Four - The Implant
Previous Chapter: Three - Priest
Sara Priest and the crew of the ISS Hyperion emerge from stasis.
The Med Bay on the Hyperion is about as spacious as a reactor core crawl space. Every inch screams efficiency, but to me, it just screams claustrophobia. The harsh lighting directed only at the table makes the whole room look like it’s built for interrogation.
I stand over Novak, trying not to let my panic show. He's laid out, eyes fixed hard on the ceiling like he just wants this over with. So do I. If he knew I wasn’t a real medic, he would run.
"Right, let's do this," I mutter, more to myself than to Novak. I need to fake this, but I have no real idea how. All space travellers have a neural implant to help with stasis. After installation, the implant requires calibration to sync with the individual's brain chemistry. I've experienced it firsthand - well, sort of. I’ve had mine calibrated, and caught glimpses of the procedure in the reflection of the surgical lamp. Not exactly the same as having years of medical training, but it's all I've got. ‘Calibration’ sounds too easy though. One wrong adjustment, one slight tremor, and you could turn someone's memories into white noise.
I snap on a pair of gloves, the thin material clinging to my sweaty hands. Don’t think they’re necessary, but it looks kinda doctorish. The adjustment sensor feels heavy in my palm like it knows I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. It’s a metal barrel about as long as my thumb with a short thin gold spike sticking out from its base. Which end goes into the port?
I lean in close, catching a whiff of Novak's stale sweat. Nice. The neural port behind his ear is tiny, barely visible among his greying hair. I brush it aside, feeling like I'm defusing a bomb with my fingertips. I flip the lid open revealing a tiny hole. Too small for the barrel, so I guess that answers my first question.
"Okay, Zac. You might feel a little prick.” I try to sound confident. In reality, I'm praying I won't turn his brain to mush. “I’ve been called worse,” he quips, letting out a little chuckle to himself.
“Keep still, Zac.”
I start to insert the spike, my hands shaking slightly. This thing is fucking small and hard to see, even in this harsh lighting. One wrong move and I'll be explaining to Reeves why our engineer is gibbering and drooling. A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead.
"Uh, Doc?" Novak's voice makes me freeze. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
My heart stops. What the hell have I missed? I run through a mental checklist, trying to remember the time I had this done to me. Think Sara, think.
"The visor," Novak says, pointing to it on the tray. Fuck. How could I have forgotten that? It's like a surgeon forgetting their scalpel. "Right, of course," trying to laugh it off. “I’m still half asleep.” I guess that was not the most reassuring thing for me to say, but Novak doesn’t react.
I grab the diagnostic visor, silently cursing myself. That's the kind of rookie mistake that could blow my cover. I slip it on, praying Novak won't think too much about it.
"Well caught, Chief," I force a grin. "Wouldn't want to go in blind, would we?"
Novak chuckles nervously. "Yeah, that'd be... bad."
You have no idea, buddy.
With the visor in place, I turn back to the task at hand. Now the port is looking huge.
"Okay, for real this time." I lean in again. "Here we go."
I insert the sensor, moving as slowly and carefully as I can. The gold spike looks fragile enough to snap if I breathe on it wrong. My hands are steadier, but inside, I'm a mess of nerves. As I push the spike into the port something pulls it home and it rotates and clicks into place with a whirr. The sound is barely audible, but in my head, it's as loud as a gunshot. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
Novak flinches and gasps slightly. I freeze, half-expecting alarms to start blaring. But he relaxes again, and I step back, my hands tingling.
"You okay there, Zac?" I ask, trying to keep my voice level.
He nods. "Yeah, just... weird feeling. Like someone's tickling my brain."
Is that normal? I have no fucking clue. Didn’t happen to me when I had it. Crap.
"That's... pretty standard," I say, hoping I sound convincing. "Your brain's just saying hello to its new friend."
A stream of data flows across the visor's display. It might as well be an alien language for all I understand. Numbers, graphs, and symbols dance across my vision, each one a potential landmine of medical jargon I can't hope to navigate.
"How's it looking, Doc?" His voice is tight.
"Uh, good." I stare at the incomprehensible data. "Some minor inflammation, but nothing to write home about." I pause, buying time as I try to think of what I should do next. "I'm gonna make some calibrations. Might feel a bit weird."
Fortunately for Novac, I have no idea how to make adjustments. Even if I did, I wasn’t about to play Russian roulette with someone else's brain.
