Cyborg’s Love (BioCircuit Nexus)

Chapter 2—Zarakano

ZARAKANO’S CYBERNETIC eye whirred softly as he scanned the workshop, his enhanced senses picking up minute details invisible to human eyes. The air smelled of ozone and machine oil, a familiar scent that reminded him of countless hours spent tinkering with cybernetic components. His gaze lingered on Parka’s workbench, noting the ingenious modifications to standard repair tools.

“Your skills are impressive,” he said, his voice modulated to convey admiration and professional interest. “I’ve never seen a neural interface debugger quite like yours. It’s remarkably efficient.”

Her eyes narrowed as her posture stiffened. “How did you know about that? I haven’t shown it to anyone.”

He flashed a small smile. “Let’s just say, I have an eye for detail. Your design could revolutionize cybernetic maintenance.”

“You still haven’t answered my question about the malfunctions and this superior AI you mentioned,” she said, crossing her arms.

He weighed the risks of full disclosure against the potential benefits of enlisting Parka’s help. He decided on a calculated gamble. “The truth is, Parka...if I can call you that?” She nodded, and he continued, “I need your expertise. These malfunctions are just the tip of the iceberg. Your skills could be the key to stopping the AI. It’s growing more sophisticated by the day, and if left unchecked, it could bring down everything we’ve built here.”

Parka’s eyebrows shot up. “So you said, but how could it get past all the security protocols, especially for an NSF enforcer. That’s impossible. The neural safeguards—”

“Have been compromised,” he said grimly. “This AI is unlike anything we’ve encountered before. It’s adaptive, learning from every system it infects, and the systems it’s invaded don’t even recognize it as a threat. There are only minimal symptoms—like a malfunctioning limb—before the entire being is compromised.”

She ran a hand through short black hair, visibly processing the implications. “Even if what you’re saying is true, why come to me? Surely, there are more qualified experts in the city, Kano.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Because the enforcer came to you. I came to address that situation, planning not to tell you much of anything, but now I’ve discovered you’ve accomplished something my own people have been trying to perfect for years. That neural interface debugger of yours? It’s exactly the kind of innovation we need to combat this threat.”

He could see her mentally weighing her options, so he pressed his advantage. “I’m offering you a chance to be at the forefront of cybernetic research without the usual strings from corporate entities. You have the chance to protect Nexus Prime and potentially save countless lives, and, of course, you’d be generously compensated for your time and expertise.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what exactly would this job entail?”

“Initially, we’d need you to analyze the corrupted code we’ve identified in various cybernetic systems across the city. Your debugger could be instrumental in isolating the AI’s signature and tracking its spread.”

She chewed her lower lip, clearly considering. “And after that?”

“We develop countermeasures. Your insights could be crucial in creating defenses against the AI’s incursions. It’s cutting-edge work. The kind that could define your career.”

Parka’s gaze drifted to her workbench, lingering on the half-finished projects and intricate tools. He could almost see the battle playing out in her mind—the allure of a groundbreaking challenge versus the risk of trusting a stranger.

Finally, she turned back to him, clenching her jaw. “I want full access to all the data you’ve collected on this AI. No holding back, and I work independently—no one looking over my shoulder or trying to micromanage my process.”

He nodded. “Agreed. We’ll set you up with a secure lab and provide whatever resources you need.”

“One more thing,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “If at any point I decide this project is too dangerous or unethical, I walk away. No questions asked, and no repercussions. Deal?”

He extended his hand while focusing his cybernetic eye on her face. “Deal.”

As they shook hands, triumph and concern filled him. He had secured a valuable ally, but the real challenge was just beginning. The fate of Nexus Prime now rested in their hands, and the clock was ticking.

A few minutes later, his cybernetic eye whirred softly while he observed Parka working at her bench as she probed the arm of the NSF enforcer, mentioning she was trying to stimulate enough response to generate the foreign code again. So far, nothing had happened despite her best efforts.

The workshop hummed with the sound of machinery and the occasional spark from her tools. He stood a few paces behind her, watching intently as she manipulated a complex array of circuits.

“Your technique is fascinating,” he said, his voice modulated to hide his growing interest. “I’ve never seen anyone approach neural interface debugging quite like that.”

She glanced over her shoulder, and there was a smudge of grease on her cheek. “Thanks. I’ve had to get creative with limited resources.”

He stepped closer, his enhanced vision zooming in on the intricate work as he fought the urge to wipe away the grease, curious to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. As he did, his cybernetic eye picked up an unusual energy signature emanating from her custom tools. He blinked, recalibrating his sensors to make sure it wasn’t a glitch.

