Page 23 of Cyborgs' Origins

Silence descended, heavy and oppressive, as Simone watched the monitors with bated breath. Hawk wasn’t dead, but her current state was ambiguous. Slowly, agonizingly, the readouts began to stabilize, the wild fluctuations evening out into a steady, rhythmic pulse.

Finally, her eyes flickered open, and Simone was caught in a gaze that seemed to pierce straight through to her soul. There was a razor-sharp focus that sent a shiver racing down her spine. It felt like Hawk could see her thoughts as she was thinking them.

“Hawk?” Tiberius’s voice was laced with cautious concern.

For a heartbeat, she remained motionless, her eyes locked on Simone’s. Then, with a slow, measured exhalation, she inclined her head in a subtle nod. “I’m...operational,” she said, sounding the same as ever.

A tremor of relief coursed through Simone, tempered by a lingering sense of unease. She had witnessed something profound that defied her understanding of the biocircuit integration process.

As Hawk rose from the bio-bed, her movements fluid and graceful, Simone couldn’t wait to see how the sniper performed on the integration tests. She had a feeling Hawk had acclimated and bonded with the biocircuits on a level far deeper than any ofher comrades, even Tiberius. It was promising for the future, but she wanted to know Hawk’s limits first.

Chapter 9—Simone

HAWK’S TESTING HADproven she’d had a unique experience. She was even faster and processed more quickly than any of the other four. The challenge before them was to figure out how Hawk had adapted so well and replicate it to make their cybernetic humans function optimally.

Her mind was preoccupied with the process and dissecting what had gone differently with Hawk when klaxons blared, shattering the relative calm of the colony. Simone jerked upright from her workstation, heart pounding. Through the reinforced windows, she glimpsed the unmistakable silhouettes of Sventian warships descending upon them like a swarm of locusts.

“Vorn’s launched his next attack.” Tiberius’s voice crackled over the comm, laced with urgency. “All personnel to battle stations immediately.”

Simone’s mind raced as she sprinted toward the command center, her lab coat billowing behind her. They’d anticipated this day, but the reality still struck like a blow to the gut. She burst into the war room, met by a flurry of activity.

“Sitrep?” Her clipped tone demanded an immediate update.

Tiberius, his cybernetic enhancements glinting under the harsh lights, straightened from the holographic display. His optic enhancement focused on her for a second as though scanning her. He probably was, wanting to reassure himself she wasn’t about to faint with terror. “The Scourge has us surrounded on all fronts. They’re pummeling our outer defenses with heavy artillery.”

His expression hardened, a steely resolve etched into his features. “But they’re about to face something they’ve never encountered before.”

Simone felt a surge of pride mingled with unease. The biocircuit integration had unlocked unprecedented capabilities within Tiberius and the Iron Wolves, but its true potential remained untested in the crucible of battle.

“You’re certain your team is prepared?” She searched his eyes.

Tiberius met her gaze fearlessly. “We were born ready.” With a subtle nod, he signaled to his mercs, and they fanned out, assuming their positions with precision.

Simone watched, awestruck, as Tiberius seamlessly coordinated the defense efforts. His movements were a blur, his reflexes operating on a plane far beyond human limitations. He issued rapid-fire commands, his tactical acumen amplified by the neural interface’s computational power.

Outside, the first wave of Sventian ground troops breached the perimeter, swarming toward the colony’s heart. Simone’s breath hitched as Tiberius and the Iron Wolves left the illusory safety of the command center and engaged the enemy, their cybernetic enhancements propelling them into a whirlwind of lethal efficiency.

Tiberius moved with a fluid grace that belied his imposing stature, his enhanced musculature and synthetic fibers granting him superhuman strength and speed. He deflected enemy fire with uncanny precision, his cybernetic eye tracking multiple targets simultaneously.

Beside him, Lancer’s bionic arm transformed into a high-caliber cannon, raining a hailstorm of concentrated plasma bursts upon the advancing Sventian forces. Hawk soared overhead, her enhancements allowing her to jump so high and hover so long it gave the illusion of flight, allowing her to raindown suppressing fire from above while evading return volleys with ease.

Simone watched, transfixed, as the battle unfolded before her eyes. The Iron Wolves fought as a seamless unit, their neural interfaces enabling instantaneous coordination and shared tactical awareness.

“Come on,” said Izzy, tugging at her arm. “We need to make sure the lab is secure.”

“Of course.” She followed her friend out of the command center, heading back to the lab. The Sventians had breached the building, and the battle raged around Simone as she sprinted through the smoke-filled corridors behind Izzy. Explosions rocked the colony, sending tremors through the floor beneath her feet. She stumbled, catching herself against the wall as debris rained down.

Somewhere behind her, the unmistakable sound of heavy footfalls echoed, drawing ever closer. Vorn’s deep, guttural voice carried over the din, taunting her. “You can’t escape me, Doctor.”

Realizing he was there to hunt her made it far realer than it had been when she’d first heard the news he wanted revenge for her shooting him. In the haze of smoke, she lost track of Izzy and found herself running down a corridor that wasn’t familiar, shrouded as it was in the haze.

“I’ve seen your pretty upgrades, and I want them and all the tech.” His chilling words echoed from behind her.

Simone reached into her pocket to extract a laser scalpel she’d placed there earlier. It hadn’t been intended to be a weapon, but it would have to do. Her grip tightened on the laser scalpel clutched in her hand. She refused to be taken, refused to let her life’s work fall into the hands of that ruthless scourge.

Rounding a corner, she recognized where she was when the smoke cleared somewhat and was soon in the main laboratory,slipping through a maze of workstations and cutting-edge equipment. Her territory was now a potential trap. She darted behind a bank of computers, chest heaving as she fought to control her ragged breaths.

The doors hissed open, and Vorn’s towering form filled the entrance, his cybernetic claw glinting menacingly. It looked so crude compared to the symmetrical beauty of the cybernetics the Iron Wolves bore. “Come out, come out, little scientist.” His lips curled into a predatory smile. “I promise I’ll make your death quick if you surrender peacefully.”

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