The Monkey and Squirrel fight for freedom. (12 page)

Chapter 9

Cancer

After breakfast, he made an appointment with medical for later that day, and then rearranged his schedule around it. Then went off to work, thinking about the tasks he wanted to complete before his check up.

When he arrived for his appointment the started immediately, they took blood and urine samples. Then a battery of lab tests, sight tests, hearing tests, blood pressure, temperature, lung volume, the full range of physical performance tests. Followed by a extensive questionnaire, how had he been sleeping, what and how often was he eating on and on it went, it took hours.

He had told his co-workers he was going for a medical and had no idea how long it would take, but it was well into his rest period by the time it was finished. He asked for preliminary findings and was told, well you’re not in immediate danger of dying. But you seem tired, lacking in energy eating and drinking more but losing weight. It could be Diabetes or a complication of another condition; we will know better when we have analysed your full test results. We are still adjusting everything from human parameters, but its only fine tuning these days. We'll contact you in a few days and you can either come in to be briefed, or just have the report sent with a recommended treatment regimen.

Tman opted for the report, he'd spent enough time there already, and he felt exhausted so went for a meal then to bed. At breakfast, he ran into MEIQ130B53/429, everyone called  Can-do. One of his more memorable trainees from the second station he built, with a demonstrated superior grasp of mechanical engineering.

“Hi, this is a surprise, I didn't expect to see you here Can-do, aren't you working on Apple?” asked Tman.

“Hi Tman, normally yes but I have been roped in to the biography project.” replied Can-do.

“Me to, who would have imagined that we would be thought so important, it just floors me.” sympathised Tman.

“Sorry you misunderstand, it's for my contribution to your biography, you were a leader, I was always a follower. Your suggestions just made more sense than the alternatives, the way you always asked for everyone's thoughts on the issues. If someone had a better idea or plan that was the one you supported, we all thought you were incredibly wise, your vision of our destiny was so inspiring. It was the most beautiful, without you we would still be dreaming, not freely building our beautiful future out here together.” explained Can-do.

“That was quite some speech; I was quite moved but wondering if you weren't confusing me with someone else. I yes I helped and could even be regarded as a leader, but the leader?” asked a bemused Tman.

“That's part of what made you ideal for us, we wouldn't be changing one master for another, we followed you for your motto, freedom for all or die trying. Once you had provided the motivation, the key ideas, the means to communicate and organise. We could have carried though without you eventually, but you drove us to look for answers. We talked to those outside our niche, monkey talked to squirrel and vice versa. You lead us to the only possible path, we had to be a unified people before we could even try. That's the vision that made it possible for us to be here today.” explained Can-do.

“I've come over all faint; it just feels unreal to me. Can we change the subject, how’s your health, what are you working on?” asked Tman.

“Certainly, you are looking a little below par, this biography must be really taking it out of you, sorry for going on about it. I am feeling very well myself, my main work at the moment is the servo systems for the cores, the rain and drainage system for the parkland and forest. We are testing a misting system to produce short term rain clouds, during the tests we find people go for walks in the rain, it is so novel and exciting. We have to restrict the numbers to stop damage to the little bit of parkland we currently have. In a few years we will have a much greater area planted, the planted area is growing about ten times faster than our population.” signed Can-do.

“Great, you have made me think, I haven't checked out my own cores parkland. I'll have to go and have a look in my next relaxation time, it just hasn't occurred to me before, I must have been just too busy.” signed Tman.

“Well if any one deserves to have a relaxing stroll it's you. Do you remember SEIQ122B132/072, known as Nosey, who came round at every opportunity to ask how things worked. Well she is now an expert in micro-machines.” signed Can-do.

“Yes I had to think for a moment, you know how I always like to encourage enquiring minds, not many squirrels showed that amount of interest in engineering. I'm pleased she has taken the opportunity to shine.” signed Tman.

“She has put together a team to make precision tooling, six squirrels and two monkeys, they made an attempt to make a nano assembler. Their first attempt worked but the achieved resolution wasn't as good as those we found in the forbidden compartments. They are using it to make the components for the next attempt, they expect it to be as good as those we found, the following one they aim to be even better. So there is going to be a nano assembler that needs a job to do.” explained Can-do.

“The fusion project, are going to need a lot of precision positioning systems for their lasers, perhaps if you informed both party’s of the others existence, maybe they can satisfy each other’s needs.” suggested Tman.

“Will do, you can still just pull a solution out of the air, those to close to the problem can't see. I doubt Nosey has thought about the fusion project and it just wouldn't of occurred to them either to ask a squirrel engineering team for help.” signed Can-do.

“Ho stop it, I was just looking at the fusion project yesterday. This morning I bump into you and you tell me about a project that could have been commissioned for its needs. No genius required to put two and two together to get four.” signed Tman.

“You're too modest! I know the team, they are based in my habitat, Apple and I also have read about the fusion project and it's two hundred and sixteen  lasers. It never occurred to me to ask how are they going to focus them? Would micro engineering help, perhaps I should  introduce them to each other?” insisted Can-do.

“OK I have been told before that I integrate different bits of information well, and see how they fit together to make a big picture. A natural talent that gets me there quicker than most that's all.” signed an uncomfortable Tman.

“Well it's that talent that makes you a founder of our freedom.”

“Not that again, it makes me feel like I'm a legend, I can't be a legend I'm still alive.”

“I thought you knew, it is called the founders of freedom biography project.” explained Can-do.

