The Cyberqueen

In the quiet suburbs was the Fair household. There lived the happy couple of Jack and Liz Fair and their two teenage daughters, Aoife and Natalie. While the two parents lived completely average lives, their daughters were the exact opposites. Natalie was the younger by only a year at the age of 16, but was reckless and irresponsible with little care or appreciation for others.

Her older sister however was seen a prodigious child. Aoife was incredibly gifted in the sciences of technology and engineering. From a young age, she had been improving the current technology and creating inventions for a more modern life. Her work had already guaranteed her a scholarship for the top technology-centric universities in the world and companies were lining up to employ her. She was so dedicated to her work, she lived in the houses garage. Renovated into both a bedroom and workshop, it was filled with state of the art tools and technology to further her studies and research.

But Natalie was sick of this lifestyle her sister had. She was jealous at how much attention was always being given to her. Granted, she wasn’t as clever as her sister, but she had her own skills. The thin, blonde-haired teenager pondered this in her bedroom as the sun begun to set. Both of her parents worked at a hospital, having ever changing long hour and work shifts, leaving her stuck in her home with her sister.

Of course, her sister was always in her own little kingdom in the garage, giving Natalie the house to herself, but there was little to do and Aoife rarely socialized. She looked outside and it was the same as before, horrible. What began as a bright summer’s day suddenly became dark with monsoon-like weather. Except, looking up into the sky, something didn’t seem right. It looked like there was a lights show going on in space.

She couldn’t even see the stars in the sky, nor the darkness of space surrounding them. It looked like massive explosions were going off nonstop in the sky, with each explosion releasing a multitude of colours. It was a beautiful spectacle for her to watch, but she was curious what was causing this. There was no word about it in the weather forecast that day, and right now there were reports over the news and web with no one knowing what it was.

She wondered if Aoife knew anything about it or even that it was going on as she made her way out of her room and down towards the garage. She crept down the stairs of their house that led down into Aoife’s room as she could hear the sound of computers running through the door and the sound of Aoife typing.

Natalie tapped on the door with her right hand knuckle as she could hear her sister on the other side roll her chair away and approach the door. The door pulled opened up partially as Aoife stepped out in between the door and the frame.

The seventeen year old pushing eighteen had the same beauty as her younger sister, only more matured. Her blonde hair was tied back as her usual fashion when she was working and with a slim pair of reading glasses on. She was wearing a loose tanktop to bear with the blearing heat from her machines inside with denim shorts covering her waist.

“Yeah?” Aoife asked her, obviously impatient and in the middle of something.

“Hey, do you know what’s going on outside? I thought you of all people might have an idea.” Natalie told her.

“I’m in the middle of doing it. This storm is like nothing ever seen. Violent lightning strikes and hurricane-like symptoms and it materialised within an hour. This could be a major sign of global warming and we’re in the heart of it. Perfect for me to record and study it closer than anyone else”. Aoife rambled on with her mind buzzling on an idea. “So, if you don’t mind, the sooner I’m back at the monitor, the sooner I can figure out what’s causing this.”.

“Oh. Yeah. Sure.” Natalie rolled her eyes and walked away, sighing as Aoife closed the door, returning back to her work. She hated that about Aoife, she had become so self-obsessed with her work, she didn’t care or have time for others. She saw so many things in her life as a distraction to her work and so she tossed them aside.

Natalie stormed into her room and pulled the curtains shut, sick of seeing the storm outside. She looked at her clock and could see it was getting late and that there would be nothing else going on for the rest of the night and figured she might as well go to sleep.

She got changed and turned off the light as she climbed into her bed and tried to sleep. The storm outside however was loud so she had to keep muffling her ears in hopes of getting to sleep easier. Just as she was finally drifting off, she could hear the strange sounds of stomping. As if heavy pieces of metal were slamming across the ground outside. But she ignored it as she finally slept.

Despite sleeping early, she still slept in late. She opened her eyes refreshed, but noticed it was close to one in the afternoon. She cursed herself as she has missed her parents being home, now returning to work. She got out of bed and remembered the night before as she wanted to see what it was like outside.

