Ted returned to the lab to retrieve some bluefish for Ian. It was an interesting observation—Ian was using the bacteria in the same manner as the tube worm to produce enough oxygen to survive underwater, yet was still using his mouth to feed off of the algae and fish. Jim, on the other hand, was still in open air and was adopting a different feeding technique. Of course, this compelled Ted to want to submerge Jim and see what would happen. When Ted had compared the bacterium from Ian and Jim, it was obvious that, while they were related, they were completely different strains. This was an important development for Ted, because if the bacteria changed the host to adapt to its current living conditions, it had obvious implications for future tests in an outer space environment.
The problem would be, once again, the rest of the crew.
Ted paused and wondered how the orangutan at NASA was doing in the extreme heat and pressure. Was she still alive? Was she still simian? He looked at Jim under the sheet. He certainly wasn’t one hundred percent human anymore. What, exactly, was he? He’d need to do DNA analysis to examine the extent of metamorphosis. The finger in the beaker caught his eye.
Ted walked over to the table and peered into the glass beaker. The severed finger, which had been lying at the bottom, was now halfway up the side of the beaker, attached to the glass by its severed base. The fingernail was gone and the fingertip had split open.
“My God,” said Ted out loud.
The pinky hung from the glass, quite obviously turning into something else.
“Remarkable,” was all Ted could muster. He thought about the old clammers who would often pull up starfish that competed for their prized clams. The ignorant fishermen would chop the starfish in two and throw them back, thinking they had killed their competition. In fact, they had actually doubled the starfish population, each half merely growing back more arms. The urge to hack Jim to pieces and see what would happen was overwhelming, but again, the damn crew would object.
Ted moved the beaker to a cabinet where prying eyes wouldn’t be able to question his methods. He grabbed a piece of frozen bluefish and started to walk to Ian, but then froze in his tracks. Curious, he walked back to Jim and put a glove on, then pulled back the sheet. Jim’s face was even more hideous than before. Ted held the bluefish piece over Jim’s face. A drop of bloody fish oil dripped on to Jim’s lips and huge tongue. In an instant, Jim shot a gob of slime at the fish, and Ted watched in amazement as the gunk was retracted into Jim’s mouth, pulling the meat with it. The meat was still mostly frozen, and when Jim had it in his mouth, he merely sucked on it in a frozen stare, with blood from the smelly fish running down his cheeks.
Ted threw the sheet back over Jim’s face, the bluefish oil and blood soaking through it instantly. He cursed and wheeled Jim to the back of the lab where his shipmates wouldn’t find him so easily, and then headed back up to the power plant to visit Ian.
Jim quietly slurped bluefish from under the sheet.
***********
Tony and Jess left the bridge to go to her cabin. She had told Tony she wanted to run a quick test on him to make sure his nitrogen levels were still safe, since he was the baseline for the rest of the ship. Theresa and Mike hid knowing smiles when they left together.
Theresa leaned over to Mike as soon as they left. “Think those two are doin’ it?” she asked with an evil grin. “No shit, Sherlock,” he said sarcastically.
“You say that like it’s a fact,” she responded. “Tony tell you?”
“Nah—he wouldn’t kiss and tell.” Mike leaned closer. “Neither would I.”
Theresa laughed, but didn’t pull away. “This is a scientific voyage of discovery, not a honeymoon cruise. Jeez, man.”
Mike shrugged.
“Aww,” she feigned great sympathy. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “You know I like you, Mike. But one hot couple at twenty thousand feet is enough.”
“So if I can get them to break up, do we have a shot?”
“Mayyyybe,” she said in her most flirtatious voice.
“You’re killin’ me.”
“Good. It will keep you pleasantly distracted from the total friggin’ horror show down here.”
“Yeah, no kidding. But I was going for full-distraction mode.”
“I bet.” She stood up. “Should we go down to the lab and check on Jim?”
“Talk about a mood killer,” said Mike with a sour face.
“Yeah, well, this whole trip has been pretty much a mood killer.”
“See? If things had gone differently, you’d be begging me to let you in my cabin.”
“Nah. I’d be sleeping with Ian.” She tried to make it sound like a joke, but saying that still hurt her in the heart. “You coming?”
“Nah. You know how well Ted and I get along. Go do your thing. But seriously, be careful. Two horror stories are enough, okay?”
“Very sweet, thank you.”
“I’m just looking out for myself. I still plan on sleeping with you and don’t want to get infected with that shit.”
She patted his arm. “Such a romantic.” She left the bridge and Mike sadly watched her walk out. He was a scientist and fish geek and had been very excited when he made the final cut to be on the crew. Now he just felt depressed and lonely. He definitely had feelings for Theresa, which he hadn’t anticipated. He hadn’t had a real girlfriend in years because of his work schedule, and being in her constant company reminded him of just how nice it was. He made a face and went back to the monitor, playing with the camera controls to try and find something outside worth looking at. He zoomed in on the whale carcass and watched deepwater sharks and strange-looking creatures begin their scavenging. Hagfish had already begun burrowing into the blubber, and parts of the fluke were already teeming with tiny creatures. He thought of his friend Ian, and how much the two of them would have loved watching the new ecosystem form at the whale fall. He wondered if Ian’s body had already been picked clean, or if he had formed his own tiny little ecosystem.
In fact, Ian had. But it was inside his body, not outside.