Michael Brachman's Blog: Tales of the Vuduri, page 32

Let's go for a ride

Yesterday, Dr. MINIMCOM proposed an audacious plan to inject Rei with the "tamed" VIRUS units called constructors and rebuild Rei's crushed spine from the inside out in the early portion of Rome's Evolution. MINIMCOM had shown Rome, Rei and Dr. Montrell a visual of the technique. Today he describes the step-by-step methodology he planned to employ:

     “What?!” Rome cried out, fear creeping into her voice. “You would inject Rei with VIRUS units?”
     “Constructors, yes,” MINIMCOM said calmly.
     “You’re going to inject me with VIRUS units?” Rei said, restating the obvious. “How do you know they won’t just eat me up from the inside?” he asked worriedly.
     “You yourself have dealt with them before. They will do exactly what we ask and no more. When they are done, they will shut down and your body will eventually absorb them.”
     Rome’s eyes narrowed. “MINIMCOM, have you ever performed this type of procedure before?”
     “No,” answered the livetar. “And I do agree there is a difference between theory and practice, I propose that I try this technique to heal Rei’s broken skull first. I will rebuild the missing section in layers by using a miniature null-fold and transport some dura mater, bone, muscle and so forth then some scalp. The VIRUS units will assemble them in the proper form. That should be enough to fine-tune the methodology. If I cannot do that, then I will reject the technique as unworkable.”
     Russell Montrell shook his head and turned back to Rei. “I’ve heard some incredible things about your ship but this? It sounds impossible to me.”
     Rei looked up at him. “If MINIMCOM says he can do it, that’s good enough for me. That explosion was caused by a bomb. I saw it. Somebody tried to kill me. And whoever did this is still out there. How am I going to protect my wife and child from a wheelchair? No, I’m in.” Rei turned to the livetar. “I’m all yours, buddy.”
     “Very well,” MINIMCOM said. “However, to guarantee the best chance for success, I would like to do this while you are weightless. I need to reduce the stress on your spine as much as possible. Which means we must go into space.”
     Rei turned back to his wife. “What’ya say we go for a ride?”
     Rome smiled bravely and nodded.

Wow. Rei really does have faith in MINIMCOM. As I mentioned previously, it was important that I get Rei up and around as quickly as possible but not fully functional so that Rome could lead the charge. I also needed this surgical technique to turn a trick later on in the book. I also employed this when poor Aason Bierak got his hand cut off in the middle of The Milk Run but that is a story for another day.

Calling Dr. MINIMCOM

Yesterday, Rei Bierak, along with you the reader, found out that his back had been crushed and he was now paralyzed from the waist down in the beginning of Rome's Evolution. But as I also mentioned yesterday, I had no intention of leaving him that way. After all, this is the 35th century.

Here is where MINIMCOM explains how he might go about repairing what would be unimaginable today:

     “Not necessarily,” MINIMCOM interjected.
     All eyes turned to him. “What do you mean?” Rome asked.
     “OMCOM sent along the complete capabilities of Rei’s genetic enhancements when he delivered our clone. It is well within Rei’s capabilities to heal himself.”
     “I’d like to hear this,” Russell said stepping toward the end of the bed. “How is that remotely possible?”
     The livetar held up his hand and the air shimmered in front of him. The palms of his hands morphed into holo-projectors. The image displayed was a three-dimensional projection of a portion of the human spine.
     “OMCOM gave Rei a pill five years ago. It contained an extra chromosome which gives Rei some rather unique capabilities. Among other things, it was specifically designed to enhance and restore his spine.”
     MINIMCOM twitched his hand and separated the 3D image into two sections. “All I would need to do would be to reform his crushed vertebrae back to their original structures and open up the central canal.”
     A section of the simulated spinal cord glowed red. Individual long, thin threads of axons and dendrites glowed with a downward wave connecting the upper section to the lower section. MINIMCOM added an animation of sparkles which presumably represented neural impulses.
     “Once his spinal cord has been freed, Rei’s natural, or perhaps unnatural, recuperative powers will do the rest of the work. His brain will re-energize or even re-wire the spinal cord as needed. Within a month or so, his spine would be completely and totally healed.”
     Rei shook his head slowly. “I know you can do just about anything but this? Are you going to cut me open?”
     “That will not be necessary.”
     “Then how are you going to see in there? How will you know what to fix?”
     “I will not be able to see directly,” MINIMCOM replied. He smiled slightly. “However there are some ladies who I am certain would be willing to help.”
     “What?!” Rome cried out, fear creeping into her voice. “You would inject Rei with VIRUS units?”
     “Constructors, yes,” MINIMCOM said calmly.
     “You’re going to inject me with VIRUS units?” Rei said, restating the obvious. “How do you know they won’t just eat me up from the inside?” he asked worriedly.