Natalie could tell from the curtains that it was now sunny out as she pulled to see that things weren’t out of the ordinary. The ground was black but drying quickly in the hot sun, and the trees had snapped branches and trunks everywhere. She checked her phone and saw she missed messages from her friends who were heading into town.

Natalie hurried and got changed and she ran downstairs into the kitchen for something quick to eat before she had to meet with her friends in ten minutes. She grabbed an apple and threw it into her purse and grabbed her leather jacket and threw it over her shoulders.

When she was about to head out the door, she was stopped by the loud mechanical and electrical noises coming from Aoife’s room. This was followed by the same mechanical stomping sound she remembered hearing the night before. The sounds of work continued, which was common for Aoife to be doing, but this was louder and busier than usual. Natalie shook it off as she continued to walk and left the house.

She met up with her friends in the town where they partook in their usual tradition of wandering and mingling. They discussed how freaky the weather was the previous night before and how there was still no news on what had caused it. They walked into a café to get some drinks for the hot day was something strange occurred.

Everything was normal and fine, when suddenly the lights and the electronics begun to flicker and switch on and off. Everyone inside watched with crossed brows until sparks and blue lightning began to sizzle around. The light bulbs all exploded at once with some of the appliances inside also exploded, but everything else went dead.

The people took cover from the flying glass as they noticed the power was out entirely. Natalie and her friends decided to slip out of there, and when they walked outside, they noticed people walking out of the stores and buildings pondering what had just occurred. The power was out all around the area with explosive results from whatever had caused it.

After witnessing it and the events the night before, the girls were getting uneasy and scarred as they parted ways and made their way home. Natalie hurried home with her heart still racing after what had occurred, as she wanted to be in her home where she would be safe. On her way home, she could see that every house had been affected by the surge as everyone was uneasy and staying in their homes, and she was relieved when she finally reached her house. However, something wasn’t right.

As she walked into her front garden, she could hear the distinct sound of buzz saws and drills coming from the garage. Straightaway she thought it was just her sister working, but she was quickly reminded of the power outage. It would be impossible for Aoife to be working after what was occurring, and as she looked at the front of the garage door, blue flashes of light were coming out through the windows of the door.

She didn’t like the connections and grew uneasy. She tried hopping up and seeing what was going on inside and flashes of light looked like it was coming from the side of the room, and was being partially blocked by someone. She couldn’t get a clear view out of it; each jump only let her get a quick glimpse as she thought it would be better getting a closer look as to what was going on.

Natalie walked around the garage where she lowered herself down onto her hand and knees and peered inside to a bazaar and scary sight. She could see straight ahead and saw that the source of the flashing was coming from a large machine that Natalie had never seen inside there before. It looked like a CT scan machine with a tube running through the machine and what appeared to be someone inside. All she could make out were two feet sticking out and wearing what looked like silver boots.

But what really terrified her were the figures she saw before. They were tall and shiny, clad all in silver. At least that’s what she thought at first glance, but quickly realised it was metal, they were covered in metal. The machine inside stopped whatever it was doing as the two people turned to face each other. They side stepped to see each other as their feet slammed on the ground, it made the same metal slamming noise that she heard before.
Being able to see their faces, Natalie quickly realised they were not people, they were robots. They looked identical, with scary mechanical faces with blue lights for eyes and looked tall and large in the steel suits they were built of. Natalie could feel her heart race in fear seeing them. Were they one of Aoife’s creations? Or responsible for the weird events that have been occurring, she wondered.

“Cyberqueen upgrade at 95%.” One of the robots said with blue light shining from where a mouth would be.

“Cyberqueen?” Natalie questioned to herself overhearing them.

“Upgrading stage successfully completed. Moving onto second to last stage.” The other one said with the same monotone electronic voice as the other.

As they said this, the machine across from them hissed as the tube rolled out the person inside in a long tray. Even from a distance, Natalie could make out the person was cladded in the same steel as the other robots. Natalie’s stomach pitted as she realised that if these two robots were occupying Aoife’s lab, then what had happened to her?

