The Cinnamon Horizon
by Elliot Bowers
Chapter 3: The Color of Another Bowl
_____Head bowed, left hand clutching her injured right arm, she somehow continued these
streets--making her way along the sidewalk. Seemingly drunk with exhaustion and pain, the
red-haired girl weaved and swayed as she walked and moved. Every so often, she leaned
against a pollution-dusted metal pole of a nearby streetlamp. There, she would rest for
some seconds, shrug her left shoulder to readjust her heavy purse, then move on. Somehow,
she would get there. Though her body was weak, only a human body of flesh and bone, her
willpower was strong enough to pushed her on.
_____Most of the local people were at work now. So there was almost next to no one for
her to bump into as she moved along; there was almost no one around. No staring eyes on her
as she went along...
_____Her eyes were downcast as she tried to watch her step and keep from falling down.
She only had a vague idea as to where she was going now, head and mind so full of pain and
darkness. Maybe she had gone to some wrong streets. And maybe she had missed certain
turns. She would get there eventually. Not that such a distance was too long a walking trip,
but that was only true if a person was healthy and mobile. Someone not feeling...
_____She was getting worse. Several times, she had nearly fallen unconscious. She had heard
and felt slight grating sounds in her neck when she stopped now, and her obviously broken ribs
were starting to make her cough. Each coughing fit now brought with it the taste of blood.
_____She made it. Here it was, six blocks away from her apartment. A two-story building,
it was primarily a store-front operation. People usually set appointments before using this
place, but its operation was so efficient that walk-in business was always possible. Having
nine staff members on duty at all times made for timely and reliable work. That, and having
several re-purposed Deckmen helped operations considerably. The sliding doors opened
automatically.
...
_____Inside was a mid-sized waiting-and-reception area--much like a dentist's office of
centuries past. A bald male cyborg in white clothes sat behind the reception window, in a smaller
office. "Good afternoon..." he said, an almost automatic greeting. But the standard professional
greeting faded when he more fully realized the condition of this latest patient.
_____Through the reception window, he saw a girl--barely a woman--in bad condition. She
was clutching her right arm, bent somewhat the wrong way. Her sleeveless blouse torn in
several places, there were patches of dried blood. And he could hear her breathing in sipping
gasps, a sign of oncoming shock. Or, worse, a sign of broken ribs. There was also drying
blood on her torn skirt, meaning that someone had done something very bad to her...
_____"My goodness!" he said. In a hurry, he left the reception office and came through a
side door to get into the reception area itself. He carefully helped the girl over to one of the
soft chairs. She seemed small and broken... "There, everything is fine now. Just relax, and
let me take a look at you..."
_____"Just...get me some damned paper. Several FUCKING sheets of paper! And something...to
write with!" she growled through gritted teeth. "I have to write some things down, damn it. And
hurry up, fuck-face. I'm...feeling almost dead."
_____ The professional cyborg himself gasped. Clearly, this patient was delusional. "Before
you need that, you need medical attention! You need to have your injuries..." But a sudden
dark glare from the girl's eyes silenced him.
_____Something in the red-haired girl's glare made him get up and hurry to do what she said.
There was a long clinical memo pad in the reception office, along with some pens on the side-desk.
He grabbed pen and memo pad, then came back to the reception room. He got these things
in a hurry, without thinking about it.
_____Back in the reception area, he carefully set the memo pad on the injured girl's lap--
mindful of the bruises and injuries visible through her torn skirt. Her right arm limp, she grabbed
the pen he had with her left. And then her head drooped forward. For a moment, he thought
she had fainted...
_____Until he saw her begin to write--very, very fast. For someone so injured and in so
much pain, she should not have had that degree of hand-eye coordination. In fact, he had never
seen any human write so fast: Flesh could only move so fast. But her left hand moved with the
rapidity of a factory cyborg! Those were quick and sharp movements, her left hand making
very quick scritches and strokes with the pen. And there was no hesitation at all. In just moments,
she had filled out several pads. It was incredibly fast...
_____On the sixth page, she stopped--setting down the pen. "I want this body," she said, tapping
the written sheets of paper. "I have more than enough money for it, and you have everything you
need here to make it for me. Do it."
_____The male receptionist picked up the notes and glanced at what was written. Hmm...
What in the Devil's name...? This was amazing. Simple, but amazing. These were general
schematics and attributes for what could be a damned good body. Though he was only an
apprentice cyber-technician, he just knew that these notes--complete with diagram--were
good. Damned good.
_____He opened his mouth to begin to tell her so, but the girl had slumped into unconscious,
her long red hair curtaining her face and shoulders. Just then, several full-time staffers came
into this room. "Dr. Jaypeg, Dr. Lift, you have to hear about this...!"
_____From there, he quickly told her about that injured girl...and the amazing request she had
just made. While the girl was put on a stretcher and carted out, the male receptionist pointed
to and introduce the notes. The two cyber-technicians agreed; these notes were too amazing
to refuse.
...
_____Later, as his two gigantic bodyguards stood back by the doorway, this business-suited
executive stood in the middle of the room. He should have a seat... But no, he refused to let
this latest trouble make him sit.
_____He, Mr. Yin, now stood stiffly in this reception room, his normally serene golden face
now heavy with concern. He generally hid his worry well. Not this time, though.
This time, he was apparently worried. Almost grieving.
_____When one the local Enforcers told him that one of his topmost prostitutes was seen
limping and injured towards a cyber-clinic, he moved in a hurry! The local enforcers knew
who Sera was, how valuable an asset she was, and yet they were NOT there to protect her.
Now she was changing her body--as well as ending her profession while still in her prime! Here
he was, in the place where Sera would surrender her human body for one sculpted of metal and
electromechanics.
