AMP Siege (14 page)

Frig replied, "Applying scale now, Sir."

I sat up in my bed. "Five meters! We look like Bellus pups compared to them. I don't know about you, but I am not looking forward to an encounter with one of those!"

The crewman we had in our view then came to a halt as the others continued to search. His great arms reached up to his head. With a small jerk, the head of the invader came loose and was hoisted into the air and then over in front before being set gently on the ground.

I spoke. "Great, just what we needed. Five-meter-tall androids!"

As we watched, the head split open and a small creature in a thin suit stepped out. The creature held a scanning device in his hand. He moved from side to side as he carefully scanned the ground in front of him. It appeared as though nothing had been found.

An hour had passed before one of the ground crew waved for the others to return to their shuttles. Several minutes later, the shuttles departed and slipped into docking bays on the two great ships, and the ships began their climb out of orbit.

I nodded my head as I spoke. "I don't think we learned much of anything there, Frig. I would like to search that planet myself, but it looks like there is nothing to find."

Frig replied, "Sir, we just gained a wealth of knowledge about that new species. I captured the scan waves they are emitting. They are nearly identical to our own. We also learned that they travel in rather large mechanical battle suits, while they themselves are small in stature. And it would appear that they have no cloaking mechanisms for their ships. Perhaps they are powerful in their own right and do not feel the need for such."

The two chrome-covered ships slipped effortlessly out of orbit and were soon joined by the other three. The Human signal no longer emanated from the planet, nor were there any signs that something had previously been there.

As the five great ships sat rendezvoused with each other, something spectacular happened. One of the ships imploded, beginning at one end, shrank through its center to the other end, and then exploded in the same manner.

I sat up on the edge of my bed. "What was that? What just happened to that ship?"

Seconds later, the remaining ships turned away and were soon traveling beyond light speed.

I repeated my question. "What did we just see? Tell me you have something on the sensors!"

Frig worked feverishly away at the display in his hand. "I am sorry, Sir. It appears that the ship in question was untouched by any beams or other signals. It just collapsed and burst apart on its own."

I replied, "Ships don't just blow up on their own. Someone or something caused that. Maybe they were being punished for not finding anything, although that sounds rather asinine. No, something did that to them. What are we missing?"

Two minutes later the Wren went silent. It was as if it had vaporized. A trail of residual ions stretched out for fifty kilometers in a line. In the hour that elapsed after the Wren's destruction, the Human signal returned.

Are you out there?

Frig had gone over our sensor data several times without so much as a single clue. Something was there; we, however, were unable to see or find it.

Frig spoke. "Sir, we are at a distance where I can open a full wormhole. As our distance grows, that becomes ever more difficult. I could place a scout on the planet where the signal appears to be originating from."

I replied, "We aren't going to risk anyone after seeing what we just saw. Drop one of those probes we have next to it and see what happens."

Frig sent a comm to one of his lab techs. Several minutes passed before he received word that a probe was ready to be sent through. A wormhole was opened at a kilometer’s distance from the origination point, and the sensor probe was tossed through. There was a flash on the wall screen, and the sensor went silent. Frig rushed out of the room on his way to the lab.

Something had sensed the probe's presence and had then immediately destroyed it. Part of the weapon used had found its way into Frig’s lab through the open portal, killing three of his technicians and damaging much of his equipment. The wormhole generation mechanism had been taken offline, at least temporarily. A rescue attempt of the Grid now seemed even further away.

I was getting used to my new leg. Gy was right: its presence was ever in your mind. George had said something about how the nerve endings were continuously being stimulated by the prosthesis. I just remember my eyes glazing over during his explanation, as much of the terminology used was beyond my small field of expertise, package delivery.

A side effect of the constant stimulation was a constant comfortable feeling. I felt like I was wrapped in a warm blanket while the interior of the
Swift
was going through a cryo-cleaning. The oddness of the sensation was soon removed from my mind and replaced with a sense of familiarity.

I walked into what had once been Frig's prized lab. The back wall remained charred and open into the next room and the room beyond. Only the thick outer hull of the
Suppressor
had managed to stop the destructive progress of the weapon that had come through the portal. Minuscule traces of tungsten had been found throughout the destruction. The meaning of its presence remained unknown.

I spoke. "How goes the cleanup?"

Frig did not look up; he continued to work from his squatting position as he replied, "The computers and the lab can be rebuilt. The antenna demodulators that resided within this room were completely destroyed. It will take some time and effort to rebuild them. Our greatest loss, however, was the three members of my tech team. They were invaluable to the operation and support of the wormhole system. It will take months to retrain a new team. Much of what we were able to accomplish with that wormhole was because of their efforts and input. They will be missed."

I looked around the room. "Do we really need the wormhole right now? I mean, we are too far away to go through it. We can't communicate with the Grid. Whatever we drop back there for that errant Human signal will just get destroyed. And the Gonta defense people replied with a resounding no to our comm request. What else could we use it for?"

