There's excitement in the reality of touching down on Leda. Delphine has seen numerous gatherings in the observation lounge, even as passengers are being moved to permanent or temporary housing. And privacy has been difficult to obtain between passengers disembarking and crew members entering the habitat to tally the bunk mattresses and begin to remove furnishing.
Either way they don't have much to go on.
"57." Cosima grumbles as she follows the instructions of their devices to pack and ensure to leave nothing behind on board the habitat. Each housing assignment comes with a dwelling number. Until streets are named. The current theory going around was that they would be named after the deceased crew.
"There's no saying what names they will choose for which institutions. Or roads." Delphine tries to comfort her girlfriend, but Cosima has gotten increasingly antsy as they'd waited for their dwelling number to be released. "All I know is that our dwelling is number 57."
"I am not living on Aldous Leekie Boulevard. I am not sending my hypothetical children to Aldous Leekie Secondary school… I am not…doing…that." Cosima continues as she throws her clothing and few belongings into the provided backpack.
"Cosima.. I get the picture." Delphine responds, trying to pack carefully. The clothes she'd boarded in had been returned, and she wore those. Cosima too was clothed in the clothes she'd boarded in. A burgundy dress and patterned leggings. It made her smile to see Cosima dress…more like Cosima.
"I think it's not going well." Cosima warns her. "I mean we had to confirm that it was not a temporary request like Sol and Celia's." It was acceptable, Delphine had learned, for two women to request temporary housing together. And Sol and Celia had, each would have her own bedroom in the shared home, and one of them would eventually move out once they had solidly partnered. Presumably the odd hours they would keep for work had accelerated the granting of the request.
"Well, they may not know what to do with us." Delphine agrees. "But, the planet is fairly earth-like. And our home is ready for us. So… we should try to believe the best. As long as we can."
"Heavier gravity." Cosima comments. "Marginally. But Sol said it may just be the change from living in space. Leda is bigger than Earth but not significantly."
"We'll get used to it." And they are, Delphine thinks. From what she has seen from the observation deck the planet was mountainous but fairly earth like. The sky looked either blue or violet depending on the time of day. And the plant-life was abundant in the valley the first city would be located in. The water was indigo coloured, at least from a distance. And even Cosima was reluctant to say Leda wasn't beautiful.
"We will." Cosima finishes readying herself. "Well, let's get out of here before they start warehousing the spare mattresses and demolishing the habitat for parts."
It was true, everything from the metal, to the glass, to the furniture would all be repurposed into various planned buildings. Sitting on the observation deck often showed several construction vehicles in progress. Two temporary large apartment-like buildings had been constructed to house singles, and a lot of the furnishing from the habitats had already been absconded. The modular nature of the dwellings was flexible. And Delphine had to admit, it was a very efficient way of doing things. Especially until mining begins, and they begin to establish Leda-made buildings and materials. It seemed women had priority for housing, but most of the passengers were opting to wait even as homes sat empty.
"Shame we can't just throw these away." Cosima grimaces poking at her device.
Please make your way to the lift with your belongings in your provided backpack. Ensure to bring all three pairs of provided garments with you. Thank you.
"The recycling bin is just outside the lift." Delphine assures her. The lift, thankfully, still worked. They are lowered until the bottom, and when the doors open they are in a strange metallic looking room, it's larger than expected. Supposedly for support, Delphine reasons. It definitely looks able to accommodate the full complement of passengers, instead it's sparsely filled with crew members tapping devices. And a large recycling bin no doubt Cosima is eager to toss her device into.
Several crew members are around. All still clad in uniform, and none younger than 50. There's Liv Petersen who Delphine recognizes instantly, and she gives her a small smile.
"Dr. Delphine Cormier and Dr. Cosima Niehaus?" Liv speaks, retaining full formality. She points towards a bin that isn't yet full of devices. "We'll collect your devices now, they're integrated into the system and won't work off ship."
"Yes." Delphine hands over her device, and Cosima does the same.
"So glad to be rid of that." Cosima speaks under her breath, and Delphine tries not to laugh. It isn't funny.
"Not an uncommon sentiment. Well, make your way outside. Please stay clear of any active construction areas. Your dwelling is near the hospital which is still under construction. Just look for the label 57 on the construction tag outside of it. A new communications device will be in your home on your kitchen counter. It's fairly simplistic, talk and text. For now."
"Thank you." The doors in front of them open, and they see real sunlight. There are crew members wandering and working, likely to help direct them. But Delphine cannot stop from blinking. It is so bright.
"Wow…they should have provided sunglasses." Cosima mutters. It takes several minutes to adjust.
She sees groups of homes. The nearly completed agricultural dome in the distance. And a construction site not even 60 meters from where they stand. Next to it is another piece of the ship. And a lot of activity. She quickly forms a hypothesis.
"Is that the hospital?" Delphine asks the first crewmember she comes across. He appears to be more supervising than working. Likely due to his age. He's unfamiliar, and wasn't on her shared rotation.
"Uhh it will be?" The man comments. "The labs need to be extracted, or rather, de-shelled. And then we can try to reassemble it. We're debating leaving the existing structure, and the lift. But then we need to really rethink other plans."
"When will the genetics lab be free?" Cosima asks. No doubt wondering if her lab will be freestanding or integrated into the hospital complex.
