Cyborg Corps

by J N Chaney

  The interior was dark, so Warren activated his night vision and looked both fore and aft. The interior of the tube was about three meters in diameter and was as crudely constructed as the rest of the ship. Pipes, conduits, and cables ran along the walls and floor with little thought given to the trip hazards they posed. There weren’t just a few pipes visible, like he was accustomed to on Grand Republic vessels, there were hundreds of them strewn about with little thought for the aesthetic beauty of space engineering.

  A grin spread across Warren’s face as he drew his blade. This was the ship’s spinal cord. He could wreak all kinds of havoc here, but as he prepared, he had a fleeting thought. Where are we positioned right now? Through the other cyborgs, he realized the ship wasn’t just above the battlefield. It was directly above Dome-5. If he brought the vessel down here, it’s enormous mass would crush the dome, killing everyone inside. He had to think of something else. He was here to save the people—not sacrifice them.

  WARNING: OXYGEN SUPPLY 8%

  The clock was ticking. Apparently, his oxygen supply had been nicked by one of the micro-rockets from earlier. He had enough oxygen in his internal systems to last about ten more minutes—maybe less. Any longer, and he’d die from hypoxia. Whatever he did, he had to do it quickly.

  Moving as fast as he dared, Warren pulled at the cables hanging from the ceiling. He was able to tell which ones had power running through them by touch alone. The ones that didn’t have juice surging through them, he cut. Then he moved to the walls, first the left, then the right, working his way through all the wires. He finished the bundled cables running along the floor five minutes later.

  “Lukov,” he said. “I need you to head over here. Get back into orbit and stick close to the hatch I cut. But be ready for... anything.”

  “On my way,” he replied. “Anything? Like what?”

  “Like this ship suddenly moving. Maybe accelerating, breaking, anything.”

  “I’ll be there in two shakes of a donkey’s tail.”

  Warren took up as much slack in the cables as he could, but there wasn’t much. He’d felt the thrum through the cord and realized that it was sending a strange pattern through it that matched the rhythmic burn from the ship’s engines. His gut told him that they were the main control lines, since the mothership was constantly using its thrusters to maintain its stable orbit over Dome-5.

  Gripping tightly, he concentrated on the bundled wires. The signal that the fore section of the vessel was sending toward the aft told it when to fire its thrusters and how much to keep the ship stationary. That wouldn’t necessarily require a lot of power. It could just be a specific voltage telling onboard AI whether or not to burn its engines.

  Warren dismissed all of the cables with more than a thousand volts running through them. That left sixty to sort through.

  “I’m here,” Lukov said. “Standing by.”

  There was no way to tell which cable was the right one, so Warren had to cut them one at a time, relying on his reflexes to recover before it was too late.

  WARNING: OXYGEN SUPPLY 5%

  Using his knife, Warren began snipping cables. One of them appeared to control the launch system, because as soon as it was cut, the missiles stopped.

  Another dozen more and Warren found the one he was looking for. The aft thrusters went offline, and the fore thrusters continued to burn. The ship began to go nose up until Warren pressed the ends of the cable together. It righted itself but started to reposition above the battlefield again.

  Warren separated the cables once more, before pressing them back together. The act connected the signal cables, allowing him to maneuver the ship and forcing it to shove itself away from Dome-5 a few dozen meters at a time.

  WARNING: OXYGEN SUPPLY 3%

  His idea was taking too long. Letting both ends of the cables drop, he waited fifteen seconds to ensure that the mothership was moved far enough away from all the Reotian domes. Once he was clear, he sliced the rest of the wires in one circular motion.

  It worked! The Commonwealth ship fell from the sky, dropping like a rock. Warren dragged himself toward the opening, hoping Lukov was still nearby. His movements were sluggish, and he was having trouble focusing. New alarms warned him of his impending death, but he struggled to understand their meaning.

  Out of the corner of his fading vision, Warren spotted a shadow. It was vaguely arrowhead shaped. Kind of like a CW... something. Was it 14? 15?

