by Saxon Andrew
“It sounds like you’ve done this before?”
Gem looked at him, “How do you think we keep track of what’s going on around us? We have ships out keeping track of those that need watching. Besides, I need the time to prepare Victoria and Desiree to complete most of their training and your crews need the time to prepare themselves physically for the missions.” Gem paused and said, “Not to mention being trained on the small arms they’ll be using.”
“I need that training as well.”
“Yes you do.”
“And if we’re here two months, the ones searching for Victoria will have time to run themselves crazy over not finding her.”
“The list is long and will get longer as to why this time is a benefit and not a liability. Use it wisely and make sure you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Gem.”
“I’m not only doing this for you, Leonidas.”
“I know.” Leo saw Victoria’s crew moving toward the building from their ship and he wiped his brow, “It really is hot here.”
“It’s only a hundred and three. My species likes the heat.”
“I hope we can adjust to it.”
Gem made a clacking sound as he laughed, “You’re acting like a big baby.”
“Easy for you to say. Let say we take a trip to a planet with three feet of snow and see how you do.”
“Snow is my friend.”
Leo laughed out loud and walked through the front entrance and found the room was at seventy-two degrees. He sighed as Gem said, “Big baby!”
• • •
The two crews gathered in the central room and fell into chairs. Barney went to a bed, opened the locker beside it, and saw clothes hanging inside it. He looked at Leo, “Sir, these clothes are new. No self-respecting pirate would be wearing anything this clean.”
Gem looked at him, “This building is for Victoria’s crew. The two quarters at the front of this building are for the two women. However, your building will be completed in a couple of hours and you’ll find clothes just like these at your beds.”
Barney stared at Gem and looked at Leo, who said, “Captain, just do your physical training in them and they’ll pass for a poor pirate’s attire after a few days.”
Barney looked at the clothes and nodded, “You’re right. An hour of exertion in that hell outside should do the trick.”
“I do expect you to keep them clean, Barney.”
“Oh, I’ll do that but they will undergo a rather severe metamorphosis.”
“How long are we going to be here, Sir?” Leo heard Desiree ask over his shoulder.
Leo turned to Desiree, “About sixty to ninety days. We’re going to use that time to get in shape and learn how to use the small arms we’re going to carry. We’ll use the last two weeks to learn how to operate the weapons on the ships.”
Desiree looked at Victoria and then turned to Leo, “Why don’t we just stay here until the heat blows over?”
Gem looked at her, “We do not allow foreigners to stay on our planet longer than absolutely necessary. All of you will remain in these buildings and only go out to exercise or train during the day.”
Leo looked at Desiree, “Does that answer your question?”
Desiree nodded, “Yes, Sir, it does. What about this? We could just leave this galaxy for another and wait it out.”
“Yes, you could but there is a chance that I might need you to come and rescue my ship if things get dicey. That would be difficult to do in another galaxy,” Leonidas said with a smile.
Desire stared at him and then looked at Victoria, “I guess that means it’ll be party time as soon as we leave here.”
Victoria smiled, “I’ll try to make it as entertaining as possible.”
Desiree laughed, “I’m looking forward to it. You need to teach me how to dance.”
Victoria laughed, “No Problem!”
Gem looked at them, “Once you complete your physical exercise today, I will come for you around sundown to start your preparation for training.”
The two women looked at each other and Victoria said, “Is this where the pain starts you mentioned earlier?”
“You can say that.”
Victoria looked at Desiree who said, “I might have asked for something I’ll later regret.”
Victoria smiled, “Hey, at least we’ll endure it together.”
“Tell it sista!”
Leo looked around the room, “Everyone change into PT clothes and make sure you take enough water with you. Get moving!”
Leo looked at Gem, who said, “I’m going to consult with the engineers about your ships. Contact me if you need me. Oh, I’ve also ordered private quarters for you in your crew’s building.”
“Why, I’m ok without them.”
“Your crew needs space to complain without you there to hear them.”
Leo stared at him and then shrugged, “I didn’t think about that. You’re right.”
“Of course I am. See you later.”
The forty-four humans changed clothes and left the cool building. The first day was later named, A Walk Through Hell, by the crews. The second day was only marginally better but that was only because it was cloudy with low humidity. They finally arrived back after the first run and found the second building was completed and both crews went inside their quarters and collapsed. Ana knew she was going to die at least four times the first day but managed to tough it out completing the run twenty minutes after the others. Four hours later, Gem showed up and said, “It’s time; come with me.”
Chapter Six
Victoria and Desiree followed Gem to his ship and he led them to a room in the rear. They looked around and saw several glassed enclosed cylinders along the walls. They looked at Gem and he said, “In order for you to be able to endure the training, your bodies must undergo a series of changes.”
