Finding The Cure

Posted on Wed Jan 1st, 2020 @ 1:13am by Petty Officer 2nd Class Halla Dezom (*) & Major Levi Drake

Mission: Cosmos
Location: Seabase - Science
Timeline: 2396
2244 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Levi struggled up to his feet, hand clamped down on the wound on his neck as he leaned on the bulkhead for support. He felt a little woozy, but he put that down to the adrenaline of the situation. Fumbling around, he realised his was absent his rifle amid the struggle.

"Are you..." he grunted, wincing mid-sentence at the pain in his neck. "Are you okay?" he asked Halla, whom he had inadvertently taken out with him.

Halla did not miss that she was the only one with a weapon and it only being a handheld phaser. "I am fine. You on the other hand." Even in the gloom she could see the neck wound. She shrugged out of her uniform jacket and scrunched it up. "Use it and hook an arm around me. You can barely stand." She added before he could argue.

He accepted the uniform jacket for the wound, but refused the physical assistance, trying to stand up by himself. It wasn't easy to keep his balance without holding on to the wall. "I'll be fine. It's just a scratch and I've had worse." The truth, he figured. He had definitely had worse than some crazed lunatic try to scratch his neck. Though this gash felt like it burned as much as a disruptor blast. "We need to regroup with the rest."

"Course you have," Halla said with a roll of her eyes as she moved and grabbed his arm putting it around her as she gripped him upright. "You are infected, so yes that wound might be a scratch but you have a toxin rolling around your body right now and despite that, I am willing to help you stand. We do need to regroup but we are close to the science labs. We might be able to help you now there is limited power on." It was the easiest route either way.

"If I'm infected then I'm a threat," he growled, reluctantly letting her support his weight. Considering the size difference he was surprised she could hold them both upright. "You don't know when I might turn into one of those things and infect you, Halla..." He absent-mindedly slipped into using her name again.

“I am kind of hoping that we can find something to slow it down in the lab just down this corridor. I might be just a lab tech but I have knowledge.” She said smiling reassuringly. He might be hefty but she was strong for her size. “And Levi who says you will infect me if you do turn?” She teased him as she saw a shadow pass across the end of the corridor. She quickly moved them into an alcove allowing whatever had turned to pass them by without event.

He held in a groan of pain as she shifted them into temporary cover. "We've seen what these things do," he hissed as the danger passed. "I don't...I don't want to put you in danger." Part of him thought about pulling rank, as though that might have made a difference. With anyone else he probably would have. Not with Halla. Things were different, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

“You won’t put me into danger. That is why we are going to the science lab to find out what this is so we can help you and the Ensign that did this to you.” Halla just smiled at him as they started back along the corridor that was now silent apart from the footsteps created by them. The science lab was not far but it was slow progress getting them there. The door responded and opened for them almost painfully.

“Wow.” The woman hissed as they stepped from the darkness to bright lights and an undamaged lab. “Can see where the credits were being spent.” She had never been in that lab before, it had always been off-limits.

"Give me your phaser," he said, holding out his hand. "I'll cover the door while you work," he added by way of explanation. Before she replied he hauled himself into an upright position against one of the workstations. "It just me or is it getting warmer in here?"

"You might be in pain but manner maketh the marine." The woman said as she passed over the phaser without a seconds hesitation. "It is a little warmer," She said looking up from the console she was gaining access to. "It looks like this 'thing' was created from some type of seaweed they found on the seabed." Halla murmured scanning the data logs.

"So long as I'm not going to end up turning into a giant squid or something," he grumbled, wiping some of the sweat from his brow. "It really is getting hot in here..." He sagged a little against the workstation, still propping himself up. "Didn't think infections worked this fast."

Halla looked up and quickly rushed over seeing him sag a little. She grabbed up a tricorder as she went and started scanning him. "Gees you are burning up." She would not panic but it seemed to be acting quicker than it had on the Ensign as they had managed to get a few decks up before she had succumbed to the infection.

"You should get out of here, Halla," he insisted, putting a hand on her arm. "I'm too far gone. If I turn before you've finished working out some sort of cure..."

"I am not leaving you Levi. You owe me a second date." The woman assured softly putting her hand over his for a second before standing up. She looked through the data again as she tried to make sense of it. "What the hell have they been doing?" She hissed to herself as she found something interesting.

Levi wasn't sure what she was talking about, and he'd given himself the job of guarding the door so wasn't really in a position to dig too deep into her concerns. Besides, she'd just mentioned a second date. That was probably a good sign. Assuming they survived. "Whatever it is, it definitely doesn't feel like the cure for the common cold," he remarked.

"No, it certainly was not." She told him looking up at him for a moment. She looked scared for a second before she gulped the fear down. She was not going to lose someone like this especially after the date they had shared. If it had been any other situation she would have laughed at how she felt like a pariah when it came to men. "I think there was a cure created but it was experimental."

