So Close to Home

by Galen Surlak-Ramsey

  I frowned. “More so than it is right now?”

  “Well…yes and no,” he replied. “The good news is, you were correct in your self-diagnosis. The level of Nodari venom in your blood is at critical levels.”

  “I fail to see how that’s good news.”

  “Compared to the bad, it’s terrific,” he went on. “The bad news is our stock of pharmaceuticals is low. There’s only enough to formulate one try at the antivenin.”

  “One try?” I repeated.

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s too bad you didn’t sign up for platinum-explore-level insurance against low pharmaceutical storage. You could have made a claim and been reimbursed for additional expenses in as little as four years. Would you like to hear more?”

  “No, god, no,” I groaned. “Just do whatever you have to do to make that one serum work.”

  “Field testing will be required,” he said. “Batch should be ready in approximately ten minutes. Please enjoy this pleasant serenade as you wait.”

  I cringed as the announcer hummed some unknown melody. Holy snort. Ten minutes? Could I last that long? Pain aside, how much longer did I have to live before my insides turned into a Dakota slurry. “Any chance you can inject me with 3,000cc’s of the most amazing painkiller ever? Because if so, go ahead and do that a couple of times.”

  “Initiating treatment plan,” the announcer said. “You are strongly encouraged to hold still at this time. If you choose not to abide by instructions, you automatically waive all rights to proper and prompt care.”

  I shut my eyes and listened to the ring sweep over me two more times. When it was finished, one of the surgical arms from above zipped down with a noisy whir before sticking my neck with a slender needle. I didn’t move, terrified I might cause it to puncture something I might want left intact, like my jugular. I dared a peek, and from the corner of my eye, I could see it drawing blood into a clear vial about the size of my hand.

  Once that vial was filled, the machine withdrew the needle and placed said vial into a compartment overhead that snapped shut. Another minute passed while the machine above hummed and beeped before a bubbling noise grabbed our attention. I wasn’t sure if I should sit up to look, so I craned my head back to see what was going on.

  The middle tank was a flurry of activity. Bubbles churned through some sort of gel that filled the thing while electricity arced constantly inside. The gel darkened to a forest green before turning a burnt brown and finally jet black. At that point, the bubbling and churning stopped for a few seconds before a milky substance was injected forcefully from the top. This new addition displaced the black gel in the tube, and thus instead of seeing all black, all we saw was white.

  “What’s going on in there?” I asked.

  “I don’t think it’s making milk, if that’s what you’re leaning toward,” Jack said, approaching with caution. “At least, I wouldn’t recommend making a smoothie out of it. But you can if that’s your thing.”

  This new liquid drained away, revealing me on the other side. Well, not me, me, but a clone of me. Or a replica. Or a…hell, I don’t know what to call it. Probably a clone. We’ll go with that. Clone Me floated gently inside the tube, suspended perfectly in the middle, naked as the day I was born.

  “Now that’s not what I was expecting,” Jack said, drawing to Clone Me like a moth to a flame.

  “Little privacy!” I said, trying to sit up but instead being smacked with enough vertigo that I fell back on the table.

  “It’s not you,” Jack protested. “Besides, there’s stuff sticking out of her back. That’s kind of gross.”

  “She’s close enough,” I said. “And I don’t care if there are angel wings coming out her back. Stop gawking.”

  “Is that like…a real person in there?” he asked.

  “Subject is an organic replicant currently devoid of consciousness and for testing purposes only,” the announcer said. “Would you like me to initiate brain activity? We are currently running a special on biological clones who are fully capable of assisting or even replacing all functional duties of their organic mold.”

  “No,” I said. “We’re not having another me run around, especially out here where she’ll just get killed.”

  “Are you sure? This special is a great one. Eighty-five percent off the usual fare if you act now.”

  “I said no, and I meant it,” I said. “Just fix me.”

  “As you wish.”

