Spies of Cybus Part 2

In which I merely repeat chapter one, but told in Gabrielle's perspective.

All characters in this chapter are copyright either to Alan Furst (Jean-Francois and Gabrielle) or BBC et al (Cybermen... and Gabrielle's role as Jean-Francois' sister where the cousin Albertine had been in Furst's book).

Gabrielle crept through the forest, but it was difficult to keep her brother in sight without him knowing she was there. She couldn't count how many times she stepped on a twig or kicked a rock, froze in place while she watched him look around, only to have to race to catch up as he walked off again.

Sometimes she wished he hadn't gone to that academy, that they would still do things together like when they were kids. She certainly wouldn't be sneaking around if he'd just let her come along. She understood he was trying to protect her, but... who was supposed to protect him?

Snap! She froze; that one had sounded impossibly loud. She closed her eyes and concentrated on listening for a moment.

She opened her eyes to stare down the barrel of her brother's rifle.

Merde! "Don't shoot!" she shrieked. "It's me, it's Gabrielle!"

"Get out here!" he snarled.

She pushed through the trees to stand where he could see her more clearly. The fury in his eyes faded, and he smirked. "Damn it, Jean-Francois," she said, "you knew it was me, didn't you?"

"I did," he replied, "or I would have shot. Why are you even out here? I've told you, it isn't safe."

"You still don't know what's frightening them," Gabrielle said, a little more angrily than she'd intended. "Do you honestly think it's any safer for you to be out here all alone?" She waited, almost begged that he'd make some excuse. That'd he'd say he wasn't alone, that the dogs were with him. If they could protect him, then they could protect her, and she'd make sure to point that out.

"I'd be a lot safer," he said instead, "if I didn't have anyone else to worry about. Go home, Gabrielle."

Didn't worry about me when you pointed a gun at me, did you? she thought with a huff. "You can't expect me to go off by myself," she snapped. "It wouldn't be very safe, now, would it?"

Jean-Francois whistled for the dogs instead of answering her, and commanded the big male to go home. The dog bounded off, and Jean-Francois stood still and watched Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was tempted to stay put, to let the dog wander off on its own. She hated being treated like a child... but that act of rebellion would only prove her to be one.

She gave her brother a poisonous look before she turned around to follow the dog. "I did wish for this, didn't I?" she muttered, once she was out of earshot.

The big male shook itself and wagged its tail, looking for all the world like it was answering her question.

"Oh, yes, I did. This is exactly like when we were kids," Gabrielle continued. "He wants me to do something, so he tricks me into wanting to do it." She looked down at the dog. "I certainly can't leave you off on your own, not with the way the other animals have been acting."

The dog shook itself again.

It wouldn't do any good to turn back now. Gabrielle had helped raised the dogs from pups, but her brother had trained them. They'd only follow her commands so long as she didn't contradict him. And—

BLAM!

And Jean-Francois clearly didn't need her help, anymore.

She grinned. But there was one command the dog would follow. "Race you home!" she said, and ran down the path.

The dog caught up and passed her easily, and was nearly out of sight when she caught herself against a tree to rest.

The dog skidded to a stop and turned around to look at her.

Her heart thudded in her chest. The dog was snarling at her. What...?

The dog didn't give her any more time to wonder. It raced back down the path after her, snarling, hackles raised, jaws wide open.

Gabrielle climbed the tree and clung to the upper branches. She felt the dog pass just beneath her feet as it launched itself at her.

The dog missed, but it was relentless. It launched itself, again and again, at her, at the tree. It tore chunks of bark free as it tried to get at her.

The dog thudded into the tree again, setting her precarious perch to shaking. She nearly lost her grip, and she couldn't stop herself from screaming.

"Gabrielle!" her brother called out. She heard him crashing around through the trees. "Gabrielle!"

"I'm here!" she replied once she saw him.

Jean-Francois looked around, stared at the dog, then finally looked up. He nodded, once, and turned his attention back to the dog. He took aim with his pistol.

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't bear to watch her brother kill the dog, not even now. Her brother fired five shots, and she flinched with every one. The sixth she'd heard earlier, she now realized, must have killed the other dog.

But when she opened her eyes, the big male was still alive. It abandoned the tree to tear after Jean-Francois.

Jean-Francois swung his rifle about like a club, but the dog tore it from his grip, pulling him off balance.

There was a flash of white, a sickening wet crack, and her brother crumpled to the ground.

"Jean-Francois!"

Two enormous, man-shaped... things appeared on the ground where nothing had been before. The dog halted its attack briefly, then turned to attack the things.

It hit one in the chest and bounced away. The thing barely even looked at it.

"HOSTILE LIFEFORM DETECTED," the thing said in a voice that crackled like a radio. "DELETE!"

The thing held out an arm, and when the dog attacked again, lightning flashed from the thing's fingers. The dog yelped once, then fell to the ground, silent and still.

Gabrielle scrambled to get out of the tree and get to her brother. She didn't know, or care, what these things might do to her. All she could think of was to protect her brother.

"Jean-Francois," she whispered. "Please, wake up!" She leaned over to peer at him closely. His eyes were moving, and she could just barely feel his breath. Alive, then, and maybe conscious. But... "We need to move," she said, pleading. "You need to get up!" She grabbed him by his jacket and tried to pull at him, but she couldn't move him. "Please, I can't do this alone."

Something thudded behind her. She gasped and turned to look at the things standing over her.

But they were both ignoring her. One of the things was looking at her brother.

"SCANNING... CONTRADICTION DETECTED. INTERNAL SCANS, HUMAN. EXTERNAL SCANS, THE DOCTOR. MORPHIC FIELD, THE DOCTOR."

"ANALYSIS," the other one said. "CONDTRADICTION CONFIRMED. THE DOCTOR IS COMPATIBLE. HE WILL BE UPGRADED."

The two things looked at each other, still ignoring Gabrielle. She blinked and tried to puzzle out what they were saying. Doctor? "Yes, a doctor!" she said. "My brother's hurt. He needs a doctor! He needs help."

Now they looked at her, and she shivered, wishing that they were still ignoring her.

"SCANNING," one of them said again. "INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN. HEAVY BLEEDING FROM THE SKULL IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO DECREASE PRESSURE. ANALYSIS: HE WILL NOT SURVIVE THE UPGRADE."

Gabrielle's heart lurched into her throat. She couldn't imagine what this "upgrade" meant, but... won't survive?

"HE MUST BE UPGRADED," the second one said.

"HE MUST BE REPAIRED," the first replied. It bent over and reached for Jean-Francois.

Gabrielle whimpered. She wanted to... to do something, to stop them from touching her brother, no matter what they might have planned. But the memory of what they'd done to the dog was too fresh. She couldn't protect him if they decided to kill her, as well.

The thing picked Jean-Francois up easily, slinging him over its shoulder. He cried out at the sudden movement, then fell unconscious.

The two things just looked at her. Like they were waiting... but for what?

Right. She took a deep breath. "This way," she said, and turned to walk back to the house. She could feel their heavy footsteps as they followed her.