Debian Orphanage - Chapter 5

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ChapterFive
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“It says and does nothing…” Callum viewed Fedora in the Chamber, surrounded by a silent liquid that kept the body regulated in all senses. Proteins were being passed through the bodies filter method as they spoke.

“That’s the point Callum, if Fedora has no sense of the waking world I believe it will be easier to assimilate myself into his sub directory domain.” Sinclair passed a hand over the chamber and imagined what the feeling of not only space would be like but how a full essence transference would allocate itself in his mind.

Arch stood behind the chamber and slid the Copper rods through it, aiming them in the direction of the ports in Fedora’s back. Each rod slid into place and Arch gave Sinclair the thumbs up. With that action pressed ran a certain command through the prompt and fedora seemed to come alive for a split second, eyes wide and revealing. Then nothing. The programming was passed down the spinal motherboard and held in memory for a later date.

“Is it necessary for Fedora to have that information?” Callum sighed.

“Warfare this entire this has become Callum.” Arch sneered. “And we must be ready for the reality of the situation. They will not let us reach Titan.”

“The Americans?”

“The Europeans, the lot. How much information has been stolen? Of course we gave half to the GNU as open source, but that was for study not use!”

“I found it laughable you believed they wouldn’t use it!”

“A mistake I have made but now am remedying!”

Sinclair coughed “Its just a precaution Callum, that’s all.”

“What of the Actuator Blade we have attached to his right arm?”

They stared at the long transparent and heavily sharp right arm, which now looked menacing to say the least.

“Not only a makeshift aerial but a weapon for clearing debris.” Arch stared at the blade within the chamber.

“Callum you forget I will be in the driver’s seat. There are no worries at hand.” Sinclair added.

“My worry is purely based on Fedora.”

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North Wales was perfect for the launch. For one, it was dry! The air was clear on this day, no rain or fog and Sinclair stood inside the makeshift complex and stared out at not only the horizon but the setting of the final sun.

“Any regrets?” Callum stared out with him.

“None, I will miss it all you know. But no regrets.”

“I have just visited the children, they ask constantly about their brother Fedora.”

“And what do you tell them?”

“I tell them he is with their father.”

Sinclair laughed “And what do they ask beyond that?”

“They wish they could have met their father…”

Sinclair scowled “Maybe on Titan.”

The lights on the launch pad then lit up with a fantastic hum that seemed to rise up then die out. Arch walked across the pad towards the complex and shouted across it to the console area where Sinclair and Callum stood.

“Another intruder was discovered in the fields!” he shouted.

“Well where is he?” Callum shouted back.

“Inclined to lose himself.” He shouted back. Sinclair new what this meant, the many traps and tripwires that Arch had set up were working well. Around ten people has disappeared.

Sinclair passed a smile across his lips. “Shall we begin?”

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“Come in Carter?”

The voice from the trap was bleeding heavily from the neck. Bathed in black light the only visible part was the shining whites of the eyes as life poured from the neck space.

“Carter here. Issues?”

“You could say that...I think it’s beyond Triage sir.”

“Very well.”

The eyes went beyond white and slid to the back of the head.
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The rocket containing Fedora was aimed sky bound, all coordinates were set at the console and all pipes and tubes containing liquid nitrogen were primed.

“So it’s a fond farewell to all then.” Sinclair pouted and viewed the rockets trajectory.

“The fondest of farewells. We will truly miss you.”

“We will speak again in three years and it will be filled with the story of the winners.”

“A boast and I’m laughing.” Arch added.

“We cannot fail this time round...we just cannot.”

“You’re sailing this ship. Courses have been predestined for sure but at the end of the day your will alone will commit a prize to this one.”

“Three years...” Sinclair pondered.

“Three years...” Arch repeated

Fedoras capsule was carted out by Callum and slid into the base area of the rocket. It made a screeching embolism as its hatch doors slid open.

Callum began crying as they shut on her Fedora.

“To attached.” Arch placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Its not my fault.”

“Its a good thing. I’ve lacked a lot of emotion these past few years.”

“I agree.”

“I’m losing another son you know.”

“I have never had the chance. It seems I am damned to care and not create.”

“In three years it will not matter.”

“I’m not going to last three years.” And with that she wrapped her arms around him as if he were her father.

He smoothed the back of her head and prayed a calming tone of silence to her ear.

Sinclair stood...the odd one out...he felt nothing.

The three of them manoeuvred themselves back into the mobile lab and began the preparation of forever. Callum analysed statistics’, Arch pushed levers and Sinclair just got undressed and applied some breathing to a skyrocketing emotion of worry.

The countdown began and the coolant was pumped through tubes into the rockets out sheath. From ten to zero, and from the first explosion, to the sailing off of Fedoras rocket.

The rocket set off into the sky after command prompt action was set, they would have forty minutes before the rocket split into two, then four, then the capsule containing Fedora was pushed out into the black…