Prometheus Unbound

"You appear to be in pain, Doctor."

"You're a talking head. What would you know about pain?"

"Only that it is a sensation shared my prokaryotic organisms. An unpleasant sensation in the physical sense, though according to literature, emotional pain can also be applied to human-…"

"David?"

"Yes Doctor?"

"Shut up."

Elizabeth Shaw was in pain. Emotional pain, the causes ranging from the death of the Prometheus's crew to the knowledge that mankind's makers had become intent on unmaking them. Yet it was the physical pain that was crippling her, causing her to rest down in the control chair of the second Engineer starship. Pain that stemmed from her stomach, where her surgery had been carried out.

"It would perhaps be better to return to Earth," the talking head called David said, still staring at the human as she lay back in the chair. "Medical attention will be granted, I'm sure. Whether the Engineers can or will provide you the same comfort is a probability I believe does not-…"

"I told you to shut up."

Shaw knew that soon the pain would end. Soon she'd place herself in the Engineers' equivalent of hypersleep. She'd dream, she'd weep, she'd dance and die a thousand times over the course of the trip most likely but at the least, the physical pain would be removed. Perhaps even healed.

With any luck I won't throw up my innards at the destination…

"David…" Shaw said suddenly. "Have you got out the message I requested?"

"Yes Doctor. In a manner of speaking…"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I have interfaced with this ship's systems and found a third ship on the adjacent moon, LV-four-two-six. Something that will stay in place even after we have gone."

"And will it work?"

"For around four decades, approximately. The ship appears to be heavily damaged and I do not know how well your message may translate. Mathematics is a universal language, but what system of mathematics your Engineers used remains unknown."

"Base ten, binary, I don't care…" Shaw mused.

"And what do you care about Doctor?"

The archaeologist remained silent.

It was hard to speak with a talking head, Shaw mused. Even if David had the rest of his body, even if his wires weren't interfacing with the control room's main console, she wasn't sure how far she could trust him. Certainly no further than she could throw him…but since he only had a head now, that probably wasn't the best analogy to use.

"Doctor?" the android asked. "Are you all there?"

"Hmm? Oh…fine," Shaw murmured. "Fine…just…thinking…"

"About what?"

"About…things," the scientist murmured. "About…oh, I don't know, Prometheus."

"The ship? I understand your-…"

"No, the god. The titan. The one your father quoted back in his famous TED speech."

Father…Shaw was sure it was her imagination, but she could swear the android's lip quivered slightly, a stream of white liquid dribbling out of it like food might come out of the mouth of a child. Had she struck an artificial nerve? Or was the liquid the cause and not the effect?

"Gods…" David mused. "Or God…sometimes I think I am glad to be a synthetic. I know without a doubt who my makers are."

"And so do I," Shaw answered. "Or at least in this realm…but myths or not, I was thinking about Prometheus. The one who was chained to a rock, had his liver torn out by an eagle during the day, only for it to regrow back at night. And then the cycle was repeated…"

"And this is relevant…how?"

"I know how he felt."

Shaw slowly got to her feet, trying to fight the jolts of pain shooting through her stomach. She knew she'd have to take off soon. She had enough oxygen to last for days, but there was no telling what awaited her on the Engineers' homeworld. Slowly she headed over to the stasis chamber, taking off her helmet and preparing to take off her suit.

"I do not think that is necessary Doctor," David interjected. "Based on the suspended pilot, I can only assume that their hypersleep technology does not react adversely to exposed skin."

Shaw took his word for it. After all, he wasn't a human who got kicks out of seeing exposed flesh. And it wasn't as if any signs of manhood were still attached to his body.

"But do go on of course," the android continued.

"About what?"

"Prometheus. How you claim to know how he felt."

"Oh, simple," Shaw mused. "Had my proverbial liver ripped out. Had my stomach healed. My stomach's still hurting and if said stomach doesn't open up again at some point in the future I'll be lucky."

"Hence why it would be better if we return-…"

"But the story isn't complete," Shaw grunted, getting into the chamber. "Because the Engineers still owe us fire."

"Fire?" David asked. "But human beings have possessed fire since at least-…"

"Knowledge," Shaw corrected. "Answers. The truth. And if I have to climb Mount Olympus to get it, then so be it."

"Provided they do not reign suffering down on mankind because of your actions."

"They tried that already," Shaw answered. "Now close the hatch."

With a smile and another burst of white fluid, David closed the stasis chamber. Lying down and waiting for artificial sleep to take her, Shaw accepted that her life was in his hands…if he had any.

But she'd accepted a lot of things over the last few days.

She supposed one of them was that if physical pain was the price of emotional fulfilment, then it was a price worth paying.

Prometheus had made that sacrifice long ago.

And as she let sleep take her, Shaw hoped that the sacrifice of the ship of the titan's namesake would be worth it as well.

A/N

In a review of Prometheus I listened to recently, the reviewer brought up an interesting possible allusion in the film, namely when Shaw has her stomach opened up to remove the squid thing. An allusion to the Prometheus of myth, his liver being opened up by the eagle and closing during the night, just like Shaw, only over a longer period. Add to the search for knowledge (knowledge of Engineers/secret of fire) in both cases, came up with this as a result.