by Rick Lakin
“Six hundred feet. Pilot take us in.”
“I’ve got the Plane Director,” David said.
“Winfrey, Brilliant. Six hundred feet, descending to two hundred. We have your plane director on visual. Approaching at eighty knots.”
“Descending to touchdown,” David said operating the flight controls as he watched the paddles.
“Engineer, drop the ramp on contact,” Jack said.
“Engineer, aye.”
David saw the yellow light on his panel. “Contact,”
“Ramp is down,” Riley said.
The bridge displays showed Winfrey sailors in protective suits that looked like spacesuits quickly assisting a gurney up the ramp. Two Blue Angels pilots took over and brought the patient to sickbay. A Navy physician in blue camos boarded. The extra navy personnel departed.
“Brilliant, Winfrey, you are clear for unrestricted vertical departure.”
“Course is laid in for San Diego,” Jennifer said.
“Captain, the patient is secure in sickbay. You may depart,” Dr. Ami said.
“Very well,” Jack said. “Pilot, unrestricted ascent. Ballistic course to San Diego.”
“Unrestricted ascent, aye,” David said.
Those on the deck of the USS Oprah Winfrey will tell their grandchildren that they saw the lights of the Brilliant turn upward and two seconds later they heard a sonic boom close aboard.
On the bridge, the Executive Officer was next to the captain.
“XO, how the hell did CincPac get them out here so fast?”
“Captain, Brilliant’s first message came in before I got the message off to CincPac Fleet.”
“No shit,” the captain said. “And how did they know that the pilot was injured before we did?”
“Time travel?” the XO said. “You never know what they’re working on at Area 51.”
“Goddamned Air Force.”
“Captain, CincPac reports contact with StarCruiser Brilliant. They’re on their way.”
“Goddamned United States Air Force.”
“Captain, she’s one of ours,” The XO said.
“Brilliant is Navy?”
The XO nodded.
“I guess they are the pros from Dover,” the captain said.
“Doesn’t matter anyway. The doc said she could never survive her injuries.”
“XO, let’s keep this one under our hats.”
“No one would believe it anyway,” the XO said.
Commander Layton entered the galley and saw a woman and a girl comforting a troubled young man.
Munchkin addressed Fifi formally, “Captain Boyington?” He signaled her to follow.
“I'll be right back.” She squeezed Jeff's shoulder.
They walked down the passageway. “Fifi, it’s confirmed. We’ve got the boy’s mother in sickbay. I don’t know her condition, but I know it’s bad,” Munchkin said. “I’ll stay near sickbay. Keep Jeff and the girl in the galley.”
“Aye, Munch.”
“Fifi, I know that you just lost your kid brother in Keristan…”
“I got this, Munch.”
He nodded and headed to sickbay.
Fifi returned to the galley.
For some reason, she was not surprised to see the yellow tabby in Jeff’s lap.
“Your mother is in sickbay. They’re doing all they can.”
Jeff looked down holding back the tears. He looked up at Kalinda. “Kay, what’s it like to lose your mother?”
“You haven’t lost anyone. Dr. Ami is the best. She saved David near Proxima Centauri after he took a blaster to the chest.”
Dandy looked up at Kalinda and growled.
Kalinda looked at Dandy and then at Jeff. “Dandy says your mom will be okay.”
Fifi saw the two holding hands. She looked at Dandy, and the cat looked back. Her shoulders relaxed, and she took a deep breath. Definitely psychic.
Dandy settled his head into the crook of Jeff’s arm.
“Twenty minutes to San Diego on a ballistic course, Captain. We’ll be subsonic the last two minutes,” Jennifer said.
“Very well, coordinate with Balboa Naval Hospital,” Jack responded.
In sickbay, there was a bustle of activity. Ani mounted the scanning equipment. Dr. Ami inspected the wounds.
“Doctor, how long has she been flatlined?” Dr. Ami asked.
“Three minutes. We stabilized the pilot as best we could then we lost her pulse during the move,” said the Navy doctor.
“The scan indicates massive destruction to the heart, left lung, and the pulmonary arteries and veins,” Dr. Ami said.
