Habilitation Read online

  There was the sound of a door swishing open to my right. I looked to find Doctors Warren, Sully and Harper enter the room along with a man in a strange green uniform with many badges on it.

  They stood at a console at the head of the room in front of the others and I sat in a chair beside Angela. She secretly squeezed my forearm in support and a rush of happiness flooded through me. The man in the green uniform, his hair dashed with grey, hit a switch on the console and the lights dimmed.

  “Please. Take a seat. Your mission briefing is about to begin.”

  Chapter 3: Stasis

  “Hello. My name is Captain Mark Anderson. I know you all must have questions. I will hopefully answer some of them by the time we are done.” Captain Anderson paused to clear his throat and turn on a hologram. It floated before us casting everything in a pale glow. A planet rotated, covered in rolling blue clouds.

  “This is Kepler 84C. Some seventy years ago routine scans of planets to discover potential resources discovered this instead,” The hologram changed to a mountain, a hollow central chamber sat in the center with corridors spreading outwards.

  “A team was dispatched after several attempts of communication failed. They discovered an abandoned facility. The images shown to you by your aides came directly from it. Within this facility was technology far beyond our own, even with seventy years of advancements it remains ahead of our own. For sixty years we have studied their technology and failed. Their language is still untranslatable, their knowledge a perpetual mystery.

  Thanks to the discovery of conscious cloning we have been able to recreate some of the most brilliant minds in human history, you. Two hours from now, for the first time in sixty years we are returning to Kepler to attempt again to discover the mysteries of this lost civilization. I’m afraid, due to security concerns, I can say nothing further.”

  The hologram disappeared and Captain Anderson left the room before anyone could even rise from their seats. We were left to mingle with each other, the clones all introducing each other. I met them all but their faces were a blur to me, only Angela’s seemed worth knowing.

  “Who am I?” We were back, safe in my quarters and preparing to leave.

  “You are whoever you choose to be.”

  “No. I mean who was my original? Who was I cloned from?” She sat beside me on the couch, the smell of her intoxicating, “I don’t know, that’s privileged information. They don’t tell me a lot about the initial cloning procedures. I get brought in at the end and we have only recently become reliably successful.”

  “How recent?”

  Angela sighed and took my hand, her skin cool to the touch, “You cannot repeat this as it may not be common knowledge to the other clones but there were ninety of you. You are A91. There were one hundred and two of Cutter whom you met at the meeting. Every clone was slightly different to perfect.

  “How do you know I will live when the other ninety have died?”

  Angela eyes sparkled suddenly, a single droplet streaming down her face. Instinctively I wiped it away with my thumb but my hand stayed, cupping her cool chin I pressed my lips to hers. I felt her body relax, give in, our tongues entwined and then she stiffened and pushed me away.

  “We leave soon. Bring what you need. Tell no one of this.” She was gone, her shoes clicking down the corridor. I listened until she turned the corner and followed.

  The military transport craft coasted high over the city and out beyond the fringe to the Anchor Station of the space elevator. Below us the skyscrapers were glittering in the sun, the ocean stretched out into the horizon to the east and to the west the brown of the mountains and the green of palm trees. Landing at the Anchor station the press was already there, taking photos and shouting questions. A barricade kept them well away from us as we made our way to the main entrance. The thread of the space elevator rose from the center of the station and disappeared into the sky.

  We were ushered inside the station where the Climber was stocked and waiting for us. The donut shaped Climber was equipped with a cafeteria, storage and bunk rooms. It was four days to the Orbital Station and I wasn’t looking forward to sharing a room with near strangers.

  That evening, with the continent of South America coming into view beneath us, I ate in silence on the bench, next to the other clones and their aides. There was Cutter, the most talkative, dominating the conversation with her obsession of the open circulatory system of arthropods. Cal and Astro were deeply engaged in an argument over the gravitational effects of twin stars and did a good job of ignoring the rest of us. Strata, with his fidgets and spasms couldn’t stop spilling food on himself as he sat across from Meta and Corvus who were as silent as me but nodded in interest as Cutter droned on. Disinterested in conversation and feeling self-conscious of eating in front of others I left half the food on my tray and found my room.

  I was lying on the bottom bunk, staring upwards and lost in thought when Angela found me. Fingers fidgeting I waited patiently as she thought of what she wanted to say, “You should really make an effort to get to know the others. I’m sure you are all feeling overwhelmed by the information you’ve received today. We will be spending several months in the biodome together, it would be good to be on friendly terms with them.”

  I knew she was never going to let up, “For you, I’ll try.”

  She smiled her dazzling smile that always left me breathless. And suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the questions in their millions, the overwhelming feeling of not belonging, all of it floated away as I smiled back.

  The cable extended further into space, ending at the Counter Weight, but our journey ended at the Orbital Station. Smaller than the Anchor station it was run by a crew of four. We were put immediately into transport pods and strapped in. As the doors hissed shut a timer began counting down from ten minutes and forty seven seconds. When it reached zero the craft was released and we were hurled through space, powered by the momentum of the earth as if we were a bucket, snapped off a spinning rope. Before us a space station began to grow bigger.

