The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord (35 page)

"He'll find
out. He has six months to decide, then, if he chooses to become one
of us, his training will begin. Then there's no turning back."

Pryan nodded.
"I'll do it. You may read me, Overlord Fairen."

Tassin was
surprised by how Pryan's confidence burgeoned in leaps and bounds.
He drew himself up and raised his head, flicking back the lock of
truant hair. She glanced at Sabre, who had returned to the
right-hand side of Fairen's dais and taken up the resting stance of
a cyber on guard. Fairen nodded and rose, removing his right glove
as he stepped down from the dais. Pryan licked his lips, looking
nervous, but stood still as the young Overlord approached him and
held out his hand. Fairen closed his eyes, and for several minutes
tense silence fell.

He lowered his
hand and opened his eyes. "He's suitable."

Pryan slumped
with a sigh, grinning. "I've never done anything bad."

"It's not just
that. It's the quality of your mind that counts as well, the way
you think, your emotional stability. In order to one day judge
others impartially, you have to be unbiased and free of any
emotional baggage that could affect your reasoning. Apart from a
lingering hatred of the one who killed your sister and the trauma
associated with her attempt to bend you to her will, you're okay."
Fairen pulled on his glove. "Since you've chosen to become an
apprentice, you'll have to leave your old life behind. If there are
any personal possessions you would like to keep, I'll have them
brought over from your ship."

"I can't keep
my ship?"

"No. You'll get
a much bigger one, one day."

"But... what if
I decide not to become... like you?"

"Then you'll be
reimbursed, and you can buy another."

Pryan nodded.
"All right, I guess. What happens to my ship?"

"Give it
away."

"Or sell
her?"

"You won't need
the money, but do as you wish."

Pryan frowned,
looking thoughtful, then turned to Tassin. "I want you to have
her."

She smiled.
"Thank you. I'll take good care of her."

"You'll have to
keep an eye on the pulse field generator, and keep the klyon volt
input valves well oiled, or they stick. And the rotational release
wheel sometimes jams."

"Sabre will
know what to do."

"Yeah, I guess
so." Pryan shot a curious glance at the cyber. "Why doesn't he free
himself now?"

"I think he's
waiting for me to tell him it's safe."

"Right." He
held out his hand. "Thank you, for all that you've done for
me."

Tassin took it.
"I'm glad for you."

He nodded.
"Yes, you are. You're also very sad, and that's a shame. I hope you
get home safely, and one day I'll come and visit you."

"I'd like
that."

Ramadaus turned
to Fairen. "I'll take my leave."

"My thanks, for
your aid."

Ramadaus nodded
and headed for the door, where the guards bowed to him.

Pryan watched
him leave, then faced Tassin. "I don't like him. He wants to kill
Sabre."

"I know."

Fairen sat
forward. "You sensed that without touching him?"

"I don't have
to touch people."

"Well. I'm
impressed. You're more talented than I thought."

Pryan shrugged
and shuffled his feet. "Riana was better at it than me. She taught
me how to do it, but she could read people's thoughts too. That's
why Trina hated her so much."

"Your sister
was a telepath?"

"Yeah. If she
looked at someone all the way across the room she could tell you
what they were thinking."

"But you can't
do that."

"No, I can only
feel what people feel."

"Good." Fairen
sat back, nodding.

"If he was a
telepath, he couldn't be an Overlord, could he?" Tassin asked.

"No."

A short silence
fell, and then Fairen glanced at Sabre. “Please tell him it’s safe
now.”

Tassin’s heart
ached at the prospect of the painful ordeal ahead of him, which she
dreaded, but she longed to have him back. The cyber band's green
lights seemed to mock her when she went to his side and placed a
hand on his arm, drawing its attention. He turned his head towards
her, his eyes staring through her.

"It's safe,
Sabre. Trina's dead. Free yourself."

"Order not
understood."

Tassin bit her
lip, averting her eyes from his blank gaze. "Come on. Time to take
control again."

"Take control
of what?"

