The Cyber Chronicles VIII - Scorpion Lord (8 page)

****

Estrelle
stared at Jorran, struggling to hide her horror. "You're going to
do what?"

He turned to
her, looking irritated. "I'm going to make that bastard a
vegetable. He's more trouble than he's worth, and without a
functioning brain, not only will the cyber be able to control him
again, there will be no more killing sprees. He'll stand still like
a good boy for the demonstrations, too. It's the perfect solution.
His mind is of no interest to us anyway. He's not going to
co-operate, and to all intents and purposes, it's just the mind of
a normal male, slightly warped, but not that unusual."

She swallowed,
shooting a sidelong glance at Martis, who appeared to be trying
very hard to think about nothing at all, his eyes blank. "How will
you do it?"

"Psychotropic
drugs. Pump him full of hallucinogens and psychotics, and in a few
hours he'll be a drooling idiot. There are a few new ones that a
cyber his age isn't immune to."

"But you don't
know that the control unit will be able to take over, even
then."

"Well that's
your job, isn't it?" Jorran retorted. "I'm sick of all the
precautions I have to take to deal with his psychopathic killer
instincts. I can't mind-wipe or recondition him if the control unit
can't override his mind, so this is the only option. Even if the
control unit can't re-establish its dominance, at least he won't be
dangerous. He might have to be carried around and strapped onto the
frame for demonstrations, but he won't struggle or cry out."

"I see."
Estrelle nodded, trying to look thoughtful. "Yes, that does solve
some of the problems."

"Name a
problem it doesn't solve."

"He'll
atrophy. In a year or so, he won't look like much of a cyber
anymore, and his heart will weaken and fail."

Jorran
shrugged. "That's true, but we can exercise him artificially. I
just need to keep him going until the new cybers are ready; a
couple of years."

"Have you
completed your research on the DNA splicing retrovirus?"

"Not yet, but
it will work."

"If it
doesn't, you won't have a prototype to show clients when he
dies."

Jorran scowled
at her. "I'll risk it. Rather that than have him get loose during a
demonstration and kill our clients. I think that would be worse for
our sales, don't you?"

"An
anaesthetic would solve the problem, too. If he's unconscious he
can't harm anyone."

"We can't
guarantee he'll stay under it. He has the ability to counteract it
quickly. He broke a shackle during the last demonstration, and
those were duronium clamps."

"He was never
in danger of getting loose."

Jorran's scowl
deepened, and he raked her with hard eyes. "Are you going soft,
Cyber Tech Estrelle?"

"Certainly
not, Host Tech Jorran. I'm concerned about degrading and eventually
destroying a valuable asset; one that Myon Two went to a great deal
of trouble and took a considerable risk to acquire. Have you
cleared this with management?"

"I don't
answer to junior techs, and management will agree with me after his
rampage through the centre."

"Only if
they're not fully apprised of the potential for harm to the
prototype."

Martis raised
a finger. "For what it's worth, I agree with Cyber Tech
Estrelle."

"It's worth
bugger all," Jorran replied, clearly annoyed. "I'm now the head of
this department, and it's my decision."

"We will lodge
our protests with management," Estrelle said.

"You do
that."

"Until they
give their approval, you can't do it."

Jorran
snorted. "He killed Vardin and Shenar. He's already proven that
he's dangerous, if that was ever in doubt. As long as he's free of
the control unit, he's always going to be dangerous. The risk of
damaging him is countered by how much it will save, what with all
the extra security and precautions necessary to ensure he never
gets loose again."

"I would say
the chances of that are pretty slim."

"I'm not
interested in your opinions."

"Well I, for
one, won't sign off on this until it has managerial approval, and
neither will Martis. What do you say, Rond?" Estrelle turned to the
older host researcher.

He shrugged
and shook his head. "I don't like the idea, but neither do I like
the prospect of him going on another killing spree."

Estrelle
frowned, turning back to Jorran. "You need all of us to approve,
and we don't."

"I'll get
managerial approval. That bastard's going to dribbling onto a bib
and playing with his toes by the end of the week, mark my
words."

