The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord

by T C Southwell

  "Fourteen fifty-five to fifteen hundred... I got it." He swung back to the keyboard again, and his fingers raced over it.

  The block flashed green, and the writing changed to 'access granted'. A series of lines scrolled up the screen, and Tarl chewed his lip.

  "Bloody hell. Bio-status is twenty-eight per cent. Toxicity level eleven per cent above optimum for retrograde regeneration... liver damage irreversible in four hours... serum flush initiated... blood production doubled... that's why his pressure's so high." He tapped the keyboard, typing in a complex command, then read the answer on the screen. "Gene codes E48, G73 and Y12 switched on. Excellent. All he needs now is D10 and X14..." He frowned as more writing scrolled up the screen, some words flashing red. "What the hell? Emergency overload fluid flush initiated? What for?" His fingers flew over the keyboard as he muttered, "Initiate bio-status query: reason for emergency fluid flush."

  Lines of writing scrolled up the screen again, and Tarl stared at them. "Exotoxin espinix unidentified... Acid! It's the acid. Shit. The fluid flush will help; an alkaline derivative will, too." He turned to the doctor. "Err... twenty ccs of panalin and bontril, in the drip, now."

  The doctor nodded at a medic, who picked up a vial, drew a small amount into a syringe, repeated the procedure with another vial, and injected the drip. Everyone looked at Tarl again as he read the results on the screen.

  "Espinix dropping... Good." He straightened, nodding.

  "Can you explain all that now?" the doctor enquired.

  "Well, the control unit has taken steps to compensate for the toxins in his system, but it couldn't identify the acid. Corsairs sometimes use their females' milk, or urine, but the stuff they were using was green, so it might have been bile or something. Whatever it was, Myon Two didn't have it in the database. The control unit's switched on three regenerative genes that repair cellular damage and nerve connectivity, and activated his auxiliary immune response. I'm going to switch on two more to enhance his variable genetic defence system, which will break down the toxin more rapidly, ensuring no damage to his system."

  Tassin realised that her cheeks were wet and wiped them, finding it hard to listen to Tarl talking about Sabre as if he was some sort of organic machine.

  A medic came in and signalled to the doctor, who said, "Your centrifuge and ingredients are ready."

  "Good." Tarl left with the medic, and Tassin moved closer to take Sabre's hand, gazing down at him.

  "You shouldn't be in here, Miss," the doctor said.

  "Leave her," a deep voice commanded.

  "Yes, My Lord." The doctor bowed and withdrew.

  Tassin glanced at the Overlord, who still stood on the other side of Sabre's bed, watching the proceedings. She forced a weak smile.

  "Thank you. Overlord Fairen?"

  "Yes."

  "I'm most grateful for your help."

  He unfolded his arms and placed a gloved hand on Sabre's brow, fingering the brow band. "He saved my life. I pay my debts."

  "There are those who would not, who even want to kill him."

  His hooded head inclined. "I know."

  "If you're going to all this trouble to help him, may I assume that you'll also protect him?"

  "You may." He folded his arms again. "Who is the man giving all the orders?"

  "Oh, that's Tarl. He's an ex-cyber technician." She caressed Sabre's hand. "What's going to happen to us when he's better?"

  "You will be taken to a ship that was ordered here to pick you up, and you may continue your journey."

  Tarl came back with a syringe, shooting Fairen a wary look before going to Sabre's side and injecting it into the drip. "There, that should do it." He studied the monitor. "Yep, vitals dropping now. Heart rate down to one twenty; blood pressure at one forty over one twenty. Almost normal. Temperature one hundred and four. He's doing great."

  "How long before he wakes up?"

  Tarl went over to the machine that was plugged into the brow band and tapped on the keyboard. "Bio-status at twenty-nine per cent. Not for a while, I'm afraid. A day or two."

  Sabre appeared to be relaxed now, his breathing slow and deep, but sweat continued to pour off him, forming puddles on the metal stretcher. Tarl glanced at Tassin. "You should leave for a little while. Go get some food, or something to drink."

  "Why?"

