Erik allowed Doreen to explain the situation, impressed at her capacity to keep the patient calm under these circumstances. As she ended her statements, he quickly intervened before Frederick could say anything... "There are no guarantees, sir, but in your condition there are no risks either." - he started chuckling a bit, perhaps in an attempt to reassure the patient - "At worst, you waste half a day of time... at best, you go home in one FULL piece."
He took a seat next to the patient's bed, so as to be on the same level, then continued with a sober tone "The first phase of the procedure is tissue extraction, which I'm sure doctor Naggar can handle. Afterwards, we'll set up the nanites. Once they're ready, we expect the reforming operation to only take about an hour or so."
It took mister Frederick a moment to think. After asking once more if there are any risks, miss Valders stepped in and reassured him once more, explaining how the nanites cannot harm him in any way, and the only wrong that can happen is if they simply can't fulfill the purpose of giving him back his arm. So, the patient nodded in understanding and complied.
With this done, Erik and Samantha excused themselves, since they now needed to prepare the lab while Doreen would've taken care of the sample extraction.
She took a seat beside the man. It's as if they formed a bond but that's how she was with patients. As she told a nurse the day before, medical school just doesn't teach you everything. While he was awake, she allowed him the chance for a little solid food. He didn't want much but was satisfied. Before she could put him to sleep, he fell asleep on his own. With him sleeping, she took the bone marrow sample and tissue samples from his good arm. Getting all that was required, she sent everything to Erik and Samantha. Shortly thereafter, a crew wheeled the pilot on his gurney to Erik's lab. She went with the crew.
"Dr. Corvin, Dr. Valders," she greeted as they entered. She was keeping professional around a lot of the new staff. She handed them the tissue samples and marrow. "Here is what you requested. If you need anything else, let me know. In the meanwhile, it's my turn to watch and learn."
As Erik and Samantha began to work, a security chief arrived to speak with Doreen.
"I was a bit reluctant to sign off on this request but considering your credentials and to be frank, I know where you're sending him, I'm allowing it. Nice cover using that Freelancer for the job," he explained. He handed her the paperwork and went about his business. For a moment, Doreen excused herself.
She prepped the badly burned pilot for transport and sent a medical team of one nurse and a medic with him. Her instructions were simple, "When you get there, they will know what to do. Stay with him and return home with him and bring a couple days worth of cloths." Within an hour, the Freelancer's ship departed for Omega 49.
Doreen returned to the lab where Erik and Samantha were working. They were getting started so she hadn't missed anything.
Corvin Estate, New Thessalonica, Planet Yuma, Coronado
5 Aug. 824 A.S.
After an idle wake-up process, Peter started his day enthusiastically, which - more or less towards Ben's luck - meant he was about to share all that enthusiasm with his friend. After Benjen was woken up by lots of childish yelling and jumping around, the two went down to eat breakfast and saw Erik's message. Realising they didn't have any particular plan, Peter simply invited Ben for a complete tour of his home - all 8 rooms of it - then, an hour later, throughout the entire estate grounds. Needless to say, toys and the TV were not out of the question, once the two would tire of running around everywhere.
New Hippocrate, Planet Yuma, Coronado
5 Aug. 824 A.S.
Erik snickered under his breath when Doreen called him "doctor". Sure, he did have a Ph.D in Engineering... but he was almost never called by that title. "Good, then we're all set. Miss Valders,,," - he motioned for the samples brought in by Doreen. "Ok..." Valders replied as she took both samples and started carefully placing them in separate containment fields.
Meanwhile, Erik helped the medical crew in order to place Frederick on the special table he had prepared with a hovering drone above. Once he was done, he commented "Mister Frederick, we'll begin shortly. All you need to do is sit still and relax."
He smiled, then turned around and tapped a console in the middle of the room. The drone began to hover back and forth, scanning the patient, and a detailed projection of his body began to form above the console.
"Samples are ready, sir. I'll begin the integration process then start coding the needed routines." "I'll set up the starting beacons then. Precise coordinates will be the hard part though... what's the margin of error?" - he asked while looking at Valders. "About 6... maybe 7 per unit. Is that ok?" "Right." - he muttered. "Well, if I get it wrong, it'll be safe to say I'm not good at Adama manouvers..." - he finished, making both him and Valders laugh for a moment. [An old crayterian idiom: "an Adama manouver" is meant as an expression regarding an action that requires planning, precision and attention to detail, most often under the pressure of time.]
Five minutes later, after plenty of key-hitting, button pressing and a few more words exchanged between Corvin and Valders, both of them exclaimed, almost in unison: "All done." The nanites had finally been prepared and were now ready to be sent to work. Erik took a small pistol-like injector with three syringes from the console Valders had been working at, then walked towards the patient.
"In order to ensure the nanites properly link the newly formed tissue with what already exists, the first batch will have to be implanted somewhat inside the patient." - he began explaining, while looking at nobody in particular - "We've prepared three sets of nanites, each meant to attend a specific part of the arm - namely the bones, the muscles and tendons and then the rest of the protective layers."
