Cyborg’s Love (BioCircuit Nexus)

Chapter 9—Parka

PARKA’S PALMS WERE sweaty as she strode into Nexus Corp headquarters, her borrowed executive attire feeling foreign against her skin. The pristine lobby stretched before her and was a jarring contrast to the grime of the Lower District.

She fought to keep her expression impassive, mimicking Mizella’s haughty demeanor while she approached the security checkpoint. Prang had fastened an emitter on her blazer to make the world see Mizella, so all she had to do was scrunch her features to seem arrogant and demanding, and the guard would see the familiar Ms. Chong.

The guard’s eyes widened as he swiped her forged credentials. “Director Chong, I thought you already checked in today.”

Parka waved her hand dismissively. “I went home for a while, but I’m back and I need immediate access to my lab.” She hoped they didn’t run into the real Mizella while deploying the virus.

She gestured to Zarakano, who stood stoically behind her. “My personal guard will accompany me.”

The guard frowned as he swiped Zarakano’s badge. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but his credentials aren’t clearing. I can’t allow him up without proper authorization.”

Parka’s stomach clenched, but she maintained her cool facade. “Unacceptable. There have been credible threats against me. I refuse to move about unprotected.”

The guard shifted uncomfortably. “I understand, Director, but protocols—”

“Override them,” she snapped, channeling Mizella’s imperious tone. “I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll have him return to you in ten minutes to sort out this clerical error.”

The guard hesitated but nodded reluctantly. “Very well, Director, but please ensure he returns promptly.”

She didn’t bother to answer, knowing Mizella wouldn’t in such circumstances, and strode toward the elevators with Zarakano close behind. As the doors closed, she released a shaky breath. “I thought your badge would pass muster. I almost fainted when it didn’t,” she said with a weak smile.

His cybernetic eye whirred softly. “Agreed. We need to move quickly.”

They exited on a floor below the executive suites, hurrying down a deserted corridor. Her fingers twitched, itching to interface with the building’s systems. They rounded a corner and spotted their target—an unattended security node.

After plugging in a bypass drive that she’d made herself, since they were technically illegal without corporate or government authorization—which she lacked—her hands trembled as she tapped on the interface, bypassing firewalls with practiced ease. “I’m in. Creating a distraction now.”

She initiated a cascade of minor malfunctions throughout the building—flickering lights and temporary outages in non-critical systems. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to keep the tech teams scrambling and the diagnostic programs focused mainly on identifying the problem, which might give Zarakano easier access to finesse his way in to upload the virus.

His organic eye was closed but visibly moving under his eyelid as he interfaced with the Nexus Corp servers. His cybernetic eye whirred softly, emitting a faint blue glow from the ports along his temples. The virus components uploaded swiftly, and she allowed herself a moment of cautious optimism.

“It’s done,” he said softly, opening his eyelid. “The virus should activate once it detects Mizella’s signature code.”

She nodded. “We need to move. Security protocols will—”

The words died in her throat as the door to the server room slid open with a pneumatic hiss. Two corporate enforcers stood in the entrance, their augmented frames filling the doorway. Behind them, Parka caught a glimpse of familiar faces that made her shudder.

Mizella’s voice dripped with false sweetness. “How unexpected to discover I entered through security while also in my lab. I always believed it was impossible to be two places at once, so imagine my surprise when front desk security sent someone to retrieve my personal guard.”

The guards moved with inhuman speed, seizing them before they could react. Parka struggled against the iron grip, searching for a way out of this mess. It was reassuring that even if they didn’t escape, the virus had been uploaded.

“Take them to Conference Room I...for interrogation,” said Mizella with a cold smile before turning and exiting.

The enforcers held them tighter, frog marching them from the room. When she tried to go limp, the enforcer started dragging her instead. A glance behind her revealed Zarakano in a similar situation. They were dragged unceremoniously down pristine corridors, and the enforcers barely seemed to notice her continued resistance.

The conference room they were thrust into was sleek and minimalist, dominated by a long obsidian table. Mizella perched on its edge, her perfectly manicured nails tapping an impatient rhythm. Beside her stood a statuesque woman with long brown hair and piercing eyes—Serita Vale. Parka recognized her from Zarakano’s memories.

“Zarakano,” said Serita tenderly, her lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s been far too long.”

