Chapter Three

 

Fairen tapped his toe, then sighed and turned to Tassin. "If you wish to stay, you'll have to wear a disguise. I don't want him to see you. And you must remain silent."

She nodded. "As you wish, My Lord."

Fairen flicked his fingers, and an aide ran off and returned a few minutes later with two hooded cloaks. Tassin and Tarl donned them, pulling up the hoods to hide their faces in shadow.

Fairen glanced at Shrain. "Where is he?"

"His shuttle is docking, My Lord."

"About time."

Fairen picked up a veiled hood and put it on, adjusting the voice distorter in front of his mouth. The already subdued lighting in the cathedral-like chamber dimmed further, causing the shadows to thicken and hide much of its details. Soft lights glowed behind the thin crimson curtains that hung beside the walls at regular intervals, and the four pedestal-mounted torches around Fairen's dais burst into flames. Their flickering light, combined with the ruddy glow, gave the room a hellish ambience that the light from the pale planet in the screens only dispelled a little. This was, she surmised, to add to Fairen's sinister air, which she hardly thought needed augmenting. Minutes crawled past, and Fairen tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne.

At last the doors opened, and four guards ushered in a portly man with bushy sideburns and darting brown eyes, whose pale brow gleamed with nervous sweat. Tassin almost pitied him as the soldiers guided him to the front of the dais to face Fairen's hooded presence. President Niare bowed low, straightening hesitantly, as if unsure of whether he was allowed to stand in an Overlord's presence.

"Overlord Fairen, you do us a great honour. The people of Myon Two rejoice at your unexpected and welcome visit."

"Do they?" Fairen's deep, distorted voice was menacing, and made even Tassin shiver.

"Of course, My Lord."

"Then they are fools, President Niare. Overlords don't pay friendly visits to peaceful planets. We appear where there is conflict and lawlessness."

"We are a peaceful planet, My Lord." Niare gulped, his eyes darting again.

"On the surface; but you harbour criminals in your midst."

"Criminals, My Lord?"

"One of your enforcer factions has broken an edict laid down by myself and Overlord Ravian just a few months ago."

Niare looked horrified. "There must be some mistake, My Lord. No one would dare!"

"I don't make mistakes."

"No, no, of course not. Someone has lied to you, My Lord."

"No one lies to me." Fairen stood up and walked closer. Niare looked like he wanted to run. "Including you."

"I would never do such a thing, My Lord."

Fairen started to pull off his right glove. "No, you won't."

Niare watched Fairen's hands like a trapped rabbit. "Wha - what are you going to do?"

"I have a question."

"Ask anything, My Lord. I will tell the truth, I swear."

Fairen stretched his hand out towards Niare, who leant back, his bulging eyes fixed on the young Overlord's slender appendage. "There is a cyber who has been freed from his control unit. You know about this, don't you?"

"Y-yes, My Lord."

"I forbade Myon Two enforcers to hunt and capture him."

"Yes, yes, you did."

"But they have."

Niare paled even further, his skin almost turning grey, and his eyes widened. "Impossible, My Lord. No enforcer would break an Overlord's edict."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"No!" Niare's voice cracked, and he coughed. "No, My Lord. But... Who told you this?"

"No one. I gave the free cyber a distress beacon, should he ever need my aid. That beacon was activated just a few hours ago."

"That doesn't mean -"

"I have witnesses. Two enforcer ships took him, one of which was destroyed by the warship he was aboard when he was attacked. These are facts, and not in dispute."

"I know nothing about this, I swear!"

Fairen lowered his hand. "There is no need to swear. You will find out who did this, then you will order them to give me the name and location of the ship that took him. If they return him to me unharmed, they will be punished reasonably. If he is harmed, they will be similarly tortured. If he is dead, they will forfeit their lives."

Niare nodded, but his eyes were filled with doubt. "I'll do my utmost, My Lord, but it'll take time. Certain factions are secretive, and communicating with them will be hard."

Fairen returned to his throne, settled upon it and pulled his glove back on. "You have two days."

"That's not enough time, My Lord. It could take weeks, even months."

"It will take two days, President Niare. I won't threaten your life, because that will mean nothing to your rebel factions."

"Then... what will you do?"

Fairen raised his head to gaze at the pale planet in the screens. "Do you know why I'm called the Red Death?"

"You - you destroy worlds, My Lord."

"I've destroyed more worlds that any other Overlord." He gestured. "This ship is a planet killer. The main guns will disintegrate a world in less than two hours. It's impervious to attacks from lesser ships, even great fleets of them. Only another Overlord could destroy it, and that, they will never do."

