Gears - Log On, Log Off

     They had brought her in a little over a week ago. He had not understood the reason for capturing her, but she had proven useful. Her false eye and wrist brace were so primitive – hard to believe that a few hundred years ago the west had lead the world in technology. Ever since World War Three, they had fallen behind, and his country, his Japan, had lead the way. They were only trying to help the Allied West. Perhaps the want for control of the continent had been a bit much, but all would have benefited in the end. This war was pointless. Japan was the obvious winner, what with their superior technology and much more organized army. Yet the AWA was still fighting back. They were not about to surrender.
     He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked up at the woman suspended in the machine. Metal ports for the tubes gleamed on her arms and legs, closed off to the solution that surrounded her. The surgery for those ports had been long and difficult, and she was one of the few test subjects that had not died during the process.
     He mused that she was beautiful, in a way. He had never seen a Minoan before, but they really didn’t look too different then humans. Their ears, hooves and tails reminded him of cattle, and thus, he had never really understood the attraction some of his fellow humans had to them. But this one in front of him was really rather good-looking. She was quiet pale, and her face was rather sharp, and her head, which had been completely shaven, had the same odd shape that all people’s heads did, but still. Her figure was somewhat impressive, and she was quite thin.
     But she was still a Minoan, and, what’s more, a test subject. She would probably be dead in a few weeks, her body having shut down from all the machinery and medication inside of her. It was best not to get attached to her. He looked back down at the screen.
     He typed a few commands on the keyboard, and the machine gave out a small hissing noise as the tubes disconnected themselves from the interior walls. They snaked out, their mechanical eyes searching for their ports. One by one, they found the ports, which slid open and allowed for the tubes to connect. Another flick of his fingers across the keyboard, and liquid started to flow through the tubes into the subject’s veins.
     He sat back and waited. This procedure was done three times a day, and lasted an hour each time. He had to watch the screens and make sure nothing went wrong. Though, if something did, he really had no power to stop it.

     The tubes had just begun to recoil themselves into the machine when he felt a small pressure on his shoulder. It did not really hurt, but was a bit strange. It only lasted a few seconds, then was cut off by his vision fading. Everything went black, and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

     maX released the man’s shoulder, and he slipped to the floor, unconscious. He stepped over the sleeping figure, and looked at the computer screen. Though he was unable to read the Japanese figures, he could understand the vital sign readings. All were high – Isaac was still alive.
     He walked to the great machine. It was seven feet high and fashioned out of metal and glass. Built into the wall, it extended out a few feet, and cradled Isaac’s body like a giant hand. A curved sheet of glass gave means for observing her status, as well as entering or removing her from the apparatus. It was filled with some sort of liquid, and a small mask covered her nose and mouth, supplying her oxygen.
     He working his fingers under the glass, and slowly began to pull the lid off of its locks. The solution streamed from the tank, splashing around his feet. The metal groaned as it was torn apart from the glass. It was fully opened in mere moments, and all that remained in the tank was Isaac.
     The Minoan’s head flopped to one side, the breathing mask useless now. maX gently reached up  and removed the mask from her face, and her breathing faltered for a moment as it tried to get used to the unfiltered air again. He then reached around her waist and lifted her out of the tank. He was slightly worried about how light she was. She had probably not been in contact with solid foods since she had been taken here.
     He set her on the clean tile floor and checked her pulse. It was quickened a little now that she was out of the machine, but she seemed otherwise fine. He removed his coat and laid it upon her nude form, and, as though possessed, it wrapped itself around her, warming and drying her.
     maX bent and picked her up again, then started for the door of the room.