Cyborg Strike Read Online Free PDF

our friends
are talking about. It will help them both if we have a working
relationship, and exchange vital information beyond the ordinary
channels. I thought I’d make the first move by providing all the
intel we have on the Septagon Shadow Program.”
    “Ah, yes, the rogue Unionists and their
cyborgs. Are you trying to imply this information is more
significant that we think it is?”
    Cassandra chuckled. “I’ll let you be the
judge of that, without trying to lead you toward any specific
conclusion. I will say that I believe that, just as the Eden Plague
revolutionized biology, and the nanotech of Tiny Fortress
revolutionized covert and special operations – and contributed to
beating the Meme space ship – cybernetics is the next frontier of
human development. This forbidden technology is the key.”
    An odd turn of phrase, Alkina thought. “I
will take a look at what you send.”
    “That’s all that I ask. And you’ll find my
secure telephone number among the message metadata. Your techs can
pull it out, I’m sure, in case you need to reach me personally.
Until then.”
    “Yes, thank you, Cassandra. Goodbye.”
    “Goodbye, Ann.”
    The line went dead, and Alkina put the
handset down. A moment later the internal comm on her desk buzzed
to inform her that a triple-encrypted data package had arrived via
their secure network. “Download it to my terminal, store one copy
on the Deep Vault drive, and wipe it from everything else,” she
instructed.
    Soon she had it up on her secure terminal,
staring at a box that flashed insouciantly at her: Provide
Password . She tried several words and phrases – Cassandra,
Alkina, Spooky, cybernetics – before something nagged at her
memory. Reaching over, she pushed buttons on the recorder that
automatically captured her telephone communications, just for
occasions like this. After a moment she had it play the phrase she
needed.
    “ This forbidden technology is the
key,” she mumbled to herself, typing in those three words.
Immediately the package unpacked and showed her a long list of
files, some text, some graphics. After an hour of study, “Holy
shit” was the least of her exclamations.
     
    ***
     
    “Good day, Spooky.” Daniel Markis held out
his hand, which the Vietnamese took firmly, even warmly. “It’s good
to see you.”
    “It’s good to believe you when you say that,
Daniel,” the other man responded. “In my world, honesty is a
luxury.” He released Markis’ hand to slide backward onto the table
in the center of the room, where he pulled his feet up to sit
cross-legged, incongruously casual.
    Markis sat down in a comfortable chair
himself. “Yes, I’ve been following your exploits as well as I
can…at least until you abdicated your position in Direct
Action.”
    Spooky raised an eyebrow. “You are well
informed.”
    “I have good people working for me, that’s
all.
    “But you did not call this meeting to brag.”
Nguyen looked around the room for a moment, then asked, “Do you
have anything to smoke? It’s one of my few vices.”
    “Along with sex, yes, I know that too. I’ll
call for something.” Markis picked up a nearby wired phone and made
the request.
    “Sex is not a vice. It’s a tool.”
    “What a line. All right, I’m not here to spar
– unless it’s in the dojo, for fun.”
    “What are you here for?” Spooky looked
up as the room’s single door opened and one of the security detail
came in carrying a tray with food, coffee and a box of cigars.
After the woman left, he picked one up, and its attendant lighter,
and ran it under his nose. “Nice.”
    “Havanas…a gift from the Cuban Free
Community. To answer your question…you know I like to deal face to
face if I can. So much of FC business is done over the secure
networks nowadays that I really value personal contact.”
    “I don’t remember you being this much of a
politician, Daniel.”
    Markis grimaced. “We become the roles thrust
upon us, don’t we? Is