Though the Stars Fall (United Humanity Marine Corps Book 1)

by Bill Roberts

  We exit the chow hall and head down the hall towards Langsdorf’s office. After a few steps Lance laughs quietly and says “You sure know how to make friends Shawn.”

  “We have a job to do. Their job actually. It isn’t going to be pretty no matter how we go about it. Why waste time being friendly when we are just going to wind up telling them they are idiots?” I shrug and continue. “Thanks for following my lead.”

  Lance replies, “Partners to the hilt.”

  We reach Langsdorf’s door. I knock on the door and hear a loud “Enter,” from Langsdorf. We enter and he gestures for us to take a seat on a couple of metal chairs in front of his desk. He is reading something on the laptop on top of his desk. While he is doing so I look around the office. It looks pretty much exactly like my room minus the bed. I did not really expect anything. I do not imagine that super-secret projects buried in mountains in the middle of nowhere get access to much in the way of creature comforts. Langsdorf types something briefly, bangs on the enter key, then closes the laptop and looks up at us. He smiles his crooked smile and asks, “How’d you guys sleep last night?”

  Lance answers first. “Awful, Sir, but I’m ready to go.”

  I stifle my natural sense of discord at how young Langsdorf looks. The mental gymnastics of reconciling the dissonance of a forty-five-year-old that looks like he is, at most, twenty-two is causing me a little trouble, but I am rapidly becoming accustomed to it. It barely even registered with the others in the chow hall. With Langsdorf it is tougher, because I knew him so well from before … whatever happened to him. I answer Langsdorf’s question with a question of my own. “How well did you sleep when you found out?”

  He laughs and replies, “Like shit.” He pauses, gives us a steady look and asks “We have time for a couple of questions. I am sure you have some now that you had time to think about what I told you yesterday.”

  I ask my favorite question. “Why, Sir? Why did you tell us about the Synti?” I do not bother to ask why everyone else does not know. The answer to me is obvious. The people who knew are trying to prevent panic. They are trying to keep people focused instead of falling into despair. For similar reasons it is also obvious why so few people know about the Watchers. Aliens will just be a huge distraction at this point. We have a war to prepare for. That much was clear in the Watcher’s message. Best for most people to focus on that and take the rest as it comes. This is a logical position. On the other hand, if everybody knew we might get a better effort. Of course we could also descend into chaos. Ah well, it is what it is. I just want to know why Lance and I are in on this.

  Langsdorf thinks for a moment before answering. “For a few different reasons. First, I need you two to be fully invested. I need somebody who truly understands when I drive them harder or emphasize the importance of what we are doing here. Second, I want you to understand just how far outside the box you need to think. Whoever these Synti are they will be alien to us. We need to come up with ways to use these Kodiaks that play to our strengths but give us maximum flexibility. Finally,” he pauses and shrugs then continues, “I was just sick and tired of carrying the burden of that secret alone.” I suspect the last reason might be the real reason Lance and I were in the know. I am sure the other points are valid, but I doubt that was what really drove him to unload on us. I do not blame him one bit for that. If fact I am honored that he chose us.

  I meet his eyes, nod and reply: “Like I said yesterday Sir, we won’t let you down.”

  Langsdorf nods back and asks “Lance, you got any questions?”

  Lance replies: “About a million of them, Sir, but for now I just wanna know if we have any idea how much time we have?”

  Langsdorf’s normal smile fades somewhat as he answers: “The short answer is that we don’t have a clue. We have scoured the information the Watchers gave us as thoroughly as we can and there appears to be nothing about who the Synti are let alone when they might come. There isn’t anything about the Watchers either, other than their message. So we just don’t have any solid information to make some sort of guess on when the Synti will show up.” Langsdorf pauses for a moment then continues. “All that being said, we have made some assumptions. We believe that the Watchers want us to defeat the Synti. If they give us the technology too late we don’t have time to prepare. If they give us the technology too early then we use it to wage warfare on our own planet, weakening us too much before the Synti arrive. We believe the Watchers knew this and tried to strike the best balance with their timing. Our estimate of the optimal amount of time is ten years. That gives us, at best, four and a half more years before we run out of time.”

