The Journey of Rick Heiden
All Rights Reserved © 2018, Rick Haydn Horst
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Upon arrival, a flurry of movement had Amaré surrounded by medical people who carried him away. They monitored the portal night and day for any activity, awaiting his return. They believed he would bring back Cadmar and David; they never expected that result. After a diagnostic assessment, they determined that Aiden's quick actions prevented Amaré from bleeding out, saving his life. His enhancements would ensure a swift recovery, and we were relieved.
They kept the portal in the middle of a stark white, circular containment area where a bin lay on the floor and a small, sealed pass through the size of a breadbox on the wall. To the left, we could see people in the monitoring room through a thick, curved glass window, eyeing us with their entomological stares. The entrance to the room laid before me, and to my right, the door to decontamination, where we would find the exit.
They used level one containment to prevent contamination of the planet from microbes and insects, especially insects. Jiyū had no indigenous animals, and they took precautions to ensure none got through.
David pointed to the upper corner of the glass window. It had a series of numbers representing the time and date. It helped people orient themselves upon arrival due to the time differential. It read: 07:20.54-201-3154. The time was 07:20.54 on the 201st day of the jear 3154.
"I've been gone for a long time. I should let our communication system know I'm back," said David, pushing his pointer finger into his neck just behind his left ear, and after a moment, he tapped the spot twice. "Hello Iris, it's David. Yes, I'm back." David laughed, listening to the voice only he could hear. "Okay, I just wanted to say hello and let you know I'm on the system again should anyone wish to speak with me. It's good to hear from you too, but I must go. We need to get through decontamination. Okay, bye."
Aiden's face held a wide-eyed expression of wonder. "I want that!"
"Soon enough, Aiden," he said, "first thing's first."
"David," said one of the women behind the glass, "we've left gel and soap in the decontamination room. Do you need any nano-suspension?"
"We need one," David said.
She placed a four-ounce glass of something dark in the sealed pass-through. David retrieved it, giving it a whiff. "You have no vanilla?" he asked her. She shook her head, smiling. He held the glass out to Aiden.
"What is it?" Aiden asked. "It looks like prune juice."
"Hmm." David thought for a moment. "In computer terms, within this glass lies the operating system upon which all other enhancements function. If you want the secret to immortality, you can't have it without this first."
Aiden hadn't thought twice; he took it from David and downed it.
"What's it like?" I asked.
"Not bad. It's a bit thick. It tastes like fruit."
"It's okay," said David, "but the vanilla one tastes better. Oh well, keep an eye on the clocks, Aiden. Tomorrow at roughly two o'clock in the morning, yours should kick-in."
Next, we had to decontaminate ourselves in the next room. Although there were discussions for years about whether decon was even necessary, David had expected the standard procedure. They would also subject Amaré to it while they removed the bullet. We removed our clothing, placing them, our mobiles, and everything from our pockets into a containment bag for them to collect later.
The decontamination room consisted of another stark white round room, twelve feet in diameter. The center held a round shower head, four feet wide with a drain beneath it. The walls held a curved bench seat built into them, and I could see the exit on the opposite side. The goopy gel-like substance used to kill spores and microbes smelled a bit like antiseptic. David told us to cover ourselves with it, let it dry, then use the soap they provided to wash it off.
Standing naked with relative strangers caused Aiden some embarrassment, and he tried looking anywhere but our direction. I couldn't understand why he bothered; he had removed his glasses and couldn't see. I dealt with nudity as best I could, but I found it easier when David and I were alone. As for David, I had never met anyone with such extreme immodesty.
David began rubbing the gel into my back for me, and I noticed Aiden kept his head turned toward the wall. "You don't have to feel awkward, Aiden."
"No, but I do," he said.
"It seems only fair we should see you naked, Aiden," said David. "After all, you watched us screwing."
I couldn't help but laugh. David sometimes had a wicked sense of humor.
"I'm sorry," Aiden said as he struggled to keep his eyes diverted from David's direction. "I had no idea I would intercept that."
"I'm joking," said David, "it doesn't bother me."
"Well, it wouldn't bother you, would it?" Aiden asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.