Ewww. MINIMCOM is going to inject Rei with nanites? Well, I guess in the modern world that no longer seems like such a bizarre concept but it is something that my imagined world of the late 21st century never really conquered. I'd like to know more. Perhaps tomorrow, MINIMCOM can explain the proposed technique in more detail.

Brokeback Mountain

Yesterday, we saw Rei being informed that his lower back had been smashed by something heavy in the explosion that almost took his life. Now I had no intention of leaving my hero paralyzed. I needed him up and around and active. But the aftermath of the accident allow me to introduce several dramatic elements that would come in handy down the road.

     “What about my legs?” Rei asked. “What’s wrong with my legs? How come they don’t hurt?”
     Russell’s shoulders sagged. “The lumbar section of your spine was smashed. The L3, L4 and L5 vertebrae were crushed. I’m afraid they’ve pinched off your spinal cord.”
     “What!?” Rei exclaimed, trying to sit up. “What are you saying?” He looked down at his feet trying once again to move them.
     “I’m saying your legs no longer function. You are paralyzed from the waist down.”
     Rei was stunned. He had trouble coming to terms with the concept. “You mean, like permanently? You’re saying there is no way I’ll get better?” he whispered.
     “We’ll put a plate in your skull. Your bones will knit. Your eardrums are almost healed. But there’s nothing we can do about your spine.”
     “No!” Rei exclaimed. He tried with all his might to move his legs. Nothing happened. He turned to face Rome with a panicked look on his face. “Romey, no…”
     Rome put her hand up to his cheek. “It will be OK, Rei. We’ll deal with it.”
     “No!” Rei said angrily. “I’m no good to you this way.” He stared at the Vuduri man standing at the foot of the bed. “You,” he called out. “Are you a doctor?”
     “Yes,” answered the man in a rusty voice. “I have been trained in the medical arts and on this equipment.”
     “So can you fix me?” Rei asked. “You people have all sorts of super-advanced technology.”
     “I am afraid that we do not have the ability to perform a microsurgery in the manner you require.”
     “So I’m stuck this way forever?” Rei lashed out angrily. The Vuduri doctor shrugged. Rei turned to look at Russell but only saw disappointment in his face.
     “I’m sorry, Rei,” he said. “There’s nothing that can be done.”
     “Not necessarily,” MINIMCOM interjected.

I loved the idea of having Rei concussed and somewhat impaired so Rome could take the lead on the investigation. It was time for her to be the "man of action" since Rei has to worry about healing himself.

Tomorrow, calling Dr. MINIMCOM!

Swelling on the brain

Once Rei was fully awake in the beginning of Rome's Evolution, it was time for him to start getting oriented as to time, place and person. The fellow to bring him up to speed is a new character, Russell Montrell. I had to invent him because it occurred to me that you would never send 500 people to a distant star without having some medical personnel. Here is the scene where Russell gives Rei the low-down on his condition:

     “Hello, Rei,” the man to Rei’s right said. “Do you remember me?”
     Rei turned his head slightly to look at the man. “Sure, Russell,” Rei answered. Russell Montrell was the colony’s physician.
     “How’re you doing?” Russell asked him while withdrawing a penlight from his pocket. He moved the tubes connected to Rei’s body aside and waved the penlight back and forth, shining the light into Rei’s pupils, observing their reaction.
     “I hurt everywhere,” Rei answered in a scratchy voice, considering his own words. He scrunched up his face. “Except my legs. They don’t hurt. It’s weird.”
     Russell withdrew the penlight and replaced it in his pocket. He took a deep breath. “You were severely injured. You have a cracked skull. In fact you lost a piece of it. I find it strange to say but you’re actually lucky. You had significant brain swelling and the hole in your head actually allowed the pressure to stay manageable. We only sealed it enough to keep in the cerebrospinal fluid.”
     Rei closed his eyes and focused on the back of his skull. It burned and he could feel the wad of bandages piled up behind his head pressed against the pillow.
     Rei opened his eyes again as Russell continued. “As far as the rest of you, your eardrums were ruptured and you have a broken arm.” Russell tapped on the cast surrounding Rei’s right arm. At least that explained why it felt like there was cotton in his ears. And why his right arm ached more than his left. But there was something in Russell’s tone that made Rei look more intently at the doctor’s face. It wasn’t what Russell was telling him. It was what he wasn’t telling him. Rei looked down at his feet. He tried moving them. Nothing happened.
     “What about my legs?” Rei asked. “What’s wrong with my legs? How come they don’t hurt?”
     Russell’s shoulders sagged. “The lumbar section of your spine was smashed. The L3, L4 and L5 vertebrae were crushed. I’m afraid they’ve pinched off your spinal cord.”

