The framework bones went to work immediately, generating flesh, connecting with each other starting with the spinal column, then skull, hips, and so on until the muscle and raw elements of a man stood upright in the capsule. The system was doing what it was supposed to do, using the substances inside the stasis tube to speed up the generation of tissue, and in a quarter of the normal time the nude form of Patrick stood before them, very much alive, slowly breathing the stasis fluid.
“Second stage,” Eve announced quietly.
Two medics entered the room swiftly, one held an extraction tool for removing fluid from Patrick’s lungs, the other moved to the opposite side of the stasis tube and activated the release switch. The vessel opened at the bottom and stasis fluid surged forth, carrying Patrick with it to the floor.
With an easy efficiency one medic rolled Patrick onto his side while the other held the extraction pump up to his mouth. Stasis fluid spewed out of the pump as the subject gagged unconsciously. It was over in seconds, and the medics left as swiftly as they had entered, taking the coffin like box the framework had come in with them.
The young man laid there for long moments, rousing from the sleep induced by the stasis fluid. Eve watched hopefully, glancing at the video of Jacob Valance projected against the wall beside her. In the surveillance video Jacob was already on his feet, sorting through the things Alice Valent had left for him. The uncertain, hurt expression on his face was something she hadn’t noticed before. With a thought she deactivated the projection and hoped that she’d gotten the modified memories she’d implanted in Patrick just right.
Through the observation screen she saw him standing, looking around. To her surprise he didn’t question his situation aloud, didn’t try to open the door upon noticing it, and didn’t cry for help. Instead he went to the box.
He carefully opened it and recovered the shirt the original Patrick had left as an offering on the planet below. Next he inspected the book, at which he smiled, and finally the ring, which he put on.
He held the long, simple shirt in front of him for a moment before using it to wipe most of the stasis fluid off. He pulled it on and returned his attention to the book for a moment before looking up at the room around him.
“Phase three, clear the adjacent rooms, observation only please.” Eve turned and strode around the corner. She had never been so excited in her life, all of Patrick’s behaviours felt similar, only this time there was something new, exactly what she was hoping for.
She took a folded West Keeper uniform from an assistant and entered Patrick’s room. He whirled on his heel and gave her an appreciative, appraising look. She had forgotten that she was wearing one of the long velvet dresses Hampon had given to her. When she put it on that morning she’d decided that it accentuated her feminine features aggressively, while leaving enough to the imagination to satisfy modesty.
“I’m sorry we had to put you in stasis after we saved you from Pandem. It’s taken weeks for you to recover. How are you feeling, Baudric?”
“That’s my name. Baudric Farley. Thank God, I couldn’t remember for a minute there.” He paused a moment, looking at the uniform stacked in Eve’s hands, then back up to her. His thumb passed over the corner of the book absent mindedly, repeatedly. “Feeling pretty good, actually. Having trouble remembering things though.”
“We thought that would be a problem, that’s why we included the ring your father gave you when you arrived on Pandem, and the book you were reading. That’s all we were able to recover after the attack.”
“You’re forgetting the belt. Would be useful, except there are no pants in here,” Baudric said with a wry grin as he picked up the thick fabric belt from the box.
“This should help, here,” Eve said as she crossed the distance between them and gave him the uniform. “I’m West Watcher Nora, you can simply call me Nora.”
He took the uniform and unfurled it. It was all one piece, only it was made to look like it was divided in the middle. It was dark blue and green set in a camouflage pattern with pockets on the chest, thighs and a built in thick belt. The slit down the front made it easy to put on. “What happened? The last thing I remember I was on the beach, then there was an explosion.”
“It was a fringe strike force. They caught our forces by surprise when they broke the outer perimeter. You were resting with your father after a day’s work,” to Eve’s satisfaction she could see the memory she created of him spending time with his father on the beach. It was the same experience he’d had earlier that day, only with the addition of his father. She had carefully woven him into the memories she developed using what she observed from his perspective earlier. Through the connection she shared with him as he stood before her she could feel that he was completely convinced, and relished the time he had spent with his father. The blanks, details of the man’s personality, were filled in by Baudric’s imagination. He was completely unaware of the lie in the memory. “You killed several soldiers yourself after taking a fallen guard’s weapon. There were too many of them, however, and you were overwhelmed. We got to you just in time and brought you aboard to recover. Thankfully, the invasion was stopped, and the assault was more isolated than we originally thought. You’re a hero, Baudric.”
“I don’t remember much of the fight. I know it happened, it feels like I’ve been through something, but I just can’t remember.”
“That’s perfectly normal. Your mind may be suppressing it, and you were badly injured, so some memory loss is to be expected.”
“What happened to my father?” He asked. The gravity of his concern was plain in the serious gaze he fixed on Eve; she didn’t need her link to him to know that his worry was genuine.
This was the moment when she’d know if all the time and effort she’d spent would be worthwhile. With a sorrowful expression she said; “He was killed when one of the invasion pods struck. There was nothing to recover.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “I knew, I already knew,” he muttered to himself.
It was all Eve could do not to show how overwhelmed her senses were. She could feel that he was recalling the vague memory of the explosive impact that killed his father. Several implanted memories followed; chaotic recollections of the fight after the bombardment, and of taking the book he held in his hand from the pilot of the invasion pod. It was the Silkstream IV that he saw, that was what the invasion pod looked like, and the pilot was faceless, sealed in a Freeground vacsuit. All of that, mixed with his soul crushing grief, was enough for her to almost forget where she was. She shut down the direct connection with him and wiped tears from her eyes. It amazed her that the pieced together memories, none of which were actually his, could be so quickly imbued with his emotions.
Baudric noticed her distress and placed a caring hand on her shoulder. “Hey, we’ve all gotta go sometime. At least it was quick.”
She could do nothing but nod. His strength under such emotional strain was incredible, and it gave her pause. There was one more component to put in place, however, and she couldn’t delay. “I’m sorry. So many lost so much in the attack, even though it affected a small area. The reason why I’m attending to you personally is because I’d like to offer you a place in our special forces. After the skill you displayed I was hoping you’d enter into the service of the West Keeper Special Forces. With the galaxy turning on us after our enemies have alleged that we have something to do with the Holocaust Virus, well, we have no choice but to go on the offensive.”
“A chance to strike back at the people responsible for this? Sign me up.”