Far Pangaea 09 : Doctors Orders

Elle Franklin marveled at her left arm. The shimmer was beautiful, becoming more and more evident. She and Malcolm Brand sat next to each other awaiting young genius James Ian Pryce to examine his tests of their DNA. After forty minutes he returns from the next room and could hardly contain his excitement.

"This place is amazing!" He nearly dances.

Malcolm narrows his brow, "What did you find out?"

"Well. Your natural healing ability was increased a thousand fold. I'm only guessing at this point, but I think the jolt Elle got from Jack carried over some of his healing factor. Not only can she heal herself quickly, I think her touch releases the necessary neurons to replicate scar tissue back into it's original state. Obviously, there's no way to test this theory further without a test subject."

As if on cue Cameron Scott enters holding a meaty slab of Pterodactyl.

"Ruby said for you to test this bird before we eat it."

James swiftly forces him to drop the chunk of meat on a table next to them and examines his hands.

"Careful Kid. I cut myself. Tough bird."

Eyes wide James quickly disinfects Cameron's right hand before dragging him over to Elle.

"Hold his hand." James prompts.

Cameron in response offers a queer expression, "We're not even dating kid."

Elle giggles with a sigh before touching Cameron's cut. The tiny incision seals and vanishes before their eyes. Elle almost jumped away.

"Wow. That felt weird. Ummm! Thanks?" Cameron is taken back.

"How do You think I feel?" Elle feels anxious, "Imagine if I could have done that with Jacks severed arm."

James grins, "Full circle. Without Jack I don't think you would be this way. The weaver bugs enzymes not only energized every cell in Jack's body, I think it increased his electrical impulses. He can generate small doses of electricity and can focus it like a Taser. When he touched you outside while you held on to Mrs. Ridge that electricity zapped through you and her corpse."

"So, I absorbed his healing ability?" She shivers.

"I believe so. Only you can heal others. We don't know if Jack can or not." James nods.

"What about the left arm?" Malcolm points toward her glistening forearm.

James lifts her arm holding it closer, "It's heavy."

He then grabs a scalpel and stabs her wrist. The blade breaks instantly.

Everyone was stunned by his bold move.

"You were touching a diamond ring correct?"

Elle winces after a moment of disbelief that James would stab her so uncaringly, "I don't think I was at the time. I think Sophia had it on her finger."

"You've been touching Sophia off and on. I think her newly structured DNA left a residue on you. It latched on to the diamond's cellular make-up. I think you adopted an organic diamond texture."

"Will that cover my entire body?"

James shrugs, "Wish I knew. Time will tell."

She clenches her left fist and feels her skin tighten. Without so much as a warning she lashes her arm out and smashes a dent in the metal wall beside her.

"Didn't feel a thing." She puckers her lower lip.

Malcolm and Cameron go pale.

Nodding at her stunt Elle sighs, "Okay Gentlemen. I feel like a nap. I'm fine. This could be worse right?"

She stands up and excuses herself. She then made her way to an adopted room she called her own. The others could only stare at James.

Malcolm shakes his head while scratching his scalp, "So Can we do anything like that now that she's healed us both?"

James lifts the scalpel with a sly grin, "Let's find out shall we?"

Both Cam and Malcolm throw their hands up in retaliation. Neither wanted stabbed. James then chuckles and stabs the slab of Pterodactyl meat into a tiny specimen.

"Had you guys going didn't I?"

The older gents shared a look of hesitation. They weren't entirely trusting of the kid as it was.

James places a sample of the meat under a microscope he had found and looks it over. After a careful scrutiny he turns to them, "I'll take mine medium rare. Looks safe enough."

Cam nods hearing his stomach growl, "Perfect. I'll gather some driftwood I saw about sixty yards out and build us a fire. Malcolm? Care to carve the turkey further?"

Malcolm jumps from his leaning position, "At least you didn't mention Fried Chicken."

Cam offers a queer look, "Why do you always bring up racist comments? I've never mentioned anything remotely racist."

Malcolm frowns, "Voodoo? My Grandfather?"

