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This couldn’t be happening. Not to Henry.
Claire stood outside one of the quarantine rooms, looking through its window. Brigadier General Gonzalez and Alex Fletcher stood on either side of her, Topaz on Alex’s other side.
Henry lay on a bed inside the room, hooked up to monitors and an IV. Colton stood beside the bed, his face expressionless, and Dr. Autumn Hampton stood closer to the window, speaking to the room and everyone outside of it.
Her gaze swept gently over the others, but every time her eyes met Claire’s, Claire sensed hostility. “I don’t think it’s contagious. The tests reveal an unidentified substance, but he was in close contact with myself and Engineer Close, and our tests have not shown anything.”
“So, what is it?” The general asked.
“Whatever it is, it is causing his nerves and muscles to be incapable of proper interaction—his muscles contract where they can’t move—which will eventually stop his breathing.” Dr. Hampton gestured to the IV. “I believe we were fortunate in that he immediately got a sanitizing wipe and got much of the substance off before it soaked into his skin. He’s currently on medication that will stop his muscles from contracting, but it can only be used for so long before side effects set in.”
“What kind of side effects?”
“Heart problems are one of the major side effects.” That came from Henry.
“So, we need to find the antidote to whatever that creep exposed him to.” The general faced Dr. Hampton.
“And quickly.” Dr. Hampton typed on her CID.
Claire caught the brief flash of the general’s CID as he read the message he’d received.
Did Dr. Hampton just—Claire bit her lip. If the message was from the doctor, what had she just told him that she didn’t want the others to know?
Then Claire remembered something and spoke up. “Henry, did the doctor ever give you his name?”
Henry frowned. “No.”
“But he was young? Maybe a little older than you?”
He nodded.
Dr. Hampton frowned. “You know him?”
“I might…pale complexion, dark hair?”
Henry nodded again.
“Dr. Hughes…”
The general eyed her. “The one you told me about?”
“I believe it’s him.” She suppressed a shudder. The idea of Hughes being anywhere near Henry, let alone—“We have to find him.”
“I don’t remember anyone fitting that description in the files we received,” the general said slowly. “There was a young male doctor, but he had light hair, and…” His eyes hardened. “But that doesn’t rule out his being here. They got several of their own on our carrier. They could have also sent us the wrong file, and he could have briefly changed his appearance.”
“Why didn’t he keep his disguise though?” Topaz’s brow furrowed. “Why change back?”
Claire’s stomach lurched. Unless he… “He wants us to know it’s him. That’s the only explanation. He knows I’m here, so he knows I would have told you about him—”
“Do we know he exists?” Dr. Hampton cut her off.
Alex jumped in. “Claire just said—”
“I know, but…” Dr. Hampton hesitated. “She came from the rebels too, didn’t she?”
“She’s not a rebel!” Four voices spoke at once, including Henry’s.
The general’s gaze shifted between Alex, Colton, and Topaz, then turned back to Dr. Hampton. “They’re correct, she isn’t. And I suggest you remember that. We’re wasting time here. We have to find this Hughes.” He turned to Topaz. “Put the description Price gave you into your switchboard. I’m ordering a station-wide search.”
“Yes sir.” Topaz turned to leave, then darted to the window. “Don’t worry, Henry, we’ll find him.” She sprinted out of the medical bay.
The general said quietly to the pilots, “Make your goodbyes.”
Goodbyes? Claire glanced at Alex. He glanced back, looking confused, then scared. And then his face was expressionless.
Claire gestured at him to go ahead. He approached the window, hesitated, then said, “Just hold on, Henry.” He whirled and sprinted out of there.
Claire touched the window, hoping with everything in her they’d succeed, and not knowing what to say in the event they failed. “…Thank you, Henry. For everything.” She turned and left.
____________________________________________________________________________
Since she didn’t believe “the unknown substance” was communicable, Dr. Hampton had left the room to speak to the other doctors after attaching another clear bag-like structure to Henry’s IV. “For getting the antidote in,” she explained to Colton.
Another doctor had dropped off two chairs and then left in a hurry.
Colton moved a chair over to one side of Henry’s bed and sat in it, gently clasping his friend’s hand. “Dr. Hampton said you could go to sleep.”
“I know.” Henry’s voice was very quiet. “I heard. You know, Colton—”
“Try not to put extra strain on your breathing.”
