Tui let out a long sigh. “I figured you were a lost cause, but honestly, you remind me of my little brother.”
“Aw, that’s nice.”
“He was a cocky idiot too.”
Jackson snort laughed. “Hey now.”
“Must be a pilot thing. That’s what he did, back on Earth. I swear that’s how they pick you guys. An inability to even comprehend losing. Like, it just doesn’t click. I’m not saying you guys are suicidal, or that you don’t calculate risk, you do obviously, it’s just that no matter what, no matter how bad the odds, especially the young ones, you somehow think you’re gonna pull it off.”
“As opposed to your rational, reasonable perspective on life?”
“Yep. Grunts like me need to stay grounded. Pilots tend to be delusional.”
“We like to think of it as optimistic.”
“You get used to wearing a tank like a pair of clothes, doing impossible feats like it’s routine, and that goes to your head, makes you feel godlike. But you aren’t. You’re still human. Which is why guys like you need someone like me around to keep you from biting off more than you can chew.”
Even with the growing pain in Jackson’s head, that made him grin. “So how’s that working out for you?”
“Pretty friggin’ splendidly. Ask me again when I’m not tied to a chair.”
Jackson went back to suffering in silence for a minute, but then he asked, “So where’s your brother now?”
“He died during the war back on Earth. I wasn’t around when it happened.”
“Oh.” That put things into perspective. “I’m sorry.”
They shut up as the briefcase man came in, but he was paying them no mind. He walked over to some screens and read the readouts there. After a while, he asked, “How are you feeling, Mr. Rook?”
“My butt is killing me,” Jackson said. “Can I stand up?”
“Do you have any pain in your head?”
“Did you not hear me?”
“Your head,” the man prompted.
“My head is splendid,” Jackson lied. It felt like someone was whipping the top of his spine with a chain. “It’s one of my best features.”
Tui laughed. “That’s unfair. Your guy is all calm and doctorly. When I made smart-ass comments Fain pulled out one of my molars with a pair of pliers.”
The man tapped a few parts of the screen. He asked more questions, which Jackson blew off, and recorded comments about whatever vitals he was reading on the screens.
Tui kept trying to goad the doctor-slash-torturer, or whatever he was. “Look at this poor guy. Obviously, a product of low-gravity orbital inbreeding. His eyebrows are a little thin, don’t you think? I bet he’s got webbed toes.”
“Yes,” Jackson agreed. “I’m sure he has trouble with the ladies.”
The man studiously ignored them.
Tui said, “And look at those ears.”
“Small,” Jackson said. “Did you have them modified on purpose?”
“Is he supposed to be an elf?”
The man gave them an annoyed look, and Jackson forced a smile.
“Enjoy yourself while you can, Mr. Rook. Your walls are crumbling. Soon you will be a willing and obedient servant.”
“I can’t wait,” Jackson said. “Do I get paid vacations?”
“You’re not going to want vacations. That’s the beauty of this system.” Then the man turned toward Tui. “I’m surprised you haven’t talked yet. Fain is rather persuasive. You’re quite the specimen. Accelerated healing, augmented strength, reinforced bones, you would have been a top-of-the-line combat body about ten years ago. Earth Defense Force didn’t spare any expense on your mods, did they?”
“Yeah, kind of the opposite of your parents, I guess. Did they hook you up with discount sloth genes or what?”
The man frowned, but kept his cool, and continued monitoring Jackson’s readout.
Worse than the pain was the phantom itch inside his brain. He’d been here before. He knew how it would progress. Next would be the thoughts that weren’t his. The whispers would get louder and louder, until he could no longer tell the difference. Jackson was terrified but trying not to show it. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
Tui kept badgering the man, obviously trying to get under this skin. “I know a gene splicer who could get you hooked right up, my man. You know the lady I’m thinking of, Jackson?”
“Sorry, Tui. Drawing a blank.”
“Naw, you know the one I mean. I’m talking Fifi.”
