Chapter 1: Vacancy of the Ishimura
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: March 21st, 2508
Hmph, can't believe I'm starting another one of these stupid journals again. Pathetic… alas, Doctor Kyne, the head of the Science department aboard the Ishimura, wanted me to start one of these; he claims he wants to just get a better look into my mind… Whatever, I'm just here to give him what he wants so I can be left alone.
Let's see, it's been almost a year since we've been waiting for the "A-Okay" to begin the experiments… The crewmen think I'm a Marker-Head, the unitologists preach that I'm the coming… A good sign, I hope… Doctor thinks that I'm a sign sent by god for the crew upon the Ishimura. Hm… Okay, let me start from the beginning of everything, shall we?
Alright, this whole thing started a few years ago- I originally came from planet Earth, and I had snuck upon the Ishimura to join my father. I loved him then- my idol, my hero, my father… Hmph, I was naïve then- I had no idea that the Ishimura was leaving Earth for an expedition for several years. It didn't take long for me to start missing mother. What do you want? I was young. Either way, my father tried to make due. The Ishimura is a mining vessel, a planet cracker- the largest in her class. With that, it's obvious that it would have the biggest sector in the quadrant, or galaxy, or whatever… The Aegis system… It's also the furthest system from Earth. Go figure…
I do not remember much anymore about my first few years upon this ship. I remember crying and fussing a lot about wanting to go home, but of course, that wasn't an option… A waste of money and resources to go back due to one child, so… I eventually made due… Since I had to do something with my spare time and figure out a way to know everyone, I started to name people on the ship by giving them nicknames. One nickname I remember was 'Space Cow Man' at the cafeteria, for the Milk (yeah… it took a few months to finally realize the guy's real name was George, ha- my nickname was better). Another two were Rodrick and Joe… To be honest, I don't know how I got those names. I suppose they just suited them? At other times I'd get the chance to finally find a hallway to star gaze at. Is the Ishimura huge and maze like on the inside? Hell, yes. Don't believe me? Go and find a map module and look yourself. Even with a map, I can still get lost. Anyway, whenever I did find a window, I'd always get excited. Stargazing was always my favorite, even on Earth. The stars shining brightly to say, "Hello", to me- it was always a nice feeling. I would even name my favorite stars… I forget most of the names now… The only one I can remember was the one I named 'Ley', mostly for its Scarlet color- but I felt that red was too closely related to that of blood (I always was prone to getting nosebleeds… Did I like them? No. Although… I suppose the machinery glitch that killed those crew men around the time had something to do with it too…). To have something gruesome on your mind as a kid, it's something that tends to be scary…
Ah, but as I look back on my younger self… I find myself to be a fool for thinking that space was one of the best places to be… Look around, all the stars look like the shine in today's crewmen's eyes… The glances… Some of even awe and wonderment… Then there are the larger stars or planets… The officials, the heads of certain departments, the higher ranked initiates of Unitology, everyone that are important… The ones that always keep an eye on me to make sure that I don't do anything wrong, even speak or breathe out of turn… No… Space is dead to me… Everything out there but Earth and these ships and colonies are dead… It's a Dead Space. Why are we still out here? It's been years since we've all been home, can't we go back yet? I grew up here and I don't even know what we're looking for, if anything… Furthermore, our presence in the Aegis system is against the government's rules… I suppose it must be justified to attempt getting more resources for Earth…
Anyway, as time has passed- more accidents have happened… Eventually one killing my father… I guess I saw it coming, I just couldn't believe it when they broke the news to me… "They", being the doctors and, even the Captain… As my birthday and Christmas passed, I was surprised to find out that close workers of my friends, the Doctor, and even the Captain, Captain Benjamin Matthius had gotten me presents… I guess I felt like I was a part of a new family now… I didn't feel as alone, the Doctor even took care of me as my own and took me out of the sleeping units (I was getting some creepy stares as I got older and my body had… matured, I suppose… Guys can be such freaks sometimes…), giving me a room of my own. His room being down the hall from mine, so I didn't have to wonder far if I needed anything…
There was even a time when I was beginning to seem to be a part of the crew, not along the lines of handiwork- but medicine. I wanted to try and help people live or lessen their pains, so I'd work alongside the Doctor… Other times, if they were short on hand- I was to be found on the Captain's deck and help keep an eye on the monitors or even fix them myself…
When time came to be my 18th birthday, I was legally an adult… The Doctor and the Captain both came up to me with a big question, to help partake in an experiment and help further the research in medicine aboard the ship- or what seems to everyone else, help strengthen the guide lines of Unitology… The experimentation? Just a few artificial steroid tests, I believe… Now, do I believe in Unitology? Religion is only good for those that have no hope… When they believe that the ending is near… Some feel the need to pray to a higher being. Someone that they feel could change everything around them. Once I made that agreement, to go under the experimentations of Unitology, I also agreed to do whatever the higher initiates had asked of me… My money, my dignity, my life… even my name… My original name? Fay Zelaya… My new name? Vivien Ding- among everyone else, Vi.
