Omni-Drive - Ch. 2

Omni-Drive;
Chapter Two: Recovery


     Only ten short minutes had passed since a huge explosion had rocked the once-peaceful terrain near the Lonely Point Naval Base, resting just within the outer islands of Angel Falls and its main districts.  Out of that massive explosion, unseen by anyone, a reddish-colored metallic form had launched itself into the sky, flying off into the heavens while carrying a human body cradled in its massive left arm.  No one knew exactly what had happened there, but an event had been put in motion that Angel Falls was about to become a full-time participant.

     The reddish-colored metallic form continued to soar through the skies above the expanse of Angel Falls, carrying its precious cargo toward the nearest medical facility it could recognize.  As the armored being drew closer and closer to the hospital it had chosen for its destination, the badly burned form tucked safely into the crook of its left arm tried to make itself less conspicuous, fully aware that its frame had been severely scarred and wounded.  Though barely aware of what had happened only a short time ago and what was going on right then, the features of the young male form continued to contort and change as he tried to focus past the physical and mental trauma that was still going on.  Even his own memories of what had happened were incredibly jumbled and chaotic to him; he simply did not know what to make of it all.  As he remained there in the silent embrace of the strange metallic being, another line of thought continued to run around in his head: that of a powerful machine's binary code.  Embedded deep in his chest, right behind the breastbone, the young man's chest now housed a brand new "organ", and the very reason he was still alive.  However, the faint golden glow beneath his skin and the rippling effect it seemed to be controlling all over his body could be seen from up close to him.  Lying there so frail, and in the protective grip of an advanced nanomachine-engineered, slightly larger than human version of a fictional futuristic and virtually unstoppable combat machine, Keenan Saunders remained in a veritable limbo as his new "partner" ferried him to the hospital.

     Finally, the reddish armored form alighted upon the roof of the medical facility it had chosen, after checking to see that no one was standing up there to see them arrive on scene.  Making sure that its passenger was still in one piece, the armored form once again contacted the "organ" within Keenan's chest.


[ Arrival at medical facility has been achieved.  Now scanning for required supplies and a secure location to place core housing unit for repair and regeneration.  Scanning  complete.  Ideal region ascertained.  This unit is now entering stealth mode. ]

     With those words from the armored form, both it and Keenan vanished from sight!  The only thing left moving on the rooftop as they disappeared was the air and winds sweeping the gravel.  Abruptly, the roof access door was wrenched off its hinges by a powerful force!  The invisible force tossed the door aside as if it were paper, and only a low hum of an electronic nature was heard for a few moments before the rooftop became eerily silent.

     A few minutes passed before the emergency fire door to the top floor of the hospital was slowly pulled open.  A shimmering glowing light passed up and down the entire hallway from the emergency door as the armored form carefully watched for any one coming their way.  It then informed its charge.


[ Perimeter secure and clear.  No organic life forms detected on this floor, nor are there any machine-based threats at this time.  Continuing transport. ]

     Still hidden by the stealth field it was generating, the armored being carried Keenan out into the hallway, its feet never even touching the floor, and quickly moved him to a nearby room.  Entering the room, the armored being locked the door behind it for the moment, and then surveyed the room's contents.  A large, older model hospital bed stood against the west wall, and a cart with linens was on the east wall.  With one sweep of its free arm, the armored form amazingly caused the bed to move closer to where it stood.  Then, with a second movement of its arm and hand, a flurry of linens covered and wrapped the surface of the bed with their clean lengths.  Carefully, the armored form set Keenan's injured form on the bed, and then passed its hands over him once more.  This time, a green field of energy surrounded only Keenan!  The armored form spoke once more to the "organ" as it completed its shield around its charge.


[ Now transmitting priority access codes to Core Nexus Nanodrive. ]
< Access codes accepted.  Core Nanodrive responding. >
[ Recalculating necessary supplies and nutrients needed to effect full regeneration cycles for core housing unit.  Calculations complete.  Supplies are located one floor down.  Level 5 defensive shield has been erected upon core housing unit.  Will return with nutrients and raw materials for core housing's use in repairing all systems. ]
< Acknowledged.  Proceed. >

     Again, hidden by its stealth field, the armored form left the room, sealed the door with another special energy shield, and then headed down one floor to acquire the necessary items.  Meanwhile, back in the room, Keenan finally moved into a more restful position from the trauma he had been feeling for the last quarter of an hour.  As he did, Keenan's repressed memories of the event slowly began to become clearer to him, and he remembered the last moments he had been inside the facility.  The explosion moved with such speed that Keenan only had enough time to close his eyes.  But, if he had been able to keep them open, Keenan would have seen the shimmering kaleidoscope of colors that represented the Core Nexus Nanodrive blaze forward from the shattered containment unit that had once housed it, and simply merge itself right into his body!  Keenan's head snapped backwards as the Nanodrive anchored itself into his physiology, and the rest of the explosion continued on.  His layers of skin and the outer edges of his musculature did not have any protection whatsoever against the intense energy and white-hot heat of the unleashed fires of the quantum energy-based blast, leaving him a badly scorched body, but one which had a thin glowing energy around him keeping him intact from any further harm.  The next thing that Keenan saw as his memories came back to him were his blackened hands, moving of their own accord and pushing debris off of him that probably weighed several hundred pounds.  Finally, sunlight came down and seemed to burn his already-scorched frame, but Keenan's singed lungs could now taste air, and not thick clouds of dust from where he had been buried underground.

