The Soldier: Final Odyssey Page 30

  “That’s one point of view, certainly,” Titus said.

  “No. That’s the cold truth. Remember, I fought the cyborgs. I know what it’s really like. You’re making a stupid mistake to think you can use their obedience chips with a handful of Ultras to change the outcome. You have one hope, and that’s to convince your handful of Ultras to help you against the cyborgs. Instead of working against the Concord, you need to unite with them against the terrible enemy that is about to surge up.”

  “I don’t think so,” Titus said. “As you pointed out, the cyborgs are in the larva stage. We need merely find their hideouts and obliterate them.”

  Cade laughed bleakly. “I agree the cyborgs are beatable at the moment. But you’re working against the Concord, against the Patrol. That will give the Web-Mind time to hatch better schemes and build up. You’re falling for the oldest gimmick in existence. Divided you fall, united we stand. Don’t give the Web-Mind the time it needs to entrench until you have a new Cyborg War on your hands. By then it will be too late.”

  “Interesting…” Titus said. “You may have a point about burning out the cyborgs before they grow. I hadn’t known about the free Web-Mind. The lurker suggests you’re right about that. Still, it doesn’t change my overall objective. Besides, how could a handful of Ultras freely aiding Earth make any difference?”

  “Think about what Jack Brune did on Helos all these years. He worked with an obedience chip in his mind all that time. Consider what I was able to accomplish in a much shorter time. I worked with my free will and resolve intact.”

  “You were the better man is all,” Titus said.

  “No. I knew Force Leader Brune in the old days. He was just as effective as I was. The difference was that he was a neutered slave with the chip, and I was a free man with a burning objective. Give Ultras burning objectives. Don’t divide them against themselves with an obedience chip coercing them and think to accomplish miracles with them.”

  “You are impassioned,” Titus said. “I will give you that.”

  “You watched me, you said. You saw what an Ultra can do. He can’t do that with a brain chip in him. I’ve fought the zombies during the War.”

  “Zombies?” Titus asked.

  “That was what we called humans with inserted obedience chips. The cyborg troopers would drop onto a world and grab hundreds of thousands, implanting the obedience chips into them and sending the hordes at us, to wear us down. The people were zombies, never using their full capabilities against us. That was what you’re suggesting.” Cade shook his head. “Using Ultras with obedience chips is bound to fail, especially now as the Patrol knows what you’ve been doing.”

  “The Patrol has known about Group Six for some time.”

  Cade laughed. “Do you know how Halifax and I paid our way across the Concord?”

  Halifax started shaking his head, making hand motions for Cade’s attention.

  “Why don’t you tell me,” Titus said.

  “We raided G6 stations,” Cade said. “We left a trail of them from here to Avalon IV. Your spy network is much less effective than you think. Now that Chief Arbiter Dragonfeld knows the extent of your network—”

  “Who is she?” Titus said.

  “A Patrol chief arbiter,” Cade said. “We worked together, quite effectively, too. We thwarted the cyborgs in the Therduim System. I also gave her information about Group Six as my payment in lieu of coin.”

  “Are you trying to anger me?”

  “I’m trying to help you see,” Cade said. “You distrust free will. I understand. But motivated people can do so much more than frightened slaves. Look at yourself as an example. You have free will and a burning desire. Look at what you’ve done. Could a mind-controlled Director Titus have done all that?”

  “I suppose not…” Titus said.

  “You can’t maintain a highly effective interstellar spy network unless you create an organization of impassioned case officers. For that, you need a burning goal. I’m giving that to you. This is about more than making Earth great again, but about saving humanity from the grim cyborg scourge.”

  “One lurker greatly frightened you, I see.”

