The Cohen Clover
Mason and Lark
copyright comidacomida 2020

Out of all of the personnel on St Paul Island, Mason was the only one who had not been enrolled at the Unity Centre.  Also unlike the rest of the staff, he was probably one of the few who had not planned to spend his life strengthening the relationship between Humans of Land Earth and the various other species discovered on the Other Earths.  Then again, until just over a year prior to his placement on the island, the young man hadn't so much as given the other races (or even the other Earths) a second thought.

All that changed when his parents sent him away to The Academy, a 'special' school where students were educated whether they wanted to or not.  It was a harsh reality check for the teen, who had grown up in a relatively wealthy family and had spent the vast majority of his time not giving a damn.  He'd been kicked out of so many schools his parents had decided they'd go the 'tough love' route, which meant The Academy.

He had been moved in with clothes and a few electronic devices and told if he didn't graduate he wouldn't have a place to live; he'd been signed off and his folks had checked out.  At the time he spent his days cursing them and wishing them ill and damning them to the fullest extent of his ability.  Something strange happened after a few weeks, however: he started to learn.  Given no other options and absolutely no leeway or lenience, Mason not only managed to carry his weight, but he started to excel.  Moreover, he actually started to enjoy it.

While he was originally not on track to graduate on time for his senior year, The Academy not only caught him up, but added onto his knowledge and helped him to excel.  Mason found out that he had an incredible interest in learning once the world opened up and gave him the opportunity.  Not only that, but he made friends with several Phins and began to understand that the world was bigger than he'd first imagined (well more than just the fact that it existed outside his bedroom and his computer).

Hungry to learn, he followed the first line of study that had appealed to him in a long time and he began to experience all that biology classes had to offer-- more specifically, he began to learn medicine.  His classes were exceedingly hard, not only because they were college level, but because he'd taken the accelerated-and-unified classes which compared and contrasted Human and Phin anatomy and physiology, very nearly doubling-up the work.  Yet, despite the difficulty, he continued to excel and the administration took notice.

Finally having a reason to apply himself, Mason was on the radar of some very influential individuals and that ultimately led to him being hand-picked for a special assignment.  After that he was transferred to St Paul Island and his already burgeoning understanding of two races expanded to include a third: not only was Mason expected to understand Humans and the dolphin-like Phins but he was also instructed in the biology of Shattered Earth and the canine-like Oolau who called it their home.

St Paul Island, which had been Mason's home for almost four months was an essentially barren spit of land of not quite 60 square kilometers in size.  Until the discovery of the Cohen Clover connecting Land Earth with Shattered Earth the island was completely uninhabited.  In fact, before the appropriation by the Unity Programme the island was part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands; it had also been called 'Pig Island', for some reason that completely escaped Mason's understanding.  The renaming convention had something to do with France surrendering administrative rights to the Programme, but also as some kind of homage to an island in the arctic circle off the coast of Alaska which had sunk beneath the rising sea levels a few years after Mason was born.

When the young man first arrived he'd been one of two new recruits and was accompanied by several senior staff and famed physicist Dr Nathan Cohen himself, the very man which provided his name to the energy flow that was so important to the research station's existence.  The good doctor didn't stay very long, however, and Mason was left to get comfortable with his new surroundings.  It took some work but, by that point, he was more interested in learning about his new assignment than trying to get comfortable in such a Spartan living arrangement.

Based on what he'd learned since living there, the island used to be home to numerous breeding colonies of penguins some five or six decades past but increasing levels of global warming meant that the Unity Programme wasn't causing any disruption since the seabirds had essentially abandoned all but the southernmost point of the island.  The facility itself was positioned along the northern coast, which was inhospitable, steep, and rocky but with the aid of Phin construction practices they were able to create a half-floating, half-anchored base capable of supporting a staff of two hundred-plus.

It was on St Paul Island that Mason first met an Oolau face to face.  Her name was Narri and she was a female from the species' upper class; the Oolau woman immediately made him think of an Akita his parents' neighbor owned.  She was about Mason's height and built firmly with a very thick coat of fur.  His introduction was after she'd finished besting one of the security officers in an arm wrestling contest (it honestly was no contest since she won it without breaking a sweat). 

