Page 52 of Human Reclaimed
Before she could argue further, I noticed something strange. Kel and two other brigade members suddenly dropped to their knees, their weapons clattering to the ground. Their movements became jerky and uncoordinated.
“Something’s wrong,” I muttered, watching in horror as Kel’s eyes rolled back. “Sage! What’s happening to our people?”
“Unknown,” her voice crackled through the comm. “Their vitals are spiking erratically.”
I peered more closely at the plasma blasters. The distinctive blue glow along their barrels flickered with an odd pattern—one I’d never seen before.
“The weapons,” I realized with dawning horror. “They’re tagged with something. Talia, drop the blaster!”
She immediately released it, kicking it away. “A virus?”
“Has to be.” I glanced around frantically. “Fall back to secondary positions! All units, discard pirate weapons! They’re infected with some kind of virus!”
My comm crackled as Sage’s voice cut through the chaos. “Rune, I’m analyzing the signature now. These blasters—they’re carrying a piggyback virus that targets our reprogramming code. It’s activating on contact.”
My blood ran ice cold. I watched Kel’s body convulse, his eyes rolling further back as his limbs jerked unnaturally. This was worse than anything I’d anticipated. CyberEvolution had weaponized our reprogramming against us.
“It’s triggering a system-wide freeze,” Sage continued, her voice tight with urgency. “Essentially paralyzing the affected cyborgs and causing amnesia of unknown duration, with potential for permanent damage.” She paused for a heartbeat. “The virus is embedding itself through the energy discharge.”
“How the hell did they get our firmware signatures?” I demanded, ducking as another blast whizzed past my head. The signature coding was supposed to be impenetrable—a biological firewall built into our neural pathways.
“I don’t know, but we need to evacuate the affected cyborgs now!”
I tapped my encrypted comm channel to broadcast to all units. “Tegan, request immediate retrieval of the affected cyborgs. Get Aeon and Olivia here with med kits. All unaffected units: maintain suppression fire with our own weapons only.”
My eyes darted to Talia, who had taken cover behind a fallen log. Relief flooded through me to see her unharmed, her eyes sharp and focused. She understood what was happening immediately.
“They’re targeting your people specifically,” she said, her tactical mind already working. “Smart but cruel.”
I fired three precise shots, dropping a pirate who’d ventured too close to our position. “They knew exactly what they were doing this whole time.”
My comm buzzed again. “Rune, Aeon and Olivia are mobilizing,” Tegan reported. “They’re suiting up in tactical gear at the armory now.”
“Copy that.” I motioned to the remaining fighters in my squad. “Tobin, Kara—flank left and provide cover fire. The rest of you, prepare to move our people out.”
Within minutes, the medical team arrived. Aeon’s imposing figure moved with practiced efficiency as he dealt with the fallen cyborgs. Olivia worked alongside him, her smaller frame darting between patients, her hands steady despite the chaos.
“We need to get them to the medical bay immediately,” Aeon called out. “This virus is spreading through their neural networks rapidly.”
Brigade members rushed forward, lifting their fallen comrades. I provided cover fire as they retreated, picking off pirates who tried to pursue.
“Fall back in stages,” I ordered. “Don’t give them a clear shot at the evacuation team.”
The firefight intensified as we pushed the pirates back. My muscles burned with exertion, but I refused to slow down. One by one, the pirates fell, their bodies dropping to the jungle floor. My brigade’s superior training was paying off—Talia’s training.
Talia.
I spun around, scanning the area for her blonde hair and fierce blue eyes. The spot where she’d been taking cover was empty.
“Talia?” I called out, panic rising in my chest. “Talia!”
No response.
I fired another volley, dropping the last visible pirate, and then turned to my lieutenant. “Jensen, secure the area and check the downed shuttles. Make sure there are no survivors.”
“Commander, what about the capital ships? This could be a diversion?—”
“I know,” I cut him off, my voice sharp. Fear clawed at my throat, not for the colony at this moment, but for her. “Scan for their landing signatures. I need to find Captain Reed.”
