Tracked on Predator Planet (Predator Planet Series) by Vicky L. Holt

Author:Vicky L. Holt. [Holt., Vicky L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eos Publishing
Published: 2020-10-04T18:30:00+00:00

29

Steady beeps brought me into consciousness. All the discomfort from before was gone, but I found I couldn’t open my eyes, try as I might. “VELMA, what is my health status?”

“All systems back online.”

“Um, okay,” I said. “But I can’t open my eyes.”

“Welcome, K90-Miner 110. I am the Vector Egress Liaison Machine AI K-90.”

I was strapped to the table save for one arm. That one dangled above me. Above me? My face felt hot and swollen. I was upside down. Correction. The pod was upside down. “VELMA, access your memory card.”

“Rebooting.”

I brought my arm up to my chest, noticing my fingers were uncomfortable. I had difficulty swallowing, too. I wiggled my toes with gratitude. If I could feel my feet and legs, then that was a good sign. But I needed to know what had happened. There were a couple things that could have caused my ship to end up … upside down. Explosion or earthquake.

“VELMA?”

“Accessing files. Would you like me to replay my audio from the last thirty minutes before system failures?”

“Yes.”

“What is Pattee’s status?” I heard Hivelt’s voice, but VELMA used my language.

“Pattee was close to the early stages of organ failure; however, I have precisely engineered the antidote and am now administering it intravenously,” she answered. “I have created a bacteriophage that will consume the infection. The process takes seventy-two hours. However, Pattee may not need as long to recover because dosing antibiotics right away broke up the infection and prevented its spread. Pattee will make a full recovery.”

Hivelt! Where was he?

Her recording continued.

“Incoming message from Esra Weaver. Would you like to hear it?”

Nothing sounded for three minutes. Then, “Hold the message for Pattee when she awakens.”

“Very well,” VELMA answered.

More silence, with quiet beeping from VELMA’s console. I heard pacing, and then the snick of the hatch opening and closing.

Hivelt left.

Another several minutes of steady beeping, and then everything went haywire on the recording.

“Warning, foreshocks detected. Microtremors increasing. Likelihood of potential earthquake. Pattee, are you conscious? Warning, foreshocks detected. Seismometer recording acoustic emission readings that predict a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Pattee Crow Flies unresponsive to vocal stimulus. Vector Egress Machine AI K-90, taking admin control of the Emergency Egress Pod. Earthquake imminent. Shutting down all auxiliary systems. Retracting biomedical devices. Patient safety harness secured. All egress accessways double-locked. Magnetic reinforcement protocols initiated. Stabilizers retracting. Internal system buffers activated. Insulated buffer trap locked down. Scram Nosecone Protocol initiated. Sending neural network into Super Low Orbit in five, four, three, two, one.”

A loud whooshing noise came from the recording.

Then, I could hear rumbling and the sound of the ship scraping against rock. I heard crashing things, probably anything that wasn’t secured by the magnetic reinforcement protocol. The noise subsided.

“End recording.”

I imagined my furs nestled in the “top” of my pod. My swollen face was giving me a headache.

“Increased heartrate detected. Do you need assistance?”

“VELMA, I’m okay, other than having difficulty opening my eyes and swallowing.”

“My records indicate you received two doses of Pulmocet Mecaprotin. A side effect of the Pulmocet Mecaprotin is temporary ptosis.

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