G A Revenge of the Behemoth Ch2

Chapter 2
The Revival Centre

    The medical technology facility building stood on its own outside a large town in the province of New Atlantis. The oval structure of the finely polished med facility stood proud in the landscape around its imposing uniformity. The rolling hills behind it framed the impressive building in their calm and welcoming splendour. A few small patches of woods to either side offered some concealment. The overall affect was that the whole place was a private and calm place to recuperate. 
    The med facility itself waited welcomingly to admit all those who needed use of the facilities. As well as those in need of emergency medical intervention.
    The dawn of these new facilities had been many years in the making. When it had been needed, to find a way to offer the best in medical care to all citizens, regardless of their social standing.
    The principal was that every town or city with a certain population would have one of these facilities for the use of all of the local population. It would offer them the best in medical care and yearly check ups for every citizen to prevent and diagnose illnesses. There would always be a dedicated staff, from the lowliest porter to the head med tech. They would be on hand to solve any of the patient’s medical complaints. The latest and best medical equipment would be at the disposal of the highly trained staff. This as a result ended up as something for the patients benefit as well.
    All of these resources and more would be needed as the party arrived in the entrance hall. The wall on the north side of the entrance hall was just returning to its normal state, from being in a state of flux. Caused as the portal had connected from its departure point to this arrival point.
    It had been considered best to locate the portals in all buildings in entrance halls. In the case of med facilities there would be an arrival station outside of the building for general use.
    The nearby staff that noticed the new arrivals immediately sprang into action as was there training. The only reason people would use portal travel directly here would be if someone needed emergency help quickly.
    “Quick we have a cryogenic capsule here one patient still alive.” The most senior med tech at the scene took immediate charge. “There is no time for a proper med scan; the power to the cryo-unit will fail any moment.”
      The med technicians sprang into action to help the poor unfortunate inside at the signal from the head med tech. One particular med tech came rushing up with what could only be a portable power supply and attached it to the cryo-pod immediately. This would keep the pod supplied with enough power for the delicate revival process to be completed.
      The unit was still mobile thanks to the anti grav pad attached underneath and was moved as soon as the power was returned to it.
      Then the party of med techs, retrieval squad, cryo-pod, Brant and Cal could move at pace down the hall towards a revival room. These rooms were especially designed to deal with the problem of the vast numbers of cryogenic survival units that had been found.

    The room provided a safe and protective environment to revive the patient inside the cryo-unit. Then treatment for any illness or diseases they may have was contracted was undertaken. It was also considered the best place for when the patient was healthy and conscious to come to terms with there new reality. They would be offered counselling for the trauma they had been through. Then advice and information about the new life and possibilities that were now available to them.
    This would always be the most difficult time especially with the young patients as a lot of them had been separated from there families, as there families could only afford it for them to be cryogenically frozen. This meant many children living on this new world had lost there families. Especially as the process had become a moneymaking enterprise for most providers of this unregulated service.
    So the painful choice would have to be made to save the children. Believing that this would be the only way to save them from the horrors and catastrophic events of the time. So now, in the future many children from as young as 5 years old to teenagers, had to suddenly deal with the gut wrenching reality of a future with out there mothers and fathers. In some cases, other siblings and friends as well as the way of life they were used to. They would be supported in the best way possible to face life in the future. They were given new families and support. But most of all the new possibilities this new improved society offered.
    However, first they had to be revived and as soon as the party came crashing through the swinging doors to the revival centre. The cryogenic capsule was moved into place in the middle of the room. Where a part of the floor came up to hold the capsule in place like a giant leg for a stool. As soon as the pod was secure a group of assembled med techs could get to work in reviving the patient.
    “Right every body if you consult your patient history files on your data pads. You will see that the cryo capsule has been separated from a power supply for an undetermined length of time.” As the Head Med Tech was explaining this, he checked some of the instrument panels on the capsule. He hoped to gather any available medical data, as this might shed some light on how long the capsule had been separated from a suitable power supply.
    “The instruments tell us it has been disconnected for approximately 5 hours; this is within safety limits for the model of cryo-unit we see here. But let’s not take any chances shall we.
