Eric 754

by Donna McDonald

  “Did I say anything negative? No. So calm the hell down,” Peyton ordered sharply. “I got over being pissed about two seconds after I heard what happened. None of us could have known what effect hearing her real name would have on her until we saw it in action. Captain Pennington has been tweaked and re-tweaked so many times that Kyra said she was glad to finally get a chance to work on the woman without drugging her first. Sorting out her code is like looking at an elaborate game with all sorts of hidden triggers, odd twists, and surprise prompts for unexpected things like her protection protocol.”

  Eric nodded and frowned. He swiped a hand through his hair and then caught himself. He glared at Peyton, who smirked as he watched.

  “If you knew it was that bad, what took you guys so long to get here? Nero wouldn’t tell me. He just said you’d be here today and that I had to deal with the situation as best I could.”

  His frown deepened when he saw Peyton straighten his body and shift into Marine captain mode. His instincts went on full alert. What else had gone down while he was gone? Eric stood silent as Peyton stared at the cages for a while before answering.

  “We were delayed because Dr. Bradley Smith disappeared just after he heard what happened. He didn’t ask permission. He didn’t hesitate. He just fucking left Norton on his own and Kyra can’t call him back no matter what she tries. I’ve got Marcus working on tracking him down with those new tracers we installed in him, but so far no luck. The man has gone underground or the satellites would be pinging. We’ve put all restorations on hold until we can determine what’s going on because Evil Brad was assisting Kyra on nearly all of them. We’re doing another recall because we have no choice. And fuck… we just finished the military chip check.”

  Eric crossed his arms, glaring at their invisible enemy. “I think somebody upgraded Evil Brad’s processor while Kyra wasn’t looking. I noticed several odd things when I called him to help me unlock Lucy’s hidden Cyber Wife files. He was acting as independently as any restored cyborg does.”

  “I hadn’t noticed. Explain,” Peyton ordered, crossing his arms as well.

  Eric nodded. “I argued with Brad when he refused to do as I asked. When I demanded he comply, he had some sort of seizure hissy fit. Brad finally gave up the information I was wanting after he self-corrected, but I got the feeling he was faking it. While I was reading, he left without asking if we were done, without seeking permission, and without saying goodbye. Shit hit the fan with Lucy before I could report Brad’s weirdness to Kyra.”

  Peyton sighed in frustration. “Stop. There was no way to see that coming either, so don’t go there with your guilt trip. Obviously, we have another covert super scientist fucking with us. William has been looking for the one who calls himself Creator Omega. The guy seems to have a whole bunch of secret projects going on under our noses… the New World Companion one being the most vile we’ve come across.”

  Eric nodded, dropped his arms, and paced restlessly in front of Lucy’s cage.

  “Lucy mentioned him. He’s definitely involved in her situation.”

  “According to Rachel, the women she encountered when she was captured, acted a lot like your description of Captain Pennington’s programmed responses. Also, they seemed to have similar skills to hers. They were the ones who let Rachel out of her electronic cage and inadvertently helped her escape. Rachel said the guy who worked on her called himself Creator Omega. Too bad he kept her from seeing who he was. I’d love to see the bastard’s face at least once before I smash it.”

  Eric stared at the three comatose bodies as his mind whirled. “I don’t know what’s happened with Lucy, but she said she put the women in black into hibernation—whatever the hell that is. It looks a bit like cybernetic shut down to me, but I don’t think their processors are fried. They’re sort of like sleeping animals in this condition—like real hibernation. All their organic systems have slowed to a near stop, just functioning enough to keep them from dying. I think somehow I managed to activate that mode in Lucy. Don’t ask me what happened though… the only person I’m telling is Kyra. I’ve dishonored Captain Pennington enough as it is.”

  Peyton wheeled out a desk chair and sat down in it. He needed to conserve energy and sitting kept him from pacing, a nasty emotional habit he couldn’t seem to break himself from doing. He looked at the man who he’d known since he was practically a boy.

  “Nero’s busy working on a wake up code to bring them out of the state. Kyra’s considering using their hibernation state to attempt to restore them, instead of evoking a full shutdown. They’re in that room Nero uses as an office arguing about the best scientific thing to do in this case. That’s why I’m commiserating with you and not in the monitor room doing research. My hearing is too sharp and those two don’t bother to lower their voices around me anymore.”

  Eric walked to the cage where Lucy was lying comatose on a cot. He’d dressed her in the clothes she’d had on before their shower and towel dried her hair as best he could. He’d crawled in beside her in the bed, one arm locked around her until help had shown up. Now his hellcat was back in her worst hell and he couldn’t do a damn thing to get her out of it. He’d rather have her pacing, screaming, and throwing a fit. At least then he’d know she was alive.

  “Can I admit something to you, Peyton? Marcus isn’t here and I think I’m going to have a meltdown worse than any of Lucy’s temper tantrums if I don’t get it out of me soon.”

