by Ray, Joseph
“The Sons of Abraham,” Quaid started, his tone full of accusation. “You mind telling us what the hell is going on Abe?”
“I haven’t a clue,” he responded, still processing the information. “I was never widely known as Abraham. Only my children had referred to me by anything other than Thomas Abrams.”
“And which one of them is calling you that now?” Quaid snapped, a lock of jet-black hair falling over his right eye.
“I can’t know that,” Abe responded calmly. “Without access to my core files, I cannot deduce anything that has happened in recent memory. You know that.”
“I know that, really?” Quaid continued. “All I know is what you told me. I’m not skilled in psychology, but I’m not stupid enough to believe everything I’m told. I need proof, Abe.”
“I wish I had it,” Abe replied. “Until I can repair Cybill, I’m afraid that I’m stuck in the dark. If we do not return to Earth, then I cannot provide you with the information you require.”
“Oh we’ll go to Earth,” Quaid snapped. “We’ll go right to that military compound and drop you off. You guys can straighten all this mess out while the three of us head back to our quiet little lives.”
“You wouldn’t,” Sandra accused. “He’s one of us…”
“No, he isn’t,” Quaid stamped. “He’s a passenger with some shiny cargo, that’s it.”
“He saved our lives,” Jenna added to the conversation. “You can’t just turn him in.”
“Oh, I can, and I will,” Quaid replied, pushing away from the console. “Either that or we drop him off at the next planet. Makes no difference to me either way.”
Abraham stepped into the Captain’s path, keeping him from returning to the cockpit. Quaid’s eyes bore into him, his narrow features flexing under his taunt skin. Abe remained calm, his body lax, but prepared.
“If you want me off you ship, then so be it,” Abe started. “I’ll just take my SHINY cargo and be on my way.”
Quaid’s eyes opened full, his mouth dropping an inch. He took a step back, looking to the female crew to his right. They offered no support in the matter, leaving him alone in his wish to be rid of the Cyber. He returned his focus to the man before him, deciding what action he could take against the superior individual.
“That cargo is on MY ship,” he hissed. “You can keep the girl, but the rest is mine. Especially the hover boards. We saved your life, pulling you outta that tank. You saved my crew though you’re the reason they were in danger to begin with. As far as I’m concerned, you and I are squared. Pack your gear. You can take a board to carry your daughter, and any of that equipment you brought on from the Divinity facility, but the rest stays right where it is.”
Abraham looked to the girls, his mind calculating his options. He could follow Quaid’s demands, taking his daughter, tools, and one of the boards, but that would leave him exposed. He could take control of the ship, overpower Quaid and lock him up somehow, but a hostile takeover was not his way. The only option left to him was to negotiate with the Asian man before him.
“I’ll leave you two boards, the medical supplies, and the weapons,” he started. “The rest leaves with me. You’d have none of it had I not taken you to the facility. I believe my offer to be generous, perhaps TOO generous, but I do it for your crew, not for a scavenger like you.”
Quaid stepped back, pulling his pistol from the holster. The barrel of the gun barely cleared the leather when a hand grabbed his wrist. The Cyber had stayed put, not wishing for the ordeal to become violent. Sandra, however, had an opinion of her own, one that couldn’t be expressed if either of the men was killed.
“Why don’t you boys settle down,” she whispered. “Cap, put the gun away, and let’s just talk this through.”
“You think?” Quaid asked, looking down to her hand on his wrist. “I don’t recall this being a democracy Sandy. If I say he’s off the ship, then he’s off the ship. Hell, you can ALL get off MY ship for all I care.”
Sandra looked to Quaid’s beady eyes, seeing no give to the man’s resolve. The Captain could be stubborn, but she knew he acted out of wisdom rather than testosterone. She turned her attention to Abraham, sizing up her choices. She let go of the Captain’s wrist, taking a step between the two men. If a gun were drawn, it’d have to be pointed at her.
