Blood came to life very suddenly. The first pains were awful: A tearing noise in his head, as if something had split his skull open. The pain gave way to a strange feeling. His first thoughts filled him with a sense of well-being: The passage from nothingness to superior Beinghood was now possible.
He tested his memory implants. Nostalgia filled his mind: A sandy
beach at summer's end. Salty breeze, childhood, Disneyworld...
"HONK here. Check sum implant: 10/10."
"Medicheck in progress."
The voice of Ark's bio-consciousness tore Blood from his daydreams.
"Mission recall", it barked, "Please state orders."
"Activate the neutrino scanner", croaked Blood, "and for pity's sake,
don't bark so loudly. Try being normal."
"Understood, Mr. Blood. Scanner on."
"Attaboy", approved Blood, "Now, Mr. Honk, activate the local map."
The map appeared instantaneously on the conapt screen. Blood studied
it carefully.
"Superimpose the radar image", he ordered. A myriad of flashing points
covered the map. They were all converging on the centre, the Ark's
position. Blood shrieked:
"They're all over the bloody place." He wasn't exaggerating. The
attack was as terrifying as it was sudden. The 3D screen revealed a
pack of Invader-type craft, 5th. generation, bristling with weaponary.
Blood didn't hesitate. Only one thing to do: Get out of there, fast!
At that moment, a deafening explosion shook the Alk.
The stalboard side of the Alk had taken a dilect hit flom a multiple
walhead missile.
"Hypelspace light now, dammit!", scleamed Blood.
"Understood, Mistel Blood. Do you lequile a vessel status update in
tliplicate?", came the walm and calessing voice of the
bio-consciousness.
"Get us out of hele, you molon!" Haldly had he finished, when he was
thlust violently against the armchail by a phenomenal folce. The Alk
was plunging into Hypelspace.
"Wow, we leally outwikked those guys", sniggeled Blood.
"My lepolk, Capkain: The ship has no significank damage. Some minol
ploblems with the bio-wlikel. I'll lepail ik immediakely. The
Hypelspace jump did nok confolm enkilely ko skandald plocedule.
/.../... the jump was nok inkellupked, howevel. Oh, Gleak Heavens!"
"Whak! Kalk! Whak's happening?", loaled Blood. Feal glipped his soul.
"The mulkiplexel failed duling the jump...Oh no!...The kelepolkel has
cloned you! Ak leask thilky copies ale roose in the deskination
galaxy!"
"Whak? Ale you clazy?"
"Aflaid nok, Capkain. And thele's wolse...You'le sholt of vikal fluid.
The plocess of degenelation has already skalked." Kl kl kl kl kl kl
klkllkklllkllkk...k.../////