man decided that justice should outweigh a person’s rights. The history of mankind showed that the two often swayed back and forth, one always rising over the other before finding its pinnacle, then falling to allow for the other to rise. The swing towards justice, in the 2700’s, saw no return of people’s rights. Those who didn’t like it were free to venture onto a transport ship and find somewhere other than Earth to call home.
MA Joseph was taken into custody and ushered into a military confinement cell. He sat there in the tiny room, with only a cot, a sink, and a toilet to keep him company. There was no window, no floor to ceiling bars to offer him a view of the next room, and certainly no cellmate. They wouldn’t keep a Cyber in a room with a human. Joseph couldn’t fully comprehend why, but he knew it to be an unwritten law.
Thirty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds after the cell door was shut behind him, a rumbling of the door’s lock was heard. A moment later, David Ballistar entered with a lone Cyber guard accompanying him. Joseph recognized the man instantly, a member of Earth’s Council and representative of Human and Cyber relations. It was an archaic position, no longer taken with the same seriousness as when the second gens existed. Now, the title the man possessed along with his job were little more than a formality.
“Hello J-17,” David said, stepping into the room. “How are you holding up son?”
Joseph looked to the man without expression. David Ballistar’s appearance had changed greatly since the last updated photo on his military file. The thick auburn hair had been thinned, sweeping backward over his tanned scalp. The hair was darker around the ears, growing lighter as it neared its peak. His face was almost red, two narrow eyes of blue peering back at him with much concern. He was of average height, average weight, with few remarkable physical traits. He wore the same blue-gray uniform as all the officers of the military did though the badge on his chest differed greatly from any of the others. Where others had rows of bars, pieced together with tiny squares that symbolized commendations or battles fought, David Ballistar only had one lone silver rectangle, a symbol of his position.
“Thank you, that’ll be all,” David said, turning to the guard behind him. The guard glanced at Joseph, trying to decide whether or not he should leave the unarmed bureaucrat alone with such a dangerous being. He thought better, realizing that the Major outranked him, thus leaving him little choice but to obey his orders.
“As you wish,” the guard stated, stepping back and pulling the metal door shut. The door banged loudly against the catch as the metallic lock engaged. Major Ballistar turned back to his query, taking a seat next to the silent Cyber.
“You’ve been charged with treason J-17,” the man started. “Do you understand the charges against you?”
MA Joseph turned to the man, a curious look forming upon his face. His right brow lifted high above his eye, which had started to scan the man the moment he’d entered the room. He couldn’t recall why he had bothered with the scan as he knew the man to be unarmed. Perhaps it was merely a force of habit.
“You should call me Joseph,” he replied, his brow lowering. “While I understand the charges, I do not understand why the charges have been raised against me. To the best of my knowledge, I have followed my orders down to the finest detail. Perhaps you could tell me what I have done wrong, Major Ballistar.”
The Major looked back to the door, wondering if anyone had devices pressed against the metal frame. He almost laughed as he realized that the devices were likely built into the cell and every word they spoke was being monitored. There was little privacy to be had in the military, even when it came to client/lawyer privileges.
“You murdered a high-ranking official from Parasus,” David replied. “Parasus is an ally
MA Joseph was taken into custody and ushered into a military confinement cell. He sat there in the tiny room, with only a cot, a sink, and a toilet to keep him company. There was no window, no floor to ceiling bars to offer him a view of the next room, and certainly no cellmate. They wouldn’t keep a Cyber in a room with a human. Joseph couldn’t fully comprehend why, but he knew it to be an unwritten law.
Thirty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds after the cell door was shut behind him, a rumbling of the door’s lock was heard. A moment later, David Ballistar entered with a lone Cyber guard accompanying him. Joseph recognized the man instantly, a member of Earth’s Council and representative of Human and Cyber relations. It was an archaic position, no longer taken with the same seriousness as when the second gens existed. Now, the title the man possessed along with his job were little more than a formality.
“Hello J-17,” David said, stepping into the room. “How are you holding up son?”
Joseph looked to the man without expression. David Ballistar’s appearance had changed greatly since the last updated photo on his military file. The thick auburn hair had been thinned, sweeping backward over his tanned scalp. The hair was darker around the ears, growing lighter as it neared its peak. His face was almost red, two narrow eyes of blue peering back at him with much concern. He was of average height, average weight, with few remarkable physical traits. He wore the same blue-gray uniform as all the officers of the military did though the badge on his chest differed greatly from any of the others. Where others had rows of bars, pieced together with tiny squares that symbolized commendations or battles fought, David Ballistar only had one lone silver rectangle, a symbol of his position.
“Thank you, that’ll be all,” David said, turning to the guard behind him. The guard glanced at Joseph, trying to decide whether or not he should leave the unarmed bureaucrat alone with such a dangerous being. He thought better, realizing that the Major outranked him, thus leaving him little choice but to obey his orders.
“As you wish,” the guard stated, stepping back and pulling the metal door shut. The door banged loudly against the catch as the metallic lock engaged. Major Ballistar turned back to his query, taking a seat next to the silent Cyber.
“You’ve been charged with treason J-17,” the man started. “Do you understand the charges against you?”
MA Joseph turned to the man, a curious look forming upon his face. His right brow lifted high above his eye, which had started to scan the man the moment he’d entered the room. He couldn’t recall why he had bothered with the scan as he knew the man to be unarmed. Perhaps it was merely a force of habit.
“You should call me Joseph,” he replied, his brow lowering. “While I understand the charges, I do not understand why the charges have been raised against me. To the best of my knowledge, I have followed my orders down to the finest detail. Perhaps you could tell me what I have done wrong, Major Ballistar.”
The Major looked back to the door, wondering if anyone had devices pressed against the metal frame. He almost laughed as he realized that the devices were likely built into the cell and every word they spoke was being monitored. There was little privacy to be had in the military, even when it came to client/lawyer privileges.
“You murdered a high-ranking official from Parasus,” David replied. “Parasus is an ally
Similar Books
