Chapter 10 “Question twenty eight.”

Burton sat on a wooden bench, in the shade of a tree. Listening to gentle rain patter on the leaves. Almost like being outside, he thought. The tree came from a genetically spliced and forced grown seed. The wind came from a turbine, and the enriched rain came from sprinklers.

Over the last five months the cold, sterile, and empty room had bloomed into life. Or at least, one corner had. Some of the children had suggested tapering the nutrient rich earth. More depth for the plants that needed it, greater efficiency for irrigation. Burton found it an inspired idea.

The arrival of a team of five children broke the peace, but he didn’t mind. He sat a while longer, watching them do the daily tasks. They took measurements of leaves and sprouting shoots. Checked pressures and water quality.

Burton left them to it, part of the new, more hands off approach he’d been implementing. Tasks and classes were posted and the children decided what to do. They knew the work that lay ahead, and the importance of it.

He spent the evening teaching his coding club, helping them refine the vr sims. Before retiring for the night he checked on Shaw.

The lights came on as he entered the room. Nothing had changed inside, nothing out of place. The cleaning done with mechanical precision

“Open log, Shaw protocol. Day one five eight.” Burton took the thick rimmed glasses from his lab coat pocket

The display showed a rendering of Shaw’s skeleton in green, hovering above his unconscious friend. The tendrils of the device in blue. “Integration holding at seventy percent.” The nanofilament clung to the shafts of the bones like ivy. Receding at the joints, unable to penetrate the fully grown bones.

“Neuro coupling higher than predicted at eighty four percent.” Burton took the injector from the table, extending the needle and prodding Shaw’s fingers in turn. He watched the sensory data pulse up the rendering of Shaw’s arm. “Autonomic response consistent.

Lastly he took a measurement with a calliper of Shaw’s bicep, and compared it to the digital reading. “Muscle mass increased by fifteen percent.” Burton stood back, letting the bot fix the sheets and change the iv bags. “Will begin reduction in sedation over the next week. End log.”

The next week passed quickly. Burton hadn’t updated the staff on Shaw’s progress in any real detail. Nothing beyond reassurances and the occasional visit. He’d prepared reports, knowing Shaw would want to get up to speed. The kitchen had an ample supply of fortified meat. He’d even saved up a full pack of cigarettes. With nothing left to do, Burton headed to Shaw’s quarters.

With the sedation now drawn down, Shaw slept under the influence of the device now permanently grafted to his arm. He stirred, then woke. “Sitrep.” Shaw growled on pure instinct, pawing at the sheets and trying to stand.

“Code blue Major, stand easy.” Burton used Shaw’s rank, seeing it bring relief. “It’s Burton, Andrew. Burton Blake. Do you know where you are?” He trusted the data, but still felt nervous

“I’m…” Shaw cast an unsteady glance around the room. “I’m in The Grand.” Burton took his pen light and shined it into Shaw’s eyes.

“Pupils are normal, you should lie back down.” Before Burton could inject a sedative, Shaw struggled up and staggered into the bathroom. He began to vomit. “That’s normal.” Burton yelled through the open door. “Your system is flushing out the drugs.”

An hour later, Shaw emerged from the steam filled bathroom. He looked years younger, his modest build more defined. His expression alert and focused.

“How do you feel?” Burton asked.

“Hungry.” Shaw smiled. “Can you tell me who the president of the United States is?” Burton stood and clicked on his pen light, trying to gloss over the trick question.

“At this point, who the fuck knows.” Shaw batted away the pen light. “Burton, would you relax. I feel like a new man.” Shaw held up his palm and Burton saw the faintest pulse of green light under the skin.

“I don’t think activating systems is a good idea. It needs to be done under laboratory conditions.” Burton tried to redirect him, as he did with the children.

“Let’s get started.” Shaw threw a jab at the air and followed with a left hook. It put him off balance and he stumbled. “Maybe start with breakfast.” He regained his balance.

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“Actually it’s past midnight, so it’d be a late dinner.” Burton tried to hide his amusement. “Of course there’s no solid food for you for at least a month.” Shaw’s freshly shaven face dropped. Burton managed to keep up the pretence all the way to the mess hall. Even managed to make it through his starter. Yet the moment he cut into a rare steak he broke.

“You look like a stray dog outside a restaurant.” Burton mocked his friend.

“Fuck you.” Shaw took another gulp of his vile protein shake. “Why didn’t you just eat before waking me up?” Burton laughed, then signalled the bot. “You’re such a prick.” Shaw blurted out, before tearing into his own steak.

“So.” Shaw lent back in his chair, turning and putting his boots on the chair next to him. “How was command?"

“Lonely.” Burton had close relationships with all of the staff, everybody got on for the most part. But for the man who could count the number of true friends on one hand, the last six months had been tough.

