The Nuclear Crisis - Chapter 2 - Irradiated
Leyla was at her post watching the screens, monitoring the fusion reactor levels and the accelerator generator power, gently swiveling back and forth in her chair. The impulse engines were running beautifully, and it was almost the end of her shift. Before she left for the day, she needed to make one last round on the engineering deck, and log her daily inspection.
The lieutenant walked down the long corridors as she gazed upon the glowing electro-plasma that powered the ship. It was moving in waves of blue, purple, and every other color of the rainbow as it flowed and swirled in the translucent reactors. It was this chemical magic that drew Leyla into her love for nuclear science, and she lost herself admiring the beautiful display of colors dancing in the dark hallway.
She rounded back to the main engineering control panel, and signed off her inspection on the pad. The young woman had most definitely not forgotten about her engagement with Dr. McCoy, and briskly walked out of the engineering deck towards the lift.
McCoy was sitting at his deck, a long study of radiation sickness in front of him on the computer monitor. His brow was furrowed in thought and he looked more tired than usual. He heard the automatic doors to sick bay open and close with a metallic skid, and looked up from his desk as Leyla walked in. His eyebrows raised and he smiled when she sat down across from him. Her hair was still up in a sleeked back bun, wisps of curls peeking through at her temples and the base of her neck.
"It is good to see you again Dr. McCoy," Leyla smiled brightly as she settled into her seat. He smiled back and replied, "Likewise my dear. Please call me Leonard." The young woman could feel her ears growing warm as she said, "As long as you call me Leyla." Leonard laughed and remarked, "You've got a deal."
He swirled the computer screen around towards her and said, "I've been reading about radiation sickness just trying to get a feel for what kind of creatures we are dealing with." He scrolled down the screen pointing out the various symptoms they had observed amongst the victims, just the usual radiation sickness type illnesses. They reached the end of the article and McCoy became very serious and said to Leyla, "However there is one symptom that is not on this list that makes me wonder what kind of radioactive material we are exactly dealing with. Our medicines have been able to clear up any radiation burns and nausea, getting levels back down to normal, however patients begin to form a sort of stony exterior on their skin. I've gathered a few samples of it from the battle site infirms and have it in the lab here for analysis."
The two left their seats, and walked over to the science lab where McCoy pointed out the strange stones. They were very rocky and unorganized in nature, a muddy brown color with dull amber veins running through it. Leyla was examining the rock closely, squinting at it quizzically as she proclaimed, "I have never seen anything like this. It's like a mixture of siderite and baltic amber." The good doctor turned to the screen next to the chamber the rock was in and pulled up the geiger counter screen. "This rock has a low geiger reading. Non-lethal levels, yet it was produced by the same radioactive illness affecting these people," McCoy stated. Leyla was more than confused by this point and could not voice an explanation for the strange rocky outgrowths on the victims.
After a moment of silence, Leyla turned to Leonard and said, "I think I may return to my cabin, pull up a few articles on the telescreen, and see if I can come up with any explanations." McCoy nodded and the young lieutenant turned to walk away. Just before she reached the door, the chief medical officer called out, "Leyla!" The woman turned around quickly with a, "Hmm?"
"Thank-you for helping me with this. It is much appreciated."
Leyla could feel her ears growing warm again and she replied, "You're welcome, Doctor McCoy," And with that she walked away to her cabin.
The young nuclear engineer had fallen asleep at the small table in her crew cabin, the computer screen having gone black from inactivity. The clock slowly ticked past three in the morning, leaving everything else silent in the room. Drool was running from Leyla's mouth onto her sleeve, when she woke up with a start to the intercom whistle. "Leyla, I think you need to come down to the medical bay right away," came Dr. McCoy's voice, very urgently. "Right away sir!" she responded, having jumped up to reach the intercom. Out the door she practically flew, running down the hall towards the lift.
Once she reached the medical lab, Leyla found McCoy hunched over near the containment bay that the rock was in. When he heard the doors, he stood straight and said, "I don't know what to think of this. I don't know what to think of this at all." Worry was written all over his face, and as Leyla stared upon the glowing stone, her face took on the same look. The stone had obviously grown larger, and the once dull veins were now a bright interchanging swirl of red, orange, and yellow, dulling and brightening as if by a heartbeat.
Leonard turned towards the screen, switched it once more to the geiger counter and pointed at it's elevated radiation levels. "This thing is growing despite the toxic levels of radiation it's producing!" Leyla's head was spinning as she stared at the glowing rock. The good doctor lightly grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her stupor and stared at her with his tired blue eyes. "This thing is alive!"
A/N: Story updates are on my profile page. Thankfully I've finally found a break to come up with the next chapter to this new story. Enjoy!