“What sort of changes?” Desiree asked.
“First your skeletal structure must be strengthened. This will be done over a week with one exposure in a tube each day.” They stared at him in silence and Gem said, “Your nervous systems and muscles will also undergo a transformation later and in order for them to function without harming you, your bones must be strengthened along with the tendons and cushioning between them.”
“Did Leonidas go through this, Gem?”
“He did.”
“When did he do that?”
“A short time after Mark and the original Victoria died. It was after their deaths that he and I became friends as we mourned those we cared about. I mentioned it to him and he asked me to do it to him.”
Desiree looked at Gem and then turned to Victoria, “We need to start this before I chicken out.”
Gem opened one of the glass covers and said, “Please climb inside and if there is anything you can focus on mentally, it will help you deal with the pain.”
Victoria moved toward the cylinder and Desiree pushed her aside, “I go first.”
“Why?”
“Because if I see you in pain, I might not have the courage to go through with it.”
Victoria sighed, “Desiree, I promise you that you can deal with it a lot better than I can. I’ve lived a very soft life and I’m nowhere near as strong as you are.”
“Thank you for saying so, but I still need to go first.”
Gem opened another cylinder, “The two of you can start together. Please climb in and make yourselves as comfortable as possible.”
“Gem, couldn’t you anesthetize us?”
“Your mind needs to be fully functional for the changes to take place properly. Sing a song in your mind or think of a chant or anything else that will take your attention away from your body. Part of your training involves ignoring pain signals and this is a good place to start.”
They climbed into the cylinders and Gem closed the glass covers. He put an arm on each of them and said, “It begins…now,” as he pressed the button on each. Both of them went ridged and closed their eyes as the pain hit the
m. Gem watched them and waited for thirty minutes for the process to complete. He then pressed a button on each cylinder and they were put to sleep. He set the modules to heal the inflammation and allowed them to remain in the cylinders until the next morning.
• • •
He arrived at day break and saw the two women were sleeping. He pressed the wake button on their cylinders and, after a few minutes they opened their eyes. He opened the glass covers and said, “How do you feel?”
Victoria raised her arms and stretched. She winced slightly and said, “Not bad really. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
“That’s because I erased the memory of the pain once the process was completed.”
Desiree sat up, “Why did you do that?”
“Because neither of you would go back in the cylinder if you remembered.”
They looked at each other and Victoria blew out a breath, “I need to go and take a bath.”
Gem smiled, “Leonidas is waiting for you to get ready for PT. You need to hurry. Get something to eat and meet him outside.”
Victoria looked up and rolled her eyes as Desiree said, “A woman’s work is never done!” They climbed out of the cylinders and went to their quarters. They ate a quick meal and joined the others outside. They could feel a lot of soreness in their joints but were able to work it out within the first mile of the run. Ana found the second day was easier than the first and wondered if it was due to the changes made in the cylinder. She still came in last but was only ten minutes behind the others.
• • •
Each day the time in the cylinders was increased by fifteen minutes. On the seventh day, the pain was the worst and the session was the longest. Both women were writhing and crying when it finally ended. Gem put them both to sleep immediately and was thankful the first process was completed. He would give them one day off before starting on modifying their muscular structures.
Ana was no longer coming in last. She was mid-pack at the finish line and Desiree was leading the group. Their distance had improved dramatically from the first day as the crews acclimated to the high temperatures. Now the run was followed by weight training and the changes in them was clearly visible. They were getting stronger and faster.
• • •
“Gem, what are you changing this time?” Victoria asked.
“All of the muscles in your bodies will be modified.”
“Are we going to look like one of those heavily muscled body builders?” Desiree asked.
“No, your muscles will remain the same size they are now. “They’ll just be composed of strands that are closer to high strength alloys and can handle a lot more stress and weight than normal humans.”
“How long will this take?”
“Five days, Victoria.”
“Well, let’s get it over with.” They climbed into two new cylinders and Gem started the process. The pain was still there but their bodies’ pain tolerance had gone up considerably and, though the pain was slightly worse than before, they appeared to tolerate it better. The five days passed quickly and starting to go through weapons training helped the days pass quickly.
• • •
After a day’s break from the cylinders, they met Gem in the room. “What’s up, Gem?” Victoria asked with a smile.
“This is the last change you’ll go through and it will be the worse of the three.”
Victoria’s smile disappeared as Desiree asked, “What is going to happen?”
“The first two processes are done first for a reason; they are used to raise your pain tolerance before you start the third. The third process will change your nervous systems dramatically.”
The two women looked at each other and Victoria said, “What do you mean by dramatically?”
“Human nerves operate chemically. The messages that move along your nerves are chemical processes that travel down a series of axons. Your new nervous system will be operating electrically and will be faster than you can imagine. However, it is your nerves that transmit pain signals to your brains. I will be monitoring both of you and if either of you approach a threshold beyond what your minds can endure, I will stop the process and continue it from that point the next day.”
