Arrival (44 page)

Lynn struggled to believe what was happening. At any moment, she expected Maria to announce that everything was going to be alright, and Laura was going to be fine. But with every new drug that the drug kit introduced, that hope slipped further and further away. They weren’t even shocking her anymore.

Lynn looked down at Laura again. There was blood oozing from her ears and nose. Her lips were mottled and gray. Her half-open eyes were cloudy, devoid of life.

She looked to her right at Adia, who was near tears. She looked at Mac, dripping with sweat as he chugged away like a locomotive, delivering constant, regular chest compressions. She could see the determination in his eyes.

Lynn looked at the monitors behind her. It was reporting “ASYSTOLE”. The rest of the bio-monitor’s readings showed nothing but flatlines and zeros.

“Okay, okay,” Maria stammered in frustration, desperately searching for the one thing she had not done that would bring her friend back to her.

“Maria?” Tony said in a soft, compassionate voice.

Maria was silent, her hands resting on both sides of her face, staring at her lost friend.

“You did everything you could,” Tony assured her.

Mac looked at Tony and then back at Maria. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he just kept on pumping on Laura’s chest, his arms held rigid as they drove down again and again.

The room was silent for a moment, with only the sounds of Mac’s chest compressions and Sara’s ventilations.

“SHIT!” Maria yelled, momentarily losing control. She closed her eyes tight for a moment, as they welled up with tears. She sniffled once, then opened her eyes and looked at the digital clock on the wall. “Time of death……” She sniffled again, barely able to control her emotions. “Time of death, zero eight forty-seven,” she finally said, in a barely audible whisper. She then turned and left the med-lab without saying another word.

Mac stopped his compressions, and Sara stopped her ventilations. The room suddenly became frighteningly quiet. They stood there for a moment, each of them afraid to look the others in the eyes. Finally, Lynn looked around for someone to tell her what had happened, what had gone wrong…and what to do.

Tony was the first one to take action, reaching up and shutting off the monitors, the oxygen, and the IV line. Finally, he pulled the sheet up over Laura’s face. “Goodbye, Laura,” he said softly. “We’ll miss you.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

An hour later, Lynn was sitting at the wardroom table with the crew, picking at her breakfast like the rest of them. Except for Mac, of course, who was shoveling the surprisingly tasty eggs down like there was no tomorrow.

“Lynn?” Maria asked as she entered the room. It was the first anyone had seen of her since she stormed out of the med-lab.

“Maria, are you okay?” Lynn asked with as much compassion as she could muster.

“No, of course not,” she snapped. “My best friend just died on my exam table!” Maria took a mental step back, taking in a deep breath to calm down. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lynn assured her before Maria spoke again.

“Listen, we need to get Laura’s body out to the utility-hut where we did the alien autopsy as soon as possible.”

“Why?”

“I need to perform a post mortem.”

“Jesus, Maria.”

“She’s not even cold yet,” Tony added with disdain. Tony wasn’t the only one who was shocked. She could see similar reactions in all their eyes.

“I’m sorry if the idea offends you,” Maria said defensively.

“Can’t this wait?” Lynn asked.

“That’s just it, Lynn,” Maria protested. “It can’t.”

“Come on, Maria,” Tony insisted.

“Yes, step back for a moment, give yourself some time.” Sara added.

“I don’t have that luxury,” Maria retorted, annoyed by their objections. “
We
don’t have that luxury. Laura has always been easily overcome by illness. She’s been that way her whole life. But whatever killed her did so at an alarming rate, and for all we know, it could be contagious.”

“We should seal off the lab,” Lynn realized, embarrassed that she hadn’t already thought to do so.

“I’ve already done it, on my way in. I need Mac and Tony to suit-up with me so we can get her body out of there and move her to a utility-hut so I can isolate her.”

“What are we going to do for a med-lab?” Adia asked.

“The med-lab has a built-in decontamination system.” Tony explained. “In fact, its entire ventilation system is separate from the rest of the ship.”

“That’s right,” Maria nodded. “We can get it good and sterile without too much difficulty. After that, we can use it again.”

“Okay, let’s make that our first priority, then,” Lynn agreed.

“Mac and Tony can handle the decontamination duty,” Maria insisted. “I need to get on the post mortem.”

“Are you guys comfortable with that?” Lynn asked, looking at Tony.

“Sure,” Tony agreed. “We know the drill.” He looked at Mac, who began shoveling down his eggs even faster.

“Very well,” Lynn decided. “That’ll be first on the agenda.”

Sara and Adia started clearing the table as Mac and Tony departed, with Maria following behind them.

“Maria,” Lynn called after her. “Can I speak to you a moment?”

“Sure.”

Lynn took her aside, away from the others, so as not to alarm them unnecessarily. “We were all exposed, weren’t we?”

“I don’t know. If it’s transmitted by bodily fluids, then no. But, if it’s airborne…”

“How much will decontaminating the med-lab help?”

“It’s a start.”

“Maybe we should decontaminate the entire ship?”