_____"That was not to happen, should not have happened" he said in an even tone to the
assistant cyber-technician--a cyborg in white medical pants and white short-sleeved shirt.
"That may happen at random times to other citizens. But for such an occurrence to pass with
one of my most valued employees is tragically unacceptable." He paused, put his hands
behind his back, and began to walk around the cyber-technician. "Now...! I would like
another review of what is being done to the young lady now in your care--the ONLY young
lady currently in your care."
_____The cyber-technician put on his most professional manner while the high-ranking executive
walked around and around him. It was like being in a slow, sickening whirlpool. He clasped
his metal hands in front of himself and respectfully bowed his head while the executive continued
about to walk around.
_____"Well, sir... To review, the client-patient came here for the specific purpose of having
her entire body replaced. This would be a radical change--taking her from full-flesh human to
full cyborg in just hours. As the patient was in such critical medical condition and that she was
insistent on this, we complied.
_____"In addition to that, nothing really stopped us from beginning the procedure. Funds
were not at all an issue here as she had ready cash. Also, she had somehow produced a
general--but doable--set of technical specifications and modifications to whatever body we
would give her. In this case, a female-shaped metal body. A fairly common body model, but
we would modify the body in accordance with the notes."
_____"Wait, let me see your general-purpose documentation again," said Mr. Yin, stopping his
circular ambling. The cyber-technician went to the reception window and got a copy from the
male receptionist--three sheets of typed documentation, set on a clip-board.
_____He presented the clipboard to the executive, then took a step back. Mr. Yin then resumed
walking in circles around the technician. "I must admit to you that cybernetics is not my specialty.
I have modest understanding of the technology. And even from my somewhat common view,
I accept what you tell me--with exceptions. I wanted wonder how this can be done in such hurry."
_____"Sir, it was just modification of the hardware and supplies we have available," answered the
cyber-technician. "The artificial muscle tissue was surprisingly easy to modify with the chemicals
we have available, especially when integrated with the redundant electromechanics within her
body's modified mobility systems. As for the metal exterior of her new body, the exoskeleton,
it will be somewhat less resistant to impacts--but is only one-tenth the weight of what we
normally use for those who become professional arena gladiators."
_____"So she is getting almost be a fighter's body," said Mr. Yin, still walking around. "But I
know of gladiator cyborgs; my associates are in that business... Well, her body would be too
light. And what use could she have for having her hair made of monofilament strands? A
common practice for gladiators is to have light and easily-torn hair in case the opponent tries to
grab it. And why are gladiator bodies are supposed to be heavier--especially around the wrists
and feet? For more impact! These notes describe a hybridization between a gladiator's body and
a typical citizen's body. Not good for fighting, because that is what she seems to have in mind."
_____"Yet, it will be a body shaped almost exactly like the patient's original," countered the
assistant cyber-technician. "All of what she requested can be fit within the shape of a young
woman of almost average height. It is very possible. We are intrigued by the hybrid design,
too. Especially considering the designer, the patient herself. How did someone like her come
up with such an interesting and innovative body design?" He lowered his voice. "Mr. Yin, is
it really true that the patient was always a...?"
_____"It is true, as far as I know," answered Mr. Yin. "Soon after this sector of the city was rid
of Network control, most of Sera's family was killed in the temporary social chaos that came after.
The Society restored order and decency to this sector, more decency than there ever was
before! But it was too late for Sera's family. It was almost too late for Sera--still a teenager--
and her younger twin siblings who were barely old enough to walk then.
_____"Sera had to provide for them any way she could. When it was discovered that she had a
certain talent, she was quickly brought to my attention. And she had been doing her job since.
Until today. Today, she is becoming something else. Having rented her own body for the nightly
pleasure of clients, she now surrenders it completely.
_____"I was chosen to become one of several top executives in charge of alcohol, gambling
and prostitution--because I have much self-control regarding those activities. I can keep an
even head in consideration of those forms of pleasure. I can stay focused on the business part
of it. Not make things personal.
_____"But in Sera's case, though she is an employee, I cannot be professional! I take her
well-being personally! It is no longer just business! I care about her!" He stopped pacing,
stood within a foot of the cyber-technician's right side. "A matter I will deal with beyond my
own duties as an executive of the Feng Long Society."
_____Shaken, the cyber-technician nodded. "Y-yes sir, Mr. Yin. We are doing the best we can
for the patient. Don't forget, we have a vested interest, too. When the patient emerges as a new
cyborg, we will still have the notes she had given us--those excellent innovations. We want to
see what the patient will be able to do. We are just as anxious to see to her well-being as you
are, sir."
...
2.
...
_____Meanwhile, the apprentice cyber-technician waited by the rear entrance to this clinic.
In exchange for being taught the ways of cyborg technology and being paid a regular wage, he
had to spend several days of every week handling little details of keeping this place running--things
like patient paperwork and overseeing maintenance of the building, like today. Today, he had
to call an electrician for one of the building's backup generators.
_____There was a knock at the metal door, and the apprentice opened the door. There stood
a squat, burly man in yellow coveralls. He had a rather large toolkit with him. "Hey guy, you
call me about power supply probs?" he asked. "Somethin' about a backup generator havin'
some surges and what-not?"
_____"Yes... Please come in." The apprentice nodded and stepped aside, letting the electrician
in. He closed the door behind him. "I'm not sure, mister..." He paused, read the nametape
sewn on the electrician's coveralls. The electrician's name was Mr. Cumulo. "I'm not sure,
Mr. Cumulo, but it could be a problem like that. Last night, I was there for the backup test--and
the lights flickered for at least six minutes. It happened this morning, too. Six minutes. We can't
have that sort of unstable power source for the operations we do here. The equipment is pretty
rugged and resistant to electrical damage, but exactly HOW resistant to damage... We don't
want to find out."
