Paul Hardy - The Last Man on Earth Club

“Well, it means they had surgery or cybernetic implants, or they were genetically altered to have extra abilities. A lot of species do it once they have the technology.”

“Oh, some people did that…”

“Okay.”

“But most of them were just born like it.”

“Right. I see. But… did you hear about any of these world savers trying to stop what happened? Or did they all disappear too? ”

“I guess so. I didn’t hear about them after that.”

“No. Hm. The thing is… the thing is, what you’ve just described is very unusual. In fact I’ve never heard of anything like it. I don’t know if it has anything to do with what happened, but…”

I paused there. If she was telling the truth, then her world hadn’t faced an end once, but many times. It faced it often enough that it needed to have people constantly on hand to save it, and this time they’d failed. It didn’t help to explain why Liss had survived, though. Unless…

“Liss… do you have any powers?”

She laughed. “What, me? No. Of course not!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. I was tested. Same as everyone else. I’m normal. Why do you think I’ve got powers?”

“I was just wondering what it was that made you different to everyone else.”

She looked very surprised. “You think the reason I was left behind was because I have a power?”

“I don’t know. I’m just speculating.”

“Wow! Me with a power… that’s just, wow. You know?”

“Well, you are very strong for someone your size…”

“Oh, stop it, everyone’s this strong on my world! It’s not us that’s strong, it’s you that’s weak.”

I needed to do some research. “Hm. Can I ask a favour?”

“Sure!”

“You brought a lot of screenshows back from your world. Was this show, Secret Squadron , one of them?”

“Oh, no, I didn’t get any of those. I’ve got some of Dates and Hates , though.”

“Do you mind if I borrow a few discs? Anything that has people with powers. Or something that just shows what your world was like…?”

She shrugged. “Sure. Okay.”

PSYCHOMEDICAL HISTORY — SUMMARY

KT-00932/IN “KATIE”

It is difficult to take a full history for KT-00932/IN, partly because her physiological state is extremely unusual, and partly because she is almost completely silent on the subject of her own health.

When rescued, she was suffering from nearly a year of exposure to vacuum, and was in a deep coma that seemed to have prolonged her survival in an airless environment. Her biology has clearly been designed for survival in open space. Her circulatory fluids do not expand or contract as normal human blood would, thus avoiding damage during the extreme changes of temperature she experienced while in vacuum. There was radiation damage across her dermis to a depth of approximately one millimetre, but she displayed remarkable resistance to any deeper exposure. She had also lost all her hair, but her eardrums had remained intact despite the lack of air pressure.

She was equipped with a number of implants intended for military use, and consented to their removal while she was in quarantine, as a condition of release to Hub. However, she did not consent to the removal of three implants in her brain, which she claims have a vital regulatory function. Our analysis suggests they force the biological systems of her brain to operate at higher efficiency than normal. If this is the case, they may cause neural damage over time, and a small but significant degradation has been observed across successive scans.

Her psychological state is a difficult subject, as she is as reticent here as elsewhere. She gave a brief statement regarding the war she fought in, which her side appears to have lost. She has agreed to reasonable co-operation with IU authorities, but this has amounted to a policy of almost complete silence regarding her past. She displays no emotion, and demonstrates absolutely no empathy. She is nevertheless extremely intelligent and perceptive. If the neurological degradation causes suffering, she conceals it perfectly.

It is projected that KT-00932/IN has between six and nine months before the neurological degradation threatens autonomic systems and therefore her life. Treatment is theoretically possible but extremely risky and counterindicated unless there is no other option. It is recommended that she should remain under close observation and be encouraged to engage further with therapy.

Katie folded into her chair like a robotic arm. Whatever interest she had in the room was satisfied with a steady sweeping look, not pausing once to examine any single thing.

“Katie… is it okay if I call you Katie?”

She stared directly at me without regard for how anyone might interpret such a constant gaze, and replied in the usual flat, toneless voice. “It is okay.”

“Good… well, first of all, thank you for agreeing to come to the centre. I know you don’t think we’ll be able to help, but I’m glad you’re willing to let us try.”

She didn’t react. Her first therapist had reported that pleasantries would just pass her by, but that she would respond to direct inquiries.

“Well. Okay. Now, I know you’ve answered this question before, but… how did you survive?”

She started without a pause. “I was assigned to crew a modified orbital freight transport with two others. The transport was equipped with antimatter explosive devices. Our mission was to simulate the appearance of a wreck near the path of an enemy asteroid ship on approach to Earth orbit, then to burn engines at point of closest approach, ram the asteroid and detonate the antimatter devices. However, the enemy discovered us before we could ram them and destroyed our ship with pulsed EMDIS weapons. The ship was divided into a number of sections and the contents dispersed. The antimatter devices and other crewmembers were eliminated by plasma fire, but I remained undetected among other debris. I engaged vacuum survival systems, and have no further memories until I was recovered by the exploration ship Chemistry .”

I checked the notes from the triage therapist who had first spoken to her at Grainger station, months before:

G: Can I ask how you survived?

K: I was assigned to crew a modified orbital freight transport with two others. The transport was equipped with antimatter explosive devices. Our mission was to simulate the appearance of a wreck near the path of an enemy asteroid ship on approach to Earth orbit, then to burn engines at point of closest approach, ram the asteroid and detonate the antimatter devices. However, the enemy discovered us before we could ram them and destroyed our ship with pulsed EMDIS weapons…

She certainly knew how to stick to her story. I thought that perhaps I should get her onto a subject where she could not simply recite a prepared statement.

“Thank you. That was informative. Let’s get back to the present day… how are you feeling?”

“I am within normal tolerances.”

“I mean, with regards to your neurological condition.”

“I am unaffected.”

“Well, we’re still very concerned. There’ll be regular neuroscans to track your progress. We’d be grateful if you can alert us if you experience any symptoms.”

“I will give reasonable cooperation.”

“Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Not at this time.”

“You do understand that if your brain continues to degrade, you probably won’t survive?”

“I understand this is possible.”

“Well, the issue seems to be with your implants, and we just don’t know how to fix the problem. But what we could do is clone a new body without the implants and transfer your consciousness into that. We wouldn’t normally risk that kind of procedure without knowing more about your species, but if it comes to a choice between life and death, we’re willing to risk it if you are.”