Cyber Witch

Chapter 2.1 - Super Villain

[Avia]

[Twelve Earth Years Later]

Even within a sea of humanity, I was alone and unwanted.

Except by Zach. And how fortunate was I to have my personal bounty hunter chasing me across the galaxy? How had I earned such obsession? Being on the run was a hard road for an introverted girl like me.

Ten Earth years ago, I fled the Cyber Assault Force, no longer able to stomach the killing. The only thing I regretted was Flint's disappointment, cutting into my heart as if failing a respected father. We didn't separate on the best terms. As a career military man, he disapproved of my decision to run away from the Cyber Assault Force. To him, it was like desertion, although he did not stop me. But the timing was fortunate, since not long after, the forced imprisonment began.

Should have known better than to pass through a busy place like Meridian Station, a central hub for starships going almost everywhere. Dumb mistake. There was way too much security, especially facial recognition systems and genetic scanners, that I could not find and hack them all to hide my presence. But how did Zach even know I would be here? That question troubled me the most.

The bustling crowd represented a cross-section of the Sol Federation worlds. Clothing varied from flashy bright to drab utilitarian to trade specific, and from revealing to modest. There were families moving to new colonies, business people visiting clients, miners hoping to strike it rich, and tourists off to see new wonders. Each followed their own dream within a moving tapestry of countless humanity. Actually, they were counted — the station security AI put the current number at seven-hundred-and-twelve souls within this expansive hall.

Suspended screens and holographic displays provided traveler information or hawked all sorts of products, but mostly, the rushing horde paid little attention. Since the Meridian Station was owned by Omni-Corp, a huge interstellar conglomerate, they commanded the prime advertising position at the very top of the domed space, proudly proclaiming new advances in medical nano-bots. The new technology promised health and long life, soon available for select customers, which meant the rich and powerful.

Across the way, separated by the surging sea of humanity, I spotted Zach, and he gazed directly at me with those mossy-green eyes. A thousand sparks crawled down my spine, settling in my gut. As I held my breath, wishing myself invisible, a hint of a grin ripened on his face. He made a small nod and a mock two-finger salute. Was that a sign of respect, or a promise that he would catch me? Regardless, with my life at stake, he came much too close.

Zach pushed closer, weaving through the moving masses. So, I did the same, but moving away. "Excuse me," I said as I collided with a gray-haired man in a business suit, who scowled in response.

Zach was tall enough that I could see him coming, especially as he lifted his head up to see me. I came to an auto-vendor, where a gleaming silver robot prepared drinks for paying customers. Several people clutching disposable beverage cups leaned against the low metal counter that surrounded the wheeled cart, engaged in several conversations. Ducking down to make myself shorter, I rounded the cart and took off in an alternate direction, hoping to throw off Zack.

It didn't work. I looked back to find his eyes on me with an I'm-going-to-get-you grin on his face. Pushing through the crowd, he came ever closer.

Time to do something desperate.

With a directed thought through my cybernetic implants, I accessed the station AI and scrolled through the control matrix. The code flashed across my inner eye - there it was. They really should have updated the firewall. With a mental toggle, I shut off the local power, plunging the hall into darkness, and locked closed all the local isolation doors, then set a one-hour timer to automatically reverse the changes. Also, I scrambled all the com nodes in the area. That should stir things up.