Rescuer: Engine of Creation, #2

By Frank Carey

A mad scientist, a new girlfriend, a lovesick goddess… what could go wrong?

With his plucky Alue sidekick and Katalan partner trapped in a microuniverse prison, can cyborg Detective Inspector Gabe Adon save the world again?.

If you like tech-heavy sci-fi, relatable characters, and stories of family and redemption, you'll love the second book in Frank Carey's Engine of Creation series. 65 pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Carey
• Release date: Apr 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386338390

Frank Carey

Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. Since then, he has written and published a collection of flash fiction and short stories, two anthologies, a pentalogy, and a trilogy. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre. Most of his stories take place about two centuries in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go. Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

DCI Gabriel Adon stared at the Stryker standing in front of him. Once a Tralaskan woman, this thing was a mixture of an organic matrix, a billion nanorobots, and enough hatred to fuel a hundred disgruntled, laid-off employees of a bankrupt dot-com firm. Behind him, His second officer and copilot, Siv, administered first-aid to his first officer, Priscilla Kitra, who had the misfortune of meeting this thing one-on-one.

I think I'll call you Debbie, Gabe said from inside his tank form, a construction manufactured by the billions of nanorobots coursing through his own bloodstream. So, Deb, what's it going to be? Surrender or die? He aimed a shoulder-mounted particle beam weapon at his opponent, activating a targeting laser just for effect.

Debbie growled, then aimed a mini-rail-gun at him.

Not much for words. Oh, one more thing: I am extremely attached to those people behind me, and I don't like it when anyone hurts them. Normally, I would try to avoid a confrontation, but for you, I'll make an exception.

Debbi chuckled as she raised a second weapon, then activated both. Die... she started to say. Then an odd thing happened. She crumpled to the ground in an unmoving heap while a centipede-shaped robot crawled off her back. The centipede crawled up Gabe's leg and disappeared on his back. Yah gotta love technology.

Is it dead? Pris asked as she forced herself into a sitting position. Ow!

Hold still! Siv said as she tightened up the straps of a splint. You've got a broken arm. It'll be fine, if you don't move it!

Pris, listen to your doctor. As for Deb, she's out for the count. The 'pede injected her with some of my bots, which I programmed to shut down her consciousness and self-termination systems. Dr. Aymar gets her wish. She can now examine a live cyborg other than me.

He returned to human form then walked over to a raised dais that had been hidden behind Debbie. On it was a small, oddly-shaped, ring-like object. Gabe picked the object up in his hand and watched it absorb into his palm.  A glyph appeared on his left shoulder among several similar glyphs. Pretty soon I'll have enough of these things to redeem for a brace of six-guns and a gun belt.

Boss, we need to get Pris back to a real medical facility.

Copy that, he replied. A flashing light appeared on the back of his right hand. Cruiser Artax, this is Stryker-1 requesting a medical pickup. We have one stryker in custody and one Katalan female in need of immediate medevac, over.

A voice came from the vicinity of the flashing light. Roger that, Stryker-1. Battle Shuttle Battle Cat and Medical Shuttle Purring Kitty are inbound. ETA five-minutes, mark.

Purring Kitty? Siv asked, astounded.

Yes, Pris explained. An attempt by the Katalan government to make our people seem less fearsome.

And why would they do this? Gabe asked.

Tourism is down.

Gabe stifled a laugh while Siv rolled. Before the Katalan detective sergeant could respond, the two shuttles landed outside. Marines and medics filled the room. Marines took the stryker into custody while the medics carried a protesting Pris off on a gurney.

Gabe looked at the empty room. Siv, did this one seem too easy?

She looked around. Yeah, come to think of it. Scanners picking up anything?

Not in here, but I'm getting something... Nope, it's gone now. Probably a sensor ghost from one of the buildings.

Let's hope so. I hate ghosts of any kind, Siv replied.

This from a woman who can go noncorporeal at the drop of a hat.

Is it me or are your jokes getting less funny?

It's you, trust me. Let's get out of here.

Copy that.

CHAPTER TWO

Gabe sat on the exam table and watched Dr. Aymar examine the stryker prisoner while it was still sedated. Around her and her patient stood four members of the elite Elf Marine Expeditionary Force, each wearing state-of-the-art power armor, armor which Dr. Aymar helped design. Gabe chuckled; he could take them while in infiltrator mode. It's good to be me, at least today it is.

Gabe had died over 200 years ago, sacrificing himself to save New York City from an accidental release of a biowarfare agent. He spent the next two centuries in cryostasis while a bunch of scientists tried to figure out why his brain wouldn't die. Now, due to advanced nanorobots created by this century's version of a mad scientist, he was a living cyborg like the one