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Nanomachine War series Box Set

Page 12

by Don Viecelli


  The weather outside the cave had gotten much worse. Winds were driving the dust storm particles horizontal and visibility was down to a few feet. Doug was standing behind a large rock formation to prevent the land rover from running him over by mistake. He had sent the coordinates to Captain Tills and knew she should be arriving any minute.

  Doug’s comlink buzzed. It was working again. Most of his electronics had been disrupted temporarily by the Intruder’s energy beam blast that knocked him out a few hours ago. He saw on his HUD display that there were voice messages from Janice. He had been unable to receive or answer any calls until recently.

  Doug listened to the voice messages left from Jan earlier. What Jan said was even more alarming than the news Vice Leader Di had told him. It seemed the Qumru on the starship had indeed been infected by the Yoyka nanomachines and were under their control. Now it looked like they had infected Haruto and his people who had just visited the starship. From the fear in Jan’s voice, Doug new Jan was worried she and their baby may also be infected, but there was still a chance the nanomachines were not in the contagious state. There was still hope.

  Doug knew the Yoyka nanomachines would start infecting everyone on Mars within hours if they don’t find a way to stop it. Quarantine would be the first attempt, but Vice Leader Di had shown Doug a second option. It would not be easy, but it was their only chance.

  The land rover appeared through the dust haze blowing around him. Captain Tills said over the comlink, “We’re at the coordinates, Director. Are you here?”

  “I see the rover, Captain. Give me a minute to walk to the hatch. My comlink is working again.”

  “We were getting worried, Director, when you didn’t respond to our calls,” Tills said waiting for Doug to open the outer hatch door. The indicator light signaled the door was open and Doug was inside the entry compartment. A moment later, Doug stepped inside and removed his helmet and gloves. He made his way to the front greeting everyone before sitting down in the passenger seat. He said hello to Captain Tills and turned around in his seat to speak to the others. “I know you want me to explain what happened. I met the Intruder. He’s not what you think he is. He’s not the real enemy here. He was sent on a mission to stop what’s happening on the starship.”

  Doug took a few minutes to explain who the Yoyka were and how they controlled races through the use of nanomachines. Now, it was certain the Qumru crewmembers aboard the starship were infected and under the control of the Yoyka. What was even worse, however, was the Yoyka had now infected humans and it was imperative they stop the infection from spreading on Mars or all would be lost.

  “I just received word from my wife that some of our people have been infected with the Yoyka nanomachines. It’s still early enough to prevent others from becoming infected if the MCDC can quarantine all those who visited the starship recently. I am not infected. The Intruder tested me. He has a device that can detect the nanomachines. He also gave me a limited number of preventive shots.” Doug held up a small metal box containing ten injectors.

  “This is not an antidote. It cannot cure someone who is already infected with the nanomachines, but it can prevent someone from becoming infected. This is not a vaccine since the infection is not caused by a biological disease. Inside the solution are more nanites. They will attack the Yoyka nanomachines and prevent them from multiplying and invading the brain.”

  Doug paused for a moment. “I know what I’m telling you is hard to take in. But you must believe that I am telling you the truth. The Intruder is an android created by the Qumru race. He was sent on a mission to protect the Qumru on the starship before it left their planet. He was too late. The Yoyka had already infected the original crewmembers. The Intruder sabotaged the starship to prevent it from reaching another home world. Unfortunately, it dropped out of hyperspace near our solar system. We are now at risk if we don’t help the Intruder stop the Yoyka from infecting our race.”

  “How do you know the Intruder is not lying to you?” Chuck Williams asked; a question that was on everyone’s mind.

  “I trust the android. I plan to inject myself with the solution as soon as I get back to Haffen City. I will test the solution to make sure it works before asking any others to do the same. It is the only way to fight the Yoyka without becoming infected by their nanomachines.

