The Cyber Chronicles 06: Warrior Breed Page 6

  "Yeah."

  Tarl frowned. "They're not aprilan."

  "They'll do."

  "How did she get stuck here, anyway?"

  "This system is in a time-space distortion caused by those binary suns. The point of entry is midway between them, where the gravitational forces are vast. They warp space-time and form a vortex that sucks things in, but is almost impossible to find. She couldn't find it, and she ran out of energy searching for it."

  "But you think you can?"

  Sabre nodded, thrusting aside a tree branch as they entered the forest. "Machines lack imagination. There's no logic to my theory. It's pure conjecture, but it's the only thing that makes sense."

  "It's pretty far-fetched. No scientific basis, that's for sure."

  "That's because science hasn't encountered it."

  "It could be a wormhole."

  "Natural wormholes are so rare only two have ever been found, and they ceased to exist soon after, proving that they're unstable anomalies incapable of existing for any length of time."

  "Yeah, I guess the chances of one forming in just the right place and for just the right amount of time to bring us here are pretty unlikely, and for it to happen twice is damn near impossible."

  Sabre held a branch aside for Tassin. "Binary systems with planets are rare, and those suns are blue giants, which means they're orbiting each other at a fantastic speed in order to stay apart. That's causing massive fluctuations in space and time around them, cutting them off from the rest of space."

  "So what prevents that... ship from leaving?" Tassin asked.

  "I'm guessing she finds herself heading back whenever she reaches a certain distance from those suns."

  "Why?"

  "Probably because there's a field of super-charged gravity around this entire system. Those suns are far too close together, so close that their electromagnetic and gravity fields have combined into a vast barrier. But right between them, there's got to be a place where space is literally being torn apart. That's the only way out."

  "What if you're wrong?" Tarl demanded. "We'll have no power in the pods."

  "That's a risk we'll have to take. Given this world's lack of weather or hostile beasts we don't really need them, and with its lack of food, we won't have to worry about it for too long."

  "What about these beasts?" Tassin glanced at the herd of quadrupeds that had joined the grey birds, following them.

  "They're not hostile, but I think they're intelligent, so I wouldn't advise hunting them. They not only outnumber us, they seem to be in cahoots."

  "If they're intelligent, they might help us."

  "Why should they? And how? They live off the local flora, we can't. I don't think they're going to offer themselves as food."

  "I guess not." Tassin cast a guilty glance at the grey birds, which cooed.

  Chapter Five

  The pods came into view, and they stopped in surprise. Kernan sat in the hatchway facing three quadruped beasts, which nickered. He glanced up with an uncertain smile, and the beasts drew aside, turning their long faces towards the trio. The grey birds hooted, and the quadrupeds' ears twitched. Sabre approached the pods, and Tassin followed. Tarl hurried over to Kernan, looking astounded.

  "What happened?" he demanded. "When we left, you were more dead than alive."

  Kernan glanced at the beasts. "I woke up. I guess the sedative wore off. I shouted for you guys. I was in a lot of pain. Next thing I knew, one of these creatures stuck its head through the hatch and ripped open my shirt." He plucked at the sodden material. His chest was covered with a film of clear fluid. "It started licking me. I was too weak to stop it." He shook his head. "Then the pain went away. It was weird. It drooled. I thought it was going to eat me at first, but then I felt so much better. I seem to be cured. Nothing hurts."

  "That's... incredible." Tarl pulled away the torn bandages, revealing Kernan's chest, innocent of bruises or swellings.

  Sabre studied the beasts with renewed interest, then glanced at Tassin. "Maybe they'll help you too?"

  She looked doubtful, placing a hand on her ribs. "I'm not in that much pain."

  "You're hurt."

  "They don't seem to want to."

  "They're wary. They don't know us, and we're not too weak to hurt them, like Kernan was. Perhaps they just need a little encouragement."

  "How does one encourage an alien beast?"

  Sabre turned to the nearest quadruped and walked towards it until it backed away, its eyes widening. He stopped and glanced at Tassin. "Come here."

  She joined him, and he took her hand, drew her past him and thrust her towards the beast. It took a step back, and several of the others nickered.

