by Jim Spencer
‘Yes, that’s fair enough. What about with regards to weapons?’
‘I’m sorry, weapons?’
‘Is it possible for you to harness this energy within any weapons that we have?’ Atan asked. When Arion didn’t answer, he added, ‘Say if the nargus attacked again?’
Arion was very uneasy about this suggestion, but he figured this question would ultimately be asked. Eventually he answered,
‘I never did this experiment to create weapons.’
Cordell who had been sat there for a while in silence, seemed to shift somewhat, although it was too dark for Arion to know if this was a good thing or not. Atan answered,
‘You are not in a position to negotiate here, boy.’
‘Actually Atan, I am,’ he interjected.
‘Excuse me?’ Atan retorted back at him.
‘I took on this experiment under the proviso that I would have sole control over everything. Every module is with me and me only. Everything requires my approval to be authorised, otherwise it is useless. I have kept this information from my family and every other person as well. If I feel that this is being used in an inappropriate manner, I can pull back and destroy the data and no one will be the wiser.’ These words seemed to have quite a profound effect on Atan, who was silent for a moment or two, before he responded cautiously,
‘What would you suggest then?’
Arion was somewhat taken aback by this, but took it to mean a good thing, as he contemplated the answer for a moment. He knew that this would eventually be used for weapons, that was inevitable. However, with his sole control he could only compromise at best. Although Cordell was now a good friend, he couldn’t guarantee that he would follow his request entirely. He was a military man after all. Protection of his people took priority. So he sighed and answered,
‘I can allow you to use the module, shall we say on one of the big weapons. Under the proviso that it be used as a last resort only. And I would prefer to use this particle as a medicinal source.’
‘So be it. How about we review this way for 6 months and then if this is successful, we will allow you to use it for medicinal purposes after that?’
Once again, Atan was negotiating further. As expected he was more in favour of weapons use, but judging by the sort of person he had always been, that was better than nothing. Arion accepted this deal. The GOD particle would be used in a weapons trial for six months before being transferred to be used for medicinal purposes.
*
Arion was sat with Cordell now, who seemed to be more at ease. He asked him whether he was ok with the decision.
‘I’m fine yeah. Although I admit, it would be beneficial if I could use this weapon as a main resource, rather than a last resort, but what the hell!! No big deal. You think you can harness the energy into a small module?’
‘I think so,’ Arion answered, ‘I’ll probably have to keep it contained in small modules to keep the particle active. I haven’t tried it yet. I suppose that is the next step.’
‘That’s beyond my head already.’
‘I know. New times, new gadgets.’
‘Yeah. That makes me the extinct one. And we thought dinosaurs were extinct/’
‘Dinosaurs?’
‘Oh, I never told you. You know the Wolves and pteradactyls we have to hunt every now and then?’
‘Yeah…’
‘They were called dinosaurs by our ancestors. They come from that group of species, or something.’
‘Is this from one of your history books?’
‘Yeah. It’s still intact. Sort of. Anyway, how’s your dad now?’
‘Not too good. I’ll be getting his biopsy results tomorrow, then we’ll know for sure what’s up with him.’
‘Well, I hope…’ but he was cut off by an intercom ringing. Arion answered and was met with the voice of Dorion.
‘What’s up?’ He asked.
‘You better come over. It’s your father. It’s not looking good.’
*
He was waiting in a room located on the top floor. This was not a good sign since most patients were bought in here when things were looking grim. A few minutes in silent contemplation pursued with his uncle until a doctor and two nurses came into the room. They seemed relatively exhausted, but still composed enough. They began to speak,
‘We found your father this morning, unconscious and unable to breathe. He had been sick. So much so that he had stopped breathing.’
‘How is that possible?’ Arion asked, somewhat confused.
‘You know we were feeding him via tubes?’
‘Yes, I’m aware.’
‘Well, it seems that for the last two days the food was going in ok, but was…the easiest way to explain this is if I show you,’ he stood up and continued, ‘when I eat food, then naturally it goes down to my stomach which is located here,’ he pointed to his navel. Arion nodded, unsure what to make of this. The doctor continued, ‘your father’s stomach had been pushed up to here.’ He pointed around the diaphragm area.
‘What has happened to the rest of it, then? Why has his stomach become so…big?’
The doctor sighed, as if having difficulty composing himself. After a few moments, he spoke again, somewhat shakily,
‘We have partial results now, which show…cancerous lumps around the whole abdomen region. It’s inconclusive, but we feel it is that.’
‘Isn’t it possible to treat him now?’
‘Not yet. When your father was sick, he not only threw up some food. He vomited two full days’ worth of food. No man can really take that. I mean, technically he was dead for 8 minutes. Somehow we revived him.’
Arion sat there for a moment or two, unable to say anything. This was too quick. A mere two weeks ago his father had a simple cough and now it had escalated so much. He couldn’t comprehend it. Eventually, he was able to ask,
‘How is he now?’