_____"Ha-ha...! Yeah, I hear ya buddy!" responded the electrician. "Three weeks back, I
had ta find some power strips fer some secretary whose computer was on the fritz. Yeah, ya
gotta have a stable power source fer electronic equipment... Hmm..." He put on a thoughtful
look. "Yer tellin' me, ya got EXACTLY six-minute periods of crappy juice runnin' through yer
system? Sounds kinda funny, fer random flux. Take me to yer power room."
_____The apprentice escorted Mr. Cumulo to the service elevator--going down to the
basement of the building. Not that it was laziness; this was part of diagnosing the building's
electrical supply. On the ride down, the electrician carefully listened to the hum of the
elevator's electrical motors to try and check for any potential electrical fluxes. If there were
any instabilities in the power supply right then, he would have heard it in the way the elevator's
motors sounded.
_____This basement was a almost a complete floor of its own. It had a hallway, rooms to the
left and right were aside for storage of chemicals and cyber-parts. "The power room is at the
far end, with the fuse boxes and all," said the apprentice. "There's an electrical hazard sign on
the door. You know, with the lightning bolts on it."
_____"Yeah, figured as much, guy. Heh-heh... And ya should have circuit-breakers here
'stead of fuses," chuckled the electrician. "But I gotcha. I know whatcha mean." And of
course he knew what an electricity hazard sign looked like. He took three steps down this
hall...when he stopped, looked slowly around. Speaking lowly and carefully, he said to the
cyborg, "Hear that?"
_____The cyber-tech apprentice looked vaguely confused. "Hear what? All I hear is..."
Then he heard something--the rhythmic swish-swish-swhish sound of a push-broom being
brushed across the hard concrete flooring. "Oh, sounds like someone sweeping... We
normally have a hired man handle floor maintenance twice a day. Humph, he must be early."
_____"Sweepin'? Ya musta got different hearin' from mine, buddy," countered the electrician.
"Know what I hear? I hear the razzle-dazzle frazzle of some step-downs runnin' middle-high.
Gotta go check it out."
_____The cyber-tech apprentice and the electrician were hearing two different sounds. Or
they were hearing the same sound, just hearing it two very different ways. But the sound was
coming from the same source--over in the power control room, down the hall. The triangular
sign with the stick figure and stylized thunderbolts was on the door at the end.
_____Those sounds were more audible as they approached, walking down this basement
hallway. While the apprentice continued to hear the sound someone sweeping, the electrician
heard that peculiar buzz-hum that certain electrical components make when running close to
capacity. The electrician put on a pair of insulated rubber gloves, then opened that door.
_____Inside was a large room with a massive cylindrical metal machine. The machine was, of
of course, the backup generator. It occupied almost the entire left half of the space here. To
the right, set in a corner, was circuit-breaker array. It included an LED-equipped control panel
with a seat in front of it. The control panel, which had some round yellow lights blinking.
_____"Jeez! What the Hell? Gotta handle THAT!" said the electrician. "Lucky I know this
setup! And youse are more lucky you ain't call over one of our younger guys..." He sat down
at the control panel, taped labels on the buttons. He pressed the blinking yellow LED buttons
and turned a rheostat knob. He waited a few seconds, and the lights blinked off. Then he turned
the rheostat knob up again. "Humph. That wasn't an emergency, but it coulda been a real
problem. Somethin' musta set up a helluva lotta electrostatic discharge to cause this much
potential buildup."
_____The cyber-apprentice knew about the principles of electricity--but he didn't understand
what the electrician was trying to say. "Could you please say that more clearly?"
_____So the electrician swiveled around and pointed to the control panel. "Guy, I had ta
discharge ALL the excess electrostatic potential in yer system's capacitors an' crank down the
input. I'd hafta do that after a building's been hit with about six hundred lightnin' strikes. So
what's goin' on 'round here? Ya doin' electrical experiments or somethin'? 'Cause my buddies
an' I already know a lot 'bout electricity an' we'd be glad to tell ya. No need to try an' fry yer
own equipment, either."
_____"Experiments? I don't know... Humph." The vaguely confused electrician was going
to open his mouth when the door SLAMMED open. There was a rush of air, as if someone
had set up an indoor storm. The cyber-apprentice and electrician both looked around,
shocked, expecting to see someone standing there or running away down the basement hall.
But there was no one there. At least, no one they could see.
...
_____Upstairs, Sera opened her eyes to bright lights. Had she been dreaming? She had
dreamt of being in a strange and small place, of being wrapped in something--the sound of wind
blowing outside. Yet it was warm in that wrapped place, and she thought that she was being
carried to a wonderful dark place...to stay there forever.
_____That was strange. But dreams were that way, very strange and dark things. Dreams are
just too strange to be real. And that was clearly a dream.
_____This was reality, bright and sharp. The bright lights above the table shone down on her,
making her blink a few times. Her eyes then adjusted quickly and automatically... Thinking
about it, Sera realized that she was feeling a lot better than she was before.
_____"Did it work?" she asked, not sure if anyone else was here. Hands going to the table beneath
her, she sat up--giving a practiced sideward toss of her head to keep the lengths of her long
red hair away from her eyes. She used her hands combing hair behind her ears as so she
could look down at...
_____Of course the operation worked. Why wouldn't it? It had been done a million times
before to a million other people. Just now, she was having her doubts and worries. But that
worrying would be pointless.