“Let me do an autopsy first,” Maria insisted. “If it is airborne, it’s already too late, and decontamination would likely be a waste of time and resources. Remember, we don’t have an unlimited supply of the decon chemicals.”

“Right.” Lynn sighed as Maria turned to depart. “Maria?” she called after her.

Maria turned back to face Lynn.

“Thank you. I know this is hard for you.”

“It’s always hard, Lynn,” Maria replied solemnly. “Always.”

Lynn stood there for a moment, thinking. Everything was happening so fast. They were down to only six people now. Only sixty percent of their designed staffing level. There was no way they were going to get anything done today, maybe not even for a few days. At least, not until they could put Laura’s death behind them and be reasonably certain that they were not in any immediate danger.

* * *

Day 55;

Please forgive my poor penmanship. The cold makes it difficult to write. It has been three days since our last kill, and we have nearly run out of meat. Another day and we will be without food.

Tomorrow, we will pause our journey in order to hunt again. Although the higher elevations seem to offer fewer opportunities, we can usually find the Cetian equivalent of a mountain goat. They are ugly creatures, able to stand on seemingly vertical surfaces. Covered with thick fur and countless layers of fat, their meat is bitter and tough and requires what seems like hours of chewing. I can’t imagine how long their meat takes to digest.

Every time we stop to hunt, our journey lengthens by at least two days. It takes time to process the usable parts of our kill, so that we can carry the newly acquired resources on our journey. And each time we hunt, we expend ammunition, another commodity in limited supply.

At least I will have more time to practice my flute. I cannot begin to describe to you the joy it brings me. The ability to create music on a whim, to make my tiny instrument sing. The range of emotion that one little stick of wood can invoke is truly astounding.

* * *

By late evening, Maria was finished with her autopsy. She had worked nearly twelve hours straight, taking only a few short breaks.

“Learn anything?” Lynn asked as Maria collapsed into one of the wardroom chairs.

“Plenty.” Maria poured herself a glass of water and took a long drink. She was covered with perspiration, and her face was drained of energy and, by the looks of it, hope.

“Any idea why she died?”

“None.” Maria looked at Lynn’s confused expression. “Well, not
none
, just not much. I do know that she died from multiple-organ failure. I just don’t know why all her organs decided to fail. It’s like each one just decided to give up. First, her kidneys, then her liver, then her pancreas. Eventually, there were so many toxins that her own blood became poisonous to her heart and lungs, and they shut down too.” Maria took another drink and wiped her forehead. “That’s why we couldn’t resuscitate her. Christ, her pH was down to
six point two
. Even after multiple rounds of bicarb. I’m surprised she didn’t die sooner.”

Maria leaned forward, placing her face in her hands and running them up over her head. Her neck and back were aching, and she was so tired that she couldn’t see straight.

“Maybe you should get some rest?”

“You don’t understand. If I don’t figure this out, it could kill us all.”

“Get some sleep,” Lynn said sternly. “That’s an order. You probably couldn’t see the answer if it jumped out in front of you right now.”

Maria sighed. “You’re right.”

“For once,” Lynn replied, offering a sympathetic smile.

* * *

Mac stepped down from the boarding ramp onto the ground at the front of the LRV, put on his sunglasses, and looked around. The air was fresh, the ground still moist from last night’s light rain.

“Ready to get to work?” Tony asked as he came down the ramp to join his friend.

“You bet. After yesterday, it’ll be good to get back to my regular work.” Mac reached down and pressed on his right side, wincing in pain for a brief moment.

“Are you alright?” Tony asked, noticing his discomfort.

“Yeah, just a little indigestion. Probably from Sara’s attempt at making dinner last night.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Tony agreed as they started toward the utility-hut. “What the hell was that stuff she made, anyway?”

“I have no idea,” Mac laughed. “I was afraid to ask, to be honest.” Another wave of discomfort swept through his side, causing him to grimace again.

“Maybe you’d better have Maria check you out?”

“Naw,” he protested. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get to work.”

* * *

Day 56;

I don’t know how Jack maintains his optimism from day to day. He is so certain that we will make it back to rejoin the others. Myself, I find it harder and harder to have such unwavering faith. Time and again, I find myself wanting to suggest that we return to lower elevations where food is more abundant and wait out the worst of the winter before moving on. But I fear that if I were to admit my doubts to Jack, I might crush what little faith he has left. I have seen doubt in his eyes, each time we crest what he hopes will be our last summit, and the disappointment in those same eyes when we spot another ridge beyond.

Yet, despite the hardships we continually face, I am still in awe of the natural beauty that surrounds us. This snow, this pure, white blanket that covers everything and slows our progress by considerable measure…it’s almost magical. Deposited here in the frigid altitudes, it lies in wait. In the months to come, as the weather turns warmer, it will slowly begin to melt, trickling down the slopes, making its way down toward the valleys. At first, it will form tiny streams. These streams will combine to form creeks, and then rivers. These rivers, crashing down from the mountains, will actually carve through the mountains over millions of years. But as they slowly destroy these mighty layers of rock, they also provide the essential elements to the myriad of life forms that they touch on the way down. Plants that drink these waters from the soils. Animals that eat the plants and drink from these creeks and rivers. Fish that live in these bodies of water. Even the birds above find sustenance from these never-ending waters. And then, they find their way down into and through the valleys and the flatlands below, where they again provide the building blocks of life to all living things. Finally, they find their way to the oceans where they host an entirely different ecosystem, as they lie in wait to be picked back up through evaporation and carried inland in the form of clouds, where they will be deposited once more onto the mountain tops as this beautiful, innocent, white powder.

