Page 39 of Cyborg's Tether
“She’s malfunctioning,” said Dr. Vex.
He nodded, having realized she’d reverted to her pre-conversion memories. Zorn had probably been able to walk away without anyone challenging him if she was his guard. He sighed, hoping they’d dealt with Zorn enough that he wouldn’t be an impediment to destroying the core and his facility. “It can’t be helped now.”
“We’ll keep an eye open for him,” said Amaya, her voice hard, “But the priority is making sure there’s nothing left for Zorn to rebuild.”
He nodded his agreement. “Let’s make sure we finish this.”
They quickly regrouped, moving toward and into the facility with silent urgency. The doors were open since Amaya had taken out the troops’ and the facility’s connection to the core, its power source, and they walked right in, albeit cautiously. Every step through the winding corridors brought them closer to the heart of Zorn’s operation—the core. The deeper they ventured, the more Xavier felt the oppressive heat and the faint vibrations of the machinery that powered the entire facility.
They paused at a fork in the corridors, and he turned to the injured cyborgs. “Get to the admiral’s personal shuttle. It’s the only one in the shuttle bay. Wait for us as long as you can, but get yourselves out of here if we don’t make it.”
“We can’t—” a male cyborg started to protest.
“You can,” said Dr. Vex firmly. “You’re the only proof of what he’s done here if we don’t find something more concrete and can’t escape to bring it to the world.”
Amaya took a datapad from Dr. Vex and linked it to hers, downloading something before handing it to the male cyborg. “This program will get you through the ship’s firewalls, so you can fly it.”
He took it, clearly reluctant, but Xavier didn’t want to see if they followed his directions. He took the fork that would lead tothe core room, as Amaya and Dr. Vex followed him. Hearing sets of footsteps leading the other way revealed the injured cyborgs had chosen the only path forward for them. He was pleased.
When they stepped inside the core room moments later, it was loud with the hum of machinery and distant crackling wires filling the space as Xavier and the women moved swiftly to sabotage the facility. Amaya immediately connected to the core, explaining, “I’m piggybacking on the connection I made earlier to interrupt their energy. It shouldn’t take long... Got it,” she said a moment later. “Downloading all his data now.”
Streams of classified information lit up the room, revealing the full scope of Admiral Zorn’s plans. Xavier’s sharp eyes flicked across the streams of data, drawing in a ragged breath.
“This is worse than we thought,” Dr. Vex murmured, her face pale. “He’s not just controlling cyborgs or humans...”
Xavier nodded. “Zorn plans to overthrow the entire galactic government. With cyborg armies and his own puppet regime.” He shrugged. “He revealed that during our battle, but now, we have proof.”
Amaya worked quickly. “I’m sending this to every major news outlet and government agency. They won’t be able to hide from this.”
As the final streams of data broadcast out into the galactic networks, the door to the core chamber slid open with a sharp hiss. The echo of boots clicked across the floor as Admiral Zorn stepped in. He was dressed in his military uniform, the dark fabric pressed and immaculate despite the chaos unraveling around him. He wore a self-contained power unit on his chest, which meant he had full control of his enhancements again.
“You’ve caused quite a mess.” Zorn’s posture was imposing, his enhancements granting him a formidable presence. “It’s too late to stop me though. You’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s to come.”
Xavier moved between Amaya and Zorn, intent on protecting her. “It’s over, Zorn. Your scheme has been exposed. The galaxy knows what you’ve been planning.”
Zorn sneered. “You think a few leaked documents can stop me? By the time anyone acts, my forces will be in place. My control will be absolute.”
Dr. Vex frowned. “You haven’t even completed a successful trial test yet. You don’t know what will happen to humans if you use nanotech to infect them with these chips and try to control them. You could kill them all.”
He lifted a shoulder. “An acceptable risk.”
Xavier squared his shoulders. “Not if we stop you here.”
Zorn’s muscles tensed beneath the fabric of his uniform, his cybernetic enhancements giving him strength beyond any normal human, though he lacked the fluidity and precision of a fully integrated cyborg. “You’re fighting a battle you can’t win. Humanity will always fear what it can’t control. That’s why I’ll be the one to take charge.”
The room crackled with energy as the core behind them continued to destabilize. The lights flickered, and the sound of whirring machinery filled the space as Amaya worked furiously to finish the sabotage.
“Almost done,” Amaya called out from behind Xavier, her focus on disrupting the core.
Zorn’s eyes flashed with fury as he advanced, clearly realizing what Amaya had been doing while Xavier and Dr. Vex kept him distracted. Xavier blocked his way again, and without warning, Zorn lunged at him, swinging his fist with bone-shattering force. Xavier reacted instantly, blocking the strike, but the power behind it made his cybernetic limbs groan under the pressure.
Their clash reverberated through the chamber, Zorn’s raw strength bolstered by his own personal supply almost matching Xavier’s cybernetic precision. They exchanged blow after blowwith the sound of fists connecting with flesh and metal echoing through the room.
“You’re strong.” Xavier grunted, deflecting another strike. “Not strong enough to win this fight with brute force though.”
Zorn smirked, his eyes gleaming with vicious determination. “It’s not about strength. It’s about conviction.”
He ducked under another punch, countering with a strike to Zorn’s side that made the admiral stagger. “Your conviction will destroy everything—humans and cyborgs. There’s a better way.”