“I won’t. It’s just that I was thinking about this place earlier. These rooms, I mean. Things that were done in similar rooms…Abandoned people—”
“Don’t think about it right now.” Colton looked into Henry’s eyes. “That’s not going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”
“It won’t be up to you.”
“I don’t care.”
Henry smiled a little, then shut his eyes. “I am tired.”
“Then get some rest.” Colton moved to hold Henry’s hand with both of his. “I’ll be here.”
Henry’s head relaxed against the pillow, and Colton exhaled. If he can sleep, he won’t feel it. I hope he won’t feel it.
He watched the monitors for a few seconds, then slowly looked down at Henry’s hand. Heavenly Father, please protect Henry. Please help us get the cure.
The door clicked, and he looked up to find Dr. Hampton watching him, her face twisted with concern.
“Does he look worse?” Colton whispered.
“No.” She walked toward the bed, but instead of checking Henry’s monitors, she moved to stand in front of Colton. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“You care about him.”
His heartrate increased. “Yes. Why?”
She quietly pulled the other chair over and sat in it. “Without that antidote…he has less than half an hour to live.”
It took him a few seconds to process.
She watched him, then gently continued, “I’m so sorry. That’s why I suggested you stay—so he wouldn’t be facing this alone. But maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”
“No—thank you for telling me. I’m glad you did.” Colton swallowed hard. “You didn’t—you didn’t tell the others. Why did you tell me?”
“I saw you praying.” She fell silent. Then she spoke again. “I’m not a Christian, but I know how important faith is to people who are. And I don’t want you to lose yours wh—if your prayers aren’t answered.”
“I won’t.”
“You don’t know that.” Her voice was soft. “I’ve seen people who went to church for years lose their faith.”
Colton bit his lip. “I…”
He didn’t know how to explain it. He didn’t want to offend her, or anyone else for that matter, with what he believed. That was why he always prayed silently, with his eyes open, so no one would know.
Just treat her as you would anyone else, he told himself.
“To me, faith isn’t about answered prayer…even if the prayer is important,” he said, “it’s about knowing the Son of God chose to die for me, to take the punishment I deserve for the things I’ve done wrong, and then He rose from the dead. It’s knowing that, in Him, I have eternal life.” Colton swallowed. “My faith is in Jesus, not in answered prayers…In fact, most of my prayers haven’t been answered.”
“…They haven’t?”
“No.”
“…Why haven’t they?”
“I don’t know.” Colton was quiet, his gaze slipping away from hers toward Henry’s quiet form. “If this prayer isn’t answered…” He cleared his throat, hesitating as he always did when he was about to tell someone what was going on inside him. “It’ll break my heart, but it won’t change what I believe…It won’t change what Henry believes, either.” He turned back to her. “But—but thank you for caring. A lot of other people wouldn’t—actually, I can’t think of many people who would.”
“Well, I hate it when people hurt.” She looked at Henry. “That’s one thing I hate about medicine. So much of the time, you can’t stop it.” She rose abruptly. “I’ll leave you alone. I’ve intruded long enough.”
Colton opened his mouth to tell her she hadn’t intruded, then closed it as she strode quickly to the door, unlocked its airtight seal, and then let the door automatically shut itself behind her, relocking.
It hurts her like it hurts me.
____________________________________________________________________________
Claire’s CID was still clipped to her belt, its screen dark, but Topaz’s voice came through it clearly. “The engineers’ section has been fully searched.”
“Maybe we should check with Colton,” Alex said from Claire’s left as the two of them moved through the docking bay, peeking under space fighters in the off chance the doctor was hiding beneath one. “Maybe somewhere in that section there’s a place where the doctor could be hiding that no one else thought to check.”
“I’m messaging him now,” Topaz replied.
A few seconds later, she said, “No.”
“Dang it,” Alex muttered.
Claire squeezed her eyes shut. Please God, help us find him.
She opened her eyes and found Alex had closed his.
He opened them as Topaz’s voice came through the CID again. “The operators’ quarters and the rec area have been fully searched.”
Claire wondered how Topaz kept her voice clear of emotion.
“There’s got to be somewhere we missed.” Alex rested a hand on the last space fighter. “He couldn’t have just left the station.” He gestured at the ceiling. “Those doors don’t open without a record of it in the operators’ logs.”
