![\"image.png\"](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/files.steempeak.com\/file\/steempeak\/cheah\/WaraeemM-image.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The cyborgs had been thorough.<\/p>\n
As Fox and Tan watched the detainees, the rest of the team swept the plantation. There was nothing left but bodies and ashes. The guards had been gunned down on the spot, the house demolished with high explosives. Within the ashes of the house, the team found the charred remains of the workers.<\/p>\n
The plantation was burning. Many trees had been blown down, and the rest were on fire. Wood guessed that the cyborgs had used thermobaric grenades to destroy the trees. Without any firefighting equipment, there was nothing the team could do to preserve the evidence. All they could do was alert the local firefighters and the PSB.<\/p>\n
And deal with the prisoners.<\/p>\n
There were no places on Moreno Island capable of holding a cyborg with mil-grade augmentations. The Black Watch settled for the headquarters of the Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n
The police allowed the STS to use their sally port. The four-car garage allowed the swift and secure transportation of prisoners into the building. The team left their weapons in lockers by the entrance, then escorted the prisoners into central booking.<\/p>\n
Under the watchful eye of two deputies, the team logged Omicron and Antoine Santiago into the system, then frog-marched them into the men’s holding cells and deposited them in separate modules. The second they were done, the chief called Yamamoto, insisting on meeting everyone to congratulate them on a successful bust.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto took the hit for the team, claiming that his men were needed elsewhere. That freed Tan, Fox, Connor and Mustafa to leave the station and do everything else they needed to do. Wood, being the PSB\u2019s point man, stayed with his team leader and helped answer the Sheriff\u2019s many, many, many questions.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff seemed polite enough, but hidden among his queries was the true intent of his fete.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you contact us?\u201d he asked. \u201cOur SRT would have helped you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were sitting on time-sensitive information,\u201d Yamamoto replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could deploy the SRT at a moment\u2019s notice. They would have been glad to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe anticipated a recon mission,\u201d Wood said. \u201cHad it been a raid, we would have gladly informed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you boys are used to running the show on the mainland, but over here, I<\/em> am in charge,\u201d the Sheriff said. \u201cIf you\u2019re running any ops on my island, you tell me. Clear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCrystal,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n Wood knew Yamamoto had no intention of honoring this promise. The Network and the Guild had wormed themselves into the heart of the island, and the cyborgs had already struck a blow against the Santiagos. Telling the Sheriff about the STS operations was as good as alerting the New Gods themselves.<\/p>\n After another hour of banalities, the Sheriff finally released them. Deputy Frank Matthews was waiting for them just outside his office.<\/p>\n \u201cThe old man sure knows how to talk, huh?\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an understatement,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n Matthews chuckled. \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got a message for you from the prisoner. The cyborg.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does he want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe says he\u2019s ready to answer your questions at your earliest convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get this show started,\u201d Wood said. \u201cBring him up to the interview room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just one thing,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cHe asked for the two of you by name. Special Agents James Wood and Yuri Yamamoto.\u201d<\/p>\n Yamamoto\u2019s eyes frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t believe we\u2019ve announced our presence here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t, but he knows who you are anyway,\u201d the deputy said. \u201cSomething is fishy about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do our jobs anyway,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cMay the Maker be with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood and Yamamoto followed Matthews to the holding cells. As they passed Santiago\u2019s cell, Wood peeked through the security bars. Santiago, lying on his tiny bench, looked up and glared back.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatchu looking at?\u201d Santiago demanded.<\/p>\n Wood didn\u2019t bother to reply. After they were done with the cyborg, Santiago was next.<\/p>\n In a corner of his cell, Superuser Iota Omicron Seven-Two-Eight sat on the bed, staring into thin air, his hands folded on his lap, shattered right hand over his left. The cyborg\u2019s wrists and ankles were shackled. In the absence of high-security holding cells, it was the only acceptable option.<\/p>\n The deputies had exchanged his uniform and tactical gear for a bright orange jumpsuit. On first glance he looked like a regular human, albeit with a wrecked prosthetic hand. But implanted in his forehead, in between and above his eyes, was a third eye. A white metal eyeball with a startling blue iris. It looked almost human.<\/p>\n It was a signature implant of the Singularity Network, granting the wearer enhanced vision, recording capabilities, everything Wood\u2019s own cybereye offered. Plus at least one more ability: the ability to peer into the Aether and identify the agents and Elect of the New Gods.<\/p>\n The operators escorted him out the room, down the hall, and into the interview room. The cyborg kept his peace as they sat him down in a chair. But the moment they closed the door, Omicron spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are glad you are here. We don\u2019t have much time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Wood asked, sitting down across him.<\/p>\n \u201cElements in the Sheriff\u2019s Department are loyal to the Guild of the Maker. They would have alerted their handlers. Likewise, other men loyal to the Santiago Syndicate would have informed their paymasters. I have much to tell you, but little time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a safety issue?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would be much safer in a federal detention facility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be the judge of that,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cTell us what we want to know and we\u2019ll arrange a transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t transfer me immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need to justify it.