Subject: Cyberwere
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 15:43:18 GMT

Sorry about that last dummy post.
This is my first post to this newsgroup.  Please send all comments
to w-miller@onu.edu.


CYBERWERE

Copyright 1994 by Wayne M. Miller

Fess.  I still had over a kay to go to get to the peoplemover
station.  It had taken me over a week and most of my creds to get
this transit authorization and I wasn't going to blow it by missing
the 'mover.  I had to hurry.  It was already dark out.  I'd tried
to leave sooner but the redtapes kept slowing me down.  I was
cutting it close.  There was a full moon out tonight.  He'd be
coming.  He'd be coming for me.  He only came on the full moon, but
he always came.
     I thought about taking a smartaxi, but I didn't even have
enough creds for that.  This transtik had cost me everything.  I'd
just have to foot it to the station.  I was so nervous that I
didn't realize what was going on.  That the streets were nearly
empty.  In my line of work that kind of distraction could get you
unplugged real quick.
     "Not even any juves out," I thought.  "just the usual umens,
lining the streets.  What could be keeping them in tonight?"
That's when I heard it.  The harsh, heavy breathing.  The low,
husky growls.  The crunch-crick of broken clearplas under his feet.
Fenris had come.
     I bolted down the darkway.  I could hear the scratching of his
claws on the dark plascrete as he ran after me.  I turned randomly,
trying to lose him.  Once I thought I'd lost him, and I turned
around, only to see two glowing red orbs hovering in darkness.
Fess, this darkness wouldn't hurt him at all.  Not like it would
me.  This was his time.  Creature of the night, the umens called
him.  In my crowd, he was just known as Fenris.
     I saw an abandoned building across the street.  I drew my HAK
smartgun and put two slugs in the lockport.  I crashed through the
doorway and into the dark building.  I heard Fenris stop at the
door, give a little sniff.  He was playing with me.  That was
another thing I knew about him.  He toyed with his prey.  Fenris
slowly walked in.

I thought back to that night in the chat.  I thought back to the
fat man with the garlic breath and the dirty fingernails.  "Just
this one job.  Quick, and no questions asked.  Three kaycreds up
front, and another three upon completion."  I hated the job.  I
usually liked to research my targets beforehand.  I'd research them
so well I'd know every time they picked their nose.  But a cred's
a cred and I needed them bad.
     I remembered flicking on my IR laser sight.  I remembered
seeing the little red dot on his neck through my thermogoggles.  I
remember squeezing the trigger and sending a 10mm caseless
explosive into his brain.  Another pull of the trigger and his head
disappeared.  I bolted.  Quick, dirty, but worth six thou creds.
   Later, I heard the scuttle around the chat.  Someone had
unplugged one of the Pack.  Globby, you don't mess with the Pack.
I was stunned.  Seems someone pumped two explosive rounds into his
brain.  Cold sweat rolled down my forehead.  I paid my bill and
left.
     I never saw the fat man again.  I'd been set up to take the
fall.  I remembered the reason why I always researched my targets.
So this wouldn't happen.

     Fenris followed my tracks up into the second level.  I loaded
a fresh clip into my HAK and prayed (to what, I wondered).  I
flicked the switch and felt the strange tingle as the gun connected
with my nervous system.  A little cross-hairs was printed on my
optic nerve.  Just in time. I could see him now.  Red eyes, silver
claws gleaming in what little light there was.  I could hear his
grunts and feel his hot breath.  I raised my smartgun and fired
three shots.  With a howl, he dodged.  Dodged!  Fess, he was fast.
I turned to meet him but he was already on me.  I screamed as I
felt cold cyberfangs cut through the molded synthleather on my
shoulder.  I brought the barrel down on his head with an audible
"clang".  He grunted and let go.  I felt the blood run down my arm,
hot and sticky.  I raised my gun again as he lunged.  I felt his
claws slash my leg, hitting bone.  I fired three more shots.  This
time one caught him in the arm.  Fenris howled in pain and ran off,
licking his hairy wound.  I didn't delude myself, though.  He'd be
back.  Soon.  I bolted.
     I found an old maintaince duct and crawled through.  It led to
a dusty storeroom filled with rag mops and Superslick oil.  After
catching my breath, I happened to glance down.  Blood was pouring
out of the wound in my shin.  Fess, the animal must have Hemo
injectors in his claws.  Anticoagulant.  Man can bleed to death
with just a scratch.  You learn these things in my trade.  I pulled
a capsule from my belt and broke it open.  My fingers were bathed
in a clear, sticky gel.  I rubbed the gel on my leg and then tied
some old rags around it.  I always carried a capsule of Hyperclot
with me, ever since one day when my target almost unplugged me.  I
stood for a while, letting the clotting agent work, when suddenly
I realized.  I must have left a trail of blood through the duct.
Globby, how could I be so stupid.  I bolted out the door, cursing
myself.  A greenie wouldn't have made the same mistake.
     I stopped after I came to a huge work area.  This place must
have been an old trash processing plant.  I could see the recyc
machines and the compactors.  I checked my HAK and scoped the area.
I had to get out of here before Fenris tracked me.
     I needn't have bothered.
     Cold cyberfangs bit into my good shoulder.  I sent my elbow
into his solar plexus.  Fenris howled and released.  I whirled
around and aimed the smartgun at one of his glowing red cyberoptic
implants.  Fenris growled.  I actually heard the whistling of razor
claws slicing the air, slicing my hand.  My HAK skidded two meters
away.  I ran towards it, but I was tackled.  We struggled all over
the floor until I saw it.  One of the compactors.  With my last bit
of strenght I put my foot on his gut and kicked.  Right on target.
Fenris fell into the compactor.  I crawled towards the controller
and prayed that it still worked.  I could hear Fenris howling in
rage, looking for an out.  I hit a large red button and heard the
whirr of machinery.  The walls moved closer.  Fenris howled and
jumped.  Fess, I never saw anyone move like that!  He almost got
out.  I heard the sickening crunch and looked away.  I was already
nauseous and didn't need to see any more gore.
     I beat him!  I had beaten Fenris.  I could command any price,
now.  The man who killed the top assasin in the city.  I almost
fainted with happiness.  Except it wasn't happiness.  I realized
that blood was still pouring out of the slash across my hand.
Fess, I could hardly move.  I slumped to the floor.  That's when I
heard it.  The soft grunting.  The scraping of metal on metal.  I
groaned.  There was Fenris, crawling along the ground, cables and
wires protruding from where his left prosthetic leg had been.  I
tried to get up but I couldn't move.  I groaned again.  I prayed
that the end would come quickly.
     It didn't.

--
   __   ____
  (_ ~-~    \         Wayne M. Miller          Long Live the Kiwis
  / ~-_      )        w-miller@onu.edu
 /     \_/\_/         "Feeling down?  Headache pains?  Try booze."