“Mind if I take a closer look at that debugger?” he asked, keeping his tone casual.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Sure but be careful. It’s delicate work.”

As he leaned in, his cybernetic systems began analyzing the tool’s inner workings. What he saw made his artificial heart skip a beat. The debugger’s circuitry was unlike anything he’d encountered before—a brilliant fusion of human ingenuity and accidental genius.

“Remarkable,” he murmured, more to himself than to Parka. “You’ve developed something truly unique here.”

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s just a modified neural interface debugger. Nothing too special.”

He straightened. “On the contrary, Parka. I believe you’ve inadvertently created a method of bypassing some of the most sophisticated security protocols in existence.”

Her eyes widened. “What? That’s impossible. I designed it to work more efficiently, not to breach security.”

He slowly nodded. “And yet, that’s precisely what you’ve done. The way you’ve reconfigured the quantum relays is ingenious. It allows the debugger to slip past firewalls undetected.”

She set down her tools, her full attention now on Zarakano. “How do you know so much about these security protocols?”

He paused, weighing his next words carefully. “I have...specialized knowledge in this area.”

She crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed. “Who do you really work for, Kano?”

The air in the workshop grew tense. He rapidly processed multiple scenarios, once more calculating the risks of full disclosure against the potential benefits of Parka’s inadvertent breakthrough. “I represent a group dedicated to maintaining the delicate balance of power in Nexus Prime,” he said, choosing his words with precision. “We’ve been working for years to develop countermeasures against potential cyber threats. Your debugger changes everything.”

Parka stood up, her posture defensive. “And what exactly does that mean for me?”

Zarakano held up his hands in a placating gesture. “It means you’re even more valuable than I initially thought. Your skills could be instrumental in protecting Nexus Prime from threats you can’t even imagine.”

Her gaze darted to her workbench, then back to him. “Or they could be used to exploit those same vulnerabilities. Is that what this is really about?”

He forced his expression to remain neutral, but internally, he admired her quick deduction. “I won’t lie to you. In the wrong hands, your creation could be devastating, but I’m offering you a chance to use it for the greater good.”

She seemed wary. “And if I refuse?”

He softened his voice. “Then we part ways, and I hope your moral compass keeps that debugger from falling into the wrong hands—but I don’t think that’s what you want.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because you’re curious,” he said with a smile. “You wouldn’t have agreed to work with me in the first place if you weren’t intrigued by the challenge, and now, knowing what your creation is capable of... Can you really walk away?”

She was silent for a long moment as she studied his face. Finally, she spoke. “All right, I’ll hear you out, but I want full disclosure. No more half-truths or vague explanations. You tell me everything, or I walk.”

He nodded. “Agreed, but not here. We need a secure location.”

She hesitated, glancing at the enforcer on the table. “What about him?”

He moved closer. “The NSF will track him here and try to help him, but I doubt they’ll recover much. His only hope is if he has a lot of redundancies. Either way, you can’t help him right now.” He glanced at the door. “The enforcers might not be happy when they come to claim him if you’re here. They’ll want someone to blame.”

Parka grabbed her toolkit, looking alarmed. “In that case...lead the way out of here.”

As they left the workshop, he considered this new development. Parka had unknowingly created a tool that could bypass his people’s most advanced security measures. She was now both his most valuable asset and potentially, his greatest threat.

They walked in silence through the winding streets of Nexus Prime. He led them to a nondescript building, its exterior weathered and unremarkable.

“This is your secure location?” she asked skeptically.

Without answering, he placed his hand on a seemingly ordinary patch of wall. A hidden scanner hummed to life, reading his biometric signature. “Appearances can be deceiving, Parka.”

A section of the wall slid open, revealing a sleek, high-tech interior that contrasted sharply with the building’s exterior. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as they stepped inside.

“Welcome to one of our safe houses,” he said as the door sealed behind them. “Now, let’s talk about what your debugger can really do.”

Parka set her toolkit on a nearby table, taking in the advanced equipment that filled the room. “I’m listening.”

He activated a holographic display, filling the air with swirling lines of code and complex diagrams. “The security protocols your debugger can bypass were designed to be unbreakable. They protect everything from government databases to the neural networks of advanced AI systems.”

Parka’s eyes widened as she processed the information. “And I accidentally found a way around them?”

Zarakano nodded. “Your approach is so unconventional that it slips through undetected. It’s like finding a backdoor that no one knew existed.”