"Not a priority." He states with a shrug. "Everyone is going on construction or agricultural duty, except a couple teachers for the children."
"OK." Delphine turns to Cosima, there are two dirt roads formed between rows of houses. They look very much the same, the outsides are a light gray, the roofs metallic and a darker gray colour. Gutters appear already built in, as if prepared for rain. And all dwellings are one-level, with enough space around them to be considered a yard, and a back garden. But instead of fences there are a few small metal spikes marking property division. It's green, sort of, Delphine thinks, considering the plants that were not quite grass covering the ground. And some still have tags outside them showing names. They walk until the smallest dwelling catches her attention.
"57." Delphine points at the tag out front.
"Yeah." Cosima nods. "It's not family sized. It looks like one of the crew's retirement dwellings."
"Non. The layout is different. It is the correct housing." Delphine examines the exterior. It just seems to be smaller.
"Plus most of those are near the dome. At least according to rumour, but there's tons of rumours right now." Cosima remarks on their dwelling. It's easy to tell from the outside, it is smaller than the other passenger dwellings. Most had a similar structure, of a main housing area, and bedrooms attached on either side, or one side, leaving one side of the home open for possible expansion.
"Non. It's … as if they expect us to give up." Delphine agrees looking at the home. But the door opens readily, and the inside is pleasant. The floor is a light wood coloured laminate, and the walls are pale gray. Each window possesses pull-down blinds. The family room and kitchen make up the great room. The cupboards are all white, and dishes are already inside. There's a dishwasher, and a stackable washer and dryer in a cupboard between the kitchen and the bathroom. There are two crates in the living space, and she knows that they belong to her and Cosima. Each is labeled. The hallway shows that there is room for another door. But instead of leading to a second bedroom, a gray panel blocks off the opening to the outside. The end of the hallway is marked similarly, a possibility for expansion only.
"I mean it's nice. Like we can totally live here." Cosima comments. She flicks on the tap, and water runs. "And everything is hooked up." She opens the cupboard to view a large tank labeled 'water treatment and filtration'.
"Yes. Water quality is supposed to be good here. They had to add something to it, but it is fairly similar to earth water." Delphine tries to remember what other information had come back from the probes, but she thinks she recalls the probes establishing several wells and some infrastructure they must have been building on since they arrived.
Delphine pokes into the bathroom to see a decently sized bathtub and a separate shower, as well as sink, toilet and cabinets. It all looks fine. Like a very decent rental. The bedroom possessed a large platform bed frame, and a large king-sized bed. There's a large walk in closet and then an edge along the back of the closet that looks as if there should be another room there. Delphine has seen the schematics, and knows that there should be. Though the closets shouldn't be connected. At least not as default. There were multiple configuration options.
"Well the bed is big enough." Cosima quips upon following her into the room. Cosima smiles when she sees the room. And Delphine thinks the bedroom is quite large. Easily large enough to accommodate a king sized bed and a crib for an infant. Both bedrooms are supposed to be large. The homes are supposed to accommodate up to a family of four without expansion. The mattress packaging has been disposed of, leaving the mattress expanded on the frame.
"Yes, but it is not what it is supposed to be." Delphine points out. "All passenger modular homes are supposed to come with two bedrooms, and two bathrooms to start. An additional two bedrooms can be added on in an expansion."
"Well it's modular. It can be expanded. I know the layout is otherwise identical to the regular passenger ones. I'll request an additional bedroom expansion." Cosima decides.
"We best wait." Delphine shakes her head. After all, expansions would be available for years to come.
"Right." Cosima trails off. "Unless you want to convince them we want to sleep separately."
"They are not going to believe it."
"So… Do you want to open our crates?" Cosima tosses the words out teasingly.
"It's easy." Delphine moves back towards the living room. She can get used to this. She will get used to it. "The crates are unlocked, see?" Delphine points at the small screen.
"So? So we just like push any button?" Cosima taps the screen.
"No, that's enough." Delphine pushes her thumb to the screen. The screen blinks green once, and it clicks. "A thumbprint. Now it just opens."
Delphine opens the lid and looks in. But everything looks remarkably well preserved. A wrapped gift from her parents. A few photo albums. A child-sized wooden rocking chair. A suitcase full of her belongings. Another small box of things brought for the children she expects to have. Things from home.
"Yes!" Cosima is bent over digging into her crate. And Delphine smiles at her sounds.
"So… are we showing off? Or just unpacking?" Delphine turns to look at her lover. She pulls out the suitcase.
"Maybe a bit of both." Cosima laughs. "Oooh clothes." Cosima picks out a suitcase and grins. "Oh I missed this." Cosima begins sorting through her own belongings with a wide smile on her face.
"Yes. A few things. Not a lot." Delphine admits. She pulls out the chair next.
"A chair? It's a little small…"
"Yes. It is but… it is just one." Delphine places in the living room. "I wonder if we could arrange the furniture differently. The modular couch is… I want to move it."
"What furniture? I mean other than that. I think they just shoved us in here and hoped we'd give up."
"I think I found something you're definitely going to want to see." Cosima announces with a sly grin. She pulls out something in a cylindrical package and tosses it at her.
"What?" Delphine scrambles to catch the object. It drops on the floor but she picks it up.
