0-SA (The Last Ship Series)

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Last Ship

"Have we really not found even a trace of them?" Professor Jewel curled her fists, "Where are they?"

Professor Reed shook his head, "It's hard to tell at this point, Professor Jewel. It's been sixteen years. It could be likely they are dead."

Jewel glared at Reed. The woman adjusted her glasses on her face, "No, I don't believe it. That Irinaut was smart. If anything they found a better hiding spot, a better food supply, something." She leaned over the desk before glancing up at a large ship in the process of being built, "We're running out of time." She pointed at the ship, "This is the last ship that will depart to the Solar Sun. They've already confirmed they have discovered the Irinaut's home world. All we have to do now is find the healthy Irinaut's and the child, if there really is one, and bring them with us."

Reed's eyes scanned over the ship as the constructors worked on it, "We have at least another five, possibly six years before this thing is ready to take off. We will have time, Professor Jewel."

"That doesn't feel like enough time when we've been searching for as long as we have." Jewel sighed heavily, "We have spent all our time on this, Professor Reed. All of our work has gone towards this, and to finding a way to control these things." She looked at the old photos of Osa, of Raven, "If what William had said is true, all of it, then we would have our own army in our hands."

Professor Reed laughed softly, "And what do you intend to do with this 'army' of yours?"

The woman immediately turned her attention back to Reed, "I'm going to kill out this infection once and for all with exactly what brought it here, and give the Faction a much more disposable army. Our people will no longer have to be on the front lines. It will be them." Jewel didn't smile, her expression dulled as she spoke to Reed. She seemed more frustrated then anything, "There must always be an alternative to a cure. We're never going to know how this works until we have a healthy Irinaut, that managed to bring it here in the first place."

Professor Reed was no longer laughing at this statement. He knew that Professor Jewel meant every word, "If we find this child, how do you intend to even get her to trust us? It's very likely she's been taught that we are the enemy, no? We don't know what she could be capable of herself."

Jewel frowned before beginning to bite her nails, "I've been working on that. Hypersleep can definitely cause memory loss, but aside from that, I think our best chance is to try to gain their trust."

Professor Reed scoffed, not liking this idea clearly, "What? You'd want to wipe the memory? Do you know how far that would set us back, Miss Jewel?"

"It's either that or we do it the hard way, which would simply see if we could, recreate what Raven and her Irinaut have, but I'd really rather not have to deal with something that can remember what we've done." Professor Jewel opened and closed her hands as she paced, "I've already requested several larger pods to accommodate their sizes."

The male shook his head, "You can't be serious about bringing those Irinauts with us, can you?"

Professor Jewel smiled. The woman clasped her hands together, "We'll need leverage. We know the two from Germany haven't been seen since near the time we had captured him the first time. I think they are here, and it will be our only hope for any sort of leverage in any of this. If it's true, we will be able to finish this once and for all for Earth, and for the Faction. We will go down in history books as the greatest scientists the world has known. We will be hero's!" Jewel clasped her hands together, a smile on her face as she spoke, "And no one is going to stop me from that, Mr.Reed."

Reed simply nodded as she spoke. Clearly he was taking everything in as she rambled on about her dreams, "For everyone's sake, I hope we're doing the right thing here."

Jewel bit her bottom lip to hold back what looked like a ignorant grin. She was clearly frutrasted, "How could we not be doing the right thing, Reed? Our goal isn't to help them. It's to help the Faction, and the people here. Not them. The threw that out the window a long time ago. The Faction isn't looking to communicate. They want them exterminated, and if we could have a chance to control them. How could we pass up such an opportunity? I do hope you still have the same views, Professor Reed."

Reed's brow raised, "Of course I do. I want this as much as you do, Miss Jewel. It's just difficult to see this come to play at times."

Professor Jewel closed her eyes; her hands interlocked into one another, "Difficult things happen when you are at war." The woman poked the screen that had a photo of Osa and Raven, "It's like a game of chess, but here, we must choose what piece we are. The pawn or the queen." Jewel looked back at Reed, "What are you?"