Nexus: Ascension by Robert Boyczuk

Author:Robert Boyczuk [Boyczuk, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Space Opera, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9780981374680
Publisher: ChiZine Publications

Day 2

Sav groaned quietly, then opened his eyes. A hand-span above him was the silvered roof of his stasis cell. One of his legs had doubled behind him, and when he tried to straighten it in the cramped space, it ached severely. He cursed himself for not bothering to strap himself into his webbing before falling asleep. He keyed in the sequence to retract his cell door. The panel slid down and faint light spilled into his cell.

Placing his hands on the edge of his berth, Sav levered himself around until he could see the rest of the cabin. Across the room Hebuiza's cell was empty. "How long," he asked, his voice rough with sleep. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Six hours, thirty-three minutes," the Ea answered.

It felt more like six seconds. Sav shook his head to clear it.

"Where's Hebuiza?"

"The Facilitator is in the galley. He has been transferring equipment from the dropship."

"What equipment?"

"I'm unfamiliar with it."

Sav gritted his teeth and launched himself towards the sealed hatch. Cool air licked over the bare skin on his chest as he sailed across the room. He caught a drag bar beside the door, feeling oddly exposed; he realised he was experiencing the sensation of being out of his suit. Suppressing an urge to shiver, he palmed the open switch. The door recessed.

He found the Facilitator strapped into one of the galley's metal chairs. Velcroed to the table in front of him was the flat, grey case Sav had seen in the back of the dropship, its lid open so that its interior was obscured. Next to it was the black box from the Facilitator's suit; a clutch of thin, multi-coloured cables ran between the two boxes and to Hebuiza's neck. The Facilitator glanced up when Sav propelled himself into the room, but otherwise did not acknowledge him. Using the drag bars along the wall, Sav worked his way around until he could see what was in the green case. The base of the unit was a featureless grey square, but on the underside of the lid there were six small screens; on five of them, streams of sharp-edged, multi-coloured characters scrolled right to left. If it was a language, it was one Sav didn't recognize.

"What is it?"

The Facilitator pursed his lips, but kept his attention focussed on the machine. His long, narrow head began to move from side to side in a small bobbing, arc. "It can be used to sequence viruses," he said. "Among other things." Characters appeared on the sixth screen now.

"What's it doing?" Sav asked.

"Self-test. Running diagnostics. Calibrating."

Silence hung awkwardly between them, Sav watching the endless strings of alien characters swim past while Hebuiza's head continued its bobbing motion. "Do you think it will be of any use to us?"

"Perhaps. If I can communicate with it. And after that, if I am able to reprogram it, then yes, it could be extremely useful. But it has been designed on a molecular level. My interfaces are several orders of magnitude cruder.

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