by PN Burrows
‘Yes, we have reason to believe the two attacks were separate. Sam, does Section Symbol and 15412 mean anything to you?’
‘I don’t understand.’
The Sergeant handed a display tablet to Reb, who held it for Sam to see. ‘Sam, someone shot you, and then they targeted the attackers before leaving this message.’ Reb saw recognition flare up in Sam’s eyes. ‘What is it, Sam?’
‘It’s a date, an important one, a small victory in a large pointless conflict. We were on patrol in the hills of a friendly province. We stumbled across an insurgent ambush which was about to ensnare an unsuspecting UN convoy. Near the top ridge there was a group with portable guided missile launchers and a few had brand new Russian Dragunov sniper rifles. Below us in the valley there were over fifty rebels holed up. We timed it right and silently took out the snipers and other soldiers with the launchers. Using their own ordnance and the advantage of elevated height we broke the ambush below before they could spring the trap. I personally took out twenty with the Dragunov.’ Sleep was slurring Sam’s speech now as he struggled to remain awake. ‘It turned out to be two factions. One was using the other as cannon fodder. We saved a lot of UN soldiers that day.’
‘I read the report from your file, Sam. It was all very commendable, but what does the message mean?’ the captain asked impatiently. ‘It looks like your hand writing, why would you have sent it?’
Confusion crossed Sam’s face, followed quickly by fatigue. ‘I didn’t send it, I got shot.’
‘If you did send it, Sam, what would it mean?’ Reb asked diplomatically. Sam’s eyes were closing with weariness.
‘I suppose it would mean that I saved you from an ambush and took them out with their own weapons.’ Sam’s eyes looked heavy now and his face was starting to look gaunt. The conversation having taken more out of him than he really had to give.
‘That’s it for today, gentlemen, my patient needs to rest.’ The doctor ushered them to the door. Sam was asleep before the doctor had finished speaking.
Nearly forty-eight hours later Sam awoke for a second time. He still felt tired and his mind was as woolly as an angora rabbit. He managed to sit up in his bed, noting the room he was in was a typically bland and utilitarian hospital room. He was glad to see that the apparatus had been removed from his chest and he slowly moved various parts of his body as to reassure himself they were still there and still working. Rubbing his chin with his hand he noticed patches of stubble.
The doctor had observed Sam’s movements from the next room. The adjoining observation window set to opaque on patient’s side to prevent any movement or light from interfering with Sam’s recovery. He put the samples that he was working on back into the fridge and walked into Sam’s room.
The reception he received was unexpected, but later on with reflection and hindsight it was understandable. The doctor realised that Sam, having got his feet on the floor, would have noticed even in his convalescing capacity, that his body was more toned and muscular. The doctor had not reset the gravity in the infirmary and the moderately small tweaks he had made to Sam’s would make him roughly 50% stronger and heavier than before. With exercise he could double his initial strength potential. He wouldn’t be a superhuman, but he would be able to cope with the normal gravity of the station and out-fight most of his own kind.
The doctor saw Sam turn towards him, shock and fear showing in his face. The doctor caught the portable regeneration unit as it was thrown towards him. It wouldn’t have done any damage but they were expensive and hard to obtain. He admired Sam’s courage and audacity, as he attacked bare-handed. The doctor was mainly concerned with Sam’s safety and so squirted him in the face from his nostrils with the foul smelling liquid that came directly from the stomach and incapacitated most opponents in seconds. Pre-civilisation it was a means of capturing their prey alive, but for the last millennia or so it was easier to farm for food. He had always enjoyed the annual games on his planet. Entrants would come from all over the galaxy to compete. Twenty combatants against one naked Preialeiac, gladiatorial style. True, he was not allowed to kill and eat them and nor could they try and kill him which reduced the thrill a little. Each opposing warrior had their personal choice of stun weapons, all he had was what nature had endowed him with. He still had his mesothorax appendages then. Happy, glorious memories. He had decided that temporarily shedding his mid-section arms would help him to become more visually acceptable to bipeds.