_____Her hands were metal, as was the rest of her body--metal. She still had her body shape,
was still the same size. But her body was now one of alloys and electromechanics. She was
no longer a human being. She was still herself, though. At least she thought so. Her now-solid
hands went to her cheeks, nose and lips... Her face was flesh--though synthetic flesh.
_____One of this clinic's staff members walked up, a blonde female in the simple white pants,
shirt and labcoat and pants favored by the personnel here. "Good evening, young lady. You've
napped well. Yes, you look very rested. And you look a lot better... It all shows on your
face."
_____Sera turned to face the blonde cyber-technician. "Doctor, thank you... Thank you and
all of your fellow workers." The new cyborg flexed her metal fingers, in awe at the way
her new body worked so normally. No, there was no real feeling of difference--other than
the feeling of solidity. Looking to the cyber-technician, she asked, "Evening? Was I really
asleep all day?"
_____"Yes, you were," came the answer, from another cyber-technician--this one a bald male
cyborg in a similar white technician's uniform. He had on the same white clothing and labcoat
as the blonde technician. "We kept the EEG scanner on you for some hours after to make
sure that your brain stayed alive. For a while, we were worrying that you were suffering some
unforeseen effects of having your nervous system so closely meshed and integrated with the
synthetics." He paused. "You know, that design you'd given us was so new and bizarre that
we'd have to call it...experimental. Almost dangerous. "
_____"You mean I could have DIED?" said Sera, suddenly worried. "Why didn't somebody
tell me that? You're doctors, and you didn't tell me?"
_____"You're thinking of medical doctors, and we're not really medical doctors," said the bald
technician. "What we do is not quite medicine. We work with machines, put brains into
machine-bodies. What we do is more a technical profession, not quite an ethical one. So call
us technicians. Besides, you insisted on getting that new body of yours."
_____"Yes...I did," answered Sera. It seemed that she had temporarily forgotten the moments
that brought her to here. Up until she had fallen unconscious in the reception room, she had
felt and seen things through a dim reddish haze of pain and misery. She did not really remember
all that she had done. There were now just flashes, mental glimpses, of the past few waking
hours.
_____She remembered... Remembered trying to stay up and moving while walking the
sidewalk. And she remembered having to stop because it hurt so much. But she was being
mentally pulled along to get to the cyber-clinic nearest to where she lived. The thought, the
desire, kept her going.
_____...Remembered an angry demand for sheets of paper. For whatever reason, she had
almost SCREAMED at someone for not getting her paper quickly. Because she suddenly
had ideas, all kinds of ideas. Then the ideas had to be put down and used. Something
made her insist on this.
_____Funny, she didn't remember thinking much while doing all of that. There was just this
idea that she had in her head. The idea filled her head and got her moving. And it had brought
her out of unconsciousness. Now here she was, no longer really human.
_____Now she could do what she planned. Looking at her own clenched fists, Sera smiled.
"NOW, I will get out of this place and get some things done." A cold look came to her eyes.
"You've got your money, or you should have, from my purse. Now if you'll excuse me..." She
swiveled herself sideways and set her newly shod feet to the floor--getting down off of the
operating table. "And thanks again--doctors, technicians... Whatever you call yourselves. I
have business of my own to handle."
_____The door to this operating room opened. "You will not do anything else yet, Miss Sera,"
said the newcomer, a very familiar voice. It was the voice of Mr. Yin. Some of the Enforcers
under his control have been doing some investigation. And they had found out about what had
happened to his employee. Now he was here. "I know about what is going on with you. You
plan on going after certain rogue Enforcers--for what they have done! But you cannot go
to them yet!"
_____"Mr. Yin!" said Sera, bowing her head respectfully. No way did she expect him to walk
in. "I did not expect you to be here. I would have told you, but I was too injured to call. I
apologize. Please forgive me."
_____The bald, thin businessman walked farther into the room--one massive business-suited
bodyguard suit standing by his right side. He looked her down and up, perusing her newly
metal physique. Then he did a slow walk once around her. "Hmm, yes... Very nice design--
the same proportions as your original body. Indeed, you may now have abilities like a machine,
but know you how to use the abilities? How good of a fighter are you?"
_____"Well I..." Sera knew the answer to that one; there was no dancing around it. "I don't
really know how to fight. But I was hoping that, with this new body, I could just be strong
enough to get those damned bastards who..."
_____Mr. Yin raised a hand, palm out. It was a gentle gesture that silenced the new cyborg.
"No... That is not a good answer. I have a better one. You see, you must know how to
FIGHT. And I happened to have made arrangements with someone to train you. Someone
who is very good at teaching cyborgs how to fight. She is not a cyborg herself, but she is still a
very good instructor for such people--such as yourself now." He smiled. "Coincidentally, she
is one of the most important people in this sector of the city. You should meet her."
...
3.
...
_____Sera rode with Mr. Yin. Like all high-ranking executives of the Society, he had a
limousine. This vehicle was rumored to have been on the way to Zalem when it was, well...
It was "intercepted" and sent back down. Hackers could do that.
_____This gleaming black vehicle rode the late-afternoon streets. The orange-yellow light of
near-sunset colored the sky and glinted off of the glass of the buildings. Most of the local
manufacturing was finished up around five o'clock, so there were more trucks on the urban
roads--making the trip take a little longer. The young cyborg saw more of the downtown
scenery through the vehicle's tinted glass, making the dying light of day seem dimmer and
more faded than it actually was. Or was she just adjusting to her new eyes?
_____No, that couldn't be it. Her new eyes were just fine--if not better. The rest of her body
was working fine, too. Her thoughts wandered along those lines as she looked out the rear
window of this vehicle. Mr. Yin seemed to be in just as much a pondering mood himself: He
volunteered no conversation during their ride. The bodyguard riding back here said nothing,
either.