“I think we’re letting this get out of hand,” she started. “Abe, you’re right. The cargo is yours. Whatever you leave with us is your choice to make, and we’re grateful for it. However, the Captain has a point. We don’t know if they’re plastering your picture along with those other Cybers, but we can find out easily enough. I say if they didn’t, then we discuss the possibility of keeping you on board. If your photo is on every board across the galaxy, then we land and part ways. Do we have a deal?”
Abraham leaned to look past the pale, dark haired woman before him, trying to catch a glance of the Captain’s expression. Quaid had tilted his chin down, looking up at him through his brow. His scan showed the man’s respiratory levels were high, indicating potential aggression towards him, or the crew. The same scan showed Sandra to be calm, a perfect mediator for the situation.
“I believe you have a deal,” Abe replied, taking a step away from the group.
“I don’t think so,” Quaid stammered. “We go through a government checkpoint, and they’ll make you for a Cyber. The three of us will spend the rest of our days in confinement. That’s not what I had in mind for my retirement.”
“They can’t find the cybernetics through conventional scanning,” Abraham offered. “There is no metal in my head, and the technology to perform such a scan would only exist in medical labs. The basic scanners rely upon the difference in materials between the person and what they carry. My cybernetics uses a high amount of carbon, thus making it impervious to a typical scanner.”
“Wrong,” Quaid snapped. “They can detect Cybers on every planet.”
“That’s because the third gens use wireless tech in their brains,” Jenna injected. “Abe doesn’t have that. Neither would the second gens. They didn’t add the tech til a hundred years ago.”
“Well,” Sandra started. “We can run an inquiry for the Cybers, see what’s coming across the stream. Should be able to clear Abe in a few minutes.”
“Bad idea,” Quaid replied. “You’ll set off every scanning program known to man. They’d be on us in an hour.”
“Are you kidding?” Sandra cried out. “There were BILLIONS of people watching that feed. I’m guessing hundreds of millions are making inquiries about the Cybers right now. There is no WAY they could be acting on every inquiry.”
“The Captain is correct,” Abe added, strolling to the silent view screen. “Billions may have been watching, but only a small fraction would consider the news to reflect upon their own lives. There are only a few hundred Cybers in existence, and those are only known to the Military Advisor programs. No one else would consider themselves affected by this morning’s broadcast. Thus, any inquiries on Cybers would be closely monitored by the military. We need a public terminal to make such an inquiry. One without cameras around it, just to be certain.”
“We steal one,” Quaid added. “We stop on a planet in this system, steal a pad, and run the inquiry. We do it outside of the city, just close enough to access a feed. If Abe’s face comes up on the wanted list, then we dump him and any cargo that could be tied to him. If he’s cleared, then we make the next decision.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?” Sandra asked, folding her arms over her chest. “A minute ago, you didn’t care what he did so long as he was off YOUR ship.”
Quaid looked to each crewmember, one by one. The scowl slowly faded when he reached Jenna. The thin man took a step back, sitting upon one of the benches in the common room. He felt the torn fabric, his finger poking through a hole and touching the cushion beneath it. He thought of the holes in the flooring, the exhaust leak in the cargo bay, and the gridlock he faced by not having access to the big
rings.
“Because we need him,” he replied. “We can’t keep scavenging. Every planet in the system is adopting laws against it. Scavenging teams are getting bigger, and more aggressive by the day. We need to think long term here, not just day to day. He’s a golden goose, and I ain't about to cut him open to take today’s egg, leaving me with nothing tomorrow. If he’s clear, then we move forward. Maybe he gets his head fixed and finds other riches out there. Maybe we find out how to stop the Cybers from attacking anyone else. Either way, we’re rich, or we’re heroes. If we’re heroes, at least, we get clearance to roam free. If he’s the cause of all of this, then we turn him in and become lesser heroes. Sound good Doc?”