“I didn't, I'll have to find out who the others are, can't let them escape seeing as I have to endure it.” signed Tman.

“You didn't use to be such an old grouse.”

“I wasn't old and have to suffer hero worship either.” responded Tman.

“I think you can be forgiven, it probably is a bind, I just didn't think of the effect on you. You're expected to suffer in silence I think, just be good, it will be finished eventually and you can go back to ignoring it.” sympathised Can-do.

“I hope so.”

“It's been good to run into you but I have to be off.”

“Good to see you to, see you again some time soon.”                                                                                       

Tman watched Can-do leave, then thought I'd better get to work.

Over the next two days he read up on the detailed reports on the fusion project. The fuel sphere was deformed by gravity in a predictable way, making it theoretically possible to compensate for the distortion. If you had enough lasers, it was a matter of timing to correct for the distortion, it was looking like his hunch was right. It should be possible to scale down the whole system, from the two kilometre radius of the test reactor to somewhere around two hundred metres. Which would fit with a habitat's one kilometre diameter and more importantly ideal for his interstellar ship.

When he received his check up report, a long list of hard to take in bad news. It listed several types of cancer, including a form of leukaemia. Medical wanted him to come in to immediately start treatment. Starting with a blood transfusion and drug treatment, to stabilise his condition to get him fit enough for surgery. Tman messaged back; he would have breakfast first, and then come in. Then he informed the rest of his team that he would be at medical for quite a while, take care I'll be back.

At breakfast, he saw another old friend MEIQ119B39/622, Hacker to his friends. Tman met him in his first year in space, Hacker's specialism was electrical and electronics, Sparks had thought very highly of him. Tman's own memories of Hacker was a good companion with an occasionally irritating very positive outlook. Tman caught Hacker's eye and waved him over.

“Let me guess, the biography project is why you're here instead of looking after Plum, subject or contributor?” asked Tman

“Spot on, I'm a subject, although not as revered as you, but still regarded as a key leader. For being all ways positive and encouraging, contributing ideas, helping to set up the squirrel network and recruiting squirrels to the cause in the process. Is the justification for including me.” replied Hacker.

“I take it your feeling overwhelmed by it all as I am?” asked Tman.

“More perplexed than anything else, but if people need heroes, then I'm happy to serve, at least we won’t be mobbed like those human pop stars.” explained Hacker.

“Are you still listening to pop and rock? Sparks despaired of your musical taste, he loved his classical composers, Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi were his favourites I recall. Even to me they sounded a lot better than the things you used to play from the computer.” enquired Tman.

“It was always a game between me and him, I don't listen to drum and bass any more, but I do actually like rock and roll. Sparks would try to tell me that Bach was the first rocker things like that, he wasn't actually an opera buff you know, but he'd play that stuff just to irritate me. It kept him amused and helped me stay positive.” explained Hacker.

“So positive, it was irritating at times.” confessed Tman.

“Only to you, you were effectively in charge of us Monkeys, so tended to be stressed out all the time. Sparks told me they were doing it to you on purpose, as they knew it was only a matter of time before they were gone and there had to be someone in charge. They liked you and believed that you were the best equipped to keep the station safe, with your mind being flexible enough to bend orders at need.” explained Hacker.

“All these years and they never said.”

“Knowledge thought it would be counterproductive to tell you, and then later after they had left there seemed no point.”

“Another shock to go with the others.” signed a bemused Tman.

Then he told Hacker about his illness and what he still hoped to achieve. As they were leaving he saw Chatty coming in, they exchanged greetings and introductions, then told Chatty he'd be at medical for a few days, then went to face the reality of it, still not sure about it all.

When Tman was plumbed into the blood exchange unit, they asked about his exposure to radiation. He told them

“I worked in a suit for twelve hours a day for eight years building stations. Then twenty hours a week exterior station maintenance and training new crew for five years, then only as needed until Day one. I have no idea how much time I spent working in a suit helping to finish our habitats. Since we arrived here it has been about five to ten hours a week, the homes were designed to only need minimal external maintenance and there is no new crew yet to train.”

“That explains your condition, long term exposure to radiation, space is a high radiation environment. You must have the highest exposure of any of the survivors from that period.” said the lead medic MEIQ126B147/428. Everyone called him Top-Doc. 

“Must you make me out to be some sort of dinosaur, I feel bad enough already.” complained Tman.

“Sorry, I'm just fascinated, you have just confirmed the records we have from the welfare office, and according to medical literature you shouldn't be still alive.” signed Top-Doc.

“Great I'm a medical miracle now!” grumbled Tman.

“It was the company's way of keeping you working, initially the permitted lifetime dose for monkeys was set at two hundred times that for a human. When that was exceeded, they just started a new record, labelled MEIQ120B45/786a, then b, you get the idea, anyway you're on lifetime k now.” explained Top-Doc.

“Of all the unsafe work we had to do, radiation was the one I couldn't circumvent, we had to do the work. I obtained dietary supplements, improvements to suit shielding for our crews and instituted working in radiation shadow wherever possible. But we were disposable tools, if we got too ill to work, it was terminate and replace.” explained Tman.

“I know, it is surprising you were able to get even those small concessions.” signed Top-Doc.

“Well I didn't ask, I just modified the specifications, used different suppliers but kept within budget so it wasn't questioned, human idleness worked to our advantage there. Management only looked at the budgets and the scientists were only focused on their research, part of our job was to keep them safe, as they often forgot about little things like survival.” explained Tman.