Cronus

by K. A. Finn

  Terra smiles as she looks up at Roman. 'Does that mean Milla could fix Gryffin?'

  Roman shrugs. 'We need to get to the data and unlock it first. We're a long way from knowing what exactly we have access to.'

  Her smiles only grows. 'But it's a good start, right?'

  Roman nods as he looks away from the hope in her eyes. Having access to the information is one thing. Using it to fix Gryffin before he... Well, that's completely different.

  Gryffin grunts as he moves his damaged leg. 'There's a catch, right?'

  Roman nods at Gryffin. 'There's no way to get Alpha here at the moment. She needs a full crew to operate anything faster than her drive engines. It would take months to get her here in drive. So, we either send a crew there to spend the next few weeks learning how she works or... '

  Gryffin's eye narrows as he hears the unspoken words. 'Hell no.'

  Roman sits on the stool by the bars and clasps his hands on his knees. 'I know it's not ideal.'

  Gryffin's lifeless robotic eye stares unblinking at him. 'That's an understatement. I'm not going to Earth or anywhere near the damn planet. Or the Sector. Understood?'

  Terra tries to take his hand through the bars but he pulls it out of the way. 'Gryffin—'

  'Don't, Terra. I'd prefer to rot in here than go anywhere near the Foundation.'

  The smile that was on Terra's face a few minutes ago disappears. 'Now you're just being ridiculous. The equipment on Alpha could save your life. Are you really that stubborn you'd sacrifice yourself because of your damn pride?'

  His face hardens as he meets her eyes. 'Yes.'

  Roman leans forward, resting his arms on his legs. 'There's more you should know before you make any rash decisions. The Foundation have continued the project on Earth. From what Bray says, they have an impressive army of cyborgs ready to attack.'

  Gryffin shakes his head. 'Fuck. How many?'

  'Hard to say. He's hoping to get a better insight once they hack Alpha's system. Avoca's friends are trying to help him. I don't need to tell you that this army poses a serious threat to the Sector. We have a slim chance if we can access Alpha's files. If we can find a flaw in the new cyborg design—'

  'We can possibly bring down the whole program,' Gryffin finishes.

  'Exactly.'

  Terra reaches through the bars to place her hand on Gryffin's arm. 'As much as I want you to go to Earth, there's a problem. You can't go to Earth — physically. The last time you tried, your programming stopped you.'

  'Bray had an idea about that too,' Roman says. 'We still have the stasis pod from Maggie.'

  'Oh no, Captain,' Terra protests. 'You can't be serious? That's just... wrong.'

  'Trust me, I feel the same, but so far we haven't been able to isolate the specific programming responsible for that. Unless we find a way to counter that issue, you won't be going anywhere.'

  'So you want to shut down my cybernetics and let the pod keep my body alive?'

  Roman grimaces, not entirely thrilled about the prospect either. 'To put it bluntly. Then, when we get you to Earth, Bray can fix the problem, get you up and running again, and you can have a serious chance of surviving an encounter with the Foundation.'

  'That simple,' Gryffin mumbles sarcastically from his bunk.

  'Peeled back to its basics, yes.'

  Terra gently squeezes Gryffin's arm. 'Milla can't do a lot more to help you here.'

  'This army any good?'

  Roman nods. 'Bray's report was sparse, but he's seen them in action and barely made it out in one piece. The Foundation are using the Scientist's data to create as many cyborgs as they want based on your design.'

  Gryffin leans his head back against the wall and rubs a hand over his flesh eye. Roman and Terra glance at each other, but neither says a word. It's Gryffin's decision.

  After a long wait, Gryffin finally opens his mouth to speak, but instead squeezes his eye shut in pain. He sucks in a breath as he struggles to control the pain. Gryffin shakes his head and mutters a curse under his breath. 'Who are the people Bray's with?'

  'The Dixon's? He assures me they're trustworthy.'

  'I'll think about it.'

  Terra gets to her feet and paces in front of his cell. 'Excuse me? What is there to think about?'

