Queen Tassin Alrade leant on the battlements and gazed out across the forest that stretched away to the horizon all around her castle, beyond which the sun sank in a medley of red and gold. Deep in the woodland’s green gloom, deer grazed and wolves hunted, foxes barked and birds sang. Below her, peasants rattled past on rickety carts filled with produce or firewood, calling greetings to the guards on the ramparts. Life went on as it always had, but for her it no longer had any joy in it. The gusting wind ruffled her ink-black hair, carrying scents of wood smoke and flowers. She still missed Sabre with every iota of her being. His memory haunted her dreams and her waking hours, too. She recalled his gentle strength and teasing smile, the way he had taken care of her and how safe she had been with him. She longed to have that again, but knew she never would. The laser cannons on her battlements were a constant reminder of him, what he stood for and where he had come from.
Manutim had taken him back there, beyond the stars; somewhere out in the heavens, lost in the black void. Nor had she seen the spacer she had thought was a magician since then. If she had, she would have begged him to bring Sabre back, or take her to him. Anything to be reunited with him, for being apart from him was too painful to bear. Desolate dark blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror now, lacklustre and sorrowful in a pale face whose youthful innocence had been tempered by grief and bitterness, even though she was only twenty-one years old.
There had been no parties, feasts or celebrations at Castle Alrade since she had returned after that fateful night, cold and bereft. She had wept for weeks, missed him and cursed the cruelty of his strange origins that had taken him from her. The despair in his eyes in the instant before Manutim had pushed the button that had robbed him of his freedom would haunt her forever. She remembered his peaceful face as he lay in the casket, his skin cool, unaware of her tears that had run across his skin when she had kissed him goodbye. He had wanted to die rather than be returned to the slavery of being a cyber host, and she had sworn to find and free him.
An impossible promise she had been unable to keep. She raised her eyes to the sky, her heart aching, as usual. Since he had left, a tale had sprung up of an invincible magical warrior who dwelt somewhere in the forest. She had started it, and fostered it, wishing it was true. Sometimes she allowed herself to dream that it was true, and would imagine she glimpsed a sun-burnished golden warrior standing in a glade while she was out riding in the forest. The legend kept her safe from the kings who had tried so hard to annex her kingdom through marriage, greedy for her verdant land and prosperous towns. Sabre was gone, however, packed away in a grey casket, more dead than alive. Three years of grinding misery had passed since then, especially since about two years ago, when her last hope of ever finding him had been snuffed out.
For the first year she had had hope, although it had dwindled over the months of fruitless searching for one thing that might make journeying to the stars possible: the sword she had brought from the Death Zone. It contained the Core, the evil entity that had once ruled and formed the Death Zone, which had become trapped in the weapon Sabre had used to destroy it. The Core could twist time and space, for that was how it had created the Death Zone. Although it had lost most of its power, she knew it could help her. It had transported her and Sabre to the skifgar world and brought them back. If only she could find it. Sabre, she was sure, had hidden it, for he had hated it. She had practically torn the castle apart looking for it, and there was still a handsome reward for its location or any information that led to its discovery. Sabre’s hiding place remained a mystery, however. Perhaps he had buried it in the forest, or thrown it in a lake. He might even have bricked it up in a wall; there was just no way to know. Tassin sighed and rubbed her stinging eyes.
A polite cough made her turn to find an auburn-haired lady-in-waiting in a dull blue gown trimmed with white embroidery standing a few steps away, looking apologetic.
“Excuse me, Majesty.”
“What is it?” Tassin disliked being disturbed during her sunset retreat.
“This boy…” The woman reached around and drew a shock-haired urchin from behind her skirts. “Says he has found something you might want.”
Tassin studied the lad, who looked about ten years old, and was covered from head to foot in soot, probably a chimney sweep. He also looked terrified, and clutched something in his grimy hands. She smiled at him and softened her tone. “What did you find, boy?”