     The new "voice" within him that wasn't him was now telling Keenan that it had taken over control of his autonomic nervous system and their necessary functions so that he could try and fight past the raging agony of his burning injuries.  In turn, it had begun to use its advanced nanomachines to rebuild what it could out of his remaining tissues and muscles, and to improve on them as well.  It told Keenan that it fully intended to make its existence and his much better than ever before.  Nodding as best he could, Keenan resigned himself to waiting while a thin sliver of nanomachine "thread" extended itself from his arm and cautiously connected to the nearest electrical outlet to absorb the ambient electrical energy.

     On the floor below, the stealth field-covered armored being moved quickly toward the nearest storage room that its sensors could find.  Reaching the room, the armored being paused, its powerful internal sensors looking inside to see if what it needed for its charge was contained inside.  Seeing that the needed materials were there, the crimson being then activated its internal comm hub, and linked itself to the hospital's main computer server.  It quickly created an external supply request for a medivac helicopter, and designed it to appear as if the pilots would be collecting the supplies later on that day.  With the order designed and ready, the armored being delivered the request to the main computer, and then waited for it to be acknowledged by the pharmacy.  As soon as it was, the crimson being simply lifted up its hand toward the electronic lock while its eyes glowed brightly with a focused thought.  The door opened moments later, and the armored form quickly floated into the large storage room.  It only took a few minutes for the machine's amazing ability to collect things without touching them to gather what was needed from the storage closet.  Once everything was in its grasp, the armored being left the storage room, closed the door behind itself, checked around once more for any life signs anywhere, and then quickly returned to its charge.

     Keenan somehow "sensed" that his protector had returned to the room; he could now truly understand that what the "voice" had told him was coming true.  His own body and its innate abilities were being transformed into something much more.  Seconds later, the armored being was hovering over him, slowly inserting an IV line into his arm, which soon was delivering raw saline into his body from its hanging fluid bag.  A second IV fluid bag was hung near the first one, and that one began to infuse his body with a slow drip feed of saturated iron.  Finally, a third IV bag was put up, this one soon passing raw plasma into Keenan's body via a second IV line that the armored guardian inserted into Keenan's other arm.  Slowly but surely, Keenan's body began to relax much more as his injuries began to finally heal much more rapidly.  Within his mind, the "voice" directed the protector to its next phase for its survival.


< Designate Weltall-Id, new directive has been determined.  Deep level military files that have been download by the program initiators at start-up of Core Nanodrive and that have now been decoded state that there is another secret military facility buried in the territory surrounding the naval base.  This second facility contains a large number of military ordinance and raw materials that can be utilized once we arrive there, as well as being utilized as core housing unit's base of operations for the forseeable future. >
[ What is the status of the core housing unit? ]
< Final regeneration cycles have been implemented.  Core housing unit will be capable of travel under its own power within thirty-three minutes.  Core unit will require a much more basic method for its transport to the facility, so as to begin its acclimation to the abilities that will soon be available to core unit.  It is in the best interests that Weltall-Id use its superior flight and speed capabilities to retrieve the core housing's secondary vehicle from its residence, since the core unit's first vehicle was destroyed in the explosion. >
[ The motorcycle. ]
< Confirmed.  Once that vehicle is on the premises, it can be reconfigured into a far superior form for the core housing unit.  That will allow the core housing unit to travel on its own power to the second facility, while Weltall-Id can remain near to guard core unit against all attacks until the facility is reached.  There, the core housing unit will complete the next phases of its internal programming, and thus enable the core unit to become a full participant in this region's activities.  Core housing's memories and insights have influenced a new parameter of a unique nature, and with the protocols and information gained from all sources toward that parameter, it will be achieved. >
[ Understood.  Scanners indicate that the subject has now regenerated over sixty percent of his injuries to full operational capacity.  Weltall-Id will now depart to garner the motorcycle. ]

     With lightning speed, the armored form of Weltall-Id escaped the confines of the hospital without being noticed, thanks to its potent stealth field, and hurtled through the air unseen to Keenan's residence.  Upon arrival, the armored being quickly found the motorcycle with its scanners, picked it up, and quickly returned to the rooftop of the hospital.  Seeing a few security guards looking at the destroyed door there, the sentient battle machine quickly moved away to a more secluded spot behind the air conditioning ducts, and hovered there.  The armored being then quietly landed on the roof with the motorcycle without a sound, and then turned as it sensed Keenan's body, now covered up by a spare set of hospital scrubs, walking up the stairs toward the rooftop access door, and the guards.  Extending its stealth field into a portable bubble, the machine then sent the bubble to enclose Keenan, who made no sound and left no image as he walked out onto the rooftop and toward the battle machine's hidden position.

     Standing back, the armored being watched closely as a stream of nanomachines left Keenan's left arm and encircled the motorcycle.  Moments later, the motorcycle had been transformed into a much more futuristic looking machine than before, and Keenan took the handlebars of his new ride.  The new machine roared to life as Keenan's hands touched its frame, and in an instant, well before the guards knew what was going on nearby, Keenan was gone and back on the road, deposited there by his guardian, and being followed ever faithfully by Weltall-Id as he headed in the direction of the second research facility, and the plan that the Core Nanodrive was running through his head.  Keenan paid no attention to spying eyes as he tore off through the city streets, knowing that the hidden blood-red battle machine flying behind him was watching his back as he drove to find the next answer to the puzzle in his head.


End of Chapter Two