by Project Kyle
Nerd did not chuckle as he usually did at Sophia’s sarcasm towards his code name. He was serious, stone cold serious. His crew members had never seen him this serious before, so much so that it was unsettling to them both.
“Dude,” Henry said. “Lighten up, bro.”
“We have an epidemic on our hands,” Nerd said flatly. “We must head to the space station Nebula immediately.”
“Then you’re taking us with you?” Sophia asked excitedly.
“If you choose…I will explain on our way there.”
Nerd ran to the cockpit and set a course for the space station Nebula. The ship entered hyperspace and the new journey began.
Sophia and Henry waited eagerly to hear what their mission was about. Nerd noticed his crew members’ excitement and revealed to them what they were in for.
“What you are about to face is like nothing you have ever seen before,” Nerd started. “It will feed on anything it can get its clutches on; it will kill without remorse; it will wipe out all life as we know it if we do not step in. It may take your lives in a horrible and gruesome fashion if you accept the mission…which is why I will give you the choice to opt out of this one.
“What?” Sophia exclaimed. “No way! Please tell us what we’re going up against.”
“A virus…the most deadly known to man…galactic plague.”
Henry and Sofia both groaned at Nerd’s words.
“Really?” Henry replied. “You got us all excited for a stupid virus?”
“…It’s galactic plague, guys! The same virus that killed millions four years ago?”
“We were hoping for a mission where we would actually see some action,” Sophia complained.
“…Ah,” Nerd responded. “I see. Well, the good news is, we’re only 30 minutes away from Nebula. So, we won’t be in hyperspace for very long.”
The three waited as they approached their destination. Sophia and Henry barely said one word, given their disappointment, and after a long 30 minutes, they finally arrived.
Nebula was nothing like space station 1529. Although it was still a good size, it was a lot smaller than the previous station and noticeably up there in years. The outside was starting to rust and looked like it could break apart at any given time. It had three rings, each ring a different variation of size, with the outer ring being the widest, tallest, and the inner ring being only three levels in total. In the very middle of all the rings was a tower about the size of a 30-story office building. The bridge was located at the very top, with a long antenna attached to it which was used to broadcast an emergency channel to all stations, colonies, and ships that belonged to humanity. The station was the center-point of the second human race and had a long history in the space wars that humanity fought in; however, time had taken its toll on this station, making it a now hideous sight for the crew to look at.
Nerd activated the intercom and asked the station for permission to dock. His request was granted, and he landed the ship within one of the station’s four docking bays.
Nerd turned to his two companions and asked them if they still wanted to join. They reluctantly agreed, followed their commander out of the Iron Heart, and stepped foot on the space station Nebula.
Three men were waiting at the end of the ship’s ramp to greet them. One was tall and skinny, with pale skin and short brown hair. The other was short, stocky, had dark skin, and was bald. The third was fit and robust, with tan skin and long blond hair. They were all in uniforms that were only worn by members of the galactic government, and Nerd became nervous, as he did not want his true identity to be discovered.
“Greetings!” said the short, stocky man who was located between the two other men. “My name is Captain Tim Baker. This is my lieutenant, Mr. Joe Collins.” Baker signaled their attention to the tall, skinny man. “And this is my chief of security, Mr. Steven Howard.” Baker signaled to the fit, robust man. “We are here to aid you and fill you in on the situation.”
“I was not aware that Nebula was under galactic government control,” Nerd said. “Beta Squadron commanded this station, the last I heard.”
“Oh, we don’t control this station,” Baker dismissed. “We were called in due to the seriousness of this mission. The station belongs to the remaining members of Beta Squadron and is led by Commander Timothy Williams. We will make sure to introduce you to him.”
“Oh good! Ah…good that the three of you are here to aid me… Can you take me to the body? I’m supposed to examine that first.”
“Of course, please follow me.” The three men led Nerd, Henry, and Sophia through the station. It was a bit of an eerie walk. The halls were rusty and strewn about with debris and cracks. The lights flickered off and on in several areas and some of the automatic doors were propped open, indicating that while repairs were desperately needed, there just weren’t enough resources to do them. If there was anywhere that they were going to get stabbed by a random serial killer, it was here. There was, however, a large crew populating the station, which made the sight a little less frightening. But that didn’t stop spirits from being very low. The fact that one of their crew members had just been infected with the horrid disease lay heavily on the minds of the space station occupants.
The six made their way to the spot where the crew member had been infected. To their surprise, the commander of the station had ordered for the location to be set up like a crime scene. There was caution tape around the area, and a chalk line of where the victim’s body had been found. A few of the security officers were there, standing in the middle of the scene.
The six individuals were allowed inside the taped-off area and were instantly greeted by a blond haired, blue eyed man, who was wearing a uniform that revealed his authority.
“Greetings!” The man said, “My name is Timothy Williams, I’m the commander of the space station Nebula. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be down to greet you but, I’m sure you understand.” He glanced back at the guards and chalk outline, a weary frown marking his face.