  “We must get this nanite solution back to the MCDC lab to see if we can make more of it. The Intruder says the nanotechnology required may be more involved than we can duplicate on Mars. However, it can be duplicated on the starship. I plan to assemble a team to do just that. The Intruder will help us. It may be our only shot, pardon the pun.” Doug smiled to lighten the mood. Everyone was looking a little overwhelmed by what he was saying.

  “It’s worth a try, Director,” Captain Tills agreed. “We have too much to lose if we do nothing.”

  “All right then. We need to get back to town. I’ll answer all your questions on the way.”

  Captain Tills turned the land rover around and head back to Haffen City while Doug explained everything he knew about Vice Leader Di.

  Chapter 27

  The Infection

  It was almost midnight when Janice got a call back from Doug. “Where have you been? I have been trying to reach you all night,” Jan said, her voice sick with worry.

  “I’m sorry, Jan. I just got your voice messages. Let me explain.” Doug spent the next ten minutes telling Janice what had transpired since he left his office hours ago.

  Janice calmed down and told Doug what was going on. “I’m still in quarantine at the MCDC, Doug. I’m waiting for by blood test results. I’m pretty sure I’m not infected, but Haruto and the others that went up to the starship with him are infected. Everyone is in isolation here at the lab, but one of Colonel Jackson’s men who were on the starship with him is still missing.”

  Doug was silent for a moment taking it all in. “How sick is Haruto?”

  “His fever is down and Doctor Mun says he looks okay, but his mind appears to be in a daze. He is not talking to anyone yet.”

  “Okay. This doesn’t look good. I’m on my way back to the city. I should be there in one hour. I’ll come straight to the MCDC office. I have something you and the doctors there need to look at.” Doug told Janice about the injectors and the nanite solution Vice Leader Di gave him.

  “That’s great, Doug!” Jan said. “That could make all the difference!”

  “Don’t get your hopes up too high, Jan. Di didn’t think we could make more of the solution here on Mars. He thinks we may have to get back on board the starship to make it. Besides, I need to inject myself first to make sure it’s safe.”

  “Let me look at it first, Doug. I have samples of the Yoyka nanomachines and am testing them now to see if I can find a neutralizing agent as well.”

  “Alright, Jan. I’ll be there soon.”

  Captain Tills dropped Doug off at the MCDC building just after one am in the morning. She dropped Chuck and Gwen off at their homes and then she and the remaining two Peace Keepers headed to their office to see what needed to be done to enforce the quarantine procedures. Tills was thankful it was so late and uneventful because by morning everyone in Haffen City could be in a panic.

  Doug hurried up the steps into the MCDC building and located Doctor Mun. He was standing in his office reading his comtablet. Doug knocked on his door to get his attention. “Doctor Mun, I need to see my wife.”

  Doctor Mun held out his comtablet to show him something. “Janice said you were coming, Director. I have some good news here. Her blood test results are negative. She has not been infected.”

  Doug breathed a sigh of relieve. “Did Jan tell you I have a possible solution?”

  “Yes, she did. We would like to study what you have right away. Where did you get it?”

  Doug took out one of the injectors and gave it to Doctor Mun. “I’ll tell you all about it. First, I must see Jan. Please take me to her.”

  Doctor Mun led Doug thr
ough a long hallway and down some steps to another part of the building where they put some people in separate rooms to wait for further testing. All the rooms had large viewing windows and Jan was in the first room.

  Doctor Mun opened the door. “Doctor Martin, I have your husband with me,” Mun said. “Don’t worry. Your lab tests are negative.”

  Janice was lying on a bed with the curtain drawn. She was not sleeping and got out of the bed to embrace Doug. She looked tired to Doug, but otherwise appeared to be okay.

  “I brought the nanite solution I told you about, Jan. I gave one to Doctor Mun to start testing. You said you want to take a look at it before I give myself a shot.”

  Janice made a face before speaking, “So you want to be the first guinea test pig? I won’t let you.”