‘Not good. His right lung is full of water, probably the remains of his vomit. And he’s had serious haemorrhaging. We can only keep the machines on for 24 hours at best. His oxygen supply is on full. Even if he does survive, he’ll be severely disabled.’
They were silent again for a few moments, before the doctor spoke again,
‘I can allow only family to go see him. You can have access as long as you need. And we’ll be here until 11pm this evening.’
Arion commended the doctors for what they had done so far, and they took their leave. He turned to his uncle,
‘Call the family.’ For once, his uncle did what he was asked.
*
Tali spent as much time with him as was permissible before he had to go back to the high chancellor. He took his leave, promising that he would be back as soon as possible. Arion simply nodded. His family came in, two at a time to see his father. Most of what happened was a blur to him. Some of the family simply stood there paying their respects, others began to cry and had to excuse themselves. Arion simply sat there, feeling his father’s body going colder by the minute, though he didn’t say this out loud.
He went to the bathroom to wash his face. As he stood there, looking at himself in the mirror, a small flood of emotion came through, but he stopped himself before anyone could hear it. He had to be composed, if only long enough. He went back to his father and sat next to him. He could feel his arm getting colder. The only part of his body that was warm enough was the shoulder. He grabbed onto it, and spoke to his father for the last time,
‘I forgive you.’ With that, he got up and sat down with the rest of his family, allowing others to see him in his last moments. The night dragged like many years, as time seemed to slow down. His last few hours were like a few days. The council meeting in the morning was more like a distant dream. Tali came back, after a few hours, seeming somewhat distressed. He didn’t ask him what it was, figuring he had bigger issues to deal with right now. Eventually, he decided to sit down and rest alone for a few minutes, as people were beginning to leave.
Think
ing over what had happened over the past few days, he was just beginning to fall asleep when Tali awoke him and said,
‘Come, your father has just passed away.’
Chapter 9
As he walked into the intensive care room, he saw one of the nurses take the oxygen mask from his father’s face. She walked away as his father lay there, lifeless and dreaming. Tali, his uncle Dorion and himself began to wrap up Sarion, his father. This was one of the things they had to do when a person died. Later on, the body would be taken for cremation and then scattered outside. He tried to remember where he was, but his vision was something of a blur, probably due to the tears that were coming down uncontrollably.
He wiped his face and carried on wrapping his father up, as he felt his body become colder with every touch. He wondered briefly if he could use the GOD particle to bring him back. It would be possible, he just didn’t know for how long. The problem would be persuading everyone. The remainder of the family came, crying into each other’s shoulders as they heard of the news. Hardly anyone could believe it. He was such a healthy man, and for him to die so suddenly was difficult to fathom. He sat down in a blur as people spoke and gave condolences. He asked if he could take his father with him. No one rejected and with Tali’s help, he was able to load the body onto a carrier and take him to his lab.
*
‘Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking, Arion?’ Tali asked.
‘Why not?’ he asked Tali, as if there could never be any objection to this.
‘We’re kind of pushing the bounds. His time was done.’
‘We don’t know that.’
‘We do Arion. He just passed away.’
‘I know. That’s why I need to act now. I can save him.’
‘Arion, listen to me. If you save him, then the disease that killed him will still be there. How can you stop that?’
‘That’s what I started this for, isn’t it?’ Arion asked, becoming angry at Tali’s suggestion.
‘Arion, please listen to me. We started this to save lives. Not to put a stopper on death. That can’t be done.’
‘Who says it can’t be done?’
‘Arion, listen to me, please. We’ve already tried that.’
There was silence as Arion contemplated what Tali said,
‘Nonsense,’ he finally spoke.
‘Arion, I’m serious. In my younger days, we spent billions of cubes on researching the possibility of detecting and stopping death. The best result we were ever able to get was a slight increase in the person’s lifespan.’
‘You didn’t have me.’
‘Arion, this isn’t about you. I’m telling you, it’s a pointless exercise. If you bring someone back to life after their time is complete, they will only last a few years at best. The body eventually stops functioning, Arion. Even if you replace every organ, eventually you stop to function.’
There was silence for a moment, before Arion spoke quietly,
‘You didn’t have me.’
Tali put his hand over his face. He knew that no matter what he said, Arion would still try the impossible.
*
It was twenty-four hours since his father had died. His remains were still in the lab and Arion had barely slept. He had spent most of his waking hours figuring out how to keep the GOD particle active within a small area. The pistons of weapons worked in a similar way to his formula. Eventually, he figured that it would be best to put the formula into a chip. He embedded the code into a ROM chip. Known as Ratio Oscillation Modulars, these would act as a catalyst, which could keep particles running between matters. Its capacity was measured in GB, known as Gran Boton, named after the scientist who discovered this method. Once he pulled the trigger, after a couple of seconds, the formula would initiate and he could do what he wanted, using the air enclosed in the casing. The only problem now, it was too heavy.
He needed someone of weapons expertise to help him. Just as this thought occurred to him, he received a communication from Atan. Answering as best he could, he heard what Atan had to say;
‘I have requested an emergency summons to the council chamber now. There will be an escort to take you there momentarily.’