Niare gulped. "Surely we have done nothing to deserve your wrath, My Lord. The life of one man -"

"There are only a few reasons for destroying a world," Fairen interrupted. "If there is an incurable, deadly plague that is being spread to other worlds, or if they're attacking other planets and inciting others to war, or producing illegal drugs that cause much death and suffering. An Overlord will order them to stop. They can obey and live, or disobey and be destroyed. Most of my peers are more lenient than I. They will spend time and effort persuading such a recalcitrant people to obey, and sometimes they succeed."

Fairen leant forward. "I don't believe in wasting my time. You will inform your rebel factions that they have two days to give me the name and location of that ship. If they do not, they are guilty of disobeying an Overlord."

Fairen turned his head towards Commander Shrain, who stood in the shadows beside the dais. "Put the ship into attack formation, Commander. There is your target." Fairen gestured to the pale globe.

President Niare fell to his knees and clasped his hands. "I beg you, My Lord, don't do this! The actions of a rebel faction cannot be blamed on the entire planet. There are millions of innocent people here!"

"There were millions of innocents on Espel Four and Windfall Three, but they perished because those who ruled them disobeyed me. All your factions have to do is obey me, Niare. That's not so hard to do. The lives of the innocents on your world are in their hands, and yours."

Distant groans and booms echoed through the Scorpion Ship as its great legs moved away from its hull, and Niare cried, "I don't know if I can get the message to them in time, My Lord! Please give me more time! A week at least!"

"No. Your enforcers are torturing a man who is under my protection. My word and my power are meaningless if I do not enforce them. Be glad that I have given you two days, and not two hours."

"But My Lord, some of the factions have bases on other worlds, even remote moons, how -?"

"Get out," Fairen said.

Niare froze with his mouth open, his eyes bulging with shock and mortification, then rose to his feet, performed a jerky bow and backed away. Two guards stepped up to help him totter from the room, gripping his elbows. Tassin pushed back her hood and walked around to the front of the dais, her eyes wide with amazement and awe. The four torches died and the lighting returned to normal.

Fairen pulled off his hood and clasped his hands, rested his lips against them and stared at his knees, looking troubled.

"My Lord." Tassin swallowed, her throat tight. "This is an amazing thing you do. Would you really destroy Myon Two if they don't give Sabre back?"

"An Overlord cannot make idle threats."

"Are you all right?"

He nodded, frowning. "Men like him sicken me. I touched his mind to see if he was lying. He's corrupted."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"No." He hesitated. "I wish Sabre was here."

"You think much of him, don't you? Not only because he saved your life."

"Yes."

"Will this get you into a lot of trouble with the other Overlords?"

A slight, wry smile tugged at his mouth. "No. It's all in the wording. If I had said bring me Sabre or I'll destroy your world, I might have been in a bit of trouble."

"But isn't that what you said?"

"No. I said obey me or I'll destroy your world, in which case, it doesn't matter what the order was. An Overlord must be obeyed."

Tassin moved closer to gaze up at him with deep respect and affection. "How will it make you feel, if you have to kill millions of innocents?"

Fairen raised his head and stared at the pale globe. "Apart from the children, probably the only innocents on that world are the cyber hosts. Myon Two has long been known as a cesspit of corruption, self-gratification and debauchery. They have never drawn the attention of an Overlord because they've never actually crossed the line into lawlessness, and their wealth greases many palms. If Sabre dies at their hands, at least I'll do what he asked of me, and end the suffering of cyber hosts."

"Won't they flee?"

He snorted and turned to look down at her. "I'd like to see them try to evacuate fifteen billion people in two days. No, they won't even try, because I'll destroy any ship that tries to leave, and they know it. While an Overlord is in orbit around a world, no ships are allowed to leave. They were effectively under an embargo from the moment I arrived."

"Fifteen billion?" Tassin shook her head in amazement. "So many. Will they call on another Overlord for help?"

"They would have to be truly stupid to do that. Overlords don't interfere with another's decrees. It would undermine our rule if we were to fight and argue amongst ourselves. They are at my mercy."

"Has anyone ever tried to kill an Overlord?"

"Of course, but only the criminals who are brought before one for judgement, and when condemned, try to attack him. That's what they're for." He gestured at the guards.

Tassin nodded, perching on the edge of the dais at his feet. "Why don't you come down and have some refreshment with us in a more comfortable room? You must be tired."

He sighed and rubbed his face, then rose and walked to the edge of the dais, stepping down beside her. "I know why Sabre feels so much for you. You're a strong, honourable, honest person with a deep wellspring of compassion."