  "Well, we've been pumping fluids into him, and it's got to come out. I'm going to order the control unit to... you know."

  "Oh. Of course." She started to turn away, then swung back. "How can you order the cyber to... do that if it's not in control?"

  "Sabre's unconscious. It will happen naturally soon enough, but right now the control unit can regulate his functions."

  "Right. And then it will take over again."

  "Maybe not. It's an AI. By now it's learnt that it can't keep control of him."

  Tassin nodded and left, finding a crewman waiting to show her to a luxurious suite.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tarl stood beside Sabre, who now lay on a soft hospital bed, and studied the screen on the cyber monitoring equipment. Twelve hours had passed since they had come aboard Fairen's ship, and Tassin had snatched a few hours’ sleep and a meal before returning to her vigil. The cyber remained unconscious, a sheet covering him to the armpits.

  Tarl said, "Forty-nine per cent. He should be waking up any time now."

  "That's meaningless. The cyber doesn't control him anymore," Tassin pointed out.

  "No, but it's still a good indication of his physical condition, which governs his mental status."

  "Could you stop talking gibberish?"

  "Sorry. It still gives us a good idea of when he'll wake up."

  Tassin sighed and stroked Sabre's arm, pleased that the ugly red marks had faded, and his skin was its usual matt golden hue again. "I'm glad you were here to help him."

  "He would have survived."

  "With permanent damage."

  "Yeah. I once treated a cyber who was bitten by a Corsair twice in three days. His owner, idiot that he was, released a captive one and sent his cybers after him for sport. The cyber hadn't received any treatment, and he was badly jaundiced; his liver was damaged, and his kidneys. I flushed him and switched on all his regenerative genes, but it was too late."

  "He died?"

  He shook his head. "No, it was just permanent. His system was badly weakened, and I heard later that his owner entered him in one of those gladiator zoo places, where a javel monster killed him."

  "How horrible."

  "It was probably a mercy."

  "Would that have happened to Sabre?"

  Tarl adjusted the drip. "Not as badly, no. He wasn't bitten. The first dose was small, but made worse by entering through his eyes, close to his brain. The second dose was also less than a bite, and in the leg, which diluted it. I doubt the damage would have caused jaundice, but it would have weakened him."

  "And now he's got no damage?"

  "Nope, he's as good as new, or he will be in a few more days."

  Sabre's eyes opened. "You're in your element, aren't you, Tarl?"

  Tassin smiled and took his hand, clasping it to her chest. "You're awake."

  "For several minutes now. It's interesting what people say when they think you're asleep."

  "I would have told you the same thing if you'd asked," Tarl said. "I'm glad you’re feeling better, bud."

  Sabre's eyes roamed over the equipment. "Been having fun?"

  "No, actually, it was pretty shit. I don't like seeing my friends sick."

  "What did you do to me?"

  Tarl shrugged. "Switched on a few designer genes and pumped you full of drugs."

  "You can get out of the cyber now."

  "Right." Tarl switched off the monitor and unplugged the cable from the brow band. "There."

  "The cyber helped to make you better," Tassin said.

  "Yeah, that and all the alterations that were made to my DNA, not to mention the immunisation to Corsair poison.
Lovely."

  "If not for that, you'd be dead."

  Sabre sighed, closing his eyes. "The wonders of modern technology. I'm a shining example of human ingenuity. Designed to -"

  "Stop it."

  A slight, bitter smile curved his lips. "Sorry. I have a splitting headache, my stomach's trying to crawl up my throat, and my mouth tastes like something died in it. I need a shower."

  Tarl said, "You have sixteen hours of secondary reaction time left. You're going to feel like shit for a bit longer."

  "Wonderful."

  "Better than being dead."

  "I guess, but only a little."

  Tarl pressed a button beside the bed, and the back of it rose with a soft wine, raising Sabre into a sitting position. The cyber opened his eyes and studied the ex-technician like he was a strange and exceedingly ugly slug that had just crawled up his leg.

  Tarl grinned. "Neat, huh?"

  "Oh, god, he's found a new toy," Sabre muttered.