‘Very well,’ he spoke as the escort stopped in front of his lab. He decided to take the weapon with him.
*
‘We have received intelligence that the Nargus are beginning to attack outside regions of the city. There are only small numbers at the moment, but we believe more may come in due course/’
‘Who did you receive this communication from?’ Atan asked Tali.
‘From Neutral Country.’
There was silence as this was mentioned. Everyone knew that the Nargus rarely attacked those regions. In fact, there were only 3 reported attacks in the last ten years, less than a quarter of what Civil country had suffered.
‘What have you told them?’ Atan asked.
‘As you know, that country has never gone into our affairs, but they do believe that our experimentations, specifically with the GOD particle may have led to this sudden change of position. We have also received some communication from our peacekeepers at Tribe country, who have mentioned similar attacks. As you can see from the stats I have passed over to everyone, they seem to be spreading out, and are not staying confined in their own space anymore.’
As Arion looked at the stats, he could sense Cordell looking at him. Perhaps he was wondering what that weapon was. He was spared having the need to ask, with Atan interjecting;
‘What is that?’
‘This is my first prototype weapon. I call it the GP-001.’
When no one spoke, he elaborated, ‘GOD Particle, version 1. It works on a trigger basis. There is a two second delay to shooting. However, there is no need for a refill, as the code is embedded in the ROM. Only problem, it is very heavy. I was hoping to get permission to test it with a weapons expert.’
‘Permission granted,’ Atan said, without thinking twice. Arion did not like his response time. He continued nonetheless;
‘We are in a slightly desperate situation here. We must act now to prevent any further bloodshed and to stop any possibility of conflict.’ He didn’t specify, but everyone knew he was talking about Tribe Country. He continued as people nodded their approval,
‘What must be understood from here is that we are at a historical turning point. If we do this right, we can revolutionise the way we live and we may be able to create a state of peace, something which I believe has never happened before. Cordell can correct me if he wishes.’
Cordell chose not to speak, which Atan took as a compliment, and continued,
‘I need everyone to work together. Once we have these weapons completed, then we can finally eradicate the Nargus for good and move towards the civilised society our ancestors always dreamed of. I hope everyone agrees with me, and for now, I would like everyone to leave and await further orders once these weapons are created.’
*
‘Blimey, this really is heavy,’ Cordell cited.
‘I know. I don’t have anything with more data in it.’
‘I’ll ask around. What is it called again?’
‘ROM. I need something like 5 Gigabytes worth. Like ten of them, then I can reduce the weight.’
‘You know, I think we have some in development,’ Cordell mentioned.
‘That’s great. Meet me back in the lab once you get them.’
‘I will. And Arion,’ he said, as Arion began to walk away.
‘Yeah?’ he asked.
‘You ok, kiddo?’
Arion attempted to smile, which looked more like a grimace, as he responded,
‘I’ll be fine.’
*
He needed to concentrate on the weapons development. His family were beginning to ask about the body and whether it had been cremated or not. He hadn’t told them what he was planning, he simply replied,
‘Tonight.’
‘Tell us what time and we’ll come okay. In fact,
is it okay after 10pm? That way everyone will be away from work,’ his aunty asked him.
‘That’s fine. Come to my lab. I’ll see you then,’ and he put down his intercom. Just then, there was a knock on the door. He opened the door as Cordell entered the lab. He seemed a little uneasy about being in this environment. With that in mind, Arion didn’t ask him to put any coat on. As he sat down, he threw down a bag,
‘500 5GB’s of ROM. All working. Just been checked. That’ll give us, what 50 weapons?’
‘Yep, just about. Now I just need to work the trigger mechanism.’
‘What if it’s always in sleep mode?’
Arion didn’t question how Cordell knew something technical as sleep mode, but he did agree that was a good idea.
‘I’ll need a couple of hours to configure it. You start connecting the ROMS together into these hubs. Like this one,’ he showed him the connections from before, where he had place the hubs sideways and connected one end to the pins.
‘Wait a minute, I’ll have to undo one of the pins to fit the wires in. What if I do it wrong?’
‘Don’t worry, the colour patterns are the same on each one. You should be fine. Just make sure you show me the first one.’
Cordell shrugged as he got to work with undoing one side of each connector with his swiss army knife. Just as he began to work on it, he saw the dead body of Arion’s father. For a fleeting moment, he looked back at Arion, expecting some sort of an explanation. Arion was too busy working on the trigger to notice this, so Cordell sighed and carried on.
*
It had been a few hours now. Cordell had finally managed to connect all the ROMS to Arion’s specification. His thumb was aching but his knife was still sharp. Arion had just managed to reduce the trigger time to 0.3 seconds, which according to him, was the best he could do. He had spent the last few minutes adding the trigger mechanism into each weapon. As he now finished, he attached the ROMS onto the weapons.
‘How long will it take to put the code in each weapon?’