June 17, 3553

  Texas

  Standing in front of his bathroom mirror strategically located at the far end of his large office, Doctor Pryce looks over himself carefully. Meeting his eyes in the mirror, he stares into the darkness within his brown eyes. “Well, aren’t you a handsome man. I’m actually a bit jealous.” He says with a slight grin. The lights flicker on and off in his office; he doesn't bat an eye then glances at one side of his face than the other. He grazes his smooth dark skin and the stubble on his cheek and chin with the knuckles of his fingers. He picks up a small tube emitting a light from the corner of his sink and begins shaving his face. An explosion from outside shakes the building rattling the loose items around his office. He doesn't budge, continuing to shave as cracks form across the mirror. The loud echoes of the alarms ringing, people screaming, babies crying, hospital staff barking orders, patients praying, and a woman's voice shouting names over the intercom system all combine into a chaotic hum passing through the thin opening of the sliding metal door.

  Beep, Beep.

  "Doctor Pryce, doctor Pryce." Nurse Susan says as she enters the room, trying to catch her breath. Strands of her short blonde hair are stuck to the side of her face from sweating. The buttons of her blouse uniform are misaligned with coffee and condiment stains adding to her disheveled look.

  “Shhhhh. Today will be a day we all will remember for more than an eternity. A child born on a day such as this can only mean it’s the birth of a god.” Doctor Pryce says, slowly walking out from the back, placing his fingers over her lips.

  The hologram image of a male news reporter appears against the wall catching their attention.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a more destructive storm than any other storm in recorded history. For the past nine months that we've been tracking this storm, we still have no idea of the cause. We have about fifty Anemology engineers trying to maintain control of the winds reaching havoc arrow the surrounding areas, but this is nothing like anyone's ever encountered before. Many have tragically lost their lives, and the rest lack the skills and combined strength to stop it. Any able-bodied volunteers with still working crafts are urgently requested to assist. So please get in touch with us immediately. God help us all."

  The two distracted by the alarming message stated by the news anchor. “So it looks like tonight may prove to be a bit difficult for us. Did you find what I asked you for?" Doctor Pryce asks while taking his time buttoning his shirt.

  "Um, what?"

  "My patient, Ms. Andrews? Did you get what I asked you for?"

  "Oh, oh yes, here it is. This is all that I was able to get before the pharmacy dispenser was disabled," Suzan responds by extending her hand and showing him the remaining doses of neuropeptide medication.

  "Good, bring it with you, and let's save two lives today. Let’s bring some joy into what’s turning out to be a bad day.” He responds, flashing a smile with his bright white teeth as he leaves the room. He glides through the masses cluttered in the halls with ease as if it was tall grass—Susan trails behind, struggling to keep up.

  The two make it to the delivery room and are immediately greeted by the second delivery nurse Patty.

  "Thank God you made it back. I need some help in here." Patty says. Patty's face flushed, her hair loosely wrapped in a bun on the verge of coming apart.

  Susan's face turns pale as she gazes toward Ms. Andrews lying in bed. Her body looks malnourished and ill in the blue-grey hospital maternity gown given to her. Her hair looks over-processed and dry as straw. Her face is sunken in, revealing the bone structure of her face.

  "I, I just left her maybe ten minutes ago. She didn't look like that when I left. What happened?" Susan says.

  Doctor Pryce moves close to the delivery table, looking over the hologram device displaying the information above Ms. Andrews. He places his hand on her head, gently rubbing his thumb across her forehead looking deep into her eyes. "Renea Andrews, my, you're so beautiful right now. Not many would be strong enough to endure an ordeal like this, but I believe you are. You have shown your strength through these trying times, and it has been a blessing to be here to witness it. As life and death tug on your soul, I am in awe of you. This is a moment that will never be forgotten, where you can almost touch the fingers of God and death simultaneously. You don't have anything to fear. You can relax now. I will ensure that both of you make it to see the glories of this world."

  The building rattles, loose objects can be heard clanking around the metal paneled walls as they fall breaking the awkward silence in the room. The two nurses simultaneously look at one another puzzled by Doctor Pryce’s words.

  "Doc, uh Doctor Pryce, are you ok today?" Susan asks.

  "Why yes, I'm wonderful. I couldn’t tell you if I wanted to but I just feel as though I’m reborn again today. Are you ladies ready to proceed?" Doctor Pryce turns to look at each of them with a grin.

  "Uh yes," Susan replies

  "Yes, sir," Patty says.

  "Let's get her on her side so I can administer this neuropeptide shot before the power goes out again. This will help with the pain to get that baby out without so much fuss, ok." Doctor Pryce says, sitting closely next to her.

  Renea twists her body and screams at every contraction. The nurses rush to grab hold of her, cutting her hand on a small metal edge of the warped railing along the bed table.

