April 3: The Middle of Nowhere

by Mackey Chandler

  "No, just as you could not use on Earth in a foreign country we would not be reimbursed if we offered treatment on it. However we have a policy of no tiered prices. Everybody pays the same and we will try to quote as accurately as possible what elective services will cost. Did you want an estimate on some service?" He looked funny at April. "Do you need privacy?" he added.

  "No, April is my employer at the moment. She actually urged me to come along because she intended to see you for the same reason. We are concerned we may be suffering from a degree of PTS. We, well, we've had a lot of people shooting at us lately. It's not paranoia because they really are," he emphasized.

  "I'm neither a psychiatrist nor a psychologist, but there are characteristic patterns of brain activity for which we can look with a standard test. If they are evident to a lesser degree, there are several drugs that can offer some relief. If there is a really severe problem then there are stronger drugs and behavior therapy for which I'd refer you, but I'd say offhand that is not present or I'd see an overt presentation of inappropriate behavior."

  "Such as?"

  "Well, you were willing to sit sideways to the door and look away from it. That is not the behavior of a severe case. I'd say we need about two hours of diagnostic time, which includes taking a general medical history and some base line testing, a brain scan and reading it. Say four to five hundred dollars and if you need a prescription it will probably run twelve to fifteen dollars a day."

  "Sounds cheap. Let's do it. Can you do it right now or do I need to come back?"

  "Right now. We might get interrupted if I need to treat someone, but that's not likely. Here, let me give you a questionnaire on your pad." He held his out to transfer a file. "I have April's data. If you'd go in the first room there and fill it out I should be done with April when you come out."

  April was done and even had a couple bottles of pills on the counter beside her when Gunny came out. Dr. Lee was wiping out a clamshell helmet with a sani-wipe. "This is a military field model of MRI scanner. We use a lot of military and EM model equipment because it is more compact. We have full body scan too, but this is optimized for the brain and has specialized software. If you'd sit here we'll project some images and sounds and get a baseline response."

  Gunny sat tense for awhile. The helmet played tones and showed various scenes and then music. Dr. Lee walked around behind him and picked up a clipboard from the counter.

  "Ah that's Virginia," Gunny noted after a scene. "Heh, you have some oldies too," he commented about the music.

  Dr. Lee didn't reply. He watched the readout on the helmet and when it reached a certain point he slammed the clipboard on the counter with a crack like a pistol shot.

  Gunny levitated straight up, grabbing the chair arms like he might float off. He gasped and started to reach up for the helmet and then controlled himself. "Was that really necessary Doc?" He was very unhappy.

  "I'm supposed to use a starter pistol, but we had reports that some patients threw off the helmet and the sight of even a starter pistol triggered unfortunate responses. It really was necessary to generate a startle response. And yes - you have a spike response I'd recommend mitigating with medication."

  "Did you do that to April too?"

  "I'd rather not discuss details of April with you. In any case she is much younger. The growing brain is different and has different concerns. I can offer you appropriate medication that will make you process threats much better. You will be able to do your job just as well and not wear yourself out expending attention at unsustainable levels. You should sleep better too. And yes, if you compare medications with April you will see that while you share one, the others two are different."

  "It won't slow me down?"

  "It absolutely will not reduce your reaction time."

  Gunny sighed. "Okay. Then I'll try it."

  "I'll write you a prescription for three weeks. If you feel it is making you ill in any way, come see us right away. If you have any unexplained rash or difficulty breathing or anything serious like that, please don't hesitate to request emergency transportation."

  "Is that likely?"

  "No, some doctors don't like to admit there might be any problem, but hey, some people can't tolerate aspirin. You never know who will have an allergy. If you are happy with how you feel get a refill when the three weeks are up. If you want another scan to try to quantify how it is working I'd be happy to do that."

  "How many refills do I get?"

  "We don't work it like that here. You're an adult. If you need drugs we'll sell them to you. If you want our advice, a prescription is a recommendation not a straightjacket. You want to try something else based on what you read or sell or give these to somebody else, well, it's your property not mine. You have the freedom on Home to be very smart or very stupid. Up to you."

  "April mentioned even marijuana is legal."

  "Yes, but the plant varies considerably in potency and it is terribly inconvenient to smoke in our environment. If you want it for an actual medical condition and not just recreational use I'd suggest looking into synthetic cannabinoids. There are different ones tailored for specific uses. Many of them will treat medical problems at a dosage that doesn't induce euphoria."

  "This is going to be an adjustment for me coming from North America."

  "I'm sure it is," Dr. Lee agreed. "But we haven't had that long to adjust ourselves," He punched in an order and got two small bottles from an automated pharmacy panel, he still opened them and checked them critically before handing them to Gunny. "I'll bill you against your com code number. Most of Home runs a cash or 30 day business settlement. If you think of any questions here is our com-" he offered it and let Gunny take the address. "They won't bother me off shift unless it is an emergency, but they have your data here."

  "You have to have a life too, Doc. Thank you for the help." He gathered his medicine and followed April, standing at the door already.

  "That was reasonable, but I suppose I should see about some kind of insurance for really catastrophic medical expenses."