  The tank made some buzzing noises before the entire suspension was replaced by yet another liquid bath, this one a ruby red that made it look like she was being held in a large vat of gelatin. The ring above me spun around me, and another mechanical arm swooped down and pinned me to the table.

  “Stand by for subject preparation,” said our unseen announcer. “Moving may cause injury.”

  A needle followed, this one jabbing into the other side of my neck. A cold liquid was injected, and a shiver ran through my body as goosebumps raised on my skin.

  “If you would be so kind as to enter the medical pod to the right of the test subject, we can finish your treatment,” announcer guy said.

  I tried to get up on my own but failed miserably. Thankfully, my best bud swept me into his giant paws. He was about to stuff me in the pod when announcer man chimed in. “She’ll need her clothes removed,” he said. “Impurities may interfere with treatment.”

  Tolby balked, and I gave him a reassuring flop of the hand. “Just do it. I don’t care.”

  The big guy nodded, and in a flash, he stripped me bare. Not that I would’ve put a halt to things on account of my guts turning to Nodari slurry had Jack not turned around, but I will admit, when I saw him give me his back, I appreciated it to no end.

  “See you soon,” Tolby said, as he popped me into the tube.

  “Don’t run off without me,” I said, managing to crack a half smile.

  The pod sealed right after and filled with a semi-clear liquid. After some more whirrs and buzzes, all the pods sank underneath the floor.

  Just before I lost consciousness, I was treated to a quick view of whatever technological marvels the Progenitors had constructed in the floor below. The room looked like it could swallow an apartment building or two. A hefty construct took up most of the space. It had sloped sides and at least three dozen arms that shot off in all directions. On each of these arms spun several discs that gave off a dizzying array of lights, and from the very center of it all, out came a diamond-shaped probe that trailed long wisps of metallic hair.

  My pod and the one next to me gently sank to the floor before rotating and tilting so that the clone and I were on our backs. The probe floated about my tank, and using one of its filaments, it jabbed the side of my pod.

  Darkness swallowed my world. I wasn’t aware of much at that point, but I could feel the pain in my joints and gut lessen. It didn’t take long for it to go from excruciating to painful to mildly annoying. I fell asleep, but when I woke—which couldn’t have been that long after—I was being raised back into the room with the others, practically good as new.

  The pod popped open, and I fell out, soaked from head to toe. “Doc, you’re a miracle worker,” I said, slowly sitting up with a hefty sigh of relief. “I’d have your babies if I could.”

  Jack, who still had his back turned toward me, huffed and crossed his arms. “Him? After all I’ve done and carried you through. You could’ve at least offered to buy me dinner.”

  “I’ll buy you dinner. Don’t worry,” I said as I shook dry as best I could before tossing on my clothes. “I’ll even get you a root beer float.”

  “I’d rather have whiskey if that’s okay with you.”

  “I’ll buy you a whole distillery once we’re out of this mess.” I paused and looked myself over. My skin had a light, fluorescent yellow sheen to it, like the glow produced by fireflies. I rubbed my index finger across my forearm and picked some of it up and noted it felt sticky and smelled like bananas. “Why am I oozing glowy stuff?”<
br />
  “Are you not supposed to?” the announcer said. “I’ve read numerous accounts of humans where they were described as glowing.”

  “Yes, glowing, like extremely happy or elated,” I said. “Not anything like this.”

  The announcer laughed. “I know. You ought to lighten up. Stress produces high blood pressure and in turn can cause considerable wear and tear on a human. Would you like to hear more about our anti-stress packages? We have a number to choose from that can meet the needs of any individual or family.”

  I shook my head, not appreciating his attempt at being funny. “Could you just tell me what this is about? I don’t like turning into a lightning bug.”

  “It’s the toxins leaving your body,” he explained. “I’m afraid you will be a gigantic lightning bug for at least another hour or two. It really depends on how fast your body processes the new compound as the antivenin attaches itself to the Nodari particulates inside of you.”

  “That’s going to make sneaking around here a lot harder,” Jack said.

