CHAPTER 11-1
1001 Words
CHAPTER 11Sam’s mouth opened and closed several times without any sound coming out, as he stared wide-eyed at Dr. Canfield, his face reddening. After emitting a noise that sounded like a blend of choking, throat-clearing and coughing, he said, “I will not let you turn me into a robot!”
The doctor looked appalled and replied, “I have no intention of turning you into anything, young man. We are all still human. The only difference between you and me is that I have a synthetic body that allows me to continue my life despite the virus, a benefit that you will be forced to avail yourself of, if you wish to remain alive.”
Mara glared at her brother and interjected, “He didn’t mean that crack about robots. He—all of us—were caught off guard by this virus business. It did not occur to me that we could be infected by coming here.”
“I’m still having trouble understanding how the three of you have survived so long after the onset of puberty,” the doctor said.
“I know you don’t believe us, but we’ve only been here for a few hours,” Mara said.
“That’s true,” Ping said. “That’s one factor that indicates the veracity of our claims to be from another realm. If we had been born here, we’d all have succumbed to this illness by now. Which brings up an interesting question. How long can we be exposed to this virus before we experience its effects?”
“It could be months before your health is compromised enough for you to be aware of it. Symptoms can be wide-ranging, depending on how the virus attacks your body. First-stage symptoms are related to the senses—blurred vision, ringing or buzzing in the ears, odd smells and tastes, and tingling skin. Those are indicators the virus is affecting the brain and nervous system. In the second stage, the musculature is attacked and will present with sudden contractions and spasms, affecting everything from a person’s mobility to bowel and bladder control. If the heart or diaphragm is involved, it can prove fatal. Stage three is indicated by the liquefaction of most internal organs.”
Ping took a deep breath at that and said, “Okay, assuming we have the means to transport ourselves to a place where this virus does not exist, if, prior to our departure, you were to give us a treatment of this drug cocktail, this Quintivir, we would no longer be contagious?”
“It would take about twenty-four hours after the treatment,” she said.
“Is there a virus-free place we could stay for that time period before we left?” Ping asked.
“Only the insides of the receptacles are virus-free. Theoretically I could store each of you in a receptacle for twenty-four hours after the treatment, but you would have to depart to your realm directly from there. Is that possible?”
“We could work something out,” Mara said. After a pause, she raised a finger and asked, “Exactly what is a receptacle?”
Dr. Canfield’s brows knitted together, the question striking her as odd. “A receptacle is the container in which our biological bodies are stored. They are vacuum-sealed cylindrical storage units made of transparent polytitanium. They look like giant test tubes.”
“You would store us in tubes for twenty-four hours,” Sam said.
The doctor nodded.
“I have just a couple more questions, if you don’t mind,” Ping said to the doctor. “You said it can take months for the virus to develop into the disease. Is treatment only effective prior to the onset of symptoms?”
“Treatment is only effective during the preliminary stage. Once muscle contractions begin, there’s a less-than-50-percent chance that the virus could be eliminated,” she said.
“So would it be safe to assume that if we don’t present these sensory symptoms you mentioned—the blurred vision, ringing in the ears, etcetera—then we still have time left to get the treatment before our health is compromised, correct?”
“Yes, but I would recommend that you not wait. What’s the point of risking continued exposure?”
The Plexiglas wall emitted three tones, and a soft female voice said, “Dr. Canfield, please report to receiving.”
Dr. Canfield stood up and said, “Why don’t the three of you figure out what you want to do, and I’ll be back in a while.” With a quick, purposeful stride, she left the room.
After she left, Ping folded his fingers in front of him on the table and said, “I suppose the prudent thing to do would be to take the doctor’s advice and begin the treatment. We should discuss the logistics of using the Chronicle while encased in plastic tubes.”
Mara stood up and paced. “The doctor said it could be months before we get sick. For all we know, this virus won’t affect us the same way it did the people who were born in this realm.”
“That may be true. On the other hand, it may affect us more quickly or in a different manner. It would be a risk staying longer,” Ping said.
“I understand there’s some risk involved, but it strikes me as acceptable, if we can help make Cam whole again. We owe him that much. We could get downtown and back in several hours even with the disruptions around town. After that we get the treatment and go home.”
“That’s assuming we don’t encounter resistance from the Aphotis. At least we’ll have the element of surprise on our side. She doesn’t know we’re here,” Ping said.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. If she’s paying attention to the Chronicle, she’ll have noticed that the nodes inside it have shifted. Our nodes will have pulled closer to the one that represents this realm. If she wanted, she could use the Chronicle to find us, just like she found the passengers of Flight 559 in our realm,” Mara said.
“That had not occurred to me. So are you saying you could do the same, use the Chronicle to find her?” Ping asked.
“I think so, but finding her isn’t the objective at this point. We’ll follow the tracking signal to the head—whether it’s still in her possession or not. Either way we won’t pick a fight. We just grab the head and bring it here. After that, we’ll figure out what our next steps should be. A tactical retreat to our own realm might be the best thing at that point. We’ll see.”
“You think she’ll just let you have it?” Sam asked.
“It won’t have much choice. Besides, I think the head has served its usefulness now that the Aphotis is here in this realm.”
“Okay, let’s go then. I’m all for putting off getting into the test tube for as long as possible,” Sam said.
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- Writer
