Free OMEGA Conscript by Stephen Arseneault

before getting into the suit. On a positive note, once the gel is added and the suit sealed, he won't have to take it off for quite some time. We are talking months, if not years.
    "I briefly read about that before. It provides nutrients and removes waste products. It makes for an almost perfect self-sustaining environment. With the filter pack, he will no longer need to eat or drink every day, either. Everything is recycled. What he will need, however, is more power cells and filters. There is also a third pack, a food pack, which we do not have. It says the bio-gel will have to be refreshed every few weeks without it. Otherwise, he will have to consume foods that provide the proper nutrition.
    "It has some great medicinal features as well: stimulants that can keep you awake for days, and a sleep aid that can knock you out for whatever length of time you want. Need a two hour power nap? Bam! You're asleep, and then fully awake two hours later. It also does wonders for cuts, scrapes, or other dermal injuries. The tutorial says it adds years to the wearer's life."
    I shook my head. "It also says it will make you sterile. An issue that is reversible for the first few years, but it then becomes permanent."
    Go said, "What? What was that last one?"
    Garrett laughed. "He said there won't be any little Go’s running around."
    Go huffed. "Well, not right now, but someday I wouldn't mind. If it says I have to wear this for years for it to become permanent, well, I'm willing to risk that. The makers of this suit haven't steered us wrong on anything yet."
    Garrett held up his hand as he continued to read. "Wait, it says something about genetic enhancements. Wow. It seems there were some Humans who had their DNA altered. Lifetime expectancy was three to four times that of a normal Human for them when wearing the suit.
    "You know, I've heard of some people living close to two hundred standard years of age due to having what they called 'longevity genes.' If both of your parents had the genes, you would have them, too. If either one didn't, the standard Human DNA was dominant. I remember reading an article once that predicted that particular gene mutation would be gone from the Human populace in the next few hundred years. The last estimate I saw put the current number of individuals with it at fewer than five thousand."
    Go replied, "I guess that means they would have to marry their cousins if they wanted to keep it going."
    Garrett laughed. "Sounds like something that might be popular in Omega!"
    Go stopped his forward motion to form a proper response. "Har, Har. Just get me that gel or this chafing will put an end to any potential future children anyway."
    "Back to our problem at hand," I said. "I want to do a new test. Take the suit up to five kilometers altitude. If all goes well, take it up to ten. If that looks good, then make it two hundred."
    "That's low orbit," said Garrett. "You think that's a good idea?"
    I nodded. "I do. With that suit, he should be impervious to cold or radiation. His oxygen is regulated, although not very well without that gel. He should be capable of that trip, and it should only take him a few minutes. I would prefer to do this here rather than trying it once we are out in deep space. He can stop at any time and return if any sensor data looks off."
    Go replied, "I'm up for it. I've been wanting to see what this city looks like from up high. I mean, I've seen it coming in on a ship via a video sensor feed. I want to see what it looks like in person."
    Garrett raised a finger as he swiped at his holo-display. "Hang on, I think what you are looking at with that helmet shield is a video feed. Yep. You are looking at a hi-res image that's just the same as on a view-screen on the Jess ."
    Go snarked as he powered his way up to five kilometers. "Ah, well, thanks for ruining that for me. If this is a video feed as you say, it's flawless. Everything is crisp and clear. It's as if I don't have a face shield in