_____This limousine slowed to a stop in front of Gold's Gym--a red-brick one-story structure
elsewhere in the downtown area. It looked oddly out-of-place: this rugged and industrial sort
of building set among neater- and sleeker-looking night clubs and clothing shops. But other
than the painted sign, paint peeling off of it, it was well-kept and maintained. In fact, someone
was sweeping the sidewalk area in front of the entranceway now.
_____The bodyguard stepped out first, holding the vehicle door open for Mr. Yin. Sera stepped
out after, her large half-full purse slung over her shoulder. "Ah, this is the right establishment," said
the refined businessman. "Now, Miss Sera, would you please follow me? Your trainer should
be here--unless there was a problem that needed her attention." So they went in.
...
_____In the entrance foyer, Mr. Yin explained his business to the mighty looking cyborg
seated behind the desk in the foyer. The metal-bodied man nodded and, of course, let them
pass. Executives of the Society were always welcome!
_____Beyond the foyer was what was one large rectangular room. Industrial lighting was
bolted to the metal beams that held up the corrugated metal ceiling--illuminating the space. In
the middle was a roped-off boxing ring. There were various machines and punching bags set
up around the ring--some types Sera had seen before, but more of them more odd and strange.
Of course, cyborg bodies wouldn't need the same type of exercise machines as human bodies
would...
_____A human body. Being a human being. It was something Sera knew she would never be
again. She didn't care if her brain was still "human"; her body was that of a machine. "Hi there,
Mr. Yin!" came a light, enthusiastic voice. A dark-haired girl had hopped up into the boxing ring
and was now waving to them--taking Sera's attention away from her thoughts.
_____From here, Sera could see that the girl in the boxing ring was just beyond her teenage
years, about twenty or so years old--just about the same age as she was. Big dark eyes
sparkled out of her happy, pretty face. Her athletic outfit of shorts and tank top revealed an
athletic body--a flat abdomen, lean arms, full and strong-looking legs... Hmm, odd... To
Sera, the girl's skin looked a bit too pale--a contrast to the dark eyes and long dark hair.
But she supposed she was cute by most measures, but something wasn't quite right about her.
_____As the new cyborg and Mr. Yin approached the ring, moving down the aisle between
exercise equipment, the girl did a kind of gymnast's move and landed outside of the ring. She
met them half-way. "Good evening, Mr. Yin," said the pale girl. "I got your call about a new
cyborg who would probably need training." She looked to Sera. "And you must be the
newsier!"
_____Mr. Yin nodded. "Good evening to you too, Lissette. And, this is Sera--the new
cyborg." He gestured to the athletic girl with long dark hair. "Sera, this is Lissette--one of the
best kickboxers in this entire sector of the city. If not the best kickboxer. She is not a
professional, but still an excellent fighter." He smiled. "She is also a number one computer
hacker!"
_____"Oh, come ON, Mr. Yin!" said Lissette. "Gosh, you're really laying on the praise pretty
thick... I'm a better hacker than kickboxer, but I can still teach cyborgs how to fight. Like
you, Sera! Ha-ha... Whatever level you're at, I'd be glad to give you some instruction. That
is, when I'm not busy working and running my group."
_____"Lissette is teaching to you as a personal favor to me," explained Mr. Yin. "Making more
indebted to her. That, and the Society as a whole owes her much more than simply the weekly
amounts of cash paid her. Thank you, Lissette. And..." The big bodyguard standing behind
Mr. Yin then leaned forward and whispered something. Mr. Yin nodded. "My bodyguard just
received a signal that an important executive meeting has been called. I must go. Again, my
thanks go to you, Lissette. Sera, train well. I hope to see you later."
_____With that, the businessman turned and strode out. His bodyguard followed behind and
to the side. They were soon gone, leaving along this aisle going between the exercise equipment.
The door at the far end opened and closed, and they were gone.
_____Hands on hips, the girl commented, "Nice guy, but he's a bit stuffy... I wish he'd loosen
up a little. He needs a girlfriend!" She put on a big smile, eyes widening. "Well! Okay, Sera,
let's go over to the ring. We can get started on some instruction. Just SOME. But it's a
start... Come on!" She turned and began walking briskly.
_____Enhanced cyborg body or no, Sera had to stride quickly to match the sprightly pace of
the female kickboxer-hacker. The girl now asked, "Do you have any other experience or
training? Karate? Tae-Kwon-Do? Maui-Thai?"
_____"Umm, no... I don't know about anything like that," answered Sera. "All of those sound
really complicated. But I know some people who do. What can I learn?"
_____They came to the boxing ring. Lissette hopped up to the platform and got herself into
the actual fighting area by climbing between the top and bottom ropes. Somewhat less sure of
herself, Sera copied the procedure. When the new cyborg had finished and was finally in,
the dark-haired female kickboxer moved over to the center.
_____"Sera, let me start off by saying that I'll just teach you the basics. The basics of the
basics, actually. From there, you should be able to make yourself into a good fighter...eventually.
That is, unless you want to look around for a REAL instructor. Ha-ha... This isn't my real job.
I'm too busy to make it any sort of full-time deal. I make too much money working with
computers!
_____"Anyway, enough about that. Come on over here... Closer." She waited. "Yeah, close
enough. We'll start with a basic martial arts stance, and the basic jab. What you do is you curl
your fists with your thumbs locked down over your two fingers... Like this." Lissette raised her
hands--formed into fists--and showed her. She saw Sera cautiously do the same, forming fists
with her metal hands.
