Sons of Abraham: Pawns of Terror (4 page)

Abraham sat as the screen unpaused and rewound to the beginning of a news program. He didn’t recognize the background, but it was easy to recognize a press conference in any era. The words at the bottom of the screen informed him that President James Garber was about to make an address to the public. He noted the timestamp, stating that the recording had been live earlier this morning.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” President Garber started. “Last night, a horrendous attack occurred on Earth’s soil. As many of you know, a trial was scheduled for J-17, a Military Advisor, and a Cyber. This Cyber acted outside of his programming, killing a dignitary from our allies on Parasus. As the trial was finalizing, a group of Cybers, acting as public guards to the trial, opened fire and murdered those who were in attendance.”

The President paused as the press started to ask series of questions, all made inaudible as one press member attempted to shout over another. Unseen to the view of the feed, guards were on the sides, attempting to quiet the stir. Garber waited until the room quieted, then continued his address.

“I wish there was time to call out the names of every person who fell to this cowardly attack, but I have a multitude of meetings scheduled, all to combat this issue. In light of this attack, I have declared a state of emergency for Earth, and for all of her allies. This morning, a declaration was signed, placing all Cybers onto the interplanetary wanted list. All Cybers employed by the military have been taken into custody as well as all technicians who have worked with the Cybers over the last twenty years. At this time, all laboratory technicians are being held for questioning, with no formal charges having been placed against them. We have taken thirty-four Cybers into custody, with one hundred and twenty-two having fled from the Earth in stolen military harriers. We are in the process of tracking their whereabouts, and will act with swift, merciless justice.”

“Have they made any demands?” a reporter shouted out.

“No,” Garber replied. “No demands have been made by the terrorists.”

“Are you declaring war against these Cybers?”

“We cannot. The Geneva Convention dictates that a nation cannot declare war on the property. Given that the Cybers are the property of the military, it would declare war upon ourselves. This is a manhunt, perhaps the largest in hundreds of years.”

“Mr. President,” another reporter started. “Activists have warned against such an event for the last hundred years. How would you respond to their concerns now?”

Garber looked to his right, to someone off screen. He lowered his head, the lights showing the thinning hairline on his scalp. He grasped the sides of the podium before him, gathering his determination.

“I would say to them,” he started. “That we were wrong. These Cybers, these self-proclaimed Sons of Abraham, have been infiltrated. The head of the Military Advisors foresaw such an event, thus why they demanded that the Cybers have a wireless access to their programming. This programming has allowed us to control their actions but has also allowed for the true culprit behind the attacks to gain access to the Cyber programming. It was a calculated risk, making the Cybers accessible, yet leaving them vulnerable. It is a mistake that will be corrected in short time.”

“Who are the Sons of Abraham?” the same reporter asked.

“As you know,” Garber continued. “Thomas Abrams, one of the first volunteers to undergo the Cyber procedure, was garnered as the father of the second generation Cybers. His creations, or children, declared him to be Abraham, a reference to biblical passages. Our experts believe this to be the Abraham of reference, a symbolic gesture by the third gens. We have shared pictures and documents of the Cybers suspected in the attacks, making them available to the public, as well as our ally planets. Thanks to the Gabriel Rings, we can have the information to the planets long before a stolen military harrier can touch the ground. We will control the movements and use of the rings as security has been heightened across the galaxy. In this case, the terrorist can hide, but they cannot run. Thank you.”

The room erupted with questions from the media, but President Garber ignored the calls and exited to the left of the screen. The feed was disconnected as Sandra had turned the display screen off. The Captain and his first in command leaned against the counter, both turning to their Cyber counterpart.

“The Sons of Abraham,” Quaid started, his tone full of accusation. “You mind telling us what the hell is going on Abe?”

“I haven’t a clue,” he responded, still processing the information. “I was never widely known as Abraham. Only my children had referred to me by anything other than Thomas Abrams.”

