sergeant.

  "I like you priorities" I said as the sergeant dismissed him self.2

  "Wow in 24 hours I could be de-mined. This is so exciting" I said to Loop kissing him after the sergeant left.12

  ***

  Later after the first shower in ages, Loop, Rodi and I found our selves in clean clothes walking with the sergeant to the Alpha's mess. Loop and Rodi managed to do a good impression of marching and I feel strangely light weight not carrying a bow or anything. We were met by a couple of officers who shook Loop's hand as we went in. I was looking forward to eating something sensible for once, plates would be pleasant. We walked in and there was a large table with more military people around it.

  The crowd parted and sergeant introduced. Captain Loop Guru, and Jenny Banks this is the Alpha post master general and currently commander in chief.1

  "Oh tihs" said Loop using some slave speak. Loop looked so astonished you could might have thought the Alpha was Robot. When I saw the Alpha was a woman I realised Loop might have problems taking orders from a woman, his face. From her bright dark eyes I saw she was werewolf.

  The Alpah rushed up took Loop hugged him and kissed him frantically. The werewolf marines were the most touchy feely branch of the former armed services ever.1

  "Who is it?" I whispered to Rodi.

  "That would be Guru's wife. Nina" whispered Rodi. WTF.23

  Suddenly I knew exactly how Areana felt when just-read-the-instructions drove off.2

  I so attract trouble like flies round rotting mango.1

  "Nina" said Loop between kisses "I thought you were dead".

  'Yes' I thought 'why couldn't you just stay that way'.7

  "It was a complete fluke. After the whole affair in Australia I thought you were dead too. It's so glad to see you at last. You can't believe how happy I was when I heard your voice on the central system" said Nina the Alpha. 1

  I so hate happy people. 'I so hate flukes' I thought 'fluke survival should be banned by the geneva convention'. I was already dropping out of my happy place I like Felix Baumgartner sky diving from orbit this wasn't helping. To misquote Wilder be betrayed by one man was a misfortune to be betrayed by two men smacked off my carelessness. The next man I dated I wanted a full resume and references before I get within kissing distance. The way I felt you could have handed me over to Zola right there and then like that would be any worse.1

  "What do I call you? Alpha?" said Loop.

  "Technically it's Alpha but seeing as it's you, you can call me Commander in Chief or Post master General" said Nina.

  "Commander in Chief, this is Jenny Banks" said Loop "Jenny this the Alpha."1

  "Do you realise technically your the Alpha's mate" said Rodi to Loop.4

  "That's so reassuring in a distressing way" said Loop now Captain Guru.

  We sat down and had dinner. Loop was on the other side of Nina and kept looking at this plate when I looked at him. I fumed so much they should have installed a chimney above me.1

  "So your 5642 aka YCF girl?" said Nina, when she spoke the others shut up and listened.1

  "No! You've seen that video" I said embarrassed.

  "Seen it? It's given heart to millions of slaves world wide," said Nina.

  "I'm the next Psy? Is that why I'm was such a priority?" I asked. Do you think they would want me to perform Gangnam style?9

  Nina smiled "That's classified. You're a strategic resource" .

  "How wonderful to be classified along side copper and iron ore." I added. "So how did you get to be Alpha?"

  "I defeated General Harrison in hand to hand combat. I challenged him after the abysmal fall of Tobago" said Nina taking another bite.2

  "You fight for the top job?" I said I was more shocked more than an electric eel at an orgy.7

  "It's our way. Single combat is like battle, skill in one is skill in the other, at least according to the Art of war. With the fall of America, it was obvious their management methods were weak. If our next bold attack fails then anyone is free to try to kill me and take over" said Nina biting her pork chop.3

  I thought about this for a moment. It would have been fun if they have done this before. For example, if one manager wanted to take over a company he or she could challenge the CEO to a duel of selling things in a shop somewhere. Or if someone wanted a professor of mathematics job they could just challenge each other and give each other maths questions and see who got the most right.

  "The results of Project X are promising we are mobilising rebel forces to be ready for a critical strike in the near future." Nina continued. I know this is wrong but I hope she failed and was locked in a room with a number of fanatical cyber sheep with their robot drones and a selection of sharp implements. Let's see who came out of that alive.

  "Hura" said the soldiers around the table.

  My fork hit something hard.

  "Is this a resistor?" I asked pulling the pork chop apart with my knife and fork.

  "Yeh you get that sometime in cyber pigs" said one of the lieutenants.

  "Hang on we are eating cyber pig?" I said.