  "Ma'am, we will turn you to your side for just a sec, ok? This will hurt, but it will make you feel better, ok?" Susan says.

  The nurses gently move her onto her side. The crackling of her bones rings out as she shifts over. Clutching the bedsheets as the nurses turn her, the softly tucked sheet undone.

  "My God, look at her back. I can see her entire vertebrae, wait where’s that blood from. Oh lord her wrist has a small cut.” Patty says. Renea cries out as the nurses hold onto her to keep her calm while attempting to heal her.

  "Is your craft working at all?" Susan asks

  "No, I'm barely able to do anything at all. The small cut on her wrist isn't healing. We'll have to get something to wrap it for now until we’re able to use our crafts again." Patty says holding her shaky hands over Renea’s injury trying to use her healing craft.

  Both veteran nurses have tried using their crafts to calm and heal Renea but to no avail, and now a chilling fear fills the rooms. In one night an advanced society brought back to the stone ages of existing in life. Without their crafts to heal, calm storms or even provide power everyone is at a loss as to how to exist.

  "Ladies, I need you two to settle down, keep trying to use your crafts to heal her as best as you can. I know it's hard, and it doesn't seem to be working but keep at it. We haven’t come this far in the evolutionary change for us to revert back. Ok let me try something here that may help us all out.” Says Doctor Pryce.

  "Ma'am, you need to relax. Everything is going to be ok. Just give me a few minutes to read your mind and relax your body. This will help me administer the shot.” Doctor Pryce moves his hands to his temples trying to activate his craft a neuralink to read Renea's mind and help ease her pain. The lens on his wrist flickers a dull blue, and flashes blue in his normally brown eyes. He motions to inject her with the neuropeptide shot.

  "I'm having a bit of trouble reading your thoughts, ma'am. Just relax a bit so I can help you." Frowning, Doctor Pryce tries harder and harder to penetrate Renea's mind. The Still holding onto Ms. Andrews while trying to administer the shot.

  "Her blood pressure is rising fast." Says Susan.

  "Uh, this is strange. I need another needle. This one broke against her back," says Dr. Pryce.

  The nurses in the room turn to look at Dr. Pryce in bewilderment. "Hand me another needle if you don't mind. Don't worry, Ms. Andrews this will only take a sec we have and extra.”Extending his hand gesturing for another needle. He leans in close to Ms. Andrews and whispers in her ear. “It seems you have the skin of a yellow lens. That's a very rare trait for a blue lens? The administration machines rarely make a mistake when determining crafts placement. What are you hiding Renea?” Doctor Pryce chuckles.

  The hospital shakes violently and cracks run up the walls, shattering all the windows on one side of the room. Rainwater pours in fast and hard. The water runs down the walls into the flooring, which soon cuts power to the room. The faint blue glow of lenses on the staff's left hands barely illuminates the room. The dim reflections from the different yellow and blue lenses from outside the room shine into the small window in the door.

  "I'll cover up that hole with something to stop that water from getting in. Can you hold her for a second?" Susan asks Patty

  "Go ahead, Susan; we can manage for a few minutes." Doctor Pryce says.

  "What in the world is happening today?" Susan asks.

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  "A god is born today, and the earth is parting with some of its soul." Dr. Pryce responds steadily, injecting the medicine to calm Renea. A drop of water drips on his forehead. The drops of water catch his attention, and when he looks up, he notices the ceiling tile is soaked and still accumulating water, as dark spots in the what was once white tile are now a dark gray, almost black. He looks around the room to notice water dripping but continues his work.

  "Uh sir?" says Patty,

  "What is it?" Doctor Pryce replies.

  "Um…sir, you're bleeding," Patty says again.

  "What, no, it's probably just the dirt from the wet ceiling tile dripping down from above. Don't worry, with all that's going on, a little dirty water isn't bother me." He replies.

  "Sir, that's blood running down from the side of your head." Patty expresses.

  Doctor Pryce looks down at the table, and a few droplets of blood have stained the medical paper. Then slowly looks at the flickering blue lens on his left hand as another drop of blood splatters on the arm of his overcoat.

  "Oh, um, that's strange, isn't it." He says, stumbling over his words.

  "Sir, are you ok? Did something come through the window and hit you?" Patty says.

  "Probably, but I'll be fine."

  "Ok, let me at least get something to help cover that up," Patty says as she gets up from behind Renea. "Oh my, what my I asked happened here?" Patty says, looking at the partially covered scar on his head.

  "Oh, just an accident that happened when I was a child." Doctor Pryce responds quickly.

  "It's funny that I've never noticed you had this before?" She mumbled.

  "Please help me, save my baby," Renea says. She winces as she reaches out to touch the Doctor's arm. Her frail arm and boney fingers deteriorate right before his eyes.

