"What's this?"
"I don't know."
"There's a tiny scar here, under your jaw."
"I don't know it."
Martis knelt to peer at the scar, probing it. "There's something hard in it. I think this is it."
"Bastards." Sabre opened his overall and pulled out his knife. "Here, cut it out."
"No, god, I need a scalpel."
"In the medikit."
Martis found the scalpel and told Sabre to lie down and lift his head to expose the underside of his jaw. The young tech wiped his sweaty hands on his uniform, but they still shook.
Sabre eyed him. "Get on with it."
"I... this is going to hurt."
"I'm aware of that."
"Well, I just don't want you to think I'm cutting your throat."
"Ah, right, cyber conditioning, hey?"
Martis nodded. "Yeah."
Sabre's hand flashed out, gripped the front of Martis' uniform and dragged him closer, so they were nose to nose. He glared into the young tech's eyes. "What did I say about treating me like a bloody cyber?"
"Sorry, I know, but you have reflexes!"
"Yeah, and one of them is going to be my boot up your arse if you don't get on with it."
"Okay! Okay."
Sabre released Martis, who hesitated, then bent over Sabre to press the scalpel to his throat, making a tiny incision. The cyber's hands clenched as he fought the reflex to lash out, allowing Martis to probe in the wound with the scalpel. The tech recoiled with a grunt.
"Got it."
"A locator?"
"Yeah, one of the new ones, the size of a damned pin head." Martis swung away. "I'll smash it."
"No." Sabre sat up, rubbing his jaw. "If they’re tracking it and you break it, the trail ends here. Give it to me."
Martis handed it over, and Sabre went out onto the balcony to gaze down at the pedestrians, looking for a likely target. A woman with an immense, frizzy coiffure passed below, and he dropped the locator, which landed in her hairdo.
"There. Now they can chase her," he said, turning away.
Martis stood just inside the room, staring at the blood on his fingers, the scalpel dangling in his other hand. Sabre paused to study him, wondering what was going through the young tech's mind, and why he seemed to find his blood so fascinating.
"What is it?"
Martis looked up. "Nothing."
Sabre wandered closer. "Oh, it's something. I can tell."
"It's just... well, this is the first time I've... shed the blood of a living cyber."
"So?"
"That's all."
"Why is that so amazing?"
Martis shrugged, looking down at his bloody fingers again. "It just is, to me. I thought I'd have to cut up cybers all the time, though I'm not a surgeon, but the only time I do it is with you, who are free, and felt the pain."
Sabre snorted and brushed past him. "Big deal."
"To you it's nothing, but to me... it is a big deal."
"Strange boy."
"One day, when you become human, if you ever do, you'll understand, maybe, if you ever have to shed the blood of someone you really admire."
Sabre swung around. "You admire me?"
"God, the things you're capable of... Cybers are just machines. They obey orders, nothing more, but you... you're a free man, with the abilities of a peerless fighting machine."
"Ah. You have no idea how sick I am of people envying my abilities. I'd give them all up to be normal."
"Would you?" Martis shook his head. "I wouldn't."
Before Sabre could reply, Estrelle woke with a snort. She sat up, her eyes wide, and glanced around the room with an alarmed air.
"Where am I? Where's Vork?"
Martis put down the scalpel and wiped his hand on his uniform, going over to her. "It's okay, you're safe now, we - Sabre rescued you."
"Rescued me? I didn't need rescuing, you idiot!"
Martis sat beside her, making calming motions. "You were drugged."
She jumped up and headed for the door. "Now I'll have to find him."
"No!" Martis leapt up to grab her arm, halting her.
Estrelle punched him in the ribs, making him grunt, but he hung on. Sabre started to strip off his overall, and Martis cast him a desperate glance as she took a swing at his head, just missing when he ducked.
"Sabre, help me!" he said.
"Just hang onto her for a moment, okay?"
"She's demented!"
"Let me go, you moron!" Estrelle said, kicking his shin.
Martis hopped and cursed. "Sabre, come on; what the hell are you doing?"
"She's just a girl." The cyber unclipped his harness and dumped it on the bed.
