Page 8 of Alone
Another beep, and Bastian lies before me in all his glory. I'd love to climb into the pod with him and explore his body like I've imagined so many times. But no, I can't. Not enough time.
Before I inject the inoculation, I finally get to straighten his hair. His skin is cold, not like I imagined it, but his hair is silky soft. I touch it for a bit longer than I should, enjoying the feeling on my skin, but my inner clock alerts me that I really need to do my job.
I take his upper arm in one hand and inject the vaccine with the other. The needle goes in easily and I hurry to press all of the fluid into his muscle as quickly as possible. When I pull it out, there's no blood. It's as if he's frozen in time. But I know he's there, inside, ready to wake up. Ready to be with me.
"See you soon," I whisper, and shily kiss his cheek. With a last reluctant look at my man, I walk around the pod and press the button that closes the lid again. Now I have to wait. This time, I'm prepared. If there's any change in his vitals, I'm going to inject the new antidote immediately. I don't want to have the same thing happen to Bastian. One injured man on my conscience is enough.
I stare at the line showing his heartbeat. Up and down it goes, as it should. So far, so good. His blood pressure is steady as well. Every second is as long as an hour. Was this the point when Toby's vitals changed? Or are we already beyond that? Is he out of danger? Or is he going to crash any moment?
My fingernails press deep into my palms as I wait. Please, let this work. I need him alive. I need them all alive and well and awake. I don't want to be the only one any longer. I want real people around me. People who talk and touch and do more than just listen. It's been a long time for them to just lie there and do nothing. It's time they react to what I say.
There's a slight stutter to Bastian's heartbeat. I hold my breath as I watch that evil line descend from the sudden peak. It goes up again... and continues its normal rhythm once more. Phew.
I continue to watch my man for the next hour. Nothing changes, he continues to sleep just like he should. With every minute that passes, my heart grows a little lighter. Maybe it worked.
I can't help but smile. Surely by now he'd show some signs of it not working? I pull out my communicator and send a quick message to ground control. They'll be waiting for news excitedly. Unless they're currently busy with the Drowning. But let's hope not. For once, something good needs to happen in the universe. And my men being alive and well is the best thing of all.
"You'll need to sleep for a little while longer," I explain to Bastian. "Tomorrow, and the day after, I need to take some blood samples to make sure that the vaccine worked. And if it did, I'll have to inoculate the other five. And then, sometime next week, I'll be able to wake you up. You'll finally be able to take me in your arms and hold me. I'll cook us something nice and we can talk and play games. Would you like that?"
He smiles in response. As do the others. Yes, we're going to be happy.
Week 6
Control>>The data are looking good. I think we can take a chance. You should start with one of them.
Louise>>Not all at once?
Control>>No, one first. If he lives, it worked.
Louise>>
Control>>You're a scientist, think with your brain, not your heart.
Louise>>Fuck you.
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