“The corpsman said a turbine blade passed through her chest from back to front.”
The 3D scan appeared above the patient. “There’s nothing there to work with,” Dr. Ami said and then made a quick decision. She looked upward to the bridge, “Jennifer, bring me the device you showed me last week, stat.”
Jennifer looked at the captain. He nodded. “Anthen, take the right seat.” She ran into the Captain’s Ready Room, got the device, and slid down the fire pole.
“Ani, program an interface for the mini-projector,” Dr. Ami said. “I want to use HTVR to rebuild the organs in her chest, and I will operate on the external scan.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Ani said. “I’ve connected to the device. Jennifer is on the fire pole.”
“Good.” Dr. Ami turned to the Navy doctor and looked at his name badge. “Dr. Ikeda, I'm Dr. Ami, and this is my nurse Ani. I'm going to perform a procedure that has never been done, never been tried, and never approved. As her attending physician, I need your permission. The alternative is pronouncing her dead right here on the table.”
“Your yellow eyes. You’re…not…”
“Yes, I'm not human, but I play one on TV,” Dr. Ami said. “Your call, Doctor?”
“Do it. I read the paper you wrote with Dr. Allen. If anyone can save her…”
Jennifer rushed into sickbay. “Here’s the mini projector, Dr. Ami, good luck.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Ami said. “Attaching the device to her upper sternum with surgical adhesive.”
Behind her, the Blue Angels commander stuck his head into sickbay.
“Doctor?”
“Yes.” Dr. Ami looked at Jennifer over her micro glasses.
“We’ve got the patient’s son in the galley.”
“Kalinda’s new friend?”
He nodded.
“No pressure, team. We are Brilliant. Lower the table so that I can work on the scan.”
“Ami, tools are on your right, materials on your left,” Ani said. “The system is ready.”
“Stand across from me. Allow me network access to your hands and arms.”
Ani moved across the table and held up her hands. “You have access.” Ani transformed into a reflection of Dr. Ami.
At that moment, Dr. Ikeda watched as the action began to accelerate.
Dr. Ami narrated. “I’ve attached a miniature Holographic Tactile Virtual Reality projector to her sternum. The scan above is HTVR as well. What you see is an exact mirror of her internal organs. I’ll reconstruct the virtual heart within her chest. After that, I’ll reconstruct the circulatory elements.”
“Is Dr. Ani a surgeon as well?” Dr. Ikeda was fearful of the answer.
“Doctor, do you love music?” Dr. Ami looked at the Navy doctor above her micro-glasses.
“Yes.” He looked a bit confused. “My wife studied to be a concert pianist.”
“Think of this as a four-hand piano concerto,” Dr. Ami said. “and I'm playing both parts,”
He realized he was witnessing the future of surgery. The four hands worked in perfect synchronicity at a speed he had never seen in an operating theater. She repaired the heart in two minutes.
“I'm now restoring circulation,” Dr. Ami said.
Three minutes after they began, the display showed a healthy cardio-pulmonary system and the patient’s heart began to beat.
“You’re released.”
“Ami, we have normal sinus rhythm,” Ani said. “Dr. Ikeda, we are told this is Jeff’s mother?”
“Correct, she is Lieutenant Commander Mia Rodriguez. She just returned to the fleet as squadron XO from duty as aide to Senator Curtwell in DC.”
“How did she know the senator?”
“It’s her daughter.”
“Surgical complications I can handle, but this may lead to political complications,” Dr. Ami said.
“You saved the senator’s daughter,” Dr. Ikeda said. “What’s the problem?”
“Senator Curtwell delivered a speech this afternoon with uncomplimentary words about virtual humans,” Ami said. “She’ll claim that her daughter lived in spite of the yellow-eyed demon.”
“They say a politician will sacrifice their first-born to win the White House,” Ani said.
“Not on my watch,” Dr. Ami said. “Brain function appears normal. Let’s wake our girl up and see if she’s all there.”
Dr. Ami spied Munchkin waiting outside Sick Bay.
