City of the Cyborgs (13 page)

At once Sarah rose and left the workroom. She made her way down the street, guided electronically until she came to a building taller than the rest. There the annihilators stopped her, but evidently they then received clearance from the Peacemaker, for they
stepped aside. The inner voice directed her into the building. Once inside, she moved woodenly until she came to a door. The cyborg guard opened it.

Suddenly, Sarah began to hear voices that somehow disturbed her. Then someone was crying,
“Sarah!”
and hearing that name did something to her. She felt hands touching her as the name was called again. It was as though she were under water, and those about her all seemed but shadowy forms.

Even as the name continued to be called, memory struggled to come forth. And as Sarah tried to emerge from the dark and blank grayness that had become her mind, she cried out.

“She’s in pain,” Dave said. “It’s in that antenna thing on her head.”

“Let me try again,” Wash said. He stood directly in front of Sarah Collingwood and said quietly, “Sarah, can you hear me?”

But Sarah’s eyes were dead looking, and when she spoke her voice was metallic. It was not like her familiar warm voice at all. “You must become One.”

They continued to try to speak with her in turn, but no one seemed to make any impact. All she would say was, “You must become One.”

“She’s having an awful time,” Wash said.

“And pretty soon we’ll be like her,” Dave said heavily.

“Not me. I’d rather be dead!” Reb declared.

“So would I,” Wash said. “Anything would be better than that.” He took Sarah’s hand and held it for a while. “Poor Sarah. You’re like a bird in a cage, and we can’t find a way to open the door and let you out.”

I
’m going with you, and that’s all there is to it!” Abbey’s face was flushed and her back was straight as she faced Josh and Jake. Rainor and Cee Dee stood off to one side, looking somewhat fearful and apprehensive.

“And I say you’re
not
going!” Josh said. “It’s way too dangerous, Abbey.”

“That’s right,” Jake put in. “You girls stay here and take care of yourselves, and we’ll do the men’s work.”

Abbey’s eyes flashed. Actually she looked very pretty as she stood there—though, to be sure, her good looks were marred by the antenna and the black box with the make-believe lens in it.

“You prove to me that Goél doesn’t want me to go, and I’ll stay here!” she said.

Josh spread his hands wide apart in a gesture of helplessness. “You know I can’t do that, Abbey.”

“I know you can’t, and that’s why I’m going with you, Josh Adams. Where you go, I go!”

Rainor asked tentatively, “Do you often have fights like this over what to do?”

“More often than you’d like to know about,” Josh said. He continued to protest, but in the end it was hopeless. He knew that no matter how much he protested, he was not going to win this argument.

“You can’t leave us here, and if we go we’ll be in no more danger than you are,” Abbey said firmly.

“I guess she’s right about that,” Rainor said. “If
these fake antennas don’t fool anybody, we’re all going to be caught anyhow. They might as well be with us as stuck here.”

“That’s just what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Abbey snapped. “Now, if we’re through with all of this argument, can we get going?”

Josh suddenly laughed. “Now, Cee Dee, you’re learning how to be a girl. You just argue until you get your own way.”

“Is that right?” Cee Dee asked seriously.

“No. He’s just making fun,” Abbey said. But she smiled, and a dimple appeared in her cheek. “But it works a lot of times.”

“Are we all set, then?” Jake asked. “Let me check all the antennas and be sure they look authentic.” He went around to each one, making certain that the boxes were firmly fastened on each forehead and that the antennas were not likely to fall out. “Sure does look good. I must say I’ve done a really magnificent job.”

“You can brag on yourself after this scheme works,” Josh growled. He had been upset over the argument, but now he became very serious. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll stay out of the line of view of as many of the annihilators as we can. They’re all going to be checking us, and any one of them might see something that doesn’t look quite right. And that would be
it.”

“Do we go all together, or do we divide up?” Rainor asked, looking around.

“I don’t think it makes much difference now,” Josh said. “If they spot us, they’ll get us either way.”

“Then I say we all go together,” Rainor said.

“I know what will help,” Cee Dee said.

They all turned to look at her, and it was Abbey who said, “What’s your idea?”

“We each should get something to carry. That’ll make us look more realistic. It would be even better if we had something big enough to carry on our shoulders, where it would sort of mask the antennas.”

“That’s a great idea!” Jake exclaimed with a beaming smile. “I’m glad I thought of it.”

Even Cee Dee grinned at this, for she was quickly learning Jake’s ways.

“What could we carry?” Rainor asked.

“They’re always taking all sorts of things into the tower. Bags, boxes, things like that. All we have to do,” Josh said, “is stop in a warehouse and get something bulky.”

“That won’t be hard. It’ll put the cream on my idea. Let’s get going!” Jake said.

“Yes,” Rainor echoed, but his face was grim. “I’m anxious to get my hands on this
Peacemaker
.”

The preparation did not take long. In the first warehouse they stopped at, they found bags filled with some lightweight material. They lifted the sacks to their shoulders so that they pressed against the antennas.

Josh looked around at everybody and said, “That looks great. Here we go, single file. I’ll go in front, and you take the rear, Rainor.”

“Right.”

And the procession began its way down the street.

Almost immediately Josh said quietly, “All right, here’s the first test. Everybody be ready. There’s a pair of annihilators standing right ahead of us.”

“What do we do?” Abbey asked. She was directly behind Josh and probably could see little.

“Just keep walking.”

They continued their pace, slow and plodding, in the manner of all the cyborgs.

“They’re looking at me real closely,” Josh reported quietly.

“Are they coming this way?” she asked nervously.

“Not yet. They’re just watching.”

The procession had almost reached the watching cyborgs. Josh could tell that their dead eyes were fixed on his antenna. He held his breath but did not miss a single step.

