Days of A Living Earth
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2
Jadeite stood before a row of monitors, blinking with rapidly changing status messages and diagrams. A few researchers were looking at him worriedly. Whether they worried for him, for the project or for their own necks, he didn't know. He knew the diagrams, however. Not being a specialist in the field didn't mean Jadeite couldn't read a few things from the signs.
He pointed to one monitor. "That one, Fei. Can you bring up a status report on number 46?"
Fei immediately scrambled to the keyboard to do his bidding, pushing the responsible technician out of the way. Four monitors flickered out, and in their place of their display was a large, zoomed report on number 46. He stepped away from the keyboard, then, with an apologetic bow to the stationed tech.
The display featured three columns of life support data, a graph on vital signs, and rows upon rows of numbers that Jadeite did not care to interpret. He concentrated his efforts on the columns and to a lesser extent the graphs, comparing them with others he'd seen before. The numbers on the columns were already digested and presented in a more easily understood manner, and it showed him several things of interest. One, there had been a noticeable raise in negative energy from the subjects and two, their body chemicals were all produced in the wrong amounts. Hormones controlling aggression and were high in one or two subjects. Others, while sharing similar symptoms, showed very low blood sugar levels while their brain activity peaked. He didn't know how they could've---or why they should---have these symptoms while being under coma for weeks.
He tapped one index finger on the desk he was leaning on. "Number 52 next, please."
The screen immediately switched as his 'laboratory tour guide' rushed to another keyboard. The displays in front of him vanished, went back to their usual status messages, and another four screens went blank and reappeared with the little details for the subject he asked for. Number 52's figures followed the trend, save for a lower blood pressure which might be due to his old age. Jadeite frowned. He turned. "May I see the subjects in person?"
Fei looked flabbergasted. "But, sir, the clean room is---it's---"
"We have no time, doctor," Jadeite cut in, making sure that he looked at his most authoritative. He wasn't a Kunzite, but he could try. "Show me to the clean room. I know the procedures."
He didn't seem happy but still complied, running to fetch the appropriate protective clothing.
Jadeite looked after him. He didn't doubt that the researcher felt awkward and discomfited by his presence. He was younger than most of them, after all. The center had made sure that the person to show him the facilities was their youngest, and even then, Fei had to have been at least six years older than him. Having an inspection officer that much younger than you couldn't have been very comfortable. At least if he was Zoisite, he could've provided some light banter to make the man less ill at ease. But he was Jadeite, and the last time Jadeite tried to joke, he managed to put his subordinates into a depression for days. The young man would rather not have that happen again.
Still, with Zoisite gone, he was the only option left for any excursions to follow. Nephrite would not want to stand around looking at screens and Kunzite needed someone with him, not to mention that Nephrite would have given the scientists here a headache anyway. The man just simply couldn't live for a day without making snide comments at something.
Around twenty minutes later, Fei finally returned with two sets of protective clothing. Jadeite thanked him, and after struggling a bit to get into a suit a size smaller than him, he was led down a circular walkway that looked almost like a tube. The sphincter door whooshed shut behind him, shutting out any contaminating factors, and the ventilators began to churn. Light-crystals started to glow dimly as the system acknowledged their presence.
Somewhere in Jadeite's mind, This is why I hate hospitals could be heard. He was briefed before on how the patients of this particular disease needed to be kept in darkness, but he still didn't have to like how the hallways had been turned into a cavern.
Fei finally managed to lead them to a door, which he opened with a few whispered words in the lockpad beside the doorframe. Jadeite took a deep breath before following his guide in.
The sight before him was unnerving, even though he knew what to expect. He had, after all, been at Prince Endymion's side when he visited His Majesty's sanctum. But that being the palace and private sanctuary of the Kingdom's ruler made it very different from this.
Rows upon rows of people slept on slabs of granite, with no motion except a faint stirring of their abdomens to show they were even alive. Their faces were generally pale, almost to the point of blue, yet some were dark. Almost as if something in their flesh had hardened to the point that biological colors couldn't possibly survive. There was a diverse range of sleepers, from young to old, strong workers to pregnant women. He'd like to find a pattern, as that was often the first indication of what went wrong and how to prevent it, but there seemed to be nothing of that kind here. The affected group was simply too diverse.