  "I'm not sure who sells it," April admitted. "You'll have to research it."

  Gunny looked at her alarmed. "You have enough strangers shooting at you to consider it for yourself," he suggested.

  "Maybe. You can tell me what you find out. You heard what Dr. Lee said. You tend to be dead more often than just wounded, in his experience."

  "I wish you wouldn't say that like it's a positive thing."

  April stood in the corridor indecisive.

  "Forget where you parked?" Gunny joked.

  "I'd have never believed that possible before I visited Earth," April admitted. "I'm not hungry yet, but by the time we go home we'll need to turn around and head back for lunch. I'm not sure what to do."

  "Do they have delivery or carry-out?"

  "Actually, I inherited shares in a company that picks up food at the cafeteria and delivers it to your door for a small fee. But we're so close, we can get stuff in a thermal pack to take back."

  "Let's do it then. I haven't seen that yet."

  "Okay," she said, turning back the way they came. "I have Eddie coming to talk business this afternoon. I didn't want to worry about rushing back to meet him."

  Chapter 7

  "There used to be a place in town, a deli," Gunny said cleaning up their lunch, "and there were several parks and a beach nearby so they offered a pre-packed picnic basket for however many people you wanted. Sort of like this. My wife loved that place and we ate there fairly often. She liked everything so she just told the fellow to pack a picnic for two and surprise her. He was reluctant to do it the first time, but when she was happy with it he learned not to worry. We'd do it three or four times over the summer. She liked doing something different just for the experience. I loved that about her."

  "I like hearing stories like that. I'm sorry you lost your wife, but I think it's wonderful you ever found anyone who suited you so. I'm starting to think it's not as common as
the videos make it out to be."

  "Perhaps not. The videos show a lot of nonsense. You seem to have a lot of sense for your age. Good thing, since you got caught up in the middle of things and needed a lot of maturity to cope with it. A lot of kids years older than you couldn't have handled it. All you kids up here seem three or four years older than what you are. My brother's kids in Virginia are a year and two years older than you and he wouldn't dare leave them alone at home or they'd trash the place, or start making illegal phone calls, or drinking mouthwash and end up in Emergency. It's not legal to leave them alone anyway."

  April looked at him oddly. "I ran into a spy in the corridor and the contact seemed to make him break off his mission early. That was unexpected. But I could have stepped back and never got involved any deeper. I used it to ask Jon to ally with me and later Jeff and Heather too. After that Jeff and Heather and I all pushed our way into adult affairs because we were made aware we might lose our home on the hab and be forced to live on the slum ball. We actively made weapons in secret and got tech from others I still can't talk about."

  "We didn't get caught up in it; we conspired to promote revolution every chance we got. When Jon had to rescue Jeff's dad from ISSII we got a huge break because ours was the only ship he could hire and we armed it with Singh technology knowing there might be trouble. But even Jon kept trying to drop me from the crew right up until launch. It was no accident."

  "I thought from reading the record of the Assembly that they authorized armed ships."

  "Yes, but that was after we got back, after we had engaged both the USNA and Chinese ships. They authorized it after the fact. We were pirates plain as could be. They could have decided to repudiate our actions. I took my personal weapon off my belt and let them bolt it on the ship's camera arm with three others. Things might have settled down and the whole thing fizzled out if the Earth governments hadn't kept acting stupid and irritating people."

  "I'm starting to suspect what they allowed on the news in North America presented a false picture more than I even realized. Perhaps more so because I was military. If we looked for foreign news and bypassed the censors and they found out it could hurt your career, get you dropped in rank, lose a fellow his security clearance even."

  April just looked at him, but held her tongue.

  "God, that sounds so sheep-like," he admitted.

  "Looks different now from orbit and not under their thumb I would imagine," April allowed. "Did you ever see the video of us engaging the Pretty as Jade and the James Kelly? It was licensed to the BBC."

  "Nope. They kept that quiet. Oh, probably a lot of civilians worked around the net blocks and sent it around to each other. I saw quite a few of the kids dressing like you though. It drove the school and city authorities nuts. How did that come about anyway?"

  April blushed deeply and made waving away motions. "There was a Japanese news report. I was dressed in a costume to try to get a rise out of my exercise group. It was taken out of context," she insisted.

  "You have a copy of that? I'd like to see the stuff that was censored to North America and compare the timeline against what I'm reading in the Assembly record."

  "I'll give you the whole dump my brother sold the BBC," she said, hoping that would keep him too busy to see the Genji Akira piece.

  April sent the files to him. There was plenty there to keep him busy for days. Weeks if he cross checked them with the Assembly records. Did she have time to look into economics classes before Edward came? Probably not, she decided. Well, if she wanted to know about economics, why not ask Ed? He certainly had more money than anybody else she knew. Maybe he'd have some insight on what was worth her time.

  Gunny sat the empty lunch pack by the door and then picked it back up, reconsidering. "I'm going to run this back. I've been sitting too much."

  "I'll be here," April assured him.

  He stood at the door though, thoughtful and not leaving. "The doctor mentioned his pay rate today," he reminded her.

