Rozahn Zackhul was a necrologist or someone who resurrected the corpses of the recently deceased. The corpses of course still needed to be in working order before the patient was brought back to life.
There were five rules that every practitioner of necrology would need to know. The first was never to revive a corpse older than a week. The bacteria will have started an infestation inside of it by then. The exception to this is if it was cryogenically preserved by a certified cryogician. A supervisory approval was needed as well for an aged resurrection.
The second rule was to never revive anyone without approval. Not even the president. In the past someone went to Arlington national cemetery and revived nearly every corpse in makeshift bodies and in signifying clothing. The press had a hay day when important political figures such as Lincoln and Kennedy needed to be gunned down before they ate nearby bystanders and tourists. They had blank minds after all. Everyone knew the dangers of resurrecting a blank.
The third rule is to not resurrect anyone with brain damage. This was again to prevent the occurrence of blanks. The blanks were the worst nightmare of any necrologist. Just after being revived they have super strength for a few minutes due to the excess energy that revived them. Blanks like to eat any fleshy things they can get their hands on.
The fourth rule was to quadruple check the amount of energy you set to each corpse. Besides the dangers of blanks corpses can catch fire. Corpses can also explode. Many doctors had been killed by bone shrapnel. Now days resurrection machines have a bullet proof glass tubing that the dead body is resurrected in that can both contain a hungry blank or projectile bone shrapnel.
Finally the last and most important rule of all was no necrologist of any level or security access is allowed to revive a family member.
Rozohn Zachul was on his way home from work when the fateful call came. They’d found his daughter, she’d been kidnapped by some sicko. He’d likely tortured and raped her until her very last breath.
Even with her dead the doctor had hope. He was a good father, but he was an even better necrologist. His friends weren’t exactly amateurs either. They often would joke that they were so good they could stitch together and revive road kill and turn them into pets. This could only be a joke because revival was strictly for humans.
Rozahn rushed to the police station and was brought to the identification room. His daughter had a fading glow of life. She must’ve only been dead for a few hours. To be sure of this he asked the officer in charge of retrievals.
“How long did forensics think she was dead for?” asked Rozahn.
“Ah, I see you know your stuff. She’s recently deceased. There probably won’t be any problem in reviving her.
The doctor didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry so he did both. This sorrowful joy wouldn’t last long.
“I’m actually a necrologist,” Rozohn boasted proudly.
“Really now?” the officer questioned with intrigue.
“Yea, I’m one of the top one hundred in the state,” Rozohn continued as he began to untie the wrappings over his daughter’s corpse. This was just to make sure that she was in good condition to resurrect.
“My brother in law is a necrologist as well,” the officer said proudly. If you knew a necrologist it was the same as knowing a brain surgeon in the 1990’s.
Rozohn had just unwrapped the bottom half of his daughter when the phone rang.
“Hey honey, how are you,” the officer replied as the doctor unraveled his daughter to reveal extensive damage to the upper portion of her head. The doctor silently gasped with realization as her abductor had mutilated her skull in an effort to ensure that she couldn’t be revived. The bastard likely did this so that he wouldn’t be identified once she was resurrected.
Quickly the doctor covered her. He knew he could revive her, but he also knew that there was no way that he’d get approval. It would be his little secret no one had to know. If he went to the hospital he could likely slip into the hospital without any suspicion.
Like a serial killer on the prowl he masked his nervousness in charm. His shocked gasp replaced with a smile. He used the thoughts of his daughter to keep his smile from looking fake.
“No I didn’t spend the night with Susan and you know that,” the officer yelled apparently locked in a heated debate with his wife on the phone. He was blissfully unaware of the damage to the doctor’s little girl. The officer hung up the phone as the doctor quickly covered up his daughter.
“I could kill that bitch!” the frustrated officer exclaimed.
With a big grin the doctor handed the officer his business card and said, “Just in case.”
The officer burst into laughter and said, “You know, you’re alright.”
“Thanks,” the doctor replied.
“You’re probably dying to give your daughter a hug right now,” the officer said.
Rozahn sighed to show that that was exactly what he was thinking.
“Since you’re a good guy and you know what you’re doing why you don’t take your daughter to get reanimated. The last time we waited for the reanimation, the truck drivers took three hours,” the officer explained.
“Thank you so much!” the doctor exclaimed as he pushed the casket with his daughter in it out to his car. As Rozan reached the door he said, if you ever need any relatives reanimated I’ll give you a discount.
Twenty minutes later, the doctor had snuck his daughter’s corpse into the hospital. Although, it wasn’t his shift there was always a necrologist on duty at the hospital. It was likely that Rozan knew the doctor as well. If it was one of his friends the whole process would go much smoother.
As Dr.Zackhul headed into the familiar setting of the hospital no one so much as batted an eye as he wheeled the coffin in. No one had much interest in death anymore. It was kind of like having a bad cold now. You’d be gone from work for a week then be back as good as new.
The doctor worked his way to the elevator and slowly put the coffin in and slipped in himself. He pressed the button to go to the fifth floor, or the necropediology floor.