"It's what you've been waiting for." Cosima teases. "Well… there's some other fun stuff in here. But, this might be a highlight."
"This is it?" Delphine holds up the pastel coloured vaguely phallic appendage Cosima had been trying to get. This was not a cock . This was… something else entirely. It's still in its plastic tube and looks comical at best.
"Yes. That is it." Cosima nods.
"It's… different than I expected." Certainly not what she'd been picturing. Nothing anywhere close.
"Different, good?"
"Different… striped pastel colours and small." Delphine chuckles a little.
"Small?" Cosima huffs.
"Yes, Cosima. Small ."
"Delphine, it's five and a half inches. It's average. It also glows in the dark."
At this, Delphine starts laughing uncontrollably.
Cosima is quick to whine at her in response. "Delphine!"
"I am sorry… but you just said it glows in the dark." Delphine manages to get out through her giggles.
"Maybe I should show you the rest… clothes. A few cannabis seeds. All kinds of things… There's also a harness. You know this might be more fun than unpacking."
Delphine begins to picture it, some contraption of straps to attach this…toy to Cosima's body. And that too makes her want to laugh.
"It's not too small." Cosima tries her tactics cautiously. "It's perfectly capable of… doing the job."
"I suppose." Delphine remains neutral. There's so much to unpack. To arrange. To try to settle into this new strange life. Before anything crazier happens. And in an alien world there will inevitably be something crazy. Some unknown science. Some disaster. Some pathogen.
"It'll be a very comfortable fit…" Cosima continues teasingly on her previous line of thought. "We could try it out later. Or sooner."
"I guess… we could." Delphine reasons it out.
"Delphine, don't nix it until you've tried it." Cosima pulls out a contraption of straps and no doubt is eager to go.
"OK." Delphine agrees. "Shall we go to bed?"
Cosima is quick with a kiss to her mouth. "You go ahead. I am going to wash this and find some lube. I packed some."
Delphine lays on the bed, but doesn't undress. She glances towards the closet, left open. And thinks they have so very little. What does it matter that their home is small? It's hardly as if they have much to put in it. Most furnishings are colonist standard issue, provided for their use. Nothing more.
"Delphine…" Cosima's voice calls her back from her thoughts. She glances over to the bedroom door. Cosima's dreads are down, and she's mostly naked. Her breasts, belly and legs are bare. But not completely. There's a new temporary addition to Cosima's now familiar body.
Cosima has the…dildo threaded through the harness, and it is strapped on to her body. But the way the straps are set leaves Cosima's buttocks bare. Which Cosima is eager to show off as she spins to show off the full effect. And the deep burgundy colour isn't bad, Delphine thinks. But it still looks strange. It's nothing like a cock. Why Cosima would call it that makes no sense.
"So… you want to just…get down to it?" Cosima suggests playfully, kneeling on the bed.
"Let's… take our time." She's still fully dressed, which should at least slow things down a little. Cosima will have to undress her. Tease her.
"Yeah. Obvs. The more orgasms the better before we bring this thing into play." Cosima points. And then seems to forget about it. Cosima is kissing her the same, stroking her the same. The only difference is the harness and the pastel approximation of an erection.
Delphine manages to not laugh, especially once Cosima begins stroking at her. She kisses her lover back, holds her back. Lets her own hands graze over the curves and lean strong musculature of her lover's body.
"Cosima…" Delphine moans, and Cosima's hand begins to work at her sex. Begins to stroke and tease at her. Fingers tease against her clit, circling and pulling at her. And Despite the oddity of being poked in the thigh by a silicone phallus, she manages to forget. At least enough to slip over the edge and kiss Cosima deeply in the afterglow.
"Do you want it like this?" Cosima asks her, even as she's pulling her up to kiss more firmly. To clutch her body to her own. "Do you want me on top?"
"Mmm." Delphine hums, she figures it's as good a position as any. Cosima adjusts position with a smile. And this much is familiar, Delphine thinks. Surely not that much is different on her end of things. The simulation will be similar, but with Cosima that will be different.
Cosima's not wrong. Delphine thinks as Cosima enters her in one smooth slow stroke. And it is easy. Very easy. She stretches to accommodate, but only a little.
"How is it?"
Delphine smiles at her lover. "An easy fit." Whatever it looks like doesn't matter now. And Cosima begins to move, tentatively at first. Tenderly. Perfectly.
"Like this?" Cosima asks softly, clearly intent on pleasing her. She moves to hold Cosima back, to stroke her face, her back. She watches her move, the way her breasts sway with her thrusts, the look on her face.
"Ohh." She lets out a sound. And it's not big . But Cosima moves fluidly, in rhythm and it's hitting right. "Oui. Comme ça."
Cosima's arms stay wrapped around her, and her lover leans in for a kiss. She brings one of her legs up to wrap around Cosima's hip. To get her just a little deeper. To feel just a little more. The only groan that comes with the slight modification in position is her own. But Cosima smiles at her, kissing her deeply again.
It is not until she begins to make involuntary little noises that she hears a little sound from Cosima. Maybe it doesn't have to matter what Cosima's ' cock ' looks like. If it can feel like this.
"Ohh." Cosima lets out the sound, and keeps working her. "God, you feel good." Cosima groans, and her hands are greedily clutching at her skin.
She cannot help it, her hands go to Cosima's ass, short fingernails digging into soft skin.
