One Gaian week passed since the moment John left the field hospital for the first time and was finally able to function with his own strength. The pain passed away several days ago, though it did not mean the full recovery yet. He managed to adjust to cyber prosthetics pretty well, but still decided to rely on the support of medical exoskeleton for any "heavy-lifting". And, of course, he had to get regular check-ups at the med center.
- It looks like your body managed to regenerate well enough and accepted the cybers - Manuela informed him - The only things left are some scars, but these - same as in case of prosthetics - will no longer be a problem once we have functional medical capsules.
- I'm not gonna lie, I'd rather not have these connected to my body - John was moving his prosthetic arm around, showing weaponized parts - I hope we can get ourselves some capsules soon.
- Just don't rush it, John. Remember your organism went through a lot. Besides, these cybers are pretty damn good and will work well for you. If I were to use a prosthetic instead of organical replacement, I would love one of these.
- Even if they are basically integrated weapons?
Dr. Gomez gave him a smile.
- If we were on Earth, I'd give it more thought, but here? Where there's so many things that can easily kill you? I may be a doctor, and with my skills and current technology we can treat a lot, but the best way to keep your body healthy is by avoiding physical damage. And, you know, weapons may help you in staying safe.
She had a point. As Marlow was now, he did not have to carry standard weapons around, because his current arm could morph into melee and ranged weapon. Moreover, if he so wanted, he could handle additional weapons more easily now. Still, major remained a scientist, and an engineer, not a fighter, therefore thought of relying on weapons did not sit well with him.
Nevertheless, no med capsules meant no alternatives at this point.
- Well, I guess there's no point in complaining - John concluded - As long as I can feel good enough to drop this thing off - he pointed at the exoskeleton - I can manage with these cybers for a bit longer.
- That's the spirit - Manuela gave him a pat on the shoulder - See you around tomorrow.
Short visit at medical center, owing to positive results he got, improved Marlow's humor.
He did not like medical exoskeleton much, because it was less comfortable than F-suit. However, it was his only option currently - firstly, it had special programs adjusted to help people recover, and secondly, his F-suit had to be modified to function properly with his new limbs. Fortunately, there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Not only John was on a good way to fully recover, but also their current base was completed. All structures colonel McRae planned for were now standing firmly in key spots, performing their duties.
Mining for local metals, though time-consuming when compared to standards in humanity's current colonies, was satisfactory in terms of their settlement's demand. They were gradually restoring damaged equipment, which should soon allow them to start the production of machines and building more advanced structures.
The biggest problem seemed to be the transceiver station, or rather the fact its usage so far did not bring results. Of course, they managed to contact some smaller groups of survivors equipped with implants, but that was all - there were no traces of Future's modules or bigger groups.
Lack of such signals was a big concern. Aside from aforementioned dozen or so people, who joined their camp after establishing the contact, there were no other communications recently. They also did not have any flying units at their disposal, which made the scouting more time-consuming.
Ursus had the biggest range among all the machinery they had available, but there were several issues with moving it around: energy usage, commotion it would cause and the fact taking their main source of defense from the camp would make it exposed. With that in mind, they could only rely on Savages and Brawlers.
Recently, scouts managed to reach much farther, expanding the explored area by the next fifty kilometers. They even found additional traces of other people's presence, but no one was around anymore, and reconnaissance had to be interrupted due to encountering alien installations in the vicinity - as per orders from colonel McRae, no one was to engage in contact with alien-related structures without research team's presence.
From scout's relations and recordings they managed to register without risking getting too close to structures which looked similar to shapes John previously saw on Zero's surface - pyramid-like constructs which purpose they were yet to learn. However, there was a difference between these on Zero and ones on the New Gaia, or rather, the New Gaias "pyramids" seemed active as they had an ability to open up, though what would cause that was not known.
- Any theories as to what these could be used for? - colonel asked Marlow, remembering the report from Zero - They are located near the shortest route we could take towards the alien city, so it would be nice to know how risky going next to them would be. I'd rather not take a longer route.
- It's still better choice than losing more people - Manuela jumped in, being part of the meeting - When not in your own backyard, always tread carefully.
- Philosophizing won't help us here, so please only talk when you have something reasonable, and useful to say - McRae replied harshly, but dr. Gomez only smiled - Obviously, we will take the longer route if need be. But even then, we cannot be sure if it's safe to show our backs to these weird things.
- We have no data to work with, so I have no idea what they could be used for - John finally spoke - The ones we saw on Zero showed no reaction to our presence. Though, it must be said that the whole planet looked completely dead. If these structures are a part of some bigger, active system here, we cannot compare them to Zero. Do we have information on any other unnatural objects?
Colonel McRae shook his head.
- Nothing of the sorts. Aside from these pyramids, nature rules around. There is a lot of vegetation, trees are everyone, only natural formations. The only unusual thing was raised by geologists, and that's about the resources - according to them the deposits seem too regular. It's only based on scans of course, so most of them would like to go there and see for themselves up close.
- Well, it could be a way to learn something more, but I get it woul have been rather dangerous - John said - Still, what else we can do? On one hand, we don't want to get too close, but on the other, we have no means to investigate without getting there. I agree we can always avoid that place, but what if it turns out there is more of these and we get to a spot where we won't be able to avoid getting close?