Narri, as it turned out, was one of the most adept Oolau when it came to dealing with Humans and Mason was surprised that she had acclimated to Land Earth well.  Not only was she knowledgeable, but she was very well spoken and didn't have trouble with some of the consonants found in English that seemed to trip up other Oolau (w, p, v, b, and m being the worst of them).  She was also, as it turned out, in many of his on-the-job training classes with him.

More than 'another student', Narri had the distinct assignment of getting the next set of Humans ready to transition over to Shattered Earth.  It wasn't until she was instructing him that Mason realized just how soon he was going to be traveling to an entirely new world; the thought frightened and excited him.  The class size was exceedingly small, limited only to five, and that included Mason and Narri.  Also joining them were Dr Caroline Ashley and Sgt. Noah Baker, who Mason had met during his time at the Academy.  One other newcomer surprised the young man like none other: a pre-teen genius who had graduated from the Unity Programme around the same time Mason had matriculated over from the Academy.

Ethan was ten or eleven by Mason's best guess and the fact that he had absolutely no trouble keeping up during the training sessions left the teen both impressed and intimidated.  Even so, Ethan turned out to be very easy to get along with and Mason spent most of his time trying to avoid laughing at how absolutely cute the kid sounded with his Australian accent.  There was something about kids speaking with accents that Mason had always found 'adorable', but apparently Ethan didn't much care for being 'adorable' so Mason took great effort to avoid calling attention to it.

The training was done at a break-neck speed, not only because there was so much to cover, but because there was so little time.  Due to the many rules set up by the governing body on Shatterd Earth coupled with the elevated radiation levels, the gateway was opened only once every twenty eight days, coinciding with the New Moon.  Seeing as they used the lunar phases to track the Gateway activation, the Programme elected to refer to the timeframe as a "Cycle".  By the time Mason had learned that, he also learned that they only had half of one left until they were scheduled to leave.

In addition to being prepared to travel and learning what it would take to survive Shattered Earth, Mason also spent a lot of his time learning more about the Oolau.  Considering his specialty was medicine, the young man was given many opportunities to train with the doctors and physicians at the facility.  What started as basic Oolau first aid progressed rapidly to general medical knowledge, advanced anatomy and physiology training and, ultimately, unified medical theory.  Seeing as Mason was still in the early stages of gaining a medical license they didn't go as far as teaching him about surgery or advanced diagnostics, but he absorbed everything they gave him to study.

Time passed quickly and, as the assignments were handed out, he learned that he was scheduled to spend some time at an Oolau university, not just to learn the way the Dog-people taught, but also to take copious notes on their understanding; the technological differences between Shattered Earth and Land Earth were extensive, so it only made sense to figure out how it was the Oolau saw their world.  By that point Mason was so excited he couldn't wait.

Even though Mason had been prepared for what lay ahead, the trip through the gateway was heart-racing, but a lot of it was the lead-up.  Due to the extensive radiation levels of Shattered Earth all Humans had protective gear they were required to wear.  Although the settlement where they would be staying was in a relatively low radiation zone, all Humans spending any amount of time on Shattered Earth also had a collection of medication they were required to take and preparation included training.

Medication to handle radiation concerns had come a long way in the 21st century as part of ongoing research in developing helpful radiation controls for clean up crews addressing nuclear disasters and they were critical for the efforts of the Unity Programme on Shattered Earth.  Still, even with all the assistance they had with mitigating radiation risks, no staff was allowed to remain on Land Earth for more than a year and had to wait at least six months between deployments.  Hearing that was enough to get Mason a little concerned but by that point he was committed to the plan and, when the four of them approached the gateway the young man didn't even hesitate.

The experience was disorienting and confusing, not just because of the limited visibility afforded to him by his protective suit, but because, for a split second, it felt as though gravity had no hold over him and, just as he was starting to realize he was in zero-g, the pull returned full-force; it was almost like being on a rollercoaster without actually going anywhere.  Then, suddenly, he had passed through and was emerging onto a flat walkway covered in a fine carpet of moss.  Mason paused at that point, setting down the large carrying cases he was holding.

All round him there were tall trees towering high overhead but the land other than some softly rolling rises and embankments appeared to be relatively flat.  Glancing back toward the Gateway, Mason saw that there were two large sets of piled stones built up on either side and he stepped out of the way to make room for Sgt. Baker, who was stepping forward dragging a collection of equipment in some roller cases.  Beside him was Dr. Ashley, likewise trailing gear and following her was Ethan, who had only one.  A few moments later several more containers carrying non-breakable supplies started appearing, tossed through from the other side by workers.

