The Cyber Chronicles IV - Cyborg

by T C Southwell

  Kole shrugged and nodded. "Might as well."

  "Do they know about your cyber?"

  "Yes."

  "Pity. How badly is your ship damaged?"

  Kole grimaced, recapped the tin and handed it to the man who had brought it. "Both engines are down, and the auxiliary backup."

  "That's too bad."

  "Yeah."

  A clang echoed around the hold, and Ravel touched his ear again. "They've attached a boarding tube." He paused, listening. "It's primed." Taking two laser cannon from a nearby man, he handed one to Kole. "Make yourself useful."

  Ravel handed the other to Tassin, and she frowned at it in confusion. "I don't know how -"

  "Give it to the cyber, and you'd better give him his instructions."

  "Oh, right." Tassin held out the laser cannon to Sabre, who unclasped his hands from behind his back and took it. "Cyber, enemies will be coming through those doors in a moment. Kill them."

  Sabre ran his hands over the weapon without looking at it, touching a couple of buttons on the side. Ravel pulled a tiny wire from behind his ear and spoke into the end of it.

  "Open the airlock."

  Sabre turned his head towards her. "You should seek cover, over there." He nodded at the nearest pod.

  Tassin sidled towards it, loath to leave his side. Ravel joined his men by the wall, and Kole took cover behind the pod with Tassin, leaving Sabre alone in the middle of the room.

  "I hope he doesn't get hurt," she muttered.

  "Chances are, he will."

  Tassin gulped, her eyes stinging. The airlock doors rumbled open to reveal a long, corrugated tunnel, and two men crouched outside holding needle guns, hair-fine lasers designed to burn through metal. They dived aside, and black-clad enforcers boiled in, opening fire. The men by the walls fired back, filling the hold with a web of brilliant light and the vicious buzzing hum of high powered laser bolts that left glowing spots on the metal walls with sizzling cracks. Sabre dropped flat and fired, and a couple of enforcers went down as his shots penetrated chinks in their armour. The rest spread out, firing at the men around the walls, some of whom fell with grunts or yells of pain.

  Sabre rolled sideways as bolts flashed past his position. Tassin's heart crawled into her throat, and her hand caressed the hilt of the sword at her side. Kole fired around the edge of the pod as the enforcers strode across the hold, some dragging away the wounded. The settler ship's crew sought cover behind piles of metal boxes, and some of the enforcers developed glowing spots on the front of their armour. They turned their backs to allow the overloaded shielding to cool. More fell as they were hit in the arms or legs, and retreated into the tunnel, where medics helped them back into the ship. Three men ran in, each carrying a two-metre-square shield, and most of the enforcers took cover behind them.

  Tassin's breath caught as a pair of cybers in full body armour and helmets strode in, awed, as always, by their lithe grace. They fired at the settlers with the two hand lasers they each carried, their arms working independently.

  "No problem telling them apart," Kole shouted above the battle’s almost constant hum and crackling bangs.

  Tassin glanced at Sabre, amazed that he was still out in the open, and unharmed. He rolled from side to side, avoiding the shots, but when the cybers appeared he leapt up and sprinted to the nearest pod, running up the side of it. Flashes of red fire followed him, and he turned and leapt at a clutch of enforcers behind a shield, landing behind them. In a moment he had pressed the muzzle of his laser cannon to the necks of three of them, killing them, and the rest scattered, drawing fire from the walls. The two cybers tracked his movement with bolts of hot light, as did some of the enforcers, but most were occupied with the settlers.

  Sabre grabbed the abandoned shield and whipped around, flinging it at one of the cybers with a jerk of his arm. The cyber ducked, and the shield smashed into the wall beyond with a terrific bang, almost beheading several settlers, who dived aside in the nick of time. The other cyber dropped into a forward roll towards Sabre as he performed a graceful backflip, whipping around to smash the butt of his cannon into an enforcer's helmet. The man dropped, and two more flung themselves at Sabre, trying to shoot him point blank. Sabre dived into a forward roll, then leapt high to avoid the cybers' converging fire.