Frig stood and replied, "We could make use of it to monitor if the Grid is being moved. What if, by the time it is once again functional, what if the Grid is gone? Our only hope of finding it is for us to travel into Colossun space. Even with the wormhole active, a scan of the known Colossus Empire would take many years."

I looked at Frig; he was disheveled in his otherwise calm and efficient appearance. "When was the last time you slept?"

Frig was silent for a moment before offering a tepid response. "Five days ago, Sir."

I cocked back my head. "Go hit the sack for a while. I'm sure we can keep things running around here. When you are done with at least a full day’s rest, come see me, and we will work out a schedule of what needs to be done. And Frig—"

Frig replied, "Yes, Sir?"

I spoke. "You look like crap! Hahahaha!"

Frig shook his head. "Years apart, Sir. And yet your wit remains stale."

I waved Frig off as I got down to the task of assisting in the coordination of the cleanup effort.

As I continued to train my new leg, it became increasingly difficult to fully control. I would make a ten-meter one-step leap from my right leg to a one-meter flop on my face after mistakenly attempting it with my left. I was beginning to have trouble with my sense of balance.

Several days had passed, and Frig was back to his normal efficient and regulated self. I sat down in George's office for a talk. "Can we detune this leg, or is there any other way to make my brain move the proper leg at the proper time?"

George smiled. "Yours is a common occurrence for single-prosthetic wearers. If your goal was to walk, or even to jog, with a normal gait, I believe you would do just fine. You, however, are an extreme case. You are active, and as such you need the balance that comes with evenly powered appendages. As I had initially recommended, you should have had both legs replaced at the same time."

I sat back in my chair. "I've got to tell you, Doc, I still like my left leg."

George replied, "As you also like your new right leg. It is of course up to you, Don, but my recommendation stands."

I placed my hands on top of my head with my fingers folded as I leaned further back and looked up at the ceiling. "You already have my face and one leg, Doc. When are you going to stop?"

George stood as he walked towards his container of coffee. "Oh, you still have a lot that needs replacing, Don Grange. If I had my way, I would replace that other leg and both arms, and then I would add a reinforcement framework to your hips, spine, and shoulders. Your combat suit would consist of a torso cover and a helmet."

I replied, "So, you would turn me into York. I see."

George again smiled. "York is indeed a success story, Don. Do you know that she has not been in need of a single adjustment?"

I turned and looked out the doctor's portal window into the cold black space beyond. "Doc, if York had a complaint about those arms and legs, she would keep it to herself. Who knows, maybe you got her set up exactly right the first time. You are pretty good, you know."

George returned with a cup of coffee. "I appreciate your confidence in me, Don. I will have to admit that York is a unique case. Instead of allowing adjustments to be made, she instead chose to allow her brain to compensate for any deficiencies. Perhaps in a way, that has made her bond to those prostheses all the more real and all the more effective. Most of us, however, do not have the patience to go through that process."

I sat forward in my chair as I took a cup of coffee as it was offered. "If, and I say if, if I had that full procedure done, how long would the recovery process take? One week? Two?"

George took a sip, savored the flavor, and then spoke. "Four, possibly up to six weeks. The framing around the spine has to heal fully before training can begin."

I stood with my coffee in hand. "Six weeks! Well, how is it that York was up in a few days?"

George took another sip. "York's body has learned to compensate whenever she makes heavy use of her limbs. The muscles along her spine have grown thick. It was something that I had not expected, and is probably the reason that she has not severely damaged her own skeleton. Also of note is the increased bone density level that she has. Her skeletal and muscular systems are both well above the norm."

I took a long swallow, crumpled my plastic thermo-cup, and tossed it in an open recycler chute. "So, how long would a recovery be without the spine-and-shoulder thing? Just the arms and legs."

George shook his head. "I believe you would kill yourself within a few months’ time. A broken back, severely torn muscles—you would be returned to me with irreparable damage. I would not perform such a transformation on you. You have a propensity for getting banged up and knocked about too much. That surgery would be ill advised."

I spoke. "Well, we aren't going anywhere fast here, Doc. I suppose you should go ahead and give me the works. I guess that once a cyborg, always a cyborg; a little bit more on the electromechanical front won't hurt."

George smiled as he crumpled his own coffee cup. "Oh, I never said it wouldn't hurt, Don. But, don't you worry, I will do my best to keep the pain down."

I returned half a smile. "You scare me sometimes, Doc. I don't know whether you are just being honest or if you are just pulling my chain."

George replied, "What is life without a little mystery? Enjoy the remainder of your day, Don. I will see you here first thing in the morning."

My final day with real arms and a leg passed quickly. I awoke four days later with Frig standing over my bed. I could only see his feet, as I was facing the floor. There was no mistaking the unshod greenish feet of a Gambit.

Frig spoke. "So, Sir, how does it feel to be 60 percent artificial?"

I replied with a still-groggy voice, "I can't feel anything yet. How do my legs look?"

Frig smiled. "Your legs? You do not have any legs, Sir. You have two stumps that have been prepared for prosthetics, one that is already healed, and another that is healing."