The elevator wheeled up to the second floor, then the third. On the third floor however, something unexpected happened, the elevator stopped. The door slowly creaked open and a fellow doctor stepped inside.
It was doctor James Williams of the necrology department. He was likely the doctor on duty today. James’s eyes shot open as he saw Rozon. He smiled and said, “I heard that they found Kaylee.”
Doctor Zackhul smiled, “Yes they did.” Silently he thought, Oh god I hope he doesn’t ask.
“So, is that her in the coffin?” asked doctor Williams.
“Yes,” Rozahn said nearly wincing. He tumbled with nervousness; his anxiety was reaching a paramount. He could feel his cool demeanor melting from his face.
“What’s wrong, can’t you find anyone to revive her?” James asked.
“No, I was planning on doing it myself,” Zackhal replied.
Doctor Williams grinned, “So that’s why you were so nervous looking.”
Rozahn realized what a fool he was for trying to hide such a secret from an old friend. Even when he tried to conceal his feelings his friends could read him like a book.
“You caught me,” Rozahn replied.
“Don’t worry buddy, I can do it for you. Then you won’t have to worry about the potential of being executed for violation of the five rules,” James replied.
Rozahn desperately wanted to lie, but he knew that if he did his friend would see right through it. There was only one viable option left.
Dr. Zackhul said, ok thanks. In his head, he was desperately thinking of a plan. The elevator reached the top floor and Rozan and his friend wheeled his daughter down the hallway to the revival room.
“You still look worried Rozahn, lighten up will ya’,” Doctor Williams voiced.
“I am a little,” Rozahn replied.
“Why,” asked James.
They pushed through the airlock before the revival chamber.
“Because she has damage to her head,” Rozahn replied.
“Brain damage?” asked James.
“Probably, yes,” Rozahn replied as the safety door hissed to a close behind them.
“Well, you’re the best doctor I know, what’re the chances of revival?” James asked.
“If you perform the procedure, around thirty five percent, at least based on your past like cases,” Doctor Zackhul said as he rounded the figures.
“What about you?” asked Doctor Williams.
“For me it’s fifty percent,” Doctor Zackhul said happily.
“So it’s a thirty five percent chance,” James said grimily.
“No, it’s fifty, we have the require percentage of chance to survival to do the procedure,” Rozahn pleaded.
“You know damned well that the fifth rule prevents that!” voiced doctor Williams.
“If I do it the chance is fifty percent,” Rozahn repeated.
“If you do it we could face execution,” James replied.
“If I don’t my daughter will be gone forever,” Dr. Zackhul replied.
“I have a wife and kids; I can’t risk them, not even for a good friend,” doctor James said as he began to turn towards the panic button.
Doctor Zackhul grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on, a scalpel. He would save his daughter.
“You’ll thank me for this someday,” James said as he reached out to press the panic button. He was blissfully unaware as the scalpel jabbed into his neck plunging him into a temporary death as his hand hit the button.
The alarm rang and security would be on its way soon. The doctor had an advantage; his access key could not be over ridden by security. They’d have to break into the airlock if they wanted to gas the operation room.
The doctor quickly locked the door which made a loud metallic clank. Immediately afterward he had begun to stich up his daughter. He didn’t have long until the power would be shut off to his room. He’d have to complete the revival by then.
Doctor James was convulsing on the floor as blood sprayed everywhere. Rozahn felt bad to have had to kill his friend, but his daughter came first. Everything would go back to normal. He’d be forgiven a few months later when everything was fine.
The escape would be the hard part, Rozahn thought as finished the final stiches on his daughter.
Security was knocking on the door. At first, the knocking was light. Then it grew more brisk. Soon it rang heavy with frustration.
The doctor propped his soon to be living daughter in the revival machine as the pounding continued. For the doctor, nothing mattered except for the revival of his daughter. He’d have her back soon.
The bullet proof glass lid to the revival machine slid closed as James finally stopped soaking blood onto the floor. The police had just arrived as their loud speaker denoted with a, “Come out with your hands up.” It was classical but entirely useless. For a man who’se trying to save his daughter, nothing you say would be likely to deter him from his path.
The police began to use the battering ram on the first door. They’d get to the air lock easily, but getting into it would prove to be difficult, even for a battering ram. They’d likely use explosives.
The doctor pulled three levers and started the charge. The hum of the electricity masked the cracking of the door. The crackle sounds of the electricity masked the explosive charges being detonated on the airlock door.
The doctor watched in awe as his daughter began to twitch behind the air tight seal of the glass. The police entered into the airlock. The young girl’s eyes opened and Zackhul smiled at his little girl. The police hit the switch and the room began to flood with neurotoxins designed to kill blanks. The young girl smiled and put her hand on her side of the glass. Her father matched it just as the gas reached him.
The girl scowled as her daddy slid down the glass into a crumpled ball on the floor. By the time the room was cleared the girl was in tears. Crying was something a blank had never done before. It was only then that the police realized what had happened. Another necrologist would need to be called in before this whole mess could be pieced together.