Stranded in Space

by Rinelle Grey

  “I’ll do it. You go to sleep.”

  Amelie stared at him. Even though the suggestion made sense, and he had shown he was more than capable, she wasn’t ready to give in. “You can’t. You don’t know how.”

  “I’ve been watching you. I can do it.”

  Amelie hesitated. How could she say this without hurting his feelings? That was the last thing she wanted, but she couldn’t avoid it. “Kugah, they’re not going to let you. I know you’re not dangerous, but they don’t know you, and they’re a little scared of you. They’re not going to let you draw blood and run scans.”

  “I would,” the woman in the chair volunteered.

  Amelie stared at her. “You’re not scared of Kugah?”

  The woman looked at the alien, then back at Amelie, and shrugged. “I’m scared of a whole lot of things right now. Scared for my baby, scared that I won’t even live long enough to give birth to her, to give her even that chance. And then scared that I won’t live to see her grow up. Those are real fears. Kugah though, hasn’t ever done anything to hurt me, or even threaten me. If he’s offering to help, I’m happy to take him up on it. And he’s right, you do need sleep. Anyone can run these tests, they’re routine. You’re the only one who can look at the results and figure out what they mean and how to help all of us.”

  Kugah folded his arms and stared at Amelie. He nodded his head firmly, agreeing with the woman’s words by his stance, even if he didn’t speak.

  Amelie stared at them both. They may be right, but there was still no way she was going to feel right stepping away from this right now. She opened her mouth to argue, then another hand landed on her shoulder. She turned around to find Tyris smiling at her.

  “Better give up while you’re ahead, Amelie,” he said. “They’re both right. We need you not only awake, but alert and thinking clearly. So go get some sleep, or I’ll make it an order.”

  “You can’t give me orders,” Amelie retorted. She wanted to make that point clear, even though she had already realised she wasn’t going to win this fight.

  “Don’t make me figure out a way,” Tyris growled.

  “I’ll have a nap,” Amelie agreed. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll set up a stretcher here.”

  She half expected an argument, but Tyris just nodded. “I’m about to set up a schedule of sleep. We need to make sure everyone is getting enough rest and is up to dealing with whatever tasks await us in the next couple of days.”

  Amelie didn’t even want to think about that right now. So she found a blanket and a pillow and curled up on the stretcher Tyris brought. For a while, she surreptitiously watched Kugah, just in case he made a mistake. His fingers were larger than a human’s, and not as flexible. The fine tasks of drawing blood and manipulating the buttons on the scanner might evade him, no matter how knowledgeable he was about their use.

  But he did just fine. A few people switched lines when they saw who was doing the testing, not as many as Amelie had expected. Seemed like it just took a bigger crisis to make people realise that there were worse fears than an alien.

  She didn’t think there was any way she was going to sleep with all the bustle around her. But to her surprise, exhaustion overwhelmed her within a few minutes, and her eyes drifted closed.

  Chapter 18

  Amelie may have lain down to sleep, but Kugah could tell she was watching him. He didn’t have to turn around to see her, he could feel her gaze, like pins and needles itching across his back, under his armour where he couldn’t reach to scratch.

  The human equipment was small, but his hands were dexterous for their size. He hoped that his ability was reassuring Amelie that he was perfectly capable of this job. He kept half expecting her to get up and take the instruments off him.

  But he soon became distracted with the task in front of him. Though it was reasonably repetitive, it required enough concentration to find a human vein and get the needle in correctly, that he wasn’t even sure when Amelie drifted off to sleep. All he knew was that next time he glanced over at her, her eyes were closed and her face peaceful.

  He could do this all night. Although he had the ability to put his body into a sleep like state, it was a useful way of passing time on long fights or wait times, he could easily switch off the need.

  He’d offered to complete this task simply to convince Amelie to sleep, but as he looked at the line of people waiting in line for him to test them, he couldn’t help feeling his heart lifting.

  The feeling was strange and unexpected.

  This was a time of stress and despair. He shouldn’t be feeling happy.

  He certainly wasn’t happy about the possible fate awaiting these people. When he thought about this whole ship of people possibly dying, it made him immensely sad.

  So what was he happy about?

  It hit him square between the eyes. Their presence in his line signalled acceptance of him. The first acceptance he’d felt from anyone since his metamorphosis. In their time of need, he had ceased being an outsider. He was just one of them, another being volunteering his time to help.

  The question was, if they could accept his help now, was there any chance they could accept him as part of their society?

  Did he dare join them? He had managed to control his anger in the last encounter with Talah, but would that last? What if he faced a bigger test of his control? Could he trust himself?

  Did he dare hope?

  He couldn’t help glancing over at Amelie, at her sleeping face.

  There was something special about her. Something he hadn’t found in anyone for a long time. Maybe it was a side effect of her profession, but he wasn’t convinced. He’d watched her. She didn’t judge anyone. She treated each patient who came through her doors as worthy of her time and help. She didn’t lecture or nag, she just helped, to the best of her ability. She did more than help, she really cared for each and every one.

  And she hadn’t reacted any differently when he’d walked in through her door.