  “I’ll tell you what greatly frightened me, seeing regular men digging up old cyborg tech on Therduim III.” Cade blinked in astonishment. “That’s not all. Don’t you see? You’re just like them. They found a cyborg mind scanner on Therduim III. They threatened to use it on Halifax and me. They also found a convertor, a machine that tears people apart and reconfigures them as cyborg troopers. In the normal human quest for power, people end up reviving cyborgs. They believe that they’re smart enough to use the tech for their own benefit, their own power. They figure they’re different from the operators in the past. But it’s never different. In the end, a cunning man, a powerful man and a fool all do the same thing: revive the cyborgs by accident.”

  “You’ve grown tedious, Mr. Cade.”

  Cade nodded. “I know. You think you’re smarter than that. But you’re not, not if you think the risk is worth the reward. You’re using obedience chips as you’re searching for ways to improve Earth’s position in the universe. The trouble is, because of you, the cyborgs are going to rise again.”

  Cade’s mouth opened as a new revelation struck him. This was so incredibly huge it awed him. He blinked, blinked again and worked at getting control of his emotions. Why hadn’t he seen this before? Get it together, Cade. This is the moment. Soon, he stared intently at the ceiling speaker. “I get it. I finally see it.”

  “What are you babbling about now?” Titus asked.

  “Why I came across time.” Cade laughed bleakly. “Don’t you see? We’re here to help you, to give you a chance. We Ultras beat the cyborgs. You need us. We won’t be effective enough to help as slaves, but as teachers, as soldiers, we can help you root out the remaining cyborgs before they multiply, and finish the war before it ignites again. Don’t you understand, Director? That was why our sleeper ship had whatever malfunction it did. Call it fate, God or a lucky break. It doesn’t matter what name you give it, but this era has been given a gift.”

  “You Ultras are the gift?” asked Titus.

  “Yes. We’re the cyborg killers. You only need a handful of us because right now the cyborgs in hiding haven’t spread and grown…yet.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I’m making the assumption because otherwise the cyborgs would have moved openly against humanity.”

  “I had no idea you were an idealist. In my eyes, it makes you less trustworthy.”

  “You’re an idealist, too, Director. You strive to revive Old Earth. Your means are ugly, but who am I to talk? I’m a stone-cold killer.” He grinned wolfishly. “Especially when I’m motivated.”

  There was a moment of silence, two, three. Then, “I do not believe in divine Providence,” Titus said. “There is probability and chance, desire and hard work. And opportunity. Your sleeper ship full of Ultras was lucky opportunity, nothing more; one that I’ve had the good sense to grasp.”

  “Fine,” Cade said. “Think of it as a lucky break if you want. I don’t care. You can utilize us effectively or with less skill, minimizing our effect or maximizing it. The choice is yours, Director. History hangs in the balance by what you decide here. Your choice could be the difference between Homo sapiens filling the galaxy or Genus Cyborgus.”

  “You do like to hear yourself talk, don’t you, Mr. Cade?”

  “You like to pose as a hard-eyed cynic. I don’t know why. I’m offering you a chance at real greatness and a chance at solving the worst problem that has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Why are you afraid to expand your vision and accept an alliance with us?”

  “Now you want an alliance?” Titus said, sounding amused.

  “Yes! I will fight with you as a free man, and I will fight against you with all my might as a slave.”

  “You won’t know the difference with the obedience chip in your brain.”

  Cad
e turned to Halifax. “Doctor, is that true?”

  Halifax stared wide-eyed at Cade. Then Halifax squinted as he stared up at the ceiling speaker. “Cade evidenced an inner struggle, sir, before breaking free of the chip’s control.”

  “How did you break free?” Titus asked.

  “The Web-Mind on Avalon IV had the chip removed from my brain,” Cade said. “Before that, I struggled against the chip’s control, often dreaming of my old life. Eventually I was able to rebel.”

  “According to the report I read,” Titus said, “there was a nuclear explosion on Avalon IV.”

  “That was after I’d already exterminated the Web-Mind,” Cade said. “The secret tech company people dropped the nuke. I haven’t begun to tell you about the pocket universe and the Rhunes we found there.”

  “What, pray tell, are Rhunes?”

