章 20: Resistance is futile (III)
It was a long and humbling walk for Ian, who wondered why he had been willing to believe just about anything other then what Matt had told him. Matt had never lied to him, not once in the very long time he had known him. Yes Matt was fully capable of deception, and would often not tell him the whole truth. But he had never flat out told a lie, prefering to make you think you were hearing something other then what he was saying.
Then Ian reached the cavern where the ship was hid, and if his jaw could have hit the floor, it would have.
Matt watched Ian's reactions as was being observed by one of the bots stationed as security in the tunnels and cavern itself. Ian eventually mastered himself to approach the airlock only to have a maintenance bot scare him off again. Matt grunted in annoyance, for such an enthusiast by god he was hard to get moving.
Sam said, "Captain, the rig has hydrolisised enough water to enable emergency fusion reactor startup and at currently rate will provide roughly a 1 hour gap between supply and consumption. May I begin the startup sequence?"
Matt continued to look at the security feed in annoyance. "Yes Sam, go ahead. How long will it take to recharge the reserve supply at current power draw with the reactor supplying power?"
"Approximately three months, two weeks..."
"Thankyou Sam." Matt said, interrupting Sam's "approximation". Matt decided Ian needed an extra push and tapped a console overriding the safety protocols as both doors of the airlock opened. Matt called out saying, "You big chicken, come on. I do not have all day and I have a repair list longer then my arm. Either you get your arse inside now. Or go home and ponder where you left your balls this morning."
Ian hastily swallowed his fear and straightened from his crouch and walked right up to the door, skitish but keeping his fear under control. By the time he reached the airlock, his excitement at the possibility that all this really was real was starting to take over as he walked past the inner airlock door.
"No decontamination?" Ian said almost with disappointed look on his face. "So where are the aliens that own this beauty, and when and where does the probing start."
Matt had trouble supressing a grin before he said, "You really didn't listen or believe a word I said did you. You're looking at the aliens."
Ian nodded not believing him before looking around with a hasty gulp he said, "Maybe you'd better tell me again. This time slowly."
Matt laughed and removed the airlock override which silently slid closed. "Alright..." he said, explaining as he took Ian to the medical bay.
When they reached the Medical Bay it had returned to a empty white room as Ian approached the centre of the room a voice announced, "Captain, I see we have a new prospective crew member. What is his name?"
Ian immediately started, thinking he'd been betrayed before Matt said "Relax man, that is Samuel or Sam. The ship's Artificial Intelligence. Sam this is Ian, a close friend of mine, though apparently one with alot of trust issues," Matt chuckled.
Sam responded with an amused tone of voice as the medical bed raised out of the floor. "Ian if you would please sit on the chair we can begin."
Ian eyed the chair and approached it, but before hoping on he said, "Why?"
Sam responded sounding even more amused, "It is required that before you can be entered onto the crew roster that you be examined to ensure physical fitness. This examination is of a non-invasive nature, a simple I believe you call them CAT scans but much more advanced shall determine your medical history. During the scan a small sample will be taken for genetic profiling which will be tied to your security clearance. Following that, the Captain will then determine what position you shall occupy."
Ian said quietly, "Ohh, hang on.....CREW?" Ian then turned to Matt with a kid in a candy store look and said, "You wanted me to come here so you could ask me to join your crew?"
Matt rolled his eyes and said, "Finally, he gets it. Maybe now he won't accuse me of trying to put him through a wood-chipper every other minute. I was thinking Chief Science Officer, but I don't know now. Someone who doubts me that much can't occupy a senior role, hmm what do you think about galley cook Sam?"
"Undoubtedly a useful role, even though all meals aboard are prepared automatically by the ship's synthesisers."
"Hmm, grease monkey prehaps." Matt looked to the side as he stroked his chin thinking. When he looked back Ian had that puppy dog almost eye watering expression on his face. "I was kidding you idiot, now get on the bench for your exam and Sam, when you finally get done load suitable information into the Learner for chief science officer. Have him find me once your done, I'll be in DCC1 getting preliminary damage estimates now that the reactor has started up and we can get diagnostics running without fear of taking you offline."
Matt then left the room as Ian looked around for the last time with a big smile on his face, took a deep breath in and said, "Stuff it" and hopped onto the table.
The last thing Ian felt before drifting off into a comfortable doze was a slight but not uncomfortable tingling feeling that encompassed his broken hand. The pain began to ease and then he was floating in the interminable space between conciousness and the realm of dreams. Ian eventually progressed to true dreaming and a series of images began to flash through his mind.
His mother, years and years ago. Healthy and strong, smiling and carefree, then advancing through the years as the pain robbed the face of the smile, bent her back and destroyed her spirit. Through information barely heard, uttered by voices hushed at his approach. Then it flowed all the way back, as he was locked in the memory. Unable to scream, or break free of it. He continued as the memories slowed down, and he could feel the vision narrowing focusing on when his mother's smile first dipped. There it was, and then the vision released him into a field of flowers and butterflies that covered his entire body.
His entire body started to tingle and his subconcious interpreted this as the butterflies swarming in a bunch of tickling wings. Ian struggled not to laugh as he tried to shoo them away, when all of a sudden they leapt away from him.
When Ian eventually drifted back into conciousness, he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was different. Better, definately better but different. It felt like he had been carrying a slight burden that had been there for as long as he could remember, but now was somehow free of it. His body felt relaxed, strong and a he felt a genuine sensory pleasure in just being awake as he lay on the bed. He had never felt this sensation before. It felt good to be alive and Ian sat up thinking that somehow this was all too good to be true.
"Whatever that was that you drugged me with Sam, by god does it leave a pleasant taste in the mouth, though it gives off some wicked nightmares I can tell you."
Sam coughed almost in a abashed tone before saying. "Ian, apart from the standard series of immunological vaccines and routine service injections, none of which produce hallucinogenic or psychotropic effects in your species no other drugs were administered to you. Your experience could be due to the neural-interface device that was implanted to allow for the medical scanner to determine an adequate family history seeing as how your species has an inate resistance to thought processing."
"A family history was required because the scanner detected a genetic anomoly that appears to have progressed into stage one Pricodius-Hamlins syndrome."
"You bastard, you made me relive my mother's death over and over. Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch her die of ALS the first time yet alone over and over again. You rifled through my memories, what for? Trying to determine the point where she first got sick. And now you're telling me I'm going to die the same way?"
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