Uh oh. That does not sound good. By the way, the practice of cutting a hole in the skull, called trephining is still in use today although far less than in ancient times. It is used to access portions of the brain or drain off a hematoma. In this case, I used it as a poor man's excuse to prevent Rei's brain from crushing itself. I'm sure modern medicine has better ways of treating the condition but because I am not a doctor, I had no idea. I just write science fiction.

Animatic Awakening 2

Yesterday, I showed you the first few stills of the "awakening" scene from the never-released book trailer for Rome's Evolution. A little bit past yesterday's stills, we see the world clearly as Rei's eyes are, in theory, wide open and he is fully conscious.

Today we continue with two more stills from the opening. Here is the first:



Do you recognize the silhouette? Obviously it is meant to be Rome but there is something much subtler going on here. You may recall when I first started this adventure, I wanted the actress Kelly Brook to play Rome. When I first saw her, she was only 25 years old and played Victoria Hardwick on the TV show Smallville. However, inevitably, she has aged and is now 37 years old, too old to play Rome. I figured by the time I get these books made into a Netflix series, Kelly will be just old enough to play Binoda, Rome's mother. It would be stunt casting that nobody would even understand. But even so, the silhouette is inspired by her.

In the next frame, we get an appearance by none other than MINIMCOM himself:



This is the first time I ever "saw" MINIMCOM in real life. Bruce took my description of the livetar and rendered it into the trailer. It was pretty cool. The only odd thing was the light shining through his eye slits and mouth slit. Again, this is Bruce taking editorial license. If MINIMCOM is all black and the back of his head blocked the light, you would not be able to see these features. So while silly, it is rather effective in making these details observable.

Animatic Awakening 1

Yesterday, I showed you the written scene describing Rei's awakening after being unconscious for two weeks. When my brother Bruce was making the animatic version of the never-released book trailer, he tried to capture this moment cinematically.

However, just like I often take editorial license on reality or force the plot to go a certain way, so too does Bruce take editorial license to illustrate the process. Here are the first few stills:

The first thing you notice is that the "window" of vision is shaped like a human eye. The fact that it is initially blurry is excusable become it is supposed to be from Rei's perspective and he is coming out of a 14-day coma. But how do you explain the shape?

Bruce told me that you can't draw how we see as two separate images. He told me to just squint and I would see exactly the image he drew. I did so and I had to agree with him. This is what our field of vision looks like when we fuse the images of our two eyes. Even if you only open one eye, it looks the same way. So who am I to argue with the artist? Tomorrow, two guest stars.

He's awake!

Yesterday, I showed you how I used Rei's rise to consciousness as a cleverly disguised info-dump to jog your memory on how he got from a frozen passenger aboard the Ark II to lying here in a coma on the world of Deucado, a span of 14 centuries. In a movie, you could see someone involved in a car accident and in the very next scene, wake up in a hospital. There is no need to see the paramedics pull them out of the wreckage or load them onto the ambulance unless it serves a dramatic purpose. I had no such need so that is why we jumped directly into this next scene from Rome's Evolution:

     The bright lights of the room were dazzling. It made Rei blink rapidly. Everything was white. Well everything except for the large black figure, complete with cape, standing with his back to Rei, arms akimbo, set firmly on his hips. Rei looked out the corner of his eye and saw his beautiful Rome dozing off in a chair in what looked like a very uncomfortable position.
     “Rome?” he croaked, barely able to speak.
     Rome’s eyes jolted open. “Rei!” she shouted, jumping up. “You’re awake!” Her smile spread from ear to ear as she raced to his bedside and put her arms around him.
     “Ouch,” he said as she squeezed his shoulders. “Take it easy,” he murmured.
     “I am sorry, mau emir,” Rome said, releasing him then kissing him tenderly. “I was so worried.”
     Rei was finally able to force his other eye open. He tried looking about the room. “Where am I?” he asked.
     The large black figure at the base of his bed turned around. It was MINIMCOM’s livetar, his mouth slit curled upward in the largest smile Rei had ever seen on the animated shell.
     “You are in a hospital in Vuduri City,” Rome said, caressing his forehead gently.
     “What happened?”
     “There was an explosion, at our house,” Rome said sadly. “That you survived…”
     “An explosion?” Rei interrupted her, confused, “What…”
     Rome pressed her finger gently to his lips. “Just rest,” she said. “I’ll tell you everything in due time.” She turned her head. “MINIMCOM, will you fetch the doctors, please?”
     “Of course,” replied the livetar and the large black figure strode out the room.
     Rei tried to take a deep breath but a sharp pain in his rib cage cancelled that notion. His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes again. Just their brief conversation had exhausted him. Then he realized he didn’t have to speak out loud to talk to Rome.
     “Is Aason OK?” Rei asked mentally.
     “Yes,” Rome replied. “He is fine. He’s with my parents back at New Ark City. Junior is there as well.”
     “That’s good,” Rei noted with relief. “How long have I been out?”
     “Almost two weeks,” Rome said. “I kept calling to you. You didn’t answer. I was afraid that I lost you.”