  “Maybe we should turn the lights on full bright,” Tolby suggested. He was trying to sound serious, but there was a snicker in his voice and a not-so-suppressed grin on his face. “On the bright side, we could use you for a visual confirmation to land a ship at night.”

  “Or even better, maybe we could set some concave mirrors around her and blind the Nodari,” Jack added.

  “How about we simply get to the ship,” I said.

  They made a couple more remarks at my expense before I silenced them with a glare. I guess I can’t blame them too much, seeing how we were in a high-stress situation and a little joking here and there was probably what everybody needed to keep sane.

  “Here, put this on,” Jack said, handing me a set of Kibnali armor.

  It was at that point I realized he had none. “Is this yours?”

  “Not anymore,” he said.

  I shook my head. “Thanks, but I don’t need you to be chivalrous. I’ll be fine. Besides, it probably doesn’t fit.”

  “It’s all modular and easily customizable, remember?” he said. “Now take it.”

  I glanced to Tolby, who threw me “don’t argue” look, and thus, I reluctantly put it on. “Okay, but if the Nodari melt your face, I’m absolving myself of any and all guilt,” I said.

  “Oh, if I get melted, I definitely expect you to mourn my loss every day for the next hundred years,” he replied with a grin.

  Daphne’s voice cut in over the comm. “Dakota, are you alive?”

  “I am, and I’m feeling a ton better. Are you almost here?”

  “Yes, spatially at least.”

  “Spatially?”

  “Temporally, no,” she said. “I am unable to decrease rendezvous time due to Nodari interference.”

  “I see,” I said, thinking perhaps I didn’t. “You’re not stuck in the past or something weird, are you?”

  “No, don’t be silly. You’re the only careless time traveler in the group.”

  “Then what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying there are too many Nodari between me and you to get there safely, and thus, it’ll be a while if you want me to get to the medical bay.”

  “Oh, why didn’t you say that to begin with.”

  “I thought I did.”

  I snickered and shook my head. “Can you make it to the hangar?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Good, we’ll see you there.”

  We left the examination room and made a brief stop inside the waiting area, where I looked at the map of the facility once last time to check the route to the hangar. It was a straightforward path that took us through a section of the art museum that was dedicated to the works of the Gilbanat.

  Since we were moving quickly and quietly and didn’t have a lot of reading time, I only got the gist of who the Gilbanat were. They lived on a planet filled with volcanoes and under the constant rain of ash and acidic rain. This meant that life expectancy for those who were running around on the surface was short, and the amount of fun in the sun one could have was even shorter. Thus, this insect-like race had remained entirely underground and made sculptures out of lava. Most of the sculptures made were terrifying beasts and gods who the Gilbanat thought of as terrorizing their existence nonstop, but there was another branch of Gilbanat art which featured dreams of what heaven and life would be like on the surface had there not been raining fire and hurricanes of poisonous gas.

  To them, heaven was crystal-clear water that was surrounded by banks of snow and ice. The sun in the sky, too, was cold (not sure how that worked, ecology wise) and the most popular pastime was being able to stand up straight while the wind blew by and sucking in large quantities of air without falling over dead. I understand that might be a little weird to some who are living in relatively nice places, but if you’ve ever been to Los Troit, where the smog from the cars is as thick as politicians who ran that city into the ground, you’ll understand how that wish could be anything and everything you’d ever want.

  We had gotten through most of the exhibit without incident. When we took a side hall, however, and entered a section with brown-and-white marble flooring, tall, peach-colored walls, and an arched ceiling with track lighting installed near the edge, we ran into a group of Nodari scouts trotting down the hall toward us.

  “Watch it!” Tolby said a moment before the firefight began.

  I had already thrown myself to the side and began shooting before he had finished his warning. My aim was still nowhere near good enough to write home about, but in the initial exchange of fire, I did manage to drill one of them in the knee, dropping it to the ground. A couple of scouts next to it didn’t even have time to raise their weapons before Jainon shot both square in the face.

