Alone on the Edge (The Chronicles of Anna Foster)
Page 7
“Veal? Isn’t that baby cow?”
“You are correct, Anna?”
She cringed and cried, “Why would I want to eat baby cow over baby sheep? They were both kids!”
“I was merely testing your culinary knowledge, Anna.”
With a questioning look, Anna added, “Okay. Whatever, computer.
“What else is in stock?”
“We also have liver, oysters, red glowfish, tu ...”
“Wait a second! Isn’t red glowfish from that colony that orbits Altair? Um ... what was it called?”
While Anna snapped her fingers trying to remember, the computer answered, “Menelaus?”
Anna pointed in front of her and said with a smile, “That’s it! Menelaus! I always wanted to take a vacation there. Heard it was really pretty.”
“Do you want to order the red glowfish, Anna?”
“Um,” she pondered and then replied with a shrug, “Sure. Why not?”
“As you wish, Anna.”
Taking her usual seat, Anna leaned back and stretched out her legs, hoping to relax as much as possible before walking all over the station with the new supplies in tow. A minute later, her smiling face turned to one of curiosity and interest, as she picked up an odd scent in the air. With each passing second, the odor that quickly permeated the room grew increasingly worse, smelling incredibly vile and nauseating.
“Computer,” she yelled after she covered her nose and mouth with her hands in a gesture to cut down on the smell. “What’s going on?”
“Your lunch is being prepared, Anna.”
“Does red glowfish always smell this bad?!”
“The chemical used by the red glowfish to produce its characteristic luminance is toxic for human consumption. However, a number of chefs that prepare the fish apply a chemical to the meat to neutralize the poisonous fluid. You must be smelling the chemical reaction taking place. Many people that have eaten red glowfish have commented about the scent.”
By this time, Anna felt like she was ready to throw up on the floor.
“Why didn’t you ... warn me ... about this?” she asked, barely able to contain herself.
“I was not aware that I was required,” the computer dryly answered.
“Oh, god!” growled Anna, and she bolted from the room hunched over.
As she retreated, the computer simply asked, “Is everything okay?”
Ignoring the question, Anna shot toward her cabin but sprinted only 10 meters before she dropped to her knees and threw up onto the deck. Since she had fully digested her breakfast, her stomach was empty, forcing her to vomit bile and stomach acid. Her stomach muscles violently pushed inward with each heave and ached more and more with each one that followed.
Minutes passed, and Anna continued to vomit uncontrollably due to the scent that filled the corridor. Her ears rang from within, and her abdomen burned from overexertion. Finally drained of energy, she collapsed on the floor next to the pool of vomit she created. The fetid stench reached her nostrils again, and her stomach wrenched involuntarily, forcing her to cry out in pain.
Through the ringing in her ears, she barely heard the computer repeatedly asking, “Anna, do you require medical attention?”
Her mouth formed her response, but she was too weak to vocalize it.
Again, the computer asked, “Anna, do you require medical attention?”
As her stomach wrenched again, the pain forced the air out, and she weakly said, “Yes!”
She heard the computer reply, “Help is on the way.” Then, everything went black.
Chapter 6
Anna quickly opened her eyes to a brightly-lit white room and instantly wished to be unconscious again as she tried in vain to squint the brightness away. Slowly, she reopened her eyes and looked around to see that she had been moved to the infirmary and now laid in one of the beds with an intravenous drip attached to her arm. Her clothing had been removed and replaced with a light blue patient’s gown.
As her body awakened, she realized that her nausea was mostly gone, but her abdomen still ached. Her throat tingled from the passage of her stomach acid earlier, and she could feel some of the burns it left behind.
“Computer,” she asked weakly, her voice still a bit raspy.
“Yes, Anna?” the male voice responded.
“How long have I been out?”
“You were unconscious for 3.67 hours, Anna.”
She thought for a couple of seconds and muttered, “It’s almost 1600 hours?”
“You are correct, Anna. The current time is 1553 hours.”
Her eyes snapped open wide.
“I need to get the supplies distributed!” she said as she pushed herself up slowly.
“You need to rest, Anna. Due to your adverse reaction to the chemicals used on the red glowfish, the examiner recommends at least 6 more hours of rest, before you return to duty.”
“Who’s going to put the food into storage before it goes bad?”
“The task has already been completed by the cleaning drone.”
Anna stopped, holding herself upright with her arms against the bed, and asked, “The cleaning drone?”
“The drone was able to move the containers into food storage over the course of the first hour that you were unconscious.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. I would hate to have to starve over the next month. I don’t think I could eat rotten food.”
She thought for a few seconds and asked, “Do I have any other duties to perform today?”
“Due to your current condition, your work agenda has been suspended until you are fit to return to duty.”
Anna smiled at the response and commented, “I should get sick more often.”
“That would not be advised, Anna.”
“I was just joking,” she frowned before she settled back into the bed.
A few minutes of silence passed with Anna laying still and trying to go back to sleep, until a stray thought entered her mind.