  Lance looks over at me quickly then back to Langsdorf. “At best?”

  Langsdorf replies: “Honestly, I spend every day hoping they don’t show up until tomorrow. The truth is they could arrive at any moment.”

  Any moment. I already sensed that there was no time to waste when Langsdorf delivered the Watcher’s dire warning. Langsdorf’s statement just echoes what I am thinking in the dark places of my mind where fear lives. I use that fear to further sharpen my resolve. I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure we are as prepared as possible and I am going to flatten anyone who gets in my way.

  Lance takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. He responds: “Well I guess there is no time to waste then. Let’s get started.”

  Langsdorf stands up and Lance and I follow suit. He steps around his desk and heads for his office door. He says: “We have an appointment with medical. Let’s go.” He opens the door and we follow him in to the hallway. He shuts the door and locks it. Somehow he manages to make that simple task look energetic. He takes a quick look at us and then turns left and walks quickly down the hall his boots squeaking slightly on the freshly waxed linoleum. As Lance and I follow I start to grow excited. Medical. I suspect Lance and I are about to learn why everyone around here looks so young. I see a sign suspended from the ceiling ahead with aid station printed on it in red on white and an arrow pointing to double doors on our right. Langsdorf reaches the doors first, bangs one open and holds it while ushering us inside.

  Lance and I follow his gesture and find ourselves in a waiting room. The room looks like every other medical waiting room I have ever seen, white paint and tile, rows of uncomfortable chairs, and a half wall opposite the entrance with people in green scrubs behind it. There are doors on either side of the half wall. Langsdorf heads to the reception station and tells them “Majors Benson and Morris. They have an appointment.”

  One of the orderlies looks up from a computer and replies: “Of course sir, we have been expecting them.” He looks over at us and continues, “Will you gentlemen follow me please.” He stands up and heads to our left and opens the door from the other side.

  Langsdorf’s crooked smile is very evident as he says, “You two have fun. I will see you tomorrow.” He laughs and walks away. Tomorrow? The excitement I felt at the possibility of learning about the fountain of youth dwindles away rapidly. Nobody who spent a full day with military medicine ever had a good time.

  I gesture to Lance. “After you.”

  He returns the gesture and says, “Oh no Shawn I insist. I have been following your lead all morning. I would hate to change that up now.” Smartass.

  I give him a winning smile. “Why thank you. You are a true gentleman.” I head through the door with a feeling vaguely like I am being led to the gallows.

  The orderly leads us down a hall with examination rooms on either side. He stops at one and gestures to Lance “Major Benson, sir, this is your room. Please wait inside.” Lance looks like I feel as he steps inside and the orderly closes the door behind him. The orderly continues down a couple of doors and gestures again. “Major Morris, sir, this is your room. Please wait inside.” I enter and he closes the door behind me.

  I grab a seat on the examination table, crinkling the paper atop it. The room smells
of antiseptic and the dry smell of medical packaging. I lean back against the wall next to the table and look around. The examination room is spotlessly clean. A condition, sad to say, I have not always experienced in military medical facilities during my long Marine Corps career. It also is full of interesting looking medical gadgetry. The gear looks vaguely like things I have seen in the past, but newer, and sleeker somehow. The equipment practically screams state of the art. There is also, of course, a sink and shelves with all sorts of things like bandages and rubber gloves. I eye the rubber gloves warily.

  Before I have time to start wondering what they are going to do to me the door opens and a woman in scrubs walks in. Her name tag has captain’s bars on it and says: U.S. Army, Roberts, RN. She is carrying an electronic tablet and reading from it as she walks in. She looks up smiles and says “Good morning Major Morris. My name is Jennifer Roberts and I will be your nurse for the day. How are you feeling?” She looks young like everyone else around here. She has strawberry blonde hair cut short, blue eyes, and, damn it all, dimples. Great. A pretty nurse. Getting an examination is embarrassing enough. Throw a pretty woman on top of it and the embarrassment will be well-nigh stratospheric.