  The final two Nodari didn’t fare better. The first one caught three shots to the chest by Tolby, while the last was put down by Jack. As it fell, its skull a smoldering mess, the one I hit brought his weapon to bear and fired. The shot struck Tolby in the lower abdomen, just to the side. A heartbeat later, Jainon nailed the scout three times over, finishing it off.

  The infamous yellow goo chewed through Tolby’s armor with frightening speed and an unsettling hiss. Tolby roared in defiance as he ripped his armor off and let it fall to the ground only seconds before the acid chewed through his flesh.

  “We’ve got to work on your aim,” Tolby said, sucking in a breath and examining his body. Other than some missing fur and a little bit of red puffiness on his skin, he was no worse for wear.

  “I know,” I said, feeling awful. Though we had survived, it was clear that was only because Tolby’s armor had saved him, and now that armor was no more. If he got hit again…My throat tightened, and I pushed that thought away.

  “No need to dwell on it now,” he said, to my relief.

  We continued, picking up the pace. When we reached the end of the hall where it split left and right, we were about to go right when a new monster lumbered into view.

  The thing was flanked by four scouts, two on each side, and as terrorizing as the scouts looked in general, they had nothing on this new guy. This massive creature could have easily stood four meters tall if it hadn’t had to hunch over due to the art gallery ceiling. Sinewy legs covered in the telltale Nodari exoskeleton kept it upright, and it dragged a lengthy tail with a barbed hook behind it. Its two upper arms ended in claws that could crush a mountain, while two smaller ones beneath those held a ginormous biological rifle that was connected to its back via organic tubes.

  “That thing definitely does not eat carrots,” I said, backpedaling as fast as I could.

  It’s a good thing I’d been hanging out with giant cats, because I’m pretty sure I used up one of my nine lives I’d gotten via osmosis when a massive blast of acidic goo flew past me at nearly supersonic speed and promptly melted half the corridor.

  “What the hell is that?” Jack yelled as we took off, running back the way we came.

  “A Nodari cap
tain,” Tolby answered. He unhooked his last grenade and tossed it back the way we came. “If the captains have made landfall, the Nodari monarch isn’t far behind.”

  “Captains, as in plural? You mean there are more of them?” I stumbled forward as the grenade went off. Even though Tolby had managed to bounce it around the corner and shield us from most of the blast, the shockwave was more than enough to keep me fighting for balance.

  “There are usually three to a landing force,” Jainon replied. “But sometimes more.”

  “Holy snort, there are at least two more running around? What’s it take to kill one? A tank?”

  “Orbital strikes usually work the best,” she said thoughtfully.

  “Anything else I want to know as this battle has gone from bad to worse?”

  “I don’t think you want to know anything else,” Tolby said with a chuckle. “But you should know the monarchs are even deadlier, and nothing short of a full broadside from a cruiser will take it down.”

  “Wonderful.”

  As we ran, I could hear the Nodari captain charging after us. Despite the twisting path we took, it stayed on our heels, but thankfully out of sight. It stayed out of sight, that is, until we took a wrong turn and ended up in a long hall of miniature displays and exactly zero side passages to dart down.

  With no other options, we sprinted as fast as we could. When we were about halfway to the other end, a deafening roar came from behind. I looked over my shoulder to see the Nodari captain barreling toward us. The main cannon it held was missing a large chunk from its middle, and it dripped a thick, brown goo from its bottom. I assumed that meant it was broken since we hadn’t been vaporized on the spot. But the captain didn’t need such weapons to finish us off. The enormous lobster claws it touted would be more than enough to crush all four of us in a split second if it could close the distance.

  The captain came at us faster than a runaway freight train, and I knew we didn’t have a prayer to make it. I turned and slowed just long enough to give it the most massive telekinetic punch I could. Using what I learned while fighting Goliath, I aimed for the captain’s eye. The blow was everything I had and then some. It shattered the left side of the monster’s face, sending gore and pieces of exoskeleton everywhere. The captain reeled sideways and crashed into a couple of paintings hanging on the wall.