“A key, Missus,” he said.
The lady-in-waiting cuffed him. “Majesty.”
He cringed. “Majesty.”
The lady-in-waiting grimaced and drew out a lace handkerchief to wipe her hand.
Tassin shot her a frown and then smiled at the boy again. “A key? Where did you find it?”
“In the chimney in the room where the star warrior stayed… Majesty.”
Tassin’s heart leapt and thudded. “Show me.”
The boy opened his hands and held them out, displaying a small copper key, the sort that fitted cupboards and wardrobes. Her heart sank a little, but she kept her smile in place. Could it be that ridiculously simple? Sabre’s old quarters had been searched several times, however. There could not be a locked cupboard in it. She held out her hand.
“May I have it?”
The boy gave it to her, and she studied it. Verdigris made it almost entirely green, so it had evidently been hidden somewhere for a long time. Perhaps three years. His room had been empty since he had left, so no one had swept the chimney, until now.
“Let’s go and see what it opens, shall we?”
Eager to discover what the key fitted, and allowing a little hope to seep into her heart, Tassin swept past them and headed for the stairs.
Arriving in Sabre’s old rooms, she looked around, memories rushing back thick and fast. Apart from supervising the searches in the days after he had left, she had not braved his rooms and all the memories they brought back. She had hardly entered them when he had been at the castle, but somehow his presence lingered. She could almost see him leaning against the wall beside the window, smiling at her, his gentle grey eyes alight. In the lounge, two brown sofas faced a low wooden table and a sideboard held a few nick-knacks. Nothing had been moved, and in the bedroom the bed he had slept in still stood against one wall, a bedside table next to it. A wardrobe still held the clothes he had worn, and dusty blue curtains framed the windows. There was no cupboard, and her heart sank. She turned to the boy and the lady-in-waiting, who stood behind her.
“There is no cupboard.”
“’Scuse me Missus, but there is,” the boy said.
The lady-in-waiting raised her hand.
“Strike the boy again and you will forfeit your post,” Tassin said.
The woman stepped back and lowered her eyes. “Sorry, Majesty.”
Tassin turned to the boy again. “Where is the cupboard?”
He pointed at the darkest corner of the room, where several old portraits were stacked against the wall. “Behind them.”
Tassin wondered how he knew that, but shrugged it off. It did not matter. Going over to the portraits, she pushed them away, and the boy stacked them against another wall. All she found behind them was a small corner and a musty curtain, and her heart sank again. The boy, however, brushed past her and pushed aside the curtain. There behind it, in a nook made by an overlapping wall that some architectural bungle had created, so grey with dust that it almost matched the stone walls, was a small cupboard. Her heart thudded again as she bent and fitted the key into the lock. It resisted a bit, and then turned with a click. Tassin pulled the door open and stifled a gasp.
In the gloom within, a long narrow object was wrapped in a ragged cloth. She fell to the knees, uncaring of her silver-grey skirts or the white lace that edged them, and reached in to draw out the bundle. Her throat closed with joy as the cloth fell away to reveal a gleaming steel sword with an intricate gold hilt that she instantly recognised. The sword whined, and a frisson shot through her fingers when she touched it, her breath catching in a sob.
“I found you…” she whispered.
The sword chimed and turned to crystal with a flash of ruby light. The lady-in-waiting gasped, and the boy gaped.
“Is that the sword, Majesty?” the woman asked.
Tassin nodded. “It is. This is the sword. The chaos weapon. The Core. I found it.” She clasped it to her breast, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. How had they missed it? Had the searchers not bothered to try to open a locked cupboard? Had they not seen it behind the portraits and curtain? Had the portraits been stacked in front of it during the search, even? It did not matter; she had found it. She had hope again. She stood up and turned to the boy.
“You will be rewarded.”
