Sons of Abraham: J-17's Trial (10 page)

“Why the fuck was you running?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. “I had the ignition key in my pocket the whole time. They weren’t going anywhere without us.”

His narrow eyes caught the bewilderment on his partner’s face, as well as the slightly smaller eyes of her sister, who clutched onto her older sibling. Neither of the women was looking at Quaid, their gaze aimed towards something to his right. He didn’t need to think long about the reasons for their fear, nor what it was their wide eyes were fixed upon with such horror. He kept his head still, slowly reaching for the Ruger on his right hip. Something caught his hand, something cold and strong. He tried to force his hand to the pistol’s grip, but he felt the gun pulled out of the holster long before he could blink.

“Now that you’ve returned the ignition key,” the Cyber said. “I believe it’s time we were away.”

The Hermes passed through the last Gabriel Ring on its homeward journey, the protective shell ship opening to release the smaller vessel. MA Joseph felt the ship rear backward, the result of the reverse shift from the previous ring. The Hermes pulled away from the shell ship, breaking away from the confines of the system-to-system Gabriel Ring. The ship lunged, making the short trip to the interplanetary ring, barely a tenth the size of the larger brother. He wasn’t programmed to understand how the Gabriel Rings worked, only that each one aided in speeding a ship along to the next ring, turning an impossible journey into a relatively short trip. He knew that it was a Cyber who developed the first Gabriel Ring, the same ring he’d just passed through a moment earlier.

One by one, the planets passed by the blue-gray colored ship. He was sad not have been passed Saturn, easily his favorite amongst this galaxy. By the time he’d passed Mars, rather what remained of the dead planet, Earth had started to come into view. The Cyber remarked how grand the planet seemed, with its vast oceans and white clouds. It varied greatly from the other planets, all carbon copies of various aspects of mankind’s original home.

The tiny ship broke the atmosphere, the angle and speed already taken over by the ship’s navigational system. He was skilled at doing this manually, but he opted to let the ship fend for itself. It was difficult for him to imagine a time when he and the ship were not assigned to one another, the two having joined as a single team many years prior. The ship made its final descent upon the Eastern colony, a place once known as Northern Africa.

A crowd was already forming around his quiet vessel, soldiers, and Cybers, side by side, all with rifles loaded and ready. Joseph expected such the moment he’d received his orders to return to base to receive his debriefing over the Parasus incident. He’d scanned his databanks, looking for any past history of Cybers who acted outside of their programming. He had to reach far beyond his own generation, finding incidents of second gen Cybers whose actions were similar to his own. Those actions were always met with strict discipline, a thought that had sent a chill down his spine. He wanted to ignore the order, to remain as a guardian to Yomiel and his family. Wireless access to his processor, however, forced him to do otherwise.

The seal broke on the cockpit as it slid back over the top of the vessel. The ladder formed as he threw one leg over the edge and slowly made his way to the platform below. He barely managed to turn around when the military unit closed in around him, their various weapons aimed at his head. He raised his hands, allowing for the nearest MP to place the shackles on his wrists as another stepped forward and removed his weapon from its holster.

He wasn’t surprised to find that the trial was scheduled for tomorrow. By current standards, such a crime would have been tried and decided on the spot. He could hardly imagine how such trials had lasted for weeks, sometimes months or years far back in mankind’s history. Such things as retrials, mistrials, and appeals had vanished from their vocabulary back in the 2700’s, around the time, that man decided that justice should outweigh a person’s rights. The history of mankind showed that the two often swayed back and forth, one always rising over the other before finding its pinnacle, then falling to allow for the other to rise. The swing towards justice, in the 2700’s, saw no return of people’s rights. Those who didn’t like it were free to venture onto a transport ship and find somewhere other than Earth to call home.

MA Joseph was taken into custody and ushered into a military confinement cell. He sat there in the tiny room, with only a cot, a sink, and a toilet to keep him company. There was no window, no floor to ceiling bars to offer him a view of the next room, and certainly no cellmate. They wouldn’t keep a Cyber in a room with a human. Joseph couldn’t fully comprehend why, but he knew it to be an unwritten law.