Desiree looked at Gem, “If it’s all the same to you, if you stop Victoria I want you to stop me as well.”
Gem tilted his head and said, “Why?”
“We started this together and I want us to finish together.”
Victoria smiled, “The same goes for me, Gem.”
“If that is your wish, I will do as you ask. However, you will not be participating in any other activities while this is taking place. You will sleep until you start the process again.”
“Why?” Victoria asked.”
“Because your mind will need the time to heal and establish connections to the new nerves.”
“How long will this take?”
“Anywhere from six to eight days.”
“How will we eat?”
“I’ll feed you intravenously.”
The two women looked at each other and Desiree came over and hugged Victoria, “We can do this together.”
Victoria hugged her as well and said, “I understand how sharing pain can bring people together. I see why the men with us look at each other as brothers.”
Desiree smiled, “Tell it, sister.” They climbed into the new cylinders and closed their eyes. A moment later they went to hell.
• • •
Leo waited outside Gem’s ship and he finally came out, “How are they doing?”
“You know how they’re doing. I must say that they made it much further on the first day than I thought they would. I think their doing this together gives them more strength than they would have alone.”
“How long before…”
“It’s too early to say. However, I don’t think it will take eight days.”
“Please keep me informed on how they’re doing.”
“I will. They’re sleeping now and you should go and get some rest; you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
Leo sighed and nodded. He turned and headed toward his quarters. Gem turned and went back inside his ship. He glanced at the two vessels being worked on as he entered the port and saw a lot of progress had been made. He went back to the cylinders and continued to monitor them.
• • •
Victoria opened her eyes and immediately closed them. The overhead lights were too bright for her to tolerate. She tried to turn her head but the pain in her neck was also too much. “Just lie still and don’t move for a few minutes,” she heard Gem say. She heard a loud groan and knew that Desiree was also awake and struggling. “I want both of you to start at your feet and move them slowly. Once they stop hurting, start moving your hands. Then I want you to start contracting your leg muscles slowly followed by your arms. I’ll come back in an hour to check on you.”
Victoria followed his instructions and said loudly, “Are you ok, Desiree?”
“I wish someone had gotten the number of the transport that ran over me.”
Victoria smiled and winced before saying, “Why is that?”
“Because I’d blast it into fragments if I could move! I thought he was going to keep us asleep until the pain passed.”
“Evidently, this is part of the process. OW! Sorry, that was my ankle.”
“You mean you can feel yours? Mine is just a pain center sending out demons into my leg.”
“It’s the same, I just know it’s close to my foot.”
Victoria kept her eyes closed and heard Desiree repeating, “Focus, focus, focus!” She began saying it as well and slowly started moving her legs and arms.
What felt like a century later, they heard Gem say, “Now I want you to start taking shallow breaths and gradually take deeper breaths as you adjust to the discomfort.”
Desiree said, “By discomfort you mean burning, raw, extreme pain, don’t you?”
Gem clacked and said, “Yes, something like t
hat.”
Victoria finally asked, “Why does this hurt so much, Gem?”
“Your new nerves are finding connections with your body. Once those connections are made, the pain will stop. Moving will speed up the process and won’t increase the pain.”
“Easy for you to say.” Desiree replied.
“Yes, it is but the worst part is over. Just stick with it a little longer.”
Thirty minutes passed and Desiree said, “Gem!”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you. How do you know our language so well?”
“I’ve spent a lot of time recording human conversations during my travels.”
“Why would you single out humans?” Victoria asked.
“I was following Victoria and observing her. I found her very interesting.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she loved her life and shared that feeling with everyone she encountered. I never knew her to show any sadness or anger toward anyone.”
Victoria slowly blew out a breath and said, “I’m not like her. I’ve experienced a lot of sorrow.”
“You’re more like her than you know; now keep taking deeper breaths and start opening your eyes.”
• • •
Two hours later, Gem assisted them out of their modules and held on to their upper arms as they stumbled across the room. He led them toward the exit port and Desiree said, “I need to sit down!”
“No, you don’t. Keep your legs moving, we’re going for a little walk.” Both women moaned as he continued to carry them out of his ship and down to the road leading out of the shipyard. After fifteen minutes, Victoria and Desiree were able to take steps without being supported. Within another thirty minutes they were walking without the excruciating pain. They walked a mile out of the shipyard and Gem said, “Desiree, I want you to look to our right and Victoria, you take the left.”
“What am I looking for?” Victoria asked.
“I want you to just follow the pattern of the land around us and tell me if you see anything out of the ordinary.”
“It all looks like some kind of desert,” Desiree replied.”