The Syn-En Solution

by Linda Andrews

  Richmond leapt confidently to the floor. A bright smile lit her features. “And then the Syn-En lost their rights?”

  “That didn’t happen until the United Earth Nations formed. You see no single nation could afford their own Enhanced Force so they pooled their money, and took advantage of a little known law enacted in 2012, that allowed them to take the children of indebted adults as well as conscript their parents, and the Syn-En Force was born. So was a caste system in what had been free societies.” Nell tasted the bitterness in her mouth. That loophole had been created in her lifetime. Would early twenty-first century Americans have allowed it if they had known where it would lead?

  “I would rather die than give up my freedom.” Richmond curled her hand into a fist. Gone was the look of a girl, instead she now appeared as a resolute soldier.

  “It was different times and it probably saved us from extinction. Despite the Enhanced soldiers, the census of 2025 recorded only fifty thousand childbearing adults on the entire planet.” Nell cleared away the damaged material, and arranged her operating tools on the gurney. In the back of her thoughts, Nell listened to her mother/conscience selecting the next patient. “The original Syn-En charter was for ten years, then the force was to be disbanded. But it didn’t work out that way.”

  “No it did not. We became slaves.” Richmond closed her eyes for a moment. “You have used parts for purposes other than they were intended. Yet, I do not detect any incompatibilities. In fact, they are functioning better than the prescribed way with a time savings of over ten hours. Perhaps there is something to this bio flexibility you champion.”

  “Perhaps.” Nell moved the tool laden gurney to the side and wheeled the nearest sheet-draped body into position under the imager.

  Richmond lowered the imager’s arms around the patient’s head. “How do you know this part of the Syn-En history when it is not in our program?”

  “My brother received the first Syn-En prosthesis.” Nell spoke with pride and sorrow. Her brother had enlisted to save her family when the power plant melted down in their hometown. Instead he had discovered their family had been slaughtered months before.

  With confident strides, Richmond walked to the computer and initialized the scanner. “Then that makes you a Syn-En, Nell Stafford. We are inducted as families.”

  Family. Nell cleared the lump from her throat. It would be nice to be surrounded by people who accepted you no matter what.

  See, I told you by helping them you will be accepted and it should be easier to finish your mission.

  “Thank you for the honor of considering me a Syn-En.” Nell shuffled over to the supplies corner to retrieve more spare parts. Life would be easier now that she knew her job was to lead them to Terra Dos. Too bad she sensed another purpose buried deep inside, one that jeopardized her new Syn-En family.

  The Supreme Council of United Earth Nations empowers the Syn-En Fleet authorities to enforce their collective will

  for the betterment of the mission, the service and humanity.

  Right of Jurisprudence

  Syn-En Vade Mecum

  Chapter Thirteen

  Where the hell could the woman have gone? Bei strode into sick bay, caught the scent of disinfectant, blood and burnt NDA. Fatigue twisted his thoughts back on themselves and responsibility hung heavy on his artificial limbs. The status of his fleet. The findings of the scientists. The citizens’ attack. And always, Nell Stafford. The woman lurked in his cerebral interface like a computer virus.

  Thirty-six hours had passed since he’d last seen her. Between the prioritizing repairs and supplies, retrieving his men and reassigning crews and dealing with the civilians, he’d barely had a thought to himself. And yet the memory of her smile haunted him. Bei needed to see her and assure himself of her safety. That was all he’d allow. Despite her fancy words, they were too different. Even now, fury against citizens remained a dormant beast in the WA, waiting for a reason to strike.

  A reason in the form of one unaltered human.

  Hell, Bei knew she’d already been injured, had felt the attack the moment one of his men had deliberately run into her. Doc had confirmed that she remained healthy and active while explaining she wanted to protect her assailant’s identity. Bei had allowed the incident to pass because he hadn’t yet made it clear to everyone in the fleet that she was under his protection.

  Thanks to the WA, it was crystal clear now, and his men resented it.