  The three cyborgs performed a graceful ballet, leaping and diving to avoid attacks with such speed Tassin's eyes could barely follow them. They moved almost in unison, trying to strike each other in mid-air. By comparison, the enforcers were slow and clumsy, hampering each other in their efforts to wound Sabre, and once even shooting one of their own men. The settlers jeered and shot at them, scoring hits while the enforcers were engrossed in their attempts to capture Sabre. He concentrated on the cybers, occasionally striking an enforcer when opportunity allowed. Like them, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, and anticipated their attacks as if he could read their minds. More and more enforcers were wounded and dragged out through the tunnel, until only five remained behind two shields. None of the cybers had yet struck another, but sweat sheened Sabre's skin.

  A cyber lunged at Sabre, trying to grab him. He spun aside and punched the cyber on the side of the head, cracking his helmet with a brittle report. The cyber staggered sideways, then spun away as his cohort dived into a forward roll and leapt to his feet behind Sabre. His fist shot out at Sabre's head. To Tassin's amazement, Sabre flung himself into a backflip and whipped his legs around his opponent's neck.

  The cyber staggered back and fell, Sabre on top of him. He aimed his lasers at Sabre's flanks, but he gripped the cyber's wrists and twisted, ripping one weapon free. He ducked as the second cyber swung around and fired, the shots hissing over him. Sabre punched the prone cyber in the face, smashing his helmet, then rammed the business end of the hand laser into the cyber's eye. The cyber heaved, flinging Sabre off before he could fire, and they rolled away in opposite directions.

  The second cyber followed Sabre with pulses of laser fire, and two of the enforcers joined in, since the firing from the settlers had diminished due to their fascination with the cyber fight. Tassin turned to find Kole agape, his weapon dangling from his hand, and punched him in the shoulder.

  "Shoot them!"

  Kole jumped and glanced at her, then raised his weapon again. Sabre leapt up with a strange twist that defied gravity and fired at the second cyber, who sprinted towards the far pod. He ran up its side and flipped over backwards in a graceful somersault, trying to get behind Sabre while his partner rushed at him from the side. Sabre dropped and rolled, lashing out with a foot. The cyber jumped over it as his comrade landed and lunged at Sabre, who leapt up and spun, his boot striking the second cyber on the side of the head again.

  The blow tore his helmet off, revealing a youthful version of Sabre's face, with a shaven head. His eyes were closed and his expression impassive as he staggered sideways, then spun, raising his weapons. Sabre had lost the laser cannon, and drew one of his hand lasers in a blur of motion to snap off three shots at the cyber's head. He ducked, and his partner fired at Sabre's back as he spun to avoid it, one bolt clipping his shoulder. He fired back, and glowing spots appeared on the cyber's chest armour. Sabre dropped and rolled again as the second cyber rushed him from the side, firing. One of the shots hit Sabre in the flank, and blood oozed from his shoulder.

  The settlers fired at the helmetless cyber's head, forcing him to duck and roll. He snapped off a few shots at them, then fired at Sabre, forcing him to take evasive action as his partner rushed at him from behind, firing at his back. Sabre dropped and spun, grabbed the cyber's arm as he leapt up and swung him into the pod. As he rebounded, the second cyber rushed in, looking for a close up shot that would not allow Sabre to evade it. Sabre flung himself backwards and performed three backflips as the shots flashed past.

  The cyber pursued him, and Sabre bounced to his feet and sprinted at the side of the hold. He ran up the wall like a cat and somersaulted over his pursuer. The cyber spu
n around as Sabre aimed point blank at the back of his head, flinging himself backwards before Sabre fired. The first cyber fired, and Sabre cartwheeled sideways. The second cyber followed with a series of backflips, and they bounced to their feet together. The second cyber aimed at Sabre's head, but he flung himself into a forward roll. His feet hit the cyber in the gut and sent him staggering back.

  Sweat ran down Sabre's skin now, and drops splattered from his opponents. Tassin wondered how long they could sustain this level of effort. It continued, a graceful, perfectly performed ballet of highly skilled combat manoeuvres performed with incredible speed and precision. So much so that hardly any blows or shots hit their elusive targets. Fatigue might eventually become the deciding factor, Tassin realised, and, since Sabre was not controlled by a machine, he was at a disadvantage. The enforcers behind the shield dwindled to four as one fell to a settler who crept around behind them, and the rest retreated towards the airlock.

