Cates 04 - The Terminal State by Jeff Somers Read Free Book Online Page B

He shrugged. “They like to make sure you know who’s in charge.” He paused and looked down at his clipboard again. “Whoever’s buying you will get it. It’s also used to set the anti-frag settings.”
    I smiled. “In case I get ideas about slitting throats? ”
    Gupta didn’t smile or look up. “You think any officer would survive a week out there with all of you pissed-off shitkickers if they couldn’t fuck you?” he whispered. “The AF setting means you can’t get within a perimeter of your CO or you’ll be terminated. Just like that. Cross the line into the red zone and the implant in your brain goes pop. The actual distance is a custom parameter the commanding officer can set—some of them like a lot of room around them, but it can go as close as they want, or even zero if they’re feeling lucky. It also sets a minimum distance, in case you decide to desert. I’ve got it toggled off right now. Makes examinations kind of awkward when I have to stay a foot away all the time.”
    This kept getting better. Suddenly the System Pigs with their robot bodies and regular, old-fashioned beatings didn’t seem so bad.
    “The remote can also invoke your Berserker Mode.” He looked up at me again. “I advise you to avoid that if at all possible.”
    I tested out the uniform, seeing how it moved and stretched. The holster at my side was empty, and there was no other gear attached. I wanted to move . I wanted to run and jump and climb shit. I wasn’t naked any longer, but unless I was going to use Gupta’s clipboard to very slowly bludgeon everyone to death, I wasn’t noticeably less screwed than I’d been a few moments before. I paused. “What the fuck—”
    “Berserker Mode puts the subject into an artificial state of consciousness. Your heart rate skyrockets, your brain dumps adrenaline and dopamine, your muscles’ pain receptors are turned off, and aggression is maximized. For a short period of time, the combination of all this makes you pretty fucking badass. Your reflexes will approach avatar levels, you won’t be fazed by any injury that does not cripple you, and you won’t feel tired no matter what you’re doing.”
    I felt exhausted just listening to that shit. “And? ”
    Gupta raised both eyebrows. “And you pay a price , Mr. Cates. Go into Berserker Mode more than twice within, say, six months, and I think you’ll probably die from internal stress. Stroke out. Have a heart attack. Kidney shutdown. Get me? If your CO puts you into BM, he’s basically taking decades off your life each time.”
    “You sure got a great benefits package here, doc,” I growled. I made a show of stretching out one arm, then suddenly leaned forward, gave Gupta a little shove that put him off-balance, and snatched the little black square from his hand.
    Immediately there was a roar in my head and a lance of sharp, burning pain shot up my forearm. My hand snapped open and the remote dropped to the floor. My whole arm had gone numb and throbbing, and I clutched it with my free hand, struggling again to control my breathing. My HUD flashed, streaming data about my injury.
    Gupta didn’t seem bothered. “Won’t work,” he said, bending down to retrieve it and then holding it up in front of me. His fingernails were clean and trimmed neatly. I suddenly felt stupid and dirty standing there. “It’s attuned to whoever’s your CO. Right now, I’m your CO. In a moment, I’ll transfer it to your owner, and it’ll only work for them .”
    I hesitated. The pain was already gone, like it had never happened. But if Belling got my remote, if he was made my CO—shit. I felt like I could run all fucking night and break Gupta in two with my bare hands, but if Belling got my remote, I wasn’t going anywhere.
    “All right,” Gupta said as if this shit happened to him all the time, and gestured at his clipboard in a declarative, final manner and it went dim with a soft chime. “You ready? ”
    I looked around again.