  "My God, you are freezing! Get her some blankets. How's that window coming, Susan?" He says as he grabs Renea's hand.

  "Just finishing up now. I'm not sure how long this will hold," Susan replies

  "I want to keep her as comfortable as possible and not move her too much. Plus, nothing's working. It would be hell moving her to another room with the crowd out there, including moving up the stairs. So let's do our best to keep the water from falling on her. Get something, anything you can find, to stop this water from coming through the door, and let's try to manage what we can to keep her away from the machines just in case they come back on again. There's no telling what will happen when that happens, and I don't want to be near it." Dr. Pryce says, pushing away from Renea to look down at his feet submerged in water.

  The slow water drips from the ceiling tile have become a steady flow. "How is there more water coming down from above us?" Patty asks.

  "It's coming from the floors up above. I don't think we've done much to stop water from coming in with the curtains. I'm sure the floors above and below us probably did the same thing we did, and I'm sure they're being flooded." Susan says.

  "Please, help me, please." Renea pleads, and Renea begins hyperventilating.

  "Ma'am, you've gotta stay calm, please. Susan, get me something to calm her down." Doctor Pryce says.

  "Like what? I don't know if we have anything that will work on her since nothing else seems to be working."

  "Do we have any of the sponge spores?" Dr. Pryce asks.

  "Are you serious, the spores?"

  "Yes, the spores. What's wrong?" He turns looking at both nurses.

  "But sir, she hasn't been properly diagnosed for it, and we-"

  "Well, we don't know what will work at this point, but I know she's strong enough to handle it. Something about her and the things going on today tells me we're about to witness something special." He declared, interrupting Susan.

  The two women, frozen from his strange response, stared at him.

  "Ladies, relax. How many of these have we done together? Have a little faith in me. I want us all to come out of this on a positive note. Just think, when we accomplish this, we will be the first to ever deliver a baby in this hospital without AI assistance. Trust me.” He says, winking at them both and flashing a large smile.

  "Um, ok… sure, here you go, sir," Patty says, gazing at Renea's face.

  "Are you sure everything is ok, Doctor? You're acting very odd today." Patty says.

  "Hey, both of you look at me…it's going to be all right. I didn't wake up to see someone die today. The spores will fight off any infection she may have, and I guess she can use all the help we can get since nothing else is working."

  "But what about-"

  "Yes, I know the risk of mixing it with manufactured drugs, but we're out of options right now. So you ladies have to trust me. You do trust me, right?" So he pauses to make eye contact with the nurses again.

  "Ok, ok!"

  "We'll have only a few moments to administer the neuropeptide after giving her the spores, so we have to move quickly, got it?” Doctor Pryce says.

  "Yes, sir."

  "We got it, sir," Patty says, looking at Susan, shrugging her shoulders.

  Screams from outside in the room escalate.

  "Whoa, sounds like things are escalating out there. Did either one of you find the needle yet?" Doctor Pryce says as he hums to himself, not making eye contact with them but gazing into Renea's eyes.

  The two nurses jump too and frantically search through small bins using just the glow from their lenses. The building lights suddenly illuminate, and cheers of laughter and joy fill the space for a moment but are soon silenced by the return of the chaotic noise. The nurses sigh in relief as the light brings them comfort. The energizing of the electronics and machines around light up, adding to their joy.

  Patty quickly grabs another needle from one of the bins, now unlocked, then passes it to the Doctor. Dr. Pryce begins to slowly insert the needle into Renea's lower back. Calm and focused, he guides the hand in, blood from his wound blending with the sweat streaming down his face as he works. She screams as he pushes the needle in slowly but forcefully, trying not to break this one. The nurses surround her and hold her still as she squirms. Patty looks at her back and then begins pressing around the area where the neuropeptide was inserted.

  "The neuropeptide isn't taking. Her body is resisting the meds." Patty says.

  The nurses struggle to keep her calm as she kicks her legs wildly in and out of the stirrups.

  Patty grabs her hand and says, "Ma'am, I know it hurts, but you must relax. It's the only way we can help you. If you want to save your baby, please help us."

  Renea lies back on the bed, twisting and turning her body again, and screaming.

  The sound of the heart monitor goes off, and she looks at the machine with stress-filled eyes.

  "This isn't a normal pregnancy…something is seriously wrong here," Susan says under her breath to Dr. Pryce.

  "Yeah, she needs to have this baby now, or we will lose her." He responds

  Renea leans forward and lets out another bone-chilling screech. Susan adjusts the bed underneath Renea's back to make her more comfortable.

  "PUSH! Push hard!" Patty yells.

  Doctor Pryce glances at Renea's left hand and sees her lens light flickering in a strange, slowly pulsating pattern.

  "Doctor," She says, but he doesn't respond. “Doctor." She says again a bit louder, but to no avail. "Doctor!"