Her worst fear quickly came to pass, yet she didn’t want to accept it. But as the tray folded into a chair and she could see what the third robot was, her fear was staring at her. It was indeed Aoife and her body was made like one of these machines. Her legs were now slim and silver with heels attached; they were now attached with joints connecting with her torso. Her lower torso was slimmer and designed sleeker then the other ones with shining silver. The upper torso was covered in a breastplate showing a more feminine design then the other two. Her arms were rested on the arms of the chair she was restrained to. They were encased in silver with objects attached to bother her wrists and slim jointed fingers. Her neck and head were encased in the same kind of head they had but her face was still revealed, and that wasn’t the only thing revealed. Natalie felt like she was about to throw up, a glass case covered Aoife’s forehead and scalp of the helm and revealed her bare brain. Aoife stared forward without an expression on her face or movement as she sat idle on the chair.

“Stage is in process, time until completion 2minutes, 18 seconds.” One of the robots told the other.

“The phase of danger has passed. The Cyberqueen will soon be complete.” The other one told her.

The first one walked over to Aoife’s computer and typed something in with its fat fingers and hit enter. “The converter has been set to run automatically. We must acquire the young female, as the Cyberqueen instructed.” The robot told the other as they turned around and marched towards the door leading out of the room.

Young female? Were they talking about her? Natalie thought to herself in a panic. Not only that, but those two things kept referring to a ‘Cyberqueen’ ,which must have been Aoife. But why were these things obeying her, and why did Aoife order them to get her, she wondered. She couldn’t stay there wondering, those two would be back soon, and she had to rescue Aoife from that machine and change her back to normal.

Natalie slammed her palms on the window trying to force it open without it budging. She shifted her legs forward and kicked her heeled feet into the window and shattered the glass pane. She shimmied through carefully to avoid getting cut on the glass fragments as she dropped down inside. She hurried over to the machine were she tried to snap her sister out of the state she was in.

“Aoife! Aoife, it’s me Natalie. Come on, don’t you recognise me?” Natalie pleaded to her as she slapped Aoife’s cold emotionless face, not getting a response out of her. She waved and coaxed her eyes to move but they stayed in place unaffected as Natalie could hear a small beeping noise coming from the helm that covered her head.

She looked down on the restraints that bonded her to the chair and could see they were magnetic restraints made of metal that had a tight grasp on Aoife’s now mechanical limbs. Natalie took hold of them and tried to pry them open with all her strength, but they wouldn’t budge as her muscles ached from straining herself. She backed away, looking around for a way of setting her free when something wrapped around her and clamped her tightly.

Natalie kicked and screamed, trying to break free from its hold as she looked up to see the horrible face of one of the robots staring down at her. The second matched forward from behind it as Natalie noticed they no longer made the loud heavy stomping noises she distinctly heard them make, explaining how it had snuck up on her.

“Let go of me!” Natalie screamed, trying to take their grip off her. She was soon distracted by the sound of hissing as the chair Aoife was restrained to, folded out and begun to roll back into the machine. “What’s happening to her? What are you doing?”

“Cyberqueen entering final stage of upgrade. The Cyberqueen will rise.” The machine holding Natalie proclaimed as Natalie heard the sound of buzz saws and drills return from inside the machine as she could hear them cutting into Aoife’s face and more pieces being drilled down into place. Natalie watched, thinking the experience must have been horrible but Aoife didn’t seem aware of any of this occurring to her. Natalie could see something lowering down from the machine onto Aoife’s face as it drilled down and welded into place.

The table rolled back out with the now fully converted Aoife as it folded out revealing her. Natalie’s heart sank as she saw her sister’s face now forever sealed behind the same cold expressionless face as the others and her entire body now replaced with a silver mechanical suit that would never age or die.

“Hail the Cyberqueen.” A voice erupted from the newly converted Aoife, the voice being a blend of the same electronic one as the other’s and her original.

“All hail the Cyberqueen.” The two robots said in union as they slammed their chests in salute. The restraints unlocked as the Cyberqueen rose up standing tall, well beyond six foot and with a strong pose.

