Space Zombies!

 

 

Stardate 5128 of the Sentium Era.

 

Time: 20:32

 

“He stared longingly through a scenic bay window and into the dark reaches of space. Letting his eyes occasionally focus on one of the numerous stars that came across his field of vision wondering each time what new discovery lay beyond each. Dark Matter Space Co. Appeared in bold letters above the name patch on the breast of his blue fatigues. He begins typing vigorously touching the fingers of his right hand to the small keyboard on his left forearm.

 

“Halinon Colfax, please come to the Kasparian Heath Center as soon as is convenient, thank you.” A gentle feminine voice spoke from everywhere at once. “You can’t wait fifteen more minutes? I just worked a double.” He pleads aloud just before plodding down the hall, reluctant.

 

The walls and hangings appear blurry and soft, melding into one another in a sea of neutrality. Moments later a rectangular opening appears in the wall just ahead with a soft whoosh. Hal steppes into Dr. Fredrickstein’s laboratory and is immediately confronted by the squat frame of the young doctor.

 

“Quiet, follow me,” said the doctor in a confidential tone. Halinon found himself being ushered into a dark room with a single door opposite the one he just came in through. This one supporting an array of anti theft devices; four separate finger print scanners and two antique padlocks. Reaching, Dr. Fredrickstein touched each pad with a different finger then riffled two keys from his white lab coat. His task now finished he spun around. Sweat glistening on his weathered brow and began to speak in that same hushed tone.

 

“Okay, I’m on the verge of something huge but it’s highly… shall we say, taboo” The diminutive doctor finished.

 

“Jesus Doc, did you find a way to resurrect Jessica Simpson’s corpse?  One thing, there’s still no guarantee she’ll sleep with us.”

 

“God damnit Hal stop acting like an a*****e!” Fredrickstein spoke in a rumble.

 

“I found a way we can both get promotions.” The Doc continues.

 

“I’m listening.” Said Hal, serious now.

 

“I think I’ve discovered a way to cure the Z virus.”

 

“What the hell is the Z virus?” Hal asks.

 

“It’s an old virus that’s been lost in the archives for hundreds of years, previously labeled as incurable. I found it completely by accident and realized since it was lost no ones been able to even attempt a cure. Damn man, we’ll have high schools named after us and at the very least a promotion or two.”

 

“If it was incurable before what makes you think we can cure it now.” Hal asked.

 

“It’s been around three hundred years since anyone has even tried, do you have any idea how far medical science has come since then?”

 

“Alright then, why are you bringing me in on it? I don’t know anything about viruses, except a small case of the Glowing Drip I got while on leave at Ultron Seven.” Hal finished with a smile.

 

“I need another officer to approve the last security clearance; you’re the only one I know that wouldn’t freak out about this.” The doc finishes, not amused.

 

“That’s it?” Hal asks sarcastically. “You realize it’ll pop up on the logs when we dock.”

 

“Before that happens we’ll both have the highest recommendations the medical community has to offer; they wouldn’t dare question the methods.” Said Fredrickstein.

 

“Fine, but first let me see what you have behind that door.”

 

Hal hands his security badge to Dr. Fredrickstein who then leaves without another word. Hal walks into the mysterious room, surrounded by darkness. In an almost absent minded reflex his hand brushes the light sensor on the wall. Laying on a gurney not two feet from him dwelt the rotting corpse of a man. Blood red eyes peered out from a grey toned face sunken with the obvious signs of death. Yet the man thing struggled against his binds, even growling occasionally.

 

“Jesus Christ.” Hal screams.

 

On queue Dr. Fredrickstein comes into the room with several more beakers and various assorted plastic containers.

 

“Settle down, I told you it’s the Z virus.”

 