“Commander?” He heard the call and stepped to the edge of the operating theater.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Please inform Jeff that his mother is going to make it. Wait three minutes then bring him down.”
Munchkin was smiling as he walked to the galley.
Ani carefully removed the chest tube and then operated the anesthesia controls.
Mia’s eyes fluttered then opened.
“Welcome back, Commander. I’m Doctor Ami.”
“Where am I?” Mia said.
“You are five hundred miles above the Pacific on the way back to San Diego aboard StarCruiser Brilliant”
“You saved me…you have yellow eyes.”
“I'm a virtual human as is my nurse, Ani, and yes, we recreated your heart and lungs using HTVR.”
“I’m not real?”
“You're alive,” Dr. Ami said. “We're going to get you back to Balboa Naval Hospital and install regenerated organs.”
“You know who my mother is?” Mia said.
“I know that she has concerns about the very existence of virtual humans,” Dr. Ami said. “In this case, my medical skills put me in a unique position to save you.”
“Another day, another argument with my mother.”
“I hope that you will concentrate on getting healthy.”
“You're right. Thank you so much Dr. Ami and Ani,” Mia said in a more relaxed tone.
Dr. Ami signaled Commander Layton to enter.
“You’re a Blue Angel pilot,” Mia said.
“Callsign Munchkin,” he said. “Commander, there is someone here to see you.”
Munchkin led Jeff into sickbay.
“Mom!”
“Jeff! What are you doing here?” They hugged.
“Mom, I made a friend on StarCruiser Brilliant, and she knows martial arts and she’s…”
At that moment, a mother enveloped her son in a bear hug, and there was nothing more to explain.
Dr. Ami stepped away from the operating table and looked up to activate the intra-ship communicator. “Captain, our patient is in stable condition. You can turn the flashing lights off and make a normal approach.”
“Congratulations on another miracle, Doctor,” Jack said.
“Thank you, Captain.”
“My congratulations as well,” Dr. Ikeda said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes, Doctor. Please go to the bridge and coordinate with Balboa Naval Hospital and UCSD Organ Regeneration Facility. Send them the patient’s DNA file. Have Balboa obtain operating privileges for you and me. We’ll perform the transplant as soon as the organs are available. Balboa recently installed the necessary HTVR equipment. And please contact your ship and the family.”
“Got it. And again, Doctor, my deepest appreciation on behalf of the Winfrey and the Navy.”
“Let’s wait to celebrate when we have the commander all in one piece.”
Dr. Ikeda entered the Bridge Command Center to a group in a subdued mood. The Blue Angels pilots were observing operations and chatting with crew members. The Brilliant crew was coming down from a spurt of extreme activity.
“Good job down there,” Jack said. “How can we help you, Doctor?”
“I need to speak with UCSD Regen Facility and then Balboa Medical Center,” Dr. Ikeda said.
“Communicator?”
“On it, sir,” Tayla said.
“Welcome aboard, Doctor?” Jack asked.
The Navy doctor reached out to shake hands with the captain. “Bill Ikeda. I’m the lead surgeon for the task group.”
“Maybe someday we can give you a ride under better circumstances,” Jack said.
“Captain, I’ve got UCSD Regen,” Tayla said. “Doctor, I also have the DNA profile ready to send.”
“Thanks, who am I speaking with?” Dr. Ikeda asked.
“I’m Dr. Archie Moore,” he said. “I’m the attending physician at the Regen Facility. I understand you are on StarCruiser Brilliant?”
“Yes, Doctor, we had a helicopter accident,” Dr. Ikeda said. “A thirty-four-year-old female pilot suffered severe chest trauma. We require complete replacement organs for the heart and both lungs.”
“Did you say complete, Doctor?” the attending asked.
“Yes, I did,” Dr. Ikeda said. “The DNA profile is being transmitted.” He pointed to Tayla. She nodded.
“I'm receiving the file,” the attending physician said. “I'm curious how the patient survived the injury, but I'm probably going to have to wait to read about another miracle by Dr. Ami in the medical journals. The regeneration will require eighteen hours. Where will the surgery take place?”