He caught Sam before he collapsed and placed him on the bed and the put the apparatus back on the cabinet by the bed. Taking a cloth he cleaned Sam’s face, ‘Bravo, Sam,’ he gently whispered. ‘Many have cowered in the same situation.’
Leaving Sam with the duty nurse he arranged for Reb to be present upon Sam’s reawakening.
‘Welcome back.’ Reb passed him a glass of green liquid. ‘It’ll take the taste away,’ he explained.
‘Thanks.’ He took a sip then swilled his mouthful before swallowing.
‘I have trained with the Preialeiac, that’s the doctor’s species, and have been squirted on a few occasions.’ Upon seeing Sam’s reaction, ‘Yeah, that was the doctor.’
‘The doctor?’
‘Don’t worry about it, I would have introduced you two after the tunnels. He was coming to meet us.’ He shrugged and raised his arms as if to say “shit happens”. ‘The Doc’s not offended, I think he was slightly impressed by you to tell the truth.’
‘What was that he sprayed me with’
‘Er, grossly the fluid is from one of his stomachs. Just be grateful it wasn’t gastric acid. He said to say that it’s not too dissimilar to the Artic Petrel on your planet. He’s been like a child with a new toy since being given access to the Earth database. Having previously written several papers on similar life forms variations in differing ecosystem, I think he has found the topic of his next academic work.’
A disembodied voice echoed around the room. ‘Is it safe to come in now?’
Looking at Sam, ‘Shall we try again?’
Sam nodded as a head appeared at the top of the door frame. The doctor was peering in cautiously. Sam could not help but stare. The head was insectoid with a chitin look and with vicious-looking mandibles next to a large toothed mouth. The only comparable human features that he could see was that the doctor had two front-facing eyes, two semi-vertical slits for nostrils and a ginormous mouth.
‘I do apologise for scaring you early Sam, that was not my intention.’ The disembodied head said with a flash of razor-sharp looking teeth. ‘Evolution designed my species to be predators and as such our visage instils fear upon our prey and alas, sometimes our allies also.’ The doctor stepped around the frame, filling the full height of the doorway. He was dressed in a full-length dark blue doctor’s coat that was buttoned up, his bare chitin legs protruding from the bottom. He looked down at himself. ‘I took the liberty of copying earth doctor’s attire, although I found it strange how your doctors and butchers wear the same garment. I chose to colour it blue to avoid any confusion.’
He walk slowly across and held out a long arm which ended in an armoured crustaceous like hand. Sam shook it.
‘They just call me the Doctor or Doc, as my name is unpronounceable with your limited vocal range. I am happy to meet your acquaintance,’ he said, shaking Sam’s hand.
From Sam’s point of view it was similar to having a very strong crab in his hand. Instead of legs wrapping around his palm, it had eight powerful fingers. Sam had to crane his neck to look up to the doctor, although being sat up in bed didn’t really help.
‘I’m sorry I attacked you Doc, I wasn’t sure wha... I mean who you were and with everyone trying to kill me in the last few days…’
‘Most understandable, think nothing of it.’
‘Right, now the introductions are over, I have to get on with the investigation. We have a few tenuous leads to chase.’ Reb pla
ced a large carton on the bed with the words “Bioform Environmental Exoskeleton – BEE.” ‘Before you release him, Doc, please can you get him into this and show him how to put it on and take it off correctly,’ smiling as he did so.
The doctor bowed in acquiescence.
Reb looked at Sam ‘I need you to do as Doc asks, without question, Sam. I wanted to be here when we gave you some of the background information and answered your questions. Alas, that’s impossible now as I have to head back to Minera to help with the investigation. The doctor will fill you in. In fact, being the oldest on the station he’s the most qualified to tell you about Earth history. I know it’s a lot to ask, but please trust us, we are trying to help.’ Without waiting for a reply he put his hand on Sam’s shoulder and left.
