The Cyber Chronicles 04: Cyborg

by T C Southwell

  She pressed her burning fists to her chest. “He must be in agony.”

  “I’d say that’s going to give him a bit of a headache, yup.”

  Veins stood out on Sabre’s neck and brow, and waves of red lights ran through the brow band’s black crystals. Fresh blood seeped from around the two outer struts. Tassin swallowed bile, sickened by the sight of his suffering, hardly able to bear it.

  “Come on, Sabre,” she urged.

  Kole stood up and patted her back. Sabre groaned, writhing.

  Tassin stepped closer. “Come on, Sabre, fight!”

  The cyber twisted, gasping harshly through gritted teeth, and blood ran down his forehead to drip onto the carpet. He convulsed, his head cracking against the floor. His back arched again, and then he relaxed, his eyes closing. She thought he had passed out, but he only lay still for a few moments, then he released the brow band, his hands falling to his sides. The seven diagonal control lights were a steady red. His frown eased and he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. She went over and knelt beside him, her throat tight.

  “Sabre?”

  He turned his head towards her, and a shaft of pure joy pierced her heart when his eyes focussed on her. He licked his lips, looking dazed. “Tassin?”

  She smiled, her breath catching in a sob. “Yes.”

  Sabre sat up and clutched his head with a groan, then glanced at Kole.

  The hacker recoiled, muttering, “Bloody hell.”

  Sabre turned to her again. “I’m free,” he said, as if he could not believe it. “I’m really free. I…” His eyes flicked to her hands. “You’re hurt.”

  She looked down at them, swallowing a lump. “I’m okay.”

  “Let me see.” He took hold of one of her fists and opened it, drawing in a quick breath at the sight of the deep cuts. “These need immediate treatment.”

  His hands trembled, and his touch made her stomach quiver, even though it was entirely impersonal. He shot Kole a wary glance when the hacker approached.

  The cyber rose, staggering a little, and went into the galley, opened a locker in the bulkhead above the auto-chef and pulled down a sizeable white box. He brought it over to Tassin, knelt beside her again and opened the emergency medical kit. Tassin wondered how he had known where it was. Kole sat on the sofa nearby, watching him with blatant fascination. Sabre’s hands shook as he took out a small spray bottle.

  “Open your hands,” he instructed.

  Tassin did so, gritting her teeth, and he sprayed her palms, making them sting with renewed fury and bleed afresh. She whimpered, and Sabre picked up a sterile swap in a sealed packet, tore it open and dried her palms, which the spray had numbed, to her relief. Then he took another bottle out of the kit and sprayed her palms again. This time the spray dried to a thin skin, and he repeated the procedure several times, thickening the layer of transparent substance until it formed a flexible protective skin. She watched him with growing disquiet, and he shot her occasional shy glances, clearly ill at ease with her scrutiny.

  When he had sealed both her palms with the artificial skin, Sabre dug in the medical kit again and withdrew two adhesive dressings, peeled off the backs and stuck them onto her palms. Tremors ran through him, making his head twitch and muscles jump. When her injuries were dressed, he dug in the medical kit once more and took out a pill bottle, flipped open the lid and tipped four little white pills into his palm, offering them to her.

  “Painkillers,” he explained.

  Tassin popped them into her mouth, discovering that they had a minty flavour and slid down her throat easily when she swallowed. He tipped another four into his own mouth, and she gazed at him, becoming more and more convinced that something was horribly wrong. His reactions were off, even after three years apart. There was no recognition in his eyes, even though he knew her name, and his behaviour was clinical and detached. A dread grew in her, snuffed out her joy and filled her heart with despair. Sabre did not remember her. What had the barbarians at Myon Two done to him?

  Tassin wondered how fate could be so cruel. This was not how she had envisioned their reunion at all. He still looked slightly dazed, either from aftermath of the mammoth mental duel, or because he was missing large chunks of memory. Clearly he had not lost all of it, since he knew how to treat her wounds and where the ship’s medical kit was, which still mystified her, although it did not seem to have surprised Kole. Sabre’s drawn, pallid countenance and the lines of strain around his eyes and mouth indicated that he was in a lot of pain, and she guessed he had a pounding headache.

