Page 36 of Rebels Rising

Artemis

Looking out at the stunned faces of the people I’d once considered my friends, I winced as their expressions morphed into grim fear. I didn’t know if they understood the full scope of what my theory suggested, but one glance at Bromm made the situation starkly clear.

‘Contagious how?’ Henrik asked, jumping into his role as our medic immediately and taking the situation as seriously as I’d hoped.

‘I’m not sure. If it’s airborne, anyone could see start to see symptoms, but I don’t think that’s the case,’ I admitted.

‘You think it’s transmitted through physical contact?’

‘Yes. More specifically, my theory is that it is contracted through bodily fluids which is why Bromm and Cadmus are the only ones experiencing any symptoms so far.’

‘Because they’re the two men you’ve had intimate relations with and they’re the only two experiencing any symptoms,’ he summarised, and I nodded my agreement.

‘This is phenomenal,’ he muttered to himself under his breath, and I didn’t think he intended for me to hear it.

‘One of my abilities, Henrik, is enhanced senses,’ I warned.

His eyes widened in surprise. ‘Enhanced how?’

‘My hearing, eyesight, alongside my senses of taste, touch, and smell are finely tuned. My hearing can detect the quietest of sounds from a significant distance. My sight can detect the minutest of details. My tongue can determine different flavours and ingredients from almost any combination of food or drink. I can feel the vibrations of your words in the air and your footsteps in the ground even from a significant distance. I can pick out different scents in the air and can even determine if they are safe or poisonous.’

‘That’s… but you… I… Did you…?’

‘Did I just hear what you mumbled to yourself clear as day? Yes, I did.’

‘Shit.’

‘I hear and smell a lot of that too.’

Cadmus snorted in amusement. ‘That’s unfortunate.’

I smirked. ‘It can be.’

‘And you think we’ll be able to do all of that?’ Reece asked, his voice quavering. From the information or emotional overload, it wasn’t clear yet.

I gentled my tone the best I could, trying not to freak him out even more. ‘I don’t know what you and Adara will be able to do. That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. Without the interference of The Program reprogramming my nanites they’ve learned to adapt. My senses are even more heightened than ever before. My abilities are evolving alongside them, too. And now with Bromm’s condition and Cadmus experiencing the same symptoms that Bromm did before he collapsed… I think it’s safe to say we all need to be monitored.’

‘The entire ship, too, if the nanites are contagious. We need to watch out for anyone showing any symptoms just in case they accidentally came in contact with any of your bodily fluids, or if not then it could be airborne,’ Henrik concluded.

‘Exactly.’

‘This could be a pandemic,’ he said, his eyes darkening with concern as the gravity of the situation dawned on him.

‘So what, we can’t even sneeze without risking infecting someone? Are you saying we need to be quarantined?’ asked Adara.

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ I warned them all. ‘There hasn’t been an outbreak yet, and we don’t know anything for certain. I still believe they’re only being passed on through direct contact, which means it’s containable.’

‘Do we need to warn the rest of the ship?’ Reece asked.

‘No,’ I said firmly, my answer not up for debate. ‘I will not risk a mass panic before we even have any answers to give people.’

‘So what do we do?’ asked Addy.

‘We stay vigilant. Keep an eye out for anyone exhibiting symptoms and report it immediately to me or Henrik if you do.’

‘And whatarethose symptoms?’ Henrik asked, still unable to fully hide his intrigue despite the severity of the situation.

I explained what Bromm had been through, though I emitted a few more personal details they didn’t need to know about. Cadmus jumped in when I finished to explain his own experiences, and both Reece and Addy took in the information with solemn expressions. Henrik was eager to learn more, no longer attempting to hide his not so appropriate reactions.

---