It had been a unique experience and, despite the novelty there was very little celebration as their Oolau escort were already there.  Wasting little time, their Dog-like guides wasted little time in helping the Humans get their equipment loaded onto a wagon that had been brought to help transport their gear.  Since the wagon was hauled by the Oolau there was no room for anyone to ride, and that meant a long walk awaited them.  Even so, Mason was still upbeat and optimistic, but that didn't last past the attack.

On the way back to the hosting city their little group was assaulted by another band of Oolau.  The Dog-like Oolau who referred to themselves as "Seekers" were noticeably smaller than the Wolf-like assailants, who the Programme allies referred to as "Purists".  Despite the fact that the Purists used no real technology much beyond flint-knapping, their weapons turned out to be more than sufficient, killing off not only all of the Humans' Seeker allies, but also Sgt Baker, who had his throat torn out. 

In fact, Mason was sure that they would all have been killed if not for the intervention of one of the Purists, standing against the rest of his fellows in order to protect the Humans.  It all happened in less than a minute and, despite the Purists speaking the same language as the Seekers, their accent was different enough that Mason had a hard time tracking exactly what had happened.  The best he could estimate was that the warrior who came to his defense was named 'Lark', and since he refused to follow is pack leader's orders, the pack leader disciplined him in so severe a manner that it may as well have been murder: Lark was left laying on the ground bleeding to death with his arm laying a few feet away.

Before Mason even took time to think, the moment the other Purists left the young man knelt beside the fallen warrior.  Pulling out an emergency medical kit, Mason realized that there was no way he'd be able to slow the rate of blood loss with how much his protective gear inhibited his manual dexterity and vision.  Without a second thought he tore off his hood and both of his gloves, digging around in the med kit as he looked down at the injured Oolau.  "Lark, right?  Lark... hey... stay with me here.  I'm gonna help you, but I need you to stay awake, okay?"

The Wolf gazed up at him, eyes barely open, as if gazing into a bright light.  He spoke slowly as if uncertain of his own tongue's movements like he were drunk.  "You... are a... a strange... creature... Hunan."

Mason was too worried about the Oolau's injury to smile at the statement but he forced himself to do so, hopefully conveying a sense of calm; he needed to keep his patient at ease as much as possible.  "Well.. when I first met Oolau I thought you looked pretty strange too."

The Wolf started to close his eyes so Mason gave him a little shake.  He knew that his limited knowledge would cause problems if he tried to isolate individual arteries and so he focused instead on applying a tourniquet and slowing the rate of blood loss. Hoping to hold the Oolau's attention and keep him awake, the young man introduced himself as he worked. "My name is Mason, and I'm.... a.. um... a healer, I guess you could say. I'm going to help you... you'll be okay.  I promise."

It was an unfair thing to promise, especially since Mason's skills were far from the level required to provide any support.  He did everything he could and was so wrapped up in focusing on his patient that he didn't even realize that more Oolau had arrived; fortunately they were Seekers.  They were also very displeased to see Mason treating a Purist.  An argument erupted at that point and, after Dr. Ashley finally convinced Mason to put his headpiece and gloves back on, she took charge and directed everyone back to the Gateway.  An emergency transmission was sent and in just over an hour three humans, Sgt. Baker's body, and an unconscious Oolau (plus disembodied arm) were returned to Land Earth.

It was an unceremonious end to Mason's first trip to Shattered Earth.  Things didn't get much easier after that; in addition to just over a week of radiation treatments to limit any lasting damage from breaking the seal on his protective gear, Mason had to weather two days of back-to-back debriefing.  Although the 'good job' he received at the end of the lengthy question and answer period was nice it was hardly worth it but at that point he was just looking forward to getting things back to halfway normal; the administration had different plans so 'normal' didn't end up happening.