“Oh yeah.” Jackson feigned nonchalance. “Fifi.” And then his hopes rose. Had she survived and somehow followed them? Had Tui seen her? Or was Tui hoping that Jackson had her on him, and was trying to remind him to activate her, because if that was the case, Tui was out of luck. “I haven’t seen Fifi in what seems like forever. I don’t know if even she could fix this mess. I mean, seriously, look at the guy.”
The man sighed, which meant they were getting under his skin. Jackson hoped that meant he’d get angry and make some mistake they could capitalize on. When they began to talk about his pencil-thin lips and concluded that neither women nor men liked thin lips, he said, “I’ve had enough of that.”
“We’re just trying to help,” Tui said. “We could help you get that date you’ve been wanting. With a real woman.”
“Or man,” Jackson added. “Whichever you prefer. No judgment.”
“You just need some ear mods, and your messed-up nose, and stupid face, well basically the works, but you’ve got to start somewhere. I mean, you really are repulsive.” Tui was doing his best to sound helpful. “Then no more dollies for you.”
Tiny Ears pulled his lips flat with anger, then opened his case and took out a syringe.
“What’s that?” Tui asked.
“Something to shut your gob. I need Mr. Rook’s brain active, but yours not so much. Fain can wake you up when he’s ready to go back to work.”
“Oh, come on,” Tui said. “If you won’t take constructive criticism, you’ll never get any further than you are now, and that’s just sad.”
Tiny Ears drew something from a small bottle, then pushed the air out. He walked over to Tui and held the syringe like a real tough guy. “I said to shut up. And you’re going to shut.”
Except when he went to stick Tui with the needle, there was the snap of a breaking bond, and lightning quick, Tui grabbed his hand. A look of shock, then terror, came over Tiny’s face. Tui smiled, squeezed, and crushed the bones. The syringe clattered to the floor. Before the man could shriek in pain, Tui yanked him down so that his head smashed into the arm of the chair. The blow made a smart, cracking sound.
Tiny Ears flopped onto the floor, unconscious, or maybe dead. Tui was really strong.
And then something the size of a pea dropped from Tui’s chair to the floor. It crept toward Jackson, but in a halting, crippled way.
“Fifi?” Jackson asked. He peered closer. It was Fifi! “How in the…”
“I don’t know. She showed up a minute ago and started sawing on the underside of the strap,” Tui said as he used his free hand to unlock his other arm.
“That shock from the grendel’s collar must have really damaged her.”
Jackson looked at their little companion. She deserved a medal. That right there was Star of Valor stuff.
Tui said, “I’m just glad she was smart enough to free me first.”
“I totally could have knocked him out like that too,” Jackson lied. “Hurry up.”
“How are we going to get out of here?”
“Oh, that’s easy. Get to the hangar, get the Citadel, and walk out.”
Tui freed his arm and began working on the shackles around his legs. “Warlord’s got the key.”
How could he forget that? His head really was messed up. “Yeah, we’ll need that. I bet Warlord has it on him. That’s where I’d keep it. Or we could try a brute force hack. But I’m thinking the Warlord will be easier.”
Tui f
reed his ankles and stood. “We’ve got to go before Fain gets back. Fifi, cut Jackson free. I’ll take out the guards in the hall.” He moved for the door.
Only just as Tui got there, the door opened.
It was Sam Fain.
Chapter 31
There was no hesitation at all. Tui attacked. Striking for Fain’s throat.
Despite being surprised, Fain reacted with incredible speed. Blocking Tui’s hand.
As the two superhuman killers traded ten blows in the blink of an eye Jackson tried to shrink back into his chair and hoped for the best.
Several shots landed, but then Fain hit Tui in the midsection with a hook that sent him stumbling back. Fain followed. They collided in the middle of the interrogation room. Tui was far bigger and bulkier, but there was no telling how much of Fain had been replaced with synthetics.