She glanced at
Fairen, who watched Sabre with intense blue eyes that shone with
concern and curiosity. She tried to touch Sabre's cheek, but he
turned his head away.

"Sabre, come
on. It's time. Ramadaus has gone."

"Are you sure
he can hear you?" Fairen enquired.

"Yes. He's
just... It takes a lot out of him."

"Is there
anything that can be done to help him?"

"No. He can do
it on his own." Tassin gazed at the control unit, willing him to
enter the mental battle with it and win. The lights remained green,
and Pryan stepped closer.

"Maybe I can
help?"

"No, I think it
would be a bad idea for an empath to get involved. It's very
painful."

Pryan nodded,
frowning, and Tassin glanced up at the brow band again, waiting.
Several anxious minutes passed, then the topmost two green lights
in the centre of the band began to flash.

"It's
starting," she said.

The lights
turned red, continuing to flash. She tried to recall what Tarl had
said they meant, but could not. Another light flashed, and the
first two stopped, remaining red, then the seventh control light
flashed red. Another started to flash as the first steadied. Tassin
found that she was holding her breath and let it out. A muscle in
Sabre's cheek twitched, and she stepped back, releasing his arm.
The fifth control light flashed red, then the fourth, and Sabre's
hands snapped up to grip the brow band, his face tense. Tassin
swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, her eyes stinging. He
sank to his knees, then sat back on his haunches as the third
control light turned red.

Red lights
filled the brow band now; only the last two control lights remained
green. Sabre keeled over onto his back, the muscles on his arms and
chest bulging as he strived to tear the control unit from his
skull. Blood seeped from around the struts, and his back arched as
he convulsed. Pryan rubbed his head and Fairen frowned.

Sabre writhed,
forcing Tassin to retreat, and the second control light turned red.
He groaned, a deep, husky sound of pain, and she stifled a sob,
covering her mouth. Blood ran down his brow to drip onto the floor
as his hands strained at the cyber band. The last control light
started to flash. Sabre rolled onto his side, as tense as a coiled
spring. The control unit blazed red, then most of the lights went
out, save for a few flashing red ones, some of which turned green
again.

Sabre lay
still, breathing hard, then he unhooked his fingers from the band
and flexed them, opening his eyes. Tassin went to his side and
knelt, longing to embrace him.

She glanced at
Fairen. "He needs a painkiller."

Fairen
addressed the wall. "Commander, send a medic on the double."

"Yes, My Lord,"
the wall replied.

Sabre rolled
onto his back with a groan, rubbed his brow and studied the blood
on his fingers.

"Are you all
right?" she asked.

He nodded,
closing his eyes. "I'll be fine. I just... need a moment."

"Of course."
Tassin placed her hand on his forearm in a gesture of concern and
affection. Sabre's breathing slowed, but he looked drained, his
face drawn.

"What happened
to your hand?"

She glanced
down at the bandage. "It's just a cut."

"And your
ribs." He grimaced, rubbing his brow again. "I'm sorry."

She nodded,
tears stinging her eyes. "It's all right. We're alive. That's all
that matters."

Two men in
white suits came running in and hurried over to Sabre at Fairen's
gesture. One of them injected Sabre with a painkiller at Fairen’s
direction, after which they retreated at his wave. Sabre sat up and
bowed his head, resting for several minutes while the painkiller
took effect. When he looked up, the lines of strain on his face had
eased. He rose to his feet, helping Tassin up, and approached the
dais.

"Thank you for
coming."

The boy
inclined his head. "I was glad to repay you for saving me. Your
fight with Ramadaus' cyber was spectacular. Could you have beaten
him?"

Sabre shook his
head. "I might have, but not the cyber."

"They became
synchronised, didn't they?" Tassin asked.

"Yes. When
pitted against another of the same grade, cybers fall into training
patterns, matching each other exactly. One of the shortcomings of a
machine: no imagination. They weren't designed to fight each other.
It might even be a deliberate ploy on the part of the Myon Two
programmers, to prevent cybers being used for sport against each
other. It doesn't stop it completely, but it makes it a bit boring
to watch for several hours."