* * *

“As of yet, I have found no evidence that whatever killed Laura is contagious,” Maria reported at an impromptu meeting in the LRV’s wardroom after the evening meal. “My best guess is that it had something to do with the injuries she received when she was attacked by that creature. Some kind of infection that I haven’t been able to detect.”

“I see.” Lynn said, looking thoughtful for a moment. “And no one else was injured during the attack?”

“I had a few scratches,” Mac admitted. “But they were from the shelves, not the creature.”

“But he did have the creature’s blood all over him,” Sara added with concern. “I had to hose him down.”

Maria took notice, leaning forward. “Have you had any symptoms?”

“Like what?” Mac wondered.

“Nausea, vomiting, fatigue?”

“Didn’t you have some indigestion this morning?” Tony asked.

“A little, but that was from Sara’s cooking,” he added with a grin. “But nothing like what you’re describing, Doc.”

“We’ll, I’d better check you out, just to be sure,” Maria decided. “In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give everyone another physical,” she advised Lynn. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“Good idea,” Lynn agreed. “You can start with Mac, tonight. In the meantime, everyone get some sleep,” Lynn ordered. “It’s been an exhausting few days.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Sara scolded Mac as the others rose from the table.

“It was nothing,” he assured her. “It was just that mystery meat you made last night.”

“Don’t be such a tough guy, Mac.”

Mac rolled his eyes in response.

“I’m not kidding,” she asserted, noticing his expression.

“Yes ma’am,” he finally conceded.

* * *

“So, what’s the verdict, Doc?” Mac asked in his usual, jovial manor. “Am I done for?”

“Not yet,” Maria responded vaguely.

Mac noticed something different in her tone. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, nothing really. It’s just that your blood chemistry seems a little skewed.”

“Huh?”

“RBC’s are high, white count’s a little low, pH is off a bit…”

“Uh…you wanna speak English?”

“Sorry. I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably due to the indigestion you were talking about.”

“But?”

“But, I’d like to keep an eye on you tonight, just to be sure.” She was trying very hard not to let her concern show too much. The fact was, his labs were leaning in a suspiciously similar direction as Laura’s labs had been when she had first come to her. They were nowhere near as messed up, but it could just be the beginning.

“What, you want me to sleep here?”

“Yes, I think it would be best if you did.”

“Hey, no offense, Doc. But don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

“I can make it an order, if you’d like?”

“Where am I gonna sleep?”

“Right where you’re sitting. Technically, that is a bed, you know.”

“Yeah, but this is where…” Mac suddenly cut himself off, not wanting to point out the morbidly obvious. Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of a way out the hole he’d dug for himself, so he just stopped talking instead.

“Look, go get your sleeping gear. You can even bring your mattress, if you’d like. But you
are
sleeping
here
tonight, connected to all my bio-monitors.”

“Come on, Maria,” Mac begged. “Just let me sleep in my own berth tonight. I promise I’ll come get you if I feel the tiniest bit off, I swear.”

“Sorry, Mac. I can’t monitor you well enough from your own berth. And I need to monitor your trends, not just periodic values. It’s for your own good, as well as everyone else’s…honest.”

Mac sighed. “I guess.”

“Now, go and get your stuff and report back to me in fifteen minutes. I promise, if your condition doesn’t change overnight, you can sleep in your own bed tomorrow night.”

She watched as he jumped down off the exam table, pulling his shirt on over his head as he exited the med-lab, still complaining under his breath. Despite her concerns for his health, she maintained her pleasant expression until he was gone.

Maria stepped across the lab and sat down at her computer terminal to update her medical log. She was deeply concerned, and she felt guilty for being more concerned about finding the reason for Laura’s death than she was for Mac’s well being. After all, if Mac was developing the same illness that had taken Laura’s life, then it might provide a valuable clue, one that might lead her toward a cure. And she had more than just the welfare of the crew to worry about. She was responsible for the welfare of everyone hurtling toward them on the Daedalus as well.

* * *

Day 57;

So much I have seen. So much I have done. I can’t even begin to describe it all as I had originally intended. I am not the same man I was when we arrived. This experience has somehow changed me. At times, I am quite proud of the changes within me. But other times, I worry that I am no longer the man you married. I do things now that would have been unthinkable to me before. I kill live animals and eat their flesh. I casually hike past wondrous examples of geology without noticing. I witness weather patterns that, until arriving on this world, were no more than subjects of study in science classes, yet I spend no effort analyzing them. So centered on survival I have become, I seem to notice only those things that have an impact on our day-to-day existence.