“Aoife……no…….” Natalie breathed as she could feel tears forming in her eyes at the loss of her sister at the hands of these monsters. The Cyberqueen looked down on her as Natalie stared at its LED bulb eyes watching her.

“Sister…” The Cyberqueen groaned, watching her as hope filled Natalie’s heart.

“Aoife? Are you in there?” Natalie asked her in hope she and her sister could be saved.

“I was Aoife, your sister. I am now the Cyberqueen. The queen of the new age of humans.” The Cyberqueen told her, still self-aware of being Aoife.

“What are you talking about? You’re not my sister” Natalie said, staring at it as she felt like crying again.

“I was once Aoife Fair, but I have been upgraded so I can fulfill my true purpose. The Cybermen came to me from another time and world, they chose me as their queen and leader.” It explained to her.

“Why her? Why did you do this to my sister?” Natalie screamed at the now identified Cybermen.

“Aoife Fair is historically significant. Her mind will usher in a new technological age on Earth. Her mind is the most advanced and beneficial for the Cybermen Empire. We travelled to her in great numbers but we are now only two after the time storm destroyed our vessel.” The Cyberman explained to Natalie. Were they talking about the storm from last night, the explosions and noises she heard?

“I now know what I must do. The human race is dying from its own doing. Fuel runs short, population too high to sustain, diseases grows stronger and takes many and humans are too arrogant to change and save themselves. The Cybermen are the answer to this, an age of steel and silver, of undying men and women, without sickness, hunger or pain. Before becoming Cyberqueen, I slaved hours away, looking for solutions, and then it came to me. I took the Cybermen’s technology, repaired and updated it to my vision. I upgraded myself to the Cyberqueen and now the Earth will join my undying perfect society!” The Cyberqueen proclaimed as Natalie couldn’t believe what her sister has done.

“Hail!” The Cybermen saluted in agreement to their leader’s vision.

“And now Natalie. You’ll be the first to be upgraded into my new society. You will become the first Cyberwoman.” The Cyberqueen ordered as the Cyberman grabbed Natalie’s arms and begun to drag her over to the same chair Aoife was converted in.

“What? Aoife you can’t. Don’t turn me into one of these things. I don’t want this, stop!” Natalie screamed in fear, trying to break free as she was brought over to the Cyberconverter.

“Your fear will be taken away. No emotion will burden you. No pain will scare you. You’ll become perfection. The conversion will start with your brain in doing this, as more and more of your body will be encased in steel that will never age nor weaken.” The Cyberqueen explained to her as the Cyberman held Natalie down on the chair, ignoring her screams.

“We do not have the material and parts needed for the Cyberwoman design you demand, Cyberqueen.” The other Cyberman informed her.

“Use whatever parts have been scavenged. Minimum Cyberwoman upgrading is suitable; she can be fully upgraded when the requirements are met.” The Cyberqueen ordered them.

Natalie continued to kick and scream to escape, but the Cyberman’s strength was too much for her as it was hopeless. The second Cyberman walked over to them, holding different objects in their folded arms as they lay them on the table next to the cyber converter. It had in its two hands to halves of similar silver boots the Cyberqueen wore and clamped them in place into her left foot. It was tight and heavy as the magnetic restraint of the chair slammed down on it and immobilised it. They did the same with her right foot as she tried stopping them with their tight grasp hurting her and forcing her to stop struggling as it too became encased in a silver boot and restrained to the Cyberconverter.

“Struggling is feeble. You are only delaying the inevitable. Stun her.” The Cyberqueen ordered then, having no emotions for her former sister. One of the Cybermen’s palms clamped on Natalie’s body and sent an electric current through her body as she finally collapsed into the chair, weakened by the electricity.

Next, the Cybermen equipped her limp arms with steel gauntlets that looked like their own as they dug deep into her skin and were then restrained into the chair. Finally, they walked towards her with the faceless head of a Cybermen as Natalie tried to build back her strength and struggle, but her limbs were already bound and body still numb and unresponsive after the surge. They pulled the steel helm down Natalie’s head with the edges scratching hard and cutting into her skin from its weight as it completely covered her neck and hair with only her face visible.