  "Show them," Sabre suggested.

  Tassin hesitated, then pulled up her blouse, revealing the bandages around her ribs. The beasts watched her with wide, intent, limpid eyes. She undid the bandage and unwound it, wincing as its support diminished. Still the beasts made no move, even when she had exposed a fair amount of bruised skin. She glanced at Sabre, who nodded encouragement, and rubbed the bruised area, starting to feel rather silly. The beast closest to her tossed its head, glancing past her at Sabre.

  She looked back at the cyber. "They're afraid of you, I think."

  Sabre retreated until he stood beside Tarl and Kernan, several paces away. Tassin turned to face the beast again, and jumped in surprise. The creature moved closer and stretched out its neck to sniff her midriff, its velvet nostrils flaring. Some of the others nickered. The beast's muzzle touched her waist, its warm breath dewing her skin with moisture.

  Tassin shivered as it tilted its head to one side and gazed at her with a liquid brown eye. Long strings of saliva oozed from its mouth as a slender blue tongue emerged to lick her bruises. At first the sticky wetness revolted her, and she shuddered, fighting the urge to evade the gentle caress of its soft tongue. Saliva ran down into her waistband, and, as the beast became more intent upon its task, she glimpsed long, gleaming fangs hidden behind its soft lips. A frisson of doubt and fear went through her, but again she fought the urge to flee.

  A flashing red light drew Sabre's attention inwards. He studied the data that scrolled through his mind. First was an x-ray of the beast that licked Tassin, showing a mouth full of canine teeth, followed by a thorough cellular and chemical analysis with a surprising number of unknowns. He pondered the information, puzzled. The canine teeth were odd, but not unduly alarming, carnivores could evolve into herbivores when forced to adapt.

  Kernan was proof of their good intentions, although why they would want to heal aliens was a mystery, and that they could heal someone with such alien body chemistry was amazing. What perplexed him the most was why the cyber considered these friendly, and ostensibly harmless, alien beasts a threat. Still, the cyber's warning was not to be ignored.

  Sabre strode towards Tassin, and the grey birds hooted. The quadruped backed away, looking alarmed, and Tassin turned to him with a reproachful expression.

  "Why did you chase it away? I was starting to feel better."

  Sabre took her arm and drew her back towards the pod. "I'm not sure why, but the cyber considers these animals a threat."

  "But it was healing me. My bruises have faded a lot."

  "I think we should be cautious."

  "But Kernan's healed."

  "Maybe, but I want to be sure. Let's wait a while. Wipe the saliva off."

  The beasts watched them, nickering, and the grey birds cooed. Tarl helped Tassin to clean off the saliva and replace her bandages. Sabre studied the beasts again for several minutes, then climbed into the pod to remove the power crystals from its core. Tarl explained their plans to Kernan, and the mercenary went with him to remove the crystals from the other pod. Tassin climbed in with Sabre and sat on the couch, watching him work.

  "How do you feel?" he enquired.

  She shrugged. "Better, but still aching a bit. Do you think it's some sort of poison?"

  "I don't know, and nor does th
e cyber. Perhaps it's just being cautious. There are a lot of chemicals in those creatures that it can't identify."

  "One of which is a powerful healing agent, I'd say."

  Sabre typed the antigravity shutdown sequence into the panel, and the pod sank to the ground, rocking a little as it settled. Unclipping the power core cover, he pulled it off. "It sure seems that way, but let's wait and see."

  "If it is poison, what's going to happen to me?"

  He glanced at her. "We'll find an antidote."

  "How? We don't know what it is."

  "We'll think of something. Don't worry about it." He pushed the deactivate button on the exposed core cradle, and the light faded from the chinks in the inner casing as well as the panel and interior of the pod. The soft, barely noticeable whine of its functions faded away. Sabre unclipped the inner casing and opened it, revealing a trio of gleaming pink crystals cut into hexagonal rods.

  Tassin's eyes widened. "Those are like the Core."

  "Yeah, it's same kind of crystal. It's a common power storage medium." Sabre pulled a padded bag from a locker and eased one of the crystals from its cradle, laying it in the soft interior.