  The world faded to black.

  He awoke face down in the airlock of Dome-5. His helmet had been removed and someone was dragging him by his foot.

  “Very brave,” Lukov said, managing to sound both proud and disapproving at the same time. “Also, very stupid.”

  “What happened?” Warren asked, shaking his foot loose from the other cyborg’s grip and climbing to his feet.

  “There is no use beating bush out of shape,” Lukov said. “You are the official hero of Reotis. Warren is their leader.”

  Warren couldn’t tell if he was joking. “Thanks for the save.”

  “You didn’t make it easy,” Lukov said. “I almost let you smash into the dirt, but we are friends, yes?” He laughed, not expecting an answer and gave Warren a friendly punch in the shoulder.

  Warren stood as he performed a quick systems check. He still had a stiff left ankle and various bits of minor damage to his synthetic skin. The outer layer of his chassis skin covering hurt a lot, but he was otherwise fine.

  “Such the problem solver,” Lukov said. “Seven cyborgs killed during fight. But, Republic and CoW ships destroyed.”

  “Problem postponed,” Warren replied. “They’ll be back. Both of them. But right now, we’ve got something even bigger to deal with. That CoW ship knew exactly when to strike. It was equipped with tech I didn’t know the Commonwealth had. It was designed to take on cyborgs. What I want to know is where it was hiding, and who told it to strike. That ship was unmanned—fully autonomous. Some kind of artificial intelligence, but not a great one. Someone had to signal it.”

  “Another spy?” Lukov asked, frowning as he raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “The same one, I’m guessing,” Warren answered. “The same bastard who sabotaged the EV system. We need to find them and shut down their operation before they bring a new surprise to our doorstep.”

  28

  “Report,” Warren said, feeling a bit uneasy on his feet. It looked like some of his internal systems needed to adjust for his newfound lack of balance. He’d suffered enough damage to cause a temporary shutdown of his cybernetics. His armor was lying in pieces on the ground. It looked too damaged to do him any good and though there wasn’t much of a need for modesty, he was glad he was still wearing his coveralls.

  “You almost died out there,” Hendrose said, running up to him. “We need to get you to the Ruthless so you can get some proper treatment.”

  “Not yet,” Warren said, holding up a hand to stop the man. “First, I need to know where we stand.”

  “No civilians injured in fighting,” Lukov said. “Though maybe we shouldn’t call them civilians anymore. They fight like military. Not like Spetsnaz, but well enough.”

  Warren wasn’t surprised to hear that. He’d risked a lot to get his freedom. The Reotians wanted to be free too, and why wouldn’t they be willing to die for it?

  He focused on Lukov and asked what he really wanted to know. “And the Commonwealth threat?”

  “Our enemy has been destroyed. The ship you disassembled from the inside crashed approximately twelve kilometers from our current position. I have sent two Reotians to investigate the remains. They are both armed, though I do not suspect they will find any resistance. They have experience with Commonwealth equipment.” Lukov paused, his face going solemn. “All of the machines are dead, but we lost a total of seven cyborgs during the engagement. Another three, including yourself, require repairs before you can continue.”

  “How long was I out?” Warren asked.

 
“You were unconscious for three minutes. There was no damage to the domes. One cyborg died when he crashed his CWS-14 into a dome, but it is nothing we cannot buff out.”

  It was then that Warren noticed everyone standing around further away. At least a hundred Reotians and two cyborgs were watching. The cyborgs were wearing their helmets, but he guessed they held the same worried expression as the civilians.

  “What are they waiting for?” Warren said over a private channel to Lukov. “Why are they standing there staring at me?”

  Lukov glanced over his shoulder before answering. “They were worried that you had died. I explained to them that you did not, but they did not believe me. Also, they probably want to know that the battle is over.”

  “Is it?” Warren asked.

  Lukov shrugged. “There are no more ships in orbit. There are no more machines on the ground.”