Thirty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds after the cell door was shut behind him, a rumbling of the door’s lock was heard. A moment later, David Ballistar entered with a lone Cyber guard accompanying him. Joseph recognized the man instantly, a member of Earth’s Council and representative of Human and Cyber relations. It was an archaic position, no longer taken with the same seriousness as when the second gens existed. Now, the title the man possessed along with his job were little more than a formality.

“Hello J-17,” David said, stepping into the room. “How are you holding up son?”

Joseph looked to the man without expression. David Ballistar’s appearance had changed greatly since the last updated photo on his military file. The thick auburn hair had been thinned, sweeping backward over his tanned scalp. The hair was darker around the ears, growing lighter as it neared its peak. His face was almost red, two narrow eyes of blue peering back at him with much concern. He was of average height, average weight, with few remarkable physical traits. He wore the same blue-gray uniform as all the officers of the military did though the badge on his chest differed greatly from any of the others. Where others had rows of bars, pieced together with tiny squares that symbolized commendations or battles fought, David Ballistar only had one lone silver rectangle, a symbol of his position.

“Thank you, that’ll be all,” David said, turning to the guard behind him. The guard glanced at Joseph, trying to decide whether or not he should leave the unarmed bureaucrat alone with such a dangerous being. He thought better, realizing that the Major outranked him, thus leaving him little choice but to obey his orders.

“As you wish,” the guard stated, stepping back and pulling the metal door shut. The door banged loudly against the catch as the metallic lock engaged. Major Ballistar turned back to his query, taking a seat next to the silent Cyber.

“You’ve been charged with treason J-17,” the man started. “Do you understand the charges against you?”

MA Joseph turned to the man, a curious look forming upon his face. His right brow lifted high above his eye, which had started to scan the man the moment he’d entered the room. He couldn’t recall why he had bothered with the scan as he knew the man to be unarmed. Perhaps it was merely a force of habit.

“You should call me Joseph,” he replied, his brow lowering. “While I understand the charges, I do not understand why the charges have been raised against me. To the best of my knowledge, I have followed my orders down to the finest detail. Perhaps you could tell me what I have done wrong, Major Ballistar.”

The Major looked back to the door, wondering if anyone had devices pressed against the metal frame. He almost laughed as he realized that the devices were likely built into the cell and every word they spoke was being monitored. There was little privacy to be had in the military, even when it came to client/lawyer privileges.

“You murdered a high-ranking official from Parasus,” David replied. “Parasus is an ally of the Earth, thus why it is being considered treason. To kill a diplomatic official of an ally is to wage war against Earth itself. Do you not understand this?”

The Cyber thought for a second, referencing many terms and definitions as the man spoke. He compared these definitions to his actions, applying each one by one, trying to understand why he was in the cell.

“It seems I do not,” Joseph answered. “I received orders to retrieve the slaves from Lord Elsmere’s possession. The man threatened their lives should I have proceeded. Logic dictated that I could not protect the females once I left their company, leaving me little choice but to remove Lord Elsmere from the equation. I have acted within the confines of my objectives, nothing more.”

Ballistar jammed his red hands into his thinning hair, showing why his hairline had raised so highly for a man of forty-five. His face became much darker, the stress of the situation bearing down upon him in full force.

“Perhaps you’ve merely malfunctioned?” he suggested, dropping his hands to his lap. “When was your last diagnostic?”

Joseph closed his eyes, running a scan upon his inner CPU. One by one, each scan showed negative results for any actions acting outside of his programming.

“I am running at peak efficiency,” he muttered. “There are no errors to be found within my programming. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding of the situation on Parasus? If you would like, I can playback the footage from the day in question.”

“Alright,” Major Ballistar replied, pulling a pad from his coat. “Run it here.”

