The Cyber Chronicles VIII - Scorpion Lord
Read The Cyber Chronicles VIII - Scorpion Lord Online
Authors: T C Southwell
Tags: #betrayal, #torture, #escape, #scorpion lord
The Cyber
Chronicles VIII
Scorpion
Lord
T C
Southwell
Published by T
C Southwell at Smashwords
Copyright ©
2011 by T C Southwell
Smashwords
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Table of
Contents
Chapter One
A jab of pain
forced Sabre from the dark cocoon of unconsciousness, and he became
aware that he lay on something hard and cold. Awareness returned in
waves, receding at the soft tug of the darkness before it washed
him up onto the shore of wakefulness again as a fresh twinge came
from his hand. His eyelids seemed to be made of lead, and he
struggled to open them, wincing at a stab of bright light. He
squinted as another sharp pain shot from his hand. Turning his
head, he discovered that a metal band encircled his throat, pinning
him to the cold surface. He tensed, his awareness increasing as a
rush of adrenalin quickened his blood, and found that his wrists
and ankles were pinned as well, making movement impossible.
His mind was
devoid of scrolling data or flashing lights, and he realised that
the cyber was off and activated it. Reams of data from the scanners
and tactical computer appeared in the darkness behind his eyes, and
a red warning light captured his attention. A human life sign
flashed in close proximity, and the tactical analysis flagged it as
Myon Two personnel. He turned his head further, the brightness
hurting his eyes. A plump, balding man in a white technician's
uniform stood over him, his hard brown eyes glinting above a
bulbous nose and a rat-trap mouth.
"So, you're
awake. Good." His eyes flicked to Sabre's brow band, a calculating
look in them.
Sabre tried to
speak, found that his mouth was too dry and bit the inside of his
cheek to moisten it. "Where am I?"
"Wow, that's
amazing. I've heard the stories, of course, but... you really are
self-aware. I didn't believe it at first, but here you are, living
proof."
"Who are
you?"
The man
chuckled, shaking his head. "Incredible. You actually sound human.
I'm Cyber Tech Jorran Parmal, and you're my special project."
Sabre frowned.
"I'm on Myon Two?"
"No, no, of
course not. We're not idiots, you know. Although the chances of
Overlord Fairen even finding out that you're gone are pretty much
zero, but we can't take chances. No, you're on one of our outposts,
in the Dramma Sector. Depressing place, but it's a well-kept
secret."
"How did I get
here?"
Jorran
chuckled again. "You're full of questions, aren't you? We took you,
of course. You didn't really think we'd just leave you on that
backwater planet, did you? A free cyber? Not likely."
"How?"
Jorran sat on
the stool beside the metal table on which Sabre lay. "Indeed, you
may well ask that question. It was quite a mission, by all
accounts. Six months of surveillance by four spies planted in the
populace of the castle where you lived, sending back daily data to
track your movements. They informed us of everything you did,
including that little celebration where you drank wine. Not a good
idea, for a cyber. Luckily for us, you chose to live in a stone
dwelling, which was not very bright of you. So your scanners didn't
pick up our men. All they had to do was shoot you with a
tranquiliser dart while you slept, and presto, here you are, all
nicely trussed like a lamb for slaughter."
Sabre turned
his head to gaze at the brilliant overhead lights, swallowing.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Ah, now
that's a really stupid question, isn't it?" Jorran sighed. "We're
going to study you, of course, and when we're done, we're going to
fix you. And if that doesn't work, well, we'll just put you into
cryo-storage so we can use your DNA to spawn a new breed of cybers,
ones that are immune to fire."
"I'm not
immune to fire."
"Not entirely,
no. I've seen the tests Grundel did, and it's fascinating stuff. A
ninety per cent increase in your ability to withstand heat." Jorran
shook his head. "Amazing."
"Why did you
wake me up? You're not interested in a host's mind."
"Normally, no,
most techs aren't. But as it happens, I am. What really interests
me is how you can now control the cyber unit. Grundel discovered
the additional reverse polarity in the implants, but that doesn't
explain it entirely."
"I don't know
any more than that."
"That's a
shame. I was hoping you would. At least explain how you do it."
"I think about
what I want it to do, and it does it."
Jorran typed
on the keyboard beside him. "Interesting idea, but the cyber can't
understand brain waves, or thoughts. It's a command unit, designed
for one-way brain control. It uses it as storage medium, and it can
convert memories into digital display data, but the host's thoughts
are... supposed to be non-existent, but let's just say
unintelligible, for argument's sake."
"You know
perfectly well that every host is capable of cognisant thought.
They're just trapped, unable to do anything."
"Okay, let's
say that I do, that still doesn't explain how you control the cyber
unit."
"I can't
explain it. The light beings changed something, that's all I
know."
"How did they
do it?"
Sabre tried to
shrug. "A flash of light. When I came to, I was in charge."
"And the
changes to your DNA?"
