Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  “Wake-up my friend. We have to be downstairs to meet Master Tlase in half an hour.” Paul rolled over on his back and looked, with his eyes half closed, at the smiling face of Zimuel as he stirred about the room, turning on lights and placing a tray on a nearby table. He walked slowly over to the table where Zimuel had seated himself and peered down at the contents of the tray. There was an assortment of what looked to be fruit and four or five cereal bars and two glasses of red liquid. Paul had eaten little of what Xhondar considered its finest food the night before, so he was hungry enough to eat the unappetizing little meal. The cereal bars tasted like cardboard with sprinkles of sugar on it, the fruit was pulpy and bland and the juice was bitter. Paul was hungry enough to choke it down then asked, “How do you people eat this stuff? I don’t want to be rude, but this and the food we had last night are almost as bad as the stuff I ate in prison.” Zimuel smiled and replied, “I take no offence. You will get used to it. I for one like Earth food, however, it has so many overwhelming flavors that I can eat very little of it. When you feed 70 billion citizens it is more important to provide all the necessary nutrition than it is to worry about how it tastes. Xhondar I, II, and III are continually developing new ways to provide everything that is required to meet that need. Little effort goes into making it taste good. What you had last night was some of the most delicious and flavorful food on Xhondar. Only the very fortunate have such delicacies available.” Holding up a cereal bar, he continued, “Two of these cereal bars contain all of the protein, vitamins and calories required for an adult’s daily nutrition. This fruit is grown in one of our underground farms and one piece of it provides all the fiber an adult needs in his diet, along with additional vitamins and this juice is synthesized to maintain a perfect electrolyte balance and extra vitamin C. It may have little flavor, but billions live on two servings a day of what is on this tray. Oh, and by the way, almost no one on Xhondar carries all that extra body fat that you and others on Earth display around their middle.” Paul, feeling thoroughly chastised, looked down at his 36 inch waist and what he had always considered a good waistline for a man of 65 years. Then he looked over at Zimuel, who was a few thousand years older and looked 20 years younger. Zimuel patted Paul on the shoulder as he rose from the table and continued, “Don’t worry about it. You’ve done very well with what you’ve had to work with, just as we make the best of what we have to work with. The difference is we’ve had a few thousand more years to work on it than Earth has. And, a great deal of our health and longevity is due to our technology, not our bland food. Brush your teeth and get dressed, we’re running late and we don’t want to keep the lady waiting.”

  As they headed down the hall toward the elevator, Zimuel informed Paul, “What you are about to experience has not been done for about 2000 years. In fact, I was the last one to go through the process you are about to experience. Don’t get me wrong, we have “rejen”, “rejuv” and enhancement facilities all over our three Xhondarian systems, but none are as advanced as the ones controlled by the Elders. When we decided it was not a good idea to have an entire population of super-humans, we scaled back the computer programs that operate the other units and kept the ones in the Elders sanctuary for a time like this, never knowing when or if we would require to add one to our numbers. We live very long lives, but we are not immortal. I replaced a man who died and was selected after careful consideration. I was then put through the same procedure you are about to go through.” Paul looked at Zimuel and asked, “There are twenty-four Elders, am I going to be number 25?” Zimuel smiled, answering, “Sort of, but not here. In fact, to begin with, you will be the only enhanced Elder on your planet, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take one step at a time, (pointing toward a door to his left) and this is the first step.

  “Good morning Paul. Zimuel.” They were greeted by a smiling Master Tlase. In her form-fitting light tan jump-suit and her hair pulled back in a perfect French braid, she looked even younger than she had the night before. Paul realized that she was an extremely attractive woman. He also recognized the fact that she didn’t appear to have on one bit of make-up. “She continued, “I got here earlier and have checked the programming with Computer, recharged the solution reservoirs, and set the enhancement levels required. All we need now is a victim.” (she smiled with a mischievous grin) Zimuel looked at Paul who looked just a little hesitant. Paul asked, “Just what exactly are you going to do to me? I have no doubt you have good intentions, and if I’m to become like the rest of the Elders, that’s a good thing, right? I’m certain it’s over my head, so can you explain it in simple terms?”

