Restoration

by Daniel C McWhorter

  When they were about twenty meters away from the car the woman sitting in the driver's seat stepped out and pointed a large shotgun-looking thing at them.

  “Down!” she yelled.

  Doctor Hao tackled Evan to the ground just as she pulled the trigger. Evan saw a bright flash of light and felt a jolt of static electricity ripple across his back.

  “Get up, run!” Doctor Hao pulled Evan to his feet and pushed him forward.

  “Glad you made it.” She held the rear door open for the men as they piled into the back seat of the car.

  “You've got trackers,” she said as she slid into the driver's seat.

  She powered up the hovercar, and the doors hissed shut as she made a tight U-turn in the middle of the street. The vehicle left into the air as she slammed the throttle forward.

  “Hang on,” she yelled back to the men. “This is going to be a very bumpy ride.”

  Evan heard a loud whining noise and felt the car shake as the large turbofans mounted at each corner of the vehicle roared to full power. The vehicle climbed rapidly and within seconds they were several hundred meters above the city. There was more rumbling and shaking as wings unfolded on either side of the vehicle. Evan saw Doctor Hao strap on his safety harness and he did the same. They gained altitude quickly, and it wasn't long before the city disappeared behind them.

  Once they were cruising at altitude, the woman in the front seat turned around and handed Doctor Hao a small silver case.

  “Here, do it now,” she commanded.

  Doctor Hao opened the case and took out a device that looked like a small handgun with three thin prongs sticking out of the barrel.

  “Give me your arm,” he said to Evan.

  Evan rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm.

  Doctor Hao took the device and pressed the prongs against Evan's skin. When he pulled the trigger, Evan felt a sharp sting as something shot out from between the prongs and slammed into his skin. He expected to see blood but there was only a faint red mark on the skin where the injector had hit. The doctor rolled up his sleeve and used the gun on himself.

  Evan rolled his sleeve down. “Now, will someone please tell me what just happened?”

  The woman in the front seat responded. “Yes, I just saved your life. My name is Yin Li, it's very nice to meet you, Doctor Feldman.”

  Not the answer he was looking for but Evan decided it was better to be polite. “Um, thank you for that, and it's nice to meet you too but...”

  Doctor Hao interrupted, “Yin is a very good friend of mine. We're safe for now.” He put the injection device back in its case. “I just injected you with nanites that will hunt down and kill the trackers in your bloodstream.”

  “You injected me with what?”

  “Nanites…microscopic robots that swim through your bloodstream looking for and destroying foreign bodies, including the trackers.”

  “What are trackers?” Evan said with a look of alarm on his face.

  “Relax. Trackers are just another kind of nanite. The surveillance drones probably released them into the air when we ran out the garage door. We inhaled them into our lungs and from there, they migrated into our bloodstream. They are most likely harmless tracking devices otherwise we would be dead or incapacitated already.”

  “But I didn't see any drones in the alley where were they?”

  “They were there, trust me,” Yin said. “They are no bigger than a mosquito, so I'm not surprised that you didn't see them. My sensors detected more than a dozen of them following you as you approached. That's why I fired.”

  “The pulse rifle Yin fired emits a powerful electromagnetic pulse that incapacitates or destroys electronic devices,” Chen added. “It knocked out the drones long enough for us to get away.”

  “Why didn't that pulse destroy the trackers in our bodies then? I felt a burst of static on my skin when she fired so I know I was inside the blast radius.”

  “The trackers are too small and they're organic, not electronic—they're powered by the flow of your blood and your body heat.”

  “How do we know when they are gone?” Evan asked.

  Yin picked up the thin silver box on the seat next to her and tapped on it a few times. She examined the holodisplay that appeared in the air above the box for a moment before answering.

  “They're gone. The nanites got them,” she said.

  “What happens to the nanites?” Evan asked, directing his question to Chen.

