Read Online The Pattern Ship (The Pattern Universe) by Tobias Roote - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tobias Roote
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restoring sleep had done as much for him as the realisation that he no longer suffered the pain and agony caused by the metal plate. He was unaware that the nanobots were still in his system helping to balance his metabolism to the absence of the Alacite poison.
The absence of the plate was the best gift he had received from his still unknown benefactor.
Now though, Zeke had a big problem. He was hungry.
Paying closer attention and looking around he noticed why he had sensed movement. There was now a grey table and chair in his room. It had been put there while he slept. On it was a pitcher of what looked like water and a glass. A plate of something was beside it.
Getting off the bed he walked without pain and still naked, to the chair which appeared fixed to the floor. He then sat looking carefully at the small platter of food. It was nothing he recognised.
He was thirsty. Taking hold of the pitcher he drank directly from it rather than the glass. He looked at the food trying to decide what it was. It looked like those fruit fingers, he remembered from his childhood where they compressed leftover fruit into chew bars as a way of getting it inside kids.
Picking up a green one, he bit off a piece. It tasted okay, but he couldn’t decide if it was meat, vegetable or other. Selecting a brown one he did the same. This one had a nutty flavour, a protein bar maybe? He wondered if he should eat them all, or at all. He had no idea what was in them.
His stomach decided for him. He ate all four bars voraciously as though he hadn’t eaten for a week. The pitcher of water was also drained and five minutes later he sat back in the new chair feeling comfortably full. The bars whatever they were, expanded to fill him.
As he felt his energy rise he realised that whatever it was in those bars, his body felt the benefits immediately. Better than KP rations, much better, he thought. Although a burger wouldn’t have gone amiss, or a coffee for that matter.
Zeke sat and thought about where he was and on top of that, he wondered,what had happened to him.
He was bright so it didn’t take him long to realise that he was currently the recipient of very advanced technology. There was much he didn’t yet know about what had happened and where he was. He knew though, not to feel fear or anxiety.
His prior training had prepared him with the instincts that anticipated danger or threat. He felt none of that here. Besides, why would he be healed only to be subsequently injured or killed. No, he felt his safety was not currently in question. His future though, that was definitely uncertain.
He was also vaguely aware of something not quite right about his situation. He felt different, his weight seemed out of kilter as if his density was somehow less than his muscle memory expected. Mentally he seemed much, much quicker. Perhaps the removal of the plate had something to do with that.
He had felt its depressing infiltration of his body over a long period of time to be having a debilitating effect on his ability to think. Now, clear of the plate and its crippling effects, he realised he could almost sense the damage it had done, which he felt had somehow been partially repaired.
As he assimilated all this he came to realise that he could feel more of his bodily reactions to things. His mind sensed what he didn’t yet understand. He would continue to trust his instincts.
He looked down at the table and noted that it was formed in one piece, the legs and top were moulded, like plastic, only it wasn’t any plastic he was familiar with. It seemed to be the same stuff the walls were made of, and the wash basin. It was all seamlessly joined to the floor, or wall.
Looking closely at the bed, it seemed to flow out of the wall identical in make-up to the rest of the room.
So, he was dealing with an unknown technology that either moulded everything to suit, or was prefabricated in one piece and dropped into place.
He looked over at the only flaw
The absence of the plate was the best gift he had received from his still unknown benefactor.
Now though, Zeke had a big problem. He was hungry.
Paying closer attention and looking around he noticed why he had sensed movement. There was now a grey table and chair in his room. It had been put there while he slept. On it was a pitcher of what looked like water and a glass. A plate of something was beside it.
Getting off the bed he walked without pain and still naked, to the chair which appeared fixed to the floor. He then sat looking carefully at the small platter of food. It was nothing he recognised.
He was thirsty. Taking hold of the pitcher he drank directly from it rather than the glass. He looked at the food trying to decide what it was. It looked like those fruit fingers, he remembered from his childhood where they compressed leftover fruit into chew bars as a way of getting it inside kids.
Picking up a green one, he bit off a piece. It tasted okay, but he couldn’t decide if it was meat, vegetable or other. Selecting a brown one he did the same. This one had a nutty flavour, a protein bar maybe? He wondered if he should eat them all, or at all. He had no idea what was in them.
His stomach decided for him. He ate all four bars voraciously as though he hadn’t eaten for a week. The pitcher of water was also drained and five minutes later he sat back in the new chair feeling comfortably full. The bars whatever they were, expanded to fill him.
As he felt his energy rise he realised that whatever it was in those bars, his body felt the benefits immediately. Better than KP rations, much better, he thought. Although a burger wouldn’t have gone amiss, or a coffee for that matter.
Zeke sat and thought about where he was and on top of that, he wondered,what had happened to him.
He was bright so it didn’t take him long to realise that he was currently the recipient of very advanced technology. There was much he didn’t yet know about what had happened and where he was. He knew though, not to feel fear or anxiety.
His prior training had prepared him with the instincts that anticipated danger or threat. He felt none of that here. Besides, why would he be healed only to be subsequently injured or killed. No, he felt his safety was not currently in question. His future though, that was definitely uncertain.
He was also vaguely aware of something not quite right about his situation. He felt different, his weight seemed out of kilter as if his density was somehow less than his muscle memory expected. Mentally he seemed much, much quicker. Perhaps the removal of the plate had something to do with that.
He had felt its depressing infiltration of his body over a long period of time to be having a debilitating effect on his ability to think. Now, clear of the plate and its crippling effects, he realised he could almost sense the damage it had done, which he felt had somehow been partially repaired.
As he assimilated all this he came to realise that he could feel more of his bodily reactions to things. His mind sensed what he didn’t yet understand. He would continue to trust his instincts.
He looked down at the table and noted that it was formed in one piece, the legs and top were moulded, like plastic, only it wasn’t any plastic he was familiar with. It seemed to be the same stuff the walls were made of, and the wash basin. It was all seamlessly joined to the floor, or wall.
Looking closely at the bed, it seemed to flow out of the wall identical in make-up to the rest of the room.
So, he was dealing with an unknown technology that either moulded everything to suit, or was prefabricated in one piece and dropped into place.
He looked over at the only flaw
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