_____"Good! Now you've got two weapons! Now stand like you're going to use them!"
cheered Lissette. "You're right-handed, right? Yeah, I think you are. So what you do for the
basic stance is stand sideways, your right side facing me--like this. Now raise your fists..."
Sera did so. "See, it's easy so far! Now punch straight out with your right fist and let the
punch snap back."
...
_____From there for the next hour, Lissette was able to teach Sera more on the basic stance,
the left and right jab, along with the low kick. For someone who had never known how to
fight at all, Sera seemed to be someone able to pick up these basics pretty quickly.
_____Soon enough, Sera's jabs were tearing the air with speedy skill. Every so often, she
would try a left or right kick--her rubber-soled cyborg-designed footwear became temporary
blurs of speed whenever she did. Lissette stood at various points in the ring, assessing Sera's
performance.
_____"Wow...! This is kind of fun!" said the young cyborg. "Maybe it's this body that makes
it so easy. Oh yeah!" Swish! Slash! Metal fists and tightly shod feet cut the air.
_____"Ha-ha! Slow down, newsier!" answered Lissette. "Hey, are you SURE this is the first
time you've ever learned how to fight? And what about that body of yours? Plenty of cyborgs
go to the gyms I use, and I can tell how well-designed their insides are by how smoothly they
move. Little details. And you move very well...especially for someone with a new body."
_____Sera stopped practice-punching and kicking the air. "I don't know how I'm doing this.
Gosh, I thought everybody had it this easy--right?" Lissette smiled and shook her head. "No?
Hmm... I don't know how I'm able to do all of this. Everything is just coming to me, like kids
learn how to walk or birds learn how to fly. Something like that."
_____"Birds, huh?" said Lissette, looking more carefully at the red-haired female cyborg.
"Hmm... There haven't been birds on this part of the continent for a very long time. And kids,
they learn to walk with the help of parents or older siblings along to help. You seem to have
been helped somewhere else, somehow. Any ideas?"
_____"Well, I..." Sera tried thinking about it--about the ease with which she had learned these
past few lessons. And she thought about how she had been able to so easily and quickly design
this body of hers. She just kept getting blurred glimpses of that dark other place, the place she
had seen in her dreams. Blurred and vague impressions of a beautiful woman of glowing white
illuminated in gloom. "Just dreams..." she said.
_____"I don't want to be RUDE or anything... But could you speak up just a little bit?" said
Lissette. A pause. "No, wait, I'm sorry. I am being rude. Your life is your own business. I
should just stop being so nosey and continue teaching you. It would have been nice to know
that you weren't such a weak beginner."
_____"I am... Or I was," said Sera. "Like I said, I just found out that I'm naturally good at
this. We're both surprised. Hell, I never knew that this kickboxing stuff could be so easy. I
was too busy earning a living. Sheesh!"
_____"Okay, okay... I'm sorry," said Lissette. "I don't want this temporary working relationship
to go to Hell. Besides, I'm helping you as a favor to Mr. Yin, and I don't want to let him or you
down. Let's start over..." The girl faced away from Sera, combed her dark hair with her fine
fingers, then turned around again.
_____"Hi, my name is Lissette! Kickboxing is my hobby, and hacking is my job. I can be a
real bitch sometimes, but I hope I can get people to like me... Even when I'm being obnoxious."
_____Sera giggled. "And my name is Sera! Please don't be mad at me because I'm new at
being a cyborg. If I step on your toes and break them, I'll just apologize ahead of time! So...
Sorry!"
_____"Ha-ha-ha...! Good, a fresh start!" said Lissette. "Now, if we can keep this up for about
a week, I think you really can be a real kick-butt fighter. Maybe you could even be a match
for me! Hmm... Nah! But you can try."
_____"A week?" went Sera. "Okay, sounds like fun. If that's all this takes, maybe I should
have taken a week out to learn this kickboxing." Or maybe, she had still been too busy to do
all of this. Life changes, including the most radical change of all, forced her to this.
...
_____Fifteen minutes after that, Lissette said that she had to go to one of her club's computer
labs. Sera got her large purse, and the two parted ways in the gym's entrance foyer area--with
the headband-wearing cyborg still behind the desk and reading newsprint. Oh, he had a
message for Sera from Mr. Yin. That executive was in a hurry, but he'd left something: a
quick note on a square of paper, written as spoken over the telephone.
_____It turns out that Mr. Yin was able to do some other things for Sera after the half-hour
executive meeting. Janet, his secretary, had made some calls and done some arranging. Sera
now had a new apartment room in a nearby complex--at slightly lower rent. The apartment
was even pre-furnished. Not that it could make up for all that Sera had lost, but it was a place
to stay--a place for Sera to call "home."
_____Sera reread the message. And the address to the new apartment was just several blocks
from here. Mr. Yin really did look out for her--even though she could never serve him in the
same way she had before. She smiled, sniffed hard, then walked out of the gym. Maybe she
could do this after all...
_____The executive really did care for his employees. If he was to expect the best from them,
he had to treat them with respect--and kindness. He had to look out for them as so they could
continue to be valuable employees of some kind. That, and he cared about people. In these
times, not everyone was sinister and darkened by troubles.
...
4.
...
_____With the sun going down over the city, Joel went over to a downtown nightclub. Dressed
in his usual outfit of slacks and buttoned white shirt, polished black shoes on his feet (and his dark
hair neatly combed, of course), he walked on down to the loud and cool place--the entrance leading
in from the sidewalk... There was a line at the door: a line of people in casual gear. Most of the
guys wore variations on business suits worn by Feng-Long executives, and the girls were more or less
stylishly dressed; more amusingly, what they were wearing was about as interesting as what they were
NOT wearing... So, Hell YES, the young ladies here were very cute.