“We’re delivering the Navy pilot to Balboa,” Dr. Ikeda said.
“We have the necessary information and will begin.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Captain, thanks for saving our pilot,” Dr. Ikeda said.
“We were out for an afternoon ride, and we got the call,” Jack said. “We were glad to help, Doctor.”
“May I contact the family?” Dr. Ikeda said.
“Make the call in my ready room,” Jack said. “Tayla will make your cell phone active.”
Dr. Ikeda looked up Lieutenant Commander Rodriguez’s contact information and dialed her spouse. Her husband and Mia’s mother appeared on screen looking stricken with grief.
“This is Chuck Rodriguez.”
“Mr. Rodriguez, this is Dr. Ikeda from the USS Winfrey. I’m aboard StarCruiser Brilliant.”
“I’m with Mia’s mother,” Chuck said. “We’re headed to Balboa Hospital to meet you. The ship told us to expect the worst.”
Mr. Rodriguez, Senator Curtwell, I’m happy to say that Mia is in stable condition after the outstanding efforts of Dr. Ami and the crew on Brilliant.”
“Omigod, that’s wonderful,” Chuck said. “How about my son, Jeff?”
“He’s with his mother right now,” Dr. Ikeda said.
“What’s her condition?” Senator Curtwell asked.
“Her condition is critical but stable,” Dr. Ikeda said. “Dr. Ami has created artificial heart and lungs which are keeping her alive. The UCSD Regeneration Facility has Mia’s DNA profile and is regenerating her organs. They’ll be available for transplant in eighteen hours.”
Senator Curtwell looked at Dr. Ikeda. “Will you do the operation, Doctor?”
“I hope that Dr. Ami will do the operation,” Dr. Ikeda said. “She and her assistant performed a miracle to bring Mia back from a grave condition.”
“Is this Dr. Ami the robot doctor?” she asked.
“She’s a virtual human, yes.”
“Doctor, you must not allow that android near my daughter.”
“Senator, Dr. Ami originated the procedure that saved your daughter,” Dr. Ikeda said. “She’s the only one who can complete the transplant and save her.”
“I forbid it,” the senator said. “I will no
t allow a dirty robot to touch my daughter.”
Chuck sat to the side and watched until he could not take any more. “Dr. Ikeda, Mia and I will jointly make the best decision for her health.”
She spoke to Chuck with condescension. “You would allow that evil android to operate on Mia.”
“We'll do what's necessary to save her life without concern over who performs the surgery,” he said.
“Mom,” Mia said. “This will be our decision, and we will not mix it up with your politics.”
“Very well, but I want guards in the operating room if this machine tries to hurt my daughter.”
“If you wish, but Mia's health comes before your politics,” Chuck said. “Dr. Ikeda, we're five minutes from Balboa Naval Hospital.”
“Captain, we’re thirty seconds from feet dry,” Jennifer said. “TraCon clears us for a direct approach to the San Diego Naval Medical Center Helipad.”
“Very well,” Jack said. “Take us in, David.”
“Aye, sir,” David said. “I’ve got their homing beacon.”
“Munchkin, please detail two of your pilots to assist with the transfer.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Munchkin said.
“Sick Bay, prepare for patient transfer,” Jack said. “We’re feet dry over San Diego.”
In sickbay, Dr. Ami replied. “Aye, Captain. We're ready. We'll need three minutes to do the transfer.”
“Very well,” Jack said.
Jeff was still holding his mother’s hand. “Mom, I’ll be right back.”
He ran up to the galley where Kalinda was with Captain Boyington. He stopped when he saw them hugging. “Is something wrong?”
“We both recently lost someone close,” Fifi said. “We’re just happy that your mother is safe.”
Kalinda got up and stood before Jeff. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes,” Jeff said. “Thanks for giving me the best ride ever and…and being with me.”
“I’m glad your mom is ok,” Kalinda. “I wish you could’ve come to Oceanside to the…”
Just then, Jeff grabbed Kalinda with both hands and planted a kiss on her cheek. Then he let go and turned to run back to the ladder.