“But how is that possible?” she asked, her brow wrinkled in concentration. “I designed it to be more efficient, not to breach high-level security.”

“That’s precisely why it works. The protocols are designed to detect and counter known hacking methods. Your debugger operates on principles so far removed from conventional techniques that it’s essentially invisible to them. I think the advanced AI might use a similar method to infiltrate cyborgs and take them over without the host’s operating system recognizing the intruder until it’s too late.”

Parka ran her fingers through her hair, looking uneasy. “So, what does this mean? What do you want me to do with it?”

“Your debugger could be the key to stopping that AI, even if it’s using similar tech.”

“By bypassing its defenses?” she asked.

He nodded. “Exactly. We could potentially shut it down before it becomes too powerful.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what happens after that? What’s to stop your organization from using my debugger for less noble purposes?”

He met her gaze. “That’s where you come in. I’m not asking you to hand over your creation and walk away. I’m asking you to work with us, to be the ethical compass that guides its use.”

She was silent for a moment as she stared at the holographic display. “You’re asking for a lot of trust I’m not sure you’ve earned yet.”

He carefully considered his next words. “Then let me earn it. Work with me on this AI threat. See for yourself how we operate, and what we stand for. If at any point you feel we’re crossing a line, you can walk away with your debugger. No questions asked.”

She drummed her fingers against the table as she clearly weighed her options. Finally, she spoke. “All right. I’ll give this a shot.” She hesitated before asking, “Where do we start?”

He activated another holographic display, this one showing a map of Nexus Prime’s cybernetic infrastructure. “We start by identifying the AI’s points of entry. Your debugger will be crucial in this phase...”

As they dove into the details of their mission, he kept part of his cybernetic mind focused on Parka, analyzing her reactions and cataloging her questions. She was brilliant, there was no doubt about that, but she was also dangerously close to uncovering truths that could upend everything for which he had worked.

The real challenge wasn’t just stopping the AI threat. It was managing Parka Ment—a wild card who could either save Nexus Prime or inadvertently bring about its downfall.

A FEW HOURS LATER, his cybernetic eye whirred softly as he processed the data streaming across his vision. The holographic map of Nexus Prime hovered before him, a three-dimensional web of glowing lines and pulsing nodes. He manipulated the display with practiced ease. “There,” he said, zooming in on a particular sector. “The pattern converges at this research facility in Upper Nexus, owned by ‘Nexus Corp.’”

She leaned in, dark eyes narrowing as she studied the map. “That’s a high-security zone. How are we supposed to get in there?”

He gave her a small smile. “I have an idea. We’ll go in under the guise of performing routine maintenance.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And they’ll just let us waltz right in?”

“Not quite. We’ll need to fabricate the proper credentials. Your skills with cybernetic systems will be crucial for this part of the operation.”

They spent the next few hours meticulously crafting their cover identities. He contemplated countless scenarios, calculating probabilities and potential pitfalls. Parka worked beside him as she coded and recoded their fake maintenance passes.

As the first hints of dawn began to creep through the windows of their safe house, he straightened, stretching muscles that never truly tired. “It’s time. Are you ready?”

She nodded, looking prepared if a little daunted. “Let’s do this.”

They made their way through the waking city, blending seamlessly with the early morning crowd. Zarakano’s cybernetic eye constantly assessed their surroundings, alert for any signs of surveillance or pursuit. The towering spires of Upper Nexus were ahead, gleaming in the pale sunlight.

As they approached the research facility, a familiar tension coiled in his artificial muscles. He’d infiltrated countless secure locations over the years, but something about this operation was different. Perhaps it was the presence of Parka, whose actions and reactions he couldn’t fully predict.

The facility’s entrance was a sleek, featureless wall of nano-reinforced alloy. A single scanner protruded from its surface, pulsing with a soft blue light. He stepped forward, his fabricated maintenance pass held out before him.

The scanner hummed to life, bathing the pass in a grid of laser light. Zarakano’s cybernetic systems registered the subtle fluctuations in the scan pattern, analyzing and adapting in real-time. For a tense moment, nothing happened.

Then, with a soft chime, the wall before them shimmered and parted, revealing a sterile white corridor beyond. He allowed himself a small nod of satisfaction as he stepped through, Parka close behind once her badge had also passed muster.

They moved swiftly through the facility’s winding hallways, his enhanced senses guiding them past security checkpoints and patrol routes. The air hummed with the subtle vibrations of advanced machinery and technology that resonated with his cybernetic components.