"Sounds like you need a lab rat, then." Levi tugged his marine-issue uniform jacket open and began shedding it. "Wouldn't be the first time in my life I volunteered for something stupid."

Halla wanted to ask what other stuff he had volunteered for that was just as suitably stupid but decided against it. There was no time at all for much more, if Lea's infection was anything to go by. The Petty Officer quickly ran around the room gathering stuff that she would need before she finally came back over to him and knelt by him. "Please do not die Mister." She whispered as she lifted the hypo spray to his neck.

"Please do not kill me, Miss..." he breathed back. As the hypo pressed to his skin he looked Halla in the eyes. His hand touched her arm, noticing that she was shaking a little. He put the phaser into her other hand. "Just in case I go all Mister Hyde in the next few-" he didn't finish the sentence as the pain ripped through his neck, skull and down into his body. Nerve endings felt like they were on fire. He crumpled back, his vision going white before he even hit the deck.

"No... no.... no." Halla cried moving to cradle him against her. She leant up and grabbed a tricorder but it was not working at all, to long out of charge. Her shaking hands moved to his neck where she could hopefully find a pulse while her other hand gripped the phaser scared she was going to have to shoot him.

The seconds passed like an age.

And then Levi jerked awake with a sudden intake of breath, eyes snapping open. He blinked and gasped for several seconds before focusing in on Halla.

"I'm still alive," he murmured, touching her as though checking it were real. "I thought..." he frowned, trying to prop himself up. "Why can't I feel my legs?"

"I thought it too." Halla put her hand over his squeezing his hand to reassure them both. "Um...I do not know." The woman looked terrified by the notion that she had paralysed him with experimental drugs that yes had saved him from being infected but he needed his legs.

Levi felt a wave of panic surge inside, but pushed it down with a counter-surge of steely determination. One problem at a time, he figured. "How strong are you? Think you can carry me all the way back to the shuttle?" he asked.

"Nope," Halla admitted knowing she would not be able to do it. "It might be temporary or we can wait for the others to get things sorted." She offered up other suggestions moving to beside him moving his hand to her leg keeping her own on his.

He didn't like the idea of needing the others to get out. Not only would it be putting more of his men at risk, there was a little part of him that didn't want to be seen as weak. "Is there something around here we can use as a crutch?" he asked. "If I can take some of the weight then you might not need to carry me by yourself."

The Science Technician slowly stood up and moved away starting to look around quietly. She was feeling beyond guilty and really did not know what to do to help him regain feeling in his legs. "I cannot see anything." She admitted wondering if there was anything in the office.

Levi was fresh out of ideas. If she couldn't carry him and there was nothing to support his weight, then he was stuck. "Maybe...you should go for help," he suggested. Not the best idea. He wouldn't last too long if one of those things came back their way. And they only had the one phaser between them. Plus a few pulse grenades on his belt.

"This is all my fault." Halla sighed as she crumbled a little leaning over the console. "I am so sorry." She added wishing she knew how to make the situation better.

"Hey..." he said softly. Then he raised his voice, getting her attention. "Hey!" When she looked over at him he did his best to give her a stern look. "This whole thing is a horror movie, not a chick flick. We're not sitting here crying and pouring out emotions. Get yourself together, Petty Officer. I sure as hell won't be dying sat here on my ass. Now think - we need a way out."

The woman jumped up like she had been electrocuted and shot him a look. "I need a moment Lieutenant." She said simply as she turned away and carried on looking. It might be the norm for him but for her it really was not and she did not know how to handle the guilt that was in her.

They didn't have a moment, really, Levi noted. Were she a marine he would have dressed her down on the spot and probably added a few threats. Instead he just watched her intently as he sat there in silence.

Hall looked around again before she noticed something in the corner and grinned rushing over to retrieve what she had seen. "I have an idea. Kinda. Jet pack boots." The woman had seen the boots once upon a time at a science and technology conference where an officer had nearly blown himself up but if they could get the man walking it would be worth it.

"Jet...pack...boots." Levi repeated the words back to her like she was crazy. "I mean, not to rain on your parade or anything but if I can't feel my legs how are the boots going to help?"

"Because they will get you upright. They aren't really jet pack more antigrav boots." She said seeing the expression and tone of his voice. He was not seeing it for the fact it would get him upright allowing her to get support him and get them both to a lift.

Levi gave a little shrug. "I mean, what have I got to lose here? What do I need to do?"

Halla was about to explain what they needed to do when the door was banged against. Halla grabbed up the phaser and pointed it at the door, the second she was about to fire a male voice rang out. "Drake you in there!"

"Friendlies in here!" Levi called out in response, pushing himself more upright against the console. "Guess you might not get your wish today, huh?" he offered Halla a smile. "Though I suppose we do get to live through this, so not all bad."

OFF::

Lt Levi Drake
Marine XO
USS Cosmos
(PNPC Ford)

Petty Officer 2nd Class Halla Dezom
Scientific Lab Technician
USS Cosmos
(PNPC Gregnol)