Jessica entered the lab to find Mike and Theresa working over one of the hagfish, which lay dissected over the table. They spotted Jessica.
“How’s Ian?” they asked in unison.
She forced a smile. “Not that great. Might just be a cold or virus, but he’s running a fever and looks like hell. You both feel okay?”
They nodded. “I’m just going to take a look at his blood. I think Ian was swapping spit with a friendly sailor aboard the tender.”
They laughed. Jessica raised an eyebrow and pulled the vial of blood from her pocket. “Yeah, not so funny. If I see a spirochete swimming around in his blood, he’s gonna be grounded.”
“Oooh! Someone’s in trouble!” said Theresa with a laugh.
They went back to work on the hagfish as Jessica prepared a slide. They were all in deep thought when Jessica blurted out, “Have you two seen Ted?”
They jumped from their deep concentration. “Jesus, you scared me. No, not since breakfast,” said Mike.
Jessica had her hand over her mouth and looked horrified.
“What is it?” asked Theresa.
She looked up and shook her head no.
“What?”
She was still shaking her head no. Mike walked over and politely moved her away from the microscope. He refocused the image for his eyes. “What am I looking at?”
“The things that look like four-leaf clovers,” she said quietly.
“What are they?”
“Bacteria. The same bacteria from the tube worms.”
***********
Jim was going over the atmospheric readings with Tony when his radiophone buzzed. It was Jessica’s voice, sounding very upset.
“Hey, calm down. What are you talking about?”
Tony stopped his work and looked at Jim, listening to half of the conversation.
“How would that get into his bloodstream?” asked Jim. Tony’s face showed his concern. “Okay, I’ll be right down. Where’s Ian? Okay. Sit tight.”
Jim closed his phone and looked at Tony. “Ian’s infected with Deinococcus radiodurans.”
“In English?”
“The bacteria from the tube worm they brought aboard.”
Tony thought about that for a second. “So what’s that mean? He need antibiotics or something?”
Jim shrugged. “Not sure, but he feels worse. Come on, we’re going to sickbay.”
Tony followed him down the stairs. “How would he get infected?”
“How the hell do I know? Call Ted and have him meet us in sickbay. He’s the expert on the bacteria. Maybe he’ll know something.”
Tony called Ted, who was in his room, and told him to meet them in sickbay. When they arrived a moment later, Jessica was standing over Ian and looked very upset. He was pale and clammy looking, in a sweat. His eyes were closed.
“Jesus,” said Jim under his breath. “He looked fine last night.”
“He’s got a hundred and three degree fever,” said Jessica quietly. “I think you should all stay outside. I have no idea if he’s infectious. Jesus.” She looked at Jim. “Commander, it’s the same bacteria as the tube worms. We were all exposed as much as he was. I think I should get blood samples from everyone.”
“What about him? Treatment, I mean,” said Jim.
She shrugged. “Antibiotics, I guess. Strongest stuff I have in the largest doses I can give. His throat is so red it looks like it’s gonna close. I’ve never seen anyone get such severe symptoms so quickly. I thought it was a cold or maybe an STD from some skirt on the ship, but this is definitely a bacterial infection from the tube worm. We’ve got a serious problem.”
As Ted walked in, Jessica saw him and raised her hand. “Stop, Ted. I think all of you should stay outside. Commander—you and Tony, too. You should step out.”
Jim and Tony took a step away from Ian, who hadn’t moved a muscle since they walked in. Ted ignored her and walked inside.
“Deinococcus radiodurans? You’re sure?” he asked.
“The slides are down in the lab. Looked like the same stuff you showed me off the tube worm and the bluefish. Oh Jesus—Ted, did you handle that stuff without gloves?”
Ted shrugged. “I guess so. You think Ian handled it and absorbed it through his skin?”
“I don’t know. He’s really sick. I need to start an IV with antibiotics,” she said to no one in particular.
“You sure?” asked Ted seriously. “I mean, until you know what’s going on, maybe we should wait. It might make him worse.”
Jess pulled open a closet and opened a sealed baggie. It had a plastic disposable biohazard suit in it. “I want everyone out of here. This room is quarantined until I figure out what to do.”
“I can help,” Ted said. “The bacterium is my specialty.”
Jessica looked him in the eyes. Like Tony, she didn’t feel totally comfortable with Ted either, but he was the resident expert. “Okay—Ted stays, in a suit. Everyone else is out.”
Jim took Tony by the arm and walked out. “Okay, Doc says it’s quarantined, it’s quarantined. She’s responsible for crew safety, so what she says goes. Jess, I need to know exactly what’s going on. If he gets much worse, we may need to abort and surface.”
Ted’s face fell. “Abort? He’s sick, Skipper—he’s not dying. Just give us a couple days—I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“You gonna guarantee that, Ted? I’m responsible for this crew.”
“I understand that. I’m just saying—if this was a Mars mission and we were a hundred thousand miles away from Earth, we couldn’t just turn around and go home. With all due respect, the mission has to go on. I’m sure Jess will have him up and about in no time.”
Jessica handed Ted a bag with a suit in it. She kicked off her soft shoes and stepped into the biohazard suit, sealed it at the ankles and wrists, and put on gloves. She tied up her long hair and pulled a cap over it, then pulled a mask over her face. “If you’re staying, you’re following protocols.”
Tony eyed Ted, his face looking hard. “If that was you lying there, would you tell us to continue the mission, Ted?”
“Absolutely,” he said, without hesitating. He pulled on the suit over his clothes.
“Bullshit,” said Tony.
“That’s enough,” said Jim. “You’ll do whatever you think is best and report back to me every hour with an update. I’ll check the MC for a timetable if we need to abort. I don’t think we could hit the surface faster than three or four days, even in an emergency ascent.”
Jessica looked at Jim, her eyes above her mask showing her concern. She didn’t have to say it. Three or four days if he continued to get worse might be too long.