The Cyber Chronicles 04: Cyborg Read online

  “Excuse me,” she said, “Do you know the best way to find a person in this city?”

  “You could look up their name in the city database.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know his name.”

  The man’s brows rose. “Okay, then you probably need an investigator. There’s one just around the corner, in Limewell Street. There’s a sign outside his building.”

  “Thank you.” She headed in the direction he indicated.

  Tassin found the sign, which said ‘Private Investigator Horral Horwin’, and followed the directions up to the fifth floor, which involved a lot of stairs. She wondered how the people who lived or worked in the tall buildings managed to climb up and down them. They must be extremely fit. On the fifth floor she found another sign outside a glass-paned door and entered a plush office where a pretty blonde girl filed her nails behind a desk. When Tassin asked to see Mr Horwin, the girl told her to sit in one of the sleek green chairs, pushed a button on a device on her desk and spoke into it. A gruff voice replied, and the girl turned to Tassin again.

  “You can go in.” She indicated a wooden door in the far wall.

  Tassin entered a posh, yet somehow seedy office with a dull green carpet and a dead plant in a pot by the door. A fat, balding man sat behind a vast grey desk on the far side of the room, in front of a floor-to-ceiling window with a city view. He wore a shiny brown suit, his fingers heavy with gold rings, and his neck bulged around a too-tight white collar. His beady brown eyes raked her and his full lips curved in a false smile as he gestured to a blue and white pinstriped chair in front of his desk. Papers and strange devices cluttered it, and a black square stood in a corner, in front of which was a board covered with keys, each bearing a different letter or number.

  Tassin sank into the chair, her legs shaking after the stairs and the day of trudging through the city, and he steepled his pudgy fingers.

  “So, how may I help you, little lady?” he enquired.

  “I’m looking for someone.”

  “Well, then, you’ve come to the right place.” He poised his hands over the board with keys on it. “Name?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How can you not know?”

  “I… He doesn’t have a proper name.”

  “So… he has an alias? That can work, too. What is it?”

  Tassin shook her head. “No. He doesn’t have a name at all.”

  “Okay. A description, then? Less accurate, but if you can identify him for a picture, we can find out what his name is.”

  “That won’t help. He’s a clone.”

  Horwin lowered his hands, his brow furrowing. “A clone? Just exactly what are we talking about here?”

  “He’s a cyber.”

  His brows shot up. “A cyber-bio combat unit? Well, I know where you can buy one of those, or rent one. Easy.” He tapped some keys and peered at the black square. “Let’s see…”

  “No. I don’t want any cyber. I’m looking for a particular one.”

  “Ah.” Horwin lowered his hands again. “Okay. What’s his serial number?”

  “I don’t know.” A growing despondency gripped her.

  Horwin frowned. “Let’s see if I have this right… You’re looking for a particular cyber, but you don’t know his serial number?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you know his owner’s name?”

  She hesitated. “Manutim Alrade?”

  He typed on his keyboard and peered at the black square. “No such person in the database. Could he have an alias?”

  “Probably, but I don’t know what it is.”

  “Look, lady, I can find most things at the drop of a hat – special software, you know – but finding a particular cyber without a serial number or his owner’s name? Impossible.”

  “Are there a lot of cybers here?”

  “In Mogalon, or on Ferrinon Four?”

  She shook her head in confusion. “What are those?”

  “Mogalon’s the city, Ferrinon Four’s the planet. You don’t even know where you are? Are there men in white coats chasing you, by any chance?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He leant forward, lacing his fingers. “I suppose you don’t have any money, either, huh?”

  “I do.” Tassin dipped into her pouch and drew out a handful of gold. “See?”

  He eyed it. “That’s not money, that’s… junk.”

  “It’s gold!”

  “It’s worthless. You’re wasting my time.”

  “Please help me.”

  He sighed and sat back, making his chair creak in protest. “Why do I always get the nut jobs?”

  “Is there anyone who can help me?”