    As he had finished with this preliminary diagnosis of the young patient inside. The med techs started there work and were opening the capsule and attaching all manner of instruments to the young patient inside. This would aid the revival process and in restarting the patients own bodily functions. It seemed to the untrained observer to be a scene of complete panic but to these professionals was the tried and tested medical practice.
    The reviving of a patient from cryogenic suspension was not always difficult. It could be discerned early on if the patient had any chance of being revived. In some cases it was obvious to anyone by the condition of the cryo-pod when found. In this case though there would be none of these concerns as the head med tech spoke again.
    “The patient seems to be doing well; he has a good chance of survival. There are no signs of disease and his health is in a very good state.”
Cal looked at he technician who was informing him of the good news with an expression of relief. This news was what he had been hopeing for, the moment he had discovered the boy was still alive in the cryo-unit.
    “Thank you very much for your endeavour in bringing him to us, I hope we can soon discover the reason behind the state in which you discovered him.” The Medical Technician had a look of desire to find out the reasons for this. Quietly hoping cal may have some answers to the reason for this himself.
    “So do I but we do not have many clues to go on?”
    Brant had remained silent with everything had been going on around him. Choosing to just watch by the door and not comment on what he saw. Like his friend he knew that there were quite a lot of questions that had to be asked.
    Now the time had defiantly come to point them out to all the people assembled around him.
    “The Reasons may be a lot clearer than we think. First take the location we found him. That place is the most likely destination point for a portal to be formed. Large enough for a staging area when arriving, and in a central location in the city. There is and has been over the years a lot of traffic in and out of that area. Mostly by research and other teams on the planet and a few over the years from ours. Therefore the cryo unit would not have been stored in that building at any time.
    The building we found him in was not equipped for storage of a survival pod. The buildings was probably an exhibition centre or something like that at the time of its construction. As well as for most of the time when it was occupied. So we can a least surmise that it was not meant to be there of its own accord. So having discovered that what other reason could there be for it to be there?” Brant paused and looked at all assembled and could tell no one could answer his questions. So he had to  answerer it for them. “It must have been moved to that location very recently.”
    The group now listening to Senior Scientific Researcher Brant could offer no further input as if still going over the information. His friend and colleague Cal was the first to respond understanding what Brant was trying to get across to everyone.
    “So there could have been someone else in the city when we were there, we probably frighten them off.
    “That is a strong possibility but what we need to know is who and why?”
    This was the moment that the leader of the retrieval squad interjected his own thoughts into the discussion.
    “What ever the reasons may be a Search and Retrieval Squad has all ready been sent to search the city. Unauthorised personnel will not be tolerated wandering around restricted areas even if they have there own form of protection.”
    They all moved outside the retrieval room to allow the staff to get on with there work. As well as to continue this discussion with out so many witnesses.
    Brant and Cal were snapped back to the realisation that they both had to explain there reasons for being there. That was not going to be easy by any means. They were going to have to think fast if they did not come up with an adequate explanation their, careers could well be in serious trouble.
    Cal wanted to stay and discover as much about the boy as he could before going to face the music so he whispered in Brant’s ear whilst no one was looking. As soon as Brant under stood what his friend wanted him to do he addressed the now stern faced captain of the retrieval squad.
    “If you don’t mind Cal would like to see that the boy is out of danger. He may have some information that will help explain or reasons for him being found in the restucted zone. As for what we were doing I prefer to consult someone before answering any more questions.”
    “I don’t know what help he can possible give. So why should I allow this?”
    “Maybe because we are both members of the advisory and commercial operations board of our esteemed achedemy. Part of our business there was for reasons to do with those roles. I am sure you are aware of the regulations that require us not to discuss business of the achedemy with out having prior authorisation to do so.”
    “So you’re going to play that card are you, well one day it won’t work?”
    “But I am only telling you the facts we will explain our reasons but we must be allowed to report back first. Then we can continue to gather information we believe to be pertinent a full discloser of our reasons for being there. But we will only discuss them with your superior”
    “Alright I will report this to central but you are going to need a very good explanation you can be sure of that.” The captain stormed off in the opposite direction deeper into the building with a look of utmost outrage. Cal and Brant could now look at one another with a sense of some relief for now but they knew this would not be the last they were going to hear about this.