  Doug explained why he needed to test it as quickly as possible. “Come on, Jan. Just take a look at it and tell me what you think.”

  Janice looked at Doctor Mun and said, “Take us to your lab and I’ll start working on it. By the way, how is Haruto Nakamura?”

  Doctor Mun frowned. “I’m afraid the news is not altogether positive. The Secretary is looking better and his fever is gone, but he is showing signs of depression and moodiness. He is not speaking to anyone. His mind seems to be in a haze at the moment.”

  Doctor Mun paused for a second before continuing. “His wife, Aiko, has also been infected. It looks like the infection becomes contagious once the fever hits it highest point. Aiko started showing similar signs of the infection within a few hours. I believe what we are dealing with here is the Yoyka nanomachines have adapted to our human physiology and now are capable of spreading faster than in the first hosts, which means the nanomachines are now super contagious. It will be difficult to stop this infection from spreading if it gets out of containment.”

  “What about Colonel Jackson? Where is he?” Doug asked as they walked down the hall.

  “He is in the containment area with Haruto and the others. Unfortunately, we have not found Lieutenant Erin Baker who was with his team. He left the spaceport as soon as they landed and no one has seen him since. I have everyone looking for him now.”

  Doctor Mun led Jan and Doug to the elevator and they ascended to the second floor where the research labs were. The MCDC had four research scientists on staff, which normally was enough for the normal duty load. Three of the four scientists were also medical doctors and specialized in various diseases found in the human population on Mars and Earth. All three were busy at their stations trying to find an answer how to stop the Yoyka nanomachines from spreading.

  Mun led Janice and Doug to a scanning tunneling microscope commonly called a STM machine. Janice quickly took a sample of the nanite solution from one of the injectors and ran it through the microscope. She then got a sample of the Yoyka nanomachines and ran it through the STM as well for a comparison. It only took a few minutes to see the results on the computer screen.

  “The Qumru nano-agents look similar to the Yoyka nanomachines, but the atomic structure is slightly different. We would need a quantum computer to make any changes to either of these nanites or make more of them. The only quantum computers I know of are on Earth; and they are experimental models.” Janice sounded defeated.

  “That’s what Vice Leader Di thought,” Doug said. “Di says they have the machines we need on the starship. I need to get up there with a team. But we need to take these shots to prevent us from being infected. What do you think, Jan?”

  “We don’t use guinea pigs anymore. Let me run a model DNA test in the lab first, Doug. It will only take a few hours to confirm if the shots are safe and effective or not. Then I will give you the shot myself,” Jan said firmly.

  That seemed logical enough to Doug and Doctor Mun. A few more hours wouldn’t hurt anyone, Doug thought. Besides, he was tired and needed some rest.

  *****

  Earlier in the day on the fringe of Haffen City outside the dome Lieutenant Erwin Baker was at his girlfriend’s home. They were too busy enjoying a romantic tryst to watch any news or answer any phone calls when Baker suddenly felt ill and developed a fever. His girlfriend, Kathy, wanted Erwin to call a doctor or get some real medication, but Erin insisted he would be alright. He just needed some aspirin and some rest. The fever broke in a few hours and Erin was now fully contagious. He passed the infection on to Kathy without Kathy even knowing she had it. Two hours later, Erin and Kathy were at a bar shaking hands and hugging as many people as they could. They couldn’t help themselves. It was as if someone was making them do it without them even knowing. It was hours after the bar closed that anyone heard about the MCDC alert. Most ignored the warnings and went home for the night. The infection was now spreading around Haffen City unchecked. The Yoyka nanomachines were outside the containment area.

  Chapter 28

  Starship

  First Leader Utor was sitting in his seat on the Command Center Bridge of the starship waiting for Shonya to report on the status of the humans down on the Mars surface. It had been over twelve human hours since he had infected the humans who had visited his ship. He knew the nanomachines should be fully contagious by now.

