“A few weeks? I think?”
“A few weeks…” He absently scratched at his nonexistent stubble. “A few weeks. That’s incredible. It takes our officers years to progress that far.”
“I might be a special exception. Apparently, my grandfather was a pretty good Genmod pilot. I seem to have inherited his ability to use the heavier grade interface processors.”
“That answers some questions but not all of them. A colleague of mine would love to ask you a few questions about your abilities—if you’re willing, that is.”
“So, you’re saying I have a choice then?”
“Of course. Although, I would hope that I could...persuade you to agree. Say, for amnesty for you and your citizens?”
I smiled. “I could be persuaded.” I extended my hand once again and traded grips with the man. “I’d be happy to help however I can. Just realize that I don’t fully understand it all myself.”
“I think we will learn quite a bit from each other,” he said, smiling for the first time. “Follow us back to Artemis Alliance territory. We’ll get you people settled in and get some medical care and food stuffs delivered in.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
We followed Fleet Admiral Grayson’s ship back to the Artemis Alliance’s territory. I followed the flight coordinator’s instructions and docked to a massive construct which they called a space station. It was easily twenty or thirty times larger than the colony ship.
“Can you believe the size of that thing?” blurted Steve.
Captain Walters smiled. “I’m impressed. Not an easy feat.”
“This configuration is beyond anything in my databases,” said Sami.
“This should all be well beyond theoretical,” said Andy. “It shouldn’t even be possible…”
A new voice joined the conversation over the comm. “This is Aaron Simmons, lead medic, reporting ready for boarding.”
“You are cleared for boarding,” said Andy. He switched off the comm and turned to us. “Shall we go meet our fancy new friends?”
We all nodded and headed for the docking bay. I left Sami connected to the ship. I felt like he should be able to choose when he came and went as well. When I returned to the bridge, he asked to be filled in on current happenings.
“Seriously, the humanitarian effort was massive. I couldn’t keep track of all the supplies and support moving to and fro. We named Steve the new president, and he helped manage relief efforts and get the slums sorted out.
“That is good news. As far as Steve being president, I suppose it was only a matter of time. What about the civilians you told me about before? The ones from the slums?”
“They were treated for malnutrition and all manner of diseases and broken bones. The medic team thinks they’ll all pull through with no lasting effects. I think we’ve found our new home.”
“I’ve never had a home before. I like the sound of that.”
“To be honest, neither have I. This will be a new experience for both of us.”
Deep within the testing construct of General Farran’s computer system, a war raged. A large viral infection swung thick tentacles around like a whip, slamming me into a wall. Sami hit the wall opposite me. It advanced without mercy, intent on killing us.
“Try it again!” yelled General Farran over the comm system. He was the presiding administrator and lead engineer in charge of the special research group we were being guinea pigs for. Apparently, he’d personally been responsible for all manner of technological advancements.
Sami darted to my side and placed his hand upon my chest. The gaps between his armor began to glow a bright red until they blinded me. His armor split into segments momentarily but then reverted as the glow faded away. Another swing of the tentacles slammed us farther down the hall.
“You two aren’t in sync yet,” said Farran. “Your Theta and Gamma waves are out of control. Get your acts together. If this was a life-or-death situation, you’d both be dead.”
“This isn’t a life-or-death situation,” I groaned, standing. Everything hurt like hell.
“Bishop is correct, sir.”
The lights went out. Klaxons began to toll somewhere off in the distance.
“It is now. Arcturus viral breach detected. Unable to disconnect session. We’re sending reinforcements. Hopefully, you two can defend yourselves until help arrives.” The connection went dead as static filled the comm system.
“Do you think it’s a test?” I asked Sami. The wall next to me exploded inward, throwing us across the room.
“My suspicions would say yes; however, that explosion felt quite real…” Viral infections of every shape and color began to flood into the room through the hole in the corridor wall. They leveled rifles and all manner of weapons at us. Sami grabbed me and tossed me easily around a corner before diving past me.
“You’d think after two years of testing someone would have attacked us. Why now?” I asked as I fired down the corridor.
“Unknown.” Sami tossed a pair of defragmentation grenades down the corridor. The explosion rocked the room. “They do seem to be quite persistent.”
A glowing purple capsule rolled to a stop at our feet. “Oh shi—”
“How many tests was this? I’ve lost track…”
“As have I. This does seem…asinine.”
“Is there a point to this? Getting smacked around? Being asked questions until we don’t remember our names?”
“Well, over the past two years, they have provided us with quite a bit of support. You finally have an education—which you achieved in record time. You’ve even secured a position in their military academy as soon as you reach twenty-one years of age.”
“Yeah. I suppose. Still… I hate being thrown around like trash.”