* * * * *

Mason hurried down the hall; it had been weeks since he had been free to wander the facility and in that time he had received very few updates as to the upcoming plan.  With the next Cycle only a matter of days in the future he knew that the Programme would be sending a new team across to Shattered Earth.  Dr. Ashley and Ethan would both cross over again but, due to Sgt. Baker's death and Mason restricted for at least one more Cycle due to his flippant disregard for rules they would be accompanied by a different set of operatives to complete their team.  Still, even as Mason considered what he'd done (and therefore what he'd given up) to save the Oolau warrior he realized that he would have done it again without hesitation; Lark had saved his life and had been willing to suffer for it.

That thought clung to his mind as Mason turned the corner and stepped from the main hallway to the laboratory wing.  In addition to a lack of information about upcoming Programme plans on Shattered Earth the young man also hadn't received any updates on Lark.  He knew that the Oolau was being kept under observation in a lab-turned-treatment room-- most likely because the treatment rooms didn't lock and a lab could service as a holding cell for what could likely have been an aggressive 'patient'.  While Mason had expected any number of doctors and security personnel posted outside the observation window he was honestly surprised to find only one member of the Programme.

He was also surprised to see who it was.  Dr. Cohen turned to regard him.  "Good morning, Mason."

The young man spoke without thinking. "It's after one in the afternoon, Dr. Cohen."

The physicist chuckled and reached out a hand to rest on Mason's shoulder, giving him a friendly pat and drawing him closer so the two of them could peer through the window into the lab together. "So it is... so it is."

If Mason had expected Dr. Cohen to say about the Oolau within he was let down.  In truth, the young man had learned that trying to second-guess or anticipate Nathan Cohen's next moves usually resulted in failure.  What he did know for certain was that the good doctor expected HIM to direct the conversation. "So... how's Lark doing?"

Peering into the lab through what was likely a one-way mirror, Mason saw that it had been equipped to resemble a bedroom.  A single door was situated on the wall to the right while a small bed was positioned up against the wall to the left.  The wall with the window, which faced the central laboratory hall allowed for observation of the Oolau, who sat curled up in the corner on the far side of the room tucked up between the wall and a toilet.  Mason didn't particularly like seeing him in such a way. "Is he alright?"

Dr. Cohen rested a hand against the glass. "To be honest, it's hard to say.  Since he's been here we've had three doctors, two lab technicians, a lead scientist, and two Programme Social Workers in to see him but he hasn't responded to anyone.  He didn't eat anything for the first week but he's eaten everything provided since, but only when he's alone."

Mason glanced over to the Wolf's bed. "Does he make the bed himself or do--"

"He hasn't slept in it... or so much as touched it."

The doctor's statement caught Mason by surprise; even though he himself hadn't been in much better surroundings during his treatment for radiation at least he wasn't reluctant to make use of everything that had been provided for him.  "Is something wrong?  How is his arm?"

Dr. Cohen turned to regard the young man, his face unreadable. "It's hard to say.  He hasn't been willing to interact with any of the visitors, but from what inspection the doctors could do from however close he'd permit, it looks as though the graft was successful.  Thanks to the  Phin nervous system splicing technology coupled with our own biomedical knowledge all signs point to recovery... the natural Oolau regenerative capabilities certainly couldn't have hurt the matter."

Despite the physicist's light-hearted chuckle, Mason could tell that Dr. Cohen's confidence wasn't quite as high as his friendly bluster suggested.  The young man frowned. "Do you think he'll be able to use it?"

Offering a slightly more genuine smile, Nathan shrugged. "I couldn't say for certain, Mr. Weston... but what I do know is that he won't regain use of it if he doesn't bother trying to use it."

Mason realized that a large part of physical therapy when dealing with range of motion was to actively exercise the body part that was in the process of healing.  "He's not using his arm?  Is it not working?"

Dr. Cohen shook his head. "I couldn't say... I just arrived yesterday and the lead officer asked me to come check in on our 'guest'.  I believe Dr. Schriver mentioned that she saw him move his fingers, so it should be safe to assume that he does have SOME degree of motor function but what I understand is that he spends all his time laying there, just as we see him now."

The young man slowly removed his hand from the glass. "You said he doesn't interact with any of the people who go in to visit him?  Has anyone been able to give him an up close exam?  Maybe there's something wrong with the--"

"Go ahead."

Mason was about to air some of his concerns but the relaxed manner in which Dr. Cohen urged him on caused the young man to pause. "As in... go... inside?"

Nathan nodded. "The door unlocks from the outside.  Garret will let you in and out."