  Dr. Pryce finally looks up with his eyebrows slanted, brow wrinkled, and mouth twisted.

  "Uh yes, yes, sorry about that. Come on, Renea, push. You're almost there. Give us one good last push."

  “Aaahhhh." Renea yells.

  "Look." She points down to Renea's lens. Doctor Pryce, not paying attention, cradles the newborn baby boy in his arms. Everything in the room is silent, and no one is moving or making a sound.

  The dead silence is cut by the cries of new life. The baby's cries seem to ease everyone's nerves.

  Immediately following the birth, the quakes stop, the wind beating against the walls goes silent and heavy rain suddenly clears. The sudden jerk and jolting motions of the multiple cybernetic medical machines in the room regaining their functionality startles the nurses.

  Dr. Pryce stands up with the crying baby in his arms.

  "Well, hello, my friend. You sure picked a day to be born, didn't you. You seem to be the miracle that stopped all this.” Doctor Pryce says, swaying back and forth with his face pressed against the baby boy's cheeks.

  "Uh, sir, the baby should be in the warming membrane chamber now that it's working. Can I take him?" Susan says extending her arms for the baby.

  "Oh yes, sure, what am I thinking? Here you go."

  Susan takes the baby to a soft gel-like platform with sea anemone tentacles that reach out to the baby. The tentacles carefully place the baby in the center of its core. The tentacles wrap around the baby, keeping him warm, calming him, and quieting his crying. The tentacles begin rubbing all over the baby's body with a small delicate electrical charge, cleaning the baby's body of any harmful bacteria. Several thin snake-like instruments rise from small openings in the grated metal flooring and begin moving around the baby to scan him, piercing through the bubble and injecting the baby with vaccinations. The machines revolve around the boy like planets around the sun. They scan the boy, retrieving his information and recording the craft he'll soon possess. The baby's information reads off the screen.

  "Oh my lord Renea, Renea." Patty shouts, turning her attention back to her.

  "Hey, my craft is working again. I'll use it to revive her?" Susan says.

  "No," Dr. Pryce responds. "Things have been inconsistent today, and I don't want to risk it. The number of drugs she's taken today would put too much stress on her and you to try to remove it from her body to heal her."

  The bed flattens, stretching out Renea's body. Hoses drop from the ceiling, and one of the nurses grabs the nasal end of the hose, gently placing it over Renea's nose and mouth.

  "Starting the resuscitation electrodes," Susan says as she presses a button on the side of the bed activating the medical devices.

  The resuscitation electrodes begin to move. The electrodes look like two silver circular disks no bigger than the size of silver dollars that emerge up from beneath the bed. One electrode moves into position over Renea's chest, and the other moves to her back, sliding underneath her body to get behind the heart. Electrical pulses charge through her body in an attempt to restart her heart.

  The equipment slows as another machine emerges from the wall. A silver metal arm with a clawed edge on the end implants the identification lens on the baby's hand. The baby cries.

  "Eight pounds, thirteen ounces, and psychokinetic blue lens craft." The machine rattles off. Renea suddenly snaps back to life and lunges her body up from the bed, inhaling deeply, startled and in a panic. She turns her head from side to side, frantically looking around for her baby.

  "My baby!" Renea sputters.

  "He's fine, ma'am…but you are going to have to relax," Patty says, pushing her back down onto the bed.

  Susan moves over to check the machine's progress. She glances down at the lens on the baby's hand and notices that it's an odd maroon color. She leans over to take a closer look at the color of the lens, and it appears to be shifting between colors. "Uh, sir, you might want to look at this."

  Renea struggling to keep her eyes open, reaches out to her baby, her lens not illuminated as she uses the last bit of her strength. Renea extends her hand, pointing at her son, and sending signals to him. She uploads as much of her code as she can and notices small sparkles in a circular pattern forming what looks to be a small crown around the baby's head, only visible by her eyes. The crown around the baby's head resembles grains of salt. The crown suppresses the baby's craft, turning the lens on his wrist a bright blue.

  "Well, let me see, what do we have here?" Dr. Pryce says as he motions over to examine the baby boy's lens. Then he looks at the information on the hologram. "Well, everything looks to be in order."

  "It was an odd color a minute ago," Susan says.

  "With what we've all been through today, I'm sure you're just exhausted. We all are. The baby is fine and healthy so let the machines take it from here. Looks like a nice blue color to me."

  A muffled thump startles the team as they turn to find Renea lying, eyes closed on the bed.

  "She's had a rough day. Let's let her sleep for a bit." Doctor Pryce says, moving back towards Renea. He pulls the bunched-up blanket at the foot of the bed up to her chest. "Sleep now. You've done amazing today. I'm so proud of you. I can't say it enough." Doctor Pryce stands over her, gently grazing her cheek.