  'I said I'll think about it. Time you got back to work, Commander.'

  Terra opens her mouth to reply but Gryffin's lone eye targets her, cutting off any words that might have been tempted to leave her mouth. She gestures to Roman, who, after shrugging apologetically at Gryffin, follows her from the room. She waits until the door slides shut then kicks it for good measure.

  'I could just...' she mimes strangling someone then shouts and kicks the door again.

  Roman places a hand on her shoulder. 'Hey, you know what he's like.'

  'Yeah. Stubborn, irritating, and did I mention stubborn?'

  Roman smiles. 'Give him time. It's a lot to process.'

  Terra gestures angrily at the door. 'We're trying to save his life. I don't get him. I thought he wants to live. None of his actions even hint at him wanting to give up. How can he get what he wants but still refuse to cooperate? I swear I'm going to go insane trying to figure him out.'

  'We have to see it from his side. He doesn't have any good memories of the Foundation. It's understandable he would be less than keen about going to Foundation space to a commandeered Foundation ship to be worked on with Foundation equipment. Again.' He turns her away from the cell and leads her back down the corridor. 'Perhaps a bit of thinking time would be a good thing for all of us.'

  Terra glances over her shoulder at the door. 'Probably a good idea. In my current mood, I could very easily...' She lets the sentence go unfinished, but Roman has no doubts she'd like to beat some sense into his son.

  6

  ULTAR

  Terra lowers the tray of food onto the small table opposite the cell and turns to face Gryffin. It's been four hours since their heated discussion. She's not disillusioned enough to think he's changed his mind but she's going to give it another shot.

  He's awake and sitting against the back wall talking to Chayse and Baila. Nemesis and Dannan are heading out on a supply run tomorrow. With the Foundation nipping at their heals, most of the colonies have relocated to Ultar, or other secure settlements Gryffin lined up. Unfortunately, with trade being their main source of provisions and income, people are struggling to keep food on the table.

  In true Gryffin form, he’s putting on a convincing show in front of them. He can do little to hide the tremors, the chills, or the raging fevers that plague him, but he continues the briefing without showing how unwell he feels. He's fighting chills at the moment and is wearing his uniform jacket, his hand tucked under his armpit for warmth.

  Terra leans back against the wall and opens her drawing pad as she patiently waits for the meeting to finish. In a change to her usual portraits, she had woken up with the urge to draw a landscape. As she draws, her gaze wanders from the page to his pasty skin, back to the page, then over to the collection of scars crisscrossing the side of his head.

  With his hair cut short there's nothing to hide the wounds left by her father. If she looks closely she can actually see the holes his drill left in Gryffin's scalp. She shakes her head and tries to focus on something else, but everywhere she looks, she can see remnants of her father's work on the man she loves. She curses to herself and focuses on the drawing instead.

  They finish their meeting and Chayse squeezes Terra's shoulder as he leaves the room. Things are still damaged between the High Commander and his former aide. Chayse has never forgiven Gryffin for leaving him out of the deception which involved Gryffin pretending to kill Milla. Even though Gryffin did what he did for the right reasons, Chayse can't move past Gryffin's decision to leave him in the dark. Hopefully time can heal the rift between them.

  She just manages to keep the tears at bay. Time is the one thing they don't have enough of. As if reading her mind, Gryffin meets her ey
es and smiles wryly. 'Commander.'

  'You hungry, Captain?' Terra asks, returning his formal greeting.

  'You cook it?'

  Terra smirks. She knows her culinary skills may leave a little to be desired. 'It's fruit.'

  'Okay.'

  He doesn't say anything else which doesn't surprise her. Having a conversation with Gryffin is frustratingly difficult at the best of times. 'How are you feeling?'

  'Fine.'

  'Of course you are.' She carries the chair over to the cell and sits down.

  'What are you drawing?'

  She reaches across and holds up the page.

  'Ultar?'

  She shakes her head as she swallows a mouthful of fruit. 'It's Earth. Well, a small wooded area about ten minutes from where I grew up. I used to spend weekends exploring with my friends.'

