[Zach]
Avia was famished — not surprising since she missed a few meals since I bagged her — and she wolfed down the meal pack I prepared for her. We sat across from each other at the small galley table. Avia definitely didn't have the refined table manners or picky palate of elite society, nor, I thought, did she desire that.
I took a swig from a brown bottle, then tilted it toward her. "Want one? It's Ceti Ale."
"No thanks," she replied, one cheek bulging with food. "I don't drink. Alcohol messes with my cybernetics." As I continued gazing at her, Avia turned her eyes up to me and narrowed them. "What?"
"Just trying to figure you out," I responded. "Like, why are you taking this so well?" So far, there have been no screaming tantrums, violent outbursts, or acts of defiance, just a grumpy attitude. "What are you up to?"
"I'm not taking it well. Just don't have any better options right now," she mumbled while chewing. "Don't get me wrong. I appreciate not being on my way to a cyber hell. So, what else have you not figured out about me?"
"Hmm... Well, why hadn't the infamous Cyber Witch turned to a life of crime, I mean, besides evading arrest and stealing from my operating account? Many of your fellow Aberrants turned bad."
"Not my style. And I don't like being labeled Aberrant as if some deviant monster."
"Fair enough," I responded, nodding. "Cyber-enhanced, perhaps?"
"Just plain Avia. I never asked to be cyber anything." Her voice had a cutting edge.
"I understand."
"No, you don't!" Avia hissed with bared teeth, slamming down her fork. "You have no idea! You were born an elite of the Elites, Zach, and everything was handed to you on a silver platter, even if you didn't appreciate it."
"Well, you seem to know everything about me," I huffed, anger responding to anger. She didn't know all I went through.
Her voice softened. "I know everything about you available through the info-web, and some things not. There is one thing I am curious about, though."
"What is that?"
"Who is Bubba? A lot of your ex-girlfriends didn't like him, but you seem to."
As if on cue with a swirling tail, in sauntered my black cat like he owned the place, which he kinda did. About twice the size of a normal housecat, Bubba was a rare and valuable breed of Star Cat, which were originally bred during the early days of space exploration to handle the rigors. Like all of his kind, he sported a star-shaped white mark on his forehead, hence the name. They were highly sought after, earning their keep by hunting the inevitable vermin, warning of small pressure leaks, and were believed to bring good fortune on perilous journeys. But Star Cats also had an independent streak and a nasty temperament — you didn't choose them, they chose you. Several of the women I brought on my ship suffered a hiss and swipe of sharp claws, ruining my carnal plans.
"This is Bubba," I answered, sweeping my arm toward the cat. He mewed in return.
Avia's face brightened as she rose. "Oh, he is adorable!"
As she kneeled down and reached out to Bubba, I jumped up in warning, holding out a hand. "Avia, no! He doesn't like strangers. He--"
But Bubba didn't lash out, instead just the opposite, rubbing back and forth against Avia's legs and letting her stroke soft fur. My mouth gaped as she dropped to a cross-legged sitting position on the floor, leaning back against a wall, and Bubba settled into her lap. The cat let out satisfied rumbles as she scratched behind his ears.
Treasonous beast.
I shook my head, still not believing what I witnessed. "How is it he likes you, Avia?"
"Well," she said, grinning, "Bubba has better taste in women than you do."
*****
Avia plopped into the pilot's seat and swiveled it around in a circle, sticking out the leg with the black security anklet. I reclined in the navigator's seat next to her, the only other seat on the bridge, overlooking an angled transparent control panel filled with colorful charts monitoring the ship operation. She mewed, "So, Thaddeus Zachariah Welde, how did you get your own starship?"
"A birthday gift," I mumbled. Likely, she already knew this, and also, that I hated my formal name.
The Freebird was small for a starship, but fast. With sleek delta wings, she was just as adept with atmospheric flight as deep space. At one time, my uncle's executive transport, the ship was comfortably appointed.
