Space Raiders: The Complete Series by Ken Lozito
Author:Ken Lozito [Lozito, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Acoustical Books LLC
Published: 2024-09-17T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter
Eighteen
I was beginning to wonder if there was a limit to how many times the autodoc could be used on a person. Was there some kind of side effect that I wasnât aware of? The designers certainly hadnât had Humans in mind when they created it. But these arguments fell on deaf ears, and I was getting tired of having the argument about being fit for duty thrown in my face.
Donât sit there!
Why not?
Because youâre not fit for duty. Our machines must poke and prod you until weâre satisfied.
But Iâm the captain of the ship.
Doesnât matter. Safety of the crew circumvents your authority.
I blew out a long breath as the autodoc scanned me. It was a deep scan, which apparently required that I strip to my derrière. I hadnât realized just how drafty the examination rooms were. At least I didnât have an audience.
I frowned and glanced at the control panel by the door, imagining Kaz orchestrating a little payback for my treatment of him. I couldnât tell if there was a video feed active or if anyone was watching me. I slapped my own top-round posterior for good measure just in case anyone was watching.
The deep scan finished, and a metallic snake-looking appendage rose from the base of the platform. Words appeared on a small holoscreen in front of me.
Sample required.
I frowned and started to consider either running away or whether I could subdue the mechanical snake probe. There were some lines I refused to cross. Nothing goes in the exits, so to speak.
I grimaced and leaned away from it. âWhat kind of sample?â
Skin sample.
I looked at the snake and then back at the holoscreen. âFrom where?â
The holoscreen flashed and a linear image of my body appeared on it. The area by my right arm highlighted, and I blew out a quick breath, relieved it didnât need a skin sample from somewhere else.
Bullet dodged, I regarded the snake thoughtfully, then stuck out my right arm. There was a pattern of semitranslucent lines on my arm that shimmered very faintly. Iâd thought I was imagining it, but then it kept happening.
The snake head opened, separating into a miniature hydra with five smaller heads. They looked delicate as they gently brushed against the skin of my forearm. I winced in anticipation of them tearing a piece of my skin off, but they didnât. Tiny pin pricks of warmth came from the heads, and the snake retracted back into the platform.
Processing sample.
Iâd gotten so used to an instant response from it, that when it didnât happen, I found myself leaning toward it as if I was going to miss it.
Minor skin abrasion, right arm. No medical intervention required.
Cleared for duty.
I grinned and stepped off the platform. One thing I could say about the alien who designed this system was that it definitely took patient confidentiality into consideration. It was gratifying to learn that privacy wasnât unheard of and taken quite a bit more seriously than back home. The only bit of information my crew was privy to was whether or not I was fit for duty.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Sita - Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) by Amish(53819)
The Crystal Crypt by Dick Philip K(36433)
Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut(14757)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14469)
Ready Player One by Cline Ernest(13979)
The Last by Hanna Jameson(9799)
Year One by Nora Roberts(9299)
Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey(8967)
The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro(8391)
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro(8310)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8259)
Dark Space: The Second Trilogy (Books 4-6) (Dark Space Trilogies Book 2) by Jasper T. Scott(7905)
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood(7447)
The Circle by Dave Eggers(6830)
Frank Herbert's Dune Saga Collection: Books 1 - 6 by Frank Herbert(6711)
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood(6491)
Legacy by Ellery Kane(6388)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6186)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(5825)