  “A different form of cyborg,” Cade said. “We sent the one to a different dimension. We’re fairly certain the free Web-Mind is seeking us because of our knowledge about the vortex in the Vellani Rift that leads to this pocket universe. There happens to be a large cyborg vessel in there trapped behind a strange field.”

  A few seconds passed in silence. “You may not believe this,” Titus said. “But you’re actually beginning to intrigue me. However, I have a—”

  “Oh!” Cade said.

  “What now?” asked Titus.

  Cade happened to have put a hand into a pocket. He felt the cyborg obedience-chips there. How had he forgotten about them? He took them out and dropped each separately on the floor.

  “What are you doing?” Titus said.

  “You can see us, eh?” Cade said. “Good. Now watch this.”

  “No, stop!” Titus shouted.

  Cade stomped on and crushed each high-tech obedience chip, using his boot heel. He ground his heel against each, making sure to have destroyed all five. “Let’s see,” Cade said, looking up. “You had eighteen obedience chips. With these five gone, you only have thirteen left. I’m thinking they’re rather hard to find.”

  “I won’t ask you why you did that,” Titus said in a hollow voice. “I will say this: it was a mistake. I can use the thirteen to accomplish what I need. Now, however, you’ve hardened my resolve against you.”

  “If you’re a slave master, I’m dead-set against you, Director. That’s what the cyborgs represent, enslavement. There’s an old, old saying that applies to us Ultras. ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ I’m guessing you’ve made your choice.”

  “You shouldn’t have destroyed the chips.”

  “It felt good crushing them. And that’s an example of how I’ll continue to fight against you. The other Ultras will as well. Think about it. Think about what I’ve done here. Your spy organization needs Ultras with free will. Your—”

  Cade stopped speaking, as he saw a lone man walking down the corridor toward them. The man was tall for a regular human, had a white suit, white hair and thick, black-rimmed glasses.

  “It’s the Director,” Quillian said, sounding astounded. “I wonder what he’s doing.”

  “Wait here,” Cade said. “I’m going to find out.”

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Cade halted two meters from Director G.T. Titus. The man was older than he’d expected, and there was a tired expression in his eyes. From his new location in the corridor, Cade saw others farther away. They wore brown uniforms with blue helmets, about fifteen police or guards. Each of them held a gun, although none of them aimed this way but held the weapon down by his leg.

  “Marcus Cade,” Titus said. “You’re bigger in person.”

  “Director, I’ve come a long way to meet you.”

  “To demand your wife from me?” asked Titus.

  “I yearn to free her, that’s true.”

  “You dodged the question, I notice.”

  “Is that important?” Cade asked. “We’re face to face. You have courage to talk to me like this, and I respect that.”

  “I don’t know about courage,” Titus said. “You see—” He reached back and snapped his fingers.

  The others down the corridor couldn’t have heard the snapping, but they obviously saw the gesture. There was motion among the blue-helmeted guards until they parted. A tall golden-haired beauty in a yellow dress stepped up. Two guards held her arms behind her.

  A thrill went through Cade. He could hardly believe what he saw. Raina had survived the long odyssey through time. She was alive. He saw that with his own eyes. She was there—

  “Raina!” he shouted.

  “Marcus!” she shouted, trying to bring her arms up, perhaps to wave to him. The two guards restrained her.

  The emotions Cade had felt earlier paled to what he felt now. His dear princess of a wife was down the corridor and men dared touch her. His vision swam as murder-lust raged against the intense desire to run to his beloved and swoop her up into his arms.

  “What’s she worth to you, Cade?”

  Cade hardly heard the Director. He felt cold and elated all at once. He felt surreal, as if he floated in a null-zone.

  “You didn’t just destroy part of my brain-chip supply,” Titus said. “You destroyed all the working ones. The other thirteen—the techs are attempting to repair them. So far, those chips have proven useless.”

  “What?” Cade said, as he stared at Raina.

  “Look at me,” Titus said.

