I hear the beeping of the heart monitor as I wake up, a nurse and a doctor stand next to my bed. Both of them are incredibly beautiful women, the nurse a short Asian woman with a cute face and a petite body, the doctor a tall brunette with a curvy body and long, shiny hair, the brown interlaced with blue and white stripes.
"Ah, you're back from the dead Martin. I hope you're feeling well?" The doctor asks.
"I just want a coffee and some explanations. But otherwise I am fine." I answer, my sleepy voice somehow more...attractive?
"Mr. Hanson will give you the explanations necessary, I'll guess you'll have to wait for when he'll see you. But the coffee. Judy, bring that man a coffee please."
The nurse, presumably Judy, immediately walks out the room to get the coffee.
"I'll need your cooperation to ensure the mods work correctly. Would you please extend your left arm."
I extend my arm for her and she holds a diagnostic device over where I presume the control chip is.
The device beeps a couple of times and an interface appears laid over my sight. It's both visible and invisible. I just know where it is and what is written on it. The interface just helps me to understand.
The system connects to the device and a green sign appears in front. Confirming it is in working order.
"Good, I guess that means your only problem now is muscle atrophy." The doctor says as the nurse bursts into the room with a tray and a cup of steaming coffee on top of it. Right next to it is a note.
I grab the coffee and take a sip. Then I take the note.
It reads:
"Your new apartment is T21-4578. Company paid, I am waiting, Jayne.
PS, Mr Hanson will meet you there."
I take another big sip of the coffee and say:
"How about you get me a ride to my new apartment? And monitor my vitals remotely?"
The doctor immediately nods and adds: "The ride is already waiting."
I get up and the nurse hands me a cane for walking. I desperately need it, because even now, my muscles can't take the gravity yet.
The doctor walks next to me and the nurse in front, she gets other people out of the way when necessary and doesn't seem afraid to show off her bubbly butt as she walks. They check me out and see me out the door so I can get into an automated taxi shuttle.
The shuttle starts without me even putting the address in and the divider, which I genuinely thought was the wall hiding the cargo compartment, slides down.
"Martin, you might ask yourself now: "Why me? Why does the company pay exorbitant sums to get you up to peak efficiency and even gives you a personal assistant?"
He says. He is the richest man in the solar system, the most powerful one as well. He owns the biggest refining company for fuel, the biggest hydrogen mining stations. He is James Hanson.
"Mr Hanson, I- I-...I don't know..."
He stops me by holding his hand out flat.
"First of all, call me James. Second, of course you don't, I was specifically secretive about everything. Now tell me, what do you know about the Venus Project?"
"The Venus project? The project succeeded in genetically engineering human embryos and cloning human people. Both of which was outlawed in 2150. I don't know how this should help."
"See, even though it was outlawed doesn't mean people didn't do it, Aurora for example created 300 female humans and 100 males. One of them you. You're were engineered to be a perfect pilot and captain. We used my genes and my late wife ones as a base and our scientists built up on that. Low oxygen consumption, quick reflexes, good eyesight. The mods make up for what biology can't do. I am your half-brother, genetically speaking."
"Wait then..."
"Yes Jayne is another child born out of the project, the perfect assistant, compassionate, good looking, not jealous and quite naughty if I might add."
"But what do you want from me now?"
"To take your place as the head of the most important mission ever since the colonisation of the moon."
My jaw dropped. "What the- Me?!"
"Yes, Martin, you. Don't worry, I don't blame you for feeling overrun by this, but, it's important. The project is called Atlas, after the Greek titan, carrying the earth on his shoulders in the myth. The goal is to colonise Proxima Centauri 2b. A moon, similar in gravity to Luna, but warmer and with an atmosphere.
We expect it to be similar to earth shortly before the agricultural revolution 10'000 BC. No intelligent lifeforms have been detected from here, and if, well. Humans are an apex predator."
"So I am to be the captain of a mission to create the first human colony outside our solar system, possibly commit a genocide and save make sure humanity can survive long enough? Scratch the genocide part and I'm in."
"The genocide will only be necessary if the locals won't give you any other choice, fine?"
"Fine." I say with gritted teeth.
"We're there." He says and the door gets opened by fairly muscular guy, I presume he's Mr. Hanson's bodyguard. I get out the shuttle and Mr. Hanson follows suit.
"You're going to live here, together with the rest of the executive crew, for the next couple of weeks so you all can get acquainted with each other, as we put in the last nuts and bolts to your ship." Mr. Hanson says as he leaves.
The door to the apartment opens and I am greeted by Jayne, who immediately pulls me in through the door and starts speaking.
"You must be so shaken, sir, but believe him, it might sound insane but it's true."