“Do you suppose that it’s time we change the outcome of this test?”
“Yeah. I’m sick of this. Let’s clear out these viral infections and get back to the test chamber. They might need our help.”
“Agreed.”
My ears rang. I looked up to see Sami leaning heavily on a block of what looked like stone. The explosion had violently tossed us against the back wall of the room. Only a few seconds had passed. The enemy infections were just starting to regroup. Sami and I made eye contact and nodded once.
Again, he placed his hand on my chest. The gaps glowed once more. Brighter and brighter. This time, when the armor separated, the pieces vanished, and the energy left behind flowed up his arm and into me. A massive shockwave pushed back the rubble. When my eyes adjusted, I felt larger. Stronger. Heavier. I looked down…
I was absolutely covered in military-grade armor. Large plates covered all of the important bits. Muscle augmentation boosted my reflexes.
“Sami?”
“Here. This is…different.”
“Ready to test it out?’
“Absolutely. Augmenting strength. Speed. Energy output. Cognitive capacity. Ready when you are.”
I smiled. Then I rushed forward. In my peripheral vision, the room blurred for a moment. A gigantic sword appeared in my right hand. I could feel the energy pulsing within it. I slashed and a beam of light followed the tip of the blade. I sliced through ten infections at once. The beam that trailed it took out another thirty.
I raised my left hand to the other group. A lattice of metal snaked out from several vents on my arm and continued to gather mass until it solidified into a cannon as big around as my waist. Twin prongs extended from the barrel assembly. Between them, yellow energy gathered as blue lightning sheathed the prongs violently. I released the ball of energy.
A blinding flash later, I surveyed the damage. “The infections are gone.” I looked around. “Shit. Half the test system is gone…”
A quick burst of static filled the comm. “Congratulations, Bishop, Sami, you two cleared the test,” said General Farran.
Sami and I sighed in unison. “What a dick…”
“Indeed…”
33
Two Years Later
“Are you nervous?” asked Anne.
“A little bit. This isn’t like patching a scraped knee…”
She put her hand on mine and smiled. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much. Besides, the benefits of having Sami integrated will massively help you out in that military school.”
“I know. It’s just… I don’t like the idea of someone opening up my skull and poking around in there.”
Anne laughed. “I didn’t quite think of it like that.” She looked out the window of the surgery suite and into space. “Can you believe it’s been four years already? Seems like just yesterday we were fighting pirates and mining asteroids…”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m happy we found civilization at the end of the journey. There were no guarantees when we set out.”
“There are no guarantees in life, Bishop. There never are. Never will be. The only thing for sure is that we die someday. Everything else… Well, that’s up to us.” She smiled again.
“I hear you. I meant more of I wasn’t sure the other colony ships didn’t just jump into a sun or something.”
Anne laughed. “I know what you meant. I’m just giving you a hard time.” She frowned. “The kids are going to miss you while you’re gone.”
“It’s amazing how mature they are for four years old. Do you think it’s because we’re all Genmods?”
Anne nodded. “Yeah. Your average four-year-old wouldn’t be arguing in full sentences. The education system for Genmods is amazing. Those two will be way ahead of the technological curve in only a few years.”
“Great,” I said. “Four, going on twenty.”
Anne burst out laughing. “No kidding. Did you know Martin wants to learn to fly the Strider?”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, not at all. He’s been using Steve’s sister’s old neural interface helmet. And he’s damned good with it. At least as good as you were at fifteen.”
“Whoa. Kid’s a natural.” I smiled. “I hope he does better than I did.”
“Me too. But with how things are here, I have no doubt he will. Those kids will get opportunities we never even dreamed were possible.”
I smiled. “That makes me happy.”
A man in a white lab coat walked in. “It is time. Are you ready, Mr. Jones?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The man smiled, nodding knowingly. “Do not be alarmed. The procedure will only take a few days. We’ll take good care of you while you’re unconscious.”
I said goodbye to my sister and allowed the nurses to sedate me.
When I regained consciousness, my eyes were still closed. New sensations flooded my senses. Things I’d only felt when connected to the neural interface. “Sami? Are you there?”
“Y—yes. This is…quite odd.”
“Tell me about it. I feel everything I normally do but so much more as well.”
“I…feel. Everything.”
Status display messages like a heads-up display flooded my vision. Ambient air temperature, humidity, wireless signals, gravity, heart rate, respiration, electrolyte status—the list just went on and on. “Is there anything I can’t perceive like this?”
“The wrath of your sister. She is likely worried about you. I suggest you open your eyes.”
I did. The world was blindingly bright. A message blinked briefly. Compensating. Then the room dimmed to comfortable levels. Nurses and doctors rushed to my side.