"How is that racist? Of course I guess I've never heard of a white witch doctor before."

Both men rib each other as they step away laughing. Cameron much more than Malcolm.

James laughed at them even as they left. Once gone he rubs his hands together evilly.

"Now for my Master plan."

Xander his faithful pet German Shepard laid his jaw on his paws. Even he was nervous.

Jack Ramse needed some alone time as he explored this strange new home. It started as a hunt for his own private chambers. Curiosity led him further out into unexplored territory. After all this alien craft was the size of three city blocks. Hard telling what was hiding here. He was thankful to have this place as a safe haven against the outside world. Even though it was pretty dead and desolate out there.

The way he saw things it was better to get a handle on what was inside before tackling the outside. There had to be more than just a ship graveyard in this world. Furthermore he needed to take charge and secure the perimeter. Once a soldier always a soldier.

With his heightened senses still in denial of their possibilities he growls at the many odors around him. So much death in miniscule forms. Yet teeming with a vast variety of living organisms. Outliving their captors.

Entering a section unexplored by the others Jack utilizes a pair of night goggles to peer into the darkness. Through a green light his eyes survey the room. It was in shambles yet he had seen worse in his time.

Stumbling upon a vault he wondered what might be locked up behind it. He could hear what sounded like bubbles in water. Strange letters were etched into the metal door. Ganthorian lingo in which he had no comprehension concerning what it said. With a frown he temporarily loses interest and continues onward.

The room next to that held what appeared to be trophies. Strange looking animals as if museum pieces at a Hunting Lodge. Bear like creatures. What he imagined the mythical Griffin to be like. Three headed beasts with multiple eyes. Some terrifying to the weak of heart. Unlike him.

He hears a whining noise behind him and turns quickly with a Glock trigger ready for anything. To his shock it ended up being Xander, James Ian's German Shepard. He immediately lowers his gun.

"Following me Pup?"

"I sent him." Came the voice of James through the linguistic collar's audio.

Jack offered his best Eastwood squint, "What the hell?"

"The collar Colonel. It's a Ganthorian communication device that is fluent in deciphering any language. I'm seeing through Xander's eyes. I know it's weird but I'm telepathic. Part of the reason the U.S. bigwigs at REGION wanted me. It's limited to me and Xander though. I can't read your mind. It was a surgical implant I placed on Xander's brain. I sent him in case you needed my assistance while I'm doing other things."

"I'm not liking you Kid. Sound like a Mad Scientist in the making."

"I've heard that before. Really I'm not. Mischief maybe."

"Uh Huh! There's a strange looking vault in the next room. Writing on it. Does the collar decipher writing too?"

"Lead Xander to it. I can see through his eyes and do my best to explain what it reads."

Turning, Jack and Xander move along together back to the vault. The dog looks up at the words in the dim lighting.

"Researching it. Give me a minute." James pauses.

Jack shakes his head. He was having troubles believing everything from Aliens, to getting his arm back, to ghosts, to telepathic dogs. His world was upside down at the moment.

"Okay. It appears to read "Body Bank". I'm looking up that area."

"Hurry up Kid. I'm getting edgy."

"Whoa! It's a cloning chamber. Don't go in there yet. Let me look into any files on what might be being cloned. Just in case it's dangerous."

"Great! Dolly the sheep." Jack hisses.

"The chief science officer left notes that "She" was nearly perfect."

"She?" Jack winces.

"I'm getting there. Patience, Dude." James hisses, "It appears they were cloning one of their own species to survive underwater like an amphibian. Gene splicing involved."

"Probably dead by now. Low power facility here right?"

"Yes and no. We have power a plenty it's just low. The power cells in this place last for decades. It could feasibly go out at any time but let's just hope not while we're here."

"She the only one in there?"

"As far as I can tell."

"Wouldn't she have starved by now?"

"Maybe not. Nutrient bath might have kept her sustained. Not to mention Ganthorian's go into a state of hibernation every six months."

"Only one way to know I guess."

"You might need my Mimic glove. The vault is locked and I just melted our Chief Scientist outside. His DNA would open it."

"You wanted a test of my new body right?"