"She's bloody strong!" He yelped as she smacked his face, trying to pin her flailing arm. She jerked her knee into his gut, and he doubled over with a coughing grunt. Still he managed to keep a hold of her arm as she punched, slapped and scratched him.
"Sabre! Help me damn it!"
The cyber stripped off his vest and pulled down his trousers, then realised that he had not taken his boots off and sat down to remove them.
"Just hang on a minute."
"Ow! Godammit, what the hell are you doing?"
Estrelle glanced at Sabre, and her mouth fell open. She renewed her efforts to get free, pummelled Martis' chest and smacked his face while he tried to grab her arm. Sabre removed his boots and stripped off his trousers, then stood up. Estrelle jerked her knee into Martis' crotch, and he folded over with a groan, releasing her. She raced for the door, but Sabre reached it just as she yanked it open and slammed it shut with one hand. He gripped her arm with the other, and she tried to punch him. Twisting her arm behind her, he yanked her into a throat hold and lifted her off her feet. She flailed, trying to reach him, but his hand flashed out and pinned her wrist. Swinging her up, he held her to his chest, ignoring her struggles as he carried her into the bathroom.
Entering the shower cubicle, he turned on the cold tap, gasping a little as the stinging, icy water sprayed over him. Estrelle shrieked and writhed, but he tightened his grip until she stopped fighting and shouted insults instead, gasping as the icy water soaked her. Martis came in, still a little bent over and grimacing with pain, flushed with embarrassment as he strived not to clutch his offended nether region. Sabre shot him a martyred look as he held Estrelle under the cold spray, blinking water from his eyes. Estrelle's verbal abuse continued for a few more minutes, then trailed off into sobs of pain and confusion.
"You're hurting me!" she wailed.
"Are you going to behave?"
"Yes! I'm okay now."
Sabre put her down, and she sagged against the wall, clasping her ribs. The cyber ejected her from the shower cubicle and shoved her at Martis.
"Try to keep hold of her this time."
Slamming the sliding door, he turned on the hot tap and stripped off his shorts, reaching for the soap. When he emerged, warm and refreshed with a towel around his hips, Estrelle sat on the bed, wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, Martis beside her. They were engaged in a murmured conversation, and fell silent when he entered the room, looking up at him. Sabre wandered over to a chair and flopped into it.
"I do hope you two aren't plotting behind my back."
Martis frowned. "Did you have to hurt her?"
Sabre sighed. "You know, I'm always in the shit, aren't I? First I'm the bad guy if I let her go; now I'm the bully because I made her stay. I didn't mean to hurt her, okay? I thought I was doing just enough to stop her from smacking me around like she did you, and if she got a few bruises, I'm sorry. She wouldn't have if she hadn't fought me."
Estrelle shook her head. "It's okay, Martis. It's not Sabre's fault. It's just a cracked rib, I think."
The cyber rubbed his face, fingering the brow band. "I'm sorry, Estrelle, it was an accident. I wasn't trying to hurt you."
"I know." She managed a wan smile. "I guess I'm lucky you didn't break anything."
&nbs
p; "If that Vork character had kept you, you'd probably be drugged out of your mind right now, or on your way to get an implant to turn you into a pliable moron." He glanced at Martis. "And you owe Martis an apology for almost making him speak in a high voice for a week."
She eyed the young man, who blushed. "I kicked you?"
"Yeah, but it's okay."
"Oh, right," Sabre muttered, "it's okay if she kicks you in the nuts, but I'm in the shit for squishing her a bit."
"I don't remember doing it, I was... drugged, I suppose."
"Yeah, you were. I did try to warn you, but the first handsome git who comes along and flashes some false white teeth at you, and you're hanging all over him. I'm not going to keep pulling your butts out of the fire; I have more important things to do."
"Like pulling your own butt out of the fire," Estrelle retorted. "Which we helped you to do."
Sabre nodded. "Yeah, you did, which is the only reason I got you back and calmed you down. The difference is, I was kidnapped in my sleep, and you couldn't just stay away from him."
"We wouldn't be here if not for you!"