    Cal looked at Brant with a degree of concern; they were going to have to sort this out sooner rather than later.
The academy’s board members would not be happy that Brant and Cal’s secret meeting had been discovered in this way. They would be especially unhappy that the secret project could now be exposed in it’s entirety to the council.
    Just as cal was dwelling on this thought whilst staring at the rapidly disappearing figure of the Squad Captain. Brant spoke and Cal immediately realised his smart intellect had found a possible way out.
    “I will go and speak to the Headmaster he has friend’s on the council who he can trust. If he can convince them that what we are up to is necessary it may sort all this out. So now, I cannot promise that we will be totally free of interference. It will be better than shutting the project down though.”
    “Do you think he can really do that? We have worked so long on this. It cannot be stopped at such a vital stage. Well it would be nothing short of disastrous.” Cal knew that all the work they had done so far was very important. Not just to them but to the achedemy in it’s present state.
    “You never know what can be achieved until you try.”
    Cal’s face improved a little from this point. His friend was very good at sorting out these sorts of problems that they encountered. This time, he hoped would not be an exception.
    Just at this point, a med tech came out from the Revival room to address the pair of them.
    “The patient is just about to come round and there are no major concerns to worry about. Would one of you like to be with him?”
    Brant knew his time would be better spent dealing with the problem over their meeting.  Therefore, he must go and find the nearest communication terminal to speak to the Headmaster of the Achedemy. It was going to be best if Cal stayed behind to keep an eye on the boy’s progress. 
    “Cal you stay and keep an eye on the boy, you may get some answers to the questions that we have unwittingly gathered.”
    With this, Brant turned and began walking down the corridor. Cal watched as his friend slowly disappeared around the corner. He trusted Brant to be able to smooth things over with the headmaster. He was the sole other person who knew of there secret work. Work that now in jeopardy of becoming known. It was not that all involved in this conspiracy feared this. More that it was going to be too soon. They all knew that the council would have to be informed of what they were doing some time. 
    He now turned to the med tech to affirm he would look in on the boy. The med tech had waited patiently for a reply now simply ushered cal towards the room. Cal’s thoughts must now turn to the plight of the boy. A lot had now been done to save him, but the difficult work might just be beginning.
    They walked back into the revival room. The boy was now asleep on a normal hospital bed the cryogenic capsule nowhere to be seen. That had been taken to be investigated further somewhere else in the building.
    “So the boy is out of danger and is going to be ok.”
    “Yes but we have discovered one thing that does worry us.”
    “Well what is it?” Cal was just a little unnerved by this information. Maybe they had not discovered him in time and the lack of power to the pod had an unnoticed side effect on him. Cal Knew he should have taken charge of the boy’s Revival he was certain of that now. There would have been less of a chance of anything going wrong. But he knew that would be against the rules so he had had to stay out of it. So the work had been done by those he had trained and now ruled over, he knew they were all capable people.
    “It is nothing to do with the revival process, we have already confirmed that.”
    “Then what is the problem?” Cal’s relief at this news was palpable his furrowed brows returned to normal. Now however his expression changed to one of bewilderment. If nothing had gone wrong with the revival process then what had gone wrong.
    “Once we had completed the revival process before the patient is fully conscious. We are required to run a brain scan to determine any damage or abnormalities.”
    “There is a problem with the brain then, not caused by his revival or Cryogenic freezing.”
    “Not exactly a problem as more of a strange reading I am getting.”
    “What do you mean by a strange reading I Knew I should have taken charge of this case the regulations be dammed.” Cal was now getting very frustrated he was not really forgetting the real reason he could not and should not do this. The reason was plain, Ever since his own medical problems only a year ago he was restricted to teaching and advising. This year he was going to take a position as Senior Medical Technician Advisor and Trainer at the achedemy. Well, he had been advised to take another position that would be less stressful by his superiors. So he was going to have to rely on the treatment and diagnoses of the staff he had trained and was soon to leave.
    “The best way I can descried it is if his brain had been scanned before.”
    “You are sure of this it’s not just a false reading by the instruments.” 