  “What the hell went wrong?” Kole asked, shooting Sabre a guarded glance. “Why did he obey Previd?”

  “It wasn’t his fault,” she said. “It wasn’t him, it was the cyber. Previd said when I gave him Sabre’s serial number it gave him control.”

  “I thought it was risky, but when he removed the patch I figured I must be wrong.”

  “I guess he couldn’t order the cyber to attack you while you had a laser to his head. Or at least, he wasn’t willing to take the risk that you might shoot him before Sabre killed you, and he wanted you alive. But we had to take the chance. It was the only way.”

  Sabre looked up. “What you did was worse than foolhardy, it was insane. You can’t use a cyber against a Myon Two technician. They have a tattoo that identifies them to cybers. If you had ordered the cyber to kill Previd, or even hurt him, it wouldn’t have obeyed.”

  “It worked, though,” she said.

  He nodded. “He obviously didn’t believe I could get free, or he’d never have removed the patch. He thought he could order me to kill you afterwards, once he had control of me. He almost succeeded, too. I only just managed to prevent the cyber from shooting you. If he’d given the order five seconds sooner, you’d be dead and Kole would be on his way to Myon Two now, to be convicted of aiding in cyber tampering and given a life sentence.”

  “Why did the cyber grab him, then, and where’s this tattoo?”

  “A cyber will obey his owner first and foremost, and will kidnap a Myon Two official, but he won’t hurt him. It’s a delicate trade-off the programmers had to make in order to satisfy customer demands for complete control while still ensuring some level of additional safety for Cybercorp executives. It also prevents criminals from gaining immunity to cybers by using Myon Two techs as shields. The tattoo is here.”

  Sabre turned to the corpse, which lay against the corridor bulkhead, its head twisted at an impossible angle, and pulled aside its garish pink shirt, exposing a coin-sized, flame-like tattoo on its right shoulder. “The registration number gives off ultraviolet light, which cybers can detect even through clothes. Enforcers don’t have them, because they’re out in the field and easier to kidnap, and also because they’re more likely to turn against Cybercorp or become criminals. They don’t take an oath and sign a lifelong contract like technical personnel.”

  A short silence fell, then Tassin forced a weak smile. “Thank you for saving me.”

  Sabre lowered his eyes, nodded and smiled. His reticence spoke volumes of confusion and uncertainty. It reminded her of when she had first met him in the cave on Omega Five four years ago, and she hoped it would change soon. Then, it had only taken a few days for him to adjust to his newfound freedom. He had been through a lot since then, however, and she longed to talk to him alone and find out what had happened after he had left Omega Five.

  Sabre climbed to his feet and helped Tassin to hers, and she sat on the sofa and hugged herself, trying to quell her trembling, while he returned the medical aid kit to the galley locker. When he came back, he glanced at Previd’s body.

  “Space him?”

  “Definitely,” Kole said.

  Sabre carried the corpse to the back of the ship, returning a minute later empty handed to sit on the sofa opposite.

  Kole sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t stay here now. Soon Malatar’s absence will be discovered and all traffic stopped. This is still one of Myon Two�
��s worlds, and they won’t be happy about losing a Cybercorp department head.”

  “Where will we go?” she asked.

  “Well, your highest bidder is on Charon Six, and he’s offering one and a half million credits for the sword, but I don’t have enough fuel to get there. We can make it to Rashid Four, which is quite a lawless place, and then we’ll have to make enough money to buy fuel, since I can’t access my accounts without giving away our location.”

  “I thought you had a new identity?”

  “I do, but if I refuel the ship’s name is logged, and I’m sure they’ve found out everything about me by now.”

  “How will we make money?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll think of something.”

  “Okay.” She stood up. “I want to talk to you, Sabre.”

  Tassin did not care if Kole thought she was rude, she needed to find out just how bad Sabre’s memory problem was. She headed for the cabin down the corridor, and he followed, glancing around as he entered the cream and grey compartment. There were no chairs, so she sat on the bed and patted the crimson cover beside her, and he settled upon it. She wanted to take his hand, but the dressing made it impossible, and it hurt, so she just gazed at him.