“Computer?”
“Yes, Anna.”
“Where are my clothes?”
“In an effort to make sure your breathing was not restricted, your clothing was removed.”
With a sideways look, she continued, “I know that. Where did you put them?”
“They were discarded.”
“What?!” Anna exclaimed. She sat upright and immediately regretted the action, as the pain in her head suddenly returned. Slowly lying back down, she asked, “Why did you do that?”
“In order to insure your well-being as quickly as possible, the medical drone cut through your clothing and removed them.”
She mulled over the response for a few seconds and chuckled to herself, “Anything to get rid of the offensive clothing. Huh, computer?”
“The nature of your clothing played no part in the decision to ...”
“I know, computer. Just joking again.”
“I do not believe that I will ever understand humor, Anna.”
Smiling, she answered, “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“I do not understand, Anna.”
“That’s the point.”
“Do you find that humorous?”
Anna laughed, “Actually, yes.”
“I still do not understand.”
Weakly waving her hand, she offered, “Just let it go, computer. Just let it go.”
“As you wish, Anna.”
The room fell silent again but only for a few seconds before Anna posed another question.
“Computer, I want to play a game with you.”
“Which game do you wish to play?”
Without a decision being made yet, Anna shrugged and said, “I don’t know. Surprise me.”
Not more than a second later, a holographic board appeared before her with a segmented black and white spiral design on it. Recognizing it immediately as Datsu-Shutsu!, Anna elevated the bed to a seated position and remarked, “Hey! I haven’t played this since I was a kid. This brings bac
k memories.”
“Glad I could help!” the computer replied cheerfully. “Do you remember how to play, Anna?”
“Yeah! Yeah! You try to get your four pieces out from the middle by following the path of your color. Roll the two dice to determine how far you move, which you can split between two pieces or have one piece use it all.”
“Do you wish to implement the battle rules, Anna?”
Anna paused for a second, bewildered by the suggestion.
“Battle rules?”
“It is an optional rule for the game. When one piece from each player is adjacent to each other on the board, they may battle. The battle is resolved by both players rolling one die, and the winner is the one with the highest result. The loser returns their piece to the center of the board. The players reroll in the event of a tie.”
Anna shrugged again, “Sure! Sounds fun. I’ve never played with the battle rules before.”
“As you wish, Anna.”
The game progressed for the better part of an hour, with the lead switching back and forth several times. Despite the fact that the computer eventually won the game, Anna thoroughly enjoyed the experience, taunting the computer and laughing at her own misfortune throughout.
“Aw!” she whined with a smile. “How did you beat me?”
“Each of us rolled the dice and moved ...”
“I was only kidding!” Anna interrupted, waving the explanation away. “Good game, though. That was fun! I had totally forgotten about that game. We should play that more often.”
“As you wish, Anna.”
“I still don’t appreciate the fact that you destroyed my clothes.”
“Your clothes can be replaced.”
“Yeah, I know. But, I can’t help but think that you took advantage of the opportunity to prevent me from wearing them again in the future.”
“The time is now 1700 hours, Anna,” the computer interjected. “You need to have dinner.”
Thrown off-track by the sudden change in conversation, Anna was speechless for a couple of seconds. Finally gathering her thoughts, she asked, “Are you trying to change the subject?”
“No, Anna. I am merely stating ...”
“Because, it sounds like you are. Is there a reason why you don’t want to talk about my clothing?”
“No, Anna. You need to have food to regain your strength and get well.”
She sighed in frustration and added, “Fine. Do I get to make a choice? Or, are my options limited, because I’m in here?”
“For this meal, you have only one selection: a nutrition sponge.”
Anna’s jaw dropped open in shock. She sat up even more, as she shuffled back toward the head of the bed.
“A nutrition sponge? Why do I have to eat that?!”
“A nutrition sponge holds all of the nutrients you need and none of the adverse reactions you may experience with certain foods to which you may be allergic.”
“Yeah,” she protested with a look of mild horror on her face. “But, those aren’t fun to eat. You just pop a pill, and it does the rest. You can’t enjoy that!”
“Considering that you are in the infirmary because of a reaction to food, a nutrition sponge is the best way for you to eat and not risk another reaction.”
Anna frowned and crossed her arms, looking perturbed.
“And, I was looking forward to having turkey again,” she sulked.
A couple of minutes later, the cleaning drone rolled into the infirmary with a push cart in front of it. On the cart sat a tall glass of water and a small plate with a single, large, black pill on it.
“Your dinner is here, Anna.”
With a scowl, she replied, “Thanks for the warning.”
Cheerfully, the computer added, “You’re welcome!”
The cart stopped at her bedside, and the drone silently waited. Reaching over, she gently picked up the pill and glass of water. Looking at her meal with distaste, she swallowed hard, closed her eyes, and tossed the pill into her mouth. She started to cringe from the taste it left on the back of her tongue, but she quickly chased it with the entire glass of water.