  They saw her as a citizen, yet she was so much more. She was hope and the future. Their future. Bei ran his hand through his short, black hair before scanning the large room. Harsh white light filled the near empty infirmary’s triage room. The scrape of his boots against the deck echoed back to him. For a moment his gaze landed on a heap of mangled limbs, spotlighting the rising cost of the mission. His gut clenched.

  While Syn-En armor protected him and his men from most injuries, flesh and bone could be damaged quite easily.

  If Nell were well, why would Doc bring her to sick bay? Had he lied about her injuries? No. Bei trusted his chief medical officer. Hell, he trusted all his men.

  Just perhaps not with Nell.

  Bei struggled with the inconsistencies. Something about her drove him, made him want to see to her needs and protection personally. The ridiculousness of the thought irritated him. With the citizens openly declaring war against the Syn-En, he could not afford the appearance of favoring her, even if she had come to save them.

  No amount of soft skin, silky hair or easy smiles could change that. Bei focused on the white floor. But those words she’d uttered, her acceptance of him and her beautiful flaws… Bei shook off the thoughts.

  The mission and his men came first.

  At least until they settled on Terra Dos.

  Footsteps echoed through the corridor branching off sick bay’s reception area. Doc rounded the corner; blood stained his green apron. The iris and sclera of his left eye were black, no doubt from data streaming down his optic implant relaying his patients’ status via the WA. When Bei crossed his line of sight, Doc drew up short and his eye returned to normal. “Admiral, I thought Wilson had seen to your damage already.”

  “The civie is a damn good mechanic.” Bei flexed his arms and glanced down, relieved to see his feet still pointed in the right direction. The abrupt stop to prevent them from slamming into the wormhole’s dead end had damaged everything, including him. Fortunately, he and most of his men recovered quickly.

  Doc swept his dark hair away from his forehead. “You got my report?”

  Bei nodded, bringing up the information and gestured for Doc to return back down the hallway. Nell had to be here somewhere. Doc had been charged to watch her. “Twenty-nine Syn-En reported fatal errors due to biologic failures, one hundred twelve civilians injured and sixty-nine civilian casualties. We’re also running short on spare parts.”

  Doc spun on his heel and retraced his steps. “With all the information flying around the WA, I wasn’t sure you’d find my report.”

  “High priority usually gets my attention.” Bei nodded as they passed a series of closed doors. Imaging. Toxicology. RBC treatment and quarantine rooms. The morgue. His footsteps slowed as they passed. He would have to make a point of visiting those in their last moments and thank them for their service. After he found Nell.

  Doc glanced at the white door, sealing inside a roomful of terminal Syn-Ens. “With your permission, I’d like to start trying to save the Syn-En with damage to their biologic core. It’s not right they should run down like ancient clocks, when I have the time to prevent it.”

  Bei chaffed at the UEN resolution prohibiting his medical staff from operating on his men’s biological components. “Can any of them still be saved?”

  “Maybe one.” Doc frowned. “The procedures are damned complicated and lengthy. If we’d been able to operate on some of them before seeing to the civilians’ minor injuries…”

  “You’re in charge of triage. Draft a new procedure fo
r prioritizing treatment.” Although he knew some civilians might complain, Bei trusted Doc and his staff. Where most of his men excelled at taking lives, Doc and his staff could save so many. They would do the right thing. “We’ve thrown off the yoke of citizen oppression, we might as well get rid of the laws that are not just.”

  Doc’s shoulders relaxed. “Is the scuttlebutt in the WA correct? Do we really have a plan to exit the wormhole?”

  “If all goes well, the fleet could enter Terra Dos’s airspace in twenty days.” Now Bei just needed to find their human savior. The one who might hold the key to those final equations plaguing his Science staff. When the corridor opened onto the recovery room, he glanced around, searching for Nell among the seven rows of beds holding patients.

  “That’s a relief.” Doc smothered a yawn behind his hand. “What about the rest of the fleet? Any news on the status of the new inductees?”

  Med techs moved between the rows of recovering civilians, changing bandages, checking life signs and muttering soothing words. The navy uniforms of the Syn-En personnel looked like shadows among the waves of white.

