Cronus

by K. A. Finn

'Everything. Why the hell is this happening? Why is it only one way?'

  Milla grimaces as she cleans his leg. 'I haven't got the first clue I'm afraid. Maybe your control implant is somehow blocking or muting signals from you. I'm only hazarding a guess though. I'll have to—'

  'Run more tests.'

  She looks up from his leg and winks. 'Said that a few times before, haven't I?'

  'Once or twice.'

  'Desyl, can you pop on a pair of gloves?' Once he's slipped the gloves on she holds out a handful of bloody swabs.'

  'Oh thanks.'

  She smirks at him. 'My pleasure. Just stick them in the waste bag in the case then pass me more swabs. This is a mess.'

  Desyl grimaces and passes her more swabs. 'Yeah, I don't need to know, thanks.'

  'Neither do I,' Gryffin mutters as she leans over his leg again. 'How is it?'

  Milla frowns but doesn't reply immediately. 'It's not good, Captain.'

  'If I lose my leg, how much time will I buy myself?'

  Milla blows out a long breath and scrunches up her face as she concentrates on something fucking painful in his leg.

  'Brutal truth is it's not going to make much of a difference. The surgery alone could kill you. For the amount of time you have left...'

  'Not worth doing anything.'

  'Sorry, sir. How's the pain?'

  'It's there. Meds are helping.'

  'That's good. I guess it's the silver lining in all this. With your implants failing, they're not neutralising the pain meds as fast.' She grimaces at the look on his face. 'Yeah, not much of a silver lining I know. Sorry, sir.'

  Gryffin closes his eye as she rummages in her kit for something to hold his leg together another few days. He's half tempted to tell her not to bother wasting the supplies. If anything, he wants to order her to put a bullet in his head. He's done waiting to see what part of him fails next. He's done being stuck in this cell while everyone wastes time babysitting him. It's beyond humiliating and not the way he wanted things to end.

  The only thing keeping him here is Terra. He wants to get on Ares and die on the command deck. He wants her as far from him as possible when that happens. Knowing that she's witnessing this is the hardest part for him to deal with. Seeing that look on her face every damn time, the hope in her eyes, it's tearing him apart.

  'Sir? Hey, you still with me?'

  Gryffin opens his eye and looks over at Desyl. 'Yeah. Did you— Fuck!'

  Milla grimaces. 'Sorry, sir. Must have hit a sensitive spot.'

  'You're inside my fucking leg. It's all sensitive.'

  He swallows deeply trying to keep his stomach in check. 'Desyl, did you get the repairs done on the sails?'

  Desyl tears his gaze away from the inside of Gryffin's leg and nods. 'Yeah. Got it wrapped up today. Ares is fighting fit again.'

  'You need to get her in the air.'

  'Sir—'

  'Next run Aleena needs, Ares should go. Fuck, Milla.' She's dealt with his leg on a daily basis since he was locked in the cell, but the pain today is unbelievable.

  'Nearly done, sir.'

  Desyl crouches down beside the head of the bed and clasps his hands together as he looks down at him. 'Sir. Roman told me what you want... you know... later.'

  'Not going to talk me out of it?'

  'Why would I talk you out of it? You deserve to die on Ares. No one is going to argue with that, sir. Milla will temporarily transfer to Ares so she can be there in case... just to make sure it goes like you want.'

  Milla throws another handful of swabs in the waste and looks over at him. 'I'm presuming Terra won't be coming too?'

  'No.'

  Milla nods and takes more swabs from her bag. 'Fair enough. Can I also presume you want your implants shut off? Let nature take its course.'

  'Can't keep going like this, Milla.'

  She smiles sadly and nods. 'When do you want to leave?'

  'A few days. But don't tell Terra. There's no way she's going to agree to this. She'll just try to talk me out of it.'

  'You're the boss. How about you get some sleep? I'll have your leg patched up by the time you wake up.'

  He wants to stay awake, but his body has other ideas. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have considered sleeping in front of his crew but he's gone beyond worrying about that. All he cares about right now is surviving a little longer so he can see his beloved ship one last time.

