"At least we have been moved into a cleaner room," John noted.
"And bigger," Judy said. "They can't keep us here forever."
"They can try," John said. "Whatever that Doctor S gave us . . ." he looked down toward his hand that was now covered in a film of gray metal with red blood vessels standing out. "Odd." he tapped on the strange aspects of his skin. "I wonder how dangerous this must be to them."
"All I know is that it terrified them," Don said. "So we can count this as life threatening."
"Skin to skin contact," Judy said. "It is contagious."
John fell into the nearest chair feeling quite unwell. Judy applied a hand to his forehead then took it off feeling a slight fever coming on. The door opened then Murveon came inside. John felt lethargic and unable to speak up. As if his body were fighting against something so great it was far difficult to fight against.
"Which hakqip infected you?" Murveon asked.
Silence filled the chamber that the Robinsons were in with little answers being given.
"This blurisa will kill every hakqip who touched it," Murveon said.
Again, everyone was silent, as John gave the sign not to tell.
"We must know the evaisto so we can quarantine them."
Still, there was silence.
"I have to know."
Still, all of them were silent, staring back at Murveon.
"Do you vaheessions not hear me?"
Judy stopped herself from speaking.
"We are checking your room out to make sure the inflita did not grow there," Murveon said. "I know it came from a hakqip but we do not have the smoking nachiika."
Judy got up from her seat then shrugged.
"We don't know," Judy said. "We don't know them personally."
"How could you mahz know?"
"We were asleep," Judy said. "We checked mom's wound. It got better but had a strange infection. We all touched it."
"Me see the wound," Murveon gestured toward the resting woman. "Lift the shirt up."
Judy lifted the shirt up to reveal the gauze was gone and so was the tape that kept it in place.
"The inflita is spreading quickly," Murveon said. "Too quickly. . ." Murveon looked up toward the younger woman then his face brewed with rage. "One of us did THIS."
"Who? What? Is that the name of the disease?"
"AAA'CLURGH, KALRU, VACJO," Then he pointed toward the family. "Release them into their shaaavo after they are cured!"
Murveon got up then turned away from the family and began to shout orders.
"But Jaclanata-"
Murveon held a hand up ceasing their protests.
"Zaklubinuz will watch a conspirator suffer." Was all Murveon said before he left.
The Robinsons were treated smoothly in a hour, unable to move, or speak, resting on their beds. It was hard to tell if they were a hallucination or that of being something real. John regained movement and capability to speak a little over thirty-three minutes later. He came to Maureen's side then put a hand on her forehead feeling for a fever. Her eyes started to open then she looked up toward him.
"Good morning, Mr Robinson," Maureen said with a smile.
"You are okay," John said.
"Course, I am okay, silly," Maureen said. "Just a little groggy."
"Good to see you are awake," John said.
"What is wrong?" She leaned up then looked both sides. "Where are we? Where is the ship?" Her eyes landed on him. "This isn't the Jupiter 2!"
"Remember," John said. "How Harris left us?"
Maureen paled then cursed as she shook her head and smacked her forehead with a hand.
"Now it comes to me," Maureen said. Maureen sighed then lifted her head up in concern with one hand combing through her long red hair. "How long have I been out?"
"A little over two days and a half," John said. "We are aboard another alien's ship."
"Another?" Maureen asked, incredulously.
"A deportation station," John said. "We met someone by the name of Doctor S and his robot friend B-9."
"How alien does he look?" Maureen asked.
"He looks. . ." John said, looking back, then on toward his wife. "Surprisingly human."
"Human?" Maureen asked. "I was under the impression that most aliens didn't look human with what we have seen."
"So have I," John said. "I am under the impression that he is helping us out of our jam with that infection that he gave us. Very strange. I never seen that kind of strange disease on Earth, the planet of life and death, or on any planet that we have been to."
"So, is it dangerous?"
"The reaction of our jailer says it was," John said. "We are more trouble than we look."
"John," Maureen laughed. "What did you do? Make a deal with Doctor S?"
"We didn't make a deal," John shook his head. "The only thing that we discussed was about you, Earth, and where he is from."
"And that is it?" Maureen asked.
"That is it," John replied.
"Troubling. . ." Maureen said. "The last alien that helped us out turned out to be trying to harvest us."
