The X Pathogen

Chapter Eighteen

The first thing Ash saw when their eyes opened was someone in a full-body hazmat suit standing over them. The second thing they saw was a purple blur as Saji threw her arms around them in a giant hug.
    They coughed and groaned, "ow..."
    Saji released them from the hug and beamed. There were bags under her eyes, her clothes were stained from dirt and smoke, but she was smiling. "You're alive!"
    Ash took a ragged breath, "wait," they winced as another round of coughs shook their body, "aren't I supposed to be dead?"
    Saji grinned, "not anymore!" she gestured to the person in the hazmat suit, "this is Doctor Yrvia, she figured out how to cure you!"
    Ash blinked, "huh?"
    Doctor Yrvia smiled, "well, we hope. The pathogen is actually a bioengineered microorganism. It replicates at an extremely rapid rate and excretes a dangerous enzyme that attacks a very specific protein that only exists in human lungs. We found a way to disable that enzyme and kill the organism."
    "Huh?" Ash couldn't tell if they were too out of it to understand a word of what she'd just said or just too stupid.
"Tiny life form was killing your lungs, we took away its weapon," the doctor explained.
Ash nodded weakly, "cool. My lungs still feel like grick."
"Yes, unfortunately your lungs are severely damaged and, well, normally that could be fixed with a transplant but there aren't many humans and we don't have lungs to give you."
Agent Kyo appeared behind her, "The good news is that Doctor Yrvia created a device that will help you breathe when you have flare ups, which shouldn't happen too often."
Ash nodded and took the device. It looked relatively simple, a rubber mask that covered their nose and mouth attached to a small respirator. They held it to their face and breathed slowly. Within a few minutes they could feel their breathing grow steadier.
Doctor Yrvia's hazmat suit crinkled as she stood up. "I'm going to give you all some space," she winked at Ash while checking their monitors, "you have some very good friends you know."
Once she was out the door, Agent Kyo glared at Nadil and Saji and smacked them both upside the head. "WHAT were you two thinking?"
"We just saved their life!" Nadil cried indignantly.
"You broke about a hundred rules and procedures, put yourselves at risk, and didn't bother to ask your mentor for permission to leave the planet."
"You wouldn't have let us go!" Nadil protested.
"You're right, I wouldn't have," Kyo said sternly.
"You would've let Ash die?" Saji's voice came out smaller than she wanted.
"What?" Kyo blinked, "no, of course not, but we would've sent a team of armed, fully trained agents to investigate instead of two untrained, unarmed cadets."
The aforementioned cadets winced and looked a bit embarrassed.
Ash chuckled, almost giggling, "I can't believe Nadil stuck his neck out for me."
"It was his idea!" Saji grinned, "also he's not actually a murder, I mean he pushed her, but it was an accident and-"
Kyo and Ash were staring at her in baffled shock.
One very long explanation later, during which Saji apologized to Nadil about a million times, Ash and Agent Kyo were all caught up.
Kyo rubbed his forehead, "this explains so much."
    "what's that supposed to mean?" Nadil snapped.
Ash grinned, at least things were starting to go back to normal. Or at least that's what they were thinking right before four armed GSA agents walked into the room and took up posts at the door. A nurse who looked like he hadn't slept in days appeared behind the agents, "hey! You can't just barge in here..." he started to object before a woman with a gentle smile and kind eyes said, "I'm sorry to intrude. I was hoping to speak with Cadet Datier, but I suppose I should have called ahead." She smiled apologetically.
The nurse turned around and stammered, "uh- Madam Chairman- I- we weren't expecting you."
She shrugged, an unexpectedly casual gesture for the leader of the entire agency. "It's alright, could I have a moment with these cadets and their mentor?"
The nurse nodded and ducked out of the room. The chairman gestured for the guards to wait outside as well. They all hesitated but obediently shuffled out of the room after she gave them a stern look. Once the door slid shut, the chairman pulled a seat up to the foot of Ash's hospital bed and sat down. She carefully tucked her flowing pink and orange skirt out of the way then silently stared at Ash for a moment. Ash took the time to study the chairman. She had light brown skin, pink tendrils grew from her head that flowed through the air like hair would through water, and her eyes were a beautiful golden brown. By comparison, Ash had the pallid skin of a corpse and bloodshot eyes. Their hair used to be bright bluish green, but it hadn't been dyed in a while so it looked more coarse and green than anything else.
The other people in the hospital room didn't look much better. Kyo had been drinking anything with caffeine to stay awake and looked like a drug addict. Nadil and Saji were both covered in dirt and smoke stains and had the general appearance of coal miners. And all four of them were sitting in the presence of quite possibly the most powerful person in the galaxy, who also happened to be very well dressed.
"I'm sorry to just drop in on all of you without any warning," the chairman finally said, "first of all, congratulations, Cadet Dantier, on your recovery. On a less pleasant note I've opened an investigation into the lab where Cadet Dantier was exposed to the pathogen." She smoothed out a wrinkle in her skirt, "some of our agents have discovered something about its origins that is... troubling."
The room fell dead silent except for the quiet beeping and whir of machinery.
"The pathogen was created in a lab," the chairman said gravely.
"Uh, yeah. I coulda told you that," Nadil rolled his eyes, "we found the lab they were making more of it in!"
"Remember your place, cadet," Kyo hissed. He looked back at the chairman, "with all due respect, ma'am, that information hardly warrants your presence here."
The chairman shook her head, "you misunderstand. It wasn't just made in a lab this time. It originated in a lab with the express purpose of eliminating humans from the galaxy entirely."
Ash sat up straight, "so somebody meant for the human species to be destroyed?! I know plenty of species don't like us but that goes way beyond speciesism!"
"It's genocide," Kyo mumbled in horrified awe.
"Exactly," the chairman said solemnly, "the agency cannot-I cannot- allow this to continue. I'm here to ask you to help bring an end to all of this. If he's willing, Agent Kyo will be placed in charge of the forces currently investigating the situation. That of course means that you three cadets will be going along with him."
Kyo glanced at the three teenagers staring confidently up at him. He sighed, "if I say no, you three are going to go investigate on your own, aren't you?"
Nadil shrugged, but a small smirk indicated he probably would. Saji grinned confidently, "yes," she sounded remarkably sure of herself.
Ash laughed, "if they do it I'd probably go with them."
Kyo suppressed a groan, "I guess I should just be grateful you three aren't fighting."