Although Mason would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't interested in talking to the Oolau, he also wondered at just what it was Dr. Cohen had in mind. "Are you sure it's okay?  Don't we need to check in with--"

The older man smiled. "Someone who outranks me?"

Even as Dr. Cohen said the words Mason realized just how silly it sounded; Dr. Nathan Cohen was the founder of the Unity Programme and even though he didn't TECHNICALLY wield any real power, the young man doubted that anyone in the facility would speak against him.  Taking a deep breath, Mason just nodded and walked the short distance to the side hall where an attendant waited by the Oolau's door.  Mason had recalled seeing the man around before but the two worked in different capacities at the facility.  Slowly exhaling, Mason spoke up. "Dr. Cohen said I can go inside and take a look at the patient."

Garret didn't so much as bat an eye.  "You're Mason, right?  Mason Weston?"

"Yeah-- yeah, that's me."

The attendant handed Mason a keycard.  "Dr. Schriver said you'd be by.

Looking down at the item, the young man noticed it had his picture on it.  He recognized a security card when he saw one but he didn't know why he needed another; he'd already been assigned one when he first stepped onto the base.  "What's this for?

Garret replied casually "The Steering Committee decided to put you in charge of our 'guest'.  Since you're not passing through the Gateway and since you brought him back you're the one who'll keep an eye on him."

Stunned by the realization of the assignment, Mason simply stared down at the keycard.  A small chip set in the card provided a low powered signal, allowing it to open doors for him, presuming he had the clearance level.  More than that, he saw a second chip which was most likely bio coded just to him; such cards were reserved for high security areas that couldn't risk being accessed by someone else stealing it.  It was in that moment that the severity of Garret's statement sank in.  "Just how 'in charge' am I?  I mean, I don't even--"

The orderly just chuckled in return. "Well... it doesn't change the fact that I'm still stationed out here, and Dr. Schriver is still handling his medical care.  I think you're just taking over for the other team of six who've been looking after him."

Mason didn't know what to make of that information.  "A team of SIX?"

Garret shrugged. "Eight if you count me and the doc... but now it'll just be the three of us."

The young man honestly wasn't sure what he was going to bring to the table. "So... I'm... what-- bringing him his food and stuff?  Cleaning up after him?"

Mason almost jumped when he heard Dr. Cohen speak up from behind him. "Well... you can always start with seeing if he'll talk with you."

The reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in and Mason couldn't help but feel he was being set up for failure. "But why me?  I mean... if there are EIGHT others he hasn't bothered taking to then why does anyone think he'll talk to me?"

Nathan smiled, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "Well, for one, at least you know you won't do any worse, right, Mr. Weston?"

Mason wasn't amused. "So... hope I get lucky and he feels talkative?"

Dr. Cohen's smile faded from his mouth but humor still showed in his eyes, and the physicist winked. "Well.. rumor has it that he's already spoken to you before."

The young man realized that the 'rumor' was definitely true, but not since they were on Shattered Earth.  Surely the Oolau would see things differently as a prisoner than he had when he was a warrior dying free.  "I'm... not sure that counts."

Nathan motioned toward the door.  "Only one way to tell."

Garret stepped aside. "And remember: if he attacks you just shout."

Halting his forward motion in a split second, Mason shot the orderly a death gaze but the man didn't seem to pay it any mind.  Dr. Cohen gave the young man another comforting pat on the shoulder... and a light shove. "There hasn't been ANY indication that he's dangerous.  The reports I've read say that he shows no signs of aggression."

At that point, Garret spoke up again. "Yeah... he seems more depressed than anything else... like you said, kid: you're not gonna do any worse than anyone else has."

It wasn't exactly reassuring, but it was the only encouragement Mason knew he'd receive.  Hesitating no further, the young man approached the door which, as anticipated, opened by sliding into a slot in the wall the moment he drew near.  Stepping into the room, he almost jumped in surprise when the door slid shut behind him.  Suddenly alone, Mason turned back to where the Oolau lay curled up in the corner; he was surprised however when he saw that Lark had sat up, eyes an ears focused in his direction.

Hesitantly, Mason spoke up in Oolau. "Hi... I don't know if you remember me... I'm--"

The Wolf interrupted him. "Nason.  The healer."