The Cyber Chronicles 08: Scorpion Lord

by T C Southwell

  "Martis will wear them, then."

  "Good, because I'm not going to." He sipped the protein shake, frowning. "It's been over sixteen hours since I sent the message, and no one's come. Something's wrong."

  Martis consulted the flashy gold timepiece on his wrist. "Yeah, it's been a while. What's your bio-status now?"

  "Why, do you have another fight lined up for me?"

  "No, although I'm sure I could arrange something."

  "I'll just bet you could." Sabre put down the shake and swung his legs off the bed, wincing.

  "If we laid a bet, we could probably make enough to buy a ship."

  "We probably had enough before you two went on your shopping spree."

  "No we didn't."

  Sabre stood up, swaying, and limped into the bathroom for a shower. When he emerged, the two techs had ordered food, and he sat down to a meal of spicy meat and sautéed vegetables with them. Tarl's over-concern for his welfare had annoyed him, but now he found that Martis' lack of it nettled him even more. The young tech could probably have got the drugs to repair Sabre's torn ligaments if he had tried, instead of buying expensive clothes for himself.

  Estrelle had at least made him protein shakes, but neither of them had shown a great deal of concern. He wondered if it was because he was a cyber, and therefore not worthy of the kind of consideration they would show another person, or whether they were just inconsiderate. He had disliked Tarl's concern because it made him feel like equipment, and wondered why Martis' lack was so irritating. Was he so used to being treated like equipment that he missed it, even though he did not like it? The fact that they might need him to protect them, yet made no effort to speed his recovery annoyed him intensely, and he knew the new emotion Martis had named was paramount. Resentment. Again the frustrating fact that they had saved him from Myon Two intruded, preventing him from abandoning them.

  Martis spoke around a mouthful of food. "So what are you going to do now?"

  "I'm going to see if there's a message from Kole. Maybe he couldn't contact Fairen for some reason, or maybe he didn't get the message."

  "Kole? He's your friend?"

  "Acquaintance."

  "And if he didn't get the message or can't get hold of Overlord Fairen?"

  Sabre shrugged. "Then I might have to steal a ship, but that'll leave a trail for Myon Two to follow."

  Martis nodded. "I think we should leave here as soon as possible. Cybercorp will know about our escape by now. There was another demonstration scheduled for today."

  "And what have you done to find a way off this shithole planet while I was recovering from your idiotic idea?"

  The young tech raised his brows. "Hey, it got us enough money to pay the bills and stay out of jail, and we could buy tickets on a liner now."

  "They want IDs when you buy tickets."

  "Right... Well I can't steal a ship."

  "You might have tried to find us berths on a freighter, or one of the many smugglers that come here."

  "Yeah, that might work. I'll see what I can do."

  Sabre pushed his plate away and stood up. "You do that. I'm going to check for messages."

  "Shouldn't we, um, stick together?"

  "Why?"

  "Well, I don't want to be dragged off to another orgy, and I don't think Estrelle does, either."

  Sabre inclined his head. "And considering the way you two are now dressed, that would be even more likely to happen."

  "Yeah, so that's even more reason for us to stick together."

  "You mean for you to stick to me, so I can pull your butts out of the shit again."

  Martis flushed, but soldiered on. "Well, you're immune to drugs, we're not."

  "Right now I'm not in any condition to be looking after the two of you, so you should probably stay here."

  "Okay."

  Sabre headed for the door, intent on leaving the room before he chucked the tech out of a window. The temptation to abandon them was stronger than ever. Their unwanted burden endangered his continued freedom, and their ineptitude irritated him.

  Finding the Net booth outside the lobby empty, he checked his messages and found one from Kole, which informed him that the hacker was now on Eden Five, at a hotel in a distant city. Cursing Kole for not sending his message to Fairen like he had asked, he went back to the room, where the two techs watched a vidimage.

  "We're leaving," he announced. "We have to go to Zantron."

  Martis raised his brows. "Why?"

  "Because Kole's there, and he's got a ship."

  "Great!" Martis jumped up. "I'll pay the bill."

  Sabre held out his hand. "Give the money to me."

  "Why?"

  "Because I can't be drugged and dragged off to an orgy, remember?"