“Topaz—can you check the logs just in case?” Claire asked.
“Already on it…No record of the doors opening.”
Claire looked around the pilots’ bay, her gaze settling on the transport carriers. “Alex.”
“What?”
She pointed. “There’s one place we haven’t checked.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Colton glanced at his CID, hoping to see another message from Topaz.
Nothing.
Henry stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
“Try not to talk,” Colton said, almost automatically.
Dr. Hampton had added more medication to Henry’s IV less than five minutes ago.
That’s ten minutes left, then.
Colton hoped Henry couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Colton?”
“Henry, you shouldn’t—”
“It’s okay.” Henry swallowed. “I heard what she said.”
Colton felt an emptiness he’d never felt before, far worse than anything he’d ever experienced. Not even getting on the bus to the first training facility eight years ago could compare to this.
How many times over the years had he wished he’d never taken that placement test, never scored in the top percentile, never received that invitation from the government?
That anguish was nothing compared to what he felt now.
He repeated what Alex had said earlier. “Just hold on.”
“If I can’t…will you…will you do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“There’s a letter I wrote to my parents…in case something happened to me. It’s under my pillow in my quarters. Will you…?”
“Yes, I’ll send it.”
“And when you get back to Earth…will you see them for me?”
“I will.” Colton didn’t take his eyes off his friend’s face. “You don’t have to worry about your parents. We’ll look after them.”
“Thank you.” Henry closed his eyes, and Colton’s heart lurched. Then he opened them. “Colton?”
“Henry?”
“I know where I’m going.”
Colton swallowed hard, holding back the tears. “I know.”
“It’s just…”
“The getting there?”
“…No.” Henry fell silent. “It’s…I feel like there are things I should have done. Things I should have said.”
“Hey.” Colton looked into his friend’s eyes. “Your parents love you. They always have, and they always will. And they know how much you love them. Nothing’s going to change that. And your friends know how much you love them.” Colton swallowed again. “You know we love you.”
“Yes…Thank you for being here, Colton.”
“You’re welcome.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Of course, he was in the transport carrier she’d been taken from.
And of course, he shot at them.
Claire expected that.
She didn’t quite expect Alex to tackle Hughes into the transport carrier floor, press his knee against his throat, and snap, “Where’s the antidote you piece of—”
The man gargled, and Alex got off him, moving to crouch on one side of his head while Claire squatted on the other.
“Where is it?” she repeated Alex’s question.
“You never did think like a doctor,” Hughes gasped, “I guess that’s why they didn’t make you one.”
“And I couldn’t care less. So where is it?”
“It could have been contagious, you know,” Hughes continued, “but we thought a little test was in order first…watch all of you squirm wondering who he had contact with, and who would be the next one infected—”
“We checked,” Alex snapped, moving to press the doctor’s throat again. “We know it’s not contagious. Now unless you—”
The doctor started coughing, and Alex eased up again.
“You’re too late,” Hughes choked, “it kills in fifteen minutes flat. And if you put him on the medication I expect you put him on, you only gave him an extra thirty.”
“What?!” Alex gasped.
Claire didn’t respond right away. That’s what Dr. Hampton told the general. But if his timing’s accurate—She checked the clock on her CID. Henry still had about five minutes.
She pulled her electrical pistol from its holster, lowered its voltage setting, and pressed it against Hughes’s neck. “Okay, Doctor. I’ll explain it quickly, then. If you don’t give me the antidote—and I know you brought at least one in case any of your little ‘test’ got on your skin—you’ll die the same way he will. All your muscles seizing up. Stopping your breathing. Only it will hurt a lot more, because you’ll feel all the nerves in your body getting shocked into it. Is that really what you want?”
She rested her finger against the trigger. “Is it, Doctor?”
His eyes bulged.
Typical.
“Well?”
“In a—in a little container on my belt.”
Keeping the pistol on him, Claire reached down and wrenched it from his belt, popped it open to see the needle inside, and then nodded. “Good.”
She pulled the trigger.
As she ran out of there, his scream reached her ears, along with Alex’s voice. “I’ve never been hit by one of those before. Is it as painful as it looks?”
She had four minutes.
Thank you for reading “Substance” (Part 2). Read the next part of this episode here.
The previous installment of this series is “Substance” (Part 1). Read it here.
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Note: Everything I write is written without AI—even if I do use a lot of em dashes.