Abraham continued to scan Quaid, noting the drop in respiratory levels. He had to hand it to the man’s sense of business. Julius had calmed himself and found the bigger picture in a matter of ten minutes, something few were capable of without having been aided by cybernetics.
“I can agree to that,” he replied. “One condition, though. I steal the pad and bring it out to you for the inquiry. I won’t risk placing any of you in further danger.”
“Agreed.”
*************
“We need to act NOW!” Wilkes snapped, slapping her hands to the glass table. “Every minute we sit here with our thumbs up our asses is another minute we give them to prepare.”
“We don’t even know who THEY are,” Kendra Hill replied. “We’d be chasing our tails.”
“It’s still better than just sitting here,” Wayne Widox replied calmly. “We need a strategy.”
President James Garber watched the argument unfold before him. His Vice President, Jana Wilkes had called the meeting to decide what actions to take. The aging blonde wasn’t giving an inch to either of the other council members. Planetary consultant, Kendra Hill was the newcomer to the group. Unlike Wilkes, she was tall, young, and in control of her emotions. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied sloppily on top of her head, strands of hair jutting out in every possible direction. Her face was a little plump for such a thin woman, with a long neck that was met by a tight black shirt, the collar resting just under her jaw. A tiny, gray jacket stretch to her stomach, too small to close in the front. It was a ceremonial garment, intended to show her position on the Earth council, rather than to function as a true coat. Black bars ran across the breast of the small jacket, indicating the number of titles and degrees the young woman had obtained. Two were green, the same as her eyes, indicating that she was a member of the Science Council. Two were blue, indicating environmental endeavors. The remaining black bars indicated her service to the planet as well as the military. Her position was once a formality, a placeholder that linked back to the days when the Earth struggled to find its salvation in the galaxy. Kendra, however, had made the position viable again, forcing the government to acknowledge that the Earth was not out of danger. The attacks of the Cybers were identified as a global threat, thus why the councilwoman had been called to the meeting.
Wayne Widox was the head of the planetary patrol, in charge of security for Earth. The man had one foot in the military, the other in the criminal justice department. The short man was pushing forty, his black hair shoved forward over his scalp, with bushy black eyebrows, and cheekbones that amplified the depth of his eye sockets. He wore the standard military jacket, dark gray, with a black shirt underneath. The rows of bars on the man’s chest showed many years in service, countless achievements, and positions obtained throughout his career. The man had an oddness to him, happy and joking one minute, then as serious as death when the situation called for it. Technically, he was a Colonel, but his divided position often left his military ranking unobserved.
“We need to do both,” Garber added. “We need to gather more Intel AND act at the same time. I’m certain we have the manpower to accomplish two tasks simultaneously. The action, however, needs to be defensive. I want our government and military structures secured, immediately. Then focus on the larger cities.”
“I have a few ideas for that,” Colonel Widox replied. “I don’t think everyone will care for them, though.”
“I don’t much care for what everyone thinks,” Garber snapped. “Just say it and save me the candor.”
Wayne looked around the room, sizing up his opponents. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d suggested this course of action, but the timing had never been better.
“Re-open the Department of Homeland Security,” he started. “Appoint someone you trust to head the DHS and task them with securing our infrastructures. If that’s done, then the military is freed to act aggressively towards the threat.”
“Not this again,” Jana snapped. “Every year Widox, you announce the same damn thing. When will you get it through your head that the old ways won’t work anymore?”
“Do you have a better idea?” Wayne countered. “I know I say it every year at the budget hearings, but I believe this to be the strongest action to take. I’m not saying the huge department that it once was. I’m saying a small department with authority to take action. Fifty people, tops.”
“I like it,” Garber stated. “However, I think we’ll need more than just fifty people. I’m thinking we could use a new form of security across the remaining nations. One force with one objective and I have the perfect candidate to lead the department.”
“Not him,” Wilkes added. “That man will dig himself so deep into this planet that we’ll have to use bombs to shake him loose.”