I suppose I'll leave it at this for now, I'll continue these logs if the Doctor sees fit…
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: March 27th, 2508
Like I said in the last entry, the Doctor was quite interested in my last log. So he wants me to continue them- although, this time, he wants me to write about the changes that I've felt since the beginning of these tests. They just started changing my doses… They claim it's something along the lines of a control for the real experiment. Then what is the real experiment? Now that I think about, I can see why they started to make me do these journals… To make sure I'm not becoming insane or dependent on the doses I guess…
The changes that I've felt as of late have been through my body… A typical steroid… Although, I don't think anyone can blame me for being suspicious…
I've become a bit noticeably stronger, to the point I could help out with the handiwork that the heavy lifters have to do on the ship (moving boxes, moving machinery, etc…). It's odd when the Doctor keeps whispering that it's "God's plans in motion" or something like that… I'm not that strong, I should know. I had an arm wrestling match with one of the workers and he beat me after a moment or two, but these are the things with steroids anyway. Once they wear off, I'm my normal self again. Nothing new… Nothing permanent…
Other side notes that I've noticed physically is that, and these have no real positives or negatives- just things that I've noticed, my hair used to have a brighter tint to it, but it no longer does- if anything it's a lot darker now, and my eyes that used to be a blue-green color is now just a solid blue.
Hm… There's really nothing huge about this entry, I suppose they expect something major for the real experiments…
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: April 3rd, 2508
Been a while to get the journal module back, don't blame the Doctor though… The Ishimura had just recently gotten orders to go to Aegis VII. Apparently they found a relic, the Marker. We've been told to go, pick it up, and bring it to Earth. Although it'll be a while to get there, the engines are acting up so we're being slower than normal- being on the opposite side of the sector doesn't help either…
The Doctor has decided recently to just let me keep the module and he'd check it every few entries. For now, he just wants me to write about what I've been up to lately and my opinions on it… I feel like he's a therapist more than a doctor now, but… if it makes him satisfied with his research then I'll continue to do what he says.
A few days after I handed in my journal module, I was given the Kinesis module that a select few of the crew has. I was "supposed" to just use it for moving heavy duty stuff or to just be careful and not have to carry anything explosive. Although the Doctor did seem to imply that I could use it for other things… So, I've been playing around with this a bit. Just a moment ago I was tossing my pillow around the room, ha. I don't think I've really played around or smiled like that in a while.
Today… Basically the main focus was on the engines, been working on it since my daily injection from the Doctor. I wouldn't say I'm exhausted from working on it, just… Well… Bored, fixing engines or machinery isn't all that fun to me. Hm, go figure.
During the times that I did have off, there was a lot of talk about the Marker in the halls and the cafeteria. Although, it seems to me that the ones that are a part of Unitology only seem to care. The others, they just basically think we'll finally get to go home… Back to Earth… To be honest, I have no idea how we're going to really get back anyway if, about, half the crew is standing at the rock and just gawking at it instead of working… But, that's just me.
I'll end it here for now, not sure when I'll update again. I guess whenever something important to be noted will result in an entry. That's justifiable, right?
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: April 6th, 2508
Not much here today, getting closer to Aegis VII… Just picked up some new crew members from another ship, not sure why… The Captain says that he was ordered to from his superiors… Some people guess it's incase a riot breaks out over the piece of rock. Well, if it were for rioting precautions, shouldn't there be a tighter security as well? So far, I see none of that and there were no new officers (or security guards?) reported on the list of crew members. (Although, I hate to note… but most of the people that have left the Ishimura were replaced by devout Unitologists. Perhaps, only 20% or so of the crew now are not a part of Unitology…)
Hm, maybe it's just me anyway… I've never seen a riot before, hate to now. Clean records of not seeing one fight is always good to me.
