Last of the Crew

JP with Omni and redsword_7

USCSS Montero > B Deck

Roberts, just behind the Captain, spoke, "Ma'am, thanks for your help. I am hoping this last part will get us out of here. As a Marshal, I can assure you that nothing will happen, legal-wise, to you or your crew. If I have anything to say about it." said Roberts with a smile.

Clayton raised an eyebrow at that and seemed to think over the Marshal’s words.
Roku looked concerned as she studied the monitor. She glanced at Clayton for a moment and then at Roberts, debating exactly what she would do next.

"Roku, what is it? You looked concerned. What do you have on the monitor?" Roberts asked.

First, Roku addressed Lori Clayton. “I'm sorry, Ms Clayton. I think patient confidentiality has been thrown out the window as soon as we became a part of this.” Then she turned to Roberts.
“I’m seeing some strangeness in her blood sample. Very low pH levels, close to acidosis, cellular dysplasia, and possible signs of osteo-dismorphia. I didn’t see anything wrong in Jensen’s blood except for slightly elevated blood volume, even with the presence of the alien organism growing in him... and Reyes was fine. I need to run more tests.”

“Don’t bother...” said Clayton as she stared at the ceiling. “I’m turning into one of those damned things... I can feel it." She sighed heavily. "They found something else down on LV-1113. The... artifacts they found… contained some sort of black chemical agent... and I’m almost certain they used it in the vaccine strain to combat that alien growth. So while it stopped the creatures from growing inside us, it seems like the inoculation still fucked most of us anyway... mutating us instead...”

She was silent for a moment as if accepting her fate.

"Put me in Cryo ASAP... take me back to the company... This bio-chemical agent... it’s primeval... It’s priceless, invaluable for research into cancer and a host of other serious diseases... that is... unless those have been cured already"

Roku shook her head grimly.

"Even if the 26 Draconis strain is unstable... if it could be perfected... I could be saved later... and anyone encountering those spores would be safe from the parasites. The science team said those creatures were not native to LV-1113... they could be spread over countless worlds.”

Roku looked to Roberts. He was hard to read inside that EVA suit.

Roberts started thinking. "Roku, will she stop mutating? I mean it will not be good for us if she transforms when we are all asleep and we can't seem to get out of here without the computer data that MUTHUR wants."

Roku began to speak but Clayton cut her off. “Both Dr Cooper AND Albert Johns were fine for the last 73 years in cryo. Like the mutation was in hibernation.”

"OK then. Let's get this done. Let's get her into Cryo, it is her best chance. I don't like it but we can mitigate damage when we get there, I guess. But the Captain has the final decision on this whole idea." Roberts said. "Clayton, tell me that the stuff you brought is project data on what you guys found. We can't get out of here without it. MUTHUR is being a ASS about it." he said in frustration.

Roku grabbed a hand radio to call the Captain as Clayton spoke with Roberts.

“Yes, I recovered a data cube from my suite. It should contain more than enough to get us out of here. It’s with the rest of my things now, in quarantine. I can show you.” Clayton informed Roberts.

"I guess we can get it on the way to cryo." Roberts replied.

The lid on the Medpod opened and Clayton lowered her bare feet to the cold floor. Strutting past the Marshal, she grabbed her things and led him to the quarantine rec area.

Roku closed the Medpod and ran the self decon cleaning procedures as well as sealing the room.

In the corridors, Clayton and Roberts met up with Paddy and the Captain carrying a body bag.

“Ah, Ms Clayton. We’re preparing to send off your Second Officer. Seeing as you are the LAST of the surviving crew members, I assume you will join us.” said the Captain, though it sounded more like a command.

“Fine, we should make it quick.” Clayton replied. “But I’m sure you heard your Medic’s message.”

The Captain didn’t like the tone but continued cordially, “That I did. Gather the data quickly and we will get you set up in cryo just after we finish this.”

Clayton entered the quarantine rec area and grabbed the apple sized data cube from a leather lounge.

“Have your crew upload this to the mainframe and let’s be off.” Clayton said to Roberts.