  She had been cautious around him at first, that was true, but even then, she hadn’t shrunk back from him. It hadn’t changed how she reacted to him.

  A man helped his pregnant wife into the chair, his hands gentle and loving. Kugah couldn’t help watching their closeness, and imagining himself in that position.

  Unfortunately, the picture fell apart almost immediately. Even if, by some miracle, Amelie cared for him too, and there was absolutely no evidence of that, he was unable to father a child, even if they had been compatible. And children were important to Amelie.

  Kugah banished the thought and tried to focus on the work he was doing. It was good work. Useful work. Work that helped people. He could feel good about what he was doing here. Something he hadn’t felt about anything he’d done in a long time.

  He let himself lose himself in the rhythm. Wave another patient into the chair. Take their blood. Run the scanner over them. Enter the details into the computer. Rinse, repeat.

  A sound on the other side of the room caught his attention. A hoarse, retching sound. An acid smell filled the air.

  “We need some help,” a woman’s voice called out.

  Tyris hurried over. Kugah couldn’t see what was happening, Tyris blocked his view, bending over someone who was crouched on the floor. “Get Amelie,” he called out.

  Kugah didn’t have to be asked twice. He stepped away from his patient and gently shook Amelie’s shoulder.

  Her eyes flew open, and she stared up at him.

  “KaGeeGee, gelp,” he said

  Instantly she was on her feet. “Who? Where?”

  “Over here,” Tyris called.

  Kugah quickly finished the scan, nodded to the next patient to wait, and crossed the room to see what was happening.

  He wasn’t the only one who was curious. A circle of people stood around Tyris and Amelie, and for a minute, Kugah couldn’t see who had needed help. He stretched up to his full height, at least a head above the tallest of the humans, and
saw Tyris’s mother, Imyne, sitting on the edge of a stretcher.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted. “I need to get back to work.”

  “Not a chance,” Amelie said firmly. “Any symptoms need to be carefully checked right now. I’m not going to lose anyone else. Now sit down or I’ll have to sedate you.”

  That did it. Imyne submitted to Amelie’s tests without further complaint, though her face was pale and drawn. When Amelie turned back to her, she asked, “What is it?”

  “Acute renal failure,” Amelie said, her voice matter of fact. “You need dialysis immediately to prevent serious kidney damage. I don’t know how I missed it when I tested you earlier, unless it just came on that quickly. Either way, I’m afraid you’re off scanning duty.”

  Tyris’s mother didn’t even argue. She sank down the bed, her face pale.

  Tyris watched his mother for a few moments, then turned to Molly, who was testing a patient nearby. “Show me what to do,” he said quietly.

  Everyone continued their tasks, more soberly now. Those in the lines waited, feet shifting. Everyone was wondering who was going to be the next to fall.

  *****

  Amelie hooked Imyne up to the dialysis machine, her thoughts in turmoil. This was happening too fast. They hadn’t even completed the testing yet, and already people were coming down with serious illnesses that hadn’t shown up in the first tests. How could she keep up with this?

  How did she have any hope of solving it if she was busy treating the symptoms?

  “Is this fatal?” Imyne asked quietly.

  “No at all.” Amelie forced her voice to be cheerful. “With the right treatment, you can make a full recovery.”

  She didn’t add, ‘providing nothing else goes wrong’. She didn’t have to. Imyne was a scientist, she knew the facts as well as Amelie did.

  “I’m heading back to continue the testing,” she told Imyne. “If you need anything at all, send for me, okay?”

  Imyne nodded. “I’m fine,” she insisted.

  Amelie didn’t believe her, but she pretended she did. Time. Time was the enemy. For all of them.

  She looked around the cargo bay. Kugah was managing just fine back at her testing station, so instead she took over from Molly, sending her for a sleep. She didn’t say it, but at this point, they needed to take care of the elders on the ship. They were the most at risk.

  “Amelie!” Tyris’s voice rose over the chatter in the room.

  It fell silent immediately, and all eyes turned in his direction, including Amelie’s. He stood next to Marlee, who swayed a little on her feet.

  Amelie crossed the room quickly, and eased Marlee onto the edge of a nearby bed. “What happened?” she asked urgently.

  “She said her heart felt weird, like it was skipping beats,” Tyris said. “And she seemed short of breath.”

  Amelie nodded. Please not another heart attack, she thought to herself.

  “It’s not that bad,” Marlee protested. “You all have more important things to be doing.”

  “You are my most important thing,” Tyris said firmly. “You and Isala.”

  “Maybe to you, but there are a lot of people here who need help more than me,” Marlee lectured. Even though her face was pale, her voice was strong. That was a good sign.

  “Since I’m here anyway, I might as well check you out,” Amelie said firmly. She pulled her stethoscope from around her neck. “Let me have a listen.”

  Marlee didn’t protest further as Amelie listened to her chest. For a minute, she couldn’t hear anything, just a normal heart rate, then abruptly the rhythm sped up, before slowing down again. Marlee’s breathing deepened noticeably at the same time, though probably due to the strange feeling.

  “What is it?” Tyris asked, his voice concerned.