“Greetings, Commander,” Nerd said politely. “My name is Nerd, supreme human intelligence. These are my associates, Sophia Nelson and Henry Smith.” Henry walked over to the commander and gave the bewildered man a high five before shaking his hand with a broad grin. Nerd put his hand on his forehead and sighed. “Also, I would like to apologize for Henry’s behavior in advance.”
“Wait? Henry Smith? The wanted space thug? What is he doing here?”
“He’s with me. Don’t worry, he’s on our side.”
Commander Williams took a deep breath and let out a sigh. His instinct was to have Henry Smith arrested immediately, but even he would not dare challenge a Deep Cosmos agent. Those who did rarely lived to tell about it, and though Nerd was known for his mercy towards his opponents…he still didn’t want to risk it. Nerd had already outsmarted many adversaries who were better equipped than he was.
Commander Williams regained his composure and directed their attention to where the victim had been infected.
“He was struck ten hours ago while attempting to fix a loose circuit. His name was Caleb Jones, one of the station’s mechanics. He was 31 years of age and was in perfect health beforehand… None of us saw it coming.”
“Did you get any camera footage of when he was struck?” Nerd asked.
“No…and despite the millions who have died from galactic plague, no one ever has. The virus has managed to evade observation.”
“Were there any eyewitnesses?”
“Again, no. Most of the crew members were just waking up by the time he was struck. One person claimed to have seen him right beforehand. The next time they saw him…he was no longer human.”
“I find that very bizarre. It’s like the virus has a mind of its own. Is there anything that may connect the victims? Even the smallest of details?”
“No, trust me. An astronomical level of research was done when the virus was discovered four years ago, and now that it has returned, we are even more los
t than we were back then. The victims were of different ages, genders, species, and health conditions. It struck at random points in the galaxy. The victims ate different food, originated from different planets, worked for different organizations… Then, we have a four-year period where the virus just seemed to die off, and now it’s back again. Nothing about it makes sense! We can’t research a cure, because the virus seems to leave the victim’s body instantaneously. It swiftly alters the victim’s DNA, and then it’s gone. The bodies are not contagious and can be handled by pretty much anyone…well, at least once they’re dead. One did react after it was touched by another person. I believe this happened a few days ago on the planet Zentar. Poor guy was ripped to shreds.”
“What? What do you mean once they’re dead?”
“Oh…you were never informed? It takes the victim about half a day to die. Their brain dies nearly instantaneously, but the virus doesn’t kill the body right away. It alters the DNA to a decaying state, and after a period of time, the victim’s body breaks down enough for them to die.”
“Torture…”
“Sort of; they really have no concept of pain. As I mentioned, their brain is dead. They’re just vegetables who can still physically harm whoever handles them. That is why contact is not recommended unless the victim is restrained.”
Nerd yet again let out a sigh. He did not understand why the supreme commander did not inform them of this in his report. But it didn’t matter; the information Nerd had received had gone nowhere. He was even further away from discovering the origin of the virus, and the feeling was very unsettling for him.
“Is the victim still alive?” he asked.
“Barely.” Williams sighed. “We have him locked away in the med bay.”
“Please take me to him.”
“Of course. Just…just prepare yourself.”
The seven were about to head to the medical bay when Sophia was startled by something. She had glanced up toward the ceiling, where an air vent could be seen, and gasped, grabbing Henry’s arm.
“What’s wrong, girl?” Henry asked.
“Nothing…nothing’s wrong,” Sophia responded, shaking her head with a frown. “I could’ve sworn I saw something, but the lights must be playing tricks on me, because it’s gone now.”
“Can you describe what you saw?” Nerd asked.
“No…it’s nothing, really! I’m just paranoid right now. It’s fine.”
Nerd was concerned about Sophia’s response, but on rare occasions he had seen her like this before, so he decided not to push the matter any further, as doing so would only upset her. Nevertheless, he filed her response within his memory, in case he needed to ask her again down the road.
The seven of them made their way to the medical bay. The room was creepy and primitive, which upset Nerd very deeply given his background in the medical field. There were several medical beds, medical tools that were out of date, and a very small medical staff, much smaller than what the station required given the crew population. Granted, good medics were hard to come by for the human race, which was how Nerd was able to get a license as a doctor, physician, and psychiatrist back when he was still in his adolescence. Still, it was concerning to see.
There was a research room located in the back of the medical room. The door had a tinted window and the area was locked off. The commander walked over to the door and unlocked it, turning to the others and explaining,
“Only myself and a few of the medical staff have a key to this room. It’s safer that way.”
Once inside, Nerd took a quick glance around. The room was dark and the sound of a monster softly growling could be heard near the center of the room, but couldn’t be seen given how dimly lit the room was.
The commander closed the door behind them and locked it. He then put his hand on a switch and urged the others to prepare themselves. He took a deep breath and flipped the switch on. The lights in the room brightened, and Sophia screamed bloody murder at the grotesque sight in front of her. Even Henry, who was the least likely to be fazed, flinched and dropped his jaw at the sight of the victim’s horrific state.
