Cyber Witch

Chapter 6.1 - Red Caste

[Avia]

I sat cross-legged on my bed aboard the Freebird, leaning back against the wall, while Bubba rumbled as I scratched behind his ears. There was something soothing about having a contented cat curled up in my lap. Also, I drew a measure of satisfaction that Bubba's affection for me miffed Zach.

I shouldn't be so hard on Zach. Except for some flippant comments and various annoying qualities, he has been a gentleman to me, even protective. Although, he did hunt me down and kidnap me — no free pass for that.

Within my head, I parsed through the info I lifted from Arthur's computer. Project Asclepius was hidden within the non-descript Coronis Station — an appropriate name, since in ancient Greek mythology, Coronis was the mother of the god of medicine, Asclepius. It was located within a remote, uninhabited star system, which made sense for such a secretive project. The information included some details on entry procedures and external security, but there was nothing on internal security. By Arthur's assessment, it would be extremely tight. Getting in and out safely won't be a walk in the park.

The nano-bot coding was fascinating, especially the networking capability that allowed the micro-machines to work collectively. The implications for medicine were staggering. With present technology, nano-bots were manufactured to treat specific diseases. But these were multifunctional, able to diagnose and treat human ailments before symptoms became apparent, even slowing the aging process. No wonder Omni-Corp poured so many resources into development.

But the unstated frightening aspect was the brain altering potential — not so much direct mind control, but manipulation of mental associations and emotional response. Theoretically, the technology could bend entire populations to favor certain products, or even political beliefs. Truly, megalomaniac evil villain stuff. The data Arthur gave us was five to ten years old, so who knows what progress they had recently made?

Zach shadowed my open hatchway, leaning against the frame with arms crossed. With bushy hair, a dimpled grin, and wearing a plain white t-shirt, he radiated more bad-boy charm than should be allowed. But I'm not falling for that.

His eyebrows lowered upon seeing Bubba in my lap. "Why are you corrupting my star-cat?"

"What can I say? Bubba likes me better," I answered. Bubba stretched, yawned, then curled back into a catnap. "Who's the good kitty?" I cooed while stroking soft, black fur. "You are... You're the good kitty."

Zach let out an exasperated breath while plopping down in the desk chair within my tiny cabin, then changed the subject. "Well? What do you think?"

"About Project Asclepius?"

"No. About the finer points of underwater basket weaving," Zach answered, rolling his eyes back. "Of course, about Project Asclepius! That's why you're here and not drooling in Aberrant jail."

Zach's reply sent a chill down my spine, blocking my mocking retort. True, he had saved me from a fate worse than death. "Right. The technology is brilliant and scary at the same time. External security and access control are tight. There's not much info on what's inside, but security there is probably even tighter. This won't be easy."

"Never said it would be," Zach noted. "But I've arranged for some help."

"Who?"

"Some of my former Red Caste colleagues."

My eyebrows shot up. "Can we trust them? I thought you had a falling out."

"I did," Zach replied, nodding. "Trust is far too strong a word. Let's just say we have a common goal of taking down Omni-Corp."

"You need better friends, Zach."

With a grin, he said, "Hey, I've got you."

"You don't kidnap friends." I sighed — that conversation line wouldn't get us anywhere. "Well, there's one thing in our favor. All the R&D data is stored onsite, probably to prevent leaks and theft. That means we have a chance to erase it all and set the research back, maybe permanently."