Homesick

Sally was studying a VR model of one of the outer planets when she heard Dr. Poole knocking.

“Come in, Tinkerbell!”

Rachel materialized in front of the door with her hands on her hips. “Isn’t that joke getting a little old by now?”

“Not for me.” Sally grinned. “Remember, once upon a time, many people would have referred to me as a fairy. Some still do.”

Poole looked past her to the model.

“Oh, come see this! I was thinking this trip would turn out to be a total loss in terms of pure science, but even Coronov might have found this planet impressive.”

Poole walked over and looked at the globe. It stood in the center of the room and was about the size of a medicine ball. It was suspended at eyelevel, rotating slowly. The world looked strangely blue, but not at all like Earth. Poole could see clouds and weather patterns, but beneath them were patches of rock and what looked like oceans.

“Planet Totet,” Sally introduced. “I’m not sure if that’s the name they’ve decided on or some kind of acronym. It’s a large world, but it’s not a gas giant. We don’t think it has a molten core, but we’re detecting traces of heavy metals. It’s kind of like taking a gas giant and merging it with a world like Earth or Mars. It’s one of the outer planets, obviously, and very cold.”

Poole looked closer. “Continents,” she commented.

“Not very gas-giant-like, and we can see them remarkably well through the weather belts. The landmasses appear to be ice and frozen gasses mostly, but they’re surrounded by oceans of liquefied methane. In some ways, not unlike Titan, one of the moons of Saturn, but on a much larger scale!”

“Any value for a claim?”

“Absolutely none,” Sally chuckled. “But, as a scientific oddity, it’s priceless! It’s sort of ironic. This is what I originally came out here to find. I was looking for scientific marvels and lifeless worlds we could exploit for minerals. We could spend centuries exploring this system and still know very little.” She shook her head. “But part of me is hoping we can find a way to close the fold and never come back.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Poole agreed. “But I never pictured you as an asteroid miner.”

“Well, I wasn’t really. My patients were. It wasn’t even supposed to be a permanent assignment.” She shook her head. “It’s odd how things happen. Who’d have thought I’d end up out here?”

“Sometimes fate puts us where we belong.”

“Now you’re sounding like Jackie. I never pegged you as a philosopher!”

“Sometimes that’s part of my job,” she admitted. “I guess what I mean is I probably couldn’t have gotten this far without your expertise.”

Sally waved her hand. “All I really did was patch him up and keep him breathing. The things you’ve been putting together are well outside my area.”

“I also wanted to thank you for backing me when Ian disagreed with my plan. It’s obvious he’s very taken with you, and I hope I didn’t put you in a difficult position.”

“Rachel, I’ve been in a difficult position ever since I set foot on this ship!” She laughed. “I don’t see what you could do to make it worse.”

“I’m afraid I may have to,” she said, taking a seat. “That’s why I’m here today.”

“Vlad?”

“No. He’s outside my jurisdiction. And, from everything you’ve told me, I don’t really have much sympathy for him.” Poole motioned for her to sit. “I’m talking about Anderson now. I’m going to need your help, and it won’t be a pleasant task.”

Sally took a seat across from her at the table.

“I’m going to need you to supervise his . . .” Poole scowled, searching for words.

“Death?”

“Yes, thank you.” She looked at Sally, as if preparing to deliver bad news to a patient she cared about. “You see, like I told you before, we’ve got two extremes to worry about. We have to make sure he has no doubts that he’s dead and yet we have to keep trauma to his nervous system minimal.”

“And you want me to monitor him? Of course, in case he needs emergency treatment.” She looked relieved. “That’s no problem at all. In fact I was hoping__”

“No, Sally. I’ll need that, too, but it’s more important that you help me with the accident.”

“I see,” Sally said, feeling the idea wrap uncomfortably around her. “So I’ll have to come up with something lethal, but not too lethal.”

She shook her head. “I’ve already done that. What I need you to do is watch it play out. I need your expertise as a doctor. For you it’ll be instinct. I need you to decide the exact moment death would be imminent and then pull him out an instant before.”