"Cosima…" It's barely a whimper as her body tightens, as tension continues to build. And it's working, exceptionally well at that.
"Does it feel small now?" Cosima teases under her breath, as she begins clenching around the toy.
"Non…" Delphine admits.
"How does it feel?"
"Good." Delphine whimpers again. "You… feel good." She wants Cosima, she reasons. And this is a way of having her. One that for whatever reason, Cosima seems to want. Her head falls back, her eyes close. She cannot resist much longer. And why should she?
Cosima works her through her first orgasm, and continues until it crests into a second even as her toes curl and her cries fill the room.
When Cosima is done, she removes the harness hastily and tosses it off the bed. Delphine is still catching her breath when she feels Cosima crash back into her arms.
"I love you." Cosima offers softly. Her lips are quick to tease at her own, and then down. Cosima's mouth presses to her breasts, briefly teasing nipples and down to her sex. The only pause is when Cosma inhales deeply before beginning to taste her.
Any attempts of quietness are ruined, Delphine thinks as she lets herself pant and cry out. And Cosima isn't satisfied until she's brought her to another climax.
"Oh." Delphine sighs when she is kissing Cosima. The taste of sex no longer surprises her, just excites her. She wraps herself around her lover, arms and legs holding Cosima's body to her own.
"I wanted to wear you out a bit…" Cosima admits with a quick nuzzle to her nose.
"You have, mon amour. Though… I have every intention of returning the favour. Delphine lets her eyes close. One question remains. "Why wouldn't you choose a bigger one?"
"Uhh… because being poked in the cervix is overrated?" Cosima throws out absently, seemingly satisfied. Cosima laughs.
"Not huge, just… bigger." Delphine giggles, unable to help herself. Surely most men she's known would have chosen that given the choice.
"Oh… you're one of those." Cosima laughs. "Were you not satisfied? Like is it an issue? Or like a preference thing?"
"Non. I was. It was good." Delphine looks over. "I just figured if one could choose they would choose bigger more often than not."
"Well… Some people do choose bigger. I choose… perfectly average. Especially since I figured this toy would be for sharing."
Delphine imagines it for a moment. The harness strapped around her body. Cosima riding the pastel dildo, Cosima's breath catching, Cosima crying out or whimpering for her. She's unsure how to feel about that particular method of bringing pleasure to Cosima. At least for now.
"I understand."
"But it was…?"
"A good size. It… felt really good." Delphine leans in for a kiss. "I usually wouldn't be able to choose anyway." And why should it matter?
"Yeah. With a guy you're stuck with whatever they've got." Cosima agrees. And Delphine cannot argue. But she isn't 'stuck'. She has Cosima. And that, that is more than enough.
Delphine moves slowly, letting her hands descend first. Hands teasing against clearly interested flesh. And the arousal she feels from Cosima makes her groan. The scent is overpowering once she's adjusted position to reach Cosima's sex. Cosima is drenched, and when she tastes her the little sounds from Cosima please her as much as her taste.
"I want you." Cosima tells her, cupping her head in her hands.
Delphine resolves then, to show Cosima how much she craves her.
The first few days they settle in. They make love as often as possible, enjoying the privacy. They unpack, the double closet barely filled with their belongings. A few boxes and the small chair are tucked away.
"For the kids." Cosima quips with a laugh, and Delphine only smiles. They don't need those things now. They hang pictures of their families. And Delphine opens her gift to reveal both a bottle of wine, and a small wooden sign. An adage about family is on it, La famille, c'est sacrée . And she can tell her parents wanted to send something that would last. That she would treasure.
"It's cute." Cosima says, letting her hang it by the door. She isn't put off by the somewhat religious overtones. Though Delphine suspects what her parents meant is that they would always be connected to her.
The walk to the agricultural dome takes about 25 minutes. And it is time, Delphine thinks. To enjoy Cosima's company. To think. To enjoy the great sunrise, to look around the settlement. Though, for safety's sake it was recommended not to venture outside the boundaries. She and Cosima hadn't even gone to look at the water closely. Too many strange alien animals blocking the path. And while they didn't seem dangerous, they were quite large. And no doubt capable of causing harm.
Setting up hydroponics isn't difficult. She doesn't envy the task of soil testing and soil transplants and attempts to grow crops traditionally. Nor does the task of building look like much fun. A town hall is coming together, and the hospital supposedly will be done within a month. Cosima's genetic clinic has been promised to be freestanding, but attached to the hospital.
"I prefer it that way." Cosima claims, even as she's setting up more seeds for germination.
"Well we shall see, ma chérie. "
It is less than a week of this pattern before she is interrupted by Captain Brooks looking rather awkward.
"Dr. Cormier?"
"Yes."
"We need you to come to the hospital right away."
"OK." Delphine stands up, leaving Cosima behind. And she knows, something has happened. Perhaps an elderly crewmember has fallen? Or someone has come into contact with some kind of plant.
She walks briskly, surprised that Captain Brooks still has the same quick walk she remembers. Despite his advancing years. No doubt this is an inconvenience for a man intent on getting the colony set up and then enjoying his retirement.
"There's been an incident."
"What?"
"One of our passengers… colonists. Has consumed something untested. He is ill. Our doctors need help."
"Who?"