  I sigh heavily and respond resignedly: “Just fine Captain. Just fine.”

  She looks at me quizzically. “You don’t sound like it. Is there a problem?”

  “No really I feel great. It is just that I have been led to believe that I will be here all day. I have no idea what I am here for, but I don’t imagine anything that takes all day in a medical clinic is going to be very much fun.”

  Captain Roberts laughs happily. “That is just like Colonel Langsdorf to not tell you what you’re here for.” She controls her laughter and looks at me. “Let me guess. You imagine you are in for a long day of getting poked with needles, and prodded in uncomfortable places. Right?” I don’t answer. I just meet her gaze and arch an eyebrow. Seeing my response Roberts smiles and continues, “Nothing could be further from the truth. I won’t steal the Doctor’s thunder, but I will tell you that you’re going to be sleeping most of the time, and you are only going to get stuck with a needle once.”

  She heads over to the shelves and sets her tablet down. She dons a pair of rubber gloves and grabs a specimen jar and a cotton swab. “I am just here to get a DNA sample and your vitals.” She stands in front of me. “If you would open your mouth please so I can get a sample.” I open up and she swabs the inside of my cheek and puts the swab in the jar. She sets the jar down on the counter next to the sink and picks up her tablet. She holds it in front of me pointing the camera towards my face and taps it a couple of times. She then holds it out flat in front of me. I see an outline of a hand on the screen. “Could you place your hand on the screen please?” I put my hand in the outline and after a couple of seconds it beeps. “There. All finished. That wasn’t so bad now was it?”

  I feel another moment of the technology shock I had experienced the day before. I ask a question almost before I even realize it. “Did you just Tricorder me?”

  Roberts laughs again. “Yep. Pretty cool huh?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer before continuing. “These things are great. How did you know we called them Tricorders?”

  I shrug. “What else would you call it? And yeah that thing is pretty cool.” Extremely cool actually, both the device itself and the Trekkie reference. “But, I bet it isn’t the coolest thing I will see today. Since I seriously doubt you found a mystical fountain in the jungles of Mexico. Of course, I suppose that is possible.”

  Roberts looks at me seriously, pondering something. Before I can figure out what she might be thinking she says, “The doctor will be in shortly.” She gathers up the jar and leaves the room closing the door behind her.

  I spend the next few minutes thinking about the future, a future beyond the Synti. I think of the advances in medicine I have already seen. It is good to see that people are applying the Watcher technology to things besides weapons. I think of the implications of unknown aliens coming to earth. This means that distant space travel is not only possible, but maybe even routine. I think about the power source that moved the Humvee. I do not know for sure, but any power plant that could move a Kodiak will be extremely powerful for its size. Mighty changes are in the works. I am beginning to have a vague hope that after the coming war, that we will win, this technology could provide a great boon to humanity. Well, as long as we do not screw it up.

  The door opens and a man in scrubs enters. He looks young of course, but otherwise non-descript. Average hair, average nose, average everything. His name tag bears a silver oak leaf and says: U.S. Navy, Morton, MD. I get the first word in this time. “Good Morning, Sir.”

  He smiles and reaches out to shake my hand. As I shake it he says “Good Morning Major. My name is Commander Morton and I am going to be your doctor today.” I nod in reply and he continues, “Jenn said you were a clever one, so I won’t waste time with the normal spiel. What do you know about nanites?”

  Nanites. Of course. Very shrewd. I answer: “Nanites is a term used to describe incredibly small robots. We have made a few in laboratories, but they have not yet been used for commercial application. There is speculation that they could be used for everything from precision manufacturing, to self-repairing machines and structures, to medicine. As I am talking to a doctor I am guessing you are talking about the medical version. Logically, since everyone around here looks like they are barely old enough to drink, I imagine you have a way to use them that reverses aging.”

