Hresh gestured at his prized experiment and put on a boyish grin. “Your expression tells it all, Vrean. This is the first positive proof I’ve had in months that the Biogron can interface with life to drive an avatar.” His words were excited, his cheeks fevered. “Those objects you see flying about are andorphs, a lifeform native to Sigren, one of the remote planets in the Dim Zone. I did some research on historic missions to the outer realms and discovered some puffballs, or subspecies, that were reported to roll of their own accord across the sands, classified neither plant nor animal. Probably a wives’ tale of some kind, spun by a drunken explorer, but I hunted them down all the same to satiate my curiosity. To my joy, I discovered they actually exist.”
Yul shrugged. “So what? I don’t see how puffballs are going to help you build cyborgs.”
“I can sympathize with that sentiment,” said Hresh, peaking fingers on his nose. “At first glance, they seemed no more than roving planetary epiphytes, things that could self nourish from the soil and air, yet could manage to survive the harsh climates where other organisms died. We gathered numerous specimens for their compact size and ability to counter predators. Most impressive was the fact that they required neither brain nor central nervous system. The organism is miraculous in that sense. It has a hive-mind mentality that can rally its peers to protect itself against threats. Thus the difficulty in interfacing a complex brain to a machine is voided, a problem for which modern science may never find a solution.”
Yul shook his head. “That makes no sense to me. Mechnobots? Living freaks melded together in some Frankensteinian soup? Why not just hook up an earthworm?”
Hresh gave an exasperated sigh. “It can’t be just any random organism! All you people do is criticize! So linear of thought, so myopic. The scientific mind is based on curiosity and imagination, Vrean. The search for the unknown, the impossible. Unfortunately it seems not many are gifted with those talents. My Biogron makes the leap, can pick up the resonant frequency of an organism’s actions and synthesize that signature into useful energy, without electrodes, implants or the like. This initial discovery led to others in harnessing a controllable intelligence. I proposed the idea of an Imagron, a vessel that could contain and utilize the motive force of any given lifeform and use it for constructive ends. Channelled in my controlled environment, the implication is staggering, in fields too numerous to name. Imagine an avatar able to solve problems and construct things that challenge even humans. Things that we tell it to, unbreachable collapsible bridges, colony ships and shielded star highways. Who knows? Even curtail the depravities of the Zikri and Mentera. Hypothetically beyond our means of science today, but possible in the near future. I did find some short cuts to cut the gap down by an estimated one hundred years.”
He motioned to a lab tech to add more solution to an intravenous line that connected to the Biogron. “Mathias practically screamed at me to speed up my work, trying to get more inside information.” The scientist gave a throaty chuckle. “I had him by the neck and he knew it. I gave him a cursory sweep of the concept, the rest remained locked in my brain. He begged me for details, promised me all the resources I needed to finish the project, however long that might be. I quizzed him about his plans, and with that Machiavellian gleam in his eye, he dropped hints regarding a use of my innovation that caused my hackles to rise. My suspicions were confirmed. We did not share the same vision.”
Yul frowned and was going to ask him how those ‘visions’ differed, but Hresh was oblivious. “When his pleas grew to threats, I knew I had no option but to disappear, especially when blackmail entered the equation. I am a smarter man by far. That’s why I am here now. On Remus, deep in the Dim Zone, creating revolutionary things, miraculous things, while Mathias and his lapdogs are struggling to find what they will never find...”
Yul chewed his lip. He was in danger and Hresh was a threat. He and Cloye could have easily been killed by the Zikri bots in the obstacle course. It would not pay for him to be on Hresh’s payroll. It could be them next plunged into the Biogron. Hresh, though, would not be easy to outwit.
Yul winced. That he had let Cloye gull him into exploring this restricted complex had been stupid. Better to humour the man. There might be a way out...
The corners of Hresh’s lips quivered in a smile. “I see where your devious mind is going. I advise against it. You will fail badly at whatever scheme you’re cooking up.”
Yul drew a soft breath. “What do you want? We are at an impasse here.”
“I want everything!” croaked Hresh. “It is you who are at an impasse.”
Cloye began to scratch at her shoulder. The assassin was sweating profusely now. Cold drops of liquid beaded her brow and dripped down her olive-coloured cheeks.
The security leader took the movement as a sign of aggression and he moved over to frisk her for a possibly concealed weapon.
The man’s eyes widened when he caught sight of something animated near the base of her throat. He grabbed at her hair and tore the fabric loose from her left shoulder. “What’s this?” He gazed over at Hresh. “Sir, you’d better take a look at this.” He thrust back the woman’s head, exposing her bare neck to reveal a bright orange, leech-like frond that had coiled about her collar bone.
Yul hastened forward, his face paling.
Hresh stepped over, annoyed at the interruption to his train of thought. His eyes rounded at what he saw. Beckoning one of his assistants to bring tongs, he
