0103

by Jessie Rose Case

  Children…… She had not betrayed him with another male. He felt the pull on his brain. The computer was waking him. He would lose her. Too soon…..“Your name female….”

  He blinked and woke. Fuck. He’d left her behind…… His system roared with anger and frustration.

  “You are needed. Our defences are being tested.” The computer told him coldly. 0103 Sat up. For one more moment with the female, to be in her heat and gaze, he’d happily let the damn defences go….

  Chapter Five

  “Well?” Brok asked the moment she came fully awake.

  She turned towards him in the med bed. They’d used it to induce a sleep cycle hoping she could make contact with the Cyborg once more. “It worked,” she told him as he helped her to sit up. “His alone. His ship was the Cyborg advance ship. The colonists never made it. He doesn’t know why. That ship we were sensing, Pirates they’re already there. We need to hurry. 212 Came down on three landing craft. Their main ship remains in orbit.”

  “How many Cyborgs with him?” Sord asked.

  Donna shook her head. “His alone. The rest that made it, over time had to go back into stasis. Too many faults.”

  “For how long?” Brok asked.

  She knew he was asking how long the Cyborg had been alone. “Over 120 years…”

  They both glazed over. She expected they were doing the math she’d already done. With his creation and the stasis in getting there, he’d be near 200 years old and looked early 30s. It was evidence of just how good those sick Designers were at their job even in the early days.

  He was the oldest Cyborg she knew….

  “Did he have a designation?” Sord asked when he’s eyes cleared.

  Donna shook her head. “I don’t know. We never asked for names before and were just getting around to introductions and the link broke. I think he was woken up, so I’m guessing things are hotting up where he is. How long till we get there?” she was beginning to wonder if they’d get there in time.

  “18 hours.”

  “Shit. I’m not sure he’s got 18 hours.” She told them honestly.

  “Picking up a faint signal coming from the direction of the planet.” Ops told them. “It’s Cyborg.”

  Sord smiled. “His Cyborg.”

  “Yeah, you really need to stop saying that like it answers everything. It doesn’t and his not fucking superman. So we need to get a move on.” They both stared at her. She looked from one to the other. “What?”

  Brok cocked his head and smiled. “You’re worried about him.”

  Donna frowned. “Well derrrr. The poor bloke has been on his own for 120 years. It’s a bloody miracle that his not gone nuts.” His face cracked a grin. She pointed her finger at him. “Don’t start with me.“

  He put his hands up in surrender. “That’s why my charm doesn’t work on you.”

  She rolled her eyes and blew out an exasperated breath. “It doesn’t work because I’m not interested and nor are you really. You just picked up bad habits.”

  He seemed to beam. Donna didn’t like it. Like he knew something she didn’t. “True. But he is isn’t he?” She shook her head in exasperation.

  Sord was staring at her. “What?” she squeaked.

  “Are you an originals mate female? If he is sound, he will be an elder to our race and one of great importance?”

  “What?” she raised her voice. “Hell no. I’m not here for that.” They both glazed over. She knew it didn’t work that way. Donna got down off the bed. “No, no no. You’re not doing that with me. Cut it out.” Brok’s eyes cleared he was grinning. “You can stop the fucking grinning too,” she told him.

  “We’ll push on for the planet.” Sord told her and left.

  Bloody hell…. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She hadn’t seen that coming and didn’t need the complication. “I’m no one’s mate,” she stated adamantly.

  “Mated to an original…. I wonder what that will be like? They were rough even for Cyborgs.” He tapped his head. “Not all there and bits fell off.”

  Donna looked up and stared open mouthed at him. Seriously he was pushing her buttons now? He looked serious enough though.

  “What…. bits ….. exactly?”

  Brok arm wrestled her shoulders, way too chipper for her liking and walked her out of medical towards the refectory. “Nothing we can’t grow back….” Fuck….

  ***

  The screens told him all he needed to know. They’d tried to infiltrate the defences in a number of places. The perimeter guns had kept them back as they had the predators. He’d checked to see if anyone had made it back from the trips West, North and East. He couldn’t find any evidence they’d made it or were still alive. That didn’t mean they hadn’t or weren’t, but the odds said it was more likely they were food now.

  The female crossed his mind. They were close… she’d told him. He registered how much he wanted to believe that and wished he’d had her name. The way she looked, talked and smelt flooded his brain. His chest expanded and his cock hardened once more. How many times had that happened in their shared dream world? Too many for him to ignore. He hadn’t asked his body to do that. A reflex? It was possible. Did the female have the ability to override his coding? He didn’t have an answer to that, nor did his sensors. He’d never experienced it while in training. He followed orders. Kill this, fuck that. He couldn’t say he hadn’t gained pleasure from both acts, he had. In different ways. Besting an enemy gave a sense of achievement and reward. The fucking, nothing more than a job he did well. But he’d not had this kind of reaction with any of the females. And this felt more than that. Back then he’d always been in control. He didn’t feel in control now.

