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Posts: 703
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Big Blue awakening Part 8 by Wayne Clayton
In all his years in medicine Sam had often had to make the choice of who would live and who would die. He had been in the General’s shoes more often then he would like. The face of authority telling the loved ones of the patient’s fragile condition and that they had to make a decision for the best. But he never asked them to give up their own life as well.
He found himself once again asking the question which had been in the back of his mind all along. Only this time he let it escape.
“Why me General? I’m good but there are others just as experienced. Why pick me for a this..this..suicide mission?”
A slight smile appeared on the General’s grim face.
“I keep asking myself the same question Doctor. Maybe they think you’re that little bit smarter then the rest, or maybe they think you’ve got a hope in hell of bringing our boy here back in one piece. But I reckon the thing that got you standing here right now is that you’re just that little bit more expendable than all the rest. And that above all else makes you the best man for this job”
The General released his grip on Sam’s shoulder. And turned back towards ‘Big Blue’
Sam could see that the General had lost none of his people skills. ‘Who wouldn’t follow this man in to battle’ he thought, even if it was only to see him mown down in a hail of bullets.
“Back to business Doctor” The General’s smile had vanished as quickly as it had come. It was doubtful Sam would ever see it again.
Moving to the head of the bomb housing the General beckoned Sam to join him. He did so to find the General leaning over two thick hose pipes which had been roughly bound together with what looked like rubber duct tape. Together they met at one end, disappearing into a two way value made of cast iron. This was topped off with a dull red metal disc. On which two words were written. Words which however Sam did not like the look of. ‘DANGER TOXIC’
At the other end the hoses fed into two huge gas cylinders. Both chained to the wall. If this was a hospital they would have been clearly labelled with both contents and a thousand and one warnings of the dangers of handling. But here it was a simple case of hand painted lettering spelling out the chemical formula in bold army type.
Sam knew his periodic table inside out, and the ones written here didn’t exactly conform to the ones he learned at medical school. But back in 1945 half the elements were still only vague theories scribbled in the margins of mad scientist and grey haired boffins.
“Due to ‘Big Blue’s’ internal modifications it was impossible to administer the drugs in the traditional way Doctor. Therefore the medication was pumped into the ‘device’ and sealed off in order to permeate his vital organs and preserve the body. Like a barrel full of Sulphured Apples Doctor.”
Sam shook his head. The General’s Ozarks analogy didn’t fill him with confidence in the least. Though perhaps it was better then the prospect of a barrel full of Grits keeping this man alive.
“All you have to do is vent off the gas and bring our boy back home from dreamland”
Sam’s mind was already calculating how impossible this was going to be. There were an awful lot of zeroes mounting up in his head.
“Well it’s almost time for me to go and leave you too it Doctor. If you need anything just give us a call” The General pointed to an old black Baker-Lite phone hung on the wall, complete with hand crank on the side.
“Army cuts General?” Sam quipped
“We did try installing one of those fancy video link do-hickies, but the cameras kept on filling up with water. So you’ll have to make do Doctor”
Sam watched as the General made his way back to the main door, before sharply banging on the cold metal. The locks once more released and it swung open with the aid of the soldier on the other side. As he stepped through the General turned and saluted informally.
“Oh, nearly forgot the little boy’s room is over there.” And with that the door closed with a cold hard metallic ring.
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Getting organized might explode my brain.