_____But…Joel's eyes for love were for only one girl... She could be here, or not here--depending
on chance. Lissette usually spent time in hidden computer labs, hacking the Network and keeping
it from recognizing the existence of this sector of this particular city. And she knew kickboxing--which
she did every day, maybe for appearance's sake. Like her dancing... Yeah, Lissette could DANCE.
But, like her kickboxing, her performances brought too much attention to her.
_____So she didn't do it to often. Maybe, some day, he would get a private performance? Another
waking fantasy... He could... His mind was drifting in the thought of Lissette dancing beautifully as he
stepped past the line of people--going up to the club's front door. Could Lissette be in there?
_____It was hard to tell from here. There was a very, very big cyborg at the entrance--the
bouncer. The massive metal-bodied man was seven and-a-half feet tall, a monster of a being in
black shoes, black slacks, and sleeveless black shirt. That massive cyborg in spiffy clothing was
almost as wide as Joel was tall.
_____And there was a reason as to why the bouncer wore dark clothing: The black clothing, you
see, didn't show bloodstains. Kicking out unwanted guests could get messy at times.
_____The huge bouncer looked down--way down--at this fleshie who just strutted on up to the
front of the line. There were glares and looks of annoyance from the people in line, but now that
annoyance was replaced with anticipation. they wanted to see what would happen to the guy who
was trying to cut in line. Uncrossing his huge arms, putting fists on hips, the bouncer spoke.
_____"Good evening, sir," he said to Joel. "I hope you have a useful visit--whatever your purpose
here." And then he stepped aside. "Please, enjoy your stay." His dark synthetic face even put on
a smile when he spoke.
_____Joel shrugged. "I always do... And thanks, Hemp. It's nice to know that you recognize
people like me." He nodded to the gigantic bouncer on the right and the (now-gawking) line of
well-dressed people on the left. He tossed a quick wave of goodbye as he stepped on in.
...
_____He stepped into the wonderful chaos inside the night club. VERY LOUD club music filled the
place and the floor. The lights were dim at the tables around the dance floor, people drinking and talking
and having a good tie. On the dance floor itself, the lights were gyrating blue, yellow and red as
well-dressed guys and girls danced their dances.
_____Damn, he didn't see Lissette. He would have spotted her immediately. Hell, there would have
been a wide-open space for one of her performances. Anyway, he wasn't here to dance. He had a
different kind of business altogether.
_____He made his way between the tables and through the loud, blasting music. The drinking bar
was on the other side of this club. Beyond that was the small kitchen that prepared the moderate
amounts of food that people ate here. The female bartender eyed him and nodded, then let him pass
beyond the swinging doors and into the white kitchen. She knew who he was...
_____In the kitchen, three white-clad chefs glanced in his direction and promptly continued working
on food at the counter. They didn't say anything when he went into the back--near the refrigerator.
Back there, he opened up a wide four-panel square on the floor and climbed down. The panel
automatically folded back after some seconds.
_____Standing down here in the darkness, he felt around for something. Ah, he found the handle.
He gave it a turn and a pull, and the door easily opened. Then he stepped into sleek quiet. This place
was soundproofed.
...
_____He had used this computer lab quite often. Sure, there was more than one computer lab for
the Parasol Club. But the setups were pretty much all the same: four sit-down computer workstations
set in a main room, connected to a minicomputer and server set against the wall--a bedroom and
attached bathroom in a room connected to the lab. But there were seldom more than two
people at a lab at once. Network bounty hunters--promised cash from the damned computer in
Zalem--may not have been seen in this sector for several years yet, but the Parasol Club had to
play it safe: Having all hackers in one lab could be dangerous.
_____There was just one hacker here, though--the most annoying one of them all. That would be Jake.
Skinny, tousle-haired Jake. Tee shirt and jeans wrinkled, the crazy-smart teenager was tap- tapping away
and working on a workstation set at the right side of the room. "Huh-huh-huh..." he said in greeting before
he snorted and went back to hacking. If Jake was here, then Lissette would probably be coming by. Damn,
how the HELL did Jake have a better foreknowledge of where Lissette would be?
_____A side-door opened. "HI, JOEL!" said a bright and happy girl's voice. It was Lissette, donning a fresh
blouse and shorts. Her glossy dark hair was still slightly damp; she must have just showered in the lab's
bathroom. "I just got here. And looks like you just did, too. Hmm..." Suddenly taking on a businesslike
manner, she closed the door and moved to sit down at one of the other machines.
_____Joel pulled up a chair and sat close to Lissette--very close. Her typing was a snappy blur of fingers...
She called up a file. "Jake found another problem with our big happy friends of the Network. Someone or
something from the damned Network is trying to PING our server. See?" She pointed to a place in the text
file shown on the screen. "It's all in the audited log."
_____"Hmm... I see," said Joel with the thinking part of his mind. Well, most of his mind wasn't in a thinking
mode right now. Most of his consciousness was bathing in the warmth and pleasure of being able to sit so
close to the girl--close enough to feel the warmth of her body and see the individual strands of her silky long
dark hair that seemed to flow down her slim back… Close enough to note the flawlessness of her face. Even
this close, her skin looked flawless. Beautiful skin, at least the skin he could see. He would love to see more of
her.
_____As for the Network, something dark was happening: The Network had switched security tactics. Instead
of trying to contact the Network connections in this sector of the city, the Network was now trying to contact
local servers. And the only servers set up were those of the Parasol Club. Which meant that, despite their
prolonged efforts, someone--or something--of the Network suspected the existence of the hackers. Even if this
sector of this city was made almost undetectable to the artificial intelligences of the Network, someone--or
something--was getting too close to finding the club. If that happened, then those damned
bounty hunters wouldn't be far behind.