  A response to being alone for so long? That was possible but logic told him he wouldn’t have a hard on for male if they turned up and they hadn’t. Only she had. Cyborgs were not orientated to males. They all knew that. Not that that stopped Designers whoring them out if it was asked of them, for whatever gain they thought was worth it. They did that and more. And as Cyborgs were programmed to follow all orders without question, whatever they ordered, they did or endured it without complaint.

  A larger gun came into view. 0103 Zoomed in. It looked like play time was over. They were going to try for bringing down his defences. It was a logical next step. Getting up he made his way back to the Bridge. It’s where he’d need to be if he was going to fight.

  Taking the captains seat, he asked for the vid screen to display all cameras. The screen suddenly filled with 360 view around the ship. He had a front view seat to all the action. They were bringing up another gun. It seemed they were going to try and hit him in two places. Then another came forward. Make that three. They would weaken the shield when fired but not enough to bring it down. Not at first anyway. They were a configuration he did not recognise. Clearly later models than his then. That wasn’t a surprise.

  “Computer, do we have specs on those weapons?”

  “Negative.”

  That wasn’t helpful. He needed more information on what he was facing. It was likely that all three being fired would weaken the shield eventually. He rubbed at his chin. Depending on the content and accuracy of the weapons, it was likely that a continual blast from all three, would eventually bring it down. It was inevitable that it would fail. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Computer target those large guns. If they make to fire, blow them away.”

  “Affirmative.”

  He needed eyes out there. The only logical solution left to him would take a lot of power. He’d not used them up to now. With little option he registered the impact using this equipment would have and accepted it. “Computer are the external drones in full working order?”

  “We have six.”

  That was far less than the 25 they’d come with. 0103 Expected he should be grateful that any of them still worked at all. But he couldn’t register the emotion. Just the annoyance at another thing that no longer worked. “Bring the external dr
ones on line. Target those guns. I want all the intel we can get. If they can AI linked into them, get me all the information they have. Try to establish a link into their firing systems and shut them down.”

  “That action will compromise the ships functionality by 27%.”

  “I’m aware. I need eyes on our guests.”

  “Affirmative. Launching drones.”

  0103 Watched the drones leave the ship and cloak themselves. The power they took to run was high. It was one of the reasons he’d not chanced using them before. It wasn’t long before data started to stream back to him. Information on their construction, materials, and programming. These were cannons. 0103 Zoomed in. There were no ballistic rounds. Energy weapons. It was possible…. They’d been working on those before their ship had left and they’d carried what was the prototype in its day. He wasn’t sure the boundary shield would hold against such intense firepower. It had no data on it being tested under these conditions. Information on the AI running each gun was protected.

  Guess he was about to find out….

  Pulling back the drones, he checked for any of the search parties coming back further out. Logic told him they’d try to flank him. Percentages told him he couldn’t fight a battle on several fronts or be further compromised. No humans showed on the drone heat sensors. Only beasts, some way out ….. and they were heading his way?

  0103 Knew the signs. They were tracking. It looked like his guests had left a trail that could be followed. Stupid. He followed them for a while longer, then checked the other areas. And they weren’t alone…. The drones also showed the hog like beasts coming from the other direction. They were good trackers too. It looked like the Pirates would soon be facing a battle of their own…

  A heat signature showed up on the pirate’s cannons. He swung the drones back to his uninvited guests. They were powering up.

  “Computer can we override they’re systems?”

  “Negative, they are still blocking me.”

  “If they trigger a firing option, intercede and fire.”

  “Affirmative.”

  He did the math. The larger predators would be at the camp in 18.4.1 minutes. The hogs, 22.9.2. In twenty minutes, the pirates were going to be very busy saving their own asses. They’d underestimated this world. The odds on him staying alive for the next twenty minutes rose considerably. 0103 Smiled. The enemy of my enemy….

  “Cannons are triggering a firing option.”

  “Fire all rail guns on that location.”

  “Firing.”

  ***

  Donna tapped her nails. It was taking too bloody long. The need for urgency rode her. One male, 212 pirates and all their fire power… was it even possible to survive that?

  “That is irritating,” Brok told her.

  “FU. So is the length of time it’s taking to get us there damn it. Can’t this bucket move any faster?”

  Both he and Sord looked across at her. She held back from rolling her eyes. “This is no bucket,” Sord told her. “Kim would be most upset at hearing it and her spoon might come out to play.”

  Donna suppressed her grin. She’d heard all about Kim and her spoon. When Kim had been with the Admiral in the early days and they were still finding their feet, once Kim was upset, she would tell him to cut someone bad guys organ out with a spoon. Donna smiled. She liked that kind of woman. She took no shit from anyone. Including her husband, the Admiral and Head of State for the Cyborg Empire. In effect, Kim was their Queen, but no one referred to her as that. They all knew she wouldn’t like it.

  “Kim would support me on this. Urgency is needed.”

  “Maybe so.” Sord looked back to his vid screen. “Time to destination?”

  “1 Hour, 27 universal minutes.”

  Ok it was faster……. But shit. Could he hold out that long?