The lad grinned, his black eyes sparkling. Tassin headed for her study to start making arrangements. She had much to do and no time to waste. Sabre must not remain a slave a moment longer than was absolutely necessary. Her heart pounded with joy. What had he said about the sword? She recalled his words, spoken in his soft, husky voice. ‘It has the power to open portals in time and space and draw other worlds into its sphere of influence’. If it could do that, it could take her to wherever he was. She clutched the weapon, rubbing spots of rust off its blade. The cupboard had been dry and sealed, so the sword showed few signs of corrosion. She picked up her skirts and almost ran along the grey stone corridors towards her study, startling guards and servants.
Tassin stood in the centre of the empty room in the upper battlements where she had chosen to begin her journey. She wore a tough silver-studded black leather jerkin and a matching riding skirt over silk pantaloons and a royal blue blouse. Strong boots shod her feet, and a bag of jewels and gold hung from her belt beside a dagger and the scabbard that would house the sword she now held. One thing she had learnt on her journeys through strange lands with Sabre, and that was to dress appropriately. Dena stood a few paces away, chewing her lip. She had grown into a pretty young woman of about fifteen years old, with maturity far beyond her years.
Tassin’s nobles and advisors had objected strongly to Dena’s elevation to Regent in Tassin’s absence, but she had overruled their arguments. She had no time to debate the matter with them. Dena was a princess and the Queen’s adopted sister, and she would be Regent. Tassin would only be gone for a few weeks or months, at most, and she trusted Dena above all others. She was perhaps the only person who did not have her own agenda, and was utterly loyal to Tassin. Dena herself was a little worried about the arrangement, but had not argued. She wanted Sabre back, too. After he had left, she had suffered nightmares of him drowning in dark water for months. At the time, Tassin had wondered if the mutant girl was not a little bit fey, and had some sort of connection to the man she loved so much.
Dena hurried forward and embraced Tassin, her eyes filled with worry. The Queen returned it, hampered by the weapon, and hot tears stung her eyes. When Dena stepped back, Tassin lifted the sword and held it before her. She was not sure this would even work, but she had to try. It was her only chance. She smiled at the Princess.
“Look after my kingdom.”
Dena nodded. “I will. Be careful, and good luck. Bring Sabre home.”
“I won’t rest until I find and free him.”
“I know.”
Tassin nodded and faced the sword. “Sword. Take me to where Sabre is.”
The weapon gave a flat chime, which she interpreted as refusal.
She frowned. After everything she had been through, she would not allow the sword to cheat her of her quest. “If you don’t obey me, I’ll have you melted down. I’ll send you to the blacksmith, you hear me? If you want to be cherished, you must be useful. Take me to where Sabre is, now!”
The sword flashed to crystal, and Tassin held her breath. Its light flared, shimmering with rainbow colours, and enveloped her in blinding brilliance that forced her to shut her eyes. She experienced a sensation of weightlessness and intense cold that chilled her skin and filled her heart with dread, then the sensations vanished and solid ground hit her feet. Tassin staggered and fell to her knees, her head spinning. As the dizziness ebbed and the world slowed, she opened her eyes. The lingering dregs of vertigo made her lean sideways as she took in her extraordinary surroundings.
Tall glass spires surrounded her, shining in early morning sunlight, and streams of gleaming, multi-coloured vehicles swept past close by and overhead. People wandered along the street, clad in bright, finely made clothes, the men and most of the women wearing trouser suits, with a few women in short skirts.
Tassin remained on her knees, the sword lying beside her on the speckled concrete, her fingers still gripping its hilt as she gaped at the alien city, hardly able to believe it had worked. She cringed as a man stopped beside her and bent to peer at her.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his words heavily accented, but understandable, to her surprise.
She nodded and climbed to her feet, using the sword as a prop. “Yes, thank you.”