  One of Sabre's shots grazed the side of the helmetless cyber's head, burning away a chunk of skin to reveal the golden gleam of barrinium. The other cyber slipped on the bloody floor, and Sabre sent him spinning into the wall with a powerful kick. Fatigue took its toll, and Tassin calculated that the fight had gone on for almost half an hour. Sabre lost his balance while performing a spinning kick and fell, and his opponent stamped on his chest, forcing a grunt from him. Sabre rolled to his feet and fired, but his laser sputtered and died. He drew the second one, hurling the first at the other cyber, who snapped off a series of shots that missed only because Sabre dived sideways.

  Tassin noticed a subtle shift in the enemy cybers' strategy. One slowed almost to a standstill, offering a tempting target, and Sabre attacked him in a graceful bound, leaping high in a spinning kick. The cyber was smashed sideways, his helmet crushed by the blow. Sabre followed him down, trying to press his laser to the cyber's eye. The cyber grabbed his wrist, holding him at bay while he attempted to press his weapon to Sabre's ear. Sabre smashed his arm away, but the second cyber reached them and aimed at Sabre's back. Sabre flung himself sideways to avoid the shot, but the first cyber hung on, trying to hold him long enough for his partner to finish the job.

  Sabre raised his legs and forced them into the cyber's chest, then kicked, ripping himself free with such force that Tassin expected some fingers to be torn off. The second cyber flung himself on top of Sabre, trying to pin him down. Sabre jerked up his legs, planted his feet on his opponent's chest and sent him flying with a powerful kick. The other cyber leapt at him, and Sabre rolled, hurling him away as he hooked his fingers into the neck of the cyber's armour. It tore off with a ripping sound, exposing the cyber's chest. The first cyber leapt up and fired, two shots hitting Sabre in the chest before he could roll away. Tassin groaned, chewing her lip.

  The settlers fired at the cyber with the exposed chest, several shots hitting him despite his evasive tactics, yet they hardly seemed to do any harm. Sabre also seemed unaffected, and rolled to his feet, then dived for his laser, which he had dropped. Both Myon Two cybers were now helmetless, with identical youthful faces and shaven heads, although one had his eyes open in a classic blank gaze. The duo converged on Sabre again, firing, and he evaded all except one of the shots, which hit him in the thigh, making him stagger. He spun away, but a cyber grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm in a move too fast for Tassin to see.

  Sabre whipped around, ignoring what must have been a considerable amount of pain, and kicked his assailant in the shin. His partner leapt to grab Sabre's other arm, but he evaded him. His arm snapped up and pressed his laser to the second cyber's eye. As he jerked away, Sabre pulled the trigger. The cyber stiffened, the lights on his brow band blazing red. He crumpled, and Sabre swung the weapon towards the cyber who held his arm, but his foe smashed it from his fist. The remaining cyber was the one without chest armour, and multiple laser burns oozed blood down his belly. He moved jerkily, his fist cracking into Sabre's jaw, snapping his head around. Sabre allowed the momentum to spin him right around, his elbow popping as he ripped his arm from the enemy cyber's iron grip.

  One of the enforcers behind the shield shouted, and the cyber paused, the lights on his brow band flashing, then turned and strode towards the tunnel. The settlers roared and fired a parting barrage as the cyber and the enforcers retreated into the tunnel, dragging the shields. The airlock doors rumbled shut, and Tassin ran to Sabre, her stomach a knot of anguish. He gasped in quick harsh breaths, and steam rose from his skin. Blood ran from his shoulder, chest, flank and thigh, mingling with the sweat that poured off him, and red marks and swellings marred his skin in dozens of places. The settlers quit their hiding places and gathered around, a few kicking the dead cyber, whose brow band still blazed red.

  The captain bellowed, "Let the doc through!"

  Tassin blinked away her tears. "Sabre, rest, you're injured."

  "Unit is functional," Sabre intoned, but he sank down on his haunches and bowed his head.

  "At what level?" Kole asked.

  "Fifty-two per cent."

  A plump man with bushy sideburns elbowed his way through the crowd and knelt beside Sabre, opening a white case. He glanced up at Tassin.

  "Give me access."

  His request confused her, then Kole nudged her and she realised what she had to do. "Sabre, allow the doctor to treat your wounds."

  "Tell him to lie down."