The Cyber reached out and touched the data pad. The plain screen came to life, showing video footage of the Cyber’s memories through his own eyes. David watched, his narrow eyes pouring over the details of every scene, his keen ears tuning into to every breath and syllable. David knew there was a tiny transmitter in the Cyber’s hands, serving as a short-range wireless network to certain types of devices. The two watched the day’s events unfold. They watched the conversation at the landing pad, the guards prejudice against Cybers, and the entire happenings from inside Lord Elsmere’s chambers. The lower right of the screen showed the various data that Joseph was acting upon, dozens, if not hundreds of laws and protocols flying across the screen. They watched the return trip of Joseph, leaving the I.I.U. Agent at the pad and heading back a second time. He listened to the conversation, his hands shaking as he listened to the foul words and threats that seeped from the man’s lips. David Ballistar couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride when he saw Elsmere’s face explode upon the impact of the fragmenting bullet.

The remainder of the playback went dark, the lower right of the screen indicating that the footage had been removed from the Cyber’s memories. David saved the data from the footage before shutting the device down and returning it to his pocket.

“What happened to the rest?” Ballistar asked.

“I thought it best to delete the footage,” Joseph replied. “Had I not, Elsmere’s men would likely find Yomiel and his family. My efforts would have been in vain.”

“It will seem suspicious,” David stated. “A Cyber whom deletes his own playback shows that he has something to hide. Do you have a plan for that part of the hearing?”

“I do,” MA Joseph recalled. “I will plead guilty to tampering evidence. I shall lose my position and be removed from service. A small price to pay I’m afraid.”

“You mean to keep Yomiel and his daughters safe?” Ballistar asked, looking back to the door. “They’ll probe your memory banks for the information. King Isom will demand nothing less. If you are removed from service, they won’t turn you back on after they’ve downloaded every file in your head. They’ll decommission you for sure.”

Joseph looked puzzled at the Major’s comment. His mind searched for other cases, quickly realizing that the man spoke the truth.

“If that is what must happen,” the MA offered. “I suspect I will be given little choice in the matter. However, as for the footage, do you agree that I’ve acted within my orders? I need to know that you are on my side.”

The Major laughed.

“On your side?” David laughed. “It doesn’t matter if I’m on your side or not. Either way, I will defend you to the best of my ability.”

A look of concern formed on the MA’s face.

“It matters to me Major Ballistar,” he replied calmly. “It is very important to me that my defender believes in what I have done, regardless as to whether or not it is his job to.”

The Major looked the MA over, wondering if he understood as much about Cybers as he’d previously thought. So far, every word the Cyber spoke, every stroke of the Cyber’s actions all contradicted what he had learned of their kind. It was unsettling.

“I do believe you,” the Major muttered, standing from the bench. “Now it’s just a matter as to whether or not I can convince others.”

The Cyber smiled.

“That is your task,” Joseph replied. “I would not dare tell you how to do your job. Do you know when the trial is scheduled to begin?”

The Major knocked on the door, signifying to the guards that he was ready to exit. The heavy metal latch moved, freeing the door from its lock.

“Tomorrow, 0900,” he replied. “Get some rest. I don’t want dark circles under your eyes tomorrow.”

The MA became puzzled by the last comment. Slowly, he realized why his looks were important. He was a Cyber who killed a human. He would need to look as human as possible. He decided he would deactivate the scanners in his eyes. No sense in reminding everyone what lie beneath the Cyber’s skin.

***************************

Captain Julius Quaid’s hands trembled as he held onto the stick, slowly lifting the Hopper free from the planet’s atmosphere. Luckily, the terraforming was thin on the planet, as were many with only numbers instead of names.

The last thirty minutes had been the most trying in the Captain’s career. Quaid had moments that found him on the wrong end of a gun, left for dead, and even facing a firing squad, but none of those moments found him as fearful as sitting at the helm of his own ship, forced to do an ancient Cyber’s bidding.

The Cyber had spent much of the thirty minutes with Sandra’s tablet in his hand, an endless stream of text and pictures flying over the screen at a blurred pace. He’d claimed to want to catch up on history over the last four hundred years, roughly the time since he’d gone missing. The crew had wanted to ask questions, though each of them had a different take on what the most important of the questions should be. Not being able to stand the silence, Jenna finally broke the awkward air.