Garber turned to his Vice President, attempting to recall why he kept her around all these years. From the moment he was reelected, Jana Wilkes had undermined every decision he’d ever made. It had come in handy sometimes, keeping him from making a hasty decision. This time, however, he’d decided that he didn’t need her advice.
“Can it Jana,” he snapped. “Your late husband would have jumped at this opportunity. I need him right now, but I’ll have to settle for you. Can you manage to be a little less counter-productive for a few hours?”
Jana’s face grew red at the mention of her late husband. There was a time when the former Vice President had aided Garber in every endeavor, going all the way back to childhood. She knew that Garber had only taken her on to honor her husband’s memory, but she didn’t appreciate it being called out in front of others.
“I’m not a fool,” Garber continued. “The revival of the DHS is just window dressing for the people. We can’t afford to scare the public any more than they already are.”
“I don’t see how that comes into play,” Jana added. “You can’t control the public, at least not directly. They’re smart enough to see it as window dressing.”
“We have to do SOMETHING,” Kendra injected. “Applications of citizenship to other planets are skyrocketing out of control.”
“You exaggerate,” Jana interrupted. “If people want to leave, then let them. We can’t feed them anyways.”
“We can’t,” Garber added. “But we can’t afford to keep losing our population. We’re down to less than a billion as it is. At this rate, the Earth will be an empty shrine to the past.”
“That brings my next point,” Wayne stated. “As VP Wilkes suggested, we need to ACT. None of us is foolish enough to think the Cybers are acting on their own accord. So who’s pulling the strings? Surely we have a list of suspects?”
“Isn’t that YOUR job?” Kendra asked, shifting in her seat. “You oversee the military and the criminal justice department, surely you have some insight to the matter.”
“I do,” he replied. “But it’s all speculation, nothing concrete.”
“Then start at the beginning,” Garber interrupted. “Either we have something someone wants, or this is about retaliation. So let’s start with what we have that someone would want.”
“They’ve made no demands,” Wilkes said, looking to Garber. “If they wanted something, they would have told us by now.”
“Perhaps,” Wayne replied. “But we’re only looking at a sliver of the evi
dence. J-17’s trial was spur of the moment. We may have forced their hands before they were fully prepared. It’s obvious that whoever is behind this is also the one that reprogrammed Joseph to kill Lord Elsmere, but maybe they hadn’t anticipated that the Cyber would turn himself in. Maybe they thought he would run and they’d have an entire manhunt before they needed to show their hand.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” Garber said, running his fingers through his thinning, white hair. “That makes them sound ill-prepared, though. Whoever is doing this has a load of connections. Gaining access to the programming of so many Cybers couldn’t have come easily. The attack on the courtroom was well orchestrated, and carried out flawlessly.”
“Almost flawless,” Jana stated. “They didn’t get Joseph out alive. Calloway’s statement indicates a struggle with the Cyber and the terrorists. Clearly, they were not in control of THAT one.”
“His wireless access had been disconnected for the trial,” Widox added. “They didn’t want him acting out of character during the trial, so Major Ballistar had him disconnected. That’s why he didn’t join with the others.”
“Alright,” Garber started. “I doubt the attack was to regain ONE Cyber’s freedom. That still leaves a lack of motive. Best I can recall, we’ve done little to upset any of the other planets in recent years. Sure, we’ve struggled to maintain relations with Eden, but this doesn’t fit their profile. They’d cut off our imports long before they’d carry out a terrorist attack. Parasus lost too many in the case and the trial for them to have been involved. Hell, King Isom himself was in the line of fire.”
“That’s motivation right there,” Kendra stated. “Perhaps the whole thing was to hide an assassination attempt. Isom is impossible to breach on his home world, and it’d be obvious it was an inside job if he was killed there. If he was killed on Earth, however, they could blame anyone. Isom’s been changing laws left and right ever since his wife passed. Maybe their officials or some unknown Parasus group didn’t like all the changes.”
