Spaceboy Mars - Star Warriors, Page 2

urgent medical attention.’ She unpacked two telescopic tubes from her pack and laid them either side of the patient; with a push of a button the tubes layered a film of light around the body enabling them to pick up the stretcher.

  Minutes later after an exhausting run to the hospital, Dr Palantine led them into the emergency room. She helped to place the boy into the body scanner and quickly closed its top. It performed blood pressure, pulse, and brain activity and bone structure assessments. Within a few minutes, the information was flashed up before them on a monitor connected to the equipment. ‘The scanner has highlighted the facial wound and cut to the boys hand, it has also posted an alert for his bone structure. His breathing is shallow because of some broken ribs and a collarbone,’ Dr Palantine motioning to Celestial. ‘Could you pick him out of the scanner, and place him in the Cocoon over there.’

  With a few taps on the small keyboard in her hand, the Doctor transferred the information to the life support. The cocoon quickly confirmed that information had been sent via the hospital hub network and Dr Palantine moved across to the boy inside the cocoon and took his clothes off. ‘There are no life threatening injuries, but we need to keep him in here to heal his wounds quickly.’

  They both helped to take his t-shirt off; it was then that they noticed in the middle of his shoulder blades just below his neckline. ‘A tattoo.’ Celestial was astonished. He studied it for a moment, before they laid the patient flat against the cushioned, soft white foam interior. ‘The marvels of modern science,’ the Commander acknowledged the equipments extensive healing abilities. ‘If only this had been available when I was younger.’ His painkillers were wearing off and his limp returning.

  The lid was closed, and the boy’s life readings registered on the monitor as the life support unit began to power up to heal the weakened body. ‘He will need to stay in this support unit until he nears the end of his rehabilitation, it could take up to a week,’ the doctor explained in her best medical manner.

  With relief Celestial sat down next to the cocoon and recalled the day’s events. The mission played like scenes from a movie; he could see the crash site on the planets surface, the detonation of explosives and the crafts interior. He tried to remember the cargo in the debris, but it had been scattered around. Why were there no other passengers? Where was the pilot? What had been the ships destination?

  Celestial's attention focused back on the boy in front of him, and the tattoo, which coloured his back. Its design was of a letter M contained within a solid circle; above the circle was a crown that contained a stone in its centre. There were four axes, which had been drawn 45 degrees apart, each contained sphere’s of some kind. Could they be planets? His mind wondered around the nearby universe IGE had roughly plotted, trying to find any such galaxy, but he couldn’t. Why would a boy of his age have such a significant tattoo about his body? Could the boy’s appearance prove that there was other life forms and habitable places out there somewhere?

  Suddenly the life support began to flash, and the emergency warning icon appeared on the monitor. ‘The boy’s condition is deteriorating!’ Dr Palantine immediately confirmed his irregular heartbeat. ‘He’s in distress.’ She looked at the monitor’s menu and adjusted the amount of pain relief released as vapour into the Cacoon’s vacuum. ‘It’s strange that the Cacoon has only just highlighted that the body has a punctured lung.’ She acknowledged the instruments diagnosis, as it seamed to be recalculating the body’s anatomy one organ at a time. As a new anatomy became illustrated and the problem area highlighted on the monitor, she instructed the capsule to alleviate the problem by using surgical lasers. ‘I’m sorry Commander, but you will have to leave. I have to operate or the boy will not survive the day.’ She looked horrified as organ after organ appeared different to the human body. ‘I only hope we have the expertise to be able to patch him up.’ She escorted the commander from the room.

  Celestial turned to the doctor. ‘I’m going to need a full debrief of the operation, with a breakdown of the boy’s anatomy his DNA structure and blood samples for my report.’ He looked anxious.

  ‘Of course, but first of all I will need to concentrate on the boy’s life. The Cacoon will analyse everything, if we are successful and the boy survives you will get your report this evening. Excuse me.’ Dr Palantine closed the door on Celestial and rushed back to oversee the operation.