The man smiled and continued on his way, and she turned to take in the amazing vista of buildings and streets as more people thronged them, disembarking from flying vehicles that swooped down to drop them off. Skyways spanned the gaps between many of the tall buildings, and bright signs flashed alien messages. It resembled the ancient, ruined city she had visited on Omega Five with Sabre, only this one was intact and inhabited. The whizzing vehicles unnerved her, and she moved closer to the nearest wall, wondering what she should do now. There was no sign of Sabre, so she could only assume that the sword had brought her to the right planet, but had not been able to deposit her at his side. Remembering it, she sheathed it.
Now what? She looked around and set off along the street, hoping to find something that might give her a clue as to what she should do next. How was she going to find Sabre in what was obviously a massive metropolis? She did not think the sword could help her further, and she was reluctant to use it again. Perhaps it could not pin point him any better, but, then again, it might have taken her somewhere far from him, where she would search fruitlessly. Sabre had not trusted it, and neither did she. The chaos weapon was a malevolent entity. She passed vast shops with windows full of amazing clothes, jewellery and strange mechanical devices, towering businesses clad in shining steel and glass, and massive inns with marble foyers full of plants and well-dressed people.
By the afternoon, she had walked for kilometres, she estimated, yet nothing had changed. The city seemed endless and her quest doomed. How was she supposed to find a cyber in such a crowded city? A man who was clone, one of thousands, she guessed, and who did not even have a proper name. Only the one she had given him. The streets had become less populated and the buildings not so grand, and she turned into an alley to quit the throngs of pedestrians, seeking solitude. Now she wished she had brought some food, for her stomach growled and her throat was dry. Sabre would have brought supplies. He would have known what to do, too.
This was his world, but to her it was a strange and frightening place filled with uncaring people. She missed him more than ever, and she had not thought that was possible. Tassin sank down beside a wall in the dim alley, where scraps of paper scuttled along the pavement in the wind, and rested her aching legs. Soon dusk would fall, and she was lost in this vast, alien city. Despair made her eyes sting and she rubbed them, determined not to give in to it. She was a warrior queen, she would find a way. What she needed was someone who knew how to locate a cyber in a city, she decided. After resting for half an hour or so, she rose to her feet and went back to the busy street. Just up the road, she approached the liveried flunky who stood outside a gleaming inn, and he turned to smile at her.
“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 find 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 Five?”
“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.
Kole reached out to touch it and snatched his hand back, shaking it. “It’s got some sort of power in it.”
“Yes. Sabre called it neo… neosin?”
“Neosin, yeah, that’s the stuff they use to power most things… the city runs on it, but how does it get the neosin?”
“I don’t know. Sabre said the Core was a power crystal from an ancient power station that was bombed during the war on Omega Five.”
Kole sank back onto his chair, gazing at the sword. “A neosin storage crystal bombarded with nuclear radiation. Huh. That might cause some weird stuff. Who knows? Anyway, it’s definitely valuable. Priceless, even. Will you sell it?”
“I will do anything to free Sabre.”
“Okay. I’ll put an ad up on the Net and see how much you’re offered. It will take a while, though. It’s not the sort of thing we could flog to a scientific institution; they’d take one look at it and laugh, and the chances of making another one with the same properties are probably slim to nil. There must have been some really weird factors at play when that thing was created. But it’s an oddity, and a pretty impressive one. There are plenty of filthy rich guys who would pay a lot to own something as unique as that. In the meantime, we can look for your cyber. And, since you do have the means to get your hands on a lot of money, I’ll take you to look for him. You can reimburse me when you sell it.”
Tassin smiled and sheathed the sword. “Thank you.”
“Sure. Where are you staying?”
“Staying?”
“Yeah. Do you have a room at a hotel in the city?”
She shook her head. “I only arrived this morning.”
“Okay, well, you can stay here if you want. I have a spare room.”
“Thank you. When can we start searching for Sabre?”
“Ugh, tomorrow, I guess.”
She sat on the other chair, studying the screens and strange boards. “I have much to learn about your world. Will you teach me?”
“Yeah, sure.”