Gabriel: Zero Point (Evan Gabriel Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“The neuretics upgrade is done via wireless interface, and the nanites are introduced to your system by multiple auto-injectors. Those nodules you’re looking at. The only surgical procedure is the medpack, but that’s after this process is complete and integrated.”
    He turned back to face her. “Medpack?”
    “A small device is implanted near the base of your spine above your gluteus maximus muscle, on the right side. This device contains refillable pharmaceutical microsyringes, controlled by your autonomic neuretic systems. Somnatin as a sedative, adreno when you need a burst of energy, and so on.” She waved her hand. “We can get to that later. We can only implant that device when the augmentation is fully completed. So with all that being said, it’s time for you to get in the tank.”
    “Hold on,” he said. His head was swimming. Less than twelve hours ago, he was aboard the Coral Sea , having just finished dinner in the mess with his squad, and was preparing for a scout mission into the Belt to root out a suspected pirate hole. Now he was here, about to be invaded by machines he couldn’t even see, for a man he barely knew, to support a program he didn’t fully understand.  
    “Lieutenant Gabriel,” she said, taking a step towards him. “I talked to Captain Biermann at length about you. I’ve read your file. Twice. You’ve expressed a strong desire to join the Special Warfare unit. Your test marks are off the charts. Your leadership skills, whether you believe this or not after the Canary Islands incident, are top notch. Your life is the Navy, and I don’t think I overemphasize that.”
    He looked back at Knowles and her unblinking gaze. She was right, on every account, and he knew it. Everything he’d done from the moment he enlisted, through Basic, through OCS, through the Canary Islands, and into his current mission aboard the Coral Sea , led to this moment. Deep down, he knew she was right. He was having a hard time admitting that the Navy was truly all he had.  
    But there was something else he saw in her eyes. Something that said there was more to this procedure that she was letting on. Something that… pained her.
    He shook off the thought and rubbed his eyes, pressing on them until he saw stars. Opening them, he saw Knowles still staring back at him. She had just put into words what he never could.
    “Zero point,” he said.
    She nodded. “A new beginning.”
    He looked at the capsule. A new beginning, as a HAMR . Knowles was right. He should be proud to have been selected. Or recruited was more like it. Shanghaied. But even though his apprehension was still pinging at him, he knew this was his next step. His parents, his brother, his family: gone. His fellow OCS graduates, scattered among the stars. The Navy was really all he had. He’d already given his life to them. And now he’d give his body and mind. He knew it was the right choice.
    “All right. I’m in. What’s next?”
    She turned, walked back to the table, and picked up a small piece of folded cloth. She walked back to Gabriel. “Put your gear bag under the table there, then strip and fold the clothes you’re wearing, placing them on the end of the table.”
    She handed him the folded cloth. He took it by one corner. The folds fell apart to reveal an absurdly tiny pair of paper-thin men’s briefs.
    “You’ve got to be shitting me,” he said.
    “That’s ‘you’ve got to be shitting me, ma’am’, Lieutenant,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “The tank will be filled with an oxy-sedation fluid which will immobilize your body and respiration systems while you are submerged. The fluid will keep your blood oxygenated and allow the nanites to move throughout your body without any white blood cells trying to kill them. This procedure requires a minimum of twenty hours to complete, so we can’t have you awake or moving during the process. We also can’t have you wearing any clothes that prevent the