  5

  DIXON SPACE STATION

  Bray sits down next to Morgan, takes the offered glass, and empties the contents down his throat. He shakes his head and winces as it burns on its way down.

  'Was Felix able to send a message?'

  Bray nods and stretches out in the low chair. 'Felix managed to piggyback it off a cargo vessel going through the Port. It'll take a few days to get to Ultar.'

  'Do you really think he'll come here?'

  Bray sighs as he looks out the window. It's something he's been wondering about since he decided to contact Ultar. Having a rough idea how to help Gryffin's implant issue is one thing. Actually convincing the stubborn Nomad to come to Foundation territory is another matter entirely. And even if he did make the journey, there's nothing to say they can actually do anything to help Gryffin. There's every chance they'll make the journey and it will be a waste of time. No point voicing his worries right now. Everyone has their own set of problems and issues to deal with.

  He looks over at his uncle. Morgan and Erin have lost everything. They're facing as much uncertainty as himself and Gryffin. They have no home, no credits, and a future filled with doubt. The obvious plan would be for them to settle on Ultar, but until the Foundation threat has been removed, that's not possible.

  He forces a weak smile on his face. 'If the choice is left up to Gryffin, the answer would probably be no. Luckily, he has Roman and Terra. They'll give him the kick he needs.'

  'Terra?' Morgan asks. He leans forward in his chair. 'As in Terra Rush? Callum's daughter?'

  'You know her?'

  'Of course. Callum and Jensen were Maggie's closest friends.' His expression darkens as he clenches his fists. 'Still sickens me to know he was involved.'

  'She feels the same about the whole thing - believe me. She had no idea what her father was up to.'

  'So, what's her relationship to Gryffin?'

  Great, just what Bray wants to talk about right now. 'They're together. You know - like a couple.'

  'Is that right?'

  'Yeah, she's one of the few people that can get through to him. If anyone can talk him around, it's her.'

  Morgan shakes his head as he blows out a long breath. 'Small world. I still can't believe we could be meeting Daegan— sorry, Gryffin. I can't get my head around it.'

  Bray smiles at him then turns back to the window. He doesn't have the heart to tell him Gryffin probably won't be interested in a family reunion. His first brotherly chat with Gryffin ended with them beating the living daylights out of each other.

  'So, what happens now?' Morgan asks. 'Do we just sit here and wait on the off chance he decides to come here?'

  'The new cyborgs are the biggest threat at the moment. There's no way the Council is going to sit back and do nothing. They'll launch a counterattack. We have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us.'

  'The Foundation has an armada of ships. That could be a pretty big counterattack. Are you confident we can stop them?'

  'If Ares and some other ships are here, possibly.'

  'They're not going to drip feed ships to the Outer Sector. It's too much of a risk. A handful of Nomad or Hunter ships would put an end to that pretty quick from what I've heard. They'll send quite a few ships to be on the safe side.'

  'I don't have all the answers, Morgan. All I know is that we need eyes on the Foundation and their new toys. If Gryffin comes across he'll bring Ares and probably Nemesis, maybe more. There's no point in us swapping places with them. Better to have a few of us here just in case.'

  Morgan nods slowly, bu
t looks less than convinced. Bray can't blame him. It's not a plan. In truth, they've got nothing - just the off chance a faulty cyborg will come to them. Those details will hardly strike fear in the heart of the Council. At most it will give them a good laugh.

  He discretely covers his eye with his hand as his vision swims for a moment, then rapidly sharpens, showing him a completely different view than a few seconds ago. He focuses on the far side of the station visible from his seat and gasps as the image gradually moves towards him. He puts out his hand as the station wall seems to rush towards him.

  'What's the matter?'

  Bray blinks a few times and everything returns to normal. 'Nothing. Just my eye playing up. I'm fine, really.'

  His uncle looks less than convinced. 'Are you sure? That's not the first time it's done that.'

  'I'm fine, Morgan. Really.' Bray desperately needs to figure out what's on Cronus' system. Whether Gryffin can be fixed or not is one thing. Right now, he's worried about his own future. He's no good to the Hunters like this.