  “Sure. Did you kill somebody you shouldn’t have?” Peyton asked, grinning at the shock on Eric’s face. “I’m kidding, son. Lighten up. I’m sure you haven’t done anything unforgivable. You said her name and bad things happened. We’ll deal with it. Fucking shit like this has been going on since Kyra first restored me. You know that.”

  “Yes. But this is worse shit… at least for me. I have completely lost my objectivity. I don’t know when this happened, but somewhere during this hellish mess, I fell in love with Lucille Pennington.” Eric snorted when his confession rendered Peyton speechless. “Yes. I know what that look means. You don’t have to tell me how this is bad timing and the worse move ever. I’ve thought all those things and more.”

  Peyton snorted and then finally shrugged. “Strange is the new normal isn’t it?”

  Eric snorted in reply. “You know, I think it happened when she took a stroll through the bad shit in my head that time. I would kill people to save her, Peyton. If you saw all the scars on her body, you’d know why I feel that way. And yes, I realize I fell in love with a side of her we need to get rid of for her sake. I understand that. I fucking accept it. But I just wanted someone to know what I felt. I’m probably never going to get a chance to tell her, regardless of what happens.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, and yes, I saw her scars. I kept them out of her capture records because she’d suffered enough indignities. Kyra is still miffed, but I insisted. The woman has been treated worse than any soldier we’ve restored to date. If I could, I would remove the balls of any man who ever touched her without her permission.”

  Eric winced and nodded. Was he in that group? “What’s Kyra said about Lucy’s chances of being restored?”

  “Cybernetically, there’s only a five point seven percent chance of Captain Pennington retaining anything. Because of her head injury, her cybernetic panel, processor, logic chip, and all components would have to be rebuilt from scratch. Nero of course would try to keep as much stored data and original coding as can safely be retrieved. He did what he could for William, but the man lost absolutely everything from seven years of his life. William said he didn’t mind, but I’ve seen what losing shit did to King. The unknown rips at your human side. It causes nightmares and other unexplainable inclinations. I’ll take knowing my hell if it means I get to keep the rest of my sanity.”

  “Take my word for it, Peyton. Lucille Pennington will be better off not remembering anything from her companion program. She said she had a built-in self flushing system for her data storage. She w
as programmed to use it after every sexual encounter. It was to keep the traumatic effects of any abuse she suffered from making her unwilling to engage in similar activities again. Basically, everything they did to her was dumped routinely. She entered a fresh hell each and every time she woke up from that hibernation state.”

  “Evil fucking scientist bastards,” Peyton swore. “Sometimes I wish Kyra could forget what happened to her. Maybe a complete overhaul would be a blessing for Captain Pennington.”

  “Yes. It would be a definite blessing,” Eric agreed, swallowing hard as he recalled her hesitantly offered explanations about why he should just indulge his lust.

  Peyton sighed wearily, hating to tell Eric the rest. But it needed to be said.

  “Unfortunately, her cybernetics aren’t the only problem Captain Pennington faces. There’s still the dangerous matter of her on-board weapon which can’t be safely disarmed. And as you have learned the hard way, the woman possesses more of them than we realized. There are good reasons the UCN is anxious to see her destruction sentence carried out. They are trusting us to keep her safely contained for now, but I wouldn’t put it past them to try and blow her up first chance they get. She represents the worst of their personal violations against Cyber Soldiers. Imagine what the world would think if she does recover and ever talks about what they did to her.”

  Eric nodded again. He had thought of that as well. “I think the UCN would be happier still to see us all taken out with her. We’re all at risk, especially here in this isolated location. One short range rocket would solve a lot of the UCN’s problems. Nero has a weapon warning approach system in place like those you find on military bases, and that’s a good thing for us. Some of us might manage to exit here fast enough to stay alive.”

  Eric paced then stopped. He released a weary breath.

  “I’m sorry I got you all involved, Peyton. She wanted to leave with me—insisted on it. We can take her back to the facility now if it would be safer. In this state, Lucy won’t even realize she’s there.”

  “I didn’t tell you all that to alarm you further. Our involvement was inevitable,” Peyton declared. “Now we have to deal with what is happening, but I don’t want to keep dwelling on what we can’t change. We need a mental break to keep our senses sharp. Nero have any beer left in his pantry stock? I’m thirsty.”

  Eric nodded numbly, unsure how he was going to be able to force himself to drink or eat without Lucy across the table from him. He’d never open a beer again without thinking of her doing it for him.

  “Snap the hell out of your funk, boy. It’s not helping the situation.”

  Eric turned to look at the man who was as much a father figure as a friend. His mother was still alive, but his father had passed while he was serving as a Cyber Husband. He hadn’t known and grieving it himself had put his mother through the loss all over again.

  He stared at Peyton, who was staring back and waiting for him to get a grip. Sometimes it seemed pain and loss were his only reality. He simply couldn’t imagine losing Peyton and Kyra. He’d almost lost Marcus not long ago, and doing so would have killed the biggest, and possibly best, part of him. Now he was going to lose Lucy… either to her restoration or to death. It was something he couldn’t fight. There would be no reprieve from the pain of her loss for him. Just dealing… all he could do was deal.