After draining the cup and placing it back on the tray, she inquired, “Why don’t they come up with a way to flavor those capsules, or at least make them a little more enjoyable to eat?”
“I do not know, Anna.”
She shuddered and continued, “I don’t know, either.
“That reminds me. Due to medical reasons, red glowfish is to be stricken from future food shipments.”
“Acknowledged.”
Anna endured a few seconds of quiet and asked, “How much longer do I have to wait in here?”
“If you rest well, you may depart as early as 2100 hours.”
“That’s like four hours from now, isn’t it?”
“You are correct, Anna.”
She sat and thought for a minute, trying to find something to occupy her time. Finally, she decided on a book and requested one of the horror stories by Zachary Tresser. After asking for the computer to play random selections from the Mozart library again at a low volume, she settled in to read for the next few hours.
Anna leaned back in the infirmary bed and dozed off while reading. The hologram display still hung in front of her resting on page 74 of the book.
* * * * *
“Good evening, Anna.”
No response.
“Good evening, Anna.”
Again, no response.
“Good evening, Anna.”
The blonde woman stirred, lifting her head from her pillow and blinking her eyes awake.
“Good evening, Anna.”
She moaned slightly as she stretched her arms and back, bringing her body back to life.
“Good evening, Anna.”
“I’m awake, computer.”
“The time is 2100 hours. How do you feel?”
Anna checked herself and replied after a few seconds, “I feel all right. I would like to walk around a bit.”
“As you wish, Anna.”
She cautiously swung her legs over the side of the bed and set her feet on the floor, letting the coolness of the metal deck fully awaken her. She scratched her shoulder and slowly stood up, making sure she did not feel ill at all while she did. Satisfied with her current condition, she got out of bed and glanced around the room, spotting her work boots on the floor across from her bed. With a heavy sigh, she removed the patient’s gown, dropped it onto the bed, and retrieved her footwear.
Just before she stepped out the door into the corridor, the computer stated, “Your current state of dress is not appropriate to leave the infirmary, Anna.”
Anna turned back, looked down at her nude body for a second, and replied, “I don’t really have a choice, computer. You had my clothing destroyed. My cabin is a short walk from here. I will be able to get some more clothing there.”
“You could wear the surgical gown to your cabin, Anna.”
Shaking her head, she answered, “No, I’ll be fine. Besides, who is going to see me?”
After a second, the computer responded, “As you wish, Anna.”
With a slight smile on her face, Anna turned and walked through the doors into the hallway. The air felt cool against her skin as she stood just outside the closing doors, a feeling she had not noticed before when she was clothed. In fact, she now felt the slight breeze created by the ventilation system and determined that the fans may be running too strongly.
“Computer, what is the current temperature?”
“The temperature is currently 22 degrees Centigrade, Anna.”
Anna nodded grimly and began walking to her cabin. Despite her reaction to the computer’s warning, she felt uneasy at first walking in what would normally be a public thoroughfare. But, her mind felt more at ease with each step she took. Other than the short walk from the shower to her wardrobe in her cabin, she had not been naked at all in the past six years. Not counting the recent rescue attempt, this new experience was definitely o
ne of the most daring acts she had personally performed.
By the time she had reached the door to her cabin, Anna walked with confidence and even found the event rather exhilarating. Her body had quickly adjusted to the air temperature and caused her little discomfort. She pressed the switch and entered her cabin.
Chapter 7
She moved directly to her wardrobe and grabbed a white tank top and gray panties. After putting them on, she remembered that she had planned to take the shuttle for a test flight. Silently nodding to herself, she put on an untailored pair of pants, a white shirt with the message “Olympus Mons Ski Team”, a pair of socks, and her boots before walking purposefully out the door.
“Anna, where are you going?”
Without missing a beat, she replied, “I need to take the shuttle for a test flight to make sure all of its systems are within acceptable limits. Prep the ship for me.”
“It is late, Anna. Could you not do this tomorrow?”
“I will be thinking about it and won’t be able to sleep until it’s done. Might as well do it now.”
“As you wish, Anna. Just be careful and try not to fall asleep until you get back.”
“Aw,” she added facetiously. “I didn’t know you cared!”
“Your services as caretaker are needed here, Anna. Any harm that would come to you would not be beneficial for the continued operation of this station.”
Rolling her eyes, she said with mild disgust, “I should have known better than to expect any kind of emotional response from a computer, even you.”
“I am incapable ...”
“Don’t push it right now. I’m in a decent mood.”
“As you wish, Anna.”
The rest of the walk to the landing bay was quiet, with her footfalls and the soft hum from the fluorescent lights the only sounds that echoed through the walkway. Once she entered the airlock and sealed the hatch behind her, she peered through the window to see the shuttle maneuver into loading position. She opened the other side of the airlock and descended the ladder to the craft’s dorsal hatch.
Once she entered and secured herself in the pilot’s seat, she called the computer and asked, “Computer, what are the conditions outside the station right now?”