"Umm… Wilder Bradley?"
"May I speak informally?" Delphine asks, a little too used to being part of the crew. And remembering Mitchell Brooks was always more formal than his predecessor.
"You may."
"What did he do?"
"He ate something." Mitchell Brooks looks distinctly unamused. And Delphine wonders if he has been trying to deal with this personally. "He presented at the unfinished hospital this morning."
"Oh." Delphine's mind runs various scenarios. She hasn't left the settlement, but the indigo coloured bay had drawn more adventurous colonists to see it.
The medical section can be entered, despite construction surrounding it. The dull noise The sections come apart easily, Delphine notes. To eliminate the need for the lift. And one section has a working entrance. At least for now. She notes they are down to three floors, in what seems to be the finished section. And no doubt that includes the patient rooms, surgical rooms, and offices. And who knows what else. She was supposed to have a lab, Delphine remembers. And an office.
"Dr. Cormier. It's to your right. Urgent care has already been set up." Captain Brooks looks at her. "Good luck."
"Thank you. Sir." Delphine throws in the formality. The hospital has the same creamsicle colour scheme, and she wants to laugh. But the sounds of distressed patient are hard to ignore.
Dr. Singh is in the medical area. Looking at readouts and trying to keep a patient calm. A couple nurses rush in and out of the room.
"Hello Dr. Singh." Delphine attempts formality.
Dr Singh turns with a quick smile. "Dr. Cormier."
"I heard there was an issue."
"Yes, I need a pathologist. This… is beyond me. But I will help you."
"Let me see him." Delphine goes in and sees Wilder Bradley. His face is swollen, blighting whatever good looks would have served him well. There's an odd rash on his neck and his chest. Not simply red, but with blackened spots. And this, this looks as bad as anything she ahs ever seen.
"What did you eat?" Delphine addresses him directly.
Wilder manages to speak, his tongue is apparently not that swollen. "Have you seen those… big greenish gray pig-like animals?"
"The ones near the bay? Non. But I heard of them." Delphine hadn't ventured that far yet, and maybe she should have yielded to Cosima's enthusiasm. Sol and Eden had ventured out there, to take a look at the bay. Swimming was not permitted, not yet. And they'd mentioned the large lumbering six legged creatures. And that they moved slowly, eating the orange leaves of several plants and what seemed to be fruit that fell from certain trees.
"Yes. Those. The not-pigs."
"You… Killed one? And ate it?" Delphine struggles with the lack of logic in that action. But tries not to let it show.
"Yes. I cooked it first. Tried making bacon, but it was't that pork-like. So I smoked it. I had a mini-smoker in my crate. Wasn't half bad."
"Did anyone else eat this?" Delphine asks. But Wilder remains silent, not wanting to talk it seems.
But it's Dr. Singh who answers. "He was with a woman… but she said she gagged and spat it out. Didn't eat it. And none of the other men ate it, as far as I know."
"OK. I will need a full blood work panel. And a sample of whatever he ate. And bring the woman in for a full workup." Delphine begins doing a visual assessment. And has to admit that things are not looking good.
"Well, keep him comfortable. Morphine." Delphine asks the nurse who nods.
"He's been on a drip." Dr. Singh tells her. "Since he arrived. Severe cramping, unsurprisingly."
"I see." Delphine looks back. "Is my lab operational?"
"It is… on the second floor. But… getting there is challenging."
Delphine nods, trying to think this through. She needs to analyze the meat, and analyze Wilder's immune response to it. And try to see what is causing this. The blackening rash looks bad. But perhaps it is temporary.
"Can you help me get there?"
Dr. Singh thinks. "I will see what I can do. I'll leave you to your patient."
Delphine finds taking samples from Wilder as boring as she'd thought.
"Who was the woman you were with?"
"There were two. Nola and Olivia." Wilder mumbles.
Delphine chooses to believe that this was not a sexcapade, but an ill-intentioned dinner party. "Did you have intimate contact with either of them?"
"Yeah." Wilder nods.
"Both?" Delphine prompts.
"Yeah. What's it to you?"
"I do not know if you've picked up some kind of pathogen from what you ate. Or if you could have passed it on through intimate contact. Please give the nurses their full names. We will have both women come in for a full workup."
"Right."
"Why did you kill the …not-pig?"
"Meat. I wanted to eat meat. And I wanted to hunt it. We're supposed to be free here." Wilder mumbles. Even as he's sinking back into his hospital bed.
Delphine returns to the nurses station. "I want someone with him, 24/7."
"Understood."
"I will check up on him frequently. But. I need lab access."
Dr. Singh returns about twenty minutes later. "Your lab is intact. And on the second floor. We should be able to reach it via the stairs."
"Alright." Delphine follows Dr. Singh down the corridor. It was odd to be in a hospital that had signs for every possible department and yet was unfinished, with modular furnishing blocks cutting off the end of hallways.
"Pathology." Delphine follows up a flight of stairs that are thankfully not orange. Her lab is white, with teal accents. And she smiles at this.
"We colour code everything it seems." Dr. Singh swipes her badge and the door opens. "The second floor will be white and teal. The first white and orange. And the top level will be white. Hopefully we get the cargo elevator working sooner rather than later. I told them the hospital is top priority. But then I am arguing with everyone."