  As we neared the station thrusters engaged, slowing our velocity and landing us safely in the hangar, the controls run wirelessly by some pilot somewhere. The doors to space closed behind us, sealed and green lights allowed us to unbuckle our harnesses and open the door.

  Out on the hangar deck a man in a tan uniform was waiting, “Welcome. I’m Staff Sergeant William. If you will please follow me your ship is fueled and ready.”

  The space station, one of fourteen around the Earth, could dock up to six deep space vessels for maintenance and repair but currently held only two. Our long walk took us past The Artisan.

  Under heavy repair, The Artisan, sat massive and dark on the hangar floor. The exterior and interior crawling with technicians while managers on the hangar floor went over holographic blueprints. Bright lights illuminated the hangar and down below fork lifts hauled heavy crates while scissor lifts and booms moved techs up and around the massive exterior. Passing it we arrived at our ship, The Onyx, glistening in the fluorescents it was even bigger than The Artisan.

  “Here you are. We’ve just recently finished a major upgrade to her navigation system. Meant not just for deep space exploration but also long term living she can sustain a crew of a hundred for up to fifteen years. Technicians are standing by to induce stasis. Good Luck.”

  Staff Sergeant William saluted Captain Anderson and the other military personnel and left us.

  “This IV is for hydration, this one analyzes your blood and this one is in case any anti-biotics need to be administered.” The technician poked the needles through my skin as he spoke, then picked up a cap covered in electrodes, “The cap monitors brainwave activity and can emit frequencies known to calm the mind should a nightmare be detected. Every aspect of your health is closely monitored; the slightest sign of danger and you will be pulled from stasis. We have a skeleton crew who will remain awake during the four year journey to oversee everything, including a doctor.

  After you are asleep we will insert a feeding tube and catheter, they will be removed before you are awakened so it is expected that you will feel a little… sore. It is also normal to feel nauseous, dizzy or even vomit. If you have any concerns now or when you awaken please express them.”

  “I’m fine.” Besides a dry throat and fluttering stomach it all sounded straight forward, and Angela was standing on the other side of the tank so I did not want to appear frightened.

  “All right. I’m going to place the breathing mask on now and I want you to count backwards from ten.”

  “Ten, nine, eight…seven…si…”

  Was it just me, or did Angela squeeze my hand while the tech wasn’t looking?

  Chapter 4: Kepler 84C

  There was discomfort then clarity. My mind didn't recall the events that had happened immediately before entering stasis but I was aware that I was safe. The cap and mask were removed. The I.V from my arm was gone and a voice was speaking.

  "Professor? If you can understand me nod."

  I nodded.

  "Good. Lay as long as you need but when you are ready I will assist you."

  I nodded again. The discomfort was subsiding but I felt sick. After a few minutes I opened my eyes. The lighting was low, which I was thankful for, but everything was blurry. Slowly it all came into focus. I took a deep breath and gripped the edges of the stasis pod. The crewman rushed to my side and helped me to rise.

  "Slowly. Take your time."

  I took my time but still released the contents of my stomach into the container provided. I rose on shaky feet and was relieved to see Angela step forward. Taking her arm she led me from the room. By the time we reached the corridor I was able to walk on my own. The room assigned to me was small with only a narrow cot and a few cupboards. A small washroom containing a shower and chemical toilet was adjacent and the first thing I did was step into the shower and wash away the grogginess. I puked again in the shower but chose to keep it secret from Angela. The steam calmed me down and I felt better. Drying myself out with a towel I dressed in a new grey uniform provided for me.

  "Are you ready for dinner?"

  "I'm not hungry."

  "Well you need to be there at the very least." Unpacking her suitcase she handed me something. It was a datapad.

  "I downloaded some new textbooks for you. I know you enjoyed your Plasma Physics book but didn't get to finish reading it."

  I smiled and took it, "Thank you." I was touched. But I was also curious, did the other aides provide the other clones with the same amount of dedication that Angela did for me? She knew me almost better than I knew myself. Again I was reminded that I was the ninety first clone and she had spent the last six years with ninety other versions of me.

  Dinner was slow and quiet. I ate but only because I could see the small smile appear on Angela's lips. I liked pleasing her, I liked watching the skin around her eyes crinkle and her lips part slowly as she smiled, revealing her straight white teeth. She had an angular chin and straight nose with high cheekbones that were always slightly rosy. The rest of my time immediately before stasis had come back to me. I remembered my promise to get to know the other clones but I had no idea where to start so instead I listened in on their conversations. I learned all their names by the end of dinner and considered the night a success. There was Cal, Cutter, Meta, Corvus, Astro and Strata. All nicknames. Their actual clone names I had learned by their stasis pods. There was B57, C103, D71, E95, F89 and G121. I would have preferred to call them by their clone names, perhaps because it took away the feeling of any threat they may offer to mine and Angela's relationship, not that there was a rational threat to begin with.