  'Right.'

  'We'd stop at the shop on the way home. They sold the most amazing chocolate covered donuts. We'd easily eat three or four each and all seriously regret it afterwards.' She smiles as she looks down at the page. It had been months since she'd thought about Earth. The Foundation was always on her mind, but not her actual home.

  Friends and family had been left behind when she was forced to stay in the Outer Sector. It's not like she could contact them either. When they made the decision to stand up to the Foundation, she had been declared dead by the Council. Everyone she knows or cares about on Earth thinks she's dead.

  She puts the pad down and smiles at Gryffin, but the look on his face tells her he can see right through her. 'Sorry. Just having a donut moment. What I wouldn't give for one of them right now. So, Bray mentioned in his message that he found your uncle and cousin.' Nothing from the irritatingly stoic Nomad. 'You must be curious about them.'

  'No.'

  'No? Really? They're your family. They thought you were dead, Gryffin. Can you imagine what they must be feeling? I'm sure they're eager to meet you.'

  'I've told you I'm not interested. And I'm not going to apologise for what I said. Sending me to Earth is a bad idea—'

  'I did hear you the first time.'

  'I wasn't finished.'

  'Sorry.' She grimaces when he glares at her for interrupting again. Gryffin shuffles to the end of the bed, rests his head against the bars, and takes a deep breath. 'The Foundation didn't create an army to leave them on Earth. They're coming for us. Might already be on the way.'

  'Ultar is protected. There's nothing to worry about. The colonists are safe.'

  'Roman took their flagship, Bray took the replacement, and they probably still want me back. You really think they'll politely knock at the door and ask for us to give them back their stuff? Our defences won't hold them off for long. I want to be here when they make their move. I'm falling apart but there's no way in hell I want to leave.'

  Terra's heart sinks. 'So that's it. You're just going to keep going like this until you fall apart.'

  'For a communications officer you don't listen too well.'

  'What do you mean?'

  'I said I want to be here. Doesn't mean I will though.'

  She slumps back in her chair and frowns at him. 'Hang on. Are you saying you'll let us take you to Earth?'

  'I don't want to go, but it makes sense. I'm useless like this. If Bray found a way to help get me operational again, I have to give it a shot.'

  'I think I may just faint.'

  'Don't push it, Terra. There is one condition.'

  Her eyes narrow. 'Of course there is. Do tell.'

  'I want these people to see if they can upgrade my implants, remove the program block, and use me the way I was designed to be used - as a controllable weapon.'

  DIXON SPACE STATION

  Heath leans over the desk and glares down at Evie. 'Are you kidding me? You're letting them bring him here?'

  'Heath, please. We may live in Foundation space, but that doesn't mean we forgo manners.'

  'Screw manners. The last thing we need right now is a damn cyborg on the station. It's bad enough having Bray here without adding to our problems.'

  'Oh now you're just being ridiculous. Bray is not a cyborg.'

  'Yeah, but his brother is. You know the Foundation based their design off Gryffin. He's the original one and you want to invite him on board? He killed hundreds of people when he destroyed Omega. I had friends on that ship.'

  Evie waves her hand dismissively at him. 'Well, you could hardly call them friends after their lack of support at your trial.'

  'Thanks for reminding me,' he replies sharply.

  'And Gryffin destroyed Omega to protect the Outer Sector.'

  'Who gives a damn about the specifics? He tethered that freighter to Omega. He killed them and now you want to work with him. This is a bad idea if you ask me.'

  'No one did, dear.'

  Heath frowns and slams his gun on the desk in front of him. 'You pay me to protect you. Having that... thing here won't make my job any easier.'

  'From what I've been told, he is the way he is due to no fault of his own.'

  'What if he turns on you? What's stopping him from bringing the Foundation to our door and letting them in?'

  'You have to look at the big picture, Heath.' Felix says as he enters the room. 'He's the key to undoing the hold the Foundation has on this Sector. You know that.'

  'You can't expect me to work with him.'