“And which one of them is calling you that now?” Quaid snapped, a lock of jet-black hair falling over his right eye.

“I can’t know that,” Abe responded calmly. “Without access to my core files, I cannot deduce anything that has happened in recent memory. You know that.”

“I know that, really?” Quaid continued. “All I know is what you told me. I’m not skilled in psychology, but I’m not stupid enough to believe everything I’m told. I need proof, Abe.”

“I wish I had it,” Abe replied. “Until I can repair Cybill, I’m afraid that I’m stuck in the dark. If we do not return to Earth, then I cannot provide you with the information you require.”

“Oh we’ll go to Earth,” Quaid snapped. “We’ll go right to that military compound and drop you off. You guys can straighten all this mess out while the three of us head back to our quiet little lives.”

“You wouldn’t,” Sandra accused. “He’s one of us…”

“No, he isn’t,” Quaid stamped. “He’s a passenger with some shiny cargo, that’s it.”

“He saved our lives,” Jenna added to the conversation. “You can’t just turn him in.”

“Oh, I can, and I will,” Quaid replied, pushing away from the console. “Either that or we drop him off at the next planet. Makes no difference to me either way.”

Abraham stepped into the Captain’s path, keeping him from returning to the cockpit. Quaid’s eyes bore into him, his narrow features flexing under his taunt skin. Abe remained calm, his body lax, but prepared.

“If you want me off you ship, then so be it,” Abe started. “I’ll just take my SHINY cargo and be on my way.”

Quaid’s eyes opened full, his mouth dropping an inch. He took a step back, looking to the female crew to his right. They offered no support in the matter, leaving him alone in his wish to be rid of the Cyber. He returned his focus to the man before him, deciding what action he could take against the superior individual.

“That cargo is on MY ship,” he hissed. “You can keep the girl, but the rest is mine. Especially the hover boards. We saved your life, pulling you outta that tank. You saved my crew though you’re the reason they were in danger to begin with. As far as I’m concerned, you and I are squared. Pack your gear. You can take a board to carry your daughter, and any of that equipment you brought on from the Divinity facility, but the rest stays right where it is.”

Abraham looked to the girls, his mind calculating his options. He could follow Quaid’s demands, taking his daughter, tools, and one of the boards, but that would leave him exposed. He could take control of the ship, overpower Quaid and lock him up somehow, but a hostile takeover was not his way. The only option left to him was to negotiate with the Asian man before him.

“I’ll leave you two boards, the medical supplies, and the weapons,” he started. “The rest leaves with me. You’d have none of it had I not taken you to the facility. I believe my offer to be generous, perhaps TOO generous, but I do it for your crew, not for a scavenger like you.”

Quaid stepped back, pulling his pistol from the holster. The barrel of the gun barely cleared the leather when a hand grabbed his wrist. The Cyber had stayed put, not wishing for the ordeal to become violent. Sandra, however, had an opinion of her own, one that couldn’t be expressed if either of the men was killed.

“Why don’t you boys settle down,” she whispered. “Cap, put the gun away, and let’s just talk this through.”

“You think?” Quaid asked, looking down to her hand on his wrist. “I don’t recall this being a democracy Sandy. If I say he’s off the ship, then he’s off the ship. Hell, you can ALL get off MY ship for all I care.”

Sandra looked to Quaid’s beady eyes, seeing no give to the man’s resolve. The Captain could be stubborn, but she knew he acted out of wisdom rather than testosterone. She turned her attention to Abraham, sizing up her choices. She let go of the Captain’s wrist, taking a step between the two men. If a gun were drawn, it’d have to be pointed at her.

“I think we’re letting this get out of hand,” she started. “Abe, you’re right. The cargo is yours. Whatever you leave with us is your choice to make, and we’re grateful for it. However, the Captain has a point. We don’t know if they’re plastering your picture along with those other Cybers, but we can find out easily enough. I say if they didn’t, then we discuss the possibility of keeping you on board. If your photo is on every board across the galaxy, then we land and part ways. Do we have a deal?”