  Warren glanced at the others before speaking to Lukov on the private channel again. “It isn’t over, though. We found the spy room, but we still have a mole among us.”

  “Yes, I believe you to be correct,” he replied. “We could pretend the battle is over and nothing is to fear. It may draw the intruder out.”

  “It also means we’re going to suffer another catastrophe before this is all over,” Warren said. “Do we still have people looking for the saboteur?”

  “We do,” Lukov said. “Three Reotians and one cyborg—McNabb. He is attempt to keep it quiet but may be easier said than to do.”

  Warren was about to tell him to go ahead and start the celebration when he spotted a new face in the crowd. It was Linus Targatt—the teenage spy he’d sent out on his own fishing expedition. His expression was grimmer than the others.

  “It seems my own spy has returned,” Warren said, sending a snapshot of the boy to Lukov. “And based on his expression he has something for me.”

  “It would seem so,” the other Cyborg replied. “I will find a place to meet with him away from prying eyes. It might be best if you stay here and allow these people to tell you how wonderful, brave, and handsome you are. Well, perhaps not the last one.”

  Warren laughed and clapped his friend on the back. “Okay, go see what the kid’s got for us. I’ll let these people know the battle is over. Let me know what he says.”

  “I will,” Lukov said as he stepped away, heading straight for the kid.

  “Reotians,” Warren said, amplifying his voice to make sure everyone could hear him. “There are no more enemy ships remaining in orbit. No more mechs on the ground. The threat, for now, is over. We’ve given both the Commonwealth and the Republic a black eye today. Everyone should feel good about the part they played.”

  “Are we free?” a young woman, maybe fifteen, asked.

  Warren zeroed in on the woman and lifted a brow. “You’ve always been free. All we needed to do was to remind both our enemies about that fact.”

  “No,” she said, her voice growing small. “I mean, is it over? Will there be more?”

  Warren stepped closer to the young woman, who quailed under his gaze. Removing his helmet, he took a knee in front of her and looked up into her eyes. “There will always be battles to fight. I don’t think either the Republic or the Commonwealth will give up that easily. Both are ruthless. Both want this planet so badly they’re willing to do anything to take it. We’re going to have to outlast them. So, no. It’s not over yet. It’s just the beginning”

  She nodded, lips tightening into a firm line before she spoke again. “What do we do now?”

  Warren stood to address everyone. “We don’t let our guard down, and we’ll need to make whatever repairs we deem necessary, but now we can breathe a bit easier. Go home, be with your families, celebrate. I’ll assign cyborgs to do most of the work around here for now. Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

  Everyone started talking at once. Based on how they dragged their feet, they were exhausted.

  “The crowd is dispersing?” Lukov asked over the comm.

  “They are,” Warren said, watching them go with some concern. “They’re too tired to celebrate. It probably hasn’t even sunk in yet. They’ve accomplished a great thing today. There’s no way we could’ve done this alone.”

  “Agreed,” Lukov said. “None of Reotians who you looked of displayed guilt, deceit, or anger. The spy is still here somewhere. Which reminds me. Linus has information.”

  Warren was intrigued but waited until most of the crowd had left before winding his way toward Lukov. He checked over his shoulder several times to make sure he wasn’t being followed. When he arrived, he saw the kid looking like he was in trouble.

  “Tell him what you told me,” Lukov said.

  The kid looked scared, and when he spoke his voice cracked a little. “Like I was telling Mister Lukov here, I went exploring. Inventorying the warehouse was so boring and nobody came in. After the others left, I was bored, too, so... I went places.”

  “Spit it out,” Lukov said, his voice a bit stern.

  “I found a passage,” Linus continued, staring at one of his feet as he ground his heel into the dirt. “It’s not one we made. It isn’t tall enough to walk through. I had to crawl. At the end was a box. I figured the box must have a treasure inside or something. Maybe something cool. Credits. A gun. Anyway, the box was empty. Totally empty. Nothing at all inside. Just this poly box about this big.” He held up his hands, approximating the size of the box. “But when I looked up—then I saw it.”

