Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 14 - The Real Virus

The now awoken astrobiologist, is putting on a hazmat suit in the soma chamber he woke up in.

"Okay, Julian, the hydrogen peroxide was boiled and electrolysed and the soil samples went through a UV bath light and a chemical wash. All per procedure." Bernie informs him as he as he wait outside the room.

Julian takes on the helmet. "Alright, come on in. I'm presentable."

The door opens and Bernie walks in.

"Like, soil samples? Tell me the chemical composition."

"Nothing unusual. Calcium, phosphorus, a little boron."

"A little boron?" Julian asks. "Bernie, did you even take basic astrobiology? Cause if you did, you'd remember that boron, under the right circumstances, that can provide the basic building blocks of life."

"Uh, none of my tests would have caught a boron-based virus." Zayn the says. "It's okay. You couldn't have known."

"No, he could have.. but he didn't." Julian walks out.

...

"Smooth sailing, Ethan, but we're still 28 hours out. Sirius B is only now coming into view." Jason tells him from the observation deck.

Ethan is walking down the corridor, blindly finding his way to his room.

"How are you doing?" You ask him.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just work on setting a course. How are we coming with nav?"

"Oh, I fixed it. Didn't I mention that? I pulled a whole new operation system out of my ass! Just like that, ready to go!" Michelle says.

You pinch your eyes closed in frustration, clutching your tablet, taking a deep breath to stay calm.

"Uh, we managed to recover some garbled transmission from Earth. There's one there for you." Javier tells him.

"Alright, well, send it through when you get the chance. You all know where to find me." Ethan says stomps his toe into the bed, he sits down with a deep sigh.

"We? What did 'we' manage to do? Exactly what did you do, Javier? Oh, you helped?" Michelle chuckes. "He helped. Everybody gets a ribbon. I don't need your help sending an email!"

"Michelle." Jason says.

"What!? We're all gonna die. You realise that, right? First Petra gets sick, now Ethan. Who's next?"

"Go get some air." He tells her. "Now."

She stomps out of the observation deck.

"If soma comes back up, can we put her down first?" You ask them and Javier chuckles.

"Yn? Are you busy? Jana sent a holo-video and I, uh.." Ethan asks, you can hear the slight sadness in his voice.

"I'll be right there." You tell him and leave the observation room.

Getting to his room, you lean on the door's threshold, watching him for a second as he listens to the holo-video.

"Ready? See? See? Pretty good, huh? Parma at school taught me. You don't know Parma. I met her after you left-her after you left-after you left." The video glitched.

"Stop transmission." You say and walk in.

"Thank you."

You just smile sympathetically at him, then turn to your tablet, fixing the video for him.

Ethan frowns. "Are you still there?"

"I am."

"It's hard to tell." He sighs. You walk further in and sit down beside him, taking his hand.

"Better?"

He clears his throat and intertwine his finger with yours. "Yeah."

You smile at him, his eyes are unfocused and just stare into nothing.

"I've fixed the glitch on the video." You tell him, he nods and you pull up the holo-video again.

"You can meet her when you come back from space. I want her to meet Yn too, so you have to bring her." Jana says and you smile. "Oh! And we also made up this totally new move called the wormhole. Watch! Okay, one, two.."

"Okay, Jana is running down the lawn. Now she's kneeling.. She's doing a somersault.. And another somersault. And.. another. Jana really likes her somersaults." You chuckle. Ethan starts stroking his thumbs over the skin on your hand. "And now it looks like we're heading for a big finale. And it's.. a handstand. Steady.. and she's down."

"Did you like it, uncle? I've been practicing it a lot-"

"Thank you." Ethan tells you, wanting you to stop the video.

"There's still more."

"You can turn it off, please." He says and you do.

You look at him, he has his head faced away from you. "You're gonna get your sight back. You'll see her again, and not just on a holo-transmission. I know it."

"You don't know that.. You can go now." Ethan tells you, letting go of your hand.

The way he says it, makes you feel like a tool, which he usually never does. Now that he's done and doesn't need your help anymore, he just coldly tells you to leave. You know it's your job to be at his beck and call, but it doesn't feel like work anymore, until this very second. But you excuse it because he's upset, and it's not like you can be upset about it anyway, it is technically your job.

You force a smile and stand up. "Call if you need anything."

...

Ethan is laying on his bed, regretting how he treated you. Then he hears the door open, and sits up.

"Yn? Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Before he knows what's happening, he gasps as Michelle grab and chokes him. "You're the real virus on this ship, Ethan."

Ethan punch her in her side and she grunts. He grabs and turn her, holding her up against the wall with her front away, her arm locked behind her.

"You're not thinking clearly, Michelle."

"Don't you tell me what I am or am not! You don't care about me! The only person you give a rat's ass about on this ship is Yn." She says and gets her other hand free to elbow him. It gives her an opportunity to turn it around and now she has him in a chokehold. "Jason ain't here to protect you know, is he?"

Ethan grab and get a good punch in, then throw her into the wall. Hearing a thud and no more, he gets low and feels blindly around until he finds Michelle unconscious on the floor.

"William? Tell Zayn I have another patient."

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