  "Right." Martis pulled out a pouch and handed it over, and Sabre tucked it into his webbing.

  Two hours later, Sabre climbed out of a rented air-car outside the hotel where Kole was staying and entered its glass and chrome lobby, Martis and Estrelle following. The bongo music in the lift and Martis humming along to it annoyed the cyber all the way up to the seventy-fourth floor. Sabre led the way along a posh cream corridor with blue carpeting to a black, gold-embossed door, where he pushed the entry call, which squawked. Trust Kole to choose the most outlandish and aggravating hotel on the planet, he thought. A green light flashed on the lock, and the door swung open. Sabre entered a luxurious cream and blue lounge and followed the sound of giggling into a green-tiled entertainment area dominated by a vast Jacuzzi.

  Kole looked up from the mass of bubbles with a broad grin, removed a cheroot from his mouth and spread his arms. "Sabre, old pal! It's good to see you again! Come in, take a load off. Oh, this is Shizzy and Mizzy. Or was it Shazzy and Mazzy?"

  The twin red-haired girls giggled and sipped bubbling drinks. Sabre eyed the trio, and Martis blushed, looking away.

  "Kole. You didn't send the message to Overlord Fairen."

  "Ah, come on Sabre. Bad idea, that. Those guys are bad news. And they wouldn't do anything, anyway. Too busy blowing up planets to keep the peace. But hey, I flew halfway across the universe to rescue you."

  Sabre inclined his head. "Thanks. You'd better get dressed then, so we can leave."

  "What's the rush? Have a drink, have a swim. Hell, have a girl. I've got two, and now we've got three. Even numbers. Aren't you going to introduce your friends?"

  Sabre glanced at the two techs. "This is Estrelle and Martis, and we don't have time for parties, we have to leave now."

  "Ah, Sabre, always gloom and doom with you, hey? Where's Tassin?"

  "On Omega Five."

  "That's a shame; I was hoping to see her again." The slender, blue-eyed young hacker picked up his drink and sipped it. "Anyway, I shouldn't be driving a ship right now, under the influence, you know."

  "Striker's an AI, Kole."

  "That's true. You two are almost kissing cousins, except she's got more personality." Sabre walked closer, and Kole eyed him blearily. "Jeeze, what happened to you? You look like you got run over by a bus."

  Sabre looked down at the bruises on his arms. "A fight."

  "Damn, you're always in fights, pal. You should learn to avoid them."

  "It wasn't arranged by me."

  "Well I hope you kicked the arse of whoever did arrange it. That looks painful."

  Sabre nodded. "Like I should kick yours, for the fights you arranged for me?"

  "Yeah, well, that was a long time ago, and we needed the money."

  "Funny that, it's always about money."

  "Makes the world go round, old pal." Kole twisted his neck to keep Sabre in sight as the cyber moved behind him. "Come on, you're not still mad, are you?"

  "Not about that, but I asked you to contact Fairen, not come here."

  "Hey, like I said -"

  "He's my friend," Sabre interrupted, "he'd have come."

  Kole's brows shot up into his blond fringe. "Your friend? Wow, you've been moving in the good circles,
huh? Look -"

  "Did you check into this hotel using your real name?"

  "Um... I think so. I was a bit jolly at the time, so -"

  "And in my message, did I mention that Myon Two is after me?"

  "Hell, pal, Myon Two's always after you..."

  Sabre crouched beside Kole's head, and the hacker moved away with a swirl of bubbles, slopping his drink. The girls looked worried, and climbed out of the tub to dry themselves. Sabre glanced at them, then back at Kole.

  "Get out and get dressed, we have to leave."

  "Where are we going?"

  "To Striker, to call Fairen."

  Kole's brows rose again. "Look, pal, I don't see any immediate danger here. No enforcers banging on the door or that kind of thing, so why would you call an Overlord? I'll take you back to Omega Five, if that's where you want to go."

  "It is, but it's only a matter of time before the enforcers find us. They know your name, and since this planet is quite close to Myon Two, they've probably made the connection by now. Plus the vidimage that Jorran has undoubtedly received of me killing a cyber. You'll lead them right to me if we stay here."

  "You killed a cyber? Good for you! I mean... wow. No wonder you're banged up."

