wear your
armor? I know you like look like a badass, but man, you look ready
to throttle someone.”
“ Olly and I decided that
just to be safe we would keep the armor on in event the nursery
defenses find I’m an imposter, should it even work. My genes could
have been a fluke. The ship was far from good condition
remember?”
“ Your armor though is
different than when I last saw it.” Jessica noticed, taking a look
at the spiked plates on the outer forearm and on top of the
hand.
“ Yeah, after the cube
completed the properties of my bracelet I found out through it I
can modify my armor to accomplish functions like my old flight
suit.” Renee tapped the top of her right hand. “Like how Oliver
made a camera on his shoulder, I cannibalized the scanner in my old
medic suit and used it to integrate and even enhance the scanner.
Now I don’t need to worry about carrying extra crap around. Every
form of field medical testing I know of can be analyzed by my suit
now. All I need is to connect my chip into a terran networked
device and smear a drop of blood over my forearm and I can identify
the person and any issues the patient has. Plus I’ve just gotten
word this morning I’m now a licensed splicer so anything I do
medically won’t land me in prison. I’ll still need to pay for any
regulated changes already approved by the board of
health.”
“ Are you
serious?”
“ Very. It’s why I’ve been so
busy the past couple days after the cube and splinting Stephanie’s
hand. My bracelet showed me all she can do and most of it is still
far beyond me. But what I did find, sure has helped speed things
up. My med bay is still better, but I can guarantee that out in the
field there is no one better equipped than me right now in an
emergency. Deegen and Bell here yet?”
“ Running a few minutes
behind.” Steven admitted. “Deegen had an issue with his suit. Had
to replace a few faulty nanites that corrupted the regulator. Won’t
take too long.”
Not long at all actually as the dark skinned
man with dreadlocks came out carrying chakrams hooked to either hip
with a long black whip wrapped around his wide torso. Chakram being
a ringed weapon with a handle with which to be used in close
quarters as well as to be thrown like a disc that return if done
correctly. His silvery armor was much more battle scarred and
blackened than Steven’s.
At his side loped the large Grey Wolf Bell.
She quietly moved, but her sharp claws tapped on the rustic, hard
wooden floorboards. Like all neo animals, or neurologically
enhanced animals who had been spliced, she was bound telepathically
to Deegen and could talk, but was normally quiet as she couldn’t
properly pronounce words due to her lupine ancestry.
Moments after the doors shut, they opened and
out came the tool carrying Jacob Wrench.
Deegen turned and said “Just who I was
looking for. Mr. Wrench, can you take a look at my suit? The
processor is still malfunctioning a bit.”
“ Uh, sure, D. Let’s go to
the shuttle so I can put my things down and have a look.” The rest
spoke idly, mainly Jessica wanting details about what new tricks
her niece’s suit could do now. Deegen took a seat on the long bench
in the open cargo hold as Jacob brought a diagnostic crystal over
to get close proximity and quickly said “There’s your problem. The
relay circuit is clogged with a dust mote. Now how did you get in
there, Little Guy? Sorry, but you have to go.” Jacob grabbed a
special pen that pulls clean air inside, compresses it and he
plugged it into a pinhead size hole under the armpit of Deegen’s
left arm and pressed the button. A ‘ffft’ sound was barely made and
the red light on Deegen’s left arm that controls and monitors the
suit’s internals turned soft blue. “That should do it.”
“ Much better. Thank you, Mr.
Wrench.”
“ No problem, Big Guy.” Jacob
put his tools back as the Hunter got up and put them in a
bag.
“ We ready?” Renee
C. C. Hunter
Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Sarah Ahiers
L.D. Beyer
Hope Tarr
Madeline Evering
Lilith Saintcrow
Linda Mooney
Mieke Wik, Stephan Wik
Angela Verdenius