✅ Project SETI Trilogy

Chapter One - Part XIX: Detour

          Julia went over Nova's sternum with the transparent antiseptic aerosol, then prepared the small device under the table that would suction any blood that wanted to creep out of the deep incision Gabriel was about to make and push it back into his body again. She stood across from him and had all the tubes she needed to insert at-the-ready.

          "You hang in there," Gabriel whispered to Nova. He touched his hand to his face and was startled at how cold it already was. He ran his thumb along his cheekbone as the device perched between his fingers whirred to life. "Please. For me."

          The large cylindrical device chirped affirmatively to denote it was ready, and he turned his full attention back to the patient's chest. There was a small red dot where the laser was aimed, and he moved it so it was right in the center of his breastbone, just below the clavicles.

          "Alright, I'm going in," Gabriel warned.

          Julia gave him a quick nod. He activated the almost-unwieldy pen-like device and carefully ran it in a straight line to the outer edge of his sternum. At the same time, Julia positioned the small tubes as the flesh and bone separated together in one smooth movement. The laser was specifically designed for the opening of the chest cavity like this and was calibrated to only cut through the skin and breastbone, and no further than that. As soon as the blood cycling tubes were in place, she placed a device that would hold open the incision.

          Gabriel plunged his hands into his chest as soon as the opportunity became available. He positioned his heels and fingers around Nova's heart just so and began to massage it. Right away, the monitor reflected this, but he remained unresponsive.

          "I'm going to top up the dose of the anesthesia reversal agent," Julia said urgently after a minute. She moved over to the pharmaceutical counter and hastily drew it up.

          Gabriel didn't say anything. He didn't even hear her. All he was aware of was Nova's heart in his hands, the blaring of the asystole alarm, and the movements he had to repeat over and over to keep the blood flowing through his unresponsive body.

          "Please..." Gabriel's voice broke and he trailed off in an attempt to stop himself from weeping, but he couldn't. He sniffled as the tears wet his temples. "Nova... please come back..."

          Julia returned a moment later and pushed the drug through. She held up his arm briefly and watched the monitor, and was immensely relieved when she saw atrial fibrillation.

          "Paddles," Gabriel demanded immediately. He willed the grief from his mind—he knew this was his chance to bring him back.

          She was already rushing to get them and tossed them to him a few seconds later. She plugged them into the defibrillator, and Gabriel cupped the capacitors around Nova's heart.

          "It recommends 20J to start," Julia said when the automatic unit got a read.

          He nodded, mostly to himself, and thumbed the charge button on the end of the rod-like appendage. There was a quiet whine as the joules were made available, and then it dropped off into a steady tone to indicate it was ready.

          "Stand clear," Gabriel called out when he discharged.

          Nova's chest cavity tensed and promptly relaxed again. Gabriel stared down at his heart; it stopped for a fraction of a second, and then kept fibrillating. Without missing a beat, he steadied his grip around it and pressed charge again. The device brought itself to a 30J charge that time, and Gabriel defibrillated Nova the moment it was available.