  Evie shrugs. 'We're not going to force you to do anything. What I will say is that, to keep your job here, you will work with him. Whether you want to stay here or not is your decision.'

  Heath rubs his hand over his head as he curses to himself. 'Not much of a choice, Evie.'

  'You really think you're alone in this?' Felix asks. 'I can't say I'm singing and dancing at the thought of having him here either. He's a weapon and unless I can pick him apart I won't be able to trust him in my home, but I will work with him because that's the right thing to do. It will help our cause. Help what we've been working incredibly hard to do for the last few years, which is to destroy the Foundation.

  ‘Think about it, Heath. He's the embodiment of everything the Foundation has been doing behind the back of the public for years. If they knew the Foundation took children and subjected them to modifications and horrific experiments, do you really think they will happily follow their rule?'

  Heath snorts. 'You really think the population will believe anything we say? The Foundation has them by the throat. You know that. We do what we do because so many people follow the Foundation like mindless drones. It's going to take a hell of a lot more than a defective cyborg, with a well-publicised criminal record, to convince them otherwise. Even if we parade Gryffin in front of them it'll be a push to get anyone to step away from the rest of the damn herd.'

  Evie slaps her palm against the table. 'That's enough cursing, Heath. You know it brings me out in hives,' she adds, scratching her neck. 'We are so close to ending their rule. Closer than we've ever been before. Together with whatever's on the system on that monstrosity of a ship the Hunter brought us, we can do it.'

  She gestures out the window towards the Foundation ship in their hangar. 'We could really do with your help, Heath. There is so much more at stake than personal feelings. So many people have been hurt by the actions of the Foundation. Don't you want to be a part of ending them once and for all?'

  Heath looks at the ground and shakes his head. 'Fine. If he does come, I'll be keeping as far from him as I can though.'

  Evie nods. 'I completely understand. I, for one, will be standing behind you as you keep away from him. So, shall we get back to work?'

  7

  DIXON SPACE STATION

  'We're missing something.' Bray shoves his chair back from the table and drags his hand through his hair.

  Rua massages the back of her neck. 'We've barely scratched the surface. There's a strong chance we've missed something. It'll take time.'

  'Yeah, and that's something we don't have a lot of. The Foundation could be on their way there right
now.' Bray slams a hand against the table and shouts, 'Damn it. There has to be something!' He marches over to the screen. All eyes in the room focus on him. 'Why would the Foundation leave Gryffin on Ultar? It just doesn't make sense.'

  'You've lost me.' Sayber says.

  'They put a lot of effort in to getting him back on the table. Why would they suddenly drop all interest in him?'

  Rua gestures to the data on the new cyborgs. 'Better models to play with?'

  Bray shakes his head. 'It's more than that. The report states that the prototype is in place.'

  'Yeah, but that could mean the first of the new feisty women they've changed,' Sayber offers.

  'Gryffin has always been referred to as the prototype. No, they mean he's in place. But for what? His programming is as it should be. Unless Gryffin suddenly developed a serious case of Stockholm syndrome, which I doubt, there's no way he's going to just let the Foundation in. Knowing him, he'd personally try to take them all down before that happens... or himself worse case.' Bray winces and steadies himself against the wall as his vision swims.

  Rua jumps to her feet before anyone else can move. 'What's the matter?'

  Bray slowly shakes his head. 'I'm fine.' He faces the screen, resting his arm against the wall as he leans forward. 'Why leave him there?'

  'As a demonstration.'

  Bray spins to face Rua. 'What did you say?'

  'I heard a lot of stories about what he did the last time the Foundation had him. He was a weapon, a lethal one. The Foundation have created a new army based on his design, right?'

  Bray nods.

  'What if they want to use him as a demonstration model?'

  Evie slaps her hands against the table. 'I think I found something!' She loads the data on the screen at the head of the table. Line after line of code appears. 'This is a section of that fellow's programming.'

  'Gryffin,' Felix says.

  'Yes, thank you dear.' She scrolls down and highlights a lone line in the middle. 'This is the bit that stands out.'