A Dark Discovery...

Posted on 13 May 2016 @ 12:53am by Lieutenant Commander Adam Casey & Commander Jayla Kij

665 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Timeline: MD6

Adam leant back in the chair given to him, trying to keep his eyes closed, trying to get some rest. But every time he did, all he saw was his girls faces, in pain. His wife's face, in agony as she died. At peace after she had passed. He opened his eyes and shook his head as he went to the replicator and ordered himself a cup of coffee. "I'm not getting any sleep." He muttered.

"It's just as well," said Jayla, frowning at the readings on her tricorder. "I don't like the readings I'm getting from Amy. And she's not waking up. Maria's showing signs of stirring, but Amy is still in deep sleep. Which is okay in and of itself, but combined with what this is showing me..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't like it."

"What? What's it showing you?" Adam asked, shooting up, now fully alert and awake, as though he had slept for a long while. He felt exhausted, but that was now a distant feeling. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"She may be infected with another virus," replied Jayla. "And it's not a nice one."

"Another virus? What virus?" Adam said, his voice starting to break, and also full of anger. "I want to know everything."

"The important thing is to remain calm," she said. "I don't even know for sure if she's got it. If she does..." she trailed off, unsure if she should tell him. "We'll worry about that if the blood test comes back positive. Is it okay if I take a sample from her right now?"

Adam stood in front of her, staring at her. His face was cold, unreadable; his eyes were burning. "What...is...it?" He demanded. "What aren't you telling me?"

Jayla took a deep breath. "This virus, if it's the same one, has caused the deaths of at least 50 people on Yolvanda," she told him softly. "I'm working on it. And so are the. Doctors on the planet. We'll figure it out."

Adam froze, panic sweeping over him. Anger, panic, fear...anger...denial...anger...frustration...He felt his legs buckle as he dropped the cup he was holding, spilling the liquid everywhere. It all happened in slow motion for him. As the cup slowly fell to the floor, Adam turned around and began to run over to Amy. As the cup landed, Adam became vaguely aware of the sound of it striking the floor, but he immediately fell to his knees as he reached Amy, sliding the last few inches to her. He took hold of her hand, and put a hand on her forehead. "Come on baby, it's okay, you can wake up now." He whispered to her, everything going numb for him.

Having never been a mother herself, Jayla couldn't even imagine what he was going through. Silently, she crossed to the other side of Amy's bed and took the sample. She plugged it into her tricorder and had her answer in seconds.

The virus was detected.

She looked up at Adam, a pained expression on her face. She couldn't bring herself to say the words, but she was sure he understood. His daughter was infected with the deadly virus.

How was anyone supposed to deal with that?

Adam saw Jayla take a sample, and as he saw her face, he had his answer.

Adam stood up, and made his way slowly to Jayla's office. Maria and Amy were both sleeping. Adam...there weren't words on how he was feeling. He stood in her office...and then he let out a loud roar. He roared angrily, and fell to his knees, tears streaming out of his eyes and dropping to the floor. He felt...he didn't know how to feel. He was almost on automatic as he stood up and walked over to Amy and Maria, taking hold of their hands. He didn't want to let them go...and he hoped he wouldn't have to.

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