Tui launched a series of jabs that were almost too fast for Jackson to follow. Only Fain dodged back and forth, easily avoiding them, then he swatted the last one aside, and nailed Tui across the face with a ridge hand fast as lightning. Tui’s nose went flat.
The Tar Heel security chief stepped away and wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve. There was a moment of calm as the two sized each other up. “Got an arm on you, Big Town.”
“Best money can buy. Every job I complete pays for another upgrade.” Fain saw his downed associate lying there. “I’m actually impressed at your resourcefulness. Did you kill him?”
Tui looked down at the man at his feet, then shrugged. “I haven’t checked for a pulse.”
“I never liked that nerd much anyway.” Fain charged.
They exchanged blows, throwing punches, elbows, knees, and kicks, each of which would be sufficient to shatter a regular man’s bones. Only these two took those massive hits, shrugged them off, and kept going.
Jackson had seen Tui fight before, but never anything like this. It turned out that those other times, Tui had just been trying to subdue his opponents. Now Tui was playing for keeps. Nothing held back.
But Fain appeared to be enjoying himself, almost as if he was toying with Tui.
They went back and forth, continually striking. For each shot Tui snuck in, Fain landed two. Seemingly twice as hard. When Fain nailed him with a shot to the sternum that Jackson could feel from across the room, Tui staggered back. He nearly fell and had to grab onto a table to steady himself.
Tui gasped. “You’re not human.”
“I started out that way, but I got better. You ready to give up, old man?”
Suddenly, Tui flung the stainless-steel table at Fain’s head. He punched it out of the air.
When that failed to stick, Tui shot in, trying to take Fain to the ground. They locked up, each of them trying to flip the other onto their back. Weighing more, Tui almost pulled it off too, except Fain grappled like an Earth python. Tui almost managed to throw him, but Fain kicked out and maglocked one boot to the metal wall. He used that unexpected leverage to shake Tui’s hold, and it was the big man who got bounced off the floor.
Jackson felt something crawling up his leg and spotted Fifi, heading for his restraints. “Hurry,” he urged, but she was obviously in bad shape, and going as fast as her little robot legs would allow. If she could free him, he could find a weapon. Fain was inhumanly tough, but hopefully he wasn’t bulletproof.
Tui got right back up and charged. Fain caught his arm, flipped him over his hip, and slammed him against the far wall. Tui got up again, but slower this time, obviously hurting.
Fain attacked. Tui blocked the shot with his hardened forearm, but Fain just punched him six more times, rapid fire. Then he kicked Tui in the chest and put him back into the wall.
“Stay down.”
Because he was a warrior, Tui got up anyway.
Fain crowded him back into the corner and started hitting him with jackhammer speed fists. Jackson had never seen anyone take a beating like that. Tui was going to die.
Fifi was sawing on his arm restraints. She wasn’t going to make it in time.
“Disappointing,” Fain said as he hurled Tui across the room again. His limp form rolled to a bloody stop at Jackson’s feet.
* * *
Jane would have stormed onto the bridge, but it was hard to storm anywhere in zero G, so the best she could manage was an angry, purposeful float. Captain was in his command chair, and every station was manned. She had been too distracted, desperately working on a way to help Jacky, to pay much attention to what was going on, but everyone here seemed really tense about something. Shade was there too, and it looked like she’d been having a heated debate with the captain.
“Captain, we’ve got to talk.”
“It’s not a good time,” Shade snapped. She was wearing black again, her shining blonde hair stark and luscious against it.
The captain held up one hand to silence her protest. “I decide what time it is on this ship.”
The broker didn’t like that, but whatever her crisis, it could wait. Suck it, Grandma. “What is it, Jane?”
Jane held out Jacky’s readout and pointed at the status of his block. “This is what I’m talking about. There’s neural activity on his old controls. The block was functioning perfectly before we left. I checked it. This looks like he’s going through a full spectrum neural attack.”
“I thought you said the block would prevent that,” the captain said.
“If it was there, it would.” She let that sink in.
“Then how is there activity?” the captain asked.
“He’s been breached,” Shade muttered.
