Page 1 of Cyborg's Tether
Chapter 1—Amaya
AMAYA KAFFEY STRODEthrough the gleaming corridors of the cyborg conversion facility on Durmox C7. The air hummed with the constant buzz of machinery and the low murmur of voices. She navigated the busy hallways with practiced ease, dodging hurrying technicians and avoiding collisions with hovering med-bots.
As she approached the main conversion chamber, a familiar face caught her eye. Dr. Zara Vex, the lead neurologist, waved her over with an urgent expression.
“Amaya, thank goodness you’re here. We’ve got another malfunction in Chamber Three.”
Amaya’s stomach dropped. “Again? That’s the third one this week.”
Dr. Vex nodded, her brow wrinkled with concern. “I know. The subject’s neural interface is rejecting the new cybernetic implants. We need your expertise to stabilize the connection.”
Without hesitation, she followed Dr. Vex into the chamber. The acrid smell of ozone and antiseptic assaulted her nostrils as they entered. A massive Kravaki warrior lay on the central bio-bed lay, his blue skin a vivid contrast to the silver cybernetic components protruding from his chest and arms.
Amaya approached the bio-bed, quickly scanning the holographic readouts floating above the patient. She frowned at the erratic energy patterns pulsing across the screen.
“How long has he been like this?” she asked, already reaching for her toolkit.
“About twenty minutes,” said Dr. Vex. “We’ve tried recalibrating the neural pathways, but nothing seems to be working.”
Amaya nodded, her mind sifting through possible solutions. She pulled out a micro-scanner and ran it along the length of the Kravaki’s body, paying close attention to the areas where flesh met metal.
“There,” she said more to herself than to Dr. Vex. “The polarity of the quantum relays is misaligned. It’s causing a feedback loop in the neural network.”
She tapped the holographic interface, making minute adjustments to the cyborg’s internal systems. The readouts above the bio-bed began to stabilize, the erratic spikes evening out into a steady rhythm.
“That should do it,” said Amaya, stepping back from the bed. “Monitor him closely for the next few hours. If there’s any sign of rejection, call me immediately.”
Dr. Vex let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you. You’re a whiz with this.”
Amaya shrugged off the compliment, uncomfortable with the praise. “Just doing my job, but we need to figure out why these malfunctions keep happening. It’s not normal.”
As they exited the chamber, her mind whirled with possibilities. The recent string of malfunctions was troubling, to say the least. Each incident seemed more severe than the last, and she was sure something wasn’t right.
A commotion down the corridor interrupted her musings. A group of technicians had gathered around one of the secondary control panels. Their raised voices carried down the corridor in a whirl of technical jargon and urgent tones. She hesitated, fingers twitching at her sides as she debated whether to approach.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to walk toward the group. As she drew closer, snippets of their conversation became clearer.
“The power fluctuations are off the charts,” said one technician, her voice strained.
“We’ve never seen readings like this before,” said another, gesturing wildly at the holographic display.
She cleared her throat, wincing at how loud it sounded in the tense atmosphere. The technicians turned to look at her, their expressions filled with relief and expectation.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her words coming out more abruptly than she intended.
The lead technician, a tall Andorian with blue skin and white hair, stepped forward. “We’re detecting unusual energy signatures in the main conversion chamber. The readings don’t match anything in our database.”
Amaya frowned, already considering potential causes. “Have you checked the quantum stabilizers? Sometimes they can cause—”
“Already did. It’s not that. This is something new.”
Amaya nodded, trying to hide her discomfort at being interrupted. She always had trouble dealing with social interactions. She stepped closer to the control panel, scanning the readouts. The energy patterns pulsed and swirled in chaotic patterns, defying any logical explanation.
“What about the neural interface?” she asked, her words tumbling out faster than she intended. “If there’s a misalignment in the synaptic relays, it could cause a feedback loop that—”
“We’ve already ruled that out,” said another technician, shaking his head. “Look, Amaya, we’ve been through all the standard protocols. This is beyond anything we’ve seen before.”
Her cheeks grew hot as the others nodded in agreement. She took a step back, suddenly very aware of how close she was standing to the group. “Right,” she mumbled, averting her gaze. “Of course you have. I just thought...never mind.”