  “They will keep doing their job for a week or so and then they will deactivate and flush out of your system with other body waste,” he answered.

  Evan thought about that for a few minutes. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of having little robots swimming around in his blood but better that than going to prison.

  He finally asked the obvious question. “So, what happens now?”

  “Now,” Yin replied, “we get you somewhere safe.”

  “And where might that be?” Evan asked.

  “Mars,” Doctor Hao responded.

  Evan's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he had heard.

  “We are flying to Mars in this thing?” he asked incredulously.

  “Christ, Chen,” Yin said with more than a hint of exasperation in her voice. “I thought you said this guy was smart?”

  The doctor ignored her. “No, Evan, this vehicle can only take us so far. We have a secret launch facility nearby and from there we will catch a ride to Luna and then on to Mars.”

  “Why Mars, Chen?” Evan asked.

  “Because the GFN has no jurisdiction on Mars. We will be free to do our research in peace if we can get off this planet before they find us. Once we find a cure, I expect that all will be forgiven and we will be permitted to return to Earth should we choose to do so.”—Chen frowned—“Or at least I hope we will. In any case, Mars is our only hope.”

  “What is Mars like?”

  “It is cold, windy and dull but the colony is well established and we will be quite comfortable I assure you.”

  “Is Aubrey meeting us there?”

  “That is the plan,” Doctor Hao replied.

  “I hate to interrupt gentlemen but we have company. They are eighty kilometers out and closing fast,” Yin said, with more than a hint of anxiety in her voice.

  “How far to the alpha site?” Doctor Hao asked, leaning forward to look at the holodisplay projected in front of Yin.

  “Twenty kilometers. But we're not going to make it, they are much faster than we are.”

  Doctor Hao activated the communicator implanted behind his right ear.

  “This is Doctor Hao. Initiate response plan Delta, authorization rho tao three zero five gamma kappa two seven.”

  Evan could not hear what the person on the other end of the conversation said but he assumed that they must have understood what Doctor Hao was saying.

  “Take us down, Yin,” Chen said after disconnecting his call.

  “Tighten your harnesses, it's going to get bumpy again,” she said as she pushed the vehicle's nose down.

  The ground grew larger in the windshield as the vehicle plummeted through the air, picking up speed as it dove. Evan sat back in his seat and tried to not get sick from the rapid turns that Yin was making as they descended. They made it to within a few meters of the ground when Yin shouted her first warning.

  “They have missile lock! We are still ten kilometers from the base's defense perimeter.”

  “Keep going,” Chen encouraged her. “They've got us covered.”

  A second later they were barely a hundred meters above the ground and the four turbine fans screamed as the vehicle raced forward at top speed.

  “They fired, two missiles inbound!” Yin said as she twisted the vehicle hard to the right.

  A second later six small silver aircraft blew past their hovercar at an almost unimaginable speed. Each was roughly the size of an eagle or similarly large bird of prey and, like an eagle, they moved with incredible speed and agilit
y. Evan looked out the back window as they turned and he saw several of the craft launch missiles at the attackers while the others filled the air with flares and small silver pods dangling from parachutes.

  “Missiles down, they've engaged the attackers. Twenty seconds from base perimeter,” Yin said as she steered the craft toward a large silver and glass building that loomed in the distance.

  A few seconds later she gave another warning. “Two of our Raptors are down. One of theirs is down but the other one is evading our drones and is heading straight for us. It's on a collision course!”

  “Keep going, do not deviate from your approach Yin,” Doctor Hao instructed.

  “I think it’s got us!” Yin yelled.

  “Stay on course!” Doctor Hao yelled back.

  Evan turned his head to look out the back window and saw a small, black drone less than one hundred yards behind them and closing rapidly. It was slightly larger than the silver Raptors, which were nowhere in sight but every bit as fast and agile. A few seconds passed and Evan was sure the drone would get them. He figured it must have run out of missiles fighting the Raptors or they would be dead already. Another few seconds went by and the drone was just twenty yards behind and slightly above them—the drone was aiming for one of the hovercar's engines.