"Pathology lab." A computerized voice speaks. "Please authenticate."
Delphine approaches the terminal, and it prompts her for her personal information. There appears to be one exam room and a lab. She is supposed to have an office, Delphine thinks absently as she looks around. The equipment looks good enough anyways.
"OK. I need a tech to run some samples and I need that meat."
"I have someone on it. He was smoking some behind his house. Dwelling 23." Dr. Singh tells her.
"A tech?"
"Someone I trust more." Dr. Singh admits. "She'll get the meat, and won't touch it with her hands. And it should be here soon."
"Very well." Delphine looks around, it seems her lab is connected enough she should be able to source test results from the main lab.
"Bloods should be in within ten minutes." Dr. Singh advises and then steps outside leaving Delphine to her own devices.
When she returns it's with an equally gray haired woman with fair hair and gray eyes. Delphine looks between the two women for a few quiet moments. Trying to get a read on things.
"Who are you?" Delphine asks. She doesn;t recognize Amalia. Thena gain, she hadn't served in the same
"I'm Amalia Felice. I am… Well, I was one of the engineers aboard the Leda." She smiles. "I am afraid my skills are not much use here. Unlike Leela's. I have been helping with the building. What I can anyway. And dismantling the ship."
"Leela?" Delphine repeats confused, but only for a moment.
"Dr. Singh." Amalia is quick to correct herself.
"Amalia and I…" Dr. Singh trails off. "Well, you'd find our arrangement isn't that different to your own. We met on board. Same as you and…Dr. Niehaus."
"The geneticist?" Amalia looks to Dr. Singh who nods. "Anyway. I have your meat." Amalia produces a small glass container with a chunk of grayish red meat inside.
"Thank you." Delphine takes the sample, and begins looking for gloves. She finds a pair in the exam room. A few boxes of disposable gloves. Supplies. How would they ever have enough supplies? How would they begin making such things here? What could they even mine here? Could they produce latex? They had a seed bank, but what could be grown here? An alternative?
She takes the meat sample, and runs molecular and chemical tests. Every test she can think to run. She returns downstairs to check on her patient, but finds his condition much the same. No changes. But things are not looking good.
"Any answers, Doc?" Wilder asks when he stirs. "Food poisoning? The drugs cut the cramping anyway."
"Mr. Bradley. I believe this is far worse than food poisoning. I am running tests now. But I suspect some kind of biotoxin. Else, the … euh…not-pig is simply incompatible with human physiology."
"Meaning?"
"You are going to get sicker. You ate this…last night?"
"Yeah." Wilder nods, seeming a little concerned now. And Delphine wonders what would make a foolhardy man fear for his life before this point.
"OK. So… less than…15 hours ago?" Delphine moves his hospital gown to get a look around his neck. And doesn't like the way he looks at her while she does. She looks at his extremities, which seem normal enough for now.
"Getting a good look?"
"Just ensuring the rash isn't spreading." Delphine waves over a nurse. "Please photograph this rash every hour. Let me know if anything in his condition changes. And I want to run tests on his bile as well."
"We'll run it, Dr. Cormier." The nurse assures her. He seems calm and competent enough, though older than she is now.
It is two hours before she has a working theory. The chemical tests come back with results she's never seen before. And it's hard to tell what these compounds are. So she draws blood from her own arm, and tests a clump of meat on it in situ. A microscopic camera set up to record. And the computer trained well to report back on the results.
Dr. Singh vanishes, and returns bringing rations for her lunch. "Here you are, Dr. Cormier." She hands over a rations pack. "I am going to see how the west wing of the hospital is coming along."
"OK. I will manage." And Delphine tries. She does. But everything is new. She turns instead to Wilder's test results. To physical examination. She gets a nurse to collect a urine sample, and has them run tests on that as well. She insists on sending him for a full body scan. An MRI. And she has to argue with Dr. Singh and Dr. Tanaka to send her patient to a half-finished ward of the hospital.
In the end, she gets her request. And observation of the effects of the meat on Wilder's physiology proves the best bet. She has a microscopic camera probe his digestive system, while keeping the somewhat annoying man fully sedated. The sun is setting before she has a working understanding of what is going on internally.
"Necrosis." Delphine announces. "There is something in the meat that is eating away at his insides. Like… a biotoxin? A neurotoxin." She wonders if Cosima would be any help. If profiling this…creature genetically would be something to work for. At the very least, Cosima would be good company in the lab. So she puts in her request.
It is Dr. Tanaka that views it. "Well.. I can't say no to this well-worded request. Permission granted to remove Dr. Cosima Niehaus from agricultural duties to assist as long as needed."
"Thank you." Delphine thanks her. And it will feel lighter, she thinks. With Cosima by her side.
She reaches home easily. And is grateful that she was located close to the hospital. It will make things easier if more stupidity results in more emergencies.
"Delphine." Cosima sits up eagerly on seeing her. "Did you eat?"
"Only rations. At lunch." Delphine admits.
"Well… We have food." Cosima points to the kitchen. "Fruits. Vegetables. I did up something vaguely resembling a stirfry."
"It'll do." Delphine quips as she lets her partner fix her something to eat.
"So what was it?"
"It was Wilder Bradley." Delphine begins taking bites of supper. She is hungrier than she thought. Even after all of that.