  "What kind of crystal is it?"

  "Trilar."

  As Sabre started to unclamp the second crystal, a shout from outside made him whip around, then brush past Tassin. Climbing into the other pod, he found Kernan writhing on the floor.

  Tarl bent over him, cursing. "He's having some sort of seizure."

  "Can you do anything?"

  Tarl shook his head, frowning. "I don't know what's causing it. I can give him a sedative, but he's already unconscious. He just collapsed."

  Sabre pulled open Kernan's shirt and glanced at the cyber's information, asking for a bio scan. A moment later the information appeared. Kernan's heart rate was slowing and his blood pressure dropping rapidly, as was his temperature. A chemical analysis showed several unknowns in his flesh. The same unknown elements the cyber had detected in the alien beasts.

  Sabre's blood turned cold. "How long ago do you think the beast licked him?"

  Tarl shook his head. "He didn't say. A couple of hours, maybe?"

  "We've got a problem."

  "What is it?"

  "He's being changed," Sabre said. "Whatever was in that saliva is changing his body chemistry."

  "He's dying?"

  Sabre gazed at Kernan, who had ceased to writhe. "Looks like it."

  "Shit. Tassin."

  Sabre turned to find Tassin crouched in the hatch, staring at Kernan with wide eyes.

  "I'm going to die too," she whispered.

  "No, you're not," Sabre said. "Not if I can help it."

  "How can you stop it?"

  "I'll find an antidote. Or make one."

  "How?"

  He turned to Tarl. "Where are Kernan's bandages?"

  "He threw them away." Tarl's eyes widened. "No, you can't do that."

  "Yeah, I can."

  "No, it's insane!"

  Sabre headed for the hatch, and Tarl grabbed his arm. "Don't do it. You could die too."

  "Do I look like I care?"

  "Then I'll die as well."

  "Sorry." Sabre jerked his arm free and crawled out of the hatch, Tarl following.

  Tassin looked confused. "What are you going to do?"

  "Make you a serum," Sabre said.

  "Kill himself," Tarl said.

  Sabre swung to face the ex-technician. "I'm immune to five hundred and seventy-four gene-modifying retroviruses. That's what this is. It's not a poison. It's changing his body chemistry."

  "But it's alien. You're not immune to it!"

  "Yet. I have fifty per cent more T-cells than normal. My immune system is ten times more effective than yours, and what it can't cope with, it will modify itself to counter."

  "If this is a retrovirus, it works too fast. A couple of hours isn't enough time for your immune system to adapt."

  "You handled Kernan's bandages, and you helped Tassin wipe off the spit. You're infected too."

  Tarl said, "Maybe."

  "If you are, this is your only chance."

  "Yeah, but... You're not. You'll survive."

  "Your concern for my well-being is touching, but I will save Tassin or die trying, just as she would for me."

  Tarl bowed his head and rubbed his brow. Sabre turned away, but Tarl grabbed his arm.

  "Your reaction to whatever this is isn't going to be the same as Kernan's. It'll be immediate and violent. Our immune systems are dormant until we're attacked, yours is always on high alert."

  "One of those nice little genetic alterations you made?"

  "Not me personally, but yes."

  Sabre jerked his arm free. "Well it's a good thing, I guess. I'll produce a serum faster."

  Tassin shook her head, her expression anguished. "You don't have to do this."

  "Yeah, I do. This is one of the things I was designed to do, isn't it, Tarl? Tell her how cybers are used as living labs." Sabre stalked off towards the bushes where Kernan's bandages had been discarded.

  Tassin frowned at Tarl. "Is there no end to your colleagues' barbarism?"

  "Apparently not."

  "So tell me."

  Tarl sighed. "Cybers are designed to produce serums, just like he said. They're also universal blood donors, in case their owners need it."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Well, not just anyone can donate blood to someone else. They have to be the same blood group, or compatible. Cyber hosts are modified so their blood isn't rejected, even though they have a rare blood type, a legacy of the original donor."

  "The man they were all cloned from?"

  "Yes."

  "Who was he?"

  Tarl gazed into the distance. "I don't know. I heard a lot of rumours, that he was a criminal, a fighter, a killer. There were also rumours that the DNA was spliced with alien genes."