    It was now the time for the med tech to be flabbergasted by the response he had just heard. The senior med tech Cal he had descried was not so forgiving of staff who only gave partial information. ‘Give me the whole information or none at all. I cannot work with data with holes in it.’ This was very often, what you would hear from him if anyone came to him with superstitions instead of hard facts.
    “No we have checked everything it’s the only explanation I can come up with.”

    Through all these discussions and arguments going on in the same vicinity as him. The boy was only feigning sleep and if the people talking would only go away, he could try to get some sleep. He had thought about trying to escape but he needed to know more about where and what he was trying to escape from. 
    The last thing he was sure he could remember was getting ready for school at home. He knew he was late again so he had run over to his friend’s house to see if his parents could give him a lift. This unfortunately was a regular occurrence as he was quite often late.
    He was so sure that there was something else something someone had explained to him. That would explain the conflict going on in his head about weather to escape or to stay and find out what was going on.
The reason for not escaping was that he knew he was in some kind of hospital. Yes, he could tell that all right but it looked a lot better than any hospital he had ever seen.
    Just as he was beginning to figure out these little facts one by one to help him make his decision. The two men that had been incessantly talking a last said some thing interesting.
    “The boy cannot be left with that uncertainty we are going to have to go over all the readings you took. It will be hard enough to cope with what he has just been through without someone interfering with his brain.
Surviving for more than a millennium and a half stuck inside that cryo-unit. Any body at any time could have come along and had a fiddle around. Therefore, we do not know what damage could have been done to him that we haven’t checked for.
    Cal looked at the boy lying in the bed his pale coloured skin now had more of a glow to it. The boy’s dark short length hair was still drying from the cleansing chemicals used. Now it looked a lot cleaner than it had before. Cal continued to look at the boy before coming up with a very surprising question.
    “Do you have any readings yet on the mental capacity and function of the boy’s brain?”
    “We do have preliminary readings yes.”
    “And what do they tell you about his learning possibilities, no problems there I trust?”
    “He is quite good for someone of his era. Quite the best patient we have had in quite sometime.”
    “So what would you say to his possibilities of Joining one of our esteemed Achedemy,s ?”
    With this question, the med tech was genuinely shocked. It would be unthinkable to allow such a person to enrol at any achedemy. It would take to much time to retrain them. It was not however based on any old time class prejudice just on practicalities. Children who had been revived had been enrolled in the Achedemy system but not at this age. He was simply too old as he was already at the age of enrolment now.


    The med tech quietly gave his reply as not to upset Cal. But this was going to be quite impossible.
    “I am afraid he would not be allowed to enrol at his age. The Deans of the Achedemy system would not allow it at his age.”
    “Why don’t you let me worry about that? I only wish to hear your medical opinion on his suitability to enrol.
Any other problems I can deal with.”
    “Well he has the capacity to be smart enough. I can see no reason for any medical issues from keeping him from enrolling.”
    Cal was now quite sure he had found a suitable candidate for enrolment. This should please Brant when he returned. Now he only had to find one more and he had an idea where to find the second now.
    The med tech was now quite bewildered by the things he had just heard. Could Cal get this boy to be enrolled in an Achedemy? It would be quite an achievement. Plus there was only a month to go until final enrolment day.
If anyone could do it, he could. The med tech could only look on and admire this. Not many revived patients from the Cryogenic revival programme had ever been enrolled at an achedemy.
    “Well thank you for your assistance with the boy.” The med tech was startled from his thoughts as Cal addressed him again. “I must go now and inform my colleague of the good news. Where would he go to contact the Headmaster do you know?”
    “Past the cafeteria and right to the management offices I think.”
    “Oh yes of course.” Cal surveyed the young med tech with a degree of satisfaction. Then grasping his hand to shake it in warm appreciation. Thank you very much for your work. Remember this you have a bright future ahead of you. Do not let anyone tell you different Ok.
    With this, Cal was out of the room and hurriedly disappearing down the corridor. The med tech shaked his head slowly in amazement. After a minute or two, He decided he must be back to his duties.
    Once he was gone, Daric opened his eyes once more. Now he knew he must escape this place it was a mad house.