The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord

by T C Southwell

  "I will," Ravian said, pulling a com-link from the folds of her robe. "Commander, find Tassin Alrade aboard the liner and translocate her here."

  "Yes, My Lord," a tinny voice replied.

  Sabre nodded. "Thanks, but that doesn't help if you have to wait for a visual identification. It could be too late by then. If they're on the run, they won't stop until they're dead." His eyes flicked back to Fairen. "Send me there."

  "You can barely stand up."

  "Please."

  Fairen hesitated, then turned to his commander, who stood at his side, eyeing Sabre. "Where are they now?"

  Commander Shrain glanced down at his com-link. "They're moving astern, My Lord, and from their position, they must be in a crawlspace."

  "Send me ahead of them," Sabre said.

  "There's an empty cabin two metres ahead of them," Shrain supplied. "The Corsairs are behind them."

  Fairen regarded Sabre with deep sadness. "I'm sending you to your death. I don't want to."

  "It's my choice."

  "We will keep a lock on you, so we can bring you out in an instant."

  "Bring her out first, or don't bother."

  Ramadaus demanded, "You allow him to speak to you like that?"

  Fairen glanced around. "I do as I please."

  "So does he, apparently."

  "If I allow it, yes. This is my ship, my choice."

  "Can we stop bickering and get on with it?" Sabre asked.

  Fairen faced him again. "You'll have to release the cook."

  Sabre nodded and let the man go, staggering a little when his support fled.

  Fairen cocked his head. "You can barely stand up."

  "Then I'll crawl."

  "Are your weapons charged?"

  "They'll have to do." Sabre unclipped the helmet from his belt and pulled it on.

  "How well can you see?"

  "Well enough. I have scanners, too."

  Fairen turned to Shrain. "Send him to the cabin ahead of the girl."

  The commander tapped his com-link, and Sabre tensed, readying himself for the rush of dizzying blackness and intense cold. It gripped him in a painful embrace, burning his raw skin, and swept him away in a swirl of darkness. His knees buckled as his feet hit solid ground, and he sprawled on the worn brown carpet of a cramped, untidy cabin. Judging by its tatty furnishings, rumpled bed and grimy white walls, it was a crew cabin in the belly of the ship. He crouched, blinked and shook his head to try to clear his eyes, then consulted the scanners. Points of light set against a backdrop of the ship's schematics indicated humans just beyond a sealed crawlspace access point in the wall beside him, trapped. Evidently they had not considered how they would get out when they had crawled in. Turning to it, he punched the panel, ripped it loose and sent it clattering into the narrow tunnel beyond. A yelp of fright came from the darkness, and he stuck his head into the opening.

  "Tassin!"

  "Sabre?" The tremulous joy in her voice made his heart ache.

  "Come on, hurry!"

  Moments later, she came into view, dragging herself along on her elbows, her face smudged with dust. Sabre reached in and hauled her out. She flung her arms around his neck, sobbing with joy and relief.

  "Where did you go? How did you get back?"

  He held her away. "It's a long story. Let me help the others."

  Tassin released him, moving aside so he could haul out the next woman. All seven emerged streaked with dust, their elbows bloodied, then Tarl came into view, squeezing his bulk through the narrow space with difficulty. Sabre dragged him out, and he collapsed on the floor, gasping.

  "Whoever built this damned crate should be shot. Were they bloody midgets?"

  "Where are the Corsairs?"

  "They didn't follow us into the crawlspace; they're tracking us outside."

  "They can't fit into such a narrow space." Sabre glanced around. "If we can stay here long enough, we'll be translocated to Fairen's ship."

  "Fairen's helping us?" Tarl sounded confused. "Why?"

  "I saved his life."

  "He's going to get us all out?"

  Sabre looked at the seven exhausted, frightened women. "No. He only said Tassin. There won't be enough time, anyway."

  "There's a ship docked where the -"

  "I see it."

  "If we can reach it..."

  Sabre nodded. "There aren't any Corsairs in the way right now, but they do move fast. We may have a chance. When he's taken Tassin, I'll help the rest of you reach it."

  "No!" Tassin said. "I'm staying with you."