Abraham leaned to look past the pale, dark haired woman before him, trying to catch a glance of the Captain’s expression. Quaid had tilted his chin down, looking up at him through his brow. His scan showed the man’s respiratory levels were high, indicating potential aggression towards him, or the crew. The same scan showed Sandra to be calm, a perfect mediator for the situation.

“I believe you have a deal,” Abe replied, taking a step away from the group.

“I don’t think so,” Quaid stammered. “We go through a government checkpoint, and they’ll make you for a Cyber. The three of us will spend the rest of our days in confinement. That’s not what I had in mind for my retirement.”

“They can’t find the cybernetics through conventional scanning,” Abraham offered. “There is no metal in my head, and the technology to perform such a scan would only exist in medical labs. The basic scanners rely upon the difference in materials between the person and what they carry. My cybernetics uses a high amount of carbon, thus making it impervious to a typical scanner.”

“Wrong,” Quaid snapped. “They can detect Cybers on every planet.”

“That’s because the third gens use wireless tech in their brains,” Jenna injected. “Abe doesn’t have that. Neither would the second gens. They didn’t add the tech til a hundred years ago.”

“Well,” Sandra started. “We can run an inquiry for the Cybers, see what’s coming across the stream. Should be able to clear Abe in a few minutes.”

“Bad idea,” Quaid replied. “You’ll set off every scanning program known to man. They’d be on us in an hour.”

“Are you kidding?” Sandra cried out. “There were BILLIONS of people watching that feed. I’m guessing hundreds of millions are making inquiries about the Cybers right now. There is no WAY they could be acting on every inquiry.”

“The Captain is correct,” Abe added, strolling to the silent view screen. “Billions may have been watching, but only a small fraction would consider the news to reflect upon their own lives. There are only a few hundred Cybers in existence, and those are only known to the Military Advisor programs. No one else would consider themselves affected by this morning’s broadcast. Thus, any inquiries on Cybers would be closely monitored by the military. We need a public terminal to make such an inquiry. One without cameras around it, just to be certain.”

“We steal one,” Quaid added. “We stop on a planet in this system, steal a pad, and run the inquiry. We do it outside of the city, just close enough to access a feed. If Abe’s face comes up on the wanted list, then we dump him and any cargo that could be tied to him. If he’s cleared, then we make the next decision.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Sandra asked, folding her arms over her chest. “A minute ago, you didn’t care what he did so long as he was off YOUR ship.”

Quaid looked to each crewmember, one by one. The scowl slowly faded when he reached Jenna. The thin man took a step back, sitting upon one of the benches in the common room. He felt the torn fabric, his finger poking through a hole and touching the cushion beneath it. He thought of the holes in the flooring, the exhaust leak in the cargo bay, and the gridlock he faced by not having access to the big rings.

“Because we need him,” he replied. “We can’t keep scavenging. Every planet in the system is adopting laws against it. Scavenging teams are getting bigger, and more aggressive by the day. We need to think long term here, not just day to day. He’s a golden goose, and I ain't about to cut him open to take today’s egg, leaving me with nothing tomorrow. If he’s clear, then we move forward. Maybe he gets his head fixed and finds other riches out there. Maybe we find out how to stop the Cybers from attacking anyone else. Either way, we’re rich, or we’re heroes. If we’re heroes, at least, we get clearance to roam free. If he’s the cause of all of this, then we turn him in and become lesser heroes. Sound good Doc?”

Abraham continued to scan Quaid, noting the drop in respiratory levels. He had to hand it to the man’s sense of business. Julius had calmed himself and found the bigger picture in a matter of ten minutes, something few were capable of without having been aided by cybernetics.

“I can agree to that,” he replied. “One condition, though. I steal the pad and bring it out to you for the inquiry. I won’t risk placing any of you in further danger.”