VECTOR ONE   by   Ryan Mathews
Book 1: "Set Up"


CHAPTER ONE: Jorg

	The man screamed, and his torturers laughed.
	"I'm so glad my suffering amuses you," he said between breaths.
	"Sorry, Mart, but you were the one who refused the pain-killers.  
Putting on this big show of bravery to inspire us all--"
	"Shut up, Jorg, and give me a damned reading before I pass out."
	Jorg walked over to the main console and checked an indicator.  
"Holding steady at Vector zero-point-seven."
	Jorg's companion, an attractive blond woman, whistled.  "That's a 
full two points higher than last time.  I don't know, Jorg, I don't want to 
overdo this."
	"Dassni's got a point," agreed Jorg.  "I think we better break it 
off and check for tissue damage before proceeding."
	"No!" yelled Mart.  "One more burst.  I can handle it.  There's 
pain, but it's all in my head."
	"You don't know that.  One burst too many and we'll be vacuuming you 
off the floor!"
	"Half burst, then.  Please, Jorg, if we don't do it now, it'll be 
another two months before I can try again."
	Jorg frowned.  Science was a pursuit that required patience over 
everything, yet some scientists were among the most impatient people he
knew.  He understood, though.  If he'd waited for something as long as Mart 
had, then had found it nearly within his grasp, he doubted he'd be able to 
let go himself.  Hoping he wasn't making the wrong decision, he turned to 
Dassni.  "Half-burst."
	Dassni adjusted the settings, and activated the emitter.
	Mart screamed again, much louder this time.  "NO!  STOP!  TURN IT 
OFF!"
	"Cut power!"
	Dassni hit a switch, and the emitter went dead.
	The table on which Mart was strapped elevated, and Dassni and Jorg 
got to work disengaging him from the probes attached to his body.  "Are you 
okay?" asked Dassni.
	"I think so.  For a moment, there, I thought I was going to explode, 
but it's passed."
	Jorg swallowed.  Mart meant "explode" literally.  If they'd been too 
close, they likely would have died with him.
	"Reading?" asked Mart.
	"Oh, yeah."  Jorg shook it off and checked the indicator.  "Vector 
zero-point-seven-five.  Not bad, Mart.  Most Vector-slaves are energized to 
point-eight-five, only a single point higher."
	"My goal is Vector one."
	Dassni smiled.  "Let's work on powering you to a useful level 
without killing you, then we can dive into the theoretical."
	An odd look crossed Mart's face.  He swallowed and touched his 
stomach.  Jorg took a step back.  Could it be possible?  A delayed reaction?
	"Jorg, Dassni, I think I..."
	Dassni paled and backed away.
	"I think I'm starving.  Let's have lunch."  Mart doubled over, 
laughing.  "Man, the looks on your faces!"
	"You jerk!" shouted Dassni.  "I thought you were going to blow up!"
	"It serves you right for laughing at me.  Seriously, though, I feel 
like I could eat a horse."
	"I don't think there are any horses on this planet," said Jorg, "so 
the mess hall will have to do.  Let's go."