CYBERENE

STORY BY HuLK:2099

I did this for fun, but any other stories or extra stuff on Cyberene you
want I can upload. The Sysop says we can have this file area 2099 as a
online base for forum etc. and he will do a 2099 conference if we want.
Til then just upload mail to me and I will get it from here. So its gotta
be public mail.

PS I am working on a book about the Cyberene World so I appreciate any comments
or criticism as long as it is constructive.


                                   CYBERENE

  The smoking towers of the City assaulted the senses as Cyberene picked his
  way through the rubble on the Streets.
  He had been hired this time to recover a biochip from The Ungers, a pair
  of off-world traders who had a fortress inside the old WorldTrade Centre
  downtown. He hated this sort of mission - too messy, too much walking, and
  too damn dangerous.
  On the other hand, there was the prospect of the payoff - new arms and legs.
  Cyberene was a human being, but at age twelve he had bought new bones from
  the old Weaver Corp. He smiled, rememberign how many shellcases and Fibres
  he'd had to dig up in the Wastelands to barter for the bones. Then his face
  fell as he also remembered the pain of the bone insert... the pain...

  A slight shifting in the rubble ahead caught his attention, instantly
  cutting in his IRscan, UVscan and Portent Body Armour Fields.
  Cyberene slowly zig-zagged across the slopes of tumbled concrete, readying
  his M107 Stoner... A good heavy autogun loaded with ASH (anti-super-human)
  rounds.
  Cyberene reached the point above the rubble patch the noise had come from.
  Carefully, slowly, he edged closer, unable to breathe properly as he kept
  careful aim with the bulky gun...
  A huge Rat head shot up in front of his eyes, followed by the rest of the
  creature's body ! This was a Smart Rat, eightieth generation descendant of
  VOID Laboratories Worker Rodents. Its front paws were hideously like
  human hands, and those evil paws scrabbled now for the gun...
  Cyberene wrenched the gun off the rodent, slamming the creature's head with
  the stock as the gun came up. As soon as the rat blocked the muzzle, the
  cyborg loosed off a semi-auto burst. What was left of the Rat after the
  deafening blast spattered and dripped onto the rubble.

  Cyberene checked the weapon's ammo indicator, thought about swapping clips,
  finally decided to, as he didn't want to cross The Park without a full clip
  of ammo in his Stoner... sometimes the extra 50 rounds makes the difference
  as his Trainer had always said.

  The Park's main entrance, Glass Alley, loomed ahead. As he approached, the
  cyborg could see in the dim light shapes moving near the entrance. To an
  observer it would have seemed that Cyberene had frowned at what he saw, but
  in fact that facial expression was the activation pattern for his IRscan.
  The InfraRed showed more about the shapes he had detected. Weapons and
  powerpacks glowed merrily, and the irregular outlines of Mutroids were
  clearly discernible. It was going to be a hard journey to the Unger Fortress
  today - something had stirred the Badlife up.

  Cyberene walked directly up to the Glass Alley, past the twisted frames of
  the old giant buildings. All that remained of many were metal skeletons and
  the drifts of glass that gave the area its name - and made a simple trip a
  death sentence should the glass dust be inhaled...

         "You don't come here, Man, we not want your kind here, Steelbones,"

  Cyberene forced a grim smile as the misshapen Mutroids surounded him.

         "Three-Arms, you and the boys better go rape n shape somewhere else,
          or I'm gonna cut you in half with Mr. Stoner... You remember him ?"

  Cyberene knew Three-Arms was afraid of the Stoner - the Mutroid leader used
  to be called Four-Arms until the first time Cyberene had crossed his path.
  The Mutroids scattered at a gesture from Three-Arms. Cyberene entered The
  Park.