Tosha sped through the black wash of space
in the luxurious company shuttle. Jeff had assured her he’d call a company
pilot to pick him up when he was ready to leave. He had remained at CyberServe
to start the process of discovering the partnership possibilities.
Her vessel practically flew itself. Tosha
barely expended a single thought as she navigated between the blinking route
buoys that dotted the area within the silver ring of Space Station Alpha. Their
metal housings glinting from the distant sun, shiny breadcrumbs showing her the
way to the office.
Flying on instinct, she contemplated
sending her self-appointed guardian a case of champagne and hand-rolled cigars
for putting up with her nonsense. Heaven knew she owed Jeffrey Rourke more than
she could ever repay.
He had every reason to be jealous her
father had left control of Life Tech Industries to her. Evan Cameron had been
the visionary behind the company and its founder, but Jeff had been the force
who’d turned his ideas into a behemoth worth trillions of dollars. He’d figured
out how to make custom zero-gravity metal alloys to replace limbs and
replacement organs affordable for vast numbers of people left injured or sick
from war-torn Earth. Then he’d done the same for those forced to venture into
the violent frontier of settled space and beyond. The government contracts had
poured in afterward, filling Life Tech’s coffers to overflowing. If someone
found himself needing a heart transplant or fully-functional bionic arm, it
would come from Life Tech over seventy-five percent of the time.
If Evan had been the architect of Life
Tech, Jeff was its builder, delivering it on schedule and under budget.
It had been a foregone conclusion Evan
would will his company to Tosha, making her its owner. What hadn’t been
expected was him giving her control as well. The board and shareholders were
astounded when Jeff hadn’t been named chief executive officer.
Chaos followed. The board of directors had
screamed at the company lawyers to challenge the will, alleging Tosha was unfit
to run Life Tech. Her degrees, sobriety, and accomplishments since joining the
company four years earlier were ignored in favor of her well-publicized decade
of decadence, arrests for minor offenses, and half a dozen accidental
overdoses.
She could have fought it, tying up Life
Tech in legal limbo for several years. She might even have won. But after a lot
of soul-searching and conversations with her best friend Adrienne, Tosha had decided
to refuse her father’s wish she take over his legacy. She respected what her
father and Jeff had built too much to damage it.
A year ago, she’d marched into the board
meeting, ready to announce her decision. Before she got the chance, Jeff had
addressed the group to announce his support of Tosha as CEO. He’d pointed out
the good she’d done since coming to the company. Furthermore, he’d made it
clear that if she went, so would he.
Everyone, especially Tosha, was stunned by
his speech that was alternately angry with her detractors and praising her for
how far she’d advanced. It had been difficult to hold back the tears, but she’d
managed. She’d sworn then and there before the board that she’d make no big
moves without their and Jeff’s blessing.
The board backed down. The crisis passed. For
the past year, she’d held to that promise.
I still have. Life Tech wouldn’t
bring on CyberServe as a partner until Jeff and the other departments did their
due diligence on its feasibility. Then, if it proved worthwhile, she’d present
it to the board for their approval. She’d only started the research ball
rolling. She hadn’t committed to anything beyond that.
Tosha resolved anew to keep from making
any deals without at least consulting Jeff beforehand. She owed him everything.
* * * *
Passcode accepted. System online.
Functions within normal parameters. Awaiting sensory calibration. Calibration
complete. System ready to respond.
Input: sound.
“Open your eyes, TWM-22121.”
Input: sight.
Brightness. Blinding. Automatic dimming
for maximum response enacted.
This unit is located on a raised, round
platform.
The bright light beamed from overhead. Beyond, a long stretch of a stone-colored
podium. Two figures stood behind it.
Living beings detected. Analyze.
Humans. Male. The sentients are smaller
than this unit. Matrix identifies Alexander Beauchamp, this unit’s owner.
Standby for further orders.
The chamber they stood in felt small
despite the darkness hiding whatever was in the room’s further reaches.
Scanning.
Tables. Computer units. Chairs. Tools for
adjustments. Tools for repair.
“Say hello, TWM.”
Input: speech.
Subjects’ language identified: ITCS common
speech, fourth generation.
“Hello.”
“How are you feeling?”
Input: tactile sensation.
Warning: multiple sites of damage to unit.
Right elbow joint system inoperable.
Right shoulder joint system inoperable.
Right hip joint system compromised;
seventy percent operational.
Right torso casing damaged, still within
operational parameters.
Multiple outer skin and base covering
lacerations, thirty percent of endoskeleton exposed, no operational anomalies
occurring as a result.
Unit’s memory grid of operations and
orders: zero percent.
Operational programming: baseline for
understanding and carrying out simple orders only.
Appropriate response computed.
“I’ve felt better.”
Auditory input: laughter from male on left
identified as Alexander Beauchamp. Humor response graded as positive
interaction.
“It took a couple of seconds before it
answered you. That’s some serious lag.”
Auditory analysis: skeptical tone, male on
right. Response graded as negative interaction. Searching files for appropriate
response.
Data insufficient for appropriate
response. Maintain silence and do not respond.
“It’ll get faster as the matrix comes up
to speed. It’s an eighty-two-year-old unit, shut down for thirty of those
years. We’ll be boosting the performance ratio as well. In a couple of hours,
it’ll answer at a perfect conversational level.”
“Conversation is the least of my worries. Tosha
Cameron’s life hangs on how well this thing can protect her.”
“When we have the TWM repaired and
upgraded, she’ll be in the best possible hands, Mr. Rourke. You have my word on
it.”
“Make sure of that, Mr. Beauchamp. I’ll
hold you personally responsible otherwise.”
Auditory analysis: male identified as
Rourke issuing threat directive to male identified as Beauchamp. Graded
negative. Searching files for appropriate response.
Data insufficient. No directive exists for
answering threats. Maintain silence and do not respond.
CyberServed: Made to Order is now available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Print is also available.
She’s marked for death. He’s her only hope. But can a de-commissioned cyborg once programmed to kill humans be trusted with her life…or her heart?
They called him the Wall, part of a cyborg army that terrorized humans during a long war waged by those intent on wielding power. When Tosha Cameron, owner of a multi-billion corporation, first sees the deactivated cyborg, he’s a tattered remnant of a horrific past.
Most would prefer to see cyborgs destroyed, but those with vision see a valuable resource. When Tosha’s business rivals target her for assassination, the Wall—whom she renames Brick—is her best bet for protection.
Reprogrammed, Brick proves he’s more than a mere machine. Programmed to guard Tosha, he can supply her every need. He soon develops beyond his learning matrix and software, becoming capable of humanity…and more.
Dark secrets from a bloody past are waiting deep in his circuitry, however; secrets that could kill the woman he loves and has sworn to protect.
No comments:
Post a Comment