Myriad emotions flashed across Zarakano’s face—pain, anger, and betrayal. They vanished as quickly as they appeared, replaced by a mask of cold indifference. “Serita.” His voice was devoid of emotion. “I see you’ve embraced your true nature.”

The other woman’s smile widened, revealing too-perfect teeth. “Oh, I have, and it’s glorious.” She took a step forward, her movements unnaturally fluid. “You could have joined us, you know. We could have revolutionized the world together.”

“By stripping away free will?” He shook his head. “By turning people into puppets?”

“By perfecting humanity,” countered his ex-fiancée. Her eyes gleamed with an almost manic light. “You always were too caught up in your ideals to see the bigger picture.”

Without warning, she lunged forward, lashing out. Her fingers morphed into wickedly sharp blades. Zarakano barely managed to dodge the brunt as one of the claws grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Mizella's cold laugh drowned out Parka’s cry of alarm. “Oh, this should be entertaining,” she said with a chuckle, settling back to watch the spectacle.

The fight that ensued was like nothing Parka had ever witnessed. Serita and Zarakano moved with inhuman speed and precision, their augmented bodies pushing the limits of what should have been possible. Every attack Serita launched, he seemed to anticipate. Every vulnerability she targeted, he had already reinforced.

“I know all your weaknesses,” taunted Serita as she aimed a vicious kick at his midsection. “I helped design half your systems, remember?”

He caught her leg, using her momentum to throw her off balance. “And I’ve spent years patching every backdoor you left.”

The fight raged on, neither combatant able to gain a clear advantage. Parka watched in horror and awe, her mind struggling to process the brutal dance before her. She could see the history between them in every move and every counter-attack. This was more than just a physical battle—it was the culmination of years of betrayal and conflicting ideologies.

Suddenly, Serita’s eyes flashed with triumph. “Let’s see if you’ve patched this.” Her hand flew to a device at her temple, and he stiffened.

Panic flitted through Parka when she recognized the telltale signs of neural interface activation. Serita was trying to disable Zarakano using their old sync frequency.

For a moment, his movements slowed while his systems clearly fought against the intrusion. Then, to her visible shock, he straightened, smirking at his opponent. “Sorry,” he said with a grin that showed no regret. “I’ve picked up a few new tricks in hiding.”

With that, he launched into a flurry of attacks that drove Serita back. She snarled in frustration, her perfectly composed veneer cracking.

“Why?” He demanded as they grappled. “Why did you betray everything we stood for?”

Parker leaned forward slightly, wanting to hear the answer for herself. With the possibility of a future between her and Zarakano, she had to make sure all his feelings for Serita were in the past.

Serita’s eyes blazed with anger and something that might have been regret. “Because controlling the technology was more important than your enclave’s foolish dreams,” she shouted. “While you fought to protect some nebulous idea of free will, I saw the potential to perfect it.”

Their battle paused for a moment, both combatants breathing heavily. Her next words were quieter, almost wistful. “We could have shaped the future, Kano. We could have guided humanity to its true potential, but I could tell you were too weak to do that. I had to make a choice, and I don't regret my decision to guide and improve cybernetic and organic life.”

“By becoming its puppet masters?” His voice was thick with disgust. “That’s not guidance. It’s tyranny.”

Her expression hardened. “You’re as blind now as you were then,” she said harshly, “And just as expendable.”

Parka’s heart thundered as she watched the brutal clash between Zarakano and Serita resume. Their inhuman speed and precision made it difficult to follow every move, but she forced herself to remain vigilant. She needed to act, to find a way to turn the tide in their favor.

While Mizella was distracted by the spectacle before her, Parka inched toward the nearest console. She kept her movements slow and deliberate, careful not to draw attention.

“Enjoying the show?” Mizella’s voice startled her, dripping with false sweetness. “It’s quite something, isn’t it? Two advanced creations, tearing each other apart.”

She froze, hand inches from the interface, and turned to face Mizella, forcing a neutral expression. “Why are you doing this? What do you hope to gain?”

Her perfect lips curved into a predatory smile. “Absolute control over the future of cybernetic enhancement. No more freelance mechanics mucking about with delicate systems. No more rogue elements threatening the stability we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

As Mizella spoke, she found the interface with her fingers and initiated a connection, careful to keep her expression calm while she began working behind her back. “You really think you can control an entire population?” she asked, buying time as she tried navigating the system, which proved futile without being able to see the interface. “People will always find ways to resist.”