  Something about the Director’s intensity—through force of will, Cade tore his gaze from Raina to glare at the Director. The man watched him closely.

  “You destroyed my means to using the Ultras,” Titus said. “You’re all useless to me until I find workable obedience chips.”

  “No,” Cade said thickly. “My offer still stands. Make a fair deal with us, and you’ll have our help. I hate the cyborgs. I’m willing to forget the past and work with you, if it means destroying the greater enemy.”

  “How do I know you’re not making promises under duress that you’ll break at the first opportunity?”

  Cade scoffed. “The easiest way to find out is to give me a ship and my comrades. Then, make the deal again and see what we do.”

  “Let you go without any assurances or a way to rein you in?”

  “Director,” Cade said, glancing at his wife. He yearned to run to her. He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate. Here it was, the moment of truth. If he won, he could be with Raina in another few minutes. If he failed, he would kill everyone in the corridor in an attempt to reach her. He would die in his wife’s arms or—

  “Mr. Cade, I’m still here.”

  Cade opened his eyes. If ever he needed to concentrate, this was the moment. Thus, he forced himself to forget about his love down the corridor. He was dealing with Director G.T. Titus, possibly the most ruthless, driven human alive. If he could convince the man…he might win his greatest desire, to be reunited with Raina.

  Cade breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. He breathed deeply again, holding it and slowly exhaling. Director Titus…

  “This is never going to work if you can’t ever trust anyone,” Cade said.

  “You have a point,” Titus said. “I’m decidedly short on trust.”

  Cade’s eyes narrowed. Here was the sticking point. In many ways, they had the same objective, but a manipulative man like Titus surely believed that everyone was trying to deceive him. How could he change that so they could work together?

  “You wish to defeat the cyborgs, right?” said Cade.

  Titus just stared at him.

  “You’re going to have to learn to trust, at least a little, if you want to crush the enemy.”

  “Perhaps you really believe that,” Titus said. “I’ve found the opposite to be true and worked tirelessly to shield myself from having to trust anyone. But, since you’re high on the belief, I’ll tell you what. I have an offer, a way out of our impasse. You trust me. You go on a mission as a free-will individual, proving yourself to me, and then I’ll let you see your wife again.”r />
  “No deal,” Cade said, as he envisioned hitting Titus in the face as hard as he could. “You enslaved me, Director, and you did it in the worst way possible. You put a cyborg obedience chip in my brain, me, an Ultra who fought the cyborgs his whole life. I ought to kill you for what you did. But I have a bigger goal and thus am willing to forgo the pleasure. Such being the case, you’re the one who has to show some trust, or we can finish this now and—” Cade forced himself to quit talking, lest he say too much and start the killing spree that would end with his death.

  Titus turned away, his head tilted down as if he was thinking.

  Cade didn’t use the opportunity to look at Raina. This was the moment, and he was concentrated on the goal of winning the Director to his point of view. Cade watched Titus, and he thought fast. “I’m a man of my word, Director. What’s more, you’ve seen me in action. You know what Ultras can do. You can have our help, have our passion as we fight the enemy. That help will likely give Old Earth the edge it needs to become great again.”

  Titus grunted noncommittally.

  “More importantly,” Cade said, “we can thwart the dreaded cyborgs. Humanity must unite and hunt down the enemy. The clock is ticking for us. If humanity waits too long…”

  With staring eyes, Titus faced Cade. “This is hard for me.”

  “As it is for me,” Cade said. “Consider: I’ve shown you trust by even contemplating this. You enslaved me, Director. But I’m willing to forget that and give you a second chance. The least you could do is reciprocate and meet me halfway.”

  Titus stared at him. Titus stared as two red spots appeared on his cheeks. He stared as his breathing increased. His head swayed until he shook it. “I can’t believe this. I…I have no choice, you bastard. You destroyed the last useable chips. It’s either put you all down, shove you into cryogenic freeze, or—yes. Yes, I’ll try this your way and see what happens. If you double-cross me, Cade—”