\u201d<\/p>\n The cyborg shook his head, but his third eye stared unblinkingly at the same spot behind the operators.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk your questions,\u201d Omicron said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was your mission?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs I said: to destroy the Green Bliss plantation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho sent you?\u201d Wood asked. \u201cThe Network?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Will of the Net decrees that all threats to its existence must be neutralized. The destruction of the plantation is aligned to this purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy does the Net see the Santiagos as a threat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne month ago, four Husks ran rampant across Babylon, targeting members of the Singularity Network. You are, of course, familiar with this incident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Yamamoto said wryly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Husks were created and controlled by a Dark Power named Aruk. Aruk uses the Santiago Syndicate as its pawns. Thus, the Santiagos are a threat to the Singularity Network. The Santiagos draw their wealth and power from the distribution of the Green Bliss. Destroying the plantation erodes the Santiagos. Capturing Antoine Santiago is a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you discover the plantation?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were running our own investigation,\u201d the cyborg replied. \u201cWe have narrowed down the source of the Green Bliss to the island. Over weeks and months, through metadata harvesting and surveillance methods, we have uncovered a number of possible affiliates of the Santiago Syndicate. We planted smartdust on them and tracked their movements. The movement patterns betrayed the existence of the plantation.\u201d<\/p>\n Smartdust. The most insidious surveillance tool ever invented. Composed of tiny sensors the size of dust grains, they could be sprinkled on a target without his knowledge. Once embedded, it would be extremely difficult to remove every single grain of dust.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you inform the PSB?\u201d Yamamoto asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is our vendetta. We have no desire for human authorities to intervene.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the principal law enforcement agency in Nova Babylonia. We would have done this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a battle between gods. Mere humans like you would be crushed underfoot. We kept the PSB out to save their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow very thoughtful of you,\u201d Wood remarked. \u201cBut you understand this is a violation of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuman laws mean little to us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the Babylon Accords?\u201d Yamamoto demanded. \u201cViolating that would mean open war.\u201d<\/p>\n The cyborg smiled mechanically. There was no mirth in it, no joy, just an attempt at mimicking a human expression. His third eye swiveled back and forth between the two operators.<\/p>\n \u201cYou labor under the impression that humans are the sovereigns of Nova Babylonia. An unfortunate assumption. But we are not here to discuss that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to discuss your continued cooperation,\u201d Wood reminded him.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. What else do you wish to know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you cooperating with us?\u201d Yamamoto asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are already involved. You have a stake in defeating the Santiago Syndicate. We have common goals, and at this stage, it is only rational to obtain cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou fired at us in the swamp,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly because you fired first.\u201d The cyborg\u2019s smile grew wider and faker. \u201cEntirely in line with what we know of the STS. And you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you know about us?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything. We know, James Wood, that you were born to Amelia and Kelvin Wood in Hopton. You have two siblings, Robert and Terry\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Wood clenched his ham-like fists.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you threatening me?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cMerely stating facts. Would you like to know what we know about you, Yuri Yamamoto?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know so much about us?\u201d Yamamoto demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the Network,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are everywhere. Even the vaunted and, frankly, redundant security measures the STS employs does little to keep us out. But this is not what we\u2019re here to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cWe\u2019re here to discuss why Aruk has a beef with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not have insight into Aruk\u2019s thoughts, but we have a conjecture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo on,\u201d Wood prodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the gods descended, they took up residence in every corner of the new world. Some chose to spread their influence across the planet, while others were content to rule their little domains. Aruk must have been one of the latter. We believe he settled on this island and claimed it for his own.<\/p>\n \u201cFor decades, centuries, the gods had left Moreno Island to its own devices, focusing their struggles on the land now known as Nova Babylonia. Aruk in turn limited his ambitions to the island. The people began to worship him, calling him the Green Jack or the Green Giant, offering sacrifices in exchange for bountiful harvests, protection, and the chance of becoming one of his Elect.<\/p>\n \u201cThis couldn\u2019t continue, of course. When the Singularity Network came to this island, we found a backwater stuck in the previous century. We introduced modern technology: medicine, sanitation, engineering, computers. We asked only for a fair deal, and for a chance to let others learn about us.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Aruk saw it as a threat. An open challenge to his dominion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have repeatedly sought his permission to operate here. But the cult of the Green Giant has no priests or centralised authority. Expeditions into the swamps yielded no results\u2014those that returned. In the end, when the Guild of Makers formally established a presence here, we accelerated our plans, lest the Guild seize opportunities from us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought Aruk was little more than a local superstition, a tutelary spirit at best. But when we penetrated the interior, reached out to the towns and villages in the swamps and the forests, things changed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Green Bliss?