  “The short answer is no.” He studied her, shaking his head. “But who knows? Look, I know a guy who might take you on. He likes pretty girls, and he’s the best hacker on the planet. Bit of a nut job himself. He might do it for payment in kind. Although even if he finds this particular cyber for you, I don’t know what good it will do you if you don’t have any money to buy him.” He pulled a pad of paper towards him and scribbled on it with a silver pen. “Here’s his address. His name’s Kole Arvan.”

  “Thank you.” She stood up and took the scrap of paper he held out.

  “Yeah, great, I’m sure the two of you will have fun.”

  Tassin headed for the door, eager to quit his irritated presence. On the way down the five flights of stairs, she studied the address, wondering how she was going to find it. Back in the street, she decided to try the friendly flunky and went back to the giant, shiny inn. The uniformed man was ushering patrons inside, bowing and smiling, and she waited until he was not busy, then approached. He turned to smile at her, and she explained her predicament, showing him the piece of paper.

  “Wow, this is across town.”

  “It’s far?”

  “Very far. You’ll need to catch a taxi.”

  She shook her head in confusion. “Taxi?”

  “You’re really new at this, aren’t you? Have you got any money?”

  Tassin spirits flagged. “No. I have gold, and some jewels. They’re junk, apparently.”

  “Okay, show me some stones.” His smile was kindly and his brown eyes gentle.

  Tassin dug in her pouch, pulling out two blood-red rubies and a flawless emerald the size of doves’ eggs. He took them and tucked them into his pocket, stepped closer to the stream of flying traffic and raised an arm. Within moments a bright red vehicle with black stripes on it stopped beside him, and he beckoned to her, opening the door. She slid into the soft fawn interior, and he closed the door, then leant in through the front window and spoke to the driver, handing him a clear oblong wafer. The driver nodded and the vehicle zoomed away as the flunky waved. Tassin clung to the seat as the city flew past. The vehicle rose high above the street and shot along at an alarming speed. She told herself that this mode of transport must be safe, since the sky thronged with such vehicles, but bile stung her throat for a while nonetheless. By the time the vehicle stopped, she was just getting used to it. The driver turned his head.

  “Here you are, lady. Fifteen Harwoll Street.”

  Tassin hunted for a door handle with shaking hands, found a button and pushed it. The door opened, and she stumbled out onto the pavement. As soon as she closed the door, the vehicle speeded away. She looked around and spotted a sign with the same address that was written on the piece of paper. It took her an hour to climb to the ninth floor and find apartment forty-two, by which time she was exhausted. She spent five minutes knocking on the door before it was wrenched open by a tall, slim man with a shock of blond hair and bleary blue eyes, who yawned and scratched his stomach. He wore baggy blue trousers and a wrinkled collarless shirt, his feet in fluffy pink slippers.

  “Yuh?”

  “Are you Kole Arvan?”

  “Yuh.” His eyes raked her, and a lopsided smile curved his lips. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need your help to f
ind someone. I don’t have any money.”

  His stretched, his white shirt rising to expose his belly. “Who told you I’d help you?”

  “Horwin… somebody.”

  “That old fart? He’s got a nerve.”

  Tassin slumped, her last shred of hope draining away, and blinked as tears stung her eyes.

  Kole looked concerned. “Hey, don’t cry. Come in, let’s talk about it.”

  “I’m not crying,” she stated, annoyed.

  “Right, you’ve got allergies. Come in.”

  Tassin entered a smart apartment furnished with fawn leather sofas, glass topped tables, and silver pots that held dried grass and branches. Soft, shaggy grey carpet sank under her boots, and odd, angular paintings hung on the black, gold-speckled marble walls. Kole flopped down on a sofa and she perched on the one opposite, holding the sword on her lap when it hampered her. The weapon was heavy, and her legs shook after the nine-flight climb.

  “So,” Kole said, “who do you want to find that Horwin couldn’t? Or was it the lack of money?”