Sam looked up at the doctor once again, feeling vulnerable in the face of such a tall non-human. He took a moment to examine his leg and shoulder. Besides being baby-pink and hairless where the new skin had been grown, it looked normal. He felt around his face and pushed a finger into his mouth to check his teeth. ‘You grew new teeth?’
‘You grew new teeth Sam, I just encouraged your body to do so. It’s not a technology that is widely available as it is prohibitively expensive,’ indicating the small regeneration unit next to the bed, ‘The unit you threw at me costs more than the net worth of your planet.’ He opened a seamless wall panel with a light touch of his finger, the door appearing and unlatching silently. Retrieving a small hand mirror he handed it to Sam.
‘If you require I can implant new hair follicles for your facial hair, the regeneration process omits to grow hair. It is not possible to implant them in the first week as we have to wait until the tissue stabilises.’ Noticing Sam slide a hand over the top of his now bald head he continued. ‘That hair will grow back normally, I had to shave it and part of your chest hair for medical hygiene reasons, I’m afraid.’
‘So what’s next then, Doc?’ Sam asked whilst looking at his new, and at the same time, old unchanged face.
‘I can release you for duty in two or three days. I need to run some more tests and you need to exercise to generate new muscle and acclimatise to your stronger anatomy.’
‘Stronger?’
‘I took the liberty of slightly instigating an increase in your muscle and bone density. It should be complete within twenty-four hours. You will need to exercise rigorously for twelve hours to aid the process. Your strength to muscle ratio will increase by a factor of 100%. The increase in density gives you strength without the extra bulk. You will be a lot stronger and heavier than you look. Consider the monkeys on your planet, you have approximately 95% the same DNA and yet they are three times stronger than humans because of their muscle density. Without this modification you would have struggled with the gravity outside of this room.
Sam moved the bed sheet from his lower torso, he hadn’t been this buff since the height of his army career. ‘You experimented on me?’ he said in exasperation’.
‘Technically true as I have never seen or operated on a human before, but no, it is a simple procedure if you have a regenerator and understand genetics as I do. I did ask Captain Sophus before commencing. I am sorry if I have offended you, I though you would be grateful.’
‘Sorry, Doc, I‘m having trouble processing everything. I didn’t mean to snap. If you’re so advanced with your medicine, why haven’t you cured Emliton of his narcolepsy?’ Sam enquired.
‘Emliton is one of the bravest bipeds I have every fought alongside. The number of lives he has saved is immeasurable. However, such encounters take a toll on ones such as he, for as fierce and heroic as he was, he was twice as kind and gentle. The visage of each life that could not be saved remains with him, haunting him until one day he simply stopped. He sleeps to turn off, to forget, but the day mares are the same as his nightmares. He finds no rest and he asks for no forgiveness for his failings. In truth, there is nothing to forgive, but he will not forgive himself for not being,’ Doc paused while reflecting, ‘for not being godlike. That would have been the only way to save the ones we lost. I fought alongside him in twenty-seven campaigns. Not once did he falter in our endeavours and never did his resolve waver. He mentally broke on a planet where the inhabitants resembled bipedal babies. Whole armies of tiny, infant-like soldiers littered the battle fields, small tiny things crushed into the dirt. He fought savagely for weeks. In the urban combat he killed more Inchethslar with his blade than he did with his rifle, shielding himself with one dead body to the next intended Inchethslar. He was glorious, he should have been born a Preialeiac, and I would be proud to call him my brood brother.’
‘Why are police involved in wars? I don’t understand.’