  “I’m so glad you’re back. I missed you so… much.” To her horror, her chin wobbled and her throat closed.

  “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay.”

  The concern in his soft, husky voice brought a rush of memories, and tears flooded her eyes. She shook her head. “No it’s not. You don’t know who I am, do you? Do you remember me at all?”

  He hesitated, looking down. “You’re my owner.”

  “No, I’m not!”

  “According to the cyber’s information, you are, since –”

  “No!” Her throated closed, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

  He looked confused, and bowed his head.

  She swallowed the lump. “Sabre... I bought the cyber to free you. I didn’t buy you! I… I came to free you. Don’t you remember? Please try to remember.”

  He shook his head. “I know you, but I don’t know how.” He raised his eyes and studied her. “I think my heart remembers you. You were important to me, weren’t you?”

  “I like to think so.” Her tears overflowed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I never thought…” She gulped, drew a shuddering breath and brushed at her cheeks.

  “Careful,” he said. “Don’t hurt your hands. I’ll get you a tissue.”

  Sabre started to get up, but she put out a hand. “No. Stay.”

  He sank back down, looking uneasy, and she forced a tremulous smile. Clearly her distress troubled him, so she said, “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re finally free. You did it. I knew you could.”

  “You got the software patch removed, or I wouldn’t have been able to. You did it.”

  “What did those bastards do to you on Myon Two?”

  “I don’t remember, so I guess they took away my memories.”

  She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, recovering her aplomb somewhat. “Maybe it was the shocks the cyber used to try to stop you freeing yourself. You had to do it twice, too, in quick succession.”

  “Yeah. I did the unthinkable when I killed a Myon Two technician.” He lowered his eyes to his hands. “Thank you for freeing me.”

  “God, Sabre, did you really think I would abandon you? I swore I would find you, and I meant it.” Her throat closed again, and she shook her head. “But you don’t remember that, do you?”

  “No. Still, I’m amazed that you succeeded.”

  “It wouldn’t have taken me so long to come looking for you if you hadn’t hidden that damned sword. I spent three years searching for it, because you hid it.”

  “Sword?”

  “Yeah, the one with the Core in it, from the Death Zone.” She sighed. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll remember when you get your memories back.”

  “I hope so.”

  Tassin picked at the dressing on her hand, hating how awkward things were between them now, as if they were strangers again. She did not know what to say, and he seemed ill at ease. She had envisioned their reunion as a joyous one involving hugs and tears of happiness, and cursed Myon Two afresh. Clearly he would do anything she asked of him, since she had freed him, and was trying hard to please her, but it was not working. They no longer shared anything. She was a stranger to him.

  She stood up. “We should get back. Kole will be wondering what we’re up to.”

  “Yes.” His eagerness to quit her company hurt her.

  Tassin found Kole on the bridge, sipping a drink. She flopped into the co-pilot’s chair, and Sabre leant against the wall in the corridor just behind them.

  “So, have you figured out how we’re going to make enough money to get to Charon Six?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I hope so.” He shot Sabre a sidelong glance. “A free cyber is unheard of, but, since Sabre is one, he can enter arena fights and make a lot of money. Enough to buy the fuel.”

  “No. I don’t want him to have to fight. There must be another way.”

  “Well, I could try my hand at gambling, but that’s a risky business, obviously. I could lose what little cash we have.”

  “I’d rather try that first. I don’t think he’s in any shape to fight now, anyhow.”

  Sabre glanced up. “Not really. My co-ordination and reflexes are severely impaired.”

  “Which means you could kill a man in three seconds instead of two, right?” Kole asked.

  “He’s not fighting,” Tassin said, scowling at him. “He just got free, and already you want to shove him into an arena so he can have his brains battered some more.”

  “He’s a cyber.”

  “That doesn’t mean he won’t get hurt. In order to pass as a free man, he’d have to fight like one, and that means he’d have to let his opponents hit him. He’s not doing it.”