Ryan looked carefully at the holomap.
- We have scouted this area - he marked the spot - It's the only such place in the proximity. We have no basis or reason to think these are commonly scattered among the globe.
- I think I have one thought - another voice joined the talk, the one belonging to red-haired man with blue eyes, who was staying silent until now - Isn't it possible that remote areas, the ones farther from this gigantic city, did not need that much attention hence the lower amount of structures built by this alien race? Back on Earth, the most high-tech technologies can be found in the areas with the highest population density. Our cities also reached gigantic sizes, but there are still places where technology is on a much lower level, or ones where there are no humans at all. In my opinion, we should consider all the possibilities.
- It's surprising you didn't say anything sooner, Connor - colonel said to the man - After all, you are one of those who suggested we should investigate these constructions. I was sure you will start convincing everyone to this idea.
Connor shrugged, hearing Ryan's words.
- I wanted to wait and hear the opinions others have on the topic, colonel. And it looks like it was a good decision. As you can see, colonel, major is of the same mind. You should not ignore that now.
McRae's face showed that he did not like the idea, and his words explained what was the reason behind his reluctance:
- I get your point, but maybe you will change your thinking after I share this information - he displayed a series of photos and recordings - As you can see, I decided to use some of the remaining search bots to try and investigate the area, but we ended up losing them after they reached into one kilometer mark from these structures. It seems like there may be some kind of interference causing the electronic devices inoperational.
- And you are disclosing this kind of information only now, colonel? - Connor was both upset and excited at the same time - Alien megacity has a force field that made it impossible to get deeper and investigate better. If these pyramids work the same way, maybe we can use them to learn about alien technology more?
- I understand your reasoning, but it's still risky. We are located far away from the target landing point, and lacking sufficient equipment to proceed safely into anything related to alien technology. It's going step by step right now. Risking crew's safety...
- But we cannot just stay idle - Connor interrupted - With all due respect, colonel, but we have no idea if this equipment you've mentioned would actually helped us in any way. All I can say on this matter is that many of us would rather give it a try and take a risk instead of staying here, as if we were locked in a cage. Those ready to go understand the risk, and still want to go there. We don't need much, only soldiers to escort us to the safe border, nothing more. If need be, we can sign statements for doing this of our own volition.
After these words from Connor, Ryan looked at John. The latter could not say he liked the feel it gave him - he saw colonel sending such a look on several occasions already he already knew what to expect.
- Major Marlow - colonel addressed him in official tonne - I would like you to participate in a mission to investigate these structures. You are both a man of the army, and a researcher. This kind of job should be perfect for you.
John would gladly decline, especially given he still relied on medical exoskeleton for continuous physical exertion, but the way Ryan McRae said that was obviously not a request. Colonel was reminding major what does it mean to be part of army way too often - after wall, this man was the one who made Marlow stay on that day when he could back off from participating in Future project.
- I agree with mister Cunningham on that topic - John was not sure if he remembered Connor's surname properly, but since there was no correction, it seemed that was not an issue - Since it's an official request, we need to send an officer, and appointing me is the most obvious choice, like you said, colonel. Though, I have one request. Could we postpone the departure until I can move well enough without this? - he asked, pointing at the exoskeleton - It would also give us a bit more time to decide the squad.
Ryan nodded, confirming he understands.
The case seemed to be resolved now - not that everything went well for Marlow himself. As he barely managed to recover, yet another problematic, and potentially dangerous job was assigned to him. Fortunately, he managed to buy some time to prepare properly.
However, the situation turned out to be a bit more complex than he thought, and he learned about it only after being called by colonel McRae for another talk, this time only with him and Connor Cunningham present.
- It went much more smoother than expected - colonel commented straight on the topic - I'm grateful for your support there, John.
- Yes, it would take us much longer to reach an agreement in other circumstances - Cunningham agreed - I'm really happy for major Marlow joining us too.
John did not need any explanation. It was obvious those two men planned everything since the beginning. He barely managed to stop himself from clapping sarcastically.
- You could easily become actors like that. You got me there. I didn't notice at all.
- Sorry about that, John - colonel pat his shoulder - Despite having a plan set in mind, I really wanted an honest discussion, and the suggestion not coming from me directly. Otherwise, it would as if I was the one pushing this onto others without a proper consultation.
Major understood this kind of reasoning. In such a small community as the one they had here, the relations and freedom were important factors to be taken into consideration. Nevetheless, he was not a fan of such plays, even if done for the better good.
- I get you didn't call me here to simply boast about your acting skills. So, what's the reason?
- Straightforward as usual, it seems.
- Getting to the point will save us a lot of time. No need for any more plays, correct?
Colonel smiled.
- Yup, you are right. Let's start with introducing the two of you to each other personally. John, meet doctor Connor Cunningham. Doctor Cunningham, meet major John Marlow - they exchanged a handshake - We've already agreed the group will depart once John is no longer in need for medical exoskeleton, but we need to prepare a crew for this job during that time. Connor already selected some candidates - colonel informed Marlow - You've just joined, John, and I know you got separated from some people you know, but I hope you have someone reliable around?
- I should manage to find some capable staff.