We'll be coming within orbit of Aegis VII in the matter of days to pick the Marker up, then another day or two to drill into the planet. It should all go fine, I mean… It's just a routine stop to a planet to mine, aside from the religious rock… I dunno, for once- I'm kinda nervous about this whole thing… Just the fact that we needed more staff for the health department… Doesn't anyone else feel the same way?
Anyway… thought it might be important to note that I'm now being assigned to two doctors now; Dr. Kyne and Dr. Mercer. Dr. Kyne is now in charge of the new members of the Science Department so he has to look over everyone's shoulders and make sure they know what they're doing. He told me that he'd still be monitoring my procedures and still look at the journal entries whenever he gets the time to. Apparently, I also heard that Dr. Kyne needs to take a look at the markings on the Marker. With the other guy, he honestly seems a little nuts to me (that or he's really devoted to his work)… I mean, he's a major Unitologist… More than most people I've seen on the ship, and he's been changing some of my medication too. Such as today, he explained to me that in order to continue the research of these experiments that I'll need to start getting used to the "Water of Life" Tubes- yes, I made the name up (although, they're really called Stasis Tubes).
I really don't know if Dr. Kyne knows about any of this stuff… Or even if he knew about these people-containing tubes he has being made in his office in the medical wing. Either way, I still have no choice in either of this, really. I'm just a guinea pig being experimented on, so I have no voice- just results.
To change the subject once more, Dr. Kyne also arranged me to start learning first hand from one of the doctors, or nurses, on the staff as a way to thank me for agreeing to do all of these tests for him. He told me that her name is Nicole Brennan. I didn't get the chance to meet her yet… (Well, formally anyway…) But Dr. Kyne did say that she was nice and looking forward to teaching me. To be honest, I'm a bit excited about this- even though I'll only be hanging out with her for about an hour or until she's tired of being watched. Ha, funny how there's so many emotions that I haven't touched upon in a while coming up these past couple of days, huh?
Gonna end it here today, have to wake up early tomorrow to see Dr. Mercer and see if he needs help with the tubes or if he wanted to do a test run or something to see if it's working properly…
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: April 9th, 2508
Not much of a gap between journal entries this time… It took longer than expected to get the tubes set up in Dr. Mercer's office so we didn't start the treatment until today. He told me that we'll start with a certain amount of time and gradually increase the amount of time in them.
In all honesty, it felt very weird in there. Not in a claustrophobic type of way, but in the way that you're in his hands- he could do anything to you and you can't do a thing about it. Once he starts the treatment, you can't leave until he lets you out. Even more so, he could give a person other supplements and they wouldn't even be aware of it… but I suppose that goes for all other doctors out there.
Aside from those reasons, it was oddly… peaceful… Not in the way that I'd be in there all day, in the guy's office where other people could walk in and gawk at me… without clothes on. (Ugh, that always sends shivers down my spine when I think about that…) Anyway, it's nice in the fact that I can easily relax in it, once the liquid fills up the tube at least… There's just something in it that makes someone want to just sleep and not worry about anything else going on. Especially since one could escape all the craziness aboard the ship at the moment- everyone's getting more and more… excited.
Another side note; I still don't believe that Dr. Kyne- or anyone else on this ship for that matter, knows that Dr. Mercer just so happens to have those two tubes in his office. (Or even that rancid smell in there either… How does he stand it…?) His doors are always locked and he's always covering the one window that allows people to see into his office. Hm, like I've said before- I have no say in anything that Dr. Mercer and Dr. Kyne decide to do.
Now… to go off track from Dr. Mercer and his strange tubes of strange liquids and medicine… I also started my first lesson with Nicole today. Didn't do anything major yet, just went over some procedures and showed me how to use the small medicine packs that we have on the Ishimura. With how things are compared to the ways medicine used to be back when, we really don't have to know much in order to patch ourselves up, right? Although, doctors and nurses are still needed for injuries that health packs can't fix… Some doctors even have to study psychology too. (Wait, who am I talking to? Doctor Kyne knows this stuff already… Not like he's in the past…)
After the small lesson (or review as I like to think of it), Nicole and I went out to have dinner- but we waited for mostly everyone to leave so we could have a private conversation to try and get to know each other better. Which is something that I thought was… pretty nice. The only other people on the ship that I'd accompany would be Doctor Kyne or the Captain, but with how busy their jobs are- they can't always socialize. Like all conversations with people you just meet, it's a bit quiet and uncomfortable. We didn't talk long, we touched upon why we wanted to work with medicine, some of our likes and dislikes, and then we ever so slightly got into the conversation of friends… Nicole's very pretty, so it was obvious to me that she had a boyfriend waiting for her once the Ishimura brought the Marker back. I envy that of her, she's fortunate... to have someone waiting to be with you and love you. Probably one of the downsides about growing up on the Ishimura, everyone is about 10-30 years older than you. In short, you'd seriously have to be desperate and slightly stupid to look for someone with that much of an age difference.