  Master Tlase walked over to Paul and took both of his hands in hers, looked him in the eyes and replied, “You’re going to be just fine. In fact, you will be far better than fine. But basically, over the next 10 days or so, while you are in the enhancement tanks, several things will take place. We do a lesser process to native Xhondarians when they are in their twenties. Since we are beginning the process so late in your life and hope to achieve a higher level of enhancement than we normally would, it will take a little longer for you. What will happen is that your aging process will be reversed, any medical problems you may have; arthritis, high blood pressure, stomach trouble, that prostate cancer you have, etc., will all be cured. Your bone density will be increased to where they will almost be as hard as steel, your muscle density will be enhanced more than 50 times what is considered normal for a human and your body fat will be reduced to something under 7%. Your brain density will be enhanced by the same level and you will have the ability to use 100% of your brain. Now this next part will be a little scary.” Paul thought, “Like the first part wasn’t scary?” “We intend to do a very advanced neurological implant. It’s not much larger than a pea and will be implanted about here. (She indicated a spot just between his temple and his right ear) We also intend to do an optical enhancement that will interface with the neurological implant. You will be able to see far better than you’ve ever seen before under virtually any conditions and if there is a satellite overhead you will be able pick up satellite images through your neurological implant. These enhancements will be absolutely necessary if you are to absorb and endure the intense training you are about to go through. Now, if you have no more questions, we need to get started. Remove your clothes and lie down in the chamber behind me.” Paul looked around the room for a place to change and blushed, saying, “You expect me to undress right here in front of you?” Master Tlase smiled, “His modesty is refreshing. Zimuel, I’ll be back in a moment, you make sure he gets into the tank. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned and left the room. Paul had Zimuel turn his back and climbed out of his clothes and into the tank. He was relieved to see the tank was solid below his waist. Master Tlase returned and attached what looked like an IV to Paul’s arm. In moments he was unconscious. Master Tlase finished hooking up the rest of the monitoring and supply lines, closed the tank and flooded it with a green tinted liquid. Paul inhaled it with a slight cough but did not stir. She set the controls at the desired levels and set her watch to return in one hour. When he awoke, Paul Verron would be forever changed.

  Paul ended up spending two full weeks in the enhancement tank. The nanotechnology that was responsible for his enhancements slowed down the process to accommodate for Paul’s age. The robotic surgery units also took a little longer than usual to properly install the neurological and optical implants. Paul didn’t dream, didn’t think and didn’t even move during the fourteen day ordeal. Finally the day to remove Paul from the tank had arrived. Zimuel and Master Tlase began the slow process of draining the tanks of the nano-rich liquid, draining the liquid from Paul’s lungs and disconnecting the lines, tubes and connections from Paul’s body. Then, with great ease, Master Tlase injected Paul with a stimulant that would wake him from his unconscious state. Paul’s eyes hesitantly fluttered open and took a moment to understand his surroundings. As Zimuel and Master Tlase got on either side of Paul and helped h
im slowly sit up he leaned over the side of the tank and threw-up the remaining liquid from his lungs and throat. Fortunately for Zimuel, he was fast enough to move out of the way and only his shoes managed to get caught in the splash. Paul tried to apologize, but after having a tube down his throat for fourteen days, was unable to do more than croak out a few muffled sounds. Zimuel knew what he was trying to say and replied, “Don’t worry about it, the droids are cleaning up the mess already” Paul looked down to see three or four little housekeeping droids scurrying about the floor. One was cleaning Zimuel’s shoes.

  As Paul became more coherent, he realized his nakedness and croaked out, “Clothes.” Master Tlase grinned, and said, “Good Lord, he’s modest even at a subconscious level.” She reached behind her to retrieve a robe hanging from a hook on the back of a door. As they helped Paul lift his legs over the side of the tank and place his feet on the ground, the room started to spin and Paul would have fallen over if not for the support of Tlase and Zimuel. Soon he was able to stand on his own, but felt so weak that he quickly croaked for a chair. As he sat down, Master Tlase gave him a bitter but soothing drink of some gray liquid. In a minute or so his throat felt almost normal and his dizziness abated. He looked at his two new friends and said, “I thought this was supposed to make me stronger and healthier, I feel like crap.” Master Tlase smiled her usual girlish grin and replied, “You’ve been living off a liquid diet for two weeks; you’ll feel better as soon as we get some real food into you. Drink one more glass of this (holding out the gray liquid) and you should have enough strength to take a shower and get dressed while we order you something to eat that will agree with your stomach.” Paul swigged down the gray sludge with one hand and ran his fingers through his now full head of hair, feeling the remaining green slime, as he told them, “A shower and some food sounds great. Did it work?” Master Tlase and Zimuel looked at each other and Tlase replied, “It has never failed to work, you’ll soon see for yourself.” A door opened to Paul’s right and Zimuel indicated for him to go through. There was a wheelchair waiting in the hallway and Paul shook his head in rejection of it. Zimuel put his hand on Paul’s shoulder and said, “It’s farther than you think back to your rooms.” Paul replied, “How ‘bout I walk behind it and sit down if I think I need it?” He immediately started towards the end of the long corridor before Zimuel had a chance to answer. Paul made it to the elevator but sat down in his wheelchair while he waited for it to reach his floor. As he propelled himself from the elevator and looked down the long hallway toward his rooms he was glad he had the chair.

