"Morgan honey what's wrong?" Bess asked noticing her husband was more agitated than normal.
"Do you think....um what I mean is....is Julia nuts?"
"No sweetheart." Bess said. "I think the pressure is getting to her." She said sitting on the cot next to Morgan and placing a comforting hand on his forearm.
"Please, she is a chromo-tilt she's practically programmed not to feel emotions." Morgan replied.
"She's a human just like you and me. You can't program a human not to feel emotions." Bess pointed out.
"Ok fine, up until a short while ago she was an ice queen."
"Morgan!" Bess exclaimed.
"What? There is no point sugar coating it. Anyway my point is do you think she is still capable of being a doctor?"
"Are you ill Morgan?" Bess asked feeling concerned.
"No. Why do I look ill? What is it? Have I lost weight? Do I look gaunt?" Morgan asked, allowing his hypercondria to get the better of him.
"No Morgan, you look fine." Bess assured him. "I was just wondering why you were worried about Julia."
"I think I've found something." Morgan said as he started to pace in their tent.
"What kind of something?"
"It could help Devon."
"It could? Why didn't you tell me? Why do you look like it is a bad thing?"
"It might not, there might not be anything to it and I didn't want to build your hopes up. Besides even if I am right it might not help."
"But there might?" Bess asked beginning to get excited.
"Possibly, but I would need to tell Julia and what if causes her to well you know go all emotional again?"
"Morgan, Julia was upset as she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She can't cure Devon and feels like a failure. If you have something that might help you would be helping Julia as well as Devon."
"What if she looses it again?" Morgan asked, clearly not comfortable with having to see Julia.
"Morgan, she is overworked and hasn't been sleeping. I am sure Alonzo made her rest last night and today she will be back to her old self." Bess smiled, although even Morgan could see the worry in her eyes.
"So I should tell her?" Morgan pressed.
"Yes. Do you want me to come with you?"
"No. Yes. No. If I'm wrong I'd prefer that you were not there to see my failure pointed out." He said causing Bess to stand and kiss her husband.
"What was that for?" Morgan asked.
"I love you." Bess smiled as she ushered Morgan from their tent.
When Morgan reached the Med-tent he began to regret not accepting his wife's offer of coming along. Taking a deep breath he pulled back the flap.
"Um Julia, do you have a minute?" He asked nervously from the Med-tent entrance, not wanting to turn Julia into a hysterical wreck again. "I think I've found something."
"You have?" Julia asked spinning round quickly.
"Possibly. I was reviewing the medical files that were submitted before the launch and it seems that we were all seen by the same doctor at some stage, a doctor Bicknell."
"I'm not following."
"He gave everyone here at least one inoculation. Everyone that is except Devon."
"Why not Devon?"
"She was ill when it was her appointment with him so had it done be her normal physician. Anyway it got me thinking, what if Bicknell was the one who gave us the implants and what if Devon doesn't have one?"
"You're thinking that the implants are actually preventing us getting sick?" Julia hypothesised.
"Well no, I hadn't got that far." Morgan confessed. "I thought I'd leave that part to you."
"You may be on to something, if Devon really doesn't have an implant. But we need to know for sure. Can you get John to rig up a scanner so we don't have to remove her from the pod? I'll start looking at what the implant is doing. I'll need to run some tests on people with the implant. I'll also look at the one we removed. It could be possible that it is emitting some sort of field that is preventing something getting into our systems." She reeled off, leaving Morgan feeling confused.
"I'll go talk to Danziger then." He said pointing towards the entrance flap. When Julia waved him off as she dug through boxes he exited the tent muttering. "At least that was one up on crying."
"Danziger can I talk to you?" Morgan asked approaching the mechanic.
"What is it now Martin?"
"I need you to make me something."
"Morgan I am not your personal servant. If you need something make it yourself. Right now I am trying to organise our leaving." Danziger snapped.
"It's not for me, it's for Julia." Morgan said a little more unsure of himself, increasingly feeling intimidated by the mechanic. "It may help with finding a cu-" He was stopped from finishing by Danziger taking a firm hold of him and dragging him away from camp. "Oh god, you've gone nuts too. Let me go." He began to struggle, but ultimately he was no match for Danziger.
After what Morgan thought was miles Danziger stopped and turned to face Morgan, completely invading his personal space.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Martin?" Danziger growled.
"What?"
"Do you have any idea how hard people are finding it. No one wants to move on. Everyone is clinging to false hope. Uly is desperate to stay, since I told him we are moving he has not said a word to anyone. What do you think your latest foundation-less scheme is going to? The group can't take anymore false hope and disappointment."
"This isn't false hope. Julia thinks I could be onto something." Morgan protested.
"Julia has thought she has been onto something everyday since it has happened. Then she works without food and sleep until she proves herself wrong. She won't be able to take another failure either."
"Look, maybe you're right. Maybe this is another false lead. But what if it's not? What if this holds the key and you turn your back on it? How will Uly feel if years down the line he finds out we could have saved Devon? All I am asking is for you do some mechanics stuff and build me a little device so I can test this theory. If I am wrong we can stop Julia, if I am right maybe just maybe we can save Devon."
Danziger stared long and hard at Morgan until the smaller man had lost all his resolve. Finally, the mechanic asked.
"What do you need?"