  Tassin gave the order, and Sabre obeyed, closing his eyes. The effort of keeping his face blank when in so much pain must have been considerable, Tassin thought. The doctor cut away Sabre's vest, swabbed the wounds and applied adhesive dressings, then probed Sabre's ribs with total disregard for the pain he caused. Sabre stiffened, and the doctor paused, frowning.

  "Your control unit seems to have developed a problem," he said.

  Tassin frowned. "Give him a painkiller before you do anything else."

  "What for?"

  "Because I said so."

  The doctor glanced at Ravel, who shrugged. The doctor injected Sabre in the vein in his elbow, and then continued his examination.

  "He's got two cracked ribs."

  He strapped Sabre's chest and examined his hands, which bled where he had ripped off the other cyber's armour. When they were bandaged, he turned his attention to Sabre's elbow, flexed the joint and shook his head.

  "His elbow's torn up pretty bad. This will take months to heal. Probably won't ever be the same again."

  He placed a cast on Sabre's arm and strapped it to his chest before concluding his examination. "The rest is just bruises, pretty bad ones, but nothing I can do about them." He fingered Sabre's jaw. "This should be broken, but it's not."

  "Why do you say it should be broken?"

  "Because I saw how hard he was hit, little lass. Only the reinforcing saved it."

  Tassin nodded, struggling to hide her misery, and glanced at the dead cyber. His brow band still blazed, and some of the settlers squatted to study him. One used a knife to cut open the skin of his face, revealing the barrinium plating.

  "Why is his brow band still on?" she asked Kole.

  "Battery backup. It will die soon."

  Ravel nodded. "Some say a cyber will continue to function for several minutes even after he's dead, if the brain's not damaged. That one's got a cooked brain, that's why he's not moving."

  Tassin looked away, nauseated by the settlers' brutal butchering, and the doctor stood up, extending his hand. "That'll be five credits."

  Tassin's mouth fell open, but Kole drew a translucent wafer from his pocket and handed it over. Ravel gazed down at Sabre, shaking his head.

  "That fight lasted almost two hours. Amazing. You want to sell him?"

  "No." Tassin frowned. "I'd like a cabin."

  "Well now, cabins are pretty scarce."

  Kole held out another wafer. "We can pay."

  Ravel took it. "That's good. I'm sure we can find something for you." He touched his ear and smiled. "The enforcer ship's leaving; seems it's get
ting too hot out there, even for them."

  "The cyber's corpse is worth almost two hundred thousand credits," Kole said. "We'll let you keep it for safe passage away from Rashid."

  Ravel's eyes narrowed. "You'll let me keep it?"

  "We still have a cyber, and he killed him, not you. The corpse belongs to us."

  "Have you forgotten where you are, son? This is Rashid. There are no laws. But yeah, you do still have a cyber, so I'll let it go."

  Kole nodded. "Where are you headed?"

  "Arfendis One, which you've never heard of. Where were you headed?"

  "Charon Six."

  "We're not going anywhere near there."

  "How much would your engineers charge to repair my ship?"

  Ravel shrugged. "That depends on what's wrong with it."

  "Then I'd like them to have a look at it."

  "Sure." Ravel glanced down at Sabre, whose breaths had slowed to deep even gasps. "I tell you what. I'll give you ship clamp out of this system if I can borrow your cyber while he's here."

  Tassin stifled a gasp, and Kole raised his brows. "What for?"

  "This bunch." Ravel indicated the men. "They fight amongst themselves."

  Kole nodded. "But no command privilege. If you have a problem, one of us will go with you."

  "Did I ask for command privilege?"

  "He's too badly injured," Tassin protested.

  "Honey," Ravel drawled, "even at fifty per cent, no one's going to mess with him."

  Tassin rubbed her brow, her head pounding. "Could we go to our cabin now?"

  Ravel nodded and beckoned to one of his men, ordering him to take Tassin to a cabin and evict the current tenants.

  Tassin scowled. "What about Kole?"

  "We have strict rules on this ship, and one is that there's no interaction between men and women. The women have their own section, and if young Kole wants a cabin too, he'll have to pay extra for it, or he can bunk with the men."

  Kole grimaced. "Fine, I'll bunk with the men."

  "And my cyber?" Tassin asked.