  Upon entering his rooms he noticed a table set with food. He immediately rolled his wheelchair over and began to eat. Even the bland and tasteless foods of Xhondar were delicious after nothing for two weeks. He was aware of a marked increase of strength and energy as he stuffed the last bit of food in his mouth and washed it down with some kind of vile tasting green liquid. He looked up at Zimuel and said, “I’d kill for a Diet Coke right now. After drinking five or six a day for years, I think I’m having withdrawals. Is there any chance there is something like it on Xhondar I? Oh, don’t answer; if you do, it probably taste like Pepsi and I’d rather drink this stuff (lifting his empty glass) than Pepsi.” Zimuel laughed and replied, “Don’t worry; we have neither, so it looks as if you need to acquire new tastes in beverages.” Paul asked, “What about tea? And not that herbal crap.” Zimuel shrugged and reached into a small refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water and handed it to Paul. Paul opened the bottle and took a big gulp replying, “Well, at least it’s not Pepsi.”

  Paul got up from the table and headed for the bathroom to shower and shave. He felt incredibly grubby with a two week growth of beard and green slime residue all over his body. Before he opened the door he could hear that Computer had already turned the water on. He peeled out of his clothes, leaving them on the floor, and climbed into the shower, already at the perfect temperature. Paul shook his head at finding his favorite soap from Earth, shampoo and conditioner, along with the thickest bath towel he had ever seen. As he lathered up, he for the first time noticed the changes in his body. First of all, he had a full, thick head of hair which actually required more than just a thimble size of shampoo and conditioner. Then as he soaped his body he noticed how much leaner and tighter it felt. While washing his legs he realized that the scar from his knee surgery was no longer there. He immediately reached up to his right collar-bone and felt for the lump from where he had broken it in a motorcycle wreck; the lump was gone, along with the scar on his left arm from falling through a glass door and the wound on his stomach he had received when stabbed in prison during a fight.

  After drying off, he immediately went to the large mirror over the double marble vanity and took a long hard look at himself for the first time. Paul couldn’t believe his eyes and even closed them then looked again. It was the same; before him stood a 30-year-old Paul. Even though he had always been fairly athletic and worked out to obsession when he was in his 30’s, he had never looked like this. There was not an ounce of fat anywhere. He could see muscles he didn’t even realize he had. He thought he looked like Clarence Bass in his old muscle magazines from the 80’s, except with a full head of hair. He wasn’t bigger. Not even close to looking like The Terminator, more like a really fit gymnast or a college wrestler. Paul then did a complete turnaround realizing immediately just how vain he felt. He quickly wrapped the towel around himself and headed for his bedroom to get on some clothes. As he reached to pick-up his discarded garments he realized they had already been removed by someone; or something. There was of course a perfectly tailored brown jumpsuit waiting for him on the bed, along with new boots and everything else needed to re-dress.

  As he entered the small eating area, Zimuel looked at Paul and commented, “Well, you didn’t spend very much time admiring yourself in the mirror!” Paul blushed and asked, “Were you watching?” Zimuel shook his head as he said, “No need, I think I stared at myself for nearly an hour when it happened to me. Sometimes I am still amazed at how I look when I consider my age.” Zimuel handed Paul a small leather-bound book and said, “Tomorrow we begin getting that new body of yours in proper condition. You’ll be amazed at what you will soon be capable of. However, tonight I want you to get a good night’s rest. That book explains how to interface with Computer. It is in English. In two days I will replace it and everything in your rooms with the Xhondarian language. Everyone, including me, will also be speaking to you in our native dialect. The computer terminal on your desk will give you visuals of our written language. Computer will feed through your neurological implant all you need to learn to master Xhondarian. Even as you sleep and without you realizing it, the implant will continue to feed the knowledge you will need into the speech centers of your brain. This is how the Elders have mastered numerous languages and there is no doubt you will be proficient in the time allowed. No point delaying. You’re not here for a vacation; we have a lot to do and a short time to get it done.” Rising from his chair he nodded his head, and said, “Good night,” then left Paul standing with his little leather book in his hand.

  Paul looked around the room and suddenly realized he could read the print on the Computer monitor across the room, more than 30 feet away, then focusing more closely into the small kitchen behind him, he realized he could read the labels on the cereal bars on the kitchen counter; with the lights off, from twenty feet away.” Using his new eyes like this for the first time almost brought on sudden vertigo. He sat down in the chair Zimuel had just vacated, spoke lights-off, and proceeded to read his little brown book in the dark, with perfect clarity. After a few moments he rose and headed for the desk. Sitting down and looking at the strange print on the screen, Paul said, “Computer, it looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time together. We may as well get started. I’ve got a lot to learn.”