Jorran marched
out, his back stiff with anger, and Estrelle chewed her lip.

Martis
muttered, "At least he won't suffer anymore."

She shot him a
hard look. "We're not concerned about a host's pain."

"No, of course
not, but he won't struggle or cry out then."

"He probably
won't if he's a vegetable, either."

"Right."

****

The next day,
Estrelle looked up from the control unit she was working on as her
monitor beeped, informing her of an incoming message. She touched
her keypad to display it, her heart sinking as she scanned the
brief missive. Jorran wanted her to attend an experiment on the
free cyber, so she could observe the control unit. The time he
specified barely gave her ten minutes to reach the testing lab.
Putting aside her work, she snatched up her data-wand and headed
for the door.

In the testing
lab, she found Martis and Rond already waiting. Sabre was stretched
out on the metal table to which he was always bound, which had been
moved from the tiny security cell into the main lab. The cyber's
eyes were closed, but the ridged muscles of his jaw and belly
betrayed his tension. Jorran looked around when she walked in, his
expression irritated.

"We've been
waiting for you, Cyber Tech."

"I received
your message only a minute ago."

"Well, let's
get on with it, we haven't got all day."

Estrelle went
to the other side of the table, facing Jorran. "What's the
experiment?"

He held up a
syringe. "A convulsant. One of the few that will work on him. It
should make things pretty unpleasant for him."

"Are we now in
the business of torture? What value does this experiment have?"

"I want to see
if his brain can be shocked into submission with chemicals, since
the control unit can no longer do it. When he was returned for
repairs four years ago, they were able to restore permanent cyber
control with a software patch, but that won't work now. Then, the
cyber was still able to shock his brain into submission. Now it
can't, but this may work just as well."

Estrelle
frowned. "What about brain damage?"

"A minimal
risk, quite acceptable. This should cause the loss of his higher
brain functions and most of his motor control for a while, and it
might give the control unit a chance to re-establish its dominance.
If that happens, we won't have to drug him into idiocy, so you
should be in favour of it."

"But you don't
know if it will, and, judging by the fact that the control unit
appears to be so completely under his command now that it no longer
even tries to re-establish its dominance, it can't."

"That's why
it's called an experiment," Jorran said.

"And if these
convulsions are strong enough, he might break the clamps, or some
bones."

"Bones heal,
and even if he does break free, he won't be in any condition to do
any harm."

Estrelle made
a note on her data-wand. "As long as you're prepared to take full
responsibility for the consequences. I'm logging my disapproval for
management."

"You're really
starting to get on my nerves," Jorran said. "Anyone would think
you've become a cyber-hugger."

"I'm merely
concerned about -"

He waved the
syringe. "Spare me. Now, let's proceed."

"Just for the
record," Sabre muttered, "I think you're all a bunch of
cold-blooded, sadistic bastards, and I hope you all rot in
Hell."

"No one asked
you," Jorran retorted.

He turned to
the drip that was attached to Sabre's right elbow, feeding him
fluids and nutrients, and injected the intravenous line, then put
the empty syringe on the trolley beside him.

He licked his
lips. "This should be fascinating."

A minute
passed, and Estrelle found that she was holding her breath. She
forced herself to let it out and relax, her hands aching from
gripping the data-wand. Sabre's hands clenched, and his eyes opened
wide, pure silver under the bright overhead lights. He drew in a
deep breath, then his back arched as all his muscles went rigid,
and his lips drew back in a rictus of pain. Estrelle watched the
cyber unit, which filled with red lights, alarmed when the seventh
control light flashed green. Sabre quivered with the strain of the
spasm, sweat sheened him and blood vessels swelled on his temples,
neck and chest. Tears leaked from his eyes and ran down into his
hair.

Martis frowned
at the screen that showed the scrolling information from the
control unit. "Heart rate up to two hundred and fifty and climbing,
blood pressure at two hundred over one eighty and rising. Core
temperature at one hundred and eight."