  With dinner over I went straight to my room and read until I fell asleep. Angela had a meeting but I heard her come in later that night. She checked on me before opening the door to her own room and disappearing.

  "Good morning everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't meet with you yesterday. Before you is all the data gathered on Kepler 84C through our long range scans and from the original landing team. The atmosphere is toxic for humans so biosuits will be required at all times. The plan is to set up a base camp one mile from the entrance to the tunnel. A biodome will be set up to report back to each night. You will have armed escorts as you explore the area and your aides will accompany you as well. You will submit to physicals each night to assure no harmful viruses or bacteria are contracted and brought back to the ship or to earth. Please read through your mission briefings on the planet. If you have any questions speak with your aides. We land in four weeks. The time is more or less yours besides a few safety talks so take your time, brush up on the reports. Dismissed." Captain Anderson left the room before anyone had even risen from their seats. I turned the datapad on and opened up the long range scans folder.

  The biodome was launched from the ship. Twenty minutes later it hovered above the planet floor. I stood on the deck of the ship watching the pilots control the biodome remotely using cameras, scanners and joysticks. They found a stretch of flat ground roughly a mile from the mountain and gently set it down. With the press of a button the legs came down. They bit into the ground of the planet and leveled the biodome. Another button and the dome began to unfold, spreading out into the biodome we would be living in. I watched as they methodically set up the biodome, button by button. It took fewer than thirty minutes to complete and was capable of housing thirty people.

  Now it was our turn. I met Angela at the hangar bay and put on the biosuit. A helmet with a wide visor was handed to me and I put it on and clicked it into place. Air hissed into the suit. Raising my wrist I glanced at the screen showing my vitals. Five hours of air, more than enough for descent. A pilot led us into the landing craft and made sure we were all strapped in correctly. There were no windows and no screens to watch the descent so I sat there quietly, my jaw clenched throughout the entire landing procedure. The landing was less than gentle but it was over.

  "This is landing craft Alpha six. We have successful landing."

  "Copy that Alpha six," The radio cackled back, "awaiting further communication from the biodome."

  Double checking our suits we waited as the ramp was lowered. An expanse of rock spread out before me, a wasteland of brown shale and sheer mountains. Smoke rose from what I guessed to be natural vents and drifted lazily up into the atmosphere. The sky above was a grey blue of haze and rumbling clouds and I couldn't tell if it was day or night here. A touch to my wrist and the lights on my helmet lit up the fog before me. The wind was howling across the bleak landscape, strong enough to cause us to stumble as our pilot led us the fifty feet to the entrance of the biodome.

  Through the first set of doors was a small chamber. The doors shut behind us and our suits were sprayed with disinfectant. I spread my arms out like the others as the sprayers worked their way up and down, from above and below. A few minutes later and the spray shut off. Our suits were scanned and we were cleared to enter the biodome. The doors opened and we entered into a locker room. Angela helped me remove my helmet and I hers. We had assigned lockers for our suits and I hung mine up and shut the locker door. The lock clicked shut electronically.

  More crew members came in behind us on a second ship but we were already heading through into the main chambers.

  The main room of the biodome had a glass ceiling with metal framework. The space was empty but crew members went to work right away opening the crates and setting up equipment. By what I guessed to be nightfall the biodome was fully up and running and communication had been established with the ship floating in orbit.

  "This is your station. A91 is the login. Ab76du8 is the password. All lower case. Can you remember that?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. You can change it after the initial login. Any files you are permitted to access will be under that name and password." Angela was acting different. I had to assume it was for the same reason as me, stress. She walked off to establish her own workstation across from mine and began filling out a report. She seemed focused and oblivious to me. I sat down at my own station and logged into the computer. The desktop was filled with files underneath different headings.

  Atmosphere, Maps, System. It was all the same information I had been given with my datapad but I re-read it anyways. The gravity of Kepler 84C was the same as earth. The atmosphere was toxic to humans. High traces of sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide. It circles the star Abraxus in 451.2 rotations also called one cycle. Only slightly smaller than earth with a radius of 3871.7 miles. Photos of the planet showed no traces of liquid water but a small ocean of ice more than one hundred miles from the biodome's position. Otherwise the rest of the planet was the same brown wasteland of rock.

  Hungry I rose and found the cafeteria down a short hallway. Angela joined me ten minutes later. I had decided it was pointless to be self-conscious of eating in front of others and had regained my appetite back. Cutter was sitting across from me; she had already finished her meal and was focused on her datapad. A breakdown of some micro-organism was rotating slowly around the screen. I sat in silence, attempting to think of a conversation starter but my mind was blank.

  "How are you today Cutter?" Angela spoke for me. Something so simple and yet I had never had to start a conversation before.

  "I am well. Thank you. This planet seems... interesting. I am eager to begin exploring the tunnels tomorrow and adding my own understanding to these discoveries. I find based on my training I am far more interested in learning of new potential medical applications. The human body is quite fascinating."

  I found Cutter only mildly interesting and zoned out as Angela made polite conversation. Medical applications did not interest me at all.