_____"Huh-huh..." went Jake. He glanced to the right--over at Lissette's screen--then sent an updated
text file over to the computer workstation she was using. Apparently, that currently unknown user of the
Network had tried to locate the hackers' servers again. And, again, their servers sent back the same
ERROR message: If you're going have your computers tell lies, the lies have to be consistent.
_____Lissette faced the fellow hacker sitting close by, a smile on her pretty face. "Well, Joel! We've got
some more work to do! And, um-m-m..." Her eyes glanced left and right. "Would you please not sit so
close? You're making me feel a little uncomfortable."
_____"OH! Sorry," he said, scooting back. Embarrassed, he moved himself and his chair over to the third
computer workstation. Jake chuckled, either reacting to the way Lissette chided him or from something he
had done online. Jake was always chuckling, always with the same tone, always the same way. Hard to tell
what that weirdo was trying to say at times.
_____Anyway, now they had another real problem. They had to try and locate the oddball that was now
trying to connect with them. Damned Network, it was an inconsistent monster. On one hand, the Network
was simple enough to hack with the most basic computer programs: In a world where plenty of people were
practically illiterate, there was no real need seen to have online security. But now, something on the
Network was getting wise to their game.
...
_____"Pass me that salt, Gale," said the big portly cyborg. With his right hand, he took another swig of
the wine cooler. His left hand grabbed at the salt shaker. He then shook some salt onto the indistinguishable
and large pile of cooked meat and soggy vegetable-mush on his big plate. Unlike the times when they ate
people, this meat was not recognizable. At least the vegetable-mush was vaguely identifiable. Using fork
and knife, he scarfed down some of the food. "Vegetables ain't...got flavor...without salt," he said between
swallows.
_____Big Carbon was eating--as usual. Rafter was eating too: soup What Gale was consuming couldn't be
rightly considered food. What he had on his plate came in the form of a questionably pure white powder.
Being a cyborg, he had to really suck that shit DEEP to get it down into his artificial lungs. From there, the
substance would get into his bloodstream, flowing up to and to his living brain. That was why the he had
such a damned thick straw to suck this stuff with.
_____Dipping his head, straw to nostril, that cyborg in floppy business clothes took another prolonged
hit of what was on his plate... SNO-O-ORT! "Ack! AHEM...!" The stuff always made him gag a bit, even
when he was really into it. SNO-O-O-RT! "Ack!" But then came that good old heady rush of pleasure into
his addled, jacked-up brain. Eyes ridiculously wide open, he let out a shuddering breath. "Ah-h-h-h..."
_____"Hee-hee!" madly giggled Rafter. "With that all that shit on your nose, it looks like you've tried to
snort a powdered doughnut! Hee-hee-hee...! Hee-hee-hee!" He took a slurp of his soup. "You've tried
snorting everything else... Maybe you ought to try putting some powdered sugar up those nostrils of
yours..."
_____Gale whipped his head left to face Rafter, a wild-eyed look on his face. "REALLY? TELL ME ALL
ABOUT IT!" His right eyelid twitched a bit, and he shuddered with the slight spasms of someone on a real
high.
_____"Hee-hee! Sure…" said Rafter, reassuring his fellow cyborg. There was a prolonged pause as he
slurped a bit more of his soup, letting the doped-up Gale get impatient. "Haven't you heard? Snorting
powdered sugar is the best high! They call it a 'sugar rush!' What you have to do is..."
_____"Hey, cut that out, bastard," growled Carbon, eating some more of whatever it was he was eating.
Argh-snarf...! Chomp-chomp-chomp.... He swallowed some. "Damn, you know how he gets when he's on
all that mess he uses. He's already got some fucked-up IDEAS about some fuckin' guy in blue out to get us."
_____"WHA'..? You see the JANITOR? Where? WHERE?" went Gale, gripping the restaurant table and
looking left and right. Some cyborgs glanced over in this direction, then went back to eating and drinking.
All kinds of crazies around here. You got a bit used to it.
_____"Calm yourself. I ain't seen that damned Janitor," said Carbon. He scooped up a ragged heap of vegetable
matter. Staring at it, he said. "And why the HELL would you be scared of some damned floor-sweeping guy,
anyway? What's he going to do, beat us to death with a push-broom? Haw-haw-haw!"
_____"He could do that," said Gale, deadly serious. "That, or he could take our oatmeal right out from
inside our bowls! He's probably not allowed to do that, but we have to watch our oatmeal! He takes oatmeal
into the breeze! That's his job. Someone in another place told me that..."
_____"Shut up and take some more nose candy!" said Rafter. "Yeah, and if you're going to go into spasms,
try not to shake that stuff into my soup. My soup tastes perfect now, and I don't need any miscellaneous
white powdery substances ruining the flavor!"
_____Take some more, he said. Straw up the nostril, he nodded his head forward. Snort-snort..
SNO-O-O-RT! "A-h-h-h... That's better…" Then came the hallucinations.
_____These were horrible images, awful stuff! A BAD TRIP! He was seeing things that shouldn't be there:
sad disembodied faces floating in the air, faces without eyes. And he had the definite idea that he was seeing
dead people.
_____"GYA-A-AH!" he shouted. "TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THE BREEZE! I can see... I can see...
THEIR FACES! Thank goodness we're inside! More of them are outside! Aargh!" He began to shudder.
Oh yes, the "snow" was really kicking in now. He was now at the height of his usage this evening. Hopefully,
it would be all he was going to use before falling into unconsciousness for the night. That damned
cyborg, he always over-did it.