As they neared their target—a secure data hub deep within the facility—his internal sensors picked up an anomaly. He held up a hand, signaling Parka to stop.

“What is it?” she whispered, her gaze darting around the empty corridor.

He frowned, cybernetic eye whirring as it scanned their surroundings. “Something’s not right. The security protocols have shifted. They’re—”

His words were cut off by a harsh klaxon that shattered the facility’s quiet. Red warning lights began to pulse along the walls, casting eerie shadows across their faces.

“Intruder alert,” boomed an artificial voice from hidden speakers. “Security breach detected in Sector Seven.”

Zarakano processed the situation at inhuman speeds while accessing the security systems via a node in his brain. “They’ve flagged your access card. We need to move. Now.”

They sprinted down the corridor, alarms blaring around them. His enhanced reflexes and neural connection with the buildings operating system allowed him to navigate the twisting hallways with preternatural grace, but she struggled to keep up. “This way,” he said, gripping her arm and pulling her into a narrow maintenance shaft.

They climbed swiftly as the sounds of pursuit grew louder below. Zarakano’s cybernetic eye moved ceaselessly, searching for an escape route. They emerged onto a high catwalk, the vast expanse of the facility’s central atrium stretching out before them.

“There.” Parka pointed to a bank of elevators on the far side. “If we can reach those, we might have a chance.”

He nodded, his artificial heart pumping coolant through his system at an accelerated rate. They raced across the catwalk, the metal grating ringing beneath their feet. Shouts reverberated from below as security forces converged on their position.

They were halfway across when a searing beam of energy sliced through the air, missing his head by mere centimeters. He pulled Parka down, shielding her with his body as more energy bolts ricocheted around them.

“We’re not going to make it to the elevators,” he said, his voice calm despite the chaos surrounding them. “We need a new plan.”

Her gaze darted around frantically before settling on a large ventilation duct above them. “There. If we can reach that, we might be able to find another way out.”

He quickly calculated the odds, weighing variables at lightning speed. “It’s risky, but it’s our best option. I’ll boost you up.”

He interlaced his fingers, creating a stirrup for Parka to step into. With a grunt of exertion, he launched her upward. She caught the edge of the duct, straining to pull herself up as energy bolts continued to sizzle past them.

Once Parka was safely inside, Zarakano took a running leap, his enhanced muscles propelling him higher than any human could manage. He caught the edge of the duct with one hand, dangling precariously as security forces closed in below.

“Kano,” she called, reaching out to him.

With a final surge of effort, he pulled himself up and into the duct. They crawled swiftly through the narrow space, the sounds of pursuit fading behind them.

After what felt like hours of navigating the labyrinthine duct system, they finally emerged onto the roof of a neighboring building. The sun had fully risen, bathing Nexus Prime in golden light. He scanned the area, ensuring they weren’t being pursued. “We’re clear. For now.”

She slumped against an air conditioning unit, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “What happened back there? How did they flag my access card?”

His cybernetic eye whirred as he processed the data from their failed infiltration. “I’m not sure. The security protocols were more advanced than I anticipated. Someone must have upgraded their systems recently.”

Parka sighed heavily. “So, what now? We’re back to square one.”

He shook his head. “Not entirely. We may not have accessed the data hub, but we learned valuable information about the facility’s defenses. We can use that to develop a new strategy.”

“And what about the fact they now know we tried to break in?” she asked, her voice edged with worry. “Won’t that make our next attempt even harder?”

He smiled. “On the contrary. Their heightened state of alert might actually work to our advantage. They’ll be looking for a frontal assault, not the more...unconventional approach I have in mind.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

“Trust me. We’re going to hit them where they least expect it, but first, we need to regroup and analyze the data we’ve gathered.”

He held out a hand to help Parka to her feet. As she took it, he was struck by the warmth that emanated from the point of contact. He quickly dismissed it as a glitch in his sensory systems, pretending it didn’t feel a lot like desire. “Come on,” he said, leading her toward the roof access door. “We’ve got work to do.”

As they made their way back to their safe house, his mind raced with possibilities. The failed infiltration had been a setback, but it had also provided valuable insights. He began formulating a new plan, one that would require all of Parka’s ingenuity and his own cybernetic abilities.

The AI threat to Nexus Prime was growing stronger by the day. They couldn’t afford another failure. Whatever it took, Zarakano was determined to succeed in their next attempt. The fate of the city—and perhaps the entire planet—depended on it.