Written in 365 Parts: 90: Juicy Information

They opened their eyes, the internal chronograph stated they had been resting for close to six hours. They felt a little dizzy which was to be expected as the implant would have been tied with the transfer. Autonomous systems that regulated the internal body chemistry would have been on minimum, their body would adapt if it happened for any extended period, but after a few hours it had little chance. They had felt this way before when transferring large data blocks. A long time ago they had kept all their most sensitive information in an internal store, and had to update copies whenever they logged on to a new network. That was a similar sensation.

“Sir,” the voice was unfamiliar, it took a moment for the features of the medical technician to swim into view. “Sir, you should have taken a longer rest, how are you feeling?”

“I am fine,” they said through numbed lips. “Just a little overwhelmed. Get the technicians in here and get them to shut down the connection. It is useless now. I have wiped everything and no longer need the service.”

The medic nodded at the guard on the door who turned. “Did we get everything?” They asked.

“Yes I did.” A short laugh, “I told Drick that it was for nothing. They scored nothing, and when I get out of here I am going to hunt down every person who helped them and have them flayed.” There was a pause, “What do you mean, we?”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” said the guard looking at the medical technician.

“We got everything.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” They tried to stand but the world suddenly swam around their eyes. It was a moment of panic, perhaps they had taken too much data, were they losing grip on reality. Then the realisation hit them. This wasn’t reality.

The construct program slowly fell away and the world came back into focus. They were in the same room, but they were still restrained. A thick snake of cables was attached to a hood that ran to their head and neck. They were wired into a network. Hardwired into a network. The figure of the medic had melted away to nothing, the guard was still there. They removed the helmet, it was Drick. Drick in bulky padded armour, and stepped up boots, to change their body shape. Drick was still alive.

“Hiya Sweetie.” said Drick, “thanks for all the juicy information.”

“No, it’s not possible.” They heard their own voice from a far distance, almost whimpering.

“Oh come on, of course it is possible. In fact it was easier than you think. All we had to do was crack open the back of your skull, directly feed into your implant’s medical test slot, and then we could do anything we wanted. To be honest, the more arrogant the personality The easier it is to fool, you just love the feeling of being in control. And the more layers of protection you have in software and hardware modules the easier it is for you to become complacent. Neat little double honey traps on the network connection module in your neck, pity we just bypassed it entirely by plugging directly into your brain.”

“You don’t know what you have done.”

“I think I do know what I have done. I have the information I required on the contacts who wanted me out of the picture. And, as a bonus, I have literally oodles of dirt on a substantial number of illegal matters in this system. There are so many important, and well-placed, organics in these files. Thanks for collating them and gathering such convincing evidence. That’s going to be super useful to me in recovering the funds this assignment is consuming. So, really, thanks for that.”

“You might as well shoot me in the head. Once they trace this back to me I am dead.”

“Oh, sweetie, don’t be so glum. You were dead the minute I took you in the club. They put a price on your head the second I had you. They know you are a danger. Right now they are probably considering who they have to purge from their own people. This is going to get really bloody if the level of competence and good judgement stays consistent.”

“Shoot me. Because if you let me live, I will do all that I can, to kill anyone who has even smiled at you.”

“I am not going to shoot you. And you are going to do shit to no one. When next you wake up, you will be over a hundred years from here. It’s time you went away. I am sending you to the future. Plenty of worlds out there looking for bodies to help tame them. You’ll find a place to call home. I have a one way ticket for you. Goodbye.”

Drick turned and walked from the room, ignoring the screams that tailed away as the medical team rendered the prisoner unconscious once again.