  "It's too dangerous. I want you safe."

  "I'm staying with you."

  Tarl stood up and frowned down at Sabre when the cyber remained kneeling. "Something wrong, bud?"

  Sabre nodded, and Tassin tried to unclip his helmet, but the clasps foiled her inexperienced fingers. "Take this off."

  "There's no time. We have to go."

  "Take it off!"

  Sabre sighed and unclipped the helmet, pulling it off.

  Tassin gasped. "What happened to you? Who did this?"

  "A Corsair. We don't have time now. We must go."

  Tarl squatted to peer at the red welts. "Did you get it in your eyes too?"

  "Yes, but I can still see."

  "Not very well, I suppose."

  "No, not too good."

  "What's your bio-status?"

  Sabre closed his eyes. "Forty-one per cent."

  "Bloody hell. You're in no state -"

  "I'll manage. With any luck, we'll reach the ship without meeting any Corsairs, if we hurry."

  Tarl turned to Tassin. "Do as he says, let them translocate you."

  "No. I'm staying with him, no matter what."

  Sabre bowed his head. "Tassin..."

  "No!"

  Tarl jumped up. "Okay, enough arguing. Let's get the hell out of here before it's too late." He hauled the cyber to his feet and placed Sabre's arm over his shoulders. "Now we're a team. Let's go, Tassin, now!"

  She held out Sabre's helmet, and he clipped it on with his free hand while she went to the door, which slid open. Tarl half-carried Sabre after her, the women following. Sabre drew a laser and held it at his side.

  ****

  Fairen frowned at Commander Shrain. "Well?"

  "They're moving again, My Lord. Before that, she was touching the cyber. We have no lock."

  "Where are they going?"

  "It looks like they're moving towards the shuttle, My Lord."

  "Are any of my men still alive?"

  The commander shook his head. "No, My Lord."

  "He's trying to save them all," Fairen said, turning to Ramadaus. "This man, whom you call an abomination, who is so weak he cannot walk, is trying to save the rest of the survivors."

  Ramadaus shrugged. "He's a fool."

  "He's a hero."

  ****

  "Shit, you're a heavy bugger," Tarl muttered, shifting Sabre's weight and taking a better grip on his arm.

  "Twelve kilograms of -"

  "Barrinium plating. I know the specs."

  Tassin moved to Sabre's other side and slipped under his arm, but she was too short to support it on her shoulder, so she slid her arm around his waist.

  "Leave me," he said.

  "I can help too, you know."

  "You might need your strength to run if the Corsairs catch up with us."

  She snorted. "You really think I'm going to leave you?"

  "You should."

  "Well I won't. Where are the Corsairs?"

  "On the move. Three are overtaking us in a parallel corridor, over there." He jerked his head to the right.

  "Can they sense us or something?"

  "I don't know. They might have portable scanners."

  "Then we're screwed," Tarl said.

  They rounded a corner and almost fell over a huddle of black-uniformed bodies with red insignia on their chests. Most had puncture wounds, while some lay with their necks at impossible angles. Tarl cursed
and dragged the cyber around them.

  "Fairen's men. I didn't think they'd last long," Sabre said.

  They continued down the corridor, coming across more and more corpses, some Fairen's soldiers, others the mutilated, partly eaten bodies of passengers. On the wall beside them was a row of circular hatches, each one with a stubby handle protruding from it and a panel of red lights beside it.

  "These are the life pods," Sabre informed Tassin.

  "Can we take one?"

  He shook his head. "They've been sabotaged. Look at the access panels. The Corsairs made sure no one would escape."

  "Bastards," Tarl said.

  "Those three Corsairs have overtaken us. They're trying to cut us off. Turn into the door ahead."

  Tarl stopped at the door and tapped the access panel, which buzzed, flashing a red light. "It's locked, and there's not time to use the cyber."

  "Step back."

  Looking puzzled, Tarl obeyed. Sabre’s kick tore the door from its fastenings and sent it flying into the room.

  "Now it's not," Tarl commented as he dragged Sabre into a luxurious cabin with white walls, black carpeting, glass furnishings and an antiseptic air. The women crowded in and moved to the back.