As he reached the annihilators, they stepped aside for the line of burden bearers to pass, and Josh felt a wave of relief.
We made it!

When they were ten steps farther along, he heard Jake saying, “I told you I had a great idea. Maybe I’ll get some kind of award for this.”

They reached the tower, and Josh said, “Here’s the big test. There are six annihilators right out in front.”

No one said anything, but Josh knew they were all nervous.

As the small procession came close, the cyborg guards stepped in front of them. Once again they all seemed to be searching for something, and Josh knew that it was for a unit without an antenna.

Finally the bulbs in the annihilators’ antennas glowed. They must have received some sort of message, for they all stepped aside, and the steel door leading to the tower opened.

Josh marched his followers inside, and as soon as the door closed behind them, he said, “So far, so good.”

“Where do we start?” Jake asked.

“We’ll search every floor. We don’t want to miss anything.”

They began walking down the corridors looking into doorways. From time to time they encountered not one of the annihilators but a cyborg dressed in
white. These units paid no attention whatsoever to them. Occasionally they did bump into annihilators, who studied them, but apparently the guards were completely deceived by the fake antennas.

“No controls on this floor,” Josh said. “I guess we’ll move up.”

They climbed the stairs and searched the second, third, and fourth levels. They found nothing that could be construed as a control center. When they reached level five, he said, “There is only one more level to go. Well, this may have something.”

“Look at that cyborg,” Cee Dee said.

Everyone looked, and Jake growled, “What’s special about her?”

“She’s carrying a silver goblet on a tray. Cyborgs don’t drink out of goblets like that.”

Josh saw the truth of this. The slaves drank out of very poorly made vessels. “She’s serving somebody important,” he said. “Who’s important on this floor? Let’s follow her.”

“I hope she’s taking that silver goblet to the Peacemaker,” Rainor said. He pulled out his sword and held it half-raised.

“Take it easy with that,” Josh warned. “I’m hoping we don’t have to hurt anybody.”

“I don’t know why you would hope that. He’s not going to turn loose of his kingdom without a fight,” Rainor growled.

They followed the cyborg servant into a corridor decorated with paintings and bright colors, and Cee Dee whispered, “I’ve never seen beauty like this. Not in the City of the Cyborgs.”

“It’s pretty fancy. Like a museum, only better,” Jake answered.

“What’s a museum?” she asked.

But there was no time to answer. The servant had turned into a doorway.

Josh followed cautiously, the others at his heels. As soon as they were inside, Josh was struck by the richness of the interior. Everywhere were gold and silver vessels, beautiful paintings, silk-covered furniture—and seated in front of a table, looking into a mirror, was a very beautiful young woman.

“She has no antenna,” Rainor whispered. “She’s not a cyborg.”

The woman turned toward them and abruptly pushed aside the female cyborg.

“I didn’t send for you! Leave!”

Josh stepped forward and, although he had no intention of using it, he drew his sword.

The woman’s eyes grew large. “Who are you?” she cried. She reached for a button at the side of the table.

Josh leaped forward and barred her way. “What’s your name?” he asked.

The woman saw now that the others had drawn weapons. She would know that something was dreadfully wrong. “I’m Lady Cybil,” she whispered. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

“We want the Peacemaker.”

“What do you want with my husband?”

“You’re married to him?” Rainor said, taking a step toward her. He looked very dangerous.

Lady Cybil cried, “Please don’t hurt me!”

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Josh said, quickly moving between her and the tall form of Rainor. “But we’ve come for your husband.”

“Please don’t hurt him either.”

“Why shouldn’t we?” Rainor asked harshly. “He’s
done nothing but make slaves out of people. Think how many lives he’s thrown into misery.”

“But he’ll change. He’ll change. You must give him a chance.”

“Where is he?” Josh demanded.

“I’m afraid to tell you.”

Josh knew it was time for action. “Then we have no choice but to kill you, and then we’ll find him.” He lifted his sword, and a cry went up from Abbey and Cee Dee. But the sword did not fall.

“Wait!
Don’t! I’ll take you to him.”

“See that you do, then, and no false moves. Don’t call out to any of the annihilators.”

The Peacemaker’s wife seemed almost paralyzed with fear. She trembled and nearly fell, but Josh took one arm and Rainor the other.

“You’ll be all right,” Josh murmured. “Just don’t try anything.”

Lady Cybil apparently was too frightened for that. She led them up a spiral staircase to the top floor.

“This is my husband’s laboratory and the control center,” she said. “He will be there.”

“Where?”

“In that room. That is where the control center is.”

“Here, hold on to her, Abbey and Cee Dee. Don’t let her loose.”

Several annihilators stood guard, and many white garbed assistants were moving among the machines that occupied the entire floor. The annihilators took one glance at the heads of the newcomers and said nothing.

“I did a great job,” Jake murmured.

Josh said, “Quiet, Jake. Brag later.” He crossed to the closed door with Rainor at his side and shoved it
open. There, before a complicated board with flashing lights and hundreds of switches, stood a man.

The boys slipped up behind him.

Then Rainor lay the tip of his sword on the back of the Peacemaker’s neck. “Turn around, Peacemaker!” he snarled.

The man froze. He seemed unable to move for a moment, and then Lady Cybil’s voice was crying from a distance, “Don’t kill him! Don’t kill him!”

He turned, and his face turned pale as he saw the stern faces of the young men who faced him.

“Don’t kill me!” he cried out and fell to his knees. “Please don’t kill me!”

Rainor said, “There’s one way you can save your miserable life, you worm!”

“Anything! I’ll do anything!”

Inside, Josh was rejoicing. He saw that when the Peacemaker’s life was in danger, he was a coward indeed. “You’re going to reverse the cyborg process for the entire city,” he told the man.