Her former friend laughed, and the sound was sharp and cruel. “Oh, Parka. So na?ve. When we’re done, there won’t be any resistance left to worry about. Our neural interface combined with the advanced AI will ensure complete compliance.”

Parka’s stomach churned at the thought, but she pressed on. “And what about the right to choose our own path?”

“An illusion.” Her old partner sneered. “One that’s caused nothing but chaos and suffering. We’re offering a better way. A perfect harmony between human and machine. Even the fully organic humans living in the past and refusing to embrace technology can offer something to support the cause. Once their neural interfaces are installed, they'll be part of the network too.”

As she continued her villainous monologue, Parka’s stomach rolled. Had Mizella ever been the friend and woman she’d thought, or had it all been an illusion? She dared a quick glance behind her, long enough to identify the security icon. She pressed it and initiated a lock-down.

Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the facility. Mizella’s head snapped toward the nearest monitor, her eyes widening in shock. “What have you done?”

Parka allowed herself a small, triumphant smile. “Locked out the guards via a lock-down protocol. It’s just us now. No more hiding behind your corporate thugs.”

Her face contorted with rage. She lunged at Parka, her movements unnaturally fast to indicate she was far more enhanced than she’d been in the past, but Parka was ready. She ducked under Mizella’s grasp, using the momentum to slam her palm against another interface node.

A pulse of energy surged through the room, momentarily disrupting Mizella’s cybernetic enhancements. She staggered, off-balance for a crucial second. Parka seized the opportunity, delivering a swift kick to Mizella’s midsection.

The two women grappled, and her nerves were screaming with fear and adrenaline while she fought to keep Mizella at bay, knowing she was outmatched in terms of raw strength. Parka had something Mizella didn’t—an intimate knowledge of cybernetic weak points.

She found the seams where Mizella’s enhancements met flesh, applying pressure with her fingers to overload delicate neural connections. Mizella howled in pain and frustration, her movements becoming erratic.

“You can’t win,” shouted Mizella, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. “You’re nothing but a Lower District reject. You don’t have the stomach for what needs to be done.”

She gritted her teeth, fighting through the pain of Mizella’s crushing grip when her adversary seized her arm and started squeezing. “You’re right. I don’t have the stomach for tyranny and oppression. That’s why I’ll always fight against people like you.”

With a final burst of strength, she slammed Mizella against the central console. She hoped she’d bought enough time for the virus to activate, and she hung back warily as the other woman slumped against the console for a long instant. Was she recovering, strategizing, or being invaded by the virus?

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Mizella’s eyes flashed blue before going silver. Her expression went blank as she collapsed against the console. The once-formidable corporate executive now lay motionless, as though awaiting input.

Parka wasted no time. She grabbed Mizella’s access badge and limp right hand, using her biometrics to gain full control of the facility’s security systems. Alarms blared anew as she turned the full force of Nexus Corp’s defenses against Serita while canceling the lock-down currently keeping the guards out. They should come in and target Serita when they did, but she was still nervous.

“Kano,” Parka called out, her voice hoarse. “It’s done. We need to go.”

He rushed toward her, and they were slipping out the second conference room door when corporate enforcers poured in, at least a dozen, and surrounded Serita. If they noticed Parka or Zarakano, they gave no indication of it.

As the virus spread through Nexus Corp’s networks, freeing sleeper agents across the city, she and Zarakano made their escape. He kept her apprised of progress since he was still connected to the database for a time until the encroachment of the virus forced him to disconnect.

They slipped through chaotic corridors, encountering corporate enforcers now focused solely on subduing Serita or suddenly freezing as the virus invaded them. In a matter of minutes, they would be free of the Nexus Corp AI and neural interface, but there was no telling what they might do once they were released from the control of the program. Corporate enforcers already had a certain moral flexibility, and they might try to restrain the two of them once they were no longer acting under the blanket orders Parka had issued.

Once outside, they paused to catch their breath. Parka’s legs shook from exertion and adrenaline. She looked at him, seeing the same exhaustion and triumph in his eyes. “We did it,” she said, panting through the words.

He nodded, his cybernetic eye whirring as he evaluated their surroundings. “It’s not over yet. We need to get to a safe location before notifying the authorities.”

She nodded and found another burst of energy to keep going. Every step away from Nexus Corp was liberating, and despite her fatigue, she’d never been more energized due to their victory.