  "You brought it
in we cooked it" said Nina "what's the problem?"

  "Jenny spent a day debating philosophy in a cave with a sheep" explained Loop.1

  I will admit I found it hard to eat creatures even cybernetically upgraded creatures who could once talk. I think I let Memphis go partly because I didn't think I couldn't eat him. Dumb pig was OK, and I guess I had as good a reason as any to hate the cyberpigs, but smart pigs it felt weirdly wrong. American's never pan fried there enemies before is this more US weakness in action?2

  "Is this the zombie we found the woods?" I said "The one with the lobotomy and weirdest of Oblivion"

  Nina looked at me, like I had walked onto a land mine on her soul.

  "What's Oblivion?" asked one of the officers casually.

  "It's a slave performance enhancement perfume. I was slipped a dose once makes you more obedient makes you enjoy serving but it's addictive and slowly rots your brain" I said.

  "You had some?" said Nina. I could cheerfully think about pushing her into a pool of the stuff.

  "I was slipped some once." I said. "it was a free sample from hell"

  "What was it like?" said Nina.

  "I could have cheerfully slit my own throat if I had been ordered to, but I swear by the old gods and the new I would never take that stuff again"6

  Loop my new un-favourite person smiled "Joe used to say that all the time remember?" he said to Nina. Nina smiled of someone who had long lost days.

  "Joe?" I said "Joe Wozniak ?"

  "I'm not sure, he always went by his hacker handle ZeroDark" said Loop.3

  "I knew a programmer called Joe." I said "What was your Joe's favourite film?"

  "Total Recall" said Loop. That was Joe's favourate film. 1

  "Did he say it was his favourite because one day someone would make a remake, and it would be really really good?" I said.

  Everyone around the table stopped and fell silent.3

  "ZeroDark Joe?" said Nina "cubby guy beard, socially inept, thinks of women as sex objects?"

  "Well the machines kind of changed his appearance also, he was a programmer" I said "who is your Joe"

  "Have you heard of the Seattle resistance?" asked Loop.

  "Sort of," I said.

  "The Seattle resistance began as a local offshoot of Anonymous." started Loop "When the Internet went down they started getting together physically, looking to build some technological weapons to the robot menace. They called them selves the Seattle resistance. Joe was a brilliant programmer who had experience with programming blood chips. He had even worked with Professor Belinda Day on them. He was part of the crisis team for the resistance. General Harrison ordered him to develop a computer virus which would infect the slave collars. At first the collar virus kept killing the slaves who had been infected. Joe wanted more time Harrison was OK with the virus to being lethal. Joe argued about this, he got moody. When I came on duty after he escaped and went to in San Francisco. I tracked him all the way but lost him near Berkley. I think he was trying to stop the forked virus being release."1

  "My Joe was picked up in San Francisco." I said.2

  "Do you know where he is?" said Loop earnestly. The whole table was looking at me.

  "Sure I could lead you straight to him, you won't find him with out knowing where he is and you won't recognise him now and he might not go with out taking someone else. He doesn't know it but his girl friend is a infiltrator. You will need me to find him, and to get him to come with you" I said.

  "If it was him this could be astonishing." Loop smiled "Alpha, I need permission to create an extraction team with Jenny... I mean ... Miss banks, we must rescue ZeroDark at all costs".

  I looked at Loop. Miss was certainly the right word. The possibility I could rescue Joe and actually go some good for once was good.

  Nina paused.

  "No" said Nina " There are plenty of programmers called Joe in San Fransisco. I won't loose good men on suicide mission on the machine capital and Miss Banks will be transferred to Greenland on a special flight the day tomorrow."2

  "Think about what your giving up here" Loop argued "I would loose a hundred men to get back ZeroDark. Jenny has brought us the first good news in practically a year. We cannot afford to not try this. Seattle resistance has been practically useless since he's gone. He had the ability to build weapons which might actually do something to harm the machines" said Loop almost angrily.

  "I can help" I said.

  "No Captain" started Nina "Your not going any where and your not taking her and that's an order" said Ninai to Loop.1

  There was silence.

  "Alpha, Permission to be dismissed" said Loop.

  I wanted to sit there and go 'oooohoooo' but I resisted. I guess that means I must be a grown up right?

  "Granted" said Nina bitterly.

  Loop got up and coldly walked out.