  Tassin giggled, and Sabre sat up and pulled the drip needle out of his wrist. "Tell you what, you stay here and play with the bed; I'm going to have a shower."

  Tarl shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You're still too weak."

  "I've felt worse."

  Swinging his legs off the bed, Sabre stood up, but his knees buckled. Tarl caught him before fell onto the monitoring equipment, and Sabre eyed the ex-technician as Tarl helped him to sit on the edge of the bed again.

  "I didn't know you were this fond of me, Tarl."

  "Oh yeah, I've always fancied you, Sabre."

  The cyber chuckled, shaking his head, then glanced up as a crewman entered the cubicle.

  "Overlord Fairen has granted a private interview to the one known as Sabre," he announced.

  "Tell his lordship I need a shower first."

  The man raised his chin. "You refuse?"

  "I'll be there when I've had a shower."

  "Overlord Fairen should not be kept waiting. You will come with me now."

  "Make me," Sabre said.

  The man hesitated, then spun on his heel and left. Tarl picked up a bottle from the bedside table and shook two pills into his hand, offering them to Sabre with a cup of water.

  "These will help with the nausea and headache."

  Sabre took them with a nod and rose to his feet, leaning on Tarl's shoulder. With his aid, he went to the showers located down the corridor. He emerged refreshed, to find that his combat clothes had been confiscated and replaced with a pair of black trousers and a tunic emblazoned with Fairen's crest. The long hot shower had restored some of his strength, and he waved Tarl away when he offered his support. He made his way slowly through the ship, following a crewman to Fairen's private chambers.

  The young Overlord looked up with a smile when Sabre entered the plush black and red suite, some of his joy ebbing when he noticed the slow, cautious way Sabre walked.

  "Sit, Sabre. How are you feeling?"

  The cyber sank onto a white sofa with a sigh. "Like shit, pretty much."

  "It's good to see you on your feet again, nevertheless." He rose and went to the refreshment counter to pour a fruit juice, which he handed to Sabre.

  "Thanks."

  Fairen sat opposite, leant forward and folded his hands. "I have a favour to ask you." He hesitated, frowning. "I know I'm the one who owes you for saving my life, so you may ask a favour of me in return."

  "What do you want?"

  "Teach me to fight like you do." It came out in a rush, and the boy looked abashed, a faint flush colouring his pale cheeks.

  Sabre eyed him, sipping the drink. "You'll never be able to do that."

  "No, of course not, but I wish to be able to defend myself. If I'd been trained, the Corsair would not have been able to take me hostage."

  "Yeah, he would. He was a match for me. Corsairs are extremely dangerous."

  Fairen nodded. "I thought I was safe. He was bound in duronium chains, but he broke them like they were string."

  "They're as strong as a cyber. You don't need to learn to fight; you have an army here to protect you, and if your soldiers had lasers, they’d be a whole lot more effective."

  "They were useless. The laser ban is for a reason. It ensures that no lasers can be brought onto the ship without my internal scanners picking them up. Since they’re the weapon of choice, it’s a useful safeguard, and since my men don’t have them, they’re easy to detect and track. Anyway, I'm not planning on bringing another Corsair on board my ship, but I would like to learn to fight, nonetheless. Call it a whim, if you like."

  Sabre studied the boy. "I guess I could teach you a few self-defence moves, but so could your soldiers."

  "I want you to teach me."

  "Why?"

  Fairen gave up trying to maintain his air of cool detachment and leant forward, his eyes eager. "Come on, Sabre. It'll be fun."

  The cyber smiled and looked down at his drink. "You just want to spar with a cyber, don't you?"

  "Not just any cyber. You. Will you do it?"

  "And you'll grant me any favour I want?"

  Fairen's eyes slid away. "Within reason."

  "Order Myon Two to stop producing cybers."

  "I was afraid you would ask for that."

  "I guess that means it's not within reason."