  “Both, I think.” Tassin wondered if, after coming this far, her quest was hopeless after all. “I’m looking for a particular cyber, and I don’t know his serial number.”

  Kole whistled. “In the city?”

  “On the planet.”

  “Whoa! That’s… impossible, I’d say.”

  “I can identify him if I see him; does that help?”

  “Not really. Not much, anyway.”

  She sagged, her eyes stinging again. “I have to find him. Please.”

  “Look, what will you do if you find him, if you’ve got no money?”

  “I don’t know.” She bowed her head and rubbed her eyes. She had not thought that far ahead, and now the problem loomed like a vast barrier. The concept of buying Sabre was so alien it had not even crossed her mind. She looked up at Kole, who studied her with a puzzled expression. He probably thought she was mad.

  She said, “I’m going to free him.”

  “Free him? What do you mean?”

  “From slavery. From that thing of his head.”

  “The control unit?” His brows shot up. “How?”

  “I don’t know. I just know I must.”

  “Is this Horwin’s idea of a joke? He really doesn’t know me well enough to –”

  Tassin jumped up, opening her mouth to tell him to forget it, and the room spun. Darkness slammed down.

  A persistent patting on her cheek woke Tassin, and she opened her eyes to find Kole bent over her, too close for comfort. She scrambled away, glancing around in alarm. She lay on the cream sofa in his apartment. He retreated and raised his hands.

  “It’s okay, relax,” he said.

  She sat up. “How long was I out?”

  “Not long. A couple of minutes. When was the last time you ate?”

  “Yesterday, I think. It was a long climb to get here, too.”

  “Climb?” His brows rose. “You used the stairs?”

  “How else would I get here?”

  “The lift?”

  “Lift?”

  He nodded. “Small room, sliding doors, goes up and down?”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “Right. Okay, let me make you a sandwich and something to drink. Coffee?”

  “Anything, thank you.”

  Kole went over to the other side of the room, where a counter separated a kitchen area from the lounge, and banged about in it. He took a plate from a cupboard, put a kettle on to boil and dug in a large white cupboard with a light in it. The strange devices fascinated Tassin, and she watched him work, her throat dry and her stomach growling. Several minutes later he returned with a plate that held two slices of bread and a cup of something brown and hot. He went back and fetched another cup of brown liquid for himself, then flopped down on the sofa opposite again. Tassin picked up the sandwich and nibbled it, sipping the brown liquid, which had a pleasant taste.

  “So,” he said, “you want to find a cyber. May I ask why?”

  “I… owe him my life. He’s my friend.”

  “We are talking about a cyber-bio combat unit, right?” he asked.

  “Yes. But he’s different. He was free of his… control unit.”

  “Really? I thought that was impossible. I mean, they’re not supposed to have any higher brain function. At least, that’s what Myon Two says. A few people believe otherwise. There have even been a few Net sites that protested cyber production, but they didn’t stay up long. Anyway, that’s all beside the point. How did he, uh, get free?”

  “He fell off a cliff and damaged the cyber band. It has a crack, here.” She pointed at the centre of her brow.

  “I see. Sort of. I really don’t know how I can help you, though.”

  “Can you tell me where the cybers are in the city?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, sure, they’re all in the database. I guess that’s a place to start, but then what?”

  “I shall go and look at them until I find him.”

  His brows rose. “How will you get there? It’s a big city.”

  Her shoulders slumped again. “And I have no money for taxis. Will you help?”

  He sipped his coffee. “Hmmm. You don’t want much, do you? What’s your name?”

  Tassin introduced herself, omitting her title, and ate her ham sandwich while he appeared to consider. “I have gold, and some jewels, if that will help,” she said.

  “Not really, but what the heck, I’m a sucker for a girl in a grind. Come on; let’s see what we can find out.” He rose and headed for a door in the wall next to the couch upon which she sat.