"He feels different," John said. "Malevolent. Unlike Sev'ick. Someone on our side."
"We must be famous," Maureen said. "Famous for the ages to be decided to be on our side." She laughed, with her hands on her knees, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Sev'ick and Smith really went well together. Until it became apparent that all they wanted was to harvest everyone. I doubt anyone would want to . . ."
"That's a very tricky slope that we got here," John said. "Trust him and he may be worse than Harris."
"Tell me that Smith isn't here,"
"No, she isn't. She left us to our detention center."
"If I see her again. . . " Maureen had a face of anger and resentment. "We will vote on it."
"I like that plan," John nodded. "One of your better ones."
Maureen started to laugh as a small smile grew on the ex-marine's face looking up affectionately toward her.
"Mom!" Will cried then bolted toward her and hugged Maureen. "Judy, Penny!" he stepped out of the hug. "She is awake!"
The other members of the family were out of their set up cots and over to the main core of the unit in a matter of seconds giving and receiving hugs.
It was only hours later did Murveon and his officers enter the room. It was unexpected and impromptu featuring John and Maureen taken out of the room while restraining the rest of the family. Maureen's eyes widened in shock then into confusion as they passed by B-9 who was strolling by the hallway alongside a chirping counterpart that was white and blue. They were shoved into a dark room that had only a pool of blue light that came through a square window. They walked forward slowly then stopped looking into the other room that was well lit and decorated.
"That is him." John's eyes rested on a older man's figure reading a novel in a chair.
"Who is he?" Maureen asked.
"That is Doctor S." John looked toward Maureen.
Maureen's attention shifted from John on to S.
"He looks human as you said that he does." Maureen said. "Something is wrong here."
"I don't like the feeling of this that I am getting," John agreed.
"Me neither." Maureen said. "Why are we watching him sitting in a waiting room?"
"Maureen, I don't think he knows it is not a waiting room."
S was seated in a chair reading a magazine in a colorful room that was decorated from head to toe in plant life with a baby blue paper that stood out between the vines. The door to the waiting room opened then S put aside the novel then stood up to his feet as Murveon came into the room. S picked up speed approaching the older being. A swing strike sent the older man staggering to the floor covering the side of his face with widened yet alarmed eyes. Murveon grasped the man by the shirt then tossed him aside and his leg flew into S's side.
S rolled out of the way as Murveron's boot flew into thin air missing him. S picked up a chair then struck him knocking down the officer to the ground. S came toward where he had entered the room only moments ago. He rapidly knocked on the door screaming. Murveon propped himself up then shook his head and growled getting up to his feet.
Murveon charged toward S then his claws dug into the man's back sliding down with little warning. Gradually S fell down with a shriek as his fingers spiked into the wall then threw his head back with a soundless shriek. It was hard to hear from the other side of the room.
Murveon went straight to work and the lights in the room went out. Maureen stared in horror as minutes ticked by. Minute after minute went on. Until the lights returned. Murveon stood over the body of the barely clinging to life man on the ground. Murveon wiped off blood from his lip then went over and picked up his torn uniform jacket from the floor.
He glared down toward the whimpering older man then up toward the window. He flipped a switch then S slowly looked up, struggling to lift up, badly beaten and scarred with a swollen eye. S fell to the ground landing on his chest. Murveon looked up toward the horrified man and woman then slowly smirked at their dismay. He pressed another button on the wall.
"P-pro-professor? Ma-ama-madame?"
Eerily, once finishing the startled but surprised comment, he smiled for a single impossible moment, regarding them. It was if at that moment he thought, of course they came for me. And that everything was going to be okay. He was trembling propping himself up halfway up from the floor as his well worn but seldom used smile grew wider.
Then, unexpectedly, S collapsed.
"Now, return them to their ship." Murveon said in perfect English with a wave of his hand.
John and Maureen were restrained as they were taken out of the room.
"And so will he." Murveon said looking down upon the man in disgust. "Just the way that we found this dima vaheession. Sometime after those vaheessions are gone."
A/N
Shaaavo= spacecraft.
Zaklubinuz=Robinsons.
blurisa= illness.
hakqip=doctor
Nachiika=pistol
Inflita=disease.
vaheessions=spacecraft dwellers
Dima vaheession=stupid spacecraft dweller
Jaclanata=commander.
Mahz=not
evaisto=source