"Ooh… Didn't you mate with him in one of the simulations I ran…"
"The hypothetical genetics simulation that would never happen? It was a computer simulation, Cosima."
"Right. Yes."
"Well, he ate something."
"Like a native plant species?" Cosima asks hopefully, but Delphine is certain Cosima could easily guess the truth. She was more than clever enough.
Delphine shakes her head. "Like those mossy green creatures with six legs that vaguely resemble pigs. He was calling it a 'not-pig'."
"Ooh. So how sick is he?" Cosima leans in, oddly excited
"He may die." Delphine answers quickly. "There will be a nurse with him all night."
"Rough."
"I am bringing you with me tomorrow. I need… I need another scientist to bounce things off of."
"Delphine, I study genetics."
"But you have a background in other sciences… you can help me run tests. Talk through my theories."
"As long as I don't have to examine Wilder for flesh-eating bacteria."
"Done." Delphine agrees, and lets out a small yawn.
"I think we're just calling it a night, aren't we?" Cosima looks at her. And Delphine has to admit she's right. Dealing with Wilder and an unknown danger hasn't put her in the mood.
"We are."
"That's totally fine." Cosima gives her a slow smile and a soft kiss. And it's easy to call it a night. And just follow Cosima to bed. To let sleep claim her, snuggled up against Cosima's back.
"Wow… total construction zone." Cosima comments as she looks around. Delphine sees a few somewhat familiar men, but finds she recognizes most of them from Cosima's antics during her genetic population simulations.
"Yes, the hospital is workable. But unfinished." Delphine comments looking at Rune Andersen working with several other men. She shakes her head to clear it. Whatever she might know about them means nothing now.
"So… where's the patient."
Delphine leads Cosima to the ward, putting on a doctor's coat before she enters the room. Wilder lays motionless on the bed. There is still some swelling, but she finds the rash looks no larger. And perhaps it is unrelated to his other symptoms.
"He is not waking easily now. But we are keeping him sedated." The nurse offers. "Keep him comfortable."
"And when he is awake?"
"Slurred speech. No sense of taste. Limb weakness… Disorientation." The nurse offers clumsily, and she looks awkward. And Delphine doesn't blame her. No one was expecting an illness like this. Certainly not this soon after landing.
"So… where's the lab." Cosima asks, glancing around at the various monitors filling the room.
"Second floor. I left a few experiments running." Delphine offers, almost teasingly. And she realizes she is flirting with Cosima over this. And that… that cannot continue.
"My diagnosis, for the record, is that he is having an acute toxin response to something present in the meat he ate." Delphine observes the medical records, with no diagnosis given.
"So are we looking for biomarkers?" Cosima asks, her fingers easily going to the nearest information sceen and scrolling through. "Wow… his test results look really bad."
"Yes. They were bad yesterday. We are now… at 30 hours post exposure? More?" Delphine bites her lip. "Can I get my results from my lab sent down here?"
"Not currently. I told them we need full connectivity, and soon." The nurse apologizes. "You'll have to go upstairs."
"Keep him comfortable. Send someone to get me if he wakes up." Delphine throws out the words and leads Cosima towards the stairwell.
"There's no lift?"
"It isn't functioning well yet. They're putting in one of the old cargo lifts. But it isn't wired in."
"Right…" Cosima looks around. "At least there's lights. I mean most of the patients here just hurt themselves and need stitches. So… I guess demand is low right now."
"Yes." Delphine opens her lab, and quickly ushers Cosima inside.
"Wow… this isn't as chill as my lab."
"Yours can do presentations. Mine is simply for running tests." Delphine brushes that off. "And I need you to check the experiment in the fridge."
"Right." Cosima goes to retrieve the beaker. "Dude… Whose blood is this?"
"Mine." Delphine tells her and is quick to show the blood spot on her inner arm. "I am not seeing much here though."
"Well we can put it under the microscope." Cosima is quick to do so. Observing. "Well there's damage at the cellular level. Significant. You cultured this overnight?."
Delphine nods. "It… looks like mitochondrial damage from my tests." Delphine looks at the various screens and readouts. Wilder isn't conscious today, and that is for the best. "I would say it is a neurotoxin. And maybe it doesn't matter what one."
"Dude is going to win a Darwin Award…" Cosima shakes her head. "Like this is serious neurotoxin shit… he is going to die."
"He might." Delphine wonders what drugs she could try. "We could try a treatment based on common earth neurotoxins."
"So… a few days of infusions and extra fluids? And hope for the best?"
"That is the only option we have." Delphine states grimly. At least Wilder didn't have a wife or children left behind.
She takes blood samples from both of the women Wilder has been intimate with and tells the techs to run a full battery of tests. Nola insists she'd refused to try the meat. While Olivia tells her that she'd taken a bite but thrown it up within an hour. Neither of them appear to have any lasting effects, though Olivia seems to have some mild symptoms so they admit her for observation.
"Well… this is going well." Cosima tells Delphine after a brief session of waking Wilder to test his current faculties.
"Non. It really isn't." Delphine looks back towards the room where her patient lies. "He is dying, Cosima."
"Probably." Cosima agrees. "But Nola's tests came back clear for traces of the neurotoxin. And Olivia has only trace amounts. I think they'll both live...and lucky for them, not with Wilder."