  Tassin finished her sandwich and followed, carrying her cup. He led her into a spacious room with cream walls, a pale grey tiled floor and recessed lighting. A wide bench ran around it, and five flat black square devices filled with swirling light stood upon it, a keyboard in front of each one. It reminded her of the room Sabre had almost died in on Omega Five. Two curved, padded chairs on wheels faced the glowing squares, and Kole sat in one, placing his cup on the table. He leant forward and tapped the keys on the board in front of him, and the square beyond it filled with writing.

  “What are these?” she asked.

  “Computer screens?” He shot her a surprised look. “You’ve never seen a computer before? Where are you from?”

  “Omega Five.”

  “Huh. Never heard of it. Let’s see.” He tapped on the board again and read the writing that filled the screen. “Omega Five… Outer Rim world, abandoned seven hundred years ago after nuclear war… Restricted. Wow. How the hell did you get to Ferrinon Four?”

  Tassin’s hand sought the sword’s hilt, and she wondered if she should tell him about it. “I have… magic.”

  He raised his brows with a smile. “Magic, huh? Okay, whatever. Let’s see about the cybers.” He tapped on the keyboard again. “Okay, there are nineteen in Mogalon. Quite a few. Five of them belong to the Ministry of Defence; three belong to a downtown hire company, four belong to a corporation uptown, and the rest are privately owned. I guess we start with the Ministry of Defence. Trouble is, even if we find your cyber, you can’t buy him.”

  “I can free him, and then he’ll come with me.”

  He turned to her and sighed. “Look, I don’t know how you got your hands on a cyber on a restricted world, or why you think he was free, but stealing a cyber is definitely impossible. Even if, by some miracle, you can free him from his control unit and he actually does have a fully functional brain, they’ll track him down, or call Cybercorp, and you don’t want to mess with those guys. You’ve got to be able to buy him, and hope whoever owns him wants to sell him.”

  She chewed her lip. “How could I get enough money to do that?”

  Kole leant back and clasped his hands behind his head. “We’re talking about more than half a million credits. That kind of boodle doesn’t grow on trees. Tell me more about this ‘magic’ that brought you here. Did it bring you straight from Omega F
ive?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long did the trip take?”

  She shrugged. “Just a moment.”

  “A moment, huh? Sounds interesting, and impossible. And it’s a thing? An artefact?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. In that case, it would be valuable, and your chance of getting the money.”

  “How so?” she asked.

  “Well, scientists have been trying to invent instant intergalactic travel for decades. If you have something that can do that, it would be priceless.”

  Tassin had the impression that he did not really believe her, which annoyed her. It seemed that, like Horwin, he thought she was mad. There was only one way to prove him wrong and, if he was right, get the money to buy Sabre. Her hand caressed the hilt of the chaos weapon, then she made her decision and drew the sword with a hiss of steel.

  Kole jumped up and backed away. “Hey! Whoa, easy there, no need to get angry. Put it away, okay? What’s a little chick like you doing with a bloody great sword, anyway?”

  Tassin lowered the point of the sword to the floor. “You asked to see the artefact.”

  “The…” He stared at the weapon. “That’s a sword.”

  “Yes. It’s also what brought me here.”

  “Okay… how?”

  “It’s magic.”

  Kole ran a hand through his hair. “Back to the magic again, hey?”

  “Yes. Watch.” Tassin raised the weapon. “Sword, become crystal.”

  The sword chimed and flashed to crystal, and Kole stepped back, his eyes wide. “Bloody hell. How did it do that?”

  She shrugged. “It’s magic.”

  “Right.” He sidled closer and peered at the glowing crystal blade, which emitted a soft ruby radiance shot with rainbow hues. “And it understands you.”

  “Yes. It contains a… thing. It was once a great crystal that created an area on Omega Five called the Death Zone. It drew in other worlds and turned animals into monsters. Sabre… the cyber, destroyed the crystal with this sword, and the… entity… became trapped in it. It’s called the Core.” The sword hummed softly, vibrations running through it, and she longed to put it away.