  Tarl turned. "The only problem is, now we don't have a door."

  Sabre straightened, pulling his arm from Tarl's grip. He tapped Tassin's shoulder with the side of his laser. "Let go and go wait with the women."

  "I thought I was in charge?" She frowned up at him.

  "I'll let you know when that time comes."

  Tarl rubbed his shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

  Sabre moved to the door and leant against its edge, drawing his second laser. "Kill them. Keep her out of the way."

  "Right." Tarl took Tassin's wrist and pulled her to the back of the room, ignoring her glare.

  Sabre bowed his head, watching the points of purple light on the scanners. They turned into the corridor ahead and moved down it towards him.

  Tassin turned to Tarl and whispered, "What does that bio-status thing mean? Forty-one per cent sounds bad."

  "It's bloody awful. Unless there was imminent danger, the cyber would have shut him down at forty-nine per cent."

  Sabre turned his head. "You two can stop whispering. You know perfectly well I can hear you, Tarl."

  "What's your bio-status now?"

  "It doesn't matter. Bugger the bio-status; I'm not a bloody machine. I can manage."

  Tarl swore. "It's going down, isn't it? That poison has a cumulative affect as well as the initial one. What is it?"

  Sabre sighed. "Thirty-nine per cent."

  "Damn! You'll collapse at thirty-five per cent."

  "I'm aware of that."

  Tassin tugged at Tarl's sleeve. "Can't you give him something to help?"

  "I don't have my equipment or drugs."

  "Where are they?"

  "In my cabin."

  Sabre turned his head again. "Shut up, both of you."

  Tarl shook his head when Tassin opened her mouth to protest Sabre's rudeness, pointing to the wall beside the cyber to indicate that the reason for his rudeness was that the Corsairs were getting close. Tassin nodded and bit her lip, glancing at the frightened women, who clung to each other with stifled gasps.

  Sabre waited for a couple more minutes, then raised his lasers and stepped out into the corridor to snap off three quick shots. Tarl hurried to him as he staggered to the far wall and leant against it, glancing at the crumpled forms of three dead Corsairs, each with a hole burnt in his forehead. Beckoning to Tassin and the women, he placed Sabre's arm over his shoulders again and reeled down the corridor past the bodies.

  "Four more are behind us, and another five further ahead," Sabre informed him.

  "They're closing in. They must have scanners. Are any guarding the shuttle?"

  "Not yet."

  "We'd best hurry then."

  Tarl glanced at Tassin, who was trying to support Sabre with an arm around his waist, but was not really helping at all. He looked over his shoulder at the women who followed, spotting a strapping lass. "You there, come and help us. Tassin, let him go."

  The woman moved up to replace Tassin as she relinquished her grip, placing Sabre's arm over her shoulders like Tarl. With the extra support, they were able to move faster, Sabre's feet dragging, even though he tried to walk.

  "Bio-status?" Tarl demanded.

  "Thirty-seven per cent."

  "Damn!"

  Sabre bowed his head and dry retched.

  Tarl shot him a concerned look. "You're starting the secondary stage."

  "I know."

  "How far to the shuttle?"

  "Four hundred and fifty-two metres."

  Tarl broke into a staggering trot, shouting, "If you ladies want to live, help us!"

  Two ran up and gripped the back of Sabre's armour, lifted him and pushed him along. The others clustered around, but were unable to find purchase.

  "Where are the Corsairs?" Tarl panted.

  "The four behind us are four hundred and thirty-four metres away and gaining. The ones ahead are in a side corridor a hundred and seven metres away, moving to intercept us."

  Several bodies littered the corridor ahead, and, as they passed them, one of the women shrieked in anguish and fell to her knees beside a man's mutilated corpse, crying a name. Tassin ran back to her and gripped her arm, tugging at it.

  "Leave him, he's dead! Come on!"

  Sabre glanced back. "Tassin!"

  Tassin tried to drag the woman away, but she wailed and clung to the corpse.

  "Tassin!" Sabre shouted.

  Tarl looked back. Tassin hauled on the woman's arm, cursing, but the bereaved female only wailed louder. Apparently realising that the woman was not going to come, Tassin sprinted after the group, catching up just as Sabre ordered them to enter another room. This one was not locked, and they crowded into an office jammed with desks and chairs. Sabre freed himself from his helpers and turned to glare at Tassin.