Hm… I'll end it here tonight. By the time I write my next entry, we'll have entered the orbit of Aegis VII and have the colony preparing the mining operation, as well as loading the Marker. To be honest, I'm not exactly excited about this- I overheard the Captain and the head of the colony discussing about the Marker and that recent events down there have begun to get a little crazy between the non- and the Unitologists. I suppose a riot over religion isn't all that farfetched…
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: April 10th, 2508
Alright, I lied. I feel the need to write a day beforehand, only due to how events have turned down on the colony…
The Unitologists down at the colony have done one of the stupidest mistakes that I've ever heard of for a damned religion…
Alright, let me quickly start from the beginning of how I know what's been going on. As I've mention a few entries ago, I help out with the computers and database here on the Ishimura when some people are too sick and extra hands are needed… Today, I was doing the same thing except everyone else had gone on break and that gave me the chance to find out a little more as to what was going on.
Apparently, the events that I mentioned the day previous weren't just "craziness"… It seems to be getting out of hand down there. I looked at the list of recent events on the computers, turns out there was a massive suicide outbreak including at least 50 or more people. Even more so, they have a long list of homicides and people that are now insane! Seriously, what in the world is going on down there?
I also heard that the Captain wanted to pick the bodies up from the morgue and bring them with us, but leave the living remainder of the colony behind. Why? They deserve a chance to be treated… but the Captain's reason is to make sure that whatever is plaguing the colony is kept and quarantined at the location. Even though we picked up roughly half dozen or less psychotic patients from the colony, including the first person to commit a homicide; Brant Harris… Who killed a nurse in the colony and attempted to kill a doctor. I've heard his name before… Mentioned by Dr. Mercer at times when the conversations between us become quiet- I'm going on a hunch that Harris is Dr. Mercer's other patient…
I'm going to end this for now, we've already picked up the Marker and we're mining the planet tomorrow. As for me, I haven't seen Dr. Kyne or Dr. Mercer all day… I believe they're looking at the Marker right now. Free day without meds- yep.
Project Name: Vaccination of Immortality
File Type: Digital Journal
Date: April 11th, 2508
Today… May actually be my last journal entry for a long time… right now, I'm stuck in Dr. Mercer's office with him, as well as another patient that has taken up residence in the neighboring tube next to mine…
A lot of events have occurred, yet none have affected me quite yet.
The ship is under attack, by what I do not know… but whatever it is its not human and their numbers are growing. Gratefully, they haven't broken into the medicine wing… Or if they have- they have not gotten into Dr. Mercer's office. The way they seem to get through the ship mostly is through the ventilation shafts, luckily- Dr. Mercer's room doesn't have any shafts and the doors to the room are locked… the window is still covered as well so whatever's out there can't get in or look into the room…
It's quite chaotic over here as I'm describing everything, and I feel the mourning of the loss of Captain Matthius… as he's apparently been murdered by Dr. Kyne in the matter of a few hours ago. I'm feeling great sadness as I think of what has happened to my make-shift family aboard the Ishimura… I don't even know what's become of Nicole either…
Dr. Mercer is telling me that he's going to continue the experiments, claiming that it might be the only key to getting out of this all alive… I still don't trust him, but I have no other choice… So thus, I'm ending my journal here and I shall be going into the tube. If we're lucky, we might actually still be alive… If not… well, we tried…
As for the continuation of the experiments… Dr. Mercer says he'll let me out when (and if…) the experiment works and takes effect. He's also taking me off the steroids completely and putting me on the stuff we were supposed to practice with; a DNA organism. He claims it's supposed to help the host… I have no other choice but to accept his method, hopefully I'll come back out in one piece. Or for the matter of whether or not I'll get out alive… If Dr. Mercer dies or runs… how will I get out…?
For anyone that finds this and I don't make it.
Good-bye.