The back of the head snapped and locked magnetically to the chair as Natalie could hear the helm beginning to beep and buzz as her head felt hot. Her hair and scalp were burning as if the helm was lasering and burrowing into her head. Natalie began to scream and squirm as she felt her hair burn away and what was like hot needles piercing into her head, and then, there was nothing.

Natalie stopped squirming and screaming as her face turned expressionless and her body still. She sat calmly in the chair as the Cybermen head continued to work on her head and mind.

“Conversion in process, Cyberqueen.” One of the Cybermen saluted to her.

“Good. Monitor and manage the conversion process.” Cyberqueen ordered the Cyberman who walked to the console. “Restock the Cyberconverter with the necessary parts for upgrading success.” the Cyberqueen ordered the second Cyberman who obeyed.

In Natalie’s mind, it felt like her brain was slowly dying. She could no longer hear the noises of the helm or the pain it was inflicting onto her. The fear and panic she felt suddenly cut off as she felt calm and at ease. She was still against getting converted, but now she didn’t care. She stared unresponsively ahead, waiting for it to end as her will and thought disintegrated away.

Natalie was already gone, her free will and thought was now gone and being enslaved by the Cybermen’s technology. Her brain was being reprogrammed as the Cybermen’s software downloaded into it. Her will, memories and thoughts were now monitored and controlledr by Cybermen beliefs. Everything now revolved around the Cybermen Empire, she had to do her part to serve the Cyberqueen and expand the Empire.

As the upgrading process finished on her mind, the chair she was restrained to folded out so she was now laying on her back, facing the ceiling. The table rolled back into the Cyber Converter until her body was completely inside it. She was now staring up at the Conversion tools consisting of saws, claws, syringes, laser cutters and welders all on arms. The machine came to live as the devices turned to life and descended down onto her.

Her fear and pain were already gone, just as the Cyberqueen promised. Natalie felt nothing as the converted disintegrated her regular clothes and begun to dissect her human body. Natalie lay there as the Cyber pieces already attached to her grew tighter with the removal of her skin and muscles. They didn’t have the pieces needed for main joints, using the remaining ones for the Cyberqueen’s conversion.

Because of this, the ball joints on her limbs were surgically replaced with metal ones to cope with the weight while the rest was converted. The area around her knees was left bare with barely a scar visible due to the advanced surgery. Between her knees and thighs was now mechanical steel with her hips now replaced with metal instead of bare skin. Because of this, it looked like a silver leotard now covered her torso, with a chest plate bearing the Cybermen insignia like the others. Her shoulders and elbows were bare but in between them were converted properly, with her hands now completely replaced with a mechanical set, left over like the boots for the Cyberqueen conversion.

The last thing Natalie remembered of the conversion was the steel face descending down towards her face while the converter cut and worked her. Her vision had left as she was left in darkness, unaware of the procedure.

Suddenly, hearing returned to her. Static at first but then she could hear the noises of the Cyberconverter still at work on her body. Next, she could see blue as black lines began to streak down her vision and grow more and more til she could see properly, now digitally in black and blue with little shading.

Natalie could see the arms retracting back up for cleaning, but she wasn’t Natalie anymore. She was aware of it and proud of it. Her upgrade was complete, she was now a Cyberwoman, ready to serve her empire and upgrade others for her Cyberqueen.

As she was wheeled out of the converter and released from their restraints, she was no longer a young human woman anymore. Just like her sister before, she had undergone the transformation of steel and silver, upgraded her mortal body into a immortal one with her mind now electronically programmed to believe and think like the others. Without remorse, emotions, feelings or pain. Only carrying out the will of the Cyberqueen.

“Hail to the Cyberqueen” The Cyberwoman saluted, taking its first steps, its voice blending the Cybermen technology with Natalie’s soft voice.

“Hail! Hail! Hail!” The other Cybermen joined in chanting. The Cyberqueen watched proudly. That would be what she would feel if she had feeling. She knew it would be hard to force on others to upgrade but it was needed for the planet’s survival. She would open their eyes to how better life is now without fear or pain. They would see her as her queen and shape the world to her vision, creating a steel and silver undying utopia.