Chapter 6
Chapter Six
At times Cody was confused whether he was in a bed at Tamsyn’s ranch, tied down for his own good and their protection, or floating on the total nerve block in the Sectors military hospital after the explosion decimated his team on the piece of shit planet they’d been deployed to.
The two circumstances bled into each other and combined and broke apart again in his mind where he and the virus fought a battle for his soul.
Now was one of those episodes where he was waking up in the bed at the trauma hospital and panicking because he couldn’t feel any part of his body, nor could he move.
At the edge of his consciousness he sensed he was fighting the tethers at his wrists and ankles in real life on Randal Four but certainty slipped away as the battleax, gray haired Army nurse came into view with a handful of injects.
“What happened? How are my teammates?” he asked in a raspy voice he didn’t recognize.
“I’m not authorized to tell you anything, sorry, soldier,” she said with a barely there smile he could tell was fake. “The doctors will be in soon to give you a debrief and discuss your case.”
Fuck, it must be really bad. “Am I—am I paralyzed?” he asked, working up his courage to learn the truth.
“No, we’ve got you in a medlock,” she said, patting some portion of him he couldn’t feel, his shoulder maybe. Her gesture made it harder for him to control his panic.
“How long till I can get out of here and rejoin my team then?”
Her eyes were full of pity and his stomach turned.
Or at least he thought it did, not being able to actually feel anything.
“The doctor will go over everything with you in a few minutes. They’re going to do their best for you, I promise.
” She busied herself with whatever she was doing to him, an infusion maybe.
Cody wanted to grab her arm, make her stop and listen to him and his desperate need to know the truth about his situation.
It had to be bad to be under a total medlock.
His commands to his arms went unanswered and the best he could do was clear his throat and try again.
“I need to know the situation now, ma’am, not lie here imagining the worst until this doctor shows up.
” He watched her face and added, “I’m not going to freak out or anything. I can handle it.”
She sighed and glanced at the door, then back to him.
Leaning close to his ear, sending her scent of crisp starch, antiseptic and a faint touch of perfume over him.
“You’ve got the important things—brain intact, sight and hearing, heart, most of your internal organs, an impressive cock and balls, part of one arm, your upper legs… and that’s it. I’m sorry, soldier.”
She moved away while he was struggling to make her words make sense. His mind refused to take it in. “But the doc can stick me in the rejuve resonator and make me whole again, right?” he croaked out, panic making his throat tight and according to the sensors in the room, his heart beat faster.
“Dr. Nessa will go over all the options with you. I hear him coming down the hall now,” she said.
Cody wanted to be sick but with his entire body blocked off and concealed from his sight, he guessed it was all in his mind. He moved his head restlessly against the pillow, glad he could move at least one part of him.
Dr. Nessa was short, sharp featured and intense. Two of his colleagues came into the room behind him and stood off to the side. “Glad you’re finally awake, Sgt. Wayne. We need to talk.”
“How long has it been?” he asked.
“Two weeks while we stabilized you,” the doctor said easily.
“Why didn’t you run me through the rejuve resonator right away and send me back to my team?
” Cody demanded. The specialized ‘miracle machine’ was much touted in the military as a final resort for injured soldiers.
Anger and confusion at having been denied the treatment clouded his mind. “My team needs me, sir.”
Dr. Nessa drew a chair closer and sat. “All right, this is going to take a while so bear with me. Your team was caught in an ambush on Remurjja Seven. There was an explosion and then the enemy shot the survivors. Do you remember any of the events?”
He had vague memories, soundless and in black and white. He supposed his mind was trying to shield him from the horror. “Kind of.”
“Another unit came in and took down the enemy, rescuing you. The medic was able to stabilize you—a medical miracle and she’s been recommended for a medal—and you were transported to the battleship and then the hospital ship and finally to us here at the Koradonn Institute.