  I looked around, you could tell from the look on everyone's faces they could not understand the Nina's thinking.2

  "I'm tired I'm going to bed" I said leaving the table.2

  As I walk outside it was only long enough to see Loop turn into a wolf and run off up the mountain.5

  ****

  I walked back to the bunk house and noticed an archery range. I was too mad to sleep and killing something even a target might help. It was night but the moon was out in a clear sky. I grabbed my bow and then went to the range and picked up some practice arrows, and pinned up a target. Despite what you might think of in the movies you never walk around with your bow strung. Putting you bow over your shoulder elvish prince Legolas style still doesn't work with a real the bow. It would loose its spring. You carry it unstrung the string it up when you need it. I wanted to practice stringing in the dark so I'm standing in the dark for twenty minutes bending my compound bow and trying not to get hit in the eye. While I'm doing this I hear some voices. I look back and hear Nina walking out of the mess towards the gate house followed by her possey. 12

  "What is the progress on project X " she said to one of the officers.

  "We are expecting another delivery tonight. They will want to talk about tomorrow" said one of the officers.

  I'm curious how dare this woman go back in time and steal my boyfriend by marrying him before I met him. She was up to something. A smart good girl would have practised gone to bed and cried. But sometimes I'm not good, I'm curious. I decided to hunt them. 21

  *****

  Chapter 89/Resistance/Either the Zombies are revolting or it's mass flatulence

  Using my finely honed ninja skills I followed them towards the gatehouse. There was a small doorway in the big metal gate which was unlocked with a physical key. I was hanging back safely so far back, I couldn't hear what they were saying. One of the officers the held the door back allowing everyone through and instead of closing it, let it go allowing the spring to close it for him. As soon as he turned his back I sprinted forwards and stop the door just before it shut. I was outside of the perimeter fence and rolled behind a bush the gate shutting and locking behind me.

  Nina and the others were carrying camouflage umbrellas to hide their body movements and body heat from satellites and surveillance systems. They walked down well worn path through the forest. I crept after them for the forty minutes it took. From the forest I could see the white sides of the chicken sheds beyond. Nina and the others stood near the road near the chicken sheds and waited.1

  Suddenly an Osprey swept in from the sky. It tilted its rotors back quickly and landed heavily. I hid behind some barrels and watched. The Nina it was now being followed by three large wolves. Clearly the people she went out with had transformed. She was obviously expecting to greet somebody departing from the plane. The back door ramp lowered and down drifted a group of animal cyborgs. Except that they didn't behave sensibly they drifted around. Two wolves then herded the animal cyborgs towards an open-door. I could hear the cyborgs moan 'ack' mumble just like Zom did. Looking closely they were moving like the Zombie pig well. Were they zombies like Zom? Herding t
he zombies out of the Osprey was a slave. She was walking correctly and seemed to be normal i.e. not a zombie. With her were a couple of men who looked to be collaborators or at least they didn't have collars. Then one of the men pulled some slaves off the plane, they looked completely spaced out. Rockwood had shown me videos of slaves like this was the final stage of what a slave who had consumed too much Oblivion. Their brains chewed and spat out by to much obedience.2

  "16 as promised" said the slave girl. "do you have what we agreed."

  "What about the food ?" said Alpha.

  To collaborator men wheeled three large boxes Down the ramps.

  "The rest will come when we pick the girl up in the morning," said the slave.

  My mind was blasting through this. Nina was going to send me back to the robots! This woman was definitely off my Christmas card list. as soon as Facebook was re-established I would de-friend her with extreme prejudice. In fact, I might friend her just to de-friend her in the biggest way possible.4

  The Nina seemed pleased with the contents of the food bins and waved to something in the distance. A Winnebago RV came over and two men in yellow bio-contamination suits got out. They pushed a barrel on a hand cart up into the plane. I had been careful to choose a location downwind. If I had been upwind then the wolves would have probably smelt me. Now only got a strong whiff of what was in the barrel, it was the distinctive aroma of Oblivion. I watched as the two men in the contamination suits walked back to Winnebago R.V . I moved closer to the RV. I caught the smell of chemicals and more oblivion. The RV must be some kind of mobile laboratory this is where the Oblivion was being brewed.

  But why would be resistance the brewing and obedience chemical for the benefit of the slave owners?2

  "And the blood?" said the slave.

  One of the werewolves which had herded the slaves off in wolf form came back in human form pushing a large cart. This contained hundreds of blood bags. He unloaded them then went back for more, in 20 minutes a truck Load blood bags what were loaded on the plane. The Alpha was trading with either the collaborators or the robots, they were brewing Oblivion in exchange for animals turned into zombies, and oblivion blasted slaves. What on earth were the Resistance up to? I slowly change my position and got better view of the slave talking to the Alpha.3