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d the cyborg said. \u201cIt appeared three years ago out of the swamps. Psis who ate the Bliss became slaves of Aruk, and targeted everyone pledged to the New Gods\u2014but especially us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAruk created the Bliss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not know. There is still no complete catalogue of the local flora and fauna. But it will not be outside the power of a god to create a new species.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you tried communicating with Aruk after it started targeting you?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tried. We left messages at shrines and in the swamps, attempted to speak to its Husks, sought out members of the Santiago Syndicate as messengers, but to no avail. The Will of the Net authorized the use of brain patterning and resurrection protocols to interrogate Husks in the hope of reaching Aruk, but you prevented us from doing so in Babylon.\u201d<\/p>\n The last statement was aimed at Yamamoto. The operator merely shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not know what we were up against then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPity. But you are mere mortals, and the ways of gods and superior beings are unknown to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Irritation flashed through Wood. He reminded himself to keep calm. Cyborgs pledged to the Network almost always condescended to humans, seeing themselves as a superior race. It would not do to lose his temper now.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are your plans?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wish to end this conflict with Aruk. We project that the only way of doing so is to destroy the Green Bliss, dismantle the Santiago Syndicate, and flush Aruk out into the open, where we may discuss terms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr destroy him,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no knowledge on how to destroy gods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you must have a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not privy to such information.\u201d<\/p>\n The operators asked a few more questions, double-checking the cyborg\u2019s answers. His story remained consistent. When they stepped out of the room for a breather, they found Matthews waiting for them.<\/p>\n \u201cLearned everything you needed?\u201d Matthews asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind my asking, why are you hanging around the station?\u201d Yamamoto asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSheriff asked me to stick around, see if I can help you with the special prisoners.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe\u2019re good here.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood gestured at Matthews\u2019 holster. \u201cWhy are you armed? I thought you need to disarm before you can enter the detention area?\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews licked his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m not handling a prisoner. I don\u2019t have to secure my weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThis place is full of prisoners.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews spread his palms. \u201cIt\u2019s longstanding policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh-huh,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cIs there anything else you want from us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. What\u2019ve you got planned for the cyborg?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to transport him to Babylon for detention and indictment,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n As he spoke, Yamamoto sneaked a step towards Matthews.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t do it here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo offense, but the cells here aren\u2019t rated for cyborgs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNone taken. I understand where you\u2019re coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGlad to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSay\u2026\u201d Matthews shifted his weight. \u201cWas the cyborg a Sinner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Wood said. \u201cActing under orders of the Will of the Net.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe this island\u2019s just remote, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve heard much news about followers of the New Gods being charged in court, much less sent to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Elect never go to jail,\u201d Yamamoto said bitterly. \u201cNo matter how serious their crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe New Gods have pet cops, prosecutors, judges, journalists and politicians. It\u2019s a wonder any<\/em> case involving an Elect goes to court.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn\u2026\u201d Matthews shook his head. \u201cI heard stories that the gods are all at each other\u2019s throats in Babylon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d Wood confirmed. \u201cYou just don\u2019t hear about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we have the STS, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the Babylon Accords stated that the New Gods were supposed to keep the peace, respect the law, something like that,\u201d the deputy mused.<\/p>\n Yamamoto laughed cynically. And crept a second step towards Matthews.<\/p>\n \u201cSure they do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I thought Jim just said they\u2019re at each other\u2019s throats?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe New Gods only act through their proxies and their followers. Usually there\u2019s nothing we can use to pin a crime directly on a New God. Nothing that can stand in court.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn. That must be tough,\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the least of it,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, looks like whatever the New Gods do, we can\u2019t touch them, huh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright.\u201d Matthews nodded to himself and looked up. \u201cCome on in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n The door to the male holding cells swung open. Two deputies stepped out, taking positions next to Matthews. Behind Wood, two more deputies emerged from the other interview room.<\/p>\n All of them were armed with pistols and batons.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cHand the cyborg over to us,\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Want more stories of courage and justice? Check out the Kickstarter for Silver Empire’s\u00a0HEROES UNLEASHED<\/a>!<\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/files.steempeak.com\/file\/steempeak\/cheah\/S3299pCt-CheahGitSanRed.jpg\")
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