  No Nell. While Bei was glad she hadn’t been hurt, that didn’t solve his problem. Only one man could. Bei focused on Doc. “The America and her escorts are estimated to rendezvous with us in twenty days. The wormhole’s event horizon must be open by the time they appear on our sensors. Preliminary intell reports the America’s size limits her maneuvering and braking capabilities. She’d never make the turn, let alone stop before the wormhole ends.”

  Fear pulsed through Bei. If they didn’t get that event horizon open, the America would be lost with all hands on board. The citizens had taken her life pods and the new inductees wouldn’t last long in space. Timing was key. And so were those equations waiting to be deciphered.

  “We’ll make it, Admiral.” Doc set his hand on Bei’s shoulder. “How many sleep cycles have you missed?”

  “Four.” Although Bei knew his upgrades could power him through another four days, he didn’t like the sluggishness clogging his circuits. He wanted to sleep, but first he had to find Nell, make certain she was safe.

  A handful of injured glanced up. The civilians’ attention slid off him to bounce around the hall.

  Bei acknowledged the civilians with a nod. Yet another reason to find Nell. The civies needed a biologic in charge.

  “You’ve been up almost five days?” Doc whistled low. “You’ll need eight hours to recover and I expect you to get every minute of them. Don’t make me initiate a snooze command.”

  Bei smiled at the threat. Even Doc couldn’t override an Admiral’s cerebral interface. “I planned to catch up, but my quarters were empty.”

  “You’re very lucky.” Confusion furrowed Doc’s brow before he turned back toward the corridor. “This is the most alone I’ve been in a month.”

  “Where is Nell, Doc?”

  The med tech changing a nearby civilian’s bandages snorted. A burst of anger flashed through the WA.

  Bei clamped down on his own response. Too many of his men saw Bei’s concern for Nell as a sort of betrayal. Much as he wished to, he could not order the feeling away. Bei ignored the technician’s response. Given time, Nell would show them she was different. By placing her under his protection, he could wait for the opportunity she needed to win them over.

  Doc shuffled down the hallway, stopped, then glanced over his shoulder. “She was here. She wanted to help and I didn’t see the harm.” He opened the NDA covering his forearm and brought up Nell’s genetic profile. “I’ll scan for her.”

  Bei’s quick strides closed the distance between them. Did Doc think Bei hadn’t already thought of that? “Nell doesn’t have an ident chip and the scanners aren’t capable of detecting her genetic code among the rest of the civilian population.”

  His words echoed down the deserted hallway.

  Doc slowly closed his scanner portal. “I’m sure no one would hurt her.”

  Bei cocked an eyebrow. She’d already been pushed around. Given the Syn-En strength, it wouldn’t take much to snap her neck.

  Sighing, Doc stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, Admiral. It was my duty to watch her and I failed.”

  Bei nodded. Apologies wouldn’t find Nell. “Where is the last place you remember seeing her?”

  Doc gestured down the hall. “In the corridor on the way to the surgical rooms.”

  “How long ago?”

  Closing his eyes, Doc searched his internal chronometer. “Thirty hours.”

  Damn. Bei tamped down his rising irritation. “We’ll search the rooms on this level then branch out.”

  If they didn’t find her, he would call the chief and have security search the other decks.

  As Bei followed the arcing corridor to the reception area, voices echoed back to him. Laughter quickly followed. Could they be civilians coming to visit their fallen comrades? Humor hardly seemed appropriate given the condition of those remaining behind. With a blink of his eyes, Bei accessed the CIC and began matching voiceprints. He frowned as a woman’s low tone returned a result. “Crewwoman Richmond is listed among the dead.”

  Doc frowned. “Her time should have expired six hours ago.”

  “Yet she is talking.” Bei increased his pace, heading toward the morgue. The double doors opened as he approached.

  A limbless Syn-En hung between Richmond and another crewman as they walked from the morgue into the hallway. More of Bei’s men shuffled behind them. While most were missing one or more of their limbs, none of them were dead. How had they survived the damage to their biologic core?