  Morton mutters something and then speaks up: “Yes I am talking about very small robots, in this case microscopic robots. And yes you are correct in assuming they reverse aging. Obviously they have been advanced beyond the laboratory and we are field testing them here with the servicemen and women working in Wonderland.” He takes a breath and continues, “However, they do not just reverse aging. They are best described as microscopic human mechanics. They repair everything, skin, bone, ligaments, etcetera etcetera. They also fight disease and infection. If you have a tumor, they will destroy it. If you have plaque in your blood vessels, they clean it out. They are also self-replicating. Once I inject you with them they will exist in you as long as you live.”

  I interrupt. “So with these things you could conceivably live forever?”

  Commander Morton ponders the question for a moment. I sense that he knows the answer but is trying to figure out how to tell me. In time he says: “We have only been testing them for a few months now. Technically we do not know for sure, and probably will not for a few years. That being said, I personally think it is quite likely. Do you have a problem with that?”

  My first thought is: hell no that sounds great. But then the ramifications of what he told me start to sink in. Forever is a very, very long time. I already get bored easily. Until I had entered Wonderland I had not experienced things like wonder or fascination in a long time. And I am only forty. I am looking forward to retirement and another forty or so years to do things, but add another forty on top of that? What about another four hundred or four thousand? What about the burdens I already carry around with me? What about the countless more I would accrue with infinite life? I think about Liz, and Josh, and Esther. Would I be able to live, forever young, with Liz for four thousand years? Actually I could imagine spending four thousand years with Liz. I love and adore her that much. But after many years with countless more before us would we want to try a different life? Would we go our separate ways just to try it out when the boredom of a thousand years set in? Would Josh and Esther still really be my children in a thousand years? Sure immortality sounds great, but living it out might be a very different proposition. I decide to answer Morton’s question with a question. “Why did you accept it?”

  “You know; you are the first person to ask me that. Most people don’t really think it all the way through, they just think about how nice it will be to be young again.” He pauses
and looks me in the eye. “I took it, because all false humility aside, I am a very good surgeon. These things will never be able to repair things like gunshot wounds, or badly broken bones. I owe it to humanity to heal it as long as I possibly can.”

  I think about the coming war. I do not think it will be a short one. There will likely be a lot of Synti out there that we will need to fight. I think about the implications of space travel and alien invasion. We would inevitably take to the stars ourselves. The Synti would have a home world of their own that we would have to deal with. Hell, perhaps there will be other aliens we will meet and potentially fight as well. I too owe it to humanity, but not to heal. In the future laid out by the Watcher’s warning Humanity is going to need many people to fight for it. It is my turn to lay aside the false modesty. I have proven on battlefields in two different countries that I am very good at fighting. Humanity will need people like me. Will I take up that challenge? A part of me wants to do so simply because I believe in humanity and do not want to see it snuffed out. But there is another part. The dark part of me. Combat is terrifying and terribly destructive, but it is also darkly thrilling. There is nothing like confronting people trying to kill you and smashing them utterly. I will never tell this to anyone, but, deep down, I love it. Humanity will need that as well. So be it. “I’m in.”

  Commander Morton takes a deep breath and replies briskly. “Very well. There are a few things you need to know before I give them to you. First, they require a lot of energy. You will need to adjust your eating habits accordingly. On the good news side, it will be almost effortless for you to keep your body fat down. The nanites are programmed to operate at full speed until the person’s body fat drops below a certain level. Since you are a male once your body drops below nine percent they slow down until you get more energy into your system. Second, they will greatly increase your overall fitness level. Like I said they repair everything. They are going to increase your ability to get oxygen into your system and your blood flow. They also repair your muscles very rapidly. After a few days in the gym you will see huge improvements. Third, there is no way to get them out of you. Once you accept them you cannot go back. Finally, I am going to give them to you with a sedative to help you sleep. We have coded your DNA and dumped that information into them, but even with that there is a …”