  The hacker raised his hands. “Fine, I’ll have a bash at gambling.”

  “It’s okay,” Sabre said, “I understand the necessity, and I’ll do whatever I can to help, of course.”

  “You’re not fighting,” she told him as fiercely as she had told Kole. He looked away, and silence fell for several moments, then she said, “We also need to find someone who can help with Sabre’s co-ordination and memory problem.”

  Kole raised his brows at her. “He has a memory problem, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “So… He doesn’t remember you?”

  “No. Yes. Sort of.”

  Kole glanced back at Sabre. “Wow. That’s got to suck. After everything you did –”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s why we need to find someone who can help.”

  “Well, that’s not going to be easy, is it? It’s not like we can take him to a regular doctor.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Right, so this would be my job, I guess.”

  She smiled at him. “You’re the best hacker in the galaxy.”

  “It doesn’t take a hacker to track down a neurologist.”

  “One who can treat a cyber?”

  “That just takes a bit of researching skill.”

  “And you’re good at that, too, huh?”

  He snorted and shook his head. “No need to butter me up, Tassin, I’ll find you a neurologist who will treat our cyber friend, although he’ll obviously be a back street kind of guy. There are a few sympathisers to the anti-cyber cause. I’ve heard of some Net sites that went up, protesting cyber host treatment, but Cybercorp took them down within hours, and their owners were doubtless hounded till they fled known space, just like Trevare. Only difference is, he made mega-millions from his naughtiness, while these guys just drop themselves in the shit, and for what? No one listens to them. Very few care, and the ones who do are inevitably silenced one way or another.

  “Anyone who goes up against Cybercorp is going to get flattened. Those guys practically run the galaxy. Anyway, we’re going to Rashid Four, that’s
all we have fuel for. It’s a safer place for us, since we’re now fugitives. I gave them a false ship identity when we arrived, but once the shit hits the fan about Malatar’s disappearance, Myon Two will investigate. They’ll check the videos from the security satellites and realise that Striker isn’t Dejan Vordon’s rather pretentious yacht.

  “Once they figure out who she really is, they’ll put it together with Malatar’s disappearance. Killing him wasn’t part of the plan. I wish Sabre had just knocked him out; then we could have released him. We’d still have been in major trouble, but not as much as we are now that we’ve murdered a senior Cybercorp executive. I reckon that’s put us at the top of their shit list. We need somewhere to lie low for a while.”

  She nodded. “All right, but… if you’re docked here with a false ship identity, why can’t you buy fuel here instead of at Rashid?”

  “It wouldn’t fit.” He sighed. “The ship runs on neosin, okay, same as just about everything else, and it comes in power crystals, right? Well, the crystals that fit Vordon’s yacht won’t fit Striker.”

  “Oh. I see. Pity.”

  “Yeah.”

  Chapter Five

  The club’s throbbing mood music pounded at Tassin’s ears, making her wish she had earplugs. She scanned the people who packed the sleek, chrome and black velvet interior, all of whom were in various stages of intoxication and undress. The long, teardrop-shaped lights that hung from the sparkling ceiling gave off a soft yellow illumination, and a vast bar spanned the far wall, the shelves beyond it packed with an amazing array of weirdly shaped and coloured bottles. Five barmen roamed its length, handing drinks over the counter to swaying patrons. Couples clinched in dark corners and drunken oddballs sparked spats with sober patrons.

  Tassin glanced at Sabre, glad to have him at her side, and himself again, sort of. She wondered if the awkwardness between them would remain until he regained his memories, not wanting to entertain the possibility that he might never remember her. He wore a black shirt, matching leather jacket and jeans, which Kole had bought for him earlier, so he could blend in. A cyber in combat kit would stand out a mile in a recreation club. A black headband hid the control unit, which did not protrude sufficiently to make its presence obvious. With it covered, he looked like a normal man, the faint scars on his face hardly noticeable. He looked so different in civilian clothes, she mused, it was almost possible to forget what he was, especially with the brow band covered and his eyes filled with sharp intelligence.