His skin had turned a sickly shade of dark green. His head was tilted awkwardly to the right, and his mouth was so widely open that it seemed to be unhinged. His teeth had all fallen out, leaving only a large, gaping black hole. Fangs were starting to protrude from his bleeding, empty gums, and his eyes were black and soulless. Wordless moaning and groaning came from his throat—he was obviously brain dead, just as the commander had informed them. But whatever was left of him was still hanging on for dear life.
To prevent him from hurting anyone, the creature was chained to a chair, and his arms were tied behind him. His mouth was, however, left open, as the staff wanted Nerd to get a clear view of what the virus had done.
Nerd let out yet another sigh upon seeing what had happened to this former human being. He walked over to examine it despite Commander Williams urging him nervously to proceed with caution.
Nerd looked the creature over for anything that could give him a lead on what had happened. But he was unable to find anything.
“I don’t get it,” he said. “This just doesn’t make—”
Suddenly Nerd stopped. He became focused on something on the creature’s neck. It was a very minor detail, but at this point he was willing to go off of anything. He walked over to the creature and touched his neck lightly, leaning in to examine it. It was a very small dot-shaped scar. This was not much, but it was an observation nevertheless. Sadly, that was all David could observe. The only way he could further investigate was to examine a second body, which would be bittersweet, given the fact that Nerd didn’t want anyone else to die from this.
Nerd was about to ask the commander a few questions, when suddenly the creature reacted to Nerd’s touch. It attempted to bite him! Thankfully it was unable to, as the rest of its body was chained to a chair. There was a monitor attached to the creature, and its heart rate was beating at an extreme level. The creature was going into shock, and Commander Williams urged Nerd to get away from it.
Nerd looked at the creature. It was clearly reacting in panic, and his caretaking nature began to kick in. He walked towards the creature and firmly cradled its head in his arms. The creature resisted, but Nerd spoke to the creature in a very calm, soft voice—a voice that Sophia and Henry had not heard come from him before. The creature began to calm down, and Nerd softened his grip. The creature’s heart rate began to slow down. Slower, slower, and slower, until it stopped. The creature died in Nerd’s arms.
Nerd let go of the creature and asked to be excused. Commander Williams granted his request and unlocked the door. Nerd let out a sigh, lowered his head, and walked out, determined to never step foot in that room again.
Chapter 13 The grim truth
Sophia and Henry gave each other a stunned look. It was difficult for their commander to be empathetic, but when he was, it was powerful and took them both off guard, as they did not expect to see such a reaction in that situation.
“I need to talk to him,” she told Henry. “I…I don’t think he’s okay… Honestly, I don’t think he’s been okay for a while.”
“Are you sure, girl?” Henry responded. “I think he needs a little space right now.”
“I may not get another chance. Trust me, when his emotions come out, it’s sometimes the only opportunity to talk to him about these things, but if he tells me to go away, I’ll give him his space.”
Sophia wiped the tears from her eyes, walked out of the room, and searched for Nerd within the small space station. She finally found him near a window, gazing out at the stars. He was deep in thought, and for a moment Sophia had second thoughts about talking to him; but she needed to work her way inside the mind that was still such a mystery to her. So, she walked over to Nerd and stood beside him.
She could sense the gears turning in his head, and it was intimidating. She was not sure if she could break in, given how deep in thought he was, but s
he had to try. She attempted to break the ice by focusing on another topic of conversation. Space was one thing that always fascinated Nerd, so she hoped that maybe she could reach him that way.
“They’re beautiful,” she said to him while gazing at the stars. “Aren’t they?” Nerd did not respond. Still, she tried. “I always wanted to visit every single one. I know that’s impossible…but thanks to you I have the chance to live out a part of my dream, and I’m grateful for that.” Nerd still did not respond. She tried again. “Before I met you, I hated who I was…really! I was so insecure and convinced that I was worthless. But you saved me before it was too late. Not just from the clutches of Dr. Crimson, but from myself…and I just want to say thank you.”
Nerd still did not respond. At this point, Sophia decided it was best to give him his space. She began to walk off, when suddenly, she felt a shift in Nerd’s thinking. His attention seemed to turn, and he began to process the things she had told him.
“I did not save you,” Nerd said.
“What?” Sophia asked. “What do you mean?”
“I did not save you from yourself. I don’t do that for people…I can’t. Yes, I saved you from Dr. Crimson. Yes, I save someone when I operate on them when they’re dying, but I never saved you from yourself. From the beginning, I saw goodness within you. I knew you were unique and valuable…and no, I don’t say that about everyone. When I saw that in you, I simply encouraged that goodness and helped support you in your time of need so that when you were strong enough, you could save yourself. That’s all I did; everything else was you.”
Sophia was stunned. She did not expect Nerd to respond that way at all. True, it was within his character—he was speaking in a way that sounded like he was analyzing—but he had opened her mind to a perspective she had not considered before. However, this was not the time to be dwelling on the subject. She wanted to know what was up with him. So, she shifted the conversation and attempted to break into Nerd’s active mind.
“David…” she said, purposely calling him by his real name. “What’s wrong? You seem to be deeply scarred by something…you always seem to be thinking about something, and…I just want you to know that I’m here for you. You can always tell me anything and trust that I won’t overreact. I want to help you. Please…just let me in.”