Jane nodded. “Somebody is tearing down my block. They’re growing controls.”
The captain scowled. He was thinking the same thing she was. It was one thing to die. This was worse. “I warned Jackson.”
“It was the height of stupidity to have let him stay,” Shade said.
“Slow your roll, Shade,” the captain ordered.
It really bugged Jane that Shade was the one person who could get away with being downright insubordinate with the captain. It was because she was more employer than crew. So Shade getting shot down hard and having to shut up also made Jane feel a little smug.
The captain rubbed his forehead with the palms of both hands and sighed. “What about Tui?”
“He’s alive, but his vitals spiked hard. He’s in really bad shape right now. They’re killing him, sir.”
The captain’s scowl deepened. “It’s Warlord.”
“Of course, it’s the Warlord,” Shade muttered.
“We need to go back,” Jane said.
“We’re one ship,” Shade said. “That orbital is surrounded by guns. He’ll blow us out of the sky.”
Jane pretended Shade wasn’t there and made her plea directly to the captain. “I made a promise.”
The captain looked around the bridge. There were far too many ears for him to talk about how he’d had their specter wire one of their crewmates with an off button just in case someone hacked his brain to turn him into a crazy murderer machine again. “Shade, Jane, my stateroom. Now. Alligood, you’ve got the bridge. Keep an eye on that incoming ship and ping me the second it does anything fishy.”
A moment later they were somewhere a bit more private and could speak freely.
“What promise?” Shade asked suspiciously.
Jane looked to the captain for permission. He nodded.
“Okay, when Captain rescued Jackson from Gloss, he was really messed up. I mean really bad. The things their biohacker did to all those pilots’ brain I’ve never seen before or since, thank goodness. I figured out how to put him back together, but the only reason he survived at all was because he was so resilient. It should have broken him, but it didn’t. Problem was, I couldn’t fix everything. A lot of the framework was still there.”
“Meaning?”
“His brain is especially vulnerable to being hacked,” the captain said.
“What? And yet you kept that…that liability around?”
&nb
sp; “He’s not a liability, Shade. He’s a human being. And a member of my crew.”
“Former crewman,” Shade corrected. “He quit, remember?”
“To be fair, that was under duress,” the captain said curtly. “Something you need to understand, the Collective didn’t just take Jackson over. Whatever they did changed him. It caused most of the other Gloss pilots to die or go insane, but it had weird side effects with Jackson. Most people can’t accept pilot implants at all, and those who do still retain some human inhibitions and frailties that keep them from fully taking advantage of being integrated. With Jackson, this process destroyed those.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He was good before. But whatever they did to him somehow inadvertently broke whatever it is that keeps human beings limited when they’re linked. That hack turned him into the best, or rather the scariest, most dangerous pilot I’ve ever seen. A side effect of getting hacked killed whatever frail bits that keep the rest of us from truly becoming the machine. Jackson got performance out of his mech that was supposed to be impossible.”
That made Jane extra sad, because unfortunately Jackson had only reached the pinnacle of his abilities while being forced to destroy his own people. She’d seen the data from the fall of Gloss. Jackson had briefly reached levels of human/machine integration efficiency that even she couldn’t comprehend, with response rates that would have been an anomaly even on her super-advanced home world.
“Surely you exaggerate, Captain. I’ve seen Jackson fly. He’s not that special.”
“That’s because you’ve never seen him plug in. You’ve seen him at maybe ten percent of what he’s capable of. I’ve dropped some of the best pilots Earth had to offer into hot LZs and watched them fight with the most advanced mechs, and Jackson makes them look like children having a slap fight.”
Jane cut in. “You can’t even begin to understand the feeling of power he experienced, but once we got him out, he’s walked away and never plugged in since. Jacky resisted that temptation because he knew if his mind was in the machine, machines can get hacked. He said he’d rather die than have that happen again. So I made a promise that I wouldn’t let it. When I fixed him, I put in a kill switch, just in case.”
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