  "You stay close to me, understand?"

  "I was only -"

  "Understand?"

  "She -"

  "I don't want to hear it. You do as I say, got it?"

  She folded her arms and scowled. "Now who's being bossy?"

  "I'm trying to save your life."

  She looked down, nodding. "Got it."

  Sabre went to the door and leant against the edge, doubled over and dry retched again.

  Tassin turned to Tarl. "What's happening to him?"

  "It's the second stage of Corsair poisoning. Extreme weakness and vomiting. He's not out of the woods by a long shot yet. We've got to get off this ship before he gets worse."

  Tassin gazed at Sabre, wishing she could see his face. The group waited in nervous silence, broken by the lament of the grieving woman down the corridor. A minute passed before Sabre raised his head, tensing. Tassin held her breath. Four fleet orange-clad shapes ran past the doorway, heading for the weeping woman. Sabre stepped out and snapped off four shots, then swung around in time to collect a fifth Corsair in the chest. The force of the impact lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling. Tarl cursed and ran to the door, Tassin hot on his heels.

  The Corsair straddled the cyber, trying to rip off the helmet that protected Sabre's face and throat. Tarl ran towards them as Sabre raised a laser and pressed the muzzle to the side of the alien's head, blowing his brains out in a spray of red. Tarl dragged the body off Sabre, glancing at the other four, who lay further down the corridor, each with a neat hole in his back. The bereaved woman walked towards them, her face pale with fright. Tarl gripped Sabre's wrist and hauled him to his feet, supported him and turned to drag him down the corridor. The women rushed to help, and Tassin beckoned to the woman who had been left behind.

  "Come on, hurry!"

  "Tassin!" Sabre yelled.

  "Coming!"

  "Now!"

  Tassin's blood chilled as four Corsairs appeared beyond the woman, sprinting to
wards them at an amazing speed.

  Sabre yelled, "Turn! Turn! Turn! Get behind me!"

  Tassin dashed towards him as soft pops came from the Corsairs' weapons and missiles hissed past. Red bolts of laser light flashed in the opposite direction, so close that she yelped in fright, and the bereaved woman screamed. Tassin glanced back as the woman staggered into the wall, her face a mask of pain. Terror lent wings to Tassin's feet, and she flew down the corridor to duck behind the crowd of women huddled beyond Sabre.

  Sabre fired from the shoulders of the two who held him up, and two Corsairs collapsed. The others came on, firing, and more missiles hissed past. One hit a woman close to Tassin, and she screamed, frantically wiping the spreading stain on her tunic. The fabric melted away to reveal her skin, and she shrieked and wiped her hands on her trousers. Everywhere she touched, the material disintegrated. Tassin tore her gaze from the horrifying sight in time to witness the demise of the last two Corsairs. Sabre sagged, glancing down at his chest.

  Two splatters of green fluid ate into his armour, hissing and bubbling. Tassin glanced at the injured woman, who made horrible choking sounds. Where the missile had struck her and where she had wiped her hands, her skin melted away and blood poured from the wounds. She jerked and retched, then collapsed, foaming at the mouth. Tassin swallowed bile, looking at Sabre again. Tarl lowered him to his knees and struggled to unclip his armour as the acid ate into it.

  "Five more have turned into a corridor that leads to the shuttle," the cyber stated.

  "Bugger it," Tarl swore, fumbling with the clips.

  "Hurry up."

  "I'm trying!"

  Tassin glanced down the corridor at the bereaved woman, who lay beside the wall, her back a mass of blood. Tarl unclipped the armour and ripped it off, hurling it away. He dragged Sabre to his feet, and the women helped to haul him along the corridor. Tassin trotted after them, feeling useless.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Fairen studied the scanner information on the screen, his brow furrowed. "They're almost at the shuttle. They might make it."

  Ramadaus said, "If they can get past those five Corsairs heading for it too. The cyber is slowing them down. He's entered the second stage of Corsair poisoning. They should dump him, then they might make it. He must be unconscious by now."