  He refills his glass and sips the contents as he mulls over what lies ahead. So much depends on their ability to hack the system. Getting Gryffin to directly access with the system is the perfect solution, but he may not be strong enough to do that anymore.

  Without that information, they've got nothing. How can they possibly go up against an army of cyborgs without knowing the first thing about their strength and numbers? If Gryffin and Bray have the work reversed along with the other cyborgs on Ultar, they could find themselves at a definite disadvantage.

  He looks out at the blackness surrounding the station. For the first time since he was changed, he's beginning to wonder if having the work reversed at this stage is such a good idea.

  ULTAR

  Roman shuts down the comms channel and leans back in his chair. He blows out a long breath as he swivels around to face Chayse. 'Before we address the content, first things first. Is the message legit?'

  Chayse nods enthusiastically. 'Absolutely. I checked it four times. Not sure how Bray did it, but he bounced the signal through the Port when a Foundation ship came through. It was sent a few days ago.'

  Roman rises to his feet and paces the comms room, ignoring the strange looks from the other occupants. 'It is worth the risk? I mean, I know you and Milla have done everything you can for Gryffin and the others, but can we really decipher the information contained in Alpha's system? And even if we can, is there a possibility the work to Gryffin can be undone?'

  Chayse opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again and frowns. 'I'm not sure to be honest. If it was a few weeks ago, Gryffin probably could have hooked to the system on the Foundation ship and accessed it that way. If he tried in his current condition, it'll kill him.' He looks over at the blank screen and thinks for a moment. 'About Gryffin however, yes, I think it can. Obviously, we'd have to check the data in more detail, but if Bray thinks it's a good idea, then it must be. He knows more about the Foundation work than any of us here — Avoca made sure of that.'

  'I never thought there'd be a way of undoing what Callum did.'

  Chayse holds up a hand. 'Don't get carried away, sir. Bray isn't saying that. There's a possibility some of it can be undone — definitely not all, but you're right. It's a hell of a lot better than surviving the way he is now. Bray also has access to a rejuvenation pod. Milla's told me about them. A few sessions in one will strengthen his body. In theory, if he's stronger it'll prolong his life. Maybe even long enough for us to fix the damaged implants.'

  'Okay, so let's just say we agree this is his best option, how do you think he'll react if I broach the subject with him? I can't see him being too keen about a trip to Earth.'

  Chayse scrubs his hand over his blond spikes. 'That's putting it mildly. He'll take it badly. Going to Earth isn't even on the bottom of his to-do list.' He pushes back from the table. 'I fully believe, as his father, you should do the honours.' Chayse quickly gets to his feet and hurries away before Roman can object.

  Roman sighs, runs a hand over his cropped hair, and looks at the door. With no other reason to delay and, with no last minute crisis to deal with, Roman decides to get it over with.

  This isn't a conversation he's looking forward to having. Even though Gryffin is seriously unwell, the thought of letting his son go anywhere near Earth doesn't sit well with Roman. His son has been through enough procedures without sending him to Foundation space for more.

  Roman smiles to himself as he descends to the belly of the complex. He's still having a hard time accepting the fact he's a father. He'll never get back the thirty-four years he missed with Gryffin. There's no point regretting or wishing otherwise. What happened is in the past and, unfortunately, there's nothing either of them can do about it. However badly Roman wants to go back in time and make sure his best friend doesn't get anywhere near his son, all he can do now is make sure no one gets close to him again. And it's a job he's taking seriously.

  He gets to the basement level and salutes the guard standing by the door. The woman salutes back and opens the door for him without a word. Roman suppresses a shiver as he walks along the dimly lit corridor. Even after all this time, he still prefers the clean lines of Infinity compared to the cramped tunnels that make up most of the underground base.

  Who's he kidding. The feeling of dread has nothing to do with the tunnels. It's because of the upcoming conversation. He runs through his lines in his head, rehearsing for what he has no doubts will be a short and blunt discussion.

  He's no fool and neither is his son. He knows Gryffin will say no and he can't blame him. Why would he willingly go anywhere near the people who hurt him? That doesn't mean Roman's not going to give it a damn good try though.

