Artifact: Old Mans Comeback by John Walker

Author:John Walker [Walker, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Warp Travel: Aboard the Ilsin

Raymond “Flip” Kinnely

The design of the Ilsin seemed simple enough, though Flip struggled to come to terms with even the simplicity of the doors. They seemed to melt into the walls as they approached, leading into rooms with the same shimmery metal for walls and ceilings.

Sorsha took him to a space that appeared empty at first. She tapped the computer she carried, and a gurney formed from the same metal in the floor. At the end, as it solidified, the top became a mattress of sorts. She directed him to have a seat.

“Is it stable?” Flip asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because it looked like liquid a second ago.” Flip took a seat. He cuddled into his shroud. “So this thing that I’m wrapped in used to be my clothes?”

“That’s my assumption,” Sorsha replied. “It may also be the foreign substances in your body. The projectiles. Any other things you may have had.”

Flip nodded. “I had some screws in my knee. I don’t feel anything down there now.”

Sorsha stared at her device for a long moment. “No, I imagine you don’t. It seems you’ve been restored to a prime age for your species. At least, I’m guessing that’s the case. The tissue and such coincides to around the thirty-year mark? Give or take.”

“Thirty…” Flip huffed. “Wow. That’s… that’s insanity. I can barely remember what I was doing when I was thirty.” But he could. He just left the military, and joined the military contractor firm that eventually became VasCorp. His daughter had just turned seven, and his wife served him divorce papers. “Huh…

“Yes?”

“Nothing.” Flip shook his head. “So… thirty. Wow. And now… about the health thing. Do I need vaccines or something?”

“Checking.”

“If I do, are they painful? Any side effects?”

“The computer adjusts the amount to best work with your immune system. You shouldn’t notice too much in the way of discomfort.” Sorsha met his gaze. “I’ll get the chip installed now.”

“Wait. I don’t like the term installed. That’s just…” A high-pitched buzz filled his ears. Flip scratched at them, wincing. “Whoa… what the hell? What was that?”

“Better,” Sorsha replied. “There you are. The procedure’s done. How do you feel?”

“What do you mean it’s done?” Flip asked. The buzzing stopped. “Did you just… put something in my head?”

“Yeah, that was the whole point,” Sorsha said. “So you could communicate not only with me, but the rest of the species you run into.”

“Why do your lips look like they’re moving correctly?”

“The brain’s tricked,” Sorsha replied. “You see what you need to see for the communication to make sense. If my lips moved differently, the message could be lost due to distraction.”

“So this is an optical illusion?”

“Self-defense,” Sorsha corrected. “Big difference. Do you know of the trick of throwing one’s voice?”

“Ventriloquism,” Flip said. “Sure.”

“They aren’t really doing so. We hear the voice, and we see the movement where we’re expected to. Our brains fill in the blank and help with the trick. This is no different. Well, it’s a little more sophisticated and technology based, but you get the idea.

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