Page 9 of Cyborg's Tether

As the meeting broke up and people filtered out, she exhaled deeply. Her legs felt weak with the release of tension, but a sense of accomplishment surged through her. She had done it. This time, she had made them understand.

Dr. Vex approached, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Well done, Amaya. You were clear, concise, and persuasive.”

Amaya smiled. “I—I think they got it this time.”

“They did. So, let’s get to work.”

She nodded, her fingers already twitching in anticipation of returning to the lab. There was still so much more to do, but for the first time in days, she was sure the rest of the team understood the problem—or her theory anyway—and was reassured they could identify the cause for the microfractures and find a solution.

HOURS LATER, AND EYESburning, she stared at the holographic display as she analyzed the data for the fifth time. The numbers didn’t lie, but they told a story she was reluctant to believe. She exhaled slowly. “This can’t be right,” she muttered to herself.

The lab door hissed open, and Dr. Zara Vex strode in. “Any progress, Amaya?”

Amaya turned reluctantly, not wanting to verbalize what she suspected. “I think so, but... It’s not what we expected.”

Dr. Vex raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

She gestured to the display. “Look at these error patterns. They’re too consistent, too...deliberate.”

Dr. Vex leaned in with a scowl to look closer at the display. “What are you suggesting?”

“I think...” She paused when the words stuck in her throat. “I think someone might be sabotaging the cyborgs.”

Her mentor straightened, looking shocked. “That’s a serious accusation. Do you have proof?”

She shook her head. “Not concrete proof yet, but look at these patterns. The malfunctions always occur in the same sequence, affecting the same systems. It’s too perfect to be random.”

The doctor crossed her arms. “It could be a flaw in the design. A cascading failure.”

“I considered that,” said Amaya, “But I’ve run simulations. Even with a cascading failure, there should be more variation. This is like someone’s following a script.”

Dr. Vex frowned. “We can’t make accusations without solid evidence. The implications could be catastrophic.”

She nodded in frustration. “I know. That’s why I need more time to investigate. Can you authorize additional access to the cyborgs’ neural interfaces?”

Dr. Vex hesitated. “That’s highly restricted data, Amaya. I’d need to consult with the board.”

“Please,” said Amaya, her voice urgent. “If I’m right, we could be facing a serious security breach. If I’m wrong, at least we’ll know for sure.”

Dr. Vex sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, but keep this to yourself for now. We can’t afford panic or rumors.” She hesitated. “I can allow you access to Xavier in the interim. He can help in whatever way you both deem acceptable.”

As Dr. Vex left, she turned back to her work and pulled up another set of data, diving deeper into the cyborgs’ neural pathways. Hours passed, and her eyes burned even more from staring at the screens. She rubbed them, blinking to refocus. That’s when she saw a tiny anomaly in the code that was barely noticeable unless one knew exactly where to look or stumbled across it.

Her pulse accelerated as she zoomed in. It was a backdoor, cleverly disguised as a routine maintenance subroutine, but its function was anything but routine. “Gotcha,” she whispered.

The lab door opened again, and Xavier entered. His mismatched gaze scanned the room before settling on Amaya. “Good evening, Amaya,” he said, his deep voice resonating in the small space. “Dr. Vex said you had concerns about the malfunctions and assigned me to work with you.”

Amaya swallowed hard. This was her chance to convince someone else of the sabotage, but the words jumbled in her mind. “Yes, I... I’ve found something. It’s not conclusive, but...”

Xavier stepped closer, his cybernetic eye glowing brightly. “Show me.”

She pulled up the code on the main display. “See this? It looks like a normal maintenance routine, but it’s not. It’s a backdoor, allowing remote access to the cyborgs’ neural network.”

He frowned. “That shouldn’t be possible. Our security protocols—”

“Are being bypassed.” She nodded for emphasis. “Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. They hid it so well, I almost missed it myself.”

He was silent for a long moment, his organic eye narrowing as he studied the code. “If this is true, the implications are...significant.”