  “Come on, Corporal. You can cry in your beer and I won’t tell anyone. But I know for damn sure staring into these cages is not going to change anything tonight.”

  Eric dropped his gaze and nodded. “Yes. I know that. Guess I’m ready to go. I want to talk to Nero anyway. If he’s decoded the companion program, I want a chance to go through it. I got Lucy to tell me a lot of things about how it worked. Maybe I can help Nero and Kyra figure it out.”

  Eric winced with the sharp pressure as Peyton slapped him on the back to show his approval. The sting reminded him of being tranquilized. It was strange how just hearing the truth could hurt so badly.

  Chapter 9

  The four of them sat around some pretty decent reconstituted meals by Eric’s standards, but no one was eating but Peyton. Kyra sipped tea and stared off into space. Eric did not find the scientist’s silence reassuring in the least. He pulled his wandering mind to the present and put his full attention on Nero when he spoke.

  “I have discovered the code to wake Aja 490 and Meara 491 from their hibernation stasis. However, I do not exactly know who they will be once they are fully conscious and functional again. As a precaution against negative programming, Kyra and I have decided to replace their primary processor with a new prototype we have developed. Upon activation, the new processor will gather a basic data collection of information as well as provide life support and normal functioning. Later the matching logic chip should allow the cyborg to assimilate the rest of their memory storage using their free will to bring it forward. We sought to imitate the way a human normally recalls a stored memory and merges it into current thought.”

  “Will the two of them remember what happened yesterday?” Eric asked.

  Nero shrugged and poked at food he could not identify. How was he supposed to eat something unrecognizable? He spoke absently, happy to have stowed away protein bars in his overnight bag.

  “Results cannot be completely anticipated and may vary between each of the women. It is just a prototype logic chip, but luckily more compatible to their unique cybernetics than what we’ve installed in other restored Cyber Soldiers. The new chip will allow for a wider range of adaptation across emotional responses. In short, it is our way of handling hormonal mood swings which appear to be inevitable.”

  Eric glared at him. “Why? Because they’re female and need special handling.”

  Nero shrugged, not offended by how touchy Eric was. He was an unusually human-like cyborg. It was why he found the man so fascinating.

  “In females, logic chips get eroded by hormone surges, and processors fail over time as a result. This new one spins off the adaptations—think of these as reactions to emotions—sending it out to various storage areas where the knowledge can be recalled when needed.”

  Eric frowned. “That sounds a lot like how my processors work.”

  “Indeed,” Nero said, nodding at Eric’s accurate guess. “We actually made their prototypes from cloning Rachel’s, which while also a prototype, has worked out well in her case so far. Kyra fixed—no, let’s use the word ‘improved’—the way Rachel’s processor incorporates itself with her brain’s storage of organic memories. We suspect it allows her emotions to travel their more normal neural pathways. Despite my initial misgivings about the coding, Rachel seems very well adjusted.”

  Eric drew in a breath and tried to sift through what he’d heard. Even after all the time they’d spent working together, Nero’s explanations were still mostly gibberish to him. But he had gotten the gist of this one. Emotions do not mix well with logic, so the cybernetic system needed to get them the hell away from the processor and logic chip as soon as possible after being felt. Let the emotions go where they needed to go, or in a cyborg’s case, have the processor shove them somewhere they wouldn’t cause problems.

  Eric pushed away his plate and lifted his beer. “Will the women be soldiers or companions when they come around? Trust me—there’s a big damn difference.”

  Nero sighed as he shrugged again. “You are asking me questions we will not know the answers to until the women recover. We are leaving the core companion code during the restoration process, but we are taking steps so it will not be accidentally activated before their new processor has taken control. My goal is for both Corporal Kapur and Corporal MacDonald to be as fully restored as possibly for their circumstances. The codes within the companion code will still be triggers suggesting responses, but neither woman should feel more than a passing urge to obey. It is basically how we killed the Cyber Husband programming. We left it in place… just took away the pain motivation.”

  “But they will on some level
still be their companion selves?” Eric asked the question, refusing to feel guilty about his personal motivation for wanting to know the answer.

  Nero lifted a single shoulder. “Kyra and I agree it's best to leave the accumulated data of the companion program available in the two additional females in case they wish to recall it in its entirety. We understand there is a need to stop this atrocity from being replicated. It is our hope to make these two women totally immune, but keep them sentient about their companion pasts so they can help us formulate a strategy.”

  “Okay. That’s them, but what about Lucy? What’s the plan for her?”

  Eric saw Nero look at Kyra after he asked the question. They exchanged a look that made his gut sink. Kyra finally turned her serious gaze to his.

  “Captain Pennington’s restoration is higher-risk than any we’ve attempted up to now. It is also more prone to failures along the way. If we wake her up without doing the cybernetic restoration, she could either be the New World Companion you knew, or she could be the tortured woman Bradley Smith experimented on.”