Jadeite shot a glance at Fei, who nodded in permission. He began walking between the slabs, examining each subject for anything he might have missed. Seeing them like this reminded him of why the center refused to call them patients but instead used subjects. There didn't seem to be any hope. Everyone was breathing and their hearts were beating, but that was all they did. From the reports, it was as if almost everything else in their bodies just suddenly stopped except the barebones of what they needed to live. He noticed a few seemed to be getting thin, and asked Fei about it.
"Their bodies don't accept injections. We let a sustainer come in here every once in a while, and he does the purifying work. That seemed to work better," was the older man's reply, and Jadeite nodded. That would be consistent with what had been happening behind closed doors everywhere else, to people who could afford closed doors.
The young man went through the remaining rows. He noticed a few had discolorations on fingernails, too, and in one case the teeth for a hare-lipped man, and made a mental note to include it in his debriefing report. Then there was nothing more to see, and he motioned for Fei to take him back outside, back to a world with comfortable light and air that didn't need recycling.
On their journey back, he asked Fei a question, "What do you think is the cause of all this?"
Fei shot him a glance over his shoulders. "I'll be glad to know that, too. If we do, we would've been able to do something about it."
"They respond better to sustainers than food when their bodies' main biological concern should be food, doctor," Jadeite said, "surely you don't think that's normal."
The researcher stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?" he asked, voice openly curious, and in other ways, full of dread.
Jadeite held both his hands in front of him, then gave the older man a smile when he appeared shocked, just to show that he had no intention of violating the center's rules. "The healers are more or less like me, in a way. The planet gave us gifts, but we're not the one chosen to bear its name." Yes, that would be the Prince. The planet had a strange obsession with choosing people from the royal family.
"And? These people don't have the seeds," Fei's voice was trembling a bit, even though he probably knew his next words anyway. It had to have occurred to someone, in a center this size.
He let both his hands dropped and said, in a sterner voice, "They don't have them. Sustainers can help them. The Golden Crystal does nothing for them. There is something here, doctor, something connected." Jadeite looked upward, at the old, old light crystals above. They shone golden, too. "I'd suggest you borrow a few specialists from the other departments, that is if you haven't done so already. Have you?"
The answer was exactly what he predicted. Fei nodded mutely, and added that they had "also contacted the department of divination and astronomy. We've been wanting to contact the royal court, too, but how could we dare with His Highness being so busy?"
Jadeite nodded as well. "He is busy, that's correct. And I assure you that the royal court does everything it can." What with the King being sick with the same disease as well, not that they could ever let the public know. "We'll let you know if our work proves fruitful."
They were nearing the exit, and as Jadeite made toward the door, the researcher stopped him with a raised hand. "Sir. Can I ask you one question before you go?"
Jadeite looked at him. "Yes, doctor?"
Fei's eyes grew wider as words tumbled out of his mouth. "Do you think---do you think, somehow, this disease. It's not normal. It's connected to the seeds of stars. It's---at this point, you know the rumors. Do you think it could have been..."
His voice trailed off, but the younger man had little difficulty guessing what Fei was trying to say. He smiled.
"Don't be silly, doctor. They're too busy trying to purify us than to make us sick, remember?"
"They could've used this opportunity to tell us we need them..."
Jadeite waved at him dismissively. "Of course we haven't let go of that possibility yet, but think about it, Doctor Fei. Silver Millennium valued its reputation far too much for this. And at this time, it's more likely to be the work of instigators." He smiled again. "And for the record, we'll forget this conversation ever took place. Shall we?"
The doctor didn't argue.
By the time Jadeite took proper leave of the facilities, he was tired in many definitions of the word, and he drifted in and out of sleep all the way back to the palace. He was tired. Thoughts of his debriefing report and what had to go into them popped in his head during the intervals between slumber and wakefulness. Yes, he should report Fei, for that last conversation. The Moon Conspiracy Theory was ridiculous. But the desperation in the man's eyes...he didn't mean to go against the policies, he didn't mean to provoke hatred...he was just desperate. Desperate. He worked with those almost lifeless people everyday and yes, he was just desperate. And his choices were running low, that was all it was. If he wasn't, there was no way he would've broached such a subject with an inspector, he had to be desperate. They had to be.