‘They call themselves police, Sam, but they are military through and through. They are assigned to aid the normal planet side police, to provide a brutal and swift reinforcement where necessary. Every planet has special, highly trained crack troops and the best of them wish to join us for we get the special jobs. The ones on the frontline where a delicate touch is needed by an iron claw, sorry, I mean hand. The Minerans alone guard the Dia Kuklos, and so this causes a mysterious enigma as all of their bases are secret and hidden.’ The doctor turned from his instruments to look at Sam. ‘The populace feared a heavily armed police force and the backlash from them when the army was called in for an emergency caused more harm than the original problem. So it was deemed necessary to have a special force that straddled the two. One that polices the army and the police which can also be called in for civil emergencies. It was made up of the highest calibre recruits, ones with proven track records of honour and integrity. They were to stay honed by fighting on the front lines as specialists, where their honour could be maintained and become public record. These were men and women to be loved by all, bar criminals, for these would see no mercy if they resisted.’ Returning to the original topic he continued, ‘Emliton will cure himself when he is ready. There is counselling if he requires it. We Preialeiac do not suffer so, we live, we die, we go to the divine place and eventually we are reborn and the wheel continues to turn. As,’ the doctor produced horrendous sounds that physically hurt Sam’s ears and he could feel the inaudible frequencies vibrating through his body, ‘said, fear not death, as both life and death are transient phases of a greater cycle of existence.’ Seeing confusion on Sam’s face he placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder accompanied with a sound that was similar to a crab running across a glass floor. ‘We are a very old, and some say ferocious race, we have had time to reflect on the deeper meaning of existence.’
Tossing Sam a brown coverall from the box on the bed, he said. ‘If you can strip and put this on, I will try to explain how it works.’
Sam caught the garment with one muscled arm. He was surprised that it was heavier than it appeared and that it had an odd leathery feel to it, but the flexibility of silk.
‘This is the BEE suit. You will wear this as your standard garment whilst on duty. It is your reactive body armour and environmental suit. You saw it partially absorb and spread the pressure of impact from projectile weapons upon Reb’s body. Once you are strong enough the physical impact will have little effect. It has a greater effect on energy weapons and can act with the aid of the pull over head piece as a full bio suit. It can filter out toxins and pass on oxygen for short periods. Sam, this is an organic suit, its absorption is actually the suit digesting the energy. It can only consume a finite amount. Do not make the fatal assumption that you are invulnerable.’
Sam paused. ‘I’m wearing a digestive system? You want me to wear this?’
‘It is a non-sentient life form, it has not got any organs per se. It consumes mainly energy, not people. Think of it as a protective suit of moss or lichen that consumes the energy from daylight, only in this case it can happily feed on a military laser for its tea.’
Sam couldn’t see any fastening on the front and so pressed the edges together. They graduall
y bonded, merging together, leaving no visible trace of a seam.
‘With each suit you get a controller. Reb calls his Bob. Bob is safely tucked away somewhere in the Universe and is Reb’s direct contact to the ISPAW. Without the suit he has no way of contacting Bob. No one else can wear a suit after it has bonded with the designated body, hence the channel is secure. Are you with me so far?’
‘Ok.’
‘Bob controls the suit. I do not know how so don’t ask. Your suit will help you gain muscle mass over the next 24 hours as it will add resistance to your movements, making it harder to move. On low gravity worlds it will, when required, add resistance to prevent you from appearing overly strong. It can operate the other way when you require added strength. It can enhance your strength and carrying capabilities.’
He gently ushered Sam into the next room where a large ring floated in the centre. ‘Your first exercise, Sam. Jump up, you might not have noticed but the babygrow kind of sock booties have now formed into firm boots. Be assured these will never give you blisters and the suit will regulate your temperature so you should never sweat.’ Watching Sam jump up he instructed him to insert his boots into the foot sockets, grab the hand rails and scrunch. ‘Shrink the diameter of the ring, it and the suit will fight you, then you have to push it out again. Use your stomach muscles, not just your arms and legs.’
Sam tried to curl into a ball, pulling the ring with him. It did contract, leaving no visible trace of warping or any mechanical means of interlacing. He pushed back out, feeling the muscles around his body tense.
‘The ring will vary the effort required and change aspect and direction, making you use different muscles as you progress. The suit will add an accumulative amount of resistance as you acclimatise. The ring will slowly lose its circular shape as your arms and legs point in various directions.’ Sam continued to scrunch and unravel as the doctor continued to talk.