  The Commander returned to the hospital that evening after catching up with events from around the station, he drank a coffee and paced the reception area waiting for Dr Palantine to appear. All afternoon he had been wondering about the boy from space about the endless possibilities of finding another race similar to humans, and now he was growing inpatient. He knew he needed to talk to Wolfe, the Chief engineer about the situation. Celestial used the communicator on his IGE Community card. It was a business card sized monitor slotted into the sleeve of his uniform, which contained all of his identity details. At the side, of was navigation buttons that when pressed could access: The IGE website, his bank account, a telephone directory with a built in visual screen. He touched the telephone icon and selected Wolfe Magellan’s name, he didn’t have to wait long before the man’s profile spoke. ‘Hello Celestial, hear you’ve had a busy day. How’s the little man doing?’

  ‘News travels fast in these parts,’ Celestial smiled. ‘Just a matter of time before he makes a recovery.’ He continued. ‘Listen Wolfe, I’d like you to take a look at the crash site, and salvage the alien ship. I need to be able to look around the alien craft in more detail before I can make a report to the Ministry. I want to know where it’s from and who the boy is, so the relevant parties can be informed of his location,’ he said with authority.

  ‘I don't know, it’s cold down there. The equipment might not work in that climate,’ said Wolfe.

  ‘Well you've operated missions in the mines of Mars, where temperatures have been similar,’ he stated.

  ‘That's true but the machinery was always under cover never exposed, it might seize up. If you wish but if anyone’s life is placed in danger, I will have to abort,’ Wolfe said.

  ‘Well I guess the only way we will find out is if you try,’ said Celestial.

  ‘Can it be done tomorrow?’ Celestial was keen.

  ‘I can only provide a crew if the Astro-technicians can reschedule their work on the maintenance of zone one.’

  ‘O.K none essential work can be delayed, but anything which is urgent will still need to be carried out,’ the commander said.

  Wolfe showed a little irritation in his voice. ‘It might be a bit difficult, I will have to look at the rota and see which men I can take off the line. We need five for a job this size, I will try to arrange everything for the morning.’

  ‘I know it’s short notice, but this needs to take priority. I need some answers about what happened down there,’ Celestial’s voice lowered and sounded less authoritative, he needed answers to the boys appearance in the Eve solar system.

  Wolfe worked out a rough rota in his head and came around to Celestials way of thinking. ‘O.K, I will need to brief the engineers and create a salvage plan. Can you forward the coordinates this evening so the mission can be arranged?’

  ‘Straightaway, see you in the morning.’ Celestial signed off and then forwarded his unfinished report, it contained all the information Wolfe would need.

  With no sign of the doctor, Celestial let himself into the boy’s dimly lit room. It was illuminated only through the gentle glow of the Cacoon, which had an instant soothing affect on him. All his tension seamed to melt away as he looked in on the boy who he could see had an extended pink scar around the repaired rib cage. The Commander yawned sat down nearby as he became overpowered with fatigue.

  The next morning Celestial awoke with a cold shiver down his spine, he rubbed his neck and moved his head from side to side to loosen the stiffness. He had fallen into a deep sleep in an awkward position, at the boy’s bedside, now his body ached. He picking himself up from th
e chair walked out to the reception area and punched an order into the food dispenser, moments later he took a black coffee back to the room.

  Celestial moved over to the Cocoon and looked down into the unit below. The boy was laid on his front in the same position as the previous night; a light glowed from the unit and highlighted the boy’s ribs and spine areas. The red and orange glow alternated in intense bursts. Celestial leant against the Cocoon and placed his hand on the clear unit, he could feel the warmth on his palm. He studied the bruises on the boy’s body and the other healing cuts on the patient’s head and hand.

  A voice from behind made him jump and broke his concentration. ‘He’s making a satisfactory recovery. And is responding well to the treatment,’ Dr Palantine pointed to the information displayed on a screen.

  Celestial faced the Doctor; he was relieved that the patient was recovering without further complications. ‘What about the debrief, why wasn’t I informed last night of the blood/DNA results from the operation?

  Dr Palantine before retrieving an electronic pad. ‘The results have been analysed and his DNA is nothing like ours, blood samples show that his healing capabilities are more vigorous than that of a human, which would