I’m afraid no one else survived. I’m sorry. ”
Reeling, Cody heard the medical sensors shrieking and he blacked out.
When he regained consciousness, Dr. Nessa and his colleagues were still waiting in his room and the nurse hovered nearby.
All of them took deep breaths of relief when he opened his eyes.
He and his team had been brothers and sisters, closer than a family.
The loss was a blow so huge he wasn’t sure he could ever process it.
A wave of guilt flowed over him like hot lava.
And why was he the only one who survived?
In what world did that make sense? He had no family, no loved ones whereas many of his teammates had.
He should have died with them or instead of them.
He was in no mood to listen to the rest of the doctor’s remarks but the physician talked anyway.
“As to your earlier question, about the resonator, I’m afraid the public has been a bit uh oversold on what the machine can accomplish.
When a person is as badly injured as you were, the results can be um unpredictable.
It’s entirely possible you’d emerge with too many limbs, or none at all—the AI which operates the device becomes confused when presented with a case as complex as yours.
” He straightened and took on new energy.
“Now, I do have three options for you, including one I think is clearly superior.”
Guessing the doctor wanted acknowledgment from him, Cody nodded. He wished the guy would shut up and let him grieve in peace but clearly there was a deadline these Institute pricks had to meet. Easiest to let them do their spiel and get out. “I’m listening.”
“First we can of course give mercy as you soldiers term it and provide a medically supported end of life. You’d be in no pain whatsoever, I give you my word.”
Cody was in no way ready to discuss ending his life in such a manner when he’d just woken up. There had to be a better solution. “Next,” he said in a hard voice.
“We can send you to a veterans’ long term care facility,” Dr. Nessa moved on to another unpalatable option. “You’re pretty much stabilized and the machines can keep you alive for something of a regular lifespan—”
“Next.” Cody interrupted ruthlessly. He wasn’t about to spend however much of his life was left lying in a bed as a disembodied talking head while nurses and robos took care of him.
It seemed as if the doctor was figuratively rubbing his hands in glee as he got to the meat of his pitch. “We have a top secret project here at the Institute for which you’re the perfect candidate—”
“I just had to get blown up and torn to pieces to qualify, doc?” Cody asked with venom. If he had control of his body and was anywhere near mobile, the physician would be in deep trouble. “Lucky me.”
Nessa blinked and wet his lips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be insensitive.
Of course this is all deeply regrettable and I’m sorry it happened to you but I’m thrilled to be able to offer you a solution which only recently became available as our program was fully funded.
” Dr. Nessa took a deep breath and motioned one of his colleagues forward.
“Our program is dedicated to developing an army of cyborgs for the Sectors. The first step is proof of concept, which is where you come in. Dr. Asmaryl will show you the holo explainer now.”
Cody tried to pay attention as a short, snappy holo set to rousing music played in the middle of the room, describing all the benefits of fielding soldiers who were partially constructed of artificial components and thus had capabilities beyond the ordinary human and would be much harder to kill.
The science of it went over his head, even in this condensed sales pitch.
Cody let it wash over him, in one ear and out the other, while he focused on the man depicted doing a variety of physical activities.
That could be him, whole and healthy, not tied to this damn bed, unable even to see the wreckage of his own body.
“I’d have my arms and legs intact again is what you’re telling me?” he said as the holo concluded with a scrolling screen of references and cited studies. “I’d be able to go back to active duty?”
Nessa’s colleague rolled his eyes, as if annoyed Cody had focused on a single point from the entire presentation.
Dr. Nessa himself seemed pleased by Cody’s interest. “Absolutely. You’d be our prototype so we’d be learning new things about the technology together, I won’t lie to you, you’d be our first human subject but we’re building on solid studies done before and numerous simulations and experiments with other types of bipeds. ”
Cody didn’t much care for the explanation, feeling sorry for the test subjects, who certainly hadn’t chosen to be made into animal cyborgs. “How long does it take and when can I be back on the fighting line?”