The Last Ship (18+)

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Den

Zio's eyes sparked. The Irinaut cocked his head; letting out a low snarl as he stood in front of the small hybrid. He wasn't interested in what Captain Strong had to say. Merely growling and standing tall amongst the soldiers. His stance tense and rather intimidating. He looked as if he were ready to jump at any time, 'Luna, we could get sick going down there with those infected.' Zio held her hand as he watched the people talk, 'This will get us killed. If they don't come to, we'll never get out ourselves. Strong is setting us up for failure. He wants our death.'

Luna was quiet for a moment. She was clinging to Zio's arm as the people talked about. The female gave a light shrug of her shoulder, "We're going to have armor and masks, but we have to work with them to, you understand? If we fight with them, we won't get anywhere with this." The blonde looked up at the large male, "Just relax. You'll be fine."

'It's not me I'm worried about.' Zio's mouth expanded as he made a loud clicking noise. The Irinaut whined as he walked about in the room as they waited for the people to give them their clothes. Zio leaned down next to Jewel; lightly tapping her shoulder as she argued with Captain Strong on Luna going. Though, he was ignored the first time, he growled lightly, 'Jewel?' He gestured towards Luna with both his arms before chirping rather loudly, 'She can't go.'

Luna crossed her arms, "I can't go? Why not?" She looked at the three of them, her eyes quickly locking on the agitated Professor, "What's going on?"

"Luna please if you two could just let Captain Strong and I speak for just a moment-"

"No! I've already heard enough, Professor Jewel. Luna is going because she has the most control over Zio. I won't lose a man to this little science experiment of yours, but once they're caught, then perhaps I'll believe you, and we can get a course set to rest on the Irinaut's planet. Perhaps we could finally return home if the spores don't have a single intelligent host controlling mind reading giants." Strong handed the hazmat suits to the two of them before taking a deep breath. The Captain brushed his fingers through his hair, "We are making history, you two. Remember, this could make you a hero instead of a monster, Zi-0." The male took a deep breath before adjusting his suit, "I'm sending Bruno and a set of my elite soldiers. The guns they have are loaded with tranquilizers for a elephant, but Bruno will be carrying heavy weaponry. In case anyone gets any bad ideas. Since, you two seem a bit over excited about the matter."

Professor Jewel shook her head. Soon, Captain Strong made his way off the upper deck while they prepared to enter the quarantined zone. Reed and the twins were discussing the matter while Jewel made sure Zio and Luna's suits were put on correctly. Zio was much to large for any of them. Jewel had given him a mask that wrapped down on his shoulders.

The mask came up over his mouth. The large Irinaut took a deep breath before looking at Luna, who was completely contained in the skin tight suit. It was scale light and well armored. The material was thick, and a deep red. The mask she wore wrapped around her face, mouth, and ears were inside the clear mask. Jewel had given her a ear piece for her to be able to hear the group on the outside of the quarantine zone. Luna hugged her frame before curling up against the male. She looked down quietly, "Do we really have to do this? This could get people hurt. What happens if we spread the infection? W-what if we get sick?"

Professor Jewel walked back and sulked. The woman gave a light shrug as she shook her head, "Luna, this was the only way we will be able to prove that perhaps there is a chance we could stop this. The Yeti's can't be held down there forever. They've cut off power to three sectors already. The ventilation system could become faulty, and if that's the case, we will lose a quarter of the remaining human race. This entire ship." Professor Jewel looked down, "This is the largest haul for agricultural growth. If we lose the Solar Sun to the spores, other ships will have no way to feed their people." Jewel put a belt around Luna's waist. It had a small medical kit, and a pistol strapped to with a second clip of ammunition, "But what if you don't? Zio will be set loose, and the two of you will be able to leave the ship. We'll be able to make a landing on the Irinaut planet, find the source of the spores, and destroy it. Luna, we can stop this together. All of us. The war, the hate, the sickness above all!" Professor Jewel brushed her hair back. She took a deep breath before looking towards the air lock where they would go to enter the infected sector, "I begged him to not make you go, Luna, and even Zio, but Captain Strong is a hard make to deal with and I learned that rather quickly. We will obide, for now."

Please enter the air lock and prepare to enter the quarantine zone. All units, please enter the air lock in five minutes.

A man could be heard over the intercom. Luna and Zio looked about. The group of soldiers and Bruno had already entered the air lock. Bruno gestured for the two of them to come, and soon, they followed behind.

Bruno stood with his gun in hand. The male looked over Luna and Zio, "Hey, I'll protect the two of ya, just stay close to me." Through the process of learning about Zio, the soldier had actually become rather close to the two of them. Zio had even fixed one of Bruno's old weapons, which, was the one in hand. Bruno looked at the group. He gave a roll of his shoulders before looking back at the group on the other side. The soldier merely grinned as he looked towards Jewel and giving a light wink, "Don't worry doll, I'll be back." Bruno often flirted with Jewel every chance he got. Though, she never seemed interested.

The air locked door closed. Six other soldiers were in the room with the three of them. All were wearing heavy armor with large weapons. Some, connected with multiple clips that ran to their belts. The ammunition was on a roll that ran down to their knee caps and was slung over at least three times on each hip. The men were clearly prepared.

Luna looked up at Zio. Her heart was racing as the door suddenly came open. The soldiers went in first, and Zio, Bruno, and herself stayed in the back. The large male stood over her as they walked. He huffed deeply before standing up straight. His back arched as he let out a loud bark, 'There's a Yeti, they need to slow down. There's more here then they think.' Zio's vibrant yellow green eyes had become slit. His mouth expanded, but was locked in place by his mask, 'This damn thing is going to do me no good. Luna, stay in front of me.'

Suddenly, a loud squeal was heard. Luna tensed, moving back into Zio. The soldiers suddenly stood at attention before moving back a few steps. They all lifted their guns before looking at Bruno and Luna, "We're detecting heat. Have that girl read-"

"ZIO!"