  The hovercar dropped sharply and Evan hit his head on the roof. There was a loud explosion behind him and the hovercar's engines screamed. He looked forward and saw they were mere meters above the ground and still racing along at an insane rate of speed. Evan leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and got ready for the crash he knew must come. Several seconds went by with no jolt or tearing of metal, and the hovercar was slowing down. He opened his eyes and saw they were flying toward a large hangar-looking structure.

  “We're clear,” Yin said calmly. “Alpha reports no hostile contacts in this sector and I've been directed to hangar twelve.”

  “Well, that was certainly exciting,” Chen smiled at Evan. “How are you doing?”

  “I am going to throw up but otherwise fine, thank you. What happened to that drone? I was sure it had us.”

  “The base defenses got it,” Yin said. “We got extremely lucky.”

  “It wasn't luck,” Doctor Hao countered. “We have been planning for this day for a long time and we have accounted for every contingency.”

  “Whatever you say, Chen. I say it was luck, plain and simple,” she retorted.

  Evan's stomach churned, and he vomited on the floor.

  Yin made a disgusted groaning noise. “You're cleaning that up, Chen.”

  “Sorry,” Evan said as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I was trying to hold it but your flying finally got to me.”

  “Get used to it, Evan,” Chen grabbed a tissue from the armrest and handed it to him. “The ride to Mars will make this look like a kiddie ride at the amusement park!”

  CHAPTER 9

  APRIL 4, 2075 2:13 PM GST

  Telogene Corporation Alpha Site

  Shaanxi Province, China

  Yin piloted the hovercar into the hangar bay and turned off the engines. The hangar was empty except for three men standing in front of them. One man wore a white and blue jumpsuit with a large Telogene logo emblazoned on the left breast pocket. The other two men were decked out in full sets of black on black combat gear. Each was carrying a weapon of some kind (Evan thought they looked like submachine guns but with faintly glowing red lights along each side) and they had several grenades hung on their utility belts.

  Chen pushed a button on his door and it swung up and toward the rear of the vehicle. He got out and signaled for Evan to do the same. Evan paused a moment to wipe away a few stray bits of vomit on his pant leg before he exited the hovercar. Yin joined them as they walked up to the three men.

  The man in the white and blue jumpsuit spoke first. “Those were GFN drones we just shot down. I hope like hell that you all know what you’re doing!”

  “So do I,” Chen replied. “It's good to see you again, Max, thanks for the assist.” He turned to Evan. “Evan, this is Doctor Maximilian Ramos.”

  Evan stepped forward to shake Max's hand.

  Chen continued, “And this is Doctor Evan Feldman.”

  “It is a great pleasure to meet you, Doctor Feldman,” Max smiled as he accepted Evan's hand and gave it a firm shake.

  “And of course, you know Yin,” Doctor Chen added.

  “I certainly do. That was some nice flying up there, Yin.” Doctor Ramos gave Yin a quick hug and released her. “We will probably need your piloting skills a time or two more before this is over!”

  “Let's hope not,” she replied. “We should all get the hell out of here before the GFN comes looking for their drones.”

  “Agreed,” Chen said. “How long until we can take off?”

  “We are at T minus thirty and holding. Were you able to pick up the package in Xi'an?” Max asked Chen.

  Chen reached inside his blazer and pulled out a small silver data cube. He held it out for Max to take it.

  “I did indeed. My contact assures me that everything is in place. All you have to do is load this into the ship’s command console and execute it. The AI will handle the rest.”

  Max took the data cube and examined it as though he was reading its digital contents.

  “Excellent! You two go get changed and have a quick snack if you are hungry. I will finish the pre-launch checks and get this loaded. You need to be at hangar seven in twenty-five...make that twenty-four minutes. These two men will ensure that you get there without difficulty. Now if you will please excuse me.”