“Close your eyes Zac and keep them shut for me please.” Hey, I sound like a doctor. He complies. I just stand there, waiting for as long as it would plausibly take to make adjustments.
My bracelet starts pulsing, the sound catching Novak's attention.
"You vibrating doc?”
Crap. Fantastic timing. Novak’s curiosity is practically radiating off him in waves. Should I ignore him?
"Yeah, just... some irregularities. No biggie." Irregularities? What the fuck made me say that. I'm, trying to sound casual while silently willing the damn thing to shut up. Note to self: Don’t ever become a doctor.
"Irregularities?" Novak presses. "Is everything okay?"
Shit. My bracelet stabs my wrist, injecting a tiny amount of stabilizer into my bloodstream. The cold sting makes me wince. I can feel the stabilizer spreading through my system, a cool, tingling sensation that both calms and unnerves me. The nanites in my blood quickly respond, settling into a more controlled pattern. For now, at least, I'm stable.
I take a deep breath, my shoulders tightening involuntarily. "I have a blood condition that needs regulating, that’s all."
"Blood condition?" Novak sounds horrified, his eyes now wide open.
"Zac, close your eyes." I cut him off, my voice clipped and tense. "I appreciate the concern, but can we not do the whole heart-to-heart thing while I'm poking around in your brain? Kind of need to focus here."
The conversation dies, leaving an awkward silence. My bracelet stops pulsing.
I turn back to the neural interface, pretending to be deeply engrossed in the readings. In reality, I'm just buying time.
The Med Bay door hisses open. Just what I need - an audience for my medical malpractice.
"How's our engineer doing?" I recognise Reeve’s voice. I don’t look up.
"Peachy, just finishing up some calibrations."
"And how are you? Everything okay?" Crap. Why did he ask me that? Is he suspicious?
"Just dandy, Captain," I say, faking my concentration. "Living the dream. You know, poking around in people's brains, just another day at the office for us medics.” Double crap. That sounded forced.
Reeves is silent, probably trying to figure out if I'm being sarcastic or if I've cracked already. I'm not sure myself.
Novak, bless him, tries to break the tension. "So, uh, Cap... what's the job? Why all the secrecy?"
"Briefing in 15. You'll know everything then."
Novak shrugs, the movement causing a spark to jump from the neural interface. He yelps, and I nearly faint.
"Christ, Zac! Keep still," I snap, my heart racing. "You want me to fry you?”
Novak mumbles something and his body tenses rigid.
For a moment, I'm sure something has gone horribly wrong. I pray to whatever cosmic entity might be listening that I haven't just scrambled his brain.
His body relaxes again. He blinks and winks at me. Enough of this.
"All done," relief flooding my voice. “Just need to remove the sensor and you‘re good to go.”
I’m not sure if I need to just pull the barrel out or twist it and then pull it. I give the barrel a gentle tug. To my relief, it unlocks and comes out easily. I let out a big sigh as I flip the cover back in place on Novak’s implant. Shit, that was really stressy.
"How you feeling Zac?"
Novak sits up slowly, rubbing his head. "Better, I think. The pressure's gone, at least." He blinks a few times, then focuses on me. "Thanks, Doc. You're a lifesaver."
If only he knew.
I nod, already turning to clear up. "Let me know if you start seeing bright flashes of light or something. Or if you develop an urge to rewire the ship with your teeth. You know, the usual post-procedure stuff."
Novak laughs, but there's a nervous edge to it.
"Let's grab some chow before the briefing. I'm starving," Reeves says, ready to move on.
"Hell yeah," Novak agrees, hopping off the exam table with newfound energy. "I could eat a massive steak. You know, if we had any steak."
Relief floods through me as we leave the Med Bay. I managed to calibrate Novak's implant without turning him into a vegetable. Small victories.
Then Reeves catches my eye. "Sara. After the briefing - we need to talk." His voice is quiet, but there's an edge to it that makes my skin crawl.
I watch him walk ahead with Novak, who's gesturing enthusiastically about something. At least the engineer's brain seems intact.
My fingers find my bracelet, sliding it higher up my wrist. One crisis averted, another looming. Did Reeves see through my act? Or is this about the job?
Doesn't matter. Nothing good ever comes from private talks with the captain. Especially not when you're hiding as much as I am.
Fuck.
Next Chapter
The crew learn about the job