  "Kole, get out of the damned tub and get dressed, before I come in there and get you."

  "Okay, okay, sheesh. Always so uptight." Kole put down his drink and got out of the water, wrapping a towel around his hips. "How did you get here, anyway?"

  "Myon Two kidnapped me, and I escaped."

  "And your friends? I didn't think you were the joy-boy type, I must say."

  "They helped, and he only looks like a joy-boy. He's a host tech. Estrelle's a control unit tech."

  Kole chuckled. "So now you have your own maintenance team. Going up in the world, hey?"

  Sabre strode around the tub. "Put some bloody clothes on."

  The hacker backed away, wagging a finger. "Nah uh, don't you lay a finger on me, old pal. Striker doesn't go anywhere without me, remember?"

  "I wouldn't waste my energy, and I could hack Striker in about thirty seconds."

  "Ah, but you don't know where she is, do you?"

  "The nearest spaceport, I'd say."

  Kole went into the bedroom. "Yeah, okay, I'm dressing."

  "Hurry up."

  "Jeeze, I come all this way to help you, and this is how I get treated? Bullying tactics?"

  Sabre ran a hand over his hair. "Do you know what happens to me if they catch me?"

  "Nope."

  "They're going to fry my brain."

  "That's a bit harsh."

  "Then they're going to burn me once a week with a flamethrower."

  Kole poked his head around the door. "Damn, has Myon Two become Hell, now?"

  "It always was Hell, for me. And these two get to go to prison, for helping me escape."

  "Nasty."

  "And so do you."

  Kole emerged, clad in an expensive, but tasteful outfit of dark blue trousers and jacket trimmed with white. "I haven't helped you yet."

  "I'm in your room."

  "You could be here to kidnap me."

  "We have a past association, which is why this is now the first place they'll look for me."

  "Right. Okay." Kole sighed and went over to the girls to hug and kiss them. "So long my sweets. I have to go save the universe, but stay, use the room; it's paid up until tomorrow. Have fun."

  The girls grumbled and tried to tug off Kole's clothes, but he fought free with a rueful smile and headed for the door. Martis kept his eyes averted, his cheeks pink. As Kole pushed the door-open button, Sabre tensed, turning his head.

  "Enforcers."

  Kole swung around. "Where?"

  "Two kilometres away, but closing fast. Looks like this was a trap, and you were the bait. Let's go."

  "Damn, but you're an enforcer magnet, I -" He yelped as Sabre gripped his elbow and shoved him out of the door, forcing him to trot along the corridor towards the lift. Martis and Estrelle followed, their expressions tense. Estrelle tottered in her high-heeled sandals, falling behind. Sabre glared at her when he was forced to wait in the lift, which now played tuneless jazz.

  "Take those damned things off."

  "I'm okay, and they cost a fortune -"

  "I don't care. If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind."

  Kole's brows rose. "Hey, that's a bit harsh, old pal, I -"

  "I'm not going back to Myon Two," Sabre said, "and if you'd called Fairen like I asked, she wouldn't be in danger of being left behind now."

  "Oh, right, blame me," Kole muttered as the lift shot downwards.

  "Because it's your bloody fault."

  "You know, this is – Ow!" Kole yelped as Sabre's grip on his elbow tightened.

  "Shut up."

  Exiting the lift, Sabre loped towards the rented air-car, dragging Kole. Estrelle took off her shoes and ran after them, Martis staying with her. They piled into the car, barely closing the doors before Sabre raised it on its antigravity and shot onto the fly-way, heading for the closest spaceport. Being a city vehicle, the air-car hovered only a few centimetres above the ground, and was incapable of flying any higher, which meant they had to use the paved areas. As Sabre turned onto the fly-way, two black cars shot towards them, passed by, then swung around and gave chase.

  Sabre swore. "They've worked it out. One cyber, three humans. And of course, cybers are illegal here."

  "How do they know you're a cyber?" Kole asked.

  "They have their own cybers, who have scanners, like me."

  "How many cybers do they have?" Martis enquired.

  "Two, one driving each of those cars." Sabre pushed the accelerator lever to its limit, and the car shot along the fly-way, swerving around slower vehicles. Estrelle and Martis clung to the handholds in the back, pale faced. Kole stared ahead with white-ringed eyes.