“Bishop,” said an older man with gray hair, “try to relax. You’ve just come out of sedation.”
“I feel fine, Doc,” I said.
“Excellent. How is your friend?”
“He’s in here. I wish there were some way that he could speak, though.”
The older man smiled. “There is. Here, take this.” He handed me some sort of device with straps on either end.
“What’s this?”
“Put it on your wrist and see,” he said with a smile. I strapped the device to my wrist and a green light turned on.
“Well, this is awkward,” said Sami, his voice coming from the device.
“You will adapt,” said the doctor. “As soon as your new processor integrates with Bishop’s neuro-cortex, you will be able to extend your range of influence beyond his body. For the time being, however, your functions may prove to be limited to skin contact.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” said Sami.
“Thanks,” I said.
He smiled once again. “It was my pleasure. The nurses will see to your cleanup. Good luck on your coming adventure, and take care of each other.”
Notifications alerted me to changes as nurses started removing sensors and IV lines from various parts of my body. It was like having a ship-wide damage report. Only I was the ship.
I felt a change in the electrical field around the door. The door latch buzzed. Edwyn Farran walked briskly into the cramped hospital suite.
“Good morning, Mr. Jones. I trust all went well?”
“Uh, yes, sir. Thank you.”
“And Sami?” he asked.
“Present and accounted for, General,” came Sami’s voice from my wrist.
“Excellent. After they’ve cleaned up, the two of you will report to the flight deck at fifteen hundred hours. That should give you enough time to say your goodbyes.”
“Yes, sir,” Sami and I said in unison. The military etiquette Sami had taught me was already coming in handy. General Farran stepped out of the room, closing the door gently.
“All done,” said the nurse attending my bedside. “Make sure you drink plenty of electrolytes. The processor will be extracting its supply directly from your bloodstream.”
I stood and arched my back, trying to stretch. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling. “Take care.” The room was now empty.
“How are you feeling, Sami?”
“The word overwhelmed would be a monumental understatement. Not only do I have access to all manner of sensory input, but I can vividly call up your memories. The world as you see it, it’s extraordinary. I understand what breathtaking means now.”
I smiled. “I’m right there with you. Being able to sense electrical fields is disorienting. It makes me wonder what else we’ll be able to do once you’re fully integrated.”
“The possibilities seem endless. According to the manual—”
“There’s a manual?”
A million pages of data flashed across my mind’s eye. “According to the manual, I can take resources from your bloodstream and construct nanites. Then use those to create augmentations such as transmitters and nano repair bots.”
“That’s crazy…”
“Indeed. We should get moving. People will be waiting for you.”
Steve and Anne stood at the edge of the flight deck waiting for me. Wrapped in their arms were their twin children, Elyssa and Martin. They rushed me, nearly tackling me to the ground.
“Uncle Bishop!” squealed Elyssa. “We were so worried about you.”
“Only she was worried. I wasn’t worried,” said Martin.
“I’m fine, thanks, you two.” Steve pulled the munchkins off me as hecame over and gave me a big hug.
“You be careful, big brother. Come back to us.”
Steve extended a hand, and we exchanged firm handshakes. Like men. There was no mushy emotion. “Take care of yourself, Bishop.”
“And you. Take care of our people.” I smiled. “And our family.”
“You have my word.”
I knelt down, bringing myself to the kids’ height. “You two be good for your mom and dad. If you act up, they’ll tell me and I won’t bring you any souvenirs.”
“We’ll be good, we promise!” gushed Elyssa.
“Yeah. We promise. Don’t forget to call us.”
“I will, I promise too.” I stood and stretched once again. We exchanged one last round of hugs and I turned my back on my family.
&n
bsp; Across the landing platform waited General Farran and two guys around my age. I approached. The General introduced us.
“Bishop, this is my son, Cedric, and his friend Zavier Kingsley. You’ll be joining their class. We shook hands all around.
“A pleasure to meet you guys.”
“Likewise,” they both responded.
“Now that introductions are out of the way, move out!” barked General Farran.
We boarded the military transport destined for a location I didn’t even know.
“Sami… This is really exciting.”
“Indeed. It will be logical to work with you once again.”
“Likewise. Let’s see what the future has in store for us.”
“I…look forward to it.”
I had a sudden realization. “Are you experiencing emotions?”
“I believe I am… interesting…”
THANK YOU
The adventure continues in Mystery At Kaldarii, Book 2 of A Precipice To War
In the meantime, if you’d like more material that I’ve written, you can check out my Tempest Chronicles series, a Fantasy/GameLIT adventure. Legend of the Sword Bearer - Tempest Chronicles Book 1
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Bishop's Gambit Omnibus Page 19