Posted at 7:27 am on Feb 3, 2014 by:
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CP-ZERO [Clip #2]
The four surgeons are again standing around a surgical table. On the table still is the giant body, the IV lines and other tubes from before now gone. Instead, near the table, hanging from a rolling, metal rack is an exoskeleton suit, the rack seemingly designed specifically for the suit. The exoskeleton appears to be high-tech, top-of-the-line, and made to fit the giant body. It looks very lightweight, yet the thin tubes and wires that run along it give off the impression that it's also very powerful.
"It seems to have accepted the genetic alterations quite well," said the first woman.
"Yes, we couldn't have hoped for a better outcome," replied the first man.
"Yeah, well, we still have a long ways to go," added the second man.
“The post implants are also looking very good. There was worry at first that they would reject and it’d be back to the drawing board, but everything looks spot on here. This should be a piece of cake.” The first surgeon pointed out the strategically placed posts that had been surgically implanted at an earlier date to accept the attachment points of the exoskeleton, and true to his word there appeared nearly perfect, the flesh around them seamless.
“How far down are they anchored? They look so small, to support something so extensive.” The first woman remarked, running her eyes over the numerous posts almost skeptically.
“Well, they may look like they wouldn’t, but trust me, in this case looks are deceiving. The trick is that even though they are small so as not to interfere with movement and add unnecessary bulk, there are many of them, as you see. Having more points of contact over the surface add to the load bearing capacity over all, as well as stability. And to answer your question, they reach into the bone itself.” The second man explained, pointing out the many points of attachment. “We’ll line up each post with the corresponding port, and it’ll all snap right together.”
"Let's just hope the posts are anchored in the correct spots," said the second woman. "Scrivens would have us all fired if they weren't and we couldn't continue with this project."
"If not shot," added the first man. "He wouldn't hesitate to go that far."
"Come on, let's get started," said the second man, clearly not in the mood for off-topic chatter at the moment.
The first woman walked over to the rack and moved the rack holding the exoskeleton closer to the surgical table. The four of them each grabbed a different limb of the exoskeleton and lifted it off of the rack, each of them grateful that it wasn't heavier as it was already awkward to move. They managed to maneuver it so that it was laying over the body though, the ports not yet attached to the posts.
"Straighten it out before attaching anything," said the first man before doing so himself, checking the wire and tubes to make sure none were tangled, the other three joining in.
“Now, very carefully, line up the ports with the posts and just ease it on. Should just side right in, easy enough. Then, let go, and gravity will take care of the rest. Just be absolutely certain it’s lined up perfectly first. Take your time, no rush here. Would rather see this take however long than go through the headache of trying to fix it.”
“Let go? You sure? What is going to hold it together?” The first woman asked, very carefully eying the port on her limb in reference to the post.
“Very powerful magnets. Extremely powerful ones. A screw or bolt would make a weak spot, and also give the area a vulnerability. Besides, how many times have you seen a screw loosen over time? This thing is going to be very mobile, don’t want to run the risk of having it drop screws or bolts left and right. The magnet will not engage until the post slides into position, so no worries there. Just be sure you have it lined up right.” The first man checked his positioning one last time before very carefully lowering the limb down, and letting go. A loud clink sounded as the magnets engaged, and he gave it an experimental tug. The limb did not budge, the connection solid.
As if emboldened by his success, the other three made their adjustments, and in the same manner attached their respective pieces of exoskeleton, that somehow satisfying clink sounding out again repeatedly.
“See, not difficult at all. And see how firmly it’s attached? The design here is utterly amazing. It’s an honor to be a part of this.” The first man said, giving his limb another tug.
After several more clinks, the exoskeleton was fully in place, the four surgeons appearing satisfied with their work. The exoskeleton fit the body perfectly, laying over the well-developed muscles like some kind of alien clothing. The exoskeleton was very streamlined, not bulky at all, barely adding any extra size to the body, not that it needed more size.
Picking up a metal cylinder that was only a couple inches in diameter and a few inches in length, various prongs sticking out of it, the first man looked at the other three surgeons and said, "Well, should we see if it powers on?"
The other three watched as he plugged in what was apparently a power supply in a slot on the chest of the exoskeleton. With a loud click, it snapped into place, a green light coming on on the power supply itself.
Looking up at the other three with a smile, the first man then said, "Well, it looks like this is another success. I'll go get Mr. Scrivens so he can have a look before we power it back down."
The first man looked down at the body again before he walked away, the smile from his face fading slightly. He leaned in closer and then suddenly, the body's right arm shot up, the hand wrapping tightly around the first's man's throat, choking him!!!!!
“Oh my god!” The first woman shrieked, backing away quickly, her eyes practically bugging out as hard as the man in the thing’s grasp was currently doing. He clawed at the hand, to no avail, the grip was far too tight to dislodge.
“Don’t just stand there, do something! It’s choking the life out of him!” The second woman said, as the other man attempted to grab at that hand clamped on his coworker’s neck. If anything, the grip seemed to only get tighter as they both tugged, the thumb piercing the flesh of the man in it’s deathly tight grip, the first woman shrieking even louder in response.
“It’s no use! I can’t pry it off! The power supply! Quick, disengage it!” The second man shouted at the women, the first one still too horrified to move, but the second racing up to tug at the small cylinder lodged in the chest slot.
“I’m trying! It’s hard to get a grip on, like it was meant to be hard to remove!” She yelled, again attempting to dislodge the supply from the slot. The first man’s eyes had rolled up into the back of his head, blood gushing from the wound in his throat and running down the arm of the thing, painting the exoskeleton a garish red. Suddenly it was quiet, the first woman’s screaming cutting off sharply as she fainted, the scene too gruesome for her to stomach any longer.
The second woman finally managed to removed the power supply with another loud snap, the green light instantly dying on the front of it along with the grip the giant hand had on the first man's throat. It was too late though. The first man collapsed to the floor, dead, blood spilling out of the hole in his neck.
"Quick, go get some help!" shouted the second man to the second woman as he crouched down to see if there was anything he could do for the first man, quickly realizing that there wasn't.
He then spun around when Scrivens returned with the second woman.
"Sir, the prototype . . . we plugged in the power cell and . . . the arm . . . it . . ." started the second man.
Scrivens seemed completely unaffected though by the fact that the surgeon was dead, instead saying, "Well, now we know it works."
End of Clip #2