  Amelie pulled the stethoscope out of her ears. “She does have an irregular heartbeat. I’ll need to do further testing to be sure of the cause.” She turned back to Marlee. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to sit here for a while. I need to hook you up to the ECG to get a better idea of what is going on.”

  Marlee just nodded. No one was arguing about things now. Everyone was too scared. Tyris sat next to his wife, holding her hand.

  Amelie hooked Marlee up to the ECG. At first glance, her heartbeat seemed normal, but Amelie wasn’t going to take any chances. “This could take a while,” she told the couple. “Might as well get comfortable.”

  She could see the indecision on Tyris’s face. He wanted to stay with his wife, but he also had responsibilities elsewhere. He glanced once towards the door. “I’ll be fine,” Marlee said stoutly. “You go back to work.”

  Tyris hugged her. “No, I’m staying right here until we know what is going on.”

  The relief on Marlee’s face was unmistakable.

  Amelie was a little relieved too. Even though Marlee seemed strong, someone should stay with her just in case the situation changed.

  Amelie stood up and stared around the room. This wasn’t working. Yes, she was keeping these people alive right now, but it was all just a stopgap treatment. She could treat symptoms all day, but if she didn’t get to the bottom of all this and find out where the real problem was, then ultimately, they would all die.

  Because there was no treatment for old age.

  At least, not any the Colonies had ever discovered.

  Her eyes sought out Kugah, who had worked tirelessly the entire time. He was bent over a patient, one of the children, who looked up at him unafraid.

  He wouldn’t age, not like them. She could really use something like that right now. Some way to pause all this, so she had time to figure out what was wrong.

  “Dr Benton! We need you over here!”

  There wasn’t even time to stop for long enough to figure out a way to pause it, that was the trouble. Amelie rushed across the room to where a young man had fainted.

  Yet somehow, over the course of the next few hours, they progressed through the testing. With so many willing volunteers, new ones replacing those who faltered, they made it through the whole ship far faster than she had ever thought possible. Anyone showing only minor ailments were either sent back to their rooms with strict orders to return if they had even the slightest abnormal symptoms, or joined their volunteer working crew. Those who needed more care were settled comfortably in the cargo bay, with volunteers monitoring them.

  It was late by the time Amelie had a chance to sit down. She almost fell into the seat, not even realising until that moment how much her feet and back ached. It was every bit as bad as her intern days. Worse even. The short nap she’d had earlier had barely made a dent in her exhaustion.

  But she couldn’t sleep yet. This was the first chance she’d had to sit down and look at the data they’d been collecting. As she scanned through it, her heart sank. Whatever it was that was affecting them had a one hundred percent rate in adults. Everyone who had been tested so far showed severe and unexpected shortening of the telomeres. Only the babies or children were unaffected.

  Even though it was what she had expected, seeing it there on the screen was like a punch to the stomach. This was the worst possible outcome.

  She’d already been through all the medical and scientific literature on this subject, and the reality was clear.

  There was no cure.

  Amelie took a deep breath to stop herself collapsing in a helpless pile on the floor. She wasn’t ready to give up just yet. This wasn’t normal ageing. Something was wrong. If she could figure out what, then she might just be able to reverse it, or at the very least, stop it.

  But how? Where did she even start?

  The realisation hit her, taking her breath away. There was one person who appeared unaffected. One person worthy or further study.

  Her.

  But why? Usually, in numbers this size, there would be around twenty percent who showed some sort of immunity. That or none.

  Here, there was one.

  Still, it was the only place to
start.

  She pulled up her own blood samples, and randomly picked half a dozen others. She set the computer to analysing the samples, looking for any differences between hers and the other six.

  The computer could do it far more quickly and accurately than she ever could. In ten minutes apparently, according to its time estimate.

  While she waited, Amelie looked around the room.

  She half expected to feel an atmosphere of doom and gloom. She could hardly blame people if they felt like giving up. She had moments where she did herself. But surprisingly, the general atmosphere was more hopeful. There was an air of camaraderie in the room. She even heard someone laugh.

  It reminded her of their brief time in the tunnels under Urslat. People there had been in an impossible, hopeless situation, knowing that if they were found, they risked losing not only their babies, but being arrested as well. But they had found peace and comfort in sharing that time with others.

  These people had already been through one hardship together and emerged on the other side. This time, they were seasoned soldiers, bunkering down for the battle, saving their energy for the moment they needed it.

  The computer beeped and Amelie turned back to it.

  Her eyes quickly scanned the data on the screen.

  One piece of information stood out. All the samples, except hers, showed some sort of radiation effect.

  Finally, something she could work with. Amelie pulled the information up, and compared it to all the known radiation effects. She wasn’t surprised when none of them matched. This had to be something different, or else this advanced ageing would have been documented before.

  “Where’s Nerris?” She looked around, searching for the familiar grey hair.

  “He’s gone to lie down,” Aleck, Folly’s brother, offered from where he’d been monitoring two patients with kidney problems.

  Amelie was startled to see grey peppering the stubble on his chin. He was a year younger than Folly. The change spurred her to impatience. “Go wake him.”

  Aleck didn’t ask questions or argue, just got up and left the cargo bay.