  Doc rushed forward. The green diagnostic beam of light radiating from his palm swept over the twenty people.

  Bei focused on one woman in the middle of the pack. Stands of brown hair floated around her oval face. Her nose was wrinkled and her full lips were pulled down at the corners. Although he had perfect recall, his memory couldn’t match the animation of her features. Relief threatened to buckle his knees.

  “It is not funny. This… This stuff you eat is cruel and unusual punishment.” Nell’s voice drifted on an air current. When a black bubble appeared at the opening of the tube in her hand, she stuck the tip in her mouth. Her cheeks bowed slightly as she sucked up the Syn-En ration.

  Her soft pull on the nutritional supplement brought a swift reaction to Bei’s lower body. So much for his decision to remain immune from her charms. He stopped feeding the WA his emotions.

  Doc circled the crowd, astonishment loosening his jaw. “You have been repaired.”

  Richmond beamed at him then maneuvered to the right and stopped. “Nell Stafford fixed us.”

  “All of you?” Doc shut off the life signs scanner and scratched his head.

  “Me first.” Richmond nodded. “Then I helped with the next. After that we worked on separate patients under her direction. Her knowledge is most extraordinary.”

  Nell blushed and fidgeted under the attention. Slowly, she pulled the tube out of her mouth and licked her lips. “I just did what anyone would do.”

  Bei smiled, recognizing the pride pumping through him. No one would have done what Nell did. Her modesty and disregard of normal civilian-Syn-En relations attracted him more than her body. He skimmed down her petite form. And that said a lot.

  Swaying on his feet like he’d just been tagged by a stun gun, Doc tugged on his dark hair. “Dermal patches infused with antibiotics for internal injuries. Viral nanowires for sutures. You plated DNA onto machines to prevent organ rejection. And it actually worked.”

  Nell shrugged, cleared her throat, and ran her thumb up the side of the ration tube, milking the last bit of nourishment. “Not all of my ideas met with success. No one would use the wheelchair or the crutches.”

  Bei smiled at the frustration in her voice. She who knew so much, seemed ignorant of Syn-En behavior. Only the dead and dying would stoop to using wheels to get about. Bei fought the urge to comfort her, knowing if he touched her, he might not be able
to stop.

  Doc inched forward, scanning Richmond. “This is most extraordinary. Your bodies are already healing. In fact they are incorporating the technology into their systems. It is truly a blend of biology and technology. How did you accomplish such a feat?”

  Nell shrugged. “I just wanted to help.”

  Richmond pulled a crystal from her pocket and handed it to Doc. “I have made copious notes. Her methods should reduce casualties among the civilians. In fact, I don’t think we’ll have to use artificial organs at all, but this blend. The data contains more procedures than we used.”

  Doc retrieved the data chip from her palm and held it up to the light. “Is this Nell’s?”

  Bei’s attention drifted from perusing Nell to Doc. “Where did Nell obtain a crystal?”

  Doc eyed the clear obelisk. “It came with her in the stasis unit.”

  “Admiral.” As if just noticing him, the group snapped to attention, without falling over in the process.

  “At ease.” Using the CIC, Bei restored their WA access. There would be some very surprised Syn-Ens once their consciousness appeared online. Leave it to Nell to perform another miracle. Bei stopped in front of her and waited. Exhaustion colored the delicate skin around her eyes.

  “Beijing.” Nell’s lips curved into a smile and a light flared in her indigo eyes. She seemed happy to see him.

  He was definitely happy to see her, but clasped his hands behind his back to keep from touching her. Time and separation appeared to have increased his attraction to her, not diminished it.

  Richmond nudged Nell.

  The action caused Nell to drop the tube. Her mouth opened as she watched her snack slide across the deck. “Hey. I’m not finished with that.”

  Walking the three steps to the wall, Bei scooped up the ration, wiped the tip on his sleeve and handed her back her prize. “I think it is nearly empty.”