I attempted to roll over and was surprised by the restraints that held me in place. I grasped for something to grab hold of but could not find a grip.

I continued, "Well, how about my arms? Do they look natural?"

Frig chuckled. "You have no arms either, Sir. The doctor removed them yesterday."

Still in a somewhat confused state, I asked, "Why did I have my new leg the next day and now I have nothing?"

Frig squatted close to the floor and looked up at me. "Sir, the operation has only just begun. Your remaining leg and your arms were removed yesterday. This morning, George reinforced one of your hips. He will do the other tomorrow. Following that, he will open your spinal cavity. You will receive the initial spinal support structure, followed on the next day by a Tantric coating of your bones. When the coating has sufficiently bonded, an exoskeleton of sorts will be wrapped around your spine. That must then heal for three days before the work on your shoulders can begin."

I grumbled, "Tantric, huh? Doc didn't mention that little tidbit."

Frig replied, "He was uncertain about its use at the beginning. Gy came through with a few suggestions, so George felt it was a worthwhile experiment."

I again replied with a half-awake question. "Experiment? I don't remember signing up for any experiment. Where is the doc? I would like to have a word or two with him."

Within minutes I was again fast asleep; my questions remained unanswered. Twice more I was awakened during my stay in George's infirmary. Each time I was groggier than the last. When I finally fully awoke, George was standing over me.

George spoke. "How are we feeling?"

I blinked my eyes in an attempt to clear away the fog. "I feel like I just got rumbled by an angry Borak. Would you be so kind as to remove my straps, Doc? I have a wicked itch on the end of my nose."

George reached in and lightly scratched. I attempted to wiggle my face, only to find that my head had been strapped down as well.

I spoke. "Hey, I remember something about Tantric mentioned. Some experiment. What gives?"

George smiled. "It was something that I have been wanting to do for a while. With quad prosthetics, there is a tendency to damage the spine and the muscles if the limbs are overexerted. I theorized that if the bone could be reinforced with a thin layer of Tantric, the risk of damage due to an overexertion could be minimized. Frig happened to mention my theories to Gy. I don't know why I had not consulted with him before; he is our Tantric authority. Anyway, I wrapped your bones in Tantric. If all goes well, you should be able to endure more than any Human has in the past. I am speaking purely from a skeletal perspective, so don't think superhuman strength."

I replied, "So, why can't I move my legs or arms, Doc?"

George picked up a display chart and poked at it with a single finger. "I don't see why we can't have those fitted to your torso in about three more weeks."

The comment had me fully awake. "Three more weeks! How long have I been out, exactly?"

George set the chart back on a side table. "Well, there were a few complications, and we added a few new items such as the Tantric hips, spine, shoulders, and skull."

I broke in. "Wait. What? Skull? You never said anything about my skull!"

George again smiled. "I will have to admit to taking a few liberties with you, Don. You were hardheaded before; you are now the hardest head. I reinforced your upper and lower jaw, the bridge of your nose, and right at the base of your nose above the teeth. Your skull, running from just above your eyeballs, around each side, and up and over the top, has a Tantric layer, as well as the rest of the bones in your body."

George continued, "You see, Gy was able to sinter the Tantric into flakes, and then mix it with a calcium carbonate coating. That allowed us to literally paint it onto your bone, creating a strong bond. With the proper electric current, the Tantric then reconnected to itself, forming a near-perfect layer. Gy is now trying to figure out if he can do something similar for our ships."

I sighed. "So, I'm a Tantric mess is what you are saying."

George replied, "What I am saying is that you have one tough framework that is holding you together. If I could figure out some way to protect your soft tissue, you would be one scary soldier."

I spoke. "So, I'm stuck here for another three weeks, huh. How are you planning to keep me properly entertained?"

George smiled as he pressed a button on an IV line. "Entertained? That won't be necessary. Good night, Don Grange. I will be seeing you in three weeks. I have a few more nips and tucks to make before then."

Before I could respond, the powerful sleep agent again had me unconscious. When I again woke from the dead, I had the arms and legs that I had been dreaming of. Again my nose itched, and again the restraints prevented me from satisfying that itch.

George entered the room. "Well, good to see you up. Tomorrow we begin your physical therapy."

I replied, "If I am all done, why am I restrained?"

George laughed. "Sorry, Don. If we didn't keep those straps on you, you would probably beat yourself to death trying to scratch your nose. Keep in mind, you don't have control of those limbs yet. And I would add, training one limb is much easier on the brain than training all four."

I spoke. "Well, if you wouldn’t mind coming over here again to scratch my nose, I would appreciate it. Hey, since you took the time to add all the extras to me, why didn't you just go ahead and add on a couple extra arms?"

George nodded as he scratched. "Believe it or not, I have worked up the designs for that. It would be quite complex, requiring new muscles and tendons to be attached and new bones grafted. With the addition of the Tantric to the bones, we might just be able to support that extra set."

I attempted to raise my hand to say stop, but my arms were still not functional. I instead settled on a wink and a nod.