Jadeite groaned, and keyed a few instructions into his transport to give him a wake-up call when they finally reached the palace.
He was woken up a short time later. Not by the transport's system, but by a series of beeping from his own communicator. Muttering a few choice swear words for waking him up, Jadeite flipped the device open and stared darkly as the face that appeared on it.
"Nephrite. I should've guessed. Did it occur to you that I didn't sleep at all last night?"
His coworker's voice on the other end cracked with static. "No, I don't think you're that popular---or enduring. Actually," quickly amended as he sensed the rising anger in the Jadeite Death Glare, "I'm just calling you because Zoisite just dropped a message to the command center from Elysion. He's all antsy that you're not here for the day."
Jadeite groaned again. "I've been scheduled for this inspection run since forever, what did he expect? Anyway, I didn't think you and Kunzite are actually leaving today, so better today than tomorrow. What did Zoisite want?"
"Oh, you've been on an inspection run? That explains the dark eyes. I've heard it's not very pretty," Nephrite's voice maintained its cheery tone as he answered, "as for Zoisite...how should I know? He left a message for you, locked it to your codes, everything. Something about what he was working on before Kunzite surprise-dropped him to Elysion with Master---"
He could hear Kunzite's "I heard that," on the line, but Nephrite continued as if nobody ever said anything.
"He said Master didn't know how long they'd take, so better leave something like that with you, maybe it'd be of some use. Just make sure you check your space today."
"I'll do that," Jadeite replied tiredly. "Nephrite, can I talk to the commander a bit?" His use of the title meant yes, for all the brunettes who didn't have a clue, they were still in office hours, dammit.
"Kunzite? What for?"
"Well, two things. When are you leaving?"
"We're leaving this evening, right after you come back. Wouldn't make sense to leave the palace without at least one of us here," Nephrite said, then snapped his fingers like he just remembered something. "Oh yeah, Jadeite, I have news for you, too. You want to ask the second thing first or do you want the news first?"
"...news first, thanks. Is this going to be bad?"
Nephrite grinned on the blurry screen. He was passing through an interference-heavy area, apparently. "Someone's going to stand in for Zoisite until he gets back, and she's pretty," said the brunette conspiratorially, "rich, noble lady, too."
Jadeite rubbed his temples and swore patience to the powers that be. "I don't want games, Nephrite, not now. I have a splitting headache bigger than the East Sea Trench. Who?"
"Lady Beryl."
"Lady Beryl?" he asked, trying to conjure up the face. Long black hair, wavy, brown eyes? Or green? Remembering faces was not his forte. Equations or battle tactics, sure, faces, no. He could almost count on his fingers the faces that he found memorable.
"You'll meet her tomorrow, I guess. Kunzite's been waiting to tell you along with all the other boring details, but you weren't in. Not excited?"
"Not really." The grassy parks and white pillars sped past him by, Jadeite could see the palace at the horizon. Whoever she was, he hoped she was competent. "Can I ask my second question?"
"Sure."
"How long are all of you going away? I've got something Master might be interested in hearing."
He could hear what might pass for a sigh coming through the communicator, and Nephrite seemed to be making a corresponding motion. "I don't know. Zoisite, well, he probably wouldn't let the Prince stay there longer than two weeks, and I don't recommend you bother him with anything while he's there..."
"Point taken. You?"
"Kunzite and I...well, we have a lot to work on. Starting from the rim, actually, and we'll look into the disease as well as the dissidents. Primarily the dissidents, but hey, whatever we could do. I have no idea."
Jadeite leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling while his communicator chirped something unintelligible at him, thanks to the distance.
None of them was going to have a restful night anytime soon.
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To be continued.
- You might have noted the change from "Prologue" to "1" in the first chapter, if you've been reading this story before. I've redecided that it fits the general flow better this way. Why yes I have little planning
- East Sea Trench refers to the Mariana Trench, assuming that the world only did a re-evolution and it's already past the Pangaea stage, which would've made the Shitennou's 'specialty area' concept being somewhat problematic.