Poor Rome. She doesn't have the advantage of writing these books so she has to take things as they come at face value. I would never let my two characters be permanently separated, certainly not by death! Tomorrow, let's see how my brother Bruce envisioned this scene animatically.

The History of Pain

Yesterday, I showed you a few stills from the never-released animatic version of the book trailer for Rome's Evolution. I don't think I could start out a book in an anymore spectacular way so it was time to rev up the engines and forge ahead with the plot.

However, it had been 10 months since the publication of The Ark Lords so I figured I need to put in a little review of how we got here. Rather than do it through a conversation or a lecture, I thought I would have Rei's mind recount past events as it climbed up toward consciousness. So here is an info-dump disguised as Rei coming out of his coma:

     Pain has its own chronology. The simplest and easiest to remember is visceral pain, the kind that goes down in the gut and radiates from there. Like the pain Rei felt the first time he ran the marathon or the pain he felt when they froze him alive. Rei also remembered the pain when the auto-defibrillators incorrectly concluded his heart did not start and shocked him an extra time upon being reanimated. The misguided life-saving gesture almost killed him.
     Next in line was the pain Rei remembered when he almost asphyxiated in the Vuduri airlock, a result of Estar trying to kill him. He also remembered the pain in his back from 1400 years of degeneration that OMCOM cured with his magic pill.
     As Rei’s consciousness bubbled up and he became more aware, he remembered emotional pain, like the pain of leaving his parents behind as he traveled to the stars. Like the pain Rei felt when Sally Reynolds told him she was not going to accompany him on that trip. However, the worst heartache Rei ever felt was when Rome was integrated into the Overmind on Deucado and he thought he had lost her forever.
     As hard as he tried, his eyes wouldn’t open. He racked his brain trying to recall something, anything that might give him a clue. He started with what he did know. He knew his name was Rei Bierak. Recalling the sequence of pain helped him remember being frozen and sent to the stars. He remembered being so cold when they first thawed him out. He remembered that two beings, dressed all in white, were attending him. At first, he thought they were monsters or aliens who resurrected him. Luckily for him, one of those monsters was Rome. Wait, Rome! That was the answer. His amazing, loving wife. He could picture her stunning face so clearly. He thought he caught a whiff of her wonderful smell, like vanilla surgical scrub. He missed her so much. Where was she?

Clever? I don't know. Different? Probably. Tomorrow, let's see Rei make his final breakthrough and figure out where he is.

RE Animatics, part 2

Yesterday, I showed you the first two stills from the never-released book trailer for Rome's Evolution. The animatics show Rei coming home in one of the Vuduri flying carts and landing on the front lawn. He then enters their U-shaped house and calls out for Rome and Aason. However, they are not home. Rei uses his sonar vision aka super-hearing to see if there is anybody about. There is no one. However he discovers there is a bomb planted under his kitchen sink:





Poor Rei. You can't see it in the stills but Bruce took exquisite care to show a large chunk of the front door hit him squarely in the spine. This sets up his awakening in a Vuduri hospital with a broken back.

RE Animatics, part 1

Yesterday, I showed you the first scene from the never-released book trailer for Rome's Evolution. It's too bad because Bruce did an amazing job with the animation. It was so good that we discussed the idea of him animating the whole book but ultimately rejected the idea as way too much work. You can seen the entire trailer such as it is if you care to. Be forewarned: it's an AVI file. For the less industrious reader, here are a few stills from the beginning.

The first still is Rei entering the house under the trellis in front of their U-shaped house. The trellis was set up to protect the Bieraks from "falling blankets" which are the soft but occasionally deadly animals that roam the cane tree forests on Deucado:



Bruce made the trellis a little higher than I proposed in the intro to the book. I claimed Rei had to duck down a bit but that was to establish that he was tall or at least tall relative to the Vuduri. In reality, Bruce's design is probably superior.

Rei enters the kitchen and because of his sonar vision aka super-hearing, he is able to detect the bomb planted under his sink before it goes off. He races out of the kitchen and out the front door before it goes off:



Tomorrow, I'll show you a few more still frames from the trailer showing the bomb going off and the debris hitting Rei in his back.