  Shonya reported, “I have the data First Leader Utor. It appears the humans are aware of the infection and have issued a planet-wide alert. It will do them little good. Once the nanomachines become contagious, there is no way to stop them from spreading among the race.”

  “Good. I suspected as much. How long before everyone is infected?” Utor spoke without emotion.

  “The human population on this planet is approximately fifteen hundred people with 700 living in the main city near the spaceport. My calculations show that the infection will double in size every twelve human hours. Haffen City will be fully infected within four Martian days, the entire planet in six days, First Leader.”

  “Then the Yoyka will be able to control this planet soon. Very good, Shonya. We need to start receiving materials to repair this ship as soon as possible. What about the Intruder? Any sign of him?”

  “There were transmissions from the ground that the humans may have found something, but nothing recorded since. I cannot verify the Intruder is actually on the planet’s surface, First Leader.”

  “What about transmissions with their home planet Earth? Any news?”

  “The last transmission recorded was between the human Haruto Nakamura and his leaders on Earth. It appears Earth is preparing to send a delegation to visit Mars and meet with you, First Leader. It will take them thirty human days to complete the journey.”

  “I see. We should have our starship repaired by then.” Utor seemed pleased that everything was going according to plan. “Have you made contact with Imperial Leader Rahta yet?”

  “Yes, First Leader. His Imperial Dreadnought, the Yoykan Malee, is on its way here. It will arrive in twenty-five Martian days. He will contact you soon to discuss important matters regarding our passenger minds.” Shonya did not elaborate.

  Utor wondered why Rahta would want to journey all the way here to this backward solar system. It must be Earth with its large human population. It was only natural Rahta would want to control this new planet with all its resources for himself.

  Utor rose from his seat and walked to the edge of the Bridge that overlooked the Command Center below. He peered past the officers working at their stations and looked out the open windows of the starship’s dome at the stars shining brightly in the universe. He had vague memories of travels to other star systems and discovering many new planets and alien races, but now new memories were taking over. He could not determine if they were really memories he created from his travels or memories that were imprinted on his mind from the nanomachines in his brain. They seemed to become stronger each day and reinforce other recent memories that told him what to do. Utor knew he was being controlled by the Yoyka, but he was powerless to stop it. Whenever a message was received in his mind through the quantum mechanics transmission link, he simply obeyed as if he thought of it h
imself. The decision to inject the humans on their last visit was such a response. He knew the nanomachines would take over the human minds and they would be subject to the same control as he and his crewmembers were. All he needed now was to get the humans to start providing him with the resources he needed to repair the starship.

  One more issue remained to be resolved; what to do with the Qumru passenger minds? Utor and his fellow officers had entered the cryostasis sleep chambers before all the passenger minds were uploaded from Qum. Utor remembered the panic on the planet’s surface when the Yoyka arrived and how fast the nanomachine infection spread. The world government fell under Yoyka control and the rest of the world’s population succumbed soon afterwards. There were resistance groups and some scientists desperately tried to find a solution to the contagion. Utor never learned if they were successful. The only solution Utor was aware of was the decision to upload as many Qumru minds as the scientists could and flee the solar system. Utor now believed the Yoyka wanted to use the passenger minds to infect new alien worlds; or they wanted to learn how to upload minds to prolong their own lives. The Onutu knowledge and technology to do so were on board this starship. One other option remained that was not beyond reason. The Yoyka wanted to destroy the one billion passenger minds before the starship could escape. Utor wanted to believe he could prevent this, but he knew he could not if the nanomachines inside his brain demanded it. Utor would be powerless to resist.

  *****

  Imperial Leader Rahta was standing on the Command Deck of his Imperial Dreadnought as it sped through hyperspace on its way to Earth’s solar system. Standing next to him was Anahta, the High Commander of the warship. “It will be good to capture the Qumru starship and see what this new solar system has to offer, Commander,” Rahta said as if this was just another visit to one of his conquered races.

 

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