The scanner-drone stopped moving, hovering above what remained of the patient's arm, then three small red dots could be seen on his nub. Erik turned to Doreen, raised the injector and asked "Would you like to do the honours, doctor Naggar?"
She just smiled sweetly at his request, "Yes, Dr. Corvin, I would LOVE to have the honors," taking the injector from him. Carefully, she placed it where the three dots were and injected until the contents were now in the patient. Withdrawing it, she placed in on a counter next to her. Now she just sat back, watched and learned.
She was somewhat in thought. She could only hoped that this would work. If it did, what an advance it would be. It would be a game changer in modern medicine. Silently, she prayed that it would.
Benjen quite literally was having the time of his life. Peter kept him occupied. He was "forgetting" that his Mom was working. He never had this luxury on Houston or even Gran Canaria when he was there.
Tired of running, the T.V. was in order. Movies and whatever kids shows were on kept them entertained and laughing. Snack items were plentiful as well. Benjen did have a brief thought of his Mom though and turned to Peter, "So, what are my Mom and your Dad doing? It's been.....forever."
Before activating the nanites, Erik asked a nurse to stay on stand-by with sedatives. He had no idea what to expect in terms of reactions from the patient, this being the first trial with a new technology. He looked at Valders, she nodded, and then all the tension started rising as he pressed one last button on the main console.
The first few moments after this felt like time was frozen... Erik was looking at the man's left arm - what was left of it, that is - expectantly, Come on... he thought to himself. Then, extremely thin layers of green started to appear in the holo-projection from the console. Erik's mind started racing as he turned to look at it and then he checked the numbers. YES. The nanites were working. He turned towards the patient again and there it was... visible progress. Slow, indeed, but you could see - with the naked eye - that tissue was starting to "grow" out of the nub. In the middle, grey-ish bones were taking shape... and just after muscles would start engulfing them.
As minutes passed, the upper arm started coming into shape, slow and steady. Frederick would occasionally moan from pain, to which Valders commented "It's most likely the new nerve cells that are forming that send him pain responses. It's like he has an open wound right now." One of the nurses agreed and applied a moderate sedative. Still, there was no blood coming out of the newly appearing veins, since some of the nanites had temporarily blocked any blood entry points.
After 81 minutes, the nanites had managed to completely reform the man's arm, just beyond his elbow. Everything seemed to be working fine up to this point, even if slower than anticipated, but the main console started flashing. Erik quickly checked it and spoke with a worried tone "Oh my. Apparently the stem-cell cloning process is degrading due to the long usage of the same base samples. If we let it continue like this, there's a chance the rest of his arm might be distorted and nonfunctional." - he tapped a few keys - "Hold on... I'll try to slow the nanites down. Might at least buy us some time."
Obviously, Frederick started to worry, growing slightly agitated, which in turn made some of the others tense as well. Valders looked at Doreen and voiced "Doctor, we'll need another bone-marrow sample to set up a new set of nanites. The quicker the better."
Corvin Estate, New Thessalonica, Planet Yuma, Coronado
5 Aug. 824 A.S.
"So, what are my Mom and your Dad doing? It's been.....forever." "No idea." - Peter replied, with a confused look as well. Only now did he realise it was already noon and he hadn't seen his father since last night. "Uhm, dad's always woLking on something to help people... and your mom is a doctor. Maybe they're helping people togetheL?"
After a few moments of thought, staring at Ben, Peter rose from the couch and asked "Wanna call 'em? Dad says I can always call."
Doreen didn't hesitate. She quickly drew another sample and handed it to Dr. Valders. Beyond that, she could only continue to watch with awe. It reminded her of a time when she was in grade school watching a sped up video of a growing plant. It kind of reminded her of it but this time, it was human flesh. It was just incredible.
At the sound of a moan, she checked the pilot. She knew that she gave him enough sedative and made sure the drip was steady. It was. As awe inspiring as the whole thing was, it was also frustrating.....frustrating in that all she could really do at this point was watch and learn.
Corvin Estate, New Thessalonica, Planet Yuma, Coronado
Ben's eyes lit up and opened like saucers at the thought of calling. He jumped to his feet and yelled, "Yeah! Let's call!" But then he took a breath and calmed a bit, "But....what if we get into trouble? I mean, we might be bothering them."
He thought again. He missed his Mom and he liked Mr. Corvin as well. He smiled and shrugged, "Yeah, let's call them."
Doreen's quick reaction was in synergy with Samantha's. She immediately prepared a new smaller set of nanites that would finish the job. Luckily, this time she didn't need to write all the AI routines since linking them to the older nanites could work too. As Erik was about to merge the two sets and let them continue the reforming process, his wrist tingled and he noticed an orange beeping - a call from home. The whole commotion in the lab left him uneasy at this point, so receiving a sudden call from Peter only made him slightly paranoid and worried. He finished the nanite setup, then rushed out of the room, taking his holo-pad with him "Excuse me."