"Same flash of
light."
"Interesting,
but not helpful."
Sabre lifted
his head to glance down at his left wrist, the metal collar cutting
into his throat. The bracelet was gone. "When Fairen finds you,
he's going to wipe this shithole planet off the face of the
universe. You do realise that, don't you?"
"Ah, yeah, the
bracelet. That was left on Omega Five, still active. As far as he
knows, you're still there. No alarm bells, no search party."
"Tassin will
find me."
"How? She's
stuck on that little backwater planet, with no way to communicate
or leave."
"She'll find a
way."
Jorran shook
his head. "No, you're on your own, so you can quit hoping for
rescue. Now, back to business. Apart from the ability to control
the cyber unit, and the fireproof skin, what else did the light
beings do to you?"
"That's it, as
far as I know."
"Well then,
we'll just have to run some tests on you, won't we?"
"Don't you
Cybercorp shitheads ever get tired of being sadistic bastards?"
Jorran smiled.
"Actually I quite enjoy it."
"So for kicks
you stick pins in nair kittens?"
"Something
like that."
"It must be
hard to be so sick."
"Not really."
Jorran picked up a probe from the trolley beside him. "And goading
me isn't a good idea. We don't really need you to be able to see,
after all, and blinding you would definitely make you easier to
control."
"Except that
the cyber will provide me with sight."
"The input can
easily be blocked." Jorran leant closer and tapped the brow band
with the probe. "Interesting that you've come to think of it as an
ally, when you should hate it."
"I do hate it,
but now I use it like it once used me."
"Ah, poetic
justice. Nice. Must make you feel pretty good, to be in
charge."
"I guess,"
Sabre agreed.
"But you're
still pretty confused, aren't you? What's it like, having feelings
for the first time?"
"I always had
feelings."
Jorran's brows
rose. "Really? So you felt love, and jealousy, and envy?"
"No."
"I didn't
think so. And you still don't, do you?"
"No."
The cyber tech
smiled. "How could you, when that whole section of your brain is
dormant? You're still a thinking machine, nothing more."
"Maybe. But
that's another thing those light beings promised me. They said the
wall in my mind would fail. They did something to make it
happen."
"Interesting."
Jorran scratched his chin with the probe. "Let's have a look
then."
Rising, he
pulled a bulky console closer and positioned the U-shaped appendage
on the end of the jointed, telescopic arm over Sabre's ears.
Switching the machine on, he gazed at the image that appeared on
the screen. "Everything looks normal... except... you're right, the
block has weak areas now. Fascinating. When that fails, you'll
become psychotic."
"Why?"
"Because you
won't be able to handle it."
"How do you
know that?"
"Because your
brain isn't wired to cope with emotions," Jorran said. "Surely your
buddy Tarl Averly explained that to you?"
"He might have
mentioned it."
"Well, there
you are then. I might lie to you, but he wouldn't, would he?"
"He said I'd
be able to handle it."
"I disagree.
But it's a moot point, since I intend to return you to cyber
control, and that will restore the brain block."
Sabre frowned,
closing his eyes. "Since you're going to do it anyway, I might as
well save myself a lot of pain and do it for you. Then you'll have
nothing to experiment on, will you? Just another brain-dead cyber.
Better than shock treatment and sensory deprivation. I've had
enough of that."
"You can put
yourself back under cyber control?" Jorran's brows shot up.
"Of course. I
control all its functions, including whether I control it or it
controls me."
"But then you
can also free yourself."
"Yeah, but
you'd be wasting your time experimenting on a cyber, so it would
put an end to your fun."
Jorran rubbed
his chin. "I'd rather you didn't do that."
"You really
think I give a shit what you'd rather?" Sabre snorted and opened
his eyes, his smile bitter. "I've had enough of being
tortured."
"I could still
torture you."
"But it'll do
you no good. You'll soon get bored and go back to burning kittens.
And there would be no point, then, in trying to find a way to
prevent me from freeing myself. Once the cyber's in control, you
won't be able to do a damn thing, since all your readings will be
normal."
"Then you'll
go into cryo-storage."
"A better
prospect than letting you torture me."
"Okay, wait."
Jorran looked agitated, putting down the probe. "I won't hurt you.
We can just talk."
"I'm done with
answering your questions."
"You'd rather
go back to being powerless?"
Sabre flexed
his arms, making the shackles creak. "I'm powerless now." He closed
his eyes and sighed. "Being in the backseat has its advantages.
Everything is muted, distorted, far away. Pain I can feel, but not
much else. And if I really don't want to know, I can barely
perceive the world. It's just a hazy mass of light and movement,
not much else. Compared to what you have planned, it'll be a real
treat. Especially not having to put up with your sick gloating. And
cryo-sleep is... Well it's just sleep, isn't it? But Fairen will
find me eventually. That, I promise."
"No! Wait...
I'll release you, give you whatever you want, just let me run a few
tests... painless ones. Please."