  Max put the data cube in his pocket and left the hangar through a nearby door.

  Chen turned to Yin. “We really appreciate your help, Yin. We couldn't have made it here without you.”

  “You're welcome. Now do me a favor and get the hell off this planet before you get caught!” she gave Chen a warm hug before turning to Evan.

  “Listen, Evan, I know that everything is happening really fast and you probably don't have a clue what's going on but you need to keep doing exactly what Chen tells you. We have all taken extreme risks and made huge sacrifices in order to bring you back and a lot is riding on you. Not to put too fine of a point on it, but it's game over if you get caught. And all of us are either dead or spending the rest of our lives on some God-forsaken rock in the asteroid belt. Understand?”

  Evan stared at the woman for a moment before answering. She was a full foot shorter than he was but he could tell there was more to her than her lithe five-foot-two frame might suggest. This was clearly a woman much older and wiser than she looked.

  “Yes, I understand,” he finally said. “Trust me. I will do whatever Chen asks.”

  “Fair enough,” she said before giving Evan a quick hug. “Now get your asses out of here before I start shoving my boots up them!”

  “This way, gentlemen,” one of the armed guards said, pointing to the door that Doctor Ramos had just used.

  The guard led the way with Chen and Evan close behind. The other guard followed closely behind as they exited the hangar into a long hallway. They got into an elevator at the end of the hallway and rode it down three floors. From there it was a short walk down another hallway to the large, well-lit room.

  Inside the room were three men and a woman wearing the same white and blue jumpsuit that Doctor Ramos wore. The guards directed Evan and Chen inside and closed the door behind them. The woman stepped forward to greet them.

  “Well, it's about damn time!” she swore in Chen's direction. “What took you so long?”

  “Sorry, Muriel,” Chen replied. “We ran into trouble getting out of Xi'an and it slowed us down a little.”

  “Well, never mind about that, I am just glad you made it. Now let's get you two into your flight suits, shall we?”

  She led them to a screened off area at the back of the room.

  “Strip, shower and put these on,” she said as she handed them each a garment that looked lik
e a form-fitting one-piece jumpsuit.

  Evan took his and headed for the area behind the screen. He examined the outfit as he walked and noticed it was laced with a mesh of extremely small tubes or wires, he couldn't tell which but he could feel them woven into the garment. The fabric was smooth like silk, very soft and extremely elastic. Evan tugged on one of the sleeves to see how far it would stretch. It nearly doubled in length before he released it, allowing it to snap back into its original shape.

  Chen noticed Evan's fascination with the material. “It's synthetic silk. It's almost impossible to puncture or tear it and it molds itself to your body. You won't even know you are wearing it.”

  “What's it do?” Evan asked as he removed his clothes and got into the two-stall shower.

  “It's the innermost layer of our flight suits, it monitors and regulates body functions and temperature.”

  Chen showed Evan how to operate the wash and dry features of the shower. Everything was automated and Evan just had to stand there while the shower did the work. It took just two minutes for the cycle to complete, leaving Evan clean and dry without even a hint of moisture anywhere on his body. This was his first shower since being resurrected and he wished that he could enjoy the sensation of the warm water raining down on his skin a little longer.

  He stepped out of the shower and sat on a nearby chair, so he could pull the under-suit up over his legs. The suit went on easily but it was skin tight. He stood up once he had the suit on up to the top of his thighs and he continued wiggling it up his body until it encased him from the neck down. There were no fasteners of any kind on the garment but it needed none since it conformed to each body part as it went on.

  After a bit of tugging and stretching to get everything in the right place, Evan searched for something reflective to see what he looked like in his new outfit. There were no mirrors in the room but the parts he could see told him that the under-suit was not designed with modesty in mind as it showed every curve, bulge, crack and crevice on his body.

  Thank God for good DNA! He thought, appreciating how the garment showed off his well-formed physique.