"No, you'd be safe on Myon Two, torturing cybers. But then, I guess that didn't bother you, huh?" He leant forward. "Or better still, you'd be dead, because you had that bright idea of stowing away on a drone ship."
Martis raised his hands. "Okay, let's not play the blame game. Thank you for saving Estrelle, Sabre."
"We only stowed away on a drone ship in order to free you," Estrelle said. "You asked for my help. You begged me!"
"I did," Sabre agreed. "I asked you to free me for a couple of hours, but no, you had to come up with a better plan, and that's what landed us here."
"We gave up our livelihoods and families to save you!"
The cyber turned his head and gazed across the room, a slight frown furrowing his brow. "Okay, you've definitely got more ammunition. I hate cyber techs, but the two of you saved me, so now I have to save you. There must be a name for what I feel right now, but I'm not sure what it is. I don't think I've felt it before, though."
"It's called resentment," Martis supplied.
"That must be it. I don't like saving my enemies, but I owe you two, so I must."
"We're not your enemies. We stopped being that when we decided to save you."
Sabre tapped his brow. "Up here, you're still cyber techs. It took me a long time to like Tarl, although he helped me a lot, too. Are you glad I got you back from Vork?"
She sniffed, rubbing her nose. "Yes."
"And I'm glad you got me off Myon Two. Let's just agree that, until we go our separate ways, I'll look after the two of you, but try not to get into too much trouble, okay?" He paused, pulling the wet bandage off his hand. "And I'm sorry I hurt you. It was unintentional. A miscalculation on my part. My training didn’t include females, and when I had to restrain Tassin... I was very careful. I wasn't careful enough with you. It's my fault."
"Who's Tassin?"
Sabre frowned at his injured knuckles, flexing his hand. "The girl who freed me from the cyber after Myon Two put me back under its control."
"You... feel something for her?"
"Yes."
"And she cares for you."
He nodded. "She must be going out of her mind with worry. She's trapped on a world with no intergalactic communications."
"She's the one you spoke about before, the queen?"
"Yeah. I have to get back to her." Sabre looked up, his eyes raking Estrelle. "Are you still wearing those wet clothes?"
"Yes."
"Get out of them, and I'll strap your ribs."
"Martis can do it."
"Sabre will do a better job,” the tech said. “He's trained in first aid."
Estrelle shot Sabre a doubtful look, then got up and went into the bathroom. Sabre stared across the room, pondering, and Martis watched him with worried eyes.
"You okay?"
The cyber nodded, looking down at his hands, which gripped each other with white-knuckled force. "Yeah. Fine."
Martis shook his head. "No you're not. What is it?"
"I was angry. She's a cyber tech."
"It was an accident."
"It’s just too easy for me to hurt people. I never used to get as angry as I was earlier. I wanted to kill Jorran. I’m still angry, but not with you or Estrelle."
Martis leant forward. "You're feeling remorse, that's good. And, I think, self-pity too. Maybe that wall is failing faster than it should. I think I must hypnotise you soon, otherwise...."
"Jorran’s right, isn't he? I'm becoming psychotic."
"Not if I can help it. You've never felt like this before, have you?"
"No. I used to feel very little. I used to get angry, but I never wanted... I still don't want to hurt people, but the feelings are stronger. And there's others too, new ones." Sabre touched the brow band. "I don't want to help you, but you helped me. I don't want to hurt you either, but yet... I do, I think, deep down, because of what those shitheads at Myon Two did to me."
"Hey, it's okay. You're confused, that's normal. You've been numb your whole life, although I think you learnt how to hate. You have to let me hypnotise you."
"How do I know I can trust you?"
Martis inclined his head. "And now you're discovering suspicion. You know when I'm lying. I only want to help you get better. Am I lying?"
"No."
Estrelle emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a robe. "What's going on?"
"I'm going to have to hypnotise Sabre very soon. Right now, if possible. That little fracas has brought a bunch of ugly emotions to the fore."
"Like what?"
"Remorse, anger, self-pity, vengeance, mistrust... self-loathing and hatred, which he's always had, but they're getting stronger."