"Ummmm, Yeah?"

Jack grips the seal of the locked vault and strains. His muscles bulge and his adrenalin rises. In a mad grunt he tears the door off of its hinges and tosses it aside. Barely missing Xander who darted out of harms way.

"WHOA! That was awesome Colonel. Just don't kill my dog."

"Sorry. You too Pup."

Within the chamber Jack eyes a number of tubes containing deformed globs that never gestated properly. Entering cautiously with Xander at his side he goes from life size tube to tube. Finally, he locates the female inhabitant. She looked asleep. Unlike normal Ganthorians her appearance was red in flesh tone. She actually had strands of raven black hair amid her scalp. Beautiful actually. In a strange reptilian kind of way. Mostly in her brow region. Otherwise she had sleek flesh. Her fingertips had tiny holes in them.

"It looks like they merged Ganthorian and Human DNA plus added of all things a Sea Anemone and Porpoise. Amazing."

"Human DNA? Whose?" Jack felt obligated to know.

"Looking into it. Thank God for Alien Google right?"

Unamused Jack merely scowls and studies the floating beauty. He resisted tapping on the glass even though he wanted to. Human nature.

"Micah Kinolan". 19 year old Native Indian from Nova Scotia. She disappeared in 1966 and was never found. According to records here though she was released in Australia in 1967. Her mind wiped clean. She might have survived under a new identity. That's pretty much it about her."

Jack merely stands mesmerized by her, "What about the Ganthorian DNA?"

"The Chief Scientist utilized his own daughters DNA. Her name was "X'Hahl". Exhale! Awesome. She was older by Ganthorian standards. In Earth years 86 years old. But on Ganthor she would be quite young."

"What kind of personality are we talking with the average Ganthorian? Violent?"

"No. Very docile actually. Most are scientists by self curiosity. Their brain capacities are utilized more than we humans have evolved into. Except for me of course. I use maybe more than they do."

"Ego much, Kid?"

"I guess it comes with the territory. My Mom and Dad tried to keep me grounded though."

"Miss your parents?" He really didn't care he was studying the boys reaction.

"Yeah. I do. Mom made the best Peach Pie ever. Dad worked a lot. Scientist n Great Britain. Mom was from the States. My dad was doing some research in the Philippines when I was picked up by Ruby and the REGION guys. Ruby convinced them to accompany me alone to calm my nerves. I was already calm. Nice of her to consider my feelings though. I mean I was basically being kidnapped. My parents had no say. When Uncle Sam wants you, he gets you."

"Sorry to hear that Kid. I suppose there's quite a bit I don't know. I'm just a soldier. Rank doesn't mean squat."

James sighs, "I can fill you in on every gory detail if you want. My hacking is another part of why REGION wanted me. They only knew of Me through a friend who slipped up. He got caught hacking the Pentagon. Sold me out."

"Terrorist, huh? I knew you were a Mad Scientist."

"Not even. Anything I read up on I absorbed is all. Never planned on using it against anyone. I just wanted to know things."

Jack nods with a creased brow. He believed James.

"I say we let Micah here sleep it off. Monitor her life functions and when she wakes up we go from there."

"Will do, Colonel."

"Keep this between us Kid. Others might wanna disturb her."

"Yes Sir." James huffs.

"My belly's growling. Cameron got the bird cooked yet? Haven't really eaten since the crash."

"Other than fluids I pumped into you to keep you alive. Head on back and we can go outside and sit by the fire."

"Fire still bothers me. Never know what might see it from the distance."

"Life needs life. If there are other survivors in this place shouldn't we find them? Safety in numbers." James points out.

"Unless they're hostile. We should discover them on our terms. Not theirs."

"I can create a perimeter defense if you feel it's necessary."

"While we're outside this ship that might not be a bad idea. Need help?"

James chuckles, "Nahhh! I got this."

Xander turns from Jack and prances away.

Jack heard his stomach rumble yet again. It was time to eat.

After Jack heads out the darkness resumes.

Within that dark eyes open.

The clone controlled her nerves. Yet, she was quite aware of her guests.

All in good time.