Xenos

i. That Which is Hidden: July 12-13, 2126

Days Forty-two and Forty-three

Since the medbay had the potential to house patients for a few days when they went through treatments, at least Cin and the others didn't have to sleep on the floor. The only complaint she had—other than being stuck in the same room for days—was that she was wearing the same clothes for two days while the medbay went through the decontamination procedures. She desperately wanted a shower.

Having no privacy and being stuck in a lab with someone who had attacked you didn't do great things for the nerves. As soon as the procedures had started, Lixue had locked herself in the storage room of the medbay, the only place that offered a slim chance at privacy. Cin didn't begrudge her the room, but she wished that it was large enough for two.

"How much longer?" Miles asked, his voice cracking from disuse.

Cin looked up from the book in her hands. She had just started reading about extraction procedures for patients with foreign objects in their body.

It was only slightly better than doing nothing.

The best she had was an estimation. "Couple hours, maybe?" She hadn't looked at the digital clock built into the wall when Lixue had started the procedures because she'd been watching Gray. The fight seemed to have left him once they'd relieved him of his weapon, but she wasn't going to take any chances. The two of them had taken turns guarding the outer door of the research lab, a small clear box of a room that prevented cross-contamination between the main lab and the research lab. Miles rested against it now, his head pressed against the white metal of the door.

Miles groaned. "This is the worst mission I've been on."

"How many have you been on?"

"Five. You?"

"This is my eighth."

"And?" he asked. " Is it the worst you've been on?"

Cin allowed herself a small smile. "Not quite, but it's getting there," she told him. "Third mission had a blood illness contagious to humans on the planet."

"The Jengu mission," Miles asked in surprise. "I thought there weren't any survivors."

"There were... the ESC just doesn't like to advertise their failures. They were able to cover this one up because it was minor." Cin couldn't quite keep all of the bitterness out of her voice, memories of the loss of her friends bubbling to the surface. It kept her up most nights.

"Why'd you stay? Didn't they offer you a payout?"

"They did, but staying on at the ESC means steady pay instead of a one time thing."

They were both quiet for a moment, watching Gray. Cin doubted he'd be offered a deal after this. While he was one of their better doctors, the ESC had a no tolerance policy for crew members attacking crew mates.

Miles tilted his head at Gray. "What do you think they'll do to him?"

"They're not going to do anything to him, since he didn't actually harm Lixue. But this is his last mission."

The door to the other research lab opened with a hiss, and Cin caught a glimpse of boxes and wrapped glass on the counter as Lixue came through. "The decontamination procedures are almost complete."

"See?" Cin said to Miles. "We're almost done."

"Everything okay?" Miles shifted his attention to Lixue.

"As okay as everything can be. The air will be clear now that the research lab has been closed off. It's just a matter of waiting until this room has finished."