Sally’s face dropped. “Can’t your program decide that?”

“Not well enough. It could probably tell me after the fact, but that may be too dangerous. I could make my best guess, but I’m not an M.D. He could suffer a fatal injury and I could miss it. Or I could pull him out too soon, while he’s still fully conscious and aware. I need you on this one. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask if there were any other way. I could use a doctor here on Earth, but that might slow down the interface. I’ll need split-second timing for what I’m going to do.”

Sally sat still for an instant, resigning herself to the idea. She knew Poole was right and she didn’t waste time arguing about it. Instead, she mentally shouldered her burden and nodded. “When will it be ready?”

“I’d like to implement it with his morning shift. I’ll need you to look over his vitals before we do it. Then I’ll want you to stand by in case I have any problems after. You’ll be able to see everything I’m doing.”

“Okay, I’m in.”

Rachel patted her shoulder. “We can do this, Doctor, but we’re going to have to do it as a team.”

“And Ian?”

“At your discretion. Get in touch with me tonight for details.” Then she stood and faced the door.

“Rachel?” Sally called.

She turned.

“What are our chances really?”

She shrugged. “We don’t have the benefit of experience, but we’ve done everything else we can do. If this succeeds, Scott could return to Earth and live out his life with his family. Maybe he’ll even be able to put this all behind him. And, if it fails, I don’t know how much worse off he could really be.”

“Okay,” she said. “Whatever it takes.”

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Ecstasy

The wheel had not been damaged by the quake and, so far as 4702 knew, it had remained turning throughout the whole incident and during the weeks beyond. It was, however, showing its age and beginning to creak. While he waited in line to get on he noticed some Builders peering at the works and making notes on their arm pads. Momentarily, he feared they might stop the wheel for further inspection. The thought of the wheel stopping always frightened him. The Masters needed it so! Why did the Builders always have to get in the way? Didn’t they know how important this was?

Fortunately, the Builders didn’t stop it. They just conferred with each other and walked off in search of other duties. But, when 4702 began his push on the wheel, he was vaguely aware that the creaking seemed to be getting louder. He could feel it in his feet as he stepped on some of the planks. In one particular spot the boards gave more than usual, throwing off his stride slightly. It was easy to ignore this, however, and it wouldn’t deter him. The Masters would never see the wheel slow down while he was on it! He imagined Mistress Obiiilion’s beautiful face and even that of Mistress Pooool. He pushed harder with pride and determination.

Sally and Ian stared at the image of Scott and the other Brethren marching on the wheel. Sally winced at the creaking in the boards, knowing what it would soon mean.

“Access!” Poole said. “Remove all facsimile Brethren from current display.”

The other bodies disappeared from view, resulting in a scene that looked impossibly like Scott was turning the massive wheel all by himself.

“We’re almost ready,” Poole said to Sally. “How do you feel?”

“Not good, but I’ll be okay. He’ll be in a great deal of pain, won’t he?”

Poole nodded. “But remember, it won’t seem like that to him.”

“But still . . .”

Ian stepped forward. “What’s actually going to happen to Scott?”

“In the real world, hopefully nothing,” Poole answered. “But in VR, at my command, one of those planks he’s marching on will give way under him. He’ll catch his leg in there and probably break it. Then he won’t be able keep pace and he’ll tumble on the inside of the wheel.” She’d tailored her tone with empathy for Ian’s tortured face, but it didn’t help. She took his hand and led him to a seat next to Sally.

“It happens at least once every day,” she explained. “The Brethren usually die rather quickly.”

Ian groaned, staring at the image with growing revulsion.

Poole turned to Sally. “The problem is, we can’t predict exactly what will happen in there. Scott’s movements are independent of the program. I can control when the plank gives way, but that’s about it. I’ll need you to hit the yellow key on the console the moment you’re sure he’s about to suffer a fatal blow.”

“How the hell’s she supposed to know that?”

“There’s no exact way,” Poole admitted. “She’s just more qualified to spot it than we would be.”

Sally looked to Ian. “If I saw him about to land on his head, for example, or if it looked like he’d just sustained a neck injury.”