Estrelle stared at the cyber, clutching the robe around her. "Is he becoming dangerous?"
"No. He's calm enough." Martis shot her a frown and shook his head. "You need some dry clothes. I have a little money. I'll go and buy some."
Sabre raised his head. "No. That's Myon Two money."
"She needs clothes."
"Use the auto-washer."
Martis grimaced and nodded at Estrelle. "He's right."
"Okay."
When Estrelle returned from putting her clothes in dryer in the bathroom and sat on the bed, Sabre rose and took two rolls of bandage from his medical kit. He knelt in front of her, and she opened her robe so he could wind the bandage around her ribs, holding it closed across her chest for modesty's sake. He had to come close to her to reach around behind her, and she fought the urge to touch him, biting her lip as his warm hands clasped her ribs.
"That's awfully tight," she remarked.
"It has to be."
"I have to breathe."
Sabre glanced up at her and then continued with his task, making it a little looser. When he clipped the end in place, she reached out to stroke his face. He jerked away, rising to his feet to frown down at her.
"Don't do that."
"Sorry, I just... wanted to thank you, that's all."
Martis peered out of the window. "Is that an enforcer down there?"
The cyber swung around, consulting the scanners. "No, no enforcers."
"It looked like one."
Sabre eyed him, shaking his head. "You're lying."
"Look, I really think it's time I hypnotised you. Seriously, you're starting to act paranoid."
Sabre hesitated, glancing from him to Estrelle and back again. "All right."
"Good. Sit down."
Sabre went over to one of the grey and white striped comfy chairs by the coffee table in the lounge and sank into it, leant back and closed his eyes. Martis pulled up another chair, facing him, and leant forward.
"Cybers aren't susceptible to hypnosis, so you're going to have to be very co-operative. Listen to my words, concentrate on my voice, and switch off the control unit."
The lights on the brow band went out, and Estrelle chewed her fingerna
ils, hoping Martis knew what he was doing. Sabre had been angry on Myon Two, with good reason, but he had appeared to be in control of his emotions. Now he was free to vent them, and she wondered if he was going to become dangerous. The thought scared her. Martis murmured soothing words, telling Sabre to sink into a deep, peaceful sleep. His hushed tones had a strong calming effect, and she grew sleepy in spite of the fact that she was not the subject of the hypnosis. Martis appeared to have a talent for it, and she wondered where he had learnt the skill as she fought the urge to close her eyes and fall asleep. Despite Martis' proficiency, it took several minutes before Sabre's breathing slowed. The tension left his face, and Martis straightened and glanced at her, then looked at Sabre again.
"Sabre, you're deeply asleep now, nothing can disturb you."
Martis stood up and came over to her, took her arm and tugged her into the bathroom. "Okay, we can talk now," he whispered.
"Is that why you put him under?"
"No, I have to do this; he's becoming unstable. But I have to talk to you, too. Listen to me. You've got to stop antagonising him, and for god's sake, don't bloody touch him. Are you an idiot?"
"What's wrong with a bit of affection?"
"Nothing, except he doesn't like it. He’s still a cyber, with all the conditioning that prohibits contact, and you don’t have command privilege. I distracted him with the enforcer ploy, but he knew I was lying. He's getting dangerous. I know I said he wasn't, but that's because he was listening. I hope the hypnosis will help him, but he's still going to have problems, so don't piss him off, okay? He's on a razor edge at the moment, and under huge stress, having us around. He already had to hurt himself quite badly to save us, because of my stupidity, now he had to rescue you because of your stupidity. He must think we’re complete idiots, and he’s still angry about what Jorran did to him. He’s also very confused. Remember, we both have tattoos, so it’s not like he can forget what we are, even in ordinary clothes. One good push and he could lash out."
"You could take away all his emotions under hypnosis."
Martis nodded. "But I won't. There's no point in us helping him to get free if I turn him into a zombie. He has a right to his feelings, and I find him fascinating. He's taken a huge leap of faith by letting me hypnotise him, and I won't betray him. He knows he's going off the deep end and he wants help."
The Cyber Chronicles 08: Scorpion Lord Page 11