Go stepped back. "Give it a shot."
The Thorn disappeared from view.
I said, "Finding Jefferson was a good rescue. Garrett is out there. We'll find him."
Joni replied, "I want to stay positive, but I just keep getting let down. If you're worried about me coming apart, don't. I'll keep searching until breath no longer fills my lungs."
Seconds later, Joni and the Thorn were gone.
Kerba Skol opened a comm. "Mr. Beutcher, I think I found the instructions for the stasis pods. What I have appears to be from a different model number, perhaps an older one, but I believe the procedure for the two should be the same."
I replied, "Are you extremely confident in this process?"
Kerba looked back over the display screen in front of him. "I am. There are too many similarities."
I asked, "How were you able to find that so fast?"
Kerba replied, "Quan has about 3 percent of the archive active at any one time. I happened to search in the right storage space at the right moment. It would have otherwise taken me a minimum of several weeks."
Go said, "Well, let's get you back up here and get these open."
Kerba nodded. "I will be waiting outside."
A portal opened in front of the Ankor, sweeping past and leaving him standing in the docking bay of the Ares. A short walk had Kerba standing over the pod of Colonel Tom Harper.
Kerba pulled up the instructions on the holo-display floating over his arm pad. "It says to press the blue button. A timer should appear on the viewport window with a countdown of five minutes. When the timer has completed, use a visual inspection to verify the cryo-liquid has been pumped from the body chamber. When that has been confirmed, press the red button on the right hand side of the pod to begin the warming process."
Go looked over the pod. "There's not a red button over here. I don't see a red button anywhere on this unit."
Kerba pointed to a leaver on the base of the unit. "I believe that to be the warming activator. The wavy lines embossed on the case above the handle would indicate warming. A second five minute timer should initiate. When the warming is complete, the green button just above the viewport should light up. Before proceeding, look inside the viewport for a temperature reading indicating that the subject has reached normal body temperature. If confirmed, press the green button. When the final stage is complete, the pod door will open. The subject should be revived."
Kerba looked over at me. "I believe the process to be straightforward. As a precaution, I would suggest we keep a running timer of our own. We cannot be certain that a timer will display on the viewport."
I asked, "What happens during the final stage of revival?"
Kerba swiped away at several display screens. "The subject will be injected with adrenaline and an electric shock administered."
Jack crossed his arms. "These units are almost two thousand years old. Are we sure they will work as suggested?"
Kerba replied, "As I understand it, cryogenics is fairly simple. The individual gets into the chamber and it is sealed. A sleeping gas is administered, followed by the cryo-liquid. When the chamber is full, including the lungs of the individual, the liquid is flash frozen. On the reverse side, the liquid is warmed and drained. The body is warmed to normal temperature. And a shot of adrenaline and a shock start the heart beating. Remarkably, the same process seems to work on almost all species."
Go asked, "What about you? Don't you have two hearts?"
Kerba nodded. "Yes, although we are not that dissimilar. We have two hearts, each with a single chamber, while you have a single heart with two chambers. The function of our two is nearly identical to that of your one. Depleted blood is pumped through one heart into the lungs where it is re-oxygenated. The second heart, or chamber in your case, takes that oxygenated blood and pushes it out into the body. Most sentient species have a similar arrangement."
Jack rejoined us in the docking bay.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. "How's Jefferson doing?"
Jack looked up with a pensive expression. "I think he took a few beatings from those bots. He'll recover, but with both emotional and physical scars. Strange to think a machine would be so ruthless. He said they tortured him for several days before he broke. They now know we have a special suit and he thinks they will be trying to capture Joni."
I immediately opened a comm. "Joni, the AIs know you have a BGS suit. You will need to take every precaution from now on as they will make every attempt to grab you."
Joni replied, "I got that impression from Jefferson. I'll keep on my toes."
I turned back toward the pods. "Kerba, if you are certain you can do this, start the process."
Kerba took a deep breath. "I'm starting a timer."
The blue button on the cry-unit containing Tom Harper was pressed. The unit began to hum. Just over a minute into the process the frozen cryo-liquid changed states. Seconds later it began to drain. No timer was visible.
As the five minute mark was reached, an alarm went off on Kerba's arm pad.
I said, "Should we flip on the warmer?"
Kerba held up his hand. "Not yet, the liquid has not fully drained."
At seven minutes I pressed for flipping the lever.
Kerba responded. "We must wait. The liquid must be fully removed."
The pod chamber began to rise at the base, pushing Tom Harper's feet above his head. A small arm with two suction cups emerged from the side of the chamber, attaching the cups to the Colonel's upper chest. The arm moved slowly up and down as cryo-liquid spewed from the sleeping man's nostrils. When the chamber base returned to its original position, the remaining cryo-liquid was pumped out. Kerba reached over, flipping the warming lever to its 'On' position. A new timer was started.
Kerba said, "I am concerned."
I replied, "What?"
Kerba gestured toward the pod. "I would have expected to find a temperature gauge somewhere on this unit. I hoped it would show once the liquid was drained."
I shook my head. "So how are we supposed to know that his body temperature has reached the prescribed level?"