Sabre remained
rigid, the metal clamps digging deep into his throat, wrists and
ankles. His lips turned blue and the whites of his eyes reddened.
Rond leant closer to study his face.

"Signs of
petechial haemorrhaging, and cyanosis."

Martis nodded,
watching the screen. "Blood oxygen down to seventy-two per cent and
dropping. Bio-status at sixty-four per cent... sixty-three...
sixty-two. Heart rate at two hundred and eighty, blood pressure at
two hundred and twenty over two hundred and still rising. Core
temperature now at one hundred and eleven."

"He's reaching
his limits," Rond commented.

Estrelle kept
her eyes on the control unit, unable to look at Sabre's tortured
expression.

"Bio-status
now down to fifty-two per cent," Matris intoned. "Heart rate at two
hundred and ninety-four, blood pressure two hundred and thirty over
two hundred and ten, core temperature approaching one hundred and
thirteen."

Estrelle bit
her lip, blinking to prevent stinging tears from overflowing. The
seventh control light flickered.

"Sir, his
heart rate is now three hundred and ten," Martis stated in an
alarmed tone. "Blood pressure two hundred and fifty over two
hundred and thirty, blood oxygen at fifty-one per cent, bio-status,
forty-nine per cent, core temperature... one hundred and fourteen.
Brain damage is occurring."

Estrelle
glared at Jorran. "Give him the antidote."

He smirked.
"He can take it."

Martis swore
as the lights on his console all went red, and two alarms beeped
and whined. Sabre went limp, flopping back onto the table. "He's
gone into cardiac failure."

"Restart it,"
Jorran ordered as he picked up a syringe and injected the
intravenous line.

Martis grabbed
the two pads and slapped them onto Sabre's chest on either side of
his heart, triggering the electrical jolt. The cyber's back arched
again, then he sagged back.

"Restart
shocks don't work too well on a cyber. The barrinium armour
diffuses them too much," Martis observed.

"Just do your
job," Jorran said, "we can do without the running commentary."

"Congratulations, Jorran. It looks like you've succeeded in killing
him," Estrelle remarked.

"When I want
your opinion, Cyber Tech, I'll ask for it!"

"I'm so glad I
logged my disapproval. Now you'll have to face management
alone."

He turned to
glower at her. "Did I, or did I not see the seventh control light
flashing while he was convulsed?"

"Have a look
now, they're all red. That particular configuration, Host Tech
Jorran, means the host is dead."

"Not for long.
Shock him again, Martis."

Martis pressed
the pads to Sabre's chest again and triggered another shock. "No
response, sir."

Jorran picked
up another syringe and injected its contents into the vein in
Sabre's arm. "Try now."

Martis
repeated the shock, and, as Sabre sagged back, the alarms stopped
and a soft beep came from the console. "He's back. Heart rate...
twenty. Blood pressure... eighty over sixty. Slow and low. Not
good."

Estrelle gazed
at the brow band, where a few green lights winked again, but most
remained red. "What's his bio-status?"

"Um... forty
per cent."

Jorran leant
over the cyber and slapped his face hard enough to jerk his head to
the side and make Estrelle jump.

"Wake up, you
piece of shit. Come on, show me how much you want to live."

"I thought you
wanted the control unit to take over?" Estrelle asked.

"I do."

"Then why are
you talking to the host?"

"I want to see
if he's still in there." He shot her a glare.

Estrelle
glanced at the brow band. "Well, the cyber's not in control. This
was a complete waste of time and resources."

Jorran swung
around. "You're really starting to annoy me!"

Estrelle bit
back a blistering retort, reminding herself that Jorran outranked
her, even if he was not her boss, much as she disliked him and what
he was doing to Sabre. As head of host research, he could complain
to the head of cyber research and have her removed from the case.
Instead, she looked down at Sabre, shocked to find that his eyes
were open, and fixed on Jorran. The host tech noticed her
expression and followed her gaze, recoiling from the fury and
hatred in Sabre's eyes. A muscle jumped in the cyber’s jaw, and his
brow furrowed.