  "Yes, I remember."

  "Well, I assume he works pretty long hours," Gunny guessed.

  "I think most doctors do," April agreed.

  "But any way you figure, you're paying me about the same scale as a doctor," he said.

  "The doc doesn't have people shooting at him," April pointed out.

  Gunny nodded to acknowledge the truth of that. "Even so, thanks," he said before heading out the door finally.

  "You're welcome," she called after him.

  * * *

  The sound of voices jarred her out of her study after a bit. She wasn't used to someone coming in unannounced. Then she relaxed, hearing Gunny's low murmur and Eddie's sharper faster reply. Eddie always did kind of bark things out. He didn't talk over you, though.

  They stayed in the kitchen area and when they finally emerged Gunny had the big tea pot and Eddie carried a tray with cups and honey.

  "You just need a couple bench-top machines for customizing things and repairs," Ernie was saying. "There are plenty of prototyping and short run shops working here and on a couple other habitats to make parts for you. It's not like you'd need a hundred thousand pieces. The Swiss and the French already have a small hab that specializes in metallic glass alloys. With the materials coming off the Rock you shouldn't have to lift anything from Earth."

  "What ya making?" April asked Eddie.

  "The Sergeant was running the idea past me of opening a gun shop. He wasn't impressed with the selection at that new Chandlery and he would manufacture and do custom work and repairs, which they don't."

  "I only got him contracted for a month and you're already trying to steal him away?"

  "Not me," Eddie said, holding his hands up in dramatic innocence. "He's talking about starting his own business. He hasn't said anything about partnering or loans. But it sounds like something we need. If he can't carry the startup costs himself, somebody will buy in. The investors from the smaller countries are practically running up and down the corridors yelling and waving cash money right now."

  Gunny poured them tea and leaned back relaxed.

  "You know what?" April directed at Gunny and suddenly grinned.

  "What?" he asked- interested, but not worried.

  "You are acting different already. I feel different too, but had to see it in you to think about it. I didn't expect that medication to work this fast, but no way you'd have leaned back all relaxed like that yesterday morning."

  "You're right. I never thought to ask Doctor Lee how long it took to kick in."

  "PTS meds," he said to Eddie's worried look. "After awhile people shooting at you starts to get to you."

  "Eddie has been in combat," April informed him. "He put a missile in the James Kelly and blew her in two. He has as much right to be stressed as us."

  "Yes, but sitting at a weapons board and seeing a dot get wiped off your radar screen isn't like seeing your assailant pointing a weapon at you and hearing bullets crack past."

  "It wasn't like that at all, you seriously need to see the video," April insisted. "I'll bring it up on the screen."

  "Wow, they were right there," Gunny admitted after watching it. "And you opened the lock up to shoot it right off your shoulder. I was treating you like some poser. I apologize, Ed."

  Eddie just waved it away as unimportant with a flip of his hand.

  "Yep, they were just a couple hundred yards away," April agreed. "We have external racks now, but back then everything was make-shift and jury rigged, we only had two missiles in little disposable launching tubes anyway."

  "I was under stress from the combat for such a brief period," Eddie explained, "and my attention was really focused on doing my job and recovering Mr. Singh. I was worried because my family became involved more than any brief personal risk. I've experienced no bad dreams or anything. I can see how chronic stress happens however, especially when it keeps being reinforced over and over."

  "You have family up here who were at risk?"

  "No, I might as
well tell you. My family are Earthies, but they are all Mafia. I've had a horrible time keeping my professional life separated from them. When I disappeared myself to work undercover they had this misapprehension I'd been kidnapped or worse. Once they were quite sure the fellow playing my double hadn't harmed me they saw me safely back on our ship and quietly left."

  "Does the mob have a boss running its business on Home?" Gunny asked.

  "Do you know, I never wondered about that? Before the war I always assumed we were too small to support a criminal underworld. But now consider, how can you have organized crime when there is almost no law? If you want to sell drugs, or engage in prostitution or take bets you can. There are no cops to bribe and any conflict between competitors wouldn't have to be hidden."

  "But you do have the community standards that are backed by the ability to call a duel. I heard it related there was very nearly one already. Until those boundaries are pretty well established and defined I'd tread very lightly on any activities that might get me called out."

  "Indeed you are very much correct on that. There are already several services being offered that would be illegal below, but the practitioners are keeping a very low public profile to not call attention to themselves. It would be hard to call someone out if it wasn't a public matter. I expect it to stay that way for a long time," Eddie told them with an amused smile. "It isn't that much different from when I was growing up in a small rural town in Illinois. Everything looked prim and proper walking down main street, but you could buy any vice you wanted."

  "What sort of stuff?" April wondered.

  "Nothing you need to know and telling you would embarrass me. Do you really want to make me uncomfortable?" Eddie asked.

  "No, I'll just ask my grandpa. I know he had a bookie before the war, so he probably knows everything going on and he's impossible to embarrass."

  "That's one of the perks of being older. I suspect Life Extension is going to make it hard to play the grumpy old geezer. It'll be hard to carry off if you don't look old. The whole idea may vanish in time and people may not understand it in old literature."