"Must be nice," she scoffed, "being the nephew of an Omni-Corp high-level exec."
"It has its advantages. And disadvantages," I countered, refusing to be drawn into a pointless wealth distribution debate.
Avia leaned forward and scowled at me. "What do you want me to do? Find your lost silver spoon?"
Why did she keep trying to rile me? She knew I had a falling out with my family. "I'll tell you when time comes. Right now, you don't need to know." I said, returned her scowl.
Her voice took an angry edge. "The military kept me in the dark when I fought in the Border War. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!"
I matched her tone. "And how are you going to stop me? I disabled all the external access to ship operations."
A sly grin that grew on Avia's face and the following chuckle sent electric tingles down my spine. "Oh, Zach. You silly boy. There are ways into any computer system. I've already enslaved your ship AI." With a snap of her fingers, the background bass hum faded away as the star-drive shut down, dropping us from hyperspace. The ship lurched as red lights blinked on the control panel. "Now, you were saying?"
"Counter this!" I growled. Extracting the remote switch from my pants cargo pocket, I pushed the button to activate her enforcement anklet.
Hissed curses escaped Avia's lips, and she stiffened as the injected bio-toxin traveled up her leg. I was told it felt like a severe electrical shock, but without the potential long-term hazards. Her body trembled with seizure, eyes rolling back, and she tumbled out of the chair.
After a few moments and several deep breaths, the toxin's effect dissipated, and Avia picked herself off the floor and grimaced. "Fuck, that hurts!"
"That was just setting one," I warned, glaring through narrowed eyes. "If you don't want to feel a higher setting, then release the ship controls!"
That sly grin came back. What was she up to?
"I don't have to worry about that anymore," Avia said. When she snapped her fingers again, the control panel and forward view-screens blinked off and the bridge went dark. A single emergency light came on behind us, casting dim shadows forward.
"Have it your way," I hissed while pushing the button once, then again.
But nothing happened, except that Avia put on a sweet smile that dripped with mockery.
Oh, crap...
"Umm, how are you doing that?" I asked in a meek voice.
"Easy. The first time you zapped me, I found out the radio frequency code it used," she answered, then tapped her head. "Now, I can counteract it."
"How did you learn to be such a pain in the arse?" I grumbled.
"It's a gift. Mess with the Cyber Witch, and you get burned." Avia glowed in victory, irritating the hell out of me. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you were about to explain what you need me to do." Leaning forward with elbows on the seat arms, she lifted an eyebrow. "I promise I will listen."
"Fine." Defeated, I blew out a breath and leaned back. "Ever hear of Project Asclepius?"
"Yeah. Omni-Corp's new medical nano-bot technology, named after the ancient Greek god of medicine."
"Well, it has a sinister side. They are developing code to use the bots for mind manipulation — not mind control like a robot, but by creating artificial mental associations. Think of the implications for marketing, or bending politicians toward corporate goals, or even military applications."
Avia wrinkled her forehead. "So, Omni-Corp could unconsciously shift public opinions to what they want?"
"Exactly."
"That's scary."
"Sources tell me the research data is confined to a single secret location, and that makes it vulnerable." I turned toward Avia and held out my hands for emphasis. "But if we could get you to the data storage systems, you could erase them and set back their research, maybe permanently. Also, you could copy enough documents to expose Omni-Corp publically. Only you have the skill to hack the system."
"Wow, Zach," Avia said after a moment, her eyes widening. "That's actually noble of you."
"So?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and putting on my most charming smile.
"Will it be dangerous?"
"Probably."
Avia leaned back and silence hung in the air for two moments. Finally, she replied, "I'll help you Zach, but only if you then help me find two of my cyber-enhanced friends and take us to safety. Deal?" She leaned forward and held out a hand.
I gazed at her hand. While so often a pain in the arse, Avia had always been honest with me. Reaching out, I grasped her hand and shook. "Deal."
"Oh, one more thing," Avia said, lifting a leg. "Take off this damned ankle bracelet."