  The kid was clearly excited, so Warren let him finish his story his own way, unsure of whether Linus might leave out some important detail if he were rushed.

  “It was an opening,” the boy whispered, looking to see if anyone was listening. “Into a house. I didn’t go in, but I heard someone talking. It sounded like he was angry. I like to learn secrets and stuff, so I hung out for a while. He was pissed. Like, really pissed. And he was welding something—or maybe taking something apart. I heard him talk about the Republic, too. He said they abandoned him and it was up to him to take care of the problem. He didn’t say what the problem was, but I think it was you. He kind of sounded like he was going nuts or something. Laughed once in a while, but it wasn’t a happy sound. It was spooky. I left in a hurry.”

  “Any chance he found out about you?” Warren asked.

  Linus shook his head. “No, no chance. I could hear him talking for a while until I was too far away.

  “Do you know name of person?” Lukov asked.

  “No,” the boy said, looking back and forth between the cyborgs with wide eyes as he wiped sweaty hands on his pants.

  “You did well,” Warren told him. “Did you tell anyone else about what you found?”

  “No, nobody.”

  “Good,” Warren said, feeling his mouth curl into a small smile. “Keep it that way. Where’s the tunnel entrance?”

  “Dome-2,” Linus said. “It starts under the water reclamation plant. It’s an unauthorized area. Nobody is ever supposed to be there. I didn’t do anything except look around.”

  “Thank you for the information,” Warren said. “But stay away from Dome-2 until we catch him, okay? No heroic stuff and definitely no more snooping for a while. If you don’t think you can control yourself, there’s a brig on the Ruthless we can stick you in.”

  Linus’s eyes seemed to drift for a moment. He’d probably never seen the inside of a brig, and Warren was amused that he seemed to be considering it. “No,” he said. “There’s nothing to do in there?”

  “Nothing to do in there but grow old,” Lukov confirmed. “And it is likely we will forget about you. So do not force us to lock you in the brig.”

  Linus laughed, but it faded into something like a moan when neither of the cyborgs joined him. “I think I’ll head home for now,” he said. “Bye.” He gave Warren and Lukov each a wave and hurried between a couple of other homes before vanishing.

  “It sounds like the boy has found our spy,” Lukov said. “What action do you want to take?”


  Warren took a moment before answering. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to fit into the tunnel,” he said. “Especially if Linus had to duck and crawl to get in. But I do want to narrow down our list of suspects.”

  The sound of raised voices from the other side of Dome-6 halted their conversation and Warren turned to see what had happened.

  “We might have a problem here,” Cooper said. “Seems some of the civilians are accusing others of stealing. I don’t know, but I’m just about ready to start smashing some heads together. You mind coming over here to sort this out?”

  “On my way,” Warren said.

  “Want me to investigate tunnel?” Lukov asked.

  “Only if you think you can do so without being spotted or raising too much suspicion. Maybe assign one of your Reotians to surveil the place and try to find out who our spy is. We’ll need to catch him in the act.”

  “Then?” Lukov asked.

  “We’ll figure it out when we’ve got him.”

  Lukov nodded, turned, and walked away while Warren hurried toward Cooper to find out what the argument was about. He tried using Cooper’s audio feed, but all he could make out was four or five people yelling, trading insults and threatening each other.

  The scene had calmed a bit before Warren arrived. Cooper was standing in between two sets of people, each appearing to be allied to their own cause, and each in direct opposition to the other.

  “Silence!” Warren boomed, amplifying his voice to make sure he could be heard over the others. Both sides quailed under the cyborg’s glare.

  “I don’t know what this disagreement is about, but before you tell me, I’ve got something to say.” He waited to see if anyone was going to be stupid enough to try to interrupt him as he spoke. Both sides clamped their mouths shut.