  Fairen sighed. "Unfortunately, I would be going against the law, which states that an Overlord may not cause harm to innocents, even indirectly, unless it's to prevent a horrific crime or a lot of suffering. Although the men who work on Myon Two are not exactly innocent, neither are they criminals, and the economies of two planets depend on cyber manufacture. If I did it, the other Overlords would vote to overturn my order."

  "Does no one care about what's being done to the cyber hosts?"

  "We do, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

  "Even when the many are torturing the few?"

  Fairen inclined his head. "If saving those few will endanger the lives of the many, yes."

  "Let them build something else. Robots, for instance."

  "All their technology and equipment is for manufacturing cybers."

  "They've got rich from our suffering; they can afford to refit," Sabre said.

  "Robots cannot replace cybers, and many important people, planetary leaders, statesmen and ministers would become targets for dissidents and revolutionaries, causing chaos on many worlds. Cybers perform an important function in today's society; removing them would be detrimental to a great many people. Nor can I order them to allow the cyber hosts free will. The risk that some of them would abuse their power is too great. Ravian has already done as much as we can to help them without causing more problems."

  Sabre nodded, staring at the floor. "Then I'll decide what I want at a later stage. I'm sure something will crop up."

  "As you wish. When can we start?"

  "When I'm a bit stronger. Right now, you could knock me over with a feather."

  Fairen grinned. "Oh, I doubt that."

  "You'd be surprised. Have Ravian and Ramadaus left?"

  "No. There have been no distress calls in this sector. Couldn't you show me something now? Something that doesn't require much strength, perhaps?"

  Sabre smiled. "There are many things that don't require much strength, and hurt a lot, but I'm not doing them to you."

  "Why not?"

  "Apart from the fact that you're an Overlord?"

  Fairen snorted. "Forget about that for the moment. Show me."

  "No. You're a child."

  "I'm strong. I exercise every day."

  "Your bones are like twigs. I might break something."

  The boy addressed the air. "Send in a guard."

  Sabre glanced around as the door opened. A soldier entered, marched over to Fairen and stopped before him with a bow.

  Fairen said, "Sabre is going to demonstrate some self-defence moves. You will comply with everything he says."

  The soldier's eyes flicked to the cy
ber. "Yes, My Lord."

  Sabre sighed, put down his glass and beckoned to the man. "Come here and kneel beside me." The guard obliged, looking wary, and Sabre held out his left arm. "Take hold."

  As soon as the man gripped it, Sabre grabbed the soldier's middle finger with his right hand and bent it back until he let go with a hiss and snatched his hand away, nursing his finger.

  "That's it?" Fairen demanded, his brows raised.

  "The easiest forms of self-defence are the simplest."

  "But if someone was trying to kill me, twisting his finger isn't going to stop him."

  "No, that's more for warding off unwelcome intrusions."

  "Useful, but I want to know how to stop an attacker who's trying to kill me, like the Corsair. He gave no indication of his true abilities until I was within his reach. He allowed my guards to drag him in here with only token struggles, and let himself be chained."

  Sabre nodded. "When he realised where he was, he hoped to kill you."

  "But he didn't, even though he could have. Surely he was trying to blackmail me into releasing him and his ship?"

  "No. Since they can't communicate with us, he couldn't do that. He was probably savouring his victory, perhaps hoping to torture you before he killed you."

  "So why was it, when my guards wanted to rush him after he knocked me down, he threatened to bite me, preventing them, but when you charged him, he let me go?" Fairen asked.

  "Corsairs have a strange mentality and customs. A group of men is a threat, and they'll use any means to counter it, but a single attacker is a challenge, and they can't resist those. If I had drawn my lasers, he would have killed you, since he had no hope of winning, then. As long as he thought he had a chance of winning, he had to accept the challenge. In their culture, if you don't accept a challenge, you're a coward, and reviled, even put to death."

  "How do you know so much about them?"

  Sabre picked up his drink and sipped it. "When Corsair space was invaded thirty years ago, Myon Two studied them, as they do all possible adversaries. I was trained to deal with all the dangerous alien beasts, and Corsairs."

  Fairen frowned at the floor. "The time I spent in his grip was horrible. His lust for my death and all the people on my ship was overwhelming."