Delphine rolls her eyes, but only briefly. "Yes, but the fact I need to tell people not to eat…alien meat is ridiculous."
"Ridiculous, but necessary." Cosima takes her hand softly. "Hey. You're doing your best."
"I need to try to save him." Delphine looks at her lover very seriously.
"And you will. You'll try your best."
The nurse swans back in with test results. "Nola is pregnant. Otherwise she's clear. I think you can let her go. I admitted Olivia for observation, but she's eating normally. Some minor tremors in her hand."
"Pregnant?" Cosima groans. "Is it Wilder's? So… so close to that Darwin award."
"I will examine Olivia." Delphine sighs. "Cosima… Go tell Nola her 'good news'."
"Yeah the good news will be after I run the paternity test." Cosima grumbles a bit about genetic uncertainty and reckless breeding, but she goes. And Delphine goes to see Olivia.
"Olivia Trinh?"
The young woman looks up. "Dr. Cormier?"
"You possess only trace amounts of the pathogen that is…" Delphine trails off, not sure exactly what to tell this woman.
"KIlling Wilder?" Olivia subs in, and her face looks mildly disappointed. "That's too bad. He was fun."
"Fun… Yes." Delphine nods. "So, we will be running more tests on you. And seeing why you aren't as sick."
"As soon as that hit my stomach I threw it up." Olivia tells her bluntly. "It wasn't sitting well. That;s when Wilder decided he better smoke the meat, to make it more appetiizing. And it smelled better that way sure. But to be honest, I'd never eaten meat in my life not grown in a lab! The blood and veins really squicked me out."
"Nola too, I take it."
"Yes." Olivia nods. "I mean, Nola is cool. I work in water treatment."
"Ah. So you were testing the water?" Delphine wonders if that is another clue.
"Yes. But the water is fine." Olivia tells her. "It's… water. H2O. Nothing weird about it, it is a bit alkaline. But the water treatment is working. The water is safe. I can guarantee it. And the plumbing systems are solid.."
"But the not-pigs…" Delphine prompts.
"I wasn't there when he killed it. He made himself a spear. Seriously! He just invited a few of us over to see… I mean… he was a fun…fuck." Olivia gives her a little shrug. "But Wilder was a bit reckless for me. I think I'd rather date Yann. He was more chill. I wouldn't want to produce kids that are that reckless."
Delphine nods, trying not to worry too much about the bed hopping. There was no need to worry Cosima. She emerges and shakes her head, that wasn't as worrying. And she has Olivia put on an IV and given charcoal. Anything she can think of to reduce the effects. And maybe longitudinal effects of minor exposure will be something she has to study going forward.
"What now?" Delphine looks to Cosima and another crew member, Liv Petersen, who has appeared again. With a recording device.
"Public health announcement.' Cosima tells her on her return. "Captain Brooks and a few of the crew are waiting for you in the east wing of the hospital. It'll look better in the recording."
"I guess I need to." Delphine agrees and follows. Cosima comes with her, but just observes.
"OK. You're live." Mitchell Brooks offers. And they record her, and she knows she'll be broadcast on every screen, every device that can receive a signal here. The home devices, the mobile ones. Everything.
"Good afternoon, my fellow passengers. My name is Dr. Delphine Cormier. And I have an important public health announcement."
Cosima looks at her, tilting her head and Delphine tries to ignore the faces and continues.
"Do not eat the green not-pigs. Do not eat the vaguely deer-like purple creatures. Do not eat anything that we do not grow in the agricultural dome. I will be testing everything in my lab. With fellow scientists we will inform you what vegetation… and which alien wildlife, if any, is safe for consumption." That testing will take months, but it seems to be more urgent now.
It is another excruciating 32 hours before Wilder is declared dead despite her best efforts. Nola informs her via Cosima that she isn't certain as to the paternity of her…embryo. And while Nola seems shocked and then dismayed by her pregnancy Delphine suspects she has enough social supports in agriculture that she will adjust. She expects Nola to carry to term, but who knows.
"First death." Cosima comments upon seeing her face when she emerges from Wilder's hospital room. "He'll go into the history books."
"Not the way he wanted to, no doubt."
"He might still be the father of the first kid. Poor kid." Cosima shakes her head. "And I know for a fact Priya wanted to have the first kid born on Leda. Kind of a status thing? I don't know."
"And he might not be."
"Eh… timing is right, from when I saw him with Nola… I bet it's him. It's right after the sexes were mixed and she's already testing positive."
"It is likely Wilder is the father. Yes. But… he will never know that." Delphine reminds her.
"I hope they don't name the hospital after him." Cosima shudders.
"It … it is Aldous Leekie Memorial Hospital. It is already decided." Delphine winces a little when she tells Cosima.
"Seriously?" Cosima sighs. "Well… at least it's not the school."
"I have to work there."
"I know." Cosima looks at her. "But that's OK. We can live with that."
"Can we live with constant medical mysteries and emergencies?"
"No… I think Wilder dying will be a great deterrent on anyone dumb enought to eat anything local." Cosima leans into her.
"For now. But there will be… more."
"And we will face it when it does. "Together." Cosima reminds her softly. "We won't be alone."
"Non. We won't." Delphine cannot resist smiling at her lover. Cannot resist imagining what they might build together. Or what they might achieve. Or learn. And this was just the beginning.