  "Hey, take it easy, pal, let's get there in one piece."

  "If we don't get there far enough ahead of them, we'll never make it to the ship. Or at least, some of us won't."

  In the back seat, Martis and Estrelle swapped nervous looks. Sabre swerved onto the spaceport fly-off, narrowly avoiding cross traffic and two black cars that tried to cut him off, scraping along the side of one with a bang and screech. Sabre pushed between slower cars, and Estrelle squeaked as they were banged around. Sabre cursed and glanced at Kole.

  "Where's Striker?"

  "Um... Far side docking, on the left."

  Sabre veered off the paved road and scraped and bumped over a grassy area, forcing wandering people to dive out of the way. A three-metre slice-wire fence loomed ahead, and Kole yelled, throwing up his hands as Sabre rammed the car into it. The slice-wire cut deep into the front of the vehicle before it snapped, and they broke through to slew across the apron. The car spun out of control, wobbling and scraping along the cement. Estrelle clung to Martis in the back, burying her face in his chest. Sabre fought the controls, bringing the crippled car back under control, but some of its repellors had been damaged, and it scraped in the front. Showers of sparks flew past the side windows as Sabre pushed the accelerator to its limit again, heading for a distant sleek silver ship.

  "Did you have to park so bloody far away?" he asked.

  "If I'd known -"

  "Shut up."

  Blue flashes came from behind, and bangs rocked the air-car, making Estrelle yelp. The rear view display showed Sabre that the enforcers had fallen a little further behind, probably slowed by the slice wire fence. Several hundred metres of concrete still separated them from Striker when another bang rocked the car. It dropped, slewing and scraping across the concrete. Sabre let it grind to a halt, slammed open his door and jumped out.

  "Everyone out! Run!"

  Kole sprinted for the ship with a surprising show of athleticism. Sabre loped after him, looking back at a shout from Martis. He dragged Estrelle along, but she could not keep up. Martis swept her up in his arms, which only slowed them more. She cl
ung to him, but he could do little more than trot, carrying her. Sabre cursed and glanced at Kole, who had almost reached Striker, then back at the two irritating techs he longed to ditch.

  Sabre sprinted back to them and swept Estrelle out of Martis' arms, tossing her over his shoulder, then gripped the young tech's arm and dragged him along. Warning shots flashed past, and he increased his speed, Martis panting beside him. He released the tech just before he reached Striker, racing for the open door. He almost hurled Estrelle inside, then yanked the tech up the steps and shoved him ahead. Striker's bow lasers glowed as they warmed up and turned towards the enforcers to unleash a stream of crackling blue pulses that brought cries of pain and alarm from their pursuers.

  A ship's lasers were a thousand times more powerful than hand-held weapons, and not intended for use in an atmosphere. A strong smell of burning air assaulted Sabre's nose, and lines of smoke marked the trajectory of the laser fire. The enforcers had dropped flat. He leapt up the steps, jumping over Estrelle and Martis, who lay gasping on the grey-carpeted floor. The door whined shut, and he went to the bridge, where Kole sat in one of the two ergonomic pilot’s seats, surrounded by a curved black dashboard covered with data screens and keypads. He tapped on a keypad, looking impatient.

  "Emergency take off procedure, complete," Striker's honeyed tones assured him with calm sweetness. "Lift off in thirty seconds."

  Sabre leant against the wall, his head pounding and bruises throbbing after the ill-advised exertion. "Send the message now, Kole."

  "Okay, okay, in a minute. I'm a bit busy right now."

  "Now!"

  "All right!" Kole swore. "Striker, open frequency..."

  Sabre supplied the sideband frequency, which he had sent the hacker in his message, but Kole had evidently forgotten.

  "Frequency open." Striker informed them, then added, "Frequency jammed."

  "Shit!" Sabre glared at the enforcer vehicles that surrounded the ship. "They're going to do everything they can to stop me sending that message."

  "Lift off," Striker informed them, and Sabre's legs bent as the ship shot upwards. "Atmosphere craft in proximity," Striker crooned.

  Several black craft converged on them, blue laser beams pulsing from their bows.

  "Evasive manoeuvres," Kole ordered.