  Having the entire cyborg project in their hands is an enormous bonus to the group. He's looking forward to hearing the story of their conquest.

  When Bray and Garvan disappeared along with Alpha, a bit of Roman thought that would be the last anyone heard from them. It says a great deal about the men that they survived a stay on Foundation Earth and even managed to take the Council's pride and joy.

  Roman smiles to himself. He really wishes he could've seen the Council's faces when they realised their ship had been taken by Outer Sector rebels.

  'Sir, everything all right?'

  Roman jumps slightly and looks at the security guard. He must have walked to the cells on autopilot. 'Of course. Is he alone?'

  The security guard raise his eyebrows. 'Are you seriously asking me that?'

  Roman smiles. 'Terra, right.'

  'As always.'

  'Dare I ask how long she's been here for?'

  'Only two hours... so far. I heard Gryffin tell her, forcefully, to leave, but she was equally as forceful when she refused.'

  'Thank you. We'll be fine for a few minutes, if you want a break.' Taking the hint, the guard salutes and walks down the corridor. Roman holds out his hand to the door, takes a deep breath and places his palm on the lock.

  As usual, Terra is working on the small desk against the far wall. Ship and base reports are neatly piled on the floor around the desk. Instead of having her head buried in a report, he's relieved to see her drawing.

  Completely engrossed in her creation, she doesn't notice him come in. Every few seconds she glances up at a sleeping Gryffin, then back at her paper. Dark pencil blackens the tips of her fingers as she rubs and blurs the lines, softening the pencil marks. Terra never liked drawing on a unit. When it came to her art, she was very old fashioned. Pencils and paper were her only tools. Luckily, Ultar has plenty of both, more than enough to keep her supplied for many years.

  He looks over at his son, wondering what she could be focusing her drawing on. The image facing him is not something he'd want to immortalise in a drawing. This lifeline from Bray couldn't have come at a better time. Now all he has to do is convince Gryffin to take hold of it.

  'How long have you been there?'

  He smiles at Terra and shrugs. 'A few
minutes. How is he?'

  'No worse. He's been asleep for about an hour.' Her tone is cheery, but Roman can see the worry etched around her eyes. He's seen her age in front of him the last few weeks. The stress of Gryffin's situation is deeply affecting the twenty-seven-year-old. The sparkle had gone from her green eyes and the shine from her dark hair. He knows a part of her is being destroyed as Gryffin's condition deteriorates — and that worries him. 'Speaking of sleep...'

  'I had five hours last night. I'm fine, really.'

  'What about food?'

  'I grabbed something before I came down.'

  'I can go and get you something if you want.'

  She shakes her head. 'I don't really like eating in front of him. Food isn't agreeing with him at the moment. He refuses to eat everything I cook him.'

  Roman hides his smile as he sits down beside her. Gryffin groans in his sleep and Terra instantly gets to her feet. Gryffin's brow furrows and he buries his head under his flesh arm, grabbing onto his hair as he thrashes in the bed. Terra calls his name over and over until he eventually stills and opens his eye. He looks around the room, then from Roman to Terra.

  'Hey,' Terra says. 'You okay?'

  He nods once and runs his hand through his damp hair as he takes a deep breath. 'Yeah. I thought I told you to leave?'

  'I'm not going anywhere so stop wasting your breath. Do you need anything?'

  He shakes his head and slowly pulls himself up the bed, leaning against the back wall for support.

  Roman looks away from his son. He looks even worse than he did earlier. 'I have some news. We just got a message from Bray.'

  That instantly gets Gryffin and Terra's attention. 'Is he okay?' Terra asks.

  'Seems to be. He's hiding out with some friends of Avoca's. Perses and Lir have just entered the system. It was only a short message, piggybacked on a Foundation cruiser as it came through the Port. He was able to steal Alpha.'

  Gryffin stares at him as he shuffles down the bed. 'Say that again?'

  'He's got Alpha. He's also got the Foundation's cyborg lab and all of the data. The Council moved it to Alpha thinking it would be safe there.' Roman laughs and shakes his head. 'Guess they didn't count on Bray doing something completely stupid.'