  ***

  0103 Checked the damage. He had systems going off all over the place. That first bombardment had been tough. Those power weapons were bigger and better than anything he had data on. His rail guns were getting in the way of them but not enough. Too much was getting through. His barrage had scared off the pirates all right, but the energy weapons mostly ignored them and kept firing.

  He’d brought all the automated fire power online. That first round had shaken the shielding. It was patchy. Flickering on and off. He guessed he had some posts failing. His rail guns kept firing but were going down fast. Ships power was down to 43%. “Computer isolate the stasis rooms. Provide maximum power to life support. Seal the doors.”

  “Affirmative.” Another energy blast hit the ship. “Hull compromised in sector 2.”

  Fuck. “Send repair bots.”

  “Affirmative.” Another hit then another. Much more of this and the ship would blow, his data told him across his optic.

  The sounds of beasts reached his hearing. 0103 Moved the cameras to where he guessed they must be. The pirates had heard them too and were moving in to defensive positions against them. He could have told them that was a waste of time. He watched as the predators charged. Some of the pirates split, heading in other directions. The hogs made an appearance and suddenly they were caught between both sets of animals. Hungry animals. Running wasn’t going to help, but still they ran. Some right towards him. They had to see they were running into their own firing line and the automatic weapons on his ship, but they still came. Such was their fear and desperation.

  It wasn’t logical but he knew humans were far from logical at times. Should he open the perimeter fence and chance the system failing entirely? No. He couldn’t and wouldn’t do that. He had too many Cyborg lives in his hands. His rail guns kept firing at the energy weapons but were having little effect. Suddenly the beasts turned and charged the first weapon knocking it over, stampeding over it. It powered down. Taking anything moving with them to chew on. Then hit the second and it powered down too.

  Things were looking up. “Orbital ship is launching 3 more landing craft.” Fuck, maybe not.

  Another round hit the ship. “How long until they are on the ground?”

  “At current speed 19.3.2 universal minutes.”

  0103 Looked at the data streaming across his optic. He didn’t have many options left. He needed more firepower and more men. He couldn’t let the pirates take Cyborgs. “Computer, is the self-destruct still operational?”

  “Affirmative.” He continued to watch the action outside. Most of the men were dead, dying or gone. Some had grouped together making a stand. The hogs came in from behind them and attacked. He knew what the outcome of that would be.

  “Emergency repairs, send all bots.” He needed to do what he could while he had the chance to.

  “A ship has jumped into orbital satellite range.”

  0103 Stilled. Fuck! There was no way he could fight off two ships. “Configuration?”

  “Not known.”

  This was it then. The female had been wrong. They were not coming in time. He would die on this planet with his brothers. He hesitated in setting the self-destruct. It was the only logical response to such odds. It felt like a house was on his shoulders. The weight of duty…….the weight of responsibility…. He recognised the other emotions. Sadness. Loss.

  He’d never got the chance to meet the real female who had tried to save his life and had captured his heart. He would have liked to have met her challenge.

  There was nothing he could now. Maybe it had all been a poison induced mirage at the end. Maybe she was never real… he’d made her up in his……. Desperation? Despair? He didn’t know.

  “Computer…”

  “Communication request from the incoming ship.”

  “Audio or visual?”

  “Visual.”

  0103 Moved back to the screens. “On screen.”

  The female came up with two Cyborgs flanking her. She was REAL…..his mind roared. “Hello again.” She gave him that little wave she’d used before in his dream world. Compared to the Cyborgs she was small and looked vulnerable. 010
3 Looked to each of the Cyborgs behind her. It was clear they were strong and battle hardened. They were not of his model. They were newer. More….. polished. And in control. The Designers hadn’t stopped with them then. 0103 Frowned. They could snap her like a twig. “We’re dropping out of orbit now. What is your status?” she told him and asked.

  He stared at the Cyborgs behind her. “Hurt her and you die.”

  The female frowned and turned to look around. They each gave a slight nod. He looked from the men to the female who was still frowning but had slowly turned back towards him. “One ship in orbit, 3 more landing craft coming in to land. Predators all over the place taking out most, if not all of those pirates that arrived originally. Perimeter failing. One energy cannon still working but damaged. Taking fire. Rail guns and perimeter automated guns compromised. Hull breaching in several sectors. Systems failing. I’ve secured the stasis rooms at the cost of other systems. If the beasts leave, I expect to be boarded or they will try.”

  “That won’t be happening,” she told him confidently. “We will take out the ship in orbit and send you support. The Empire is here.” She took a step forward. He could see the determination on her face. “You hear me Cyborg. Hold until relieved. Whatever it takes, you hold until relieved. You understand the order?” He gave her a nod and the vid screen cut off.

  All his systems told him that was real. She’d come for him like she’d said she would. She might be human, but she’d kept her word. His systems fired up. He’d give them one hell of a fight. She’d given him his orders. He would not let his female down. “Computer, use all systems to blast anything that comes near us that isn’t Cyborg or female.”