"I found it
fascinating, and impressive," Fairen stated. "But you must be
tired. Go and rest, if you wish."

Sabre nodded.
"Thanks, I will."

Fairen
signalled to the guards at the door. "Show them to a
stateroom."

When they
reached the luxurious suite, with its black and red décor, Tassin
turned to Sabre as soon as the door closed and hugged him. He
rocked back on his heels in surprise, then enfolded her in a gentle
embrace.

"Hey, it's
okay. What's wrong?"

"It was
horrible, seeing you like that."

"I'm okay.
Knowing that I could get free if I really wanted to made it easier
to accept, and... I wasn't thinking straight."

She looked up
at him. "What did she do to you?"

"I don't know.
I just felt really strange, like my thoughts weren't my own. I had
feelings for her like I have for you, but I knew they weren't real,
and yet I couldn't stop them. It was almost like being under cyber
control, but not. I was still in charge of my body, but not my
thoughts, which was worse, if anything. And it was hazy, like a bad
dream I couldn't wake up from. Is this making sense?"

"I suppose so,
but why couldn't you fight her?"

"I don't know.
It was like I was drugged. I had no willpower. I could only do what
she wanted, feel what she wanted."

Tassin hugged
him again, wincing as her ribs protested. She did not care about
the pain; she needed him to hold her more than anything. Sabre
pried her arms away and led her over to the massive quilted bed,
made her sit on it and settled beside her.

"You should be
resting. I know how much cracked ribs hurt. And how did you cut
your hand?"

She told him,
and he shook his head, frowning. "You should have stayed out of it.
That cyber could have killed you."

"I had to do
something, and I thought if I could distract one of them you'd have
more of a chance."

"If Fairen
hadn't come when he did, it would have ended badly anyway, only you
might have been killed as well."

"I didn't care,
if you were going to die."

Sabre raised a
hand and ran his fingertips down the side of her face, studying her
intently, as if trying to plumb the depths of her soul with his
piercing silver gaze. His fingers came to rest on her cheekbone and
lingered there, his thumb caressing her skin, making her breath
catch and her heart pound. He lowered his hand, drew her into his
arms and laid his cheek on her brow.

"You're an
amazing, beautiful, stupid girl, you know that?"

Tassin relaxed
against him, smiling. "I'll agree with the first two."

He chuckled,
his breath catching in a strange little hiccup. "I don't deserve
you."

"What's wrong?"
She tried to pull away, but his arms tightened.

"Nothing."
Sabre lay back, holding her close. The temptation to relax beside
him was strong, but she fought it, raising her head to gaze down at
him. He closed his eyes, but tears seeped from under his lids and
ran down into his hair. Tassin wiped away the wetness, marvelling
at the depths of his gentleness.

"It's all right
to cry, you know."

"It's not very
manly, though, is it?" He rubbed his eyes.

"It is,
actually. It's human. Is it because you killed Trina?"

"No."

"Then
what?"

He sighed.
"Always the inquisition."

"I want to
know."

"You always
do."

"Why don't you
want to tell me?"

Sabre opened
his eyes, raised a hand and stroked her cheek. "It's you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Why? What have
I done?"

"You love
me."

"Oh." She
blinked, recalling her admission to Ramadaus.

"And I'm now
convinced."

"That I love
you? I would have thought -"

"No." He shook
his head. "That I love you."

"Oh." Tassin
stared at him, dumbstruck, and he pulled her back down onto his
chest.

"Promise me
something."

"What?"

"That you'll
never do anything that stupid again."

"I don't think
it was stupid."

He chuckled.
"You wouldn't."

Tassin hugged
him, her heart aching with profound joy, bringing with it a deep
sense of fulfilment and belonging, as if being in his arms was the
only thing that mattered, and, in that moment, it was. It had been
a long and difficult ordeal that had brought her to this moment of
utter contentment, and her dream had finally come true. For some
time she revelled in her newfound happiness, listening to the
steady sounds of his breaths and the rhythmic beat of his heart.
When she raised her head, he opened his eyes.