“I told you it would be.” Shaw knew the nature of command well. He wore it like one of his tailored suits. Despite running departments, and even Fortune five hundred company, Burton had struggled. “I’m sure you did fine. I wouldn’t have left you in charge if I had doubts.” Shaw’s confidence in him had been missed.

“Question twenty eight,” Burton had been conducting tests on Shaw most of the day. They’d reached the psychological assessment. “You’re driving late at night, you hit a deer,”

“I get out, skin the deer, wear its head like a hat.” Shaw had grown increasingly bored and dismissive. “Come on Burton. I smashed the physical, I’m not crazy, let’s get to the fun part.”

“Subject demonstrates recklessness, impatience, and disregard for established protocols.” Burton made his point, fixing his gaze on Shaw.

“Fine.” Shaw slumped in his chair. He reminded Burton of the teenage children, so much he masked a chuckle with a cough.

Back in the lab Burton prepared Shaw’s results. Shaw passed the time by bouncing a rubber ball off the walls. It started as a coordination test, now Shaw tried increasingly complex shots to amuse himself. Including ricocheting off Burton’s monitor, much to his annoyance.

Burton pushed back from his terminal, lit a cigarette and tossed the pack over. “Alright Professor, what’s the verdict?” Shaw asked.

“The integration has been seventy eight percent successful. Your radiation resistance is higher than expected. Increased visual acuity, strengthened bones. Plus a host of fringe benefits.” Burton had never intended the devices to be grafted to adults. He doubted it would have been possible without the data from the children. Yet Shaw passed every test Burton could think of. “You’re in peak physical condition.”

“I could’ve told you that.” Shaw snapped, flexing his bicep under the vault-suit.

“Anyway, you’re cleared for duty.” Burton signed the paperwork Shaw insisted on, he countersigned.

“As the ranking officer on site, I order you to transfer Omega authority back to me.” Shaw spoke formally. “Gladly.” Burton had almost forgotten having the full command codes to the dozen nuclear missiles buried deep below. He held his arm across his chest, speaking into the pipboy.

“Blake, Burton. ‘You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals’.” He spoke his name and passphrase, watching the screen display the omega symbol. Shaw started to lift his arm to speak into his pipboy, then smiled, letting his arm drop.

“Shaw, Andrew. ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants’.” Fire control transferred back to Shaw. Burton watched Shaw stare blankly for a moment and wondered what Shaw could see. “Incredible.” Shaw smiled.

“You know I had an idea to turn those warheads into generators.” Burton had started to think beyond the confines of Vault X of late.

“Swords into ploughshares. Not bad.” Shaw hesitated. “No new intel, I take it?”

“No.” Burton still couldn’t get accurate data from outside. Violent storms and rad spikes threw every sensor off. Dust clouds hundreds of miles across blocked the view from the last remaining satellite he could access.

“Well, once I get clearance, they’re all yours.” Shaw must have seen the confusion on Burton’s face. “I have standing orders to ensure combat readiness by year ten a.e. And that’s what I intend to do till someone tells me different.” Shaw had always held steady to his orders. Burton almost envied him for that.

“You really think there’s anything close to a chain of command left out there?” Burton’s frustration carried into his tone, making him sound dismissive.

“Of course.” Shaw sounded confident enough for both of them. “Shit, if even half the stuff I heard about was true…” Shaw trailed off. “Just like Clara and your boy are out there. They’re waiting for us, Burton. We’re going to be ready to help them.” Shaw had complete belief in his mission. Burton wanted desperately to share it.

He tried not to picture a little blue eyed boy running down a corridor towards Clara. He knew she’d made it underground, but nothing beyond that. “Now, are we going to get to the fun part or what?” Shaw stood, offering Burton a way to help.

“Alright, throw the ball, then catch it.” Burton stood in the gym, preparing Shaw for the standard dilation training.

“No problem.” Shaw tossed the ball from hand to hand, half crouching like a runner. He blew out a sharp breath and hurled the ball past Burton. Suddenly, from Burton’s perspective at least, Shaw staggered past him and collapsed into a heap. The ball bouncing away. He let Shaw shake off the fall and get to his feet while he checked the data.

“You’re slower, as expected.” Burton stated flatly. “Any pain, blurred vision?”

“No.” Shaw rolled the ball between his hands. “The children make it look easy.” Shaw sounded proud and almost envious in equal measure.

“That’s because…” You made them to be that way, Burton thought. The bile in his throat stopped his words. “Because they don’t know any other way.” Burton sighed, concentrating on the new frontier before him. “Stop trying to do it and just do it.” Shaw took a few paces back and threw the ball again. This time he plucked the ball from the air within a blink of Burton’s eye.