Kerba winced. "Of that I am uncertain. The instructions mentioned five minutes or when his body temperature reached normal. Given the slow response of the pump, I now have to wonder if five minutes is enough."
I replied, "We have to get this right, Kerba. We can't let this man die after two thousand years because we screwed up the process."
Kerba sighed. "I am as concerned as you are, Mr. Beutcher. I have taken another's life into my hands. I will treat it with the utmost of respect and care. Please have patience."
At five minutes the timer on Kerba's arm pad again sounded.
As Go reached for the green button, Kerba held up his hand. "Wait! I don't think he is ready."
Go asked, "The instructions said five minutes."
Kerba replied, "Please, I ask for your patience."
As the timer passed through seven minutes, a buzzer on the pod sounded. Kerba pointed at the green button. Go pressed it.
A second small arm extended from the side of the pod. A long needle was jammed into the heart of Tom Harper. When the needle retracted, a set of shock paddles extended down to his chest. As a high-voltage electric shock was applied, the colonel's chest heaved into the air. A second shock was administered shortly after the first. Several seconds later, the transparent viewport of the cryogenic pod slowly spun open. The colonel lay motionless.
Kerba stepped forward, feeling his wrist for a pulse. "I don't understand. His heart should be beating."
We all stood in silence.
Chapter 7
* * *
Go pointed. "He just moved. I at least saw an exhale."
Several more seconds of concern passed before Colonel Tom Harper drew in a deep breath. The two thousand year old Human was alive!
Kerba stepped back with a smile. "We are witness to an incredible event today. A piece of our history has come back to life. The mysteri
es about the founders that this man can solve... I just hope he is willing to talk."
After several minutes of deep slow breaths, the Colonel gradually opened his eyes. He blinked several times before slowly glancing over to one side. Smiles on Go's and Jack's faces brought a furtive nod. As the two thousand year old Marine looked the other way, he said, "Frig?"
Kerba Skol shook his head. "I am Kerba... Kerba Skol. I believe your friend is in the pod next to you. We have not attempted to revive him yet."
The colonel tried to sit up, but was unable to move. "Gah! I need new power cells. Seems the ones in my arms and legs have run out."
Kerba looked at me. "That's why I felt no pulse."
The colonel turned his head my way. "A Grunta. Are we on Balimus? And what has happened? Was I needed? Has the Duke returned?"
I replied, "I am Knog Beutcher. We are not on Balimus; we are near a planet named Effica, in the Omega sector. As to the Duke, there is no evidence of a return, but the AMP has been overrun."
The colonel's face turned to one of anger. "Overrun? By who?"
Jack said, "We had our own internal issues with the AMP being overthrown about a dozen years ago. Since then, we have been overrun by a power from a galaxy outside of the AMP. A species called the Tamarin."
Harper scowled. "Tamarin? Never heard of 'em. How long have I been under?"
I replied, "Nineteen hundred, forty-eight years."
Tom Harper closed his eyes for several seconds. "Wow. That's been a good run. Other than your recent problems, how did it go?"
Jack leaned in. "It went well until the overthrow. Two thousand years of peace was indeed a great run. People were free to pursue their dreams without fear of going hungry or going without shelter. But I think not having to work on surviving every day led to a slow decline in moral values. Corruption slowly crept in and then bam! The scumbags took full control."
Jack pointed toward the crew deck. "We even have the guy here who was responsible for it. Not that it does us any good with the Tamarin and their AIs."
Harper furrowed his brows. "AIs? Those were banned in the founding constitution of the AMP."
Go said, "They came from another galaxy. You see—"
The colonel interrupted. "Hold on. See the depression on the side of the stasis pod? Up here, just above my head."
I nodded.
The colonel said. "Press it hard three times, about a second apart."
I complied. A compartment opened, revealing four small power cells.
The colonel glanced toward one of his arms. "Just inside, midway up my upper arm, if you feel, there is a rubbery hard spot. Press it three times in succession."
I again complied, and was rewarded with a seam opening in the skin followed by a long thin power cell ejecting halfway out. I reached for the expired cell, pulling it from its holder. A cell from the compartment on the side of the pod was taken and gently shoved in.
The colonel said, "Now push it shut."
After a friendly nudge, the cell holder closed on its own. Several seconds later, the colonel began to move the fingers attached to the hand on that arm.
Tom Harper smiled. "Now the other three if you please. I wouldn't mind getting up and walking around for a few minutes."
As the last of the new power cells came to life, the colonel sat upright. After stretching his legs and wiggling his toes, we helped him out of the chamber that had kept him in stasis for almost two millennia.
The colonel stood on his own two feet, extended his arms and took a shaky step. "Hmm. Wasn't expecting that."
Go remarked. "Your arms and legs are robotic?"
The colonel looked at the empty steel socket on Go's shoulder. "Yep. Looks like you have the same. Robotic limbs were not allowed. You people break all the AMP rules?"
Go shrugged, "The AMP is no more, so I don't see it as an issue. Besides, I'd rather be a rule breaker than have to have someone carry me around all the time."
The colonel raised an eyebrow. "You should be able to get a leg or arm regrown and reattached. Every medical facility should have that capability."