She smiled, her cheeks burning. "Thank you."

"But you definitely got the better bargain when you chose him."

"I know."

"I only hope you always treat him with the respect and honesty he deserves."

She nodded. "I will, and I hope we're left in peace to enjoy our lives together, with our children."

"When we get him back, I shall take you to Omega Five myself. There will be no more mishaps."

 

****

 

Commander Barrin wandered into the examination room, and Grundel shot him an irritated look before turning back to his equipment.

"Any progress?" Barrin enquired.

"No."

Barrin studied the rat's nest of wires around the rogue cyber's control unit, the ends clipped or stuck to various parts of it. The cyber's eyes were closed, and Barrin wondered if he was asleep or unconscious. Knowing Grundel, the cyber was probably unconscious. Barrin had already realised that the cyber tech found the rogue cyber's presence extremely discomfiting.

"What have you been doing?"

"Trying to find out what was done to the control unit, and how to undo it."

"And you've made no progress at all?"

"No." Grundel glared at him. "It doesn't make any sense. Nothing's been changed except the polarity of the implants, and that hasn't been reversed. A negative polarity has been added, so they work both ways. This way, he can still receive information from the unit, but also command it. It's impossible."

"Maybe you're looking in the wrong place."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps the changes were made to his brain, not the control unit."

Grundel snorted. "How can you change a brain?"

"How should I know?"

"You can't."

"How do you know what those beings are capable of?"

Grundel glared at his instruments, throwing down a bundle of sensors. "So how the hell am I supposed to find out if his brain has been changed?"

Barrin shrugged. "I don't know, but if I was you, I'd start by waking him up and talking to him. Have him command the control unit and monitor his brain activity."

"He won't do what I want. Why should he?"

"It's not much to ask. I bet he'll do it just so he can move again."

"And have a chance of getting free."

"With two cybers guarding him? Come on, Grundel, he's not a superman. Put him back in the restraints."

Grundel looked pensive and frustrated. Clearly he had hoped to make some progress, and, since he had been trying for a day and failed, he had reached the point where he would consider any option. Finally he stood up, scowling.

"Send in the cybers then. I'll put the restraints on him."

Barrin nodded to the guard at the door, who left to fetch the cybers. Grundel snapped the duronium shackles onto the rogue cyber's wrists, ankles and neck, pinning him to the metal table. They waited a minute for the cybers to arrive and take up positions in the lab's corners, then Grundel filled a syringe and injected the rogue.

Another couple of tense minutes passed before the cyber's eyes opened to stare at the ceiling.

Barrin stepped closer. "Do you have a name?"

The cyber's cold, expressionless eyes flicked down to him before wandering away again. "Why would you care?"

"It's easier than using your serial number, but we can just assign you a name, if you like. Cyber Three, for instance."

"I'm not one of your damned cybers."

Grundel recoiled at the rogue cyber's use of the first person, looking perturbed.

"Then give us your name," Barrin said.

"Sabre."

"Good. We have a proposition for you."

"I know."

"Will you co-operate?"

Sabre shrugged. "Until you start injecting me with drugs or sticking probes in me. It won't help you to undo what they did."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a bunch of stupid monkeys compared to them."

Barrin nodded. "Yes, they were rather impressive. So you don't know what they did to you."

"Yeah, I do. They gave me control of the cyber, but I don't know how they did it."

Barrin smiled. "Of course. We would like a demonstration."

"Wait, wait," Grundel muttered, grabbing a U-shaped sensor on the end of a flexible telescopic arm and positioning it around Sabre's skull, next to his ears. He switched on two more monitors, one of which showed a digital graphic of Sabre's brain, with sparkles of activity running over it. "All right."

"Run through all the control unit's functions, if you please," Barrin requested.

Sabre sighed. "Scanners... infrared vision... internal diagnostics... structural scanners... cybernetic interface..." The deep hum filled the room, and the brow band glowed electric blue for a moment. "Organic scanners... battle schematics."

Grundel stared at the screen, nodding. "There it is, in the cerebral cortex, at the termination of the main control implant. Somehow they've given him the ability to send impulses to the control unit through that implant."

Barrin said, "Well, that was easy."

Grundel turned to Sabre. "Were you able to communicate with the control unit before they did this?"

"Yes."

"Fascinating."

"Can you undo it?" Barrin asked.

"I don't know. If I could re-establish the brow band's control, it could probably block it, but that won't be easy to do now."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so concerned about fixing him. Isn't it enough that he'll provide the basis for new clones?"