Outside, he tapped the pad with haste and inquired, while attempting not to sound worried "Peter, is everything alright?." "Uhhh... no. Ben and I were just wondeLing what you and his mom are doing. It's been so long..." - he sighed and let his eyes drop a bit - "I'm soLLy... did we bother you?" "Oh." Erik laughed, relieved - "No, it's fine. Here... let me get his mom."
As Erik returned to the lab for a second to ask Doreen to step out, Valders commented "The process is steady, sir. We're back with green across the board."
The more she watched, the more excited she became. It was always rewarding to watch one's hard work and research pay off. She herself felt a bit gratified. She promised the pilot that he would be O.K. She hadn't figured on this. The reaction he would have when he came too and would notice his arm will indeed be priceless.
"Peter, is everything alright?."
Doreen turned at the sound of Erik talking to Peter. She was nervous and her face showed it. At Erik's insistence, she stepped out of the lab with him. Then she heard Benjen's voice in the halo-pad.
"Hi, Mommy," he hollered.
She smiled, "Hi, Sweetie! Are you having fun?"
"Yeah," he replied. His voice went a bit more solemn, "Mom, when are you coming home?"
She snickered a bit as her heart warmed, tossing a quick smile toward Erik, "Soon, Honey. Mommy had a lot of work to do. Mr. Corvin and are working together to save lives."
"Oh," he said, "I miss you."
Her smiled softened up a bit. They weren't normally apart for so long. "I miss you too, Sweetie. I promise, when I get back, I'll make you some of your favorite, Sauerbraten and some Kasespatzle.......for all of us."
"Really?" piped up Benjen, "Oh Wow! Hurry, Mom, come home." Doreen started laughing while he got excited.
"Yes, really, Sweetie," she replied pulling her hair off of her neck. "Now, stay out of trouble and let us finish. The longer we talk, the later I get home, Right?"
"OK, Mom," he answered.
She then gave a shout out to Peter, "Peter, you two have fun but stay out of trouble."
She then stepped away to let Erik finish. While he did, he went to pour another cup of coffee.
When he finished, she was still chuckling. She was smiling toward Erik, "Those two. They play like they've been friends forever."
After Doreen finished speaking with her son, Erik couldn't stop himself from smiling a bit at the sight of a lovely mother-son moment. He empathised with her. He took back the holo-pad and ended the call by telling Peter "You know, if you get bored, you can always activate the ball-field outside... Anyway, I'll be home soon." A typical suggestion along the lines of "go play outside, move around, don't sit inside all day. He himself sniffed, amused at the thought.
"Those two. They play like they've been friends forever."
A smirk from Erik "Much like my brother and I, back in the day... You know, it's really nice to see Peter having someone he enjoys spending time with."
Both Doreen and Erik then returned to the lab. In the minutes they've been away, another portion of Frederick's had been reformed by the nanites, up to the wrist. "Shouldn't be long now... Ten minutes at most." Valders added. "Sounds good." Erik nodded, content that the crisis had been averted and their project was about to prove amazingly useful.
Eventually, the nanites finished the job, the patient now having his entire left arm back in place as if it had never been missing. Erik and Valders checked their respective equipment, ensuring that everything was alright and the nanites entered the desintegration phase. Being based on zinc, they would quickly self-destruct, leaving only inert molecular materials behind, that would eventually be absorbed by the body and used as resources.
Everyone was relieved, but the two scientists didn't start cheering just yet. After he checked the final numbers, Erik commented "It's not over yet. While there's no risk of rejection, considering the new arm is made entirely from his DNA, there's still a chance something might have gone wrong in its internal structure. Plus, right now the arm is being filled by fluids, blood... and the brain is probably accommodating with the new neurological input."
He turned to Doreen and the medical crew as a whole "Our part is done here. He should be moved to someplace more comfortable and you need to observe his progress. Please let us know the moment he wakes up and what the results are." It was clearly time for them to start packing up the equipment, since the operation was over and... hopefully... a complete success.
"You know, if you get bored, you can always activate the ball-field outside... Anyway, I'll be home soon."
She turned to him confused in a good sort of way. "Ball field?" Before he could answer, it was back to the lab.
A look of pure surprise was on Doreen's face. Her eyes opened wide as she looked at the newly made arm. She took out her scanner and began scanning it from shoulder to fingertip, her head moving up and down the arm with it.
"This is........amazing," she commented, "Simply amazing." She continued scanning. A strong pulse indicated improving blood flow. "I don't see anything internally wrong yet," she mentioned. "I'm seeing all positive to this point."
She waited a few minutes as she examined the skin. It was smooth....new. "This is just.....I mean.....wow."
But before she tried to move it, she took a clean needle and poked his hand at the root of each finger. Each one twitched as she did. The nerves were intact. That was as far as she went for the moment. It was time to let his body adjust to the new limb before moving it or therapy. She just turned to Erik and Samantha, "You two did it! I just.....don't know what to say."
She tried not to get more excited than she already was. [color=#FFBF00"Our part is done here. He should be moved to someplace more comfortable and you need to observe his progress. Please let us know the moment he wakes up and what the results are." ][/color]
"I think we should celebrate our success," she stated. "I promised Ben some dinner. How about I make it for us all?"