"Autodoc treatments are pretty much routine, Roy," Reesh was saying. They were standing in a room not unlike the one he'd woken up in. "It's the easiest way to get anything done that doesn't specifically need a human medical team." She smiled. "Which is pretty much anything short of reviving someone from four centuries of cold sleep."
Roy chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose that's pretty much a non-standard procedure. So... how does it work?"
"Simple," Vard said." You lie down in the treatment cavity here, you close the lid, the 'doc puts you under, and the rest is automated." He smiled, seeing the look on Roy's face. "Trust me, Roy. We've all spent time in the 'doc before. It's comfortable and it's safe. You'll be fine."
Roy took a deep breath. "Alright. When in Rome and all that..."
"Sorry?" Reesh looked puzzled.
"An old saying. It doesn't matter." Roy sighed. "So what is it going to do to me?"
"For now, the main thing is to get the tissue rebuilding nanotech units flushed out of your bloodstream," Vard explained. "We're not going to install anything new right now. We may get to that later, but for now we're going to take it easy on your system, and give your body a chance to do its own work. Other than removing the nano's, we'll rebalance your body chemistry, streamline your metabolism, and do a little neurological optimization here and there. Nothing serious."
Roy looked at the coffin-like space at the front of the box-like unit that was the autodoc. It reminded him of the coldsleep capsule, but it looked much more comfortable, and far more sophisticated.
"Lie down on the couch here," Reesh said. "Right, like that. Now I'll activate the repulsor field, and you'll start to float. Don't be alarmed."
She touched a button on the autodoc, and Roy felt himself being gently lifted off the couch on which he was lying.
"How do you feel?" Vard asked.
"Comfortable... Sleepy..." Roy mumbled.
"Good," Reesh said. "That's the doc putting you under. Sweet dreams."
She lowered the transparent lid over him. Roy closed his eyes and the world went away.
* * *
He floated. He felt relaxed. He felt calm. He felt... good.
He opened his eyes. Reesh was standing next to the autodoc, holding the open lid. Vard was gone.
"Hey, Roy. How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Pretty good," he said. But his voice sounded... strange, he thought. And so did hers. Or... No, it wasn't her voice... It was what she'd said.
She hadn't been speaking English.
"What..."
She smiled. "Sorry. Forgot to tell you. While you were in there, the 'doc also gave you a routine hypno imprint. You now speak all the modern languages."
Roy frowned. "I don't feel any different..."
"You're not supposed to," said Reesh. "That's not how it works. Don't worry about it. You'll understand people when they speak to you, and you will be able to speak with them in their own dialect. It'll be pretty much automatic. Simply forget about it and you'll be fine." She held out her hand and he took it as he sat up. He swung his legs over the edge of the treatment capsule and stood.
He felt... great! He felt strong, he felt fit. He felt ready to run a marathon. He took a deep breath, and it was as if his chest expanded beyond its normal capacity. He looked at the wall across the room, and if there had been a fly sitting there, he'd have been able to count its whiskers. His eyesight was better than it had been ever before.
"Wow..."
Reesh smiled. "Vard may have oversimplified things just a little when he said the 'doc was going to give you some routine rebalancing and optimizing. He wasn't lying, but the treatment amounted to a full clean-up and tune-up of your entire body. The positive impact on your system will be... dramatic. You're completely healthy now, Roy. In your day and age very few people realized that everyone's health was pretty much sub-standard. You routinely battled with everything from respiratory allergies and viral infections to decaying teeth, worn joints, calcified bones, bad digestion and deteriorating eyesight."
"It was known as 'getting old'," Roy said. "And yes, it was normal. But this..."
She nodded. "This is much closer to what the human body is capable of being. Or closer to what it was meant to be, if you want to look at it that way." She smiled. "There are other advantages as well. You won't need a shave or a haircut unless you choose to. You don't have to worry about catching a cold anymore, or even about simple things like flatulence or body odor, which are just by-products of an imperfect body chemistry. And if you want, it can be even better. There are many enhancements that you can choose to have installed. Nanotech, mostly."
Roy raised his eyebrows. "Such as?"
Her eyes drifted downward to his groin. Roy felt himself blush.
"I see," he said. He knew he should no longer be embarrassed, but apparently old habits die hard.
Reesh smiled. "There's no hurry," she said. "And it's up to you. But personally I'm hoping you'll go for at least some basic upgrades. They make sex so much better. If you think it's good now, wait until you experience the really awesome."
Roy nodded. "Tami told me about some of it. But... I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
"No rush. Take your time. But when you decide, I'd like to be the one you try them out on, if that's alright with you." She looked at him in a very meaningful way.
"Ehm... Thanks, Reesh," Roy said. "I'm flattered."
She smiled. "I like you, Roy. We dropped you in a really difficult situation, and you're handling it pretty well. I admire that in you. And... Well, you're a likable guy. Tami finds you easy to be around, and I agree with her. And so does Kyo, apparently. She's been asking for you twice."
"How long was I in the autodoc?" Roy asked.
"Overnight. A full nanotech flush takes some time. It's almost mid-morning."