“Bloody hell!” He looked up at Poole with genuine fear. “And if she doesn’t get it right he could die? I dearly hope you know what you’re doing!”

“It’ll be my responsibility, Ian,” Sally said. “We’re all aware of the risks, but I’m convinced this may be our only chance.”

He nodded, resigned to her decision. “Where do you want me then?”

She thought for a moment. “There’s no reason you have to watch this, Ian, but we may need you later. Be ready. Right now I think you’re most useful driving the ship, now we’re getting close to the belt. Get to the cone and make sure we don’t crash into anything. If you have to make a maneuver, call and let us know.”

He nodded and exited the room, bowing his head as he walked past the doorframe.

“How about the restraint?” Poole asked.

Sally turned to another monitor, which showed Scott in his quarters. This time, instead of pacing the floor, a springy web held him several inches above the ground, letting his arms and legs swing freely. They clawed at the air ahead of him as if he were a swimming coach demonstrating a stroke.

“We’re ready,” she whispered.

“Watch him then. I’ll implement on the count of five.”

Sally stared at the screen, placing her fingers near the yellow tab, but taking care not to touch it by accident.

“5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . Now!”

Crack! 4702 felt the floor fall out from under him as he climbed the wheel! His right leg sunk to the knee in the sharp space between planks. He struggled to free it, but the planking acted like shark jaws, only allowing him to slide in deeper. A fraction of a second later his heel hit the ground below the wheel and his leg bent back against the joint with great force! It snapped instantly.

Then he was carried above the other Brethren, riding to the top of the wheel. He tugged at his upper leg, painfully aware that his extra weight would work against the pace of the others. But then he felt something hard on the other side of the wheel. The stone framework that held the rigging in place was brushing against his leg and beginning to grab as the wheel’s turning wedged him against the wall!

Snap! A main support beam in the framework caught his errant leg. The momentum of the wheel and the force of the other Brethren prevented the wheel from stopping. His knee joint was severed at once with a ripping sound from his pants leg! Then he felt a tug as the remains of his lower leg wedged itself between the frame and the wheel. It ripped free almost instantly, sending him tumbling down!

His shoulder hit the planks first with a crushing blow that broke his upper arm! He tried to stand, but foolishly stepped out with the leg that wasn’t there. Slam! He landed hard on his jaw, badly dislocating it and shattering several of his lower teeth. He tasted blood in his mouth from his torn tongue. He panted hard. The ecstasy was beginning!

He crawled frantically, trying not to slow the wheel with his weight, but he was slippery with blood and growing faint as he lost more. Also, his working leg couldn’t gain traction without the use of his left arm, which was steadily growing numb. He felt his body ride up again for another slam. This time he landed on his back, breaking his tailbone! Waves of pleasure continued to mount. He no longer struggled, but let himself be dragged again. This time he fell sideways, catching his right arm in the exposed gears, pulverizing his hand and wrist as the cogwheel turned, and twisting his arm from its socket when momentum carried him onward. The pleasure reached a climax as his head struck the planks!

“Masters, oh Masters! You have all I can give you in life! May I continue to serve you in death!” His grin broadened and he laughed with pure glee.

Then his body was pitched backwards, dropping down again on the upswing. He saw the planks on the upper part of the wheel grow smaller as he fell headfirst to the bottom. He waited with orgasmic contentment for the blow that would complete him.

“That’s it!” Sally punched the yellow square, her neck muscles tense and her face streaked with tears. “That would have killed him!”

She scanned the other data screens and drew a sigh of relief. “He’s alive!” she said, wiping her face. “At least I see no physical damage!”

She sat back in her chair and shut her burning eyes tight. It was then she felt Ian’s hand on her shoulder. “Well done,” he whispered.

“I didn’t know you were here,” she said, turning sharply.

“I did what you asked. I made sure we weren’t going to crash into anything within the next twenty minutes or so. But I had the thought you might need me here. I mean, if it were me, I wouldn’t have wanted to be on my own.”

She took his hand and squeezed it tight.