  "What sort of alien?"

  "I don't know. That stuff was all highly classified."

  Sabre returned, rubbing his forearm. "Archetype."

  "What?"

  "The alien genes. They came from a corpse found floating in deep space several hundred years ago. He looked human, but possessed some remarkable qualities. He was called Archetype because he was so highly evolved, yet he was dressed in rags."

  Tarl looked stunned. "How do you know that?"

  Sabre tapped the brow band. "It knows."

  Tassin stared at Sabre's arm. "Your arm..."

  He glanced down at it. "Yeah, I know." The skin of his forearm had turned red, and welts rose on it.

  Tarl studied it, frowning. "What does the cyber say?"

  Sabre looked vague as he accessed the cyber's data. "Alien DNA detected. Immune response initiated. Activating genes Y12 through 57."

  "The entire Y series. Wow."

  "What does that do?" Tassin asked.

  "They're supposed to deal with all types of alien viruses, but are rarely used."

  "They came from Archetype," Sabre added, sinking down on the edge of the pod's hatch. "I feel like shit."

  "You should lie down," Tassin recommended, deeply concerned.

  A faint flush crept into Sabre’s cheeks, and sweat beaded his brow. Several red lights flashed on the brow band, and Tarl scowled at it, shaking his head.

  "This doesn't look good. Come on bud; let's get you on the couch before you pass out."

  Sabre crawled into the pod and flopped down on a couch. Tarl and Tassin crowded in beside him. On the other couch, Kernan lay like one dead, his skin ashen, his breathing slow and shallow.

  Tarl examined him. "He's in a coma."

  "Will that happen to Sabre?" Tassin asked.

  "No, probably not."

  Sabre panted, and stripped off his shirt. "Bloody hot in here, Tarl, put on the air conditioning."

  "I'll reconnect the core."

  "You do that." Sabre grimaced, clasping his brow, where the cyber band blazed red.

  Tassin knelt beside t
he couch and pulled off Sabre's boots, earning a grateful smile. "Are you in any pain?"

  "My arm's on fire."

  Tarl closed the power core cover at the back of the pod and pushed a few buttons on the panel. After a moment the lights came on, the soft whine resumed, and the pod swayed as it drifted up. Cool air flowed in through the vents in the roof, chilling Tassin's skin.

  Tarl returned to Sabre's side. "What does the cyber say now?"

  Sabre sighed, closing his eyes. "Core temperature at one hundred and ten degrees. All immune systems active."

  "That's good." Tarl glanced at Tassin. "Now we wait."

  "Can't you do anything to help?"

  "Yeah." He turned and opened a locker. "I'll set up a glucose drip to keep up his strength."

  Commander Shrain walked to the edge of the dais and saluted. "No sign of the cyber's remains were found in the debris field, My Lord."

  Fairen frowned. "That took long enough."

  "The debris field is large, and -"

  "Spare me. Where are the escape pods?"

  "We tracked two, but they vanished."

  "Vanished?"

  "Yes, My Lord. The ion trails ended abruptly, and we can find no further sign of them."

  "They must have been picked up by a passing ship, then."

  The commander nodded. "Possibly, and a super light vessel leaves no trail to follow."

  "Find them."

  "Yes My Lord, but it will take time." The commander hesitated. "And we received a distress message five minutes ago. No other Overlord is available to answer it."

  Fairen sighed. "What is it?"

  "Rigal Nine has declared a planetary emergency. A drought has caused crop failure and famine. They're requesting aid."

  "People who settle on a desert planet should expect to starve. They knew Rigal Nine has a fifty-year cycle that causes ten years of drought when it moves too close to its sun."

  "Yes, My Lord."

  Fairen settled back. "Let's go then."

  ****

  Tassin watched Sabre, biting her lip. Two hours had passed, and he panted in obvious distress, sweat pouring off him. Tarl kept adjusting the drip, increasing the flow, his expression worried. Her midriff tingled, and she fought the urge to pull up her blouse and examine it. Outside, the alien beasts milled around, cooing and whickering, and she wished they would go away.