Grundel glanced up at him. "It'll be twenty years before the new cybers are ready for sale, but with him as a prototype, imagine the orders we could get. He can demonstrate the new capabilities to prospective customers, which would be far more impressive than promises. Getting him back into service is imperative."

Barrin turned to Sabre. "What did you think you were going to do, anyhow? Live happily ever after as a human being?"

"Something like that."

The commander snorted. "A killing machine masquerading as a human being. How droll. It's absurd. You can't change what you are."

"I'm a man, just like you. The only difference is you weren't enslaved as a child and kept a prisoner in your mind while your body was used to perform unspeakable acts."

"No, you're a cyborg. You're part human, part alien and part machine. You weren't designed to be a man. Your attempt to be one is pathetic. You have no concept of what it means to be human."

"I'm learning."

"You're learning to act like one, but you'll never feel like one."

"How would you know?"

Barrin shrugged. "I have the assurances of research and development. They say you don't have the capability, and they should know."

"They know nothing about me."

"They know everything about you. They designed you."

Sabre frowned. "They used a man as a host for a machine. They don't know what I can do now that I'm free."

"Shall I tell you your fate?"

Grundel looked up with a frown. "I don't think you should antagonise him, Commander."

"I think he can handle it." Barrin leant closer to Sabre. "You'll end up as a psychopath. For a while you'll try to cultivate human emotions, ape those around you, tell them what they want to hear, especially that pretty little girl who seems to like you so much. It may take a couple of years, but eventually you're going to realise that you can't be what she wants, then you'll realise that those emotions you think you feel aren't real. They're products of your imagination, reflections of what you see in others.

"You're incapable of compassion, or pity, or love. You'll realise that for you, killing is easy, and you don't feel guilty about it, then you'll start to kill anyone who goes against you, or whom you don't like. Then you'll be a sociopath, without conscience, but eventually that, plus your self-loathing, will turn you into a complete psychopath."

Sabre tensed and jerked against the shackles. "You'd like me to believe that, wouldn't you? Just because you're stupid enough to do so doesn't mean you're right. Cyber hosts have always been treated like living machines. No one has ever bothered to study our minds. Your technician finds it repellent to study it now, and talking to me makes him squirm. You’re just an enforcer; you've always believed we were empty shells, incapable of thoughts and feelings, now you can't admit that you're wrong. You never will, even when the proof is right in front of you."

Barrin glanced at the cybers who stood in the corners. "So tell me, what are they feeling right now?"

"They hate you."

"Really. Is that all?"

"No. They're trapped in a kind of septic darkness, stagnant and sticky, silently screaming for release. Their only connection with reality is the distorted voices they hear and their unfocussed vision."

"That's what you felt?"

"Yeah."

Barrin nodded. "And how do you know they're the same as you? Perhaps you're an aberration. Perhaps they're oblivious, as our techs say they are."

"Why should I be the only exception?"

"Who knows? Perhaps your implants aren't in quite the right place."

Sabre looked away. "Ask Grundel."

Barrin shot Grundel a surprised glance. "What does he mean?"

"His implants are perfectly positioned, Commander."

"Have you ever seen a cyber stretch, or scratch, or yawn?" Sabre asked.

Barrin shook his head. "Of course not."

"Have you ever had an itch you couldn't scratch, or a stiffness you couldn't ease? Or been thirsty or hungry and been able to do nothing about it? Or better still, how about being terribly wounded, yet unable to stop fighting or cry out in pain? That's what it's like to have a body you don't control."

"That's enough," Grundel said. "Stop this, or I'll paralyse him again."

Barrin snorted and turned away. "It doesn't bother me. What are you going to do now?"

Grundel turned back to his keyboard. "I'm going to install a copy of the software patch that reinstated the cyber's control before, then shock his brain into submission and see if I can get the unit in control again. Once I've done that, his ability to command it will become redundant."

"Good. Let me know when you've done it."

Barrin strode out, and Sabre turned his head to glare at Grundel, his silver eyes filled with hatred.

"Torturer."

"Be quiet." Grundel fitted a crystal memory chip into his computer's reader and typed on the keyboard, downloading the software patch into the control unit. When it was installed, he attached a pair of electric cables to the cyber unit to boost its power. He swung back to his bank of screens, tapped the keyboard and pressed a button.

Sabre's spine arched as the shock sizzled through his brain. He strained at the restraints, his face twisted in a grimace of pain. Grundel studied the screens, where the cyber's in-control areas mapped the brain in a brief flicker before vanishing again as Sabre recovered.