Jack frowned. "Yeah, about that. Seems we had a few doctors who attempted to modify that equipment about eighty years or so ago. They only succeed in shutting down every genetic growing station in the AMP. Ever since, we've had to make do with what we had. And we had no real robotics until the AIs showed up."
The colonel shook his head. "I told them not to tie the whole system together, but I was overruled. Why wasn't it repaired by the Maintainer Corps?"
Kerba fielded the question. "With everything so easy, and with so few equipment failures, the Maintainer Corps shrank in size until there was only a single individual for each galaxy. The last of them passed away more than three hundred years ago, taking the secrets of keeping the systems running with her."
I said, "If it's any testament to the designs and devices your people left us with, they did run for over three hundred years with only minimal failures."
Go added, "Yeah, it's only been of late that we've seen issues related to gates and power. This section of the galaxy has been running low on cesium for decades."
The colonel frowned. "Hmm. We estimated we had enough supply to at least last for eight thousand years or so. You should have been able to move plenty from elsewhere through the portal gates."
I replied, "Greed may have been a factor."
The colonel took a short hop into the air, followed by a leap that took him almost to the ceiling of the docking bay, sixty meters above.
As his feet slammed the deck in front of us, the colonel grinned and spit on the floor beside me. "Looks like I'm back in action. Wouldn't happen to have any Omega root on you, would you?"
I looked at the others. "I don't think we're familiar with that. Are you hungry?"
The colonel shook his head. "Naw, just as well. It's a nasty habit. I ate right before I got into the chamber. That food is still digesting in my system."
Jack gestured toward the colonel's mostly naked body. "We have clothes if you want them. Might make us all a little more comfortable with each other."
The colonel laughed as he walked around to the other side of the pod. "Don't need 'em. I have a BGS."
A second depression was pressed on the side of the pod, revealing another hidden compartment. The colonel stepped into the BGS suit, pulling it up and over his torso.
When the suit was sealed up, the colonel turned to face me. "You have a gel station?"
Go nodded. "Probably not what you had before, but we have one that we made."
The colonel slapped Go hard on the back, nearly knocking him from his feet. "Take me to it, son. This suit is useless without its gel."
I gestured toward the other pod. "What about your friend?"
The colonel grinned. "He can wait a few more minutes. Get me that gel and we'll bring him back online."
Five minutes later, the colonel returned with Go at his heels. "Gel felt a bit different than I remember. I checked the formula against what it should be and I have a few adjustments you can make to improve it. Nothing critical for the moment. It will help with long term wear, though. I'll pass the information to your comms."
The colonel stepped up to the second pod and pressed the blue button. At the moment the cryo-fluid turned back to liquid he flipped the warming lever.
Kerba asked, "Shouldn't you wait until the fluid has drained?"
The colonel smirked. "Only if you want to reuse it. With what you've told me about the state of affairs, I don't see that happening anytime soon. We can make more fluid if we need it."
As the warming buzzer sounded, the colonel pressed the green button. When the stasis restoration process had completed, Frig, otherwise known as Bartel Helgris, opened his wide, frog-like eyes. After seeing the colonel's face, he sat upright.
Tom Harper grinned. "Frig, good to see you back. These people need our help."
The Gambit looked around as we each stared at him. "Would someone mind openin
g the clothes compartment for me? I would like to get dressed before presenting myself."
The colonel laughed. "Always the modest one."
Go scrambled, quickly laying the clothing on Frig's lap. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to look."
After a quick dress, Frig stood, hopping out of the pod and onto the steel deck of the docking bay, his small boots clumping as he landed.
I asked, "You don't have a BGS like the colonel?"
Frig stretched and yawned before responding. "I prefer standard clothing. I gave up the suit long before going into that chamber."
The colonel pounded his chest. "I'll take the BGS. Keeps me young... and fed."
The Thorn appeared before us with Joni popping into view a few seconds later. "So they both lived? Awesome."
Joni stepped forward and stuck out her hand. "Joni Rourke. I see you have a BGS. Is it fully functional? Looks different than mine."
The colonel looked her over. "Interesting. How'd you come by that suit?"
Joni replied, "It was given to me by a sentinel ship at Gratis."
The colonel nodded. "Good, we have sentinels. That's a good start."
Jack shook his head. "Sentinels were destroyed by the AIs. We inadvertently transferred the access code and they were quickly overrun."
Quan said, "Hello Colonel Harper. It is good to see that you are well."
The colonel asked, "Quan? You were activated too?"
Quan replied, "I am limited at the moment, Colonel. My archives are not available. I know you in name and rank only at this time. I was merely offering a standard greeting."
The colonel nodded. "Glad you are still kicking anyway. Frig, it seems our descendants have gone and screwed things up. The AMP is gone and a group called the Tamarin have taken over."
The colonel turned toward Jack. "Who's in charge here?"
Jack glanced my way. "It's kind of a democracy, but he is for the most part."
The colonel took a deep breath. "You have somewhere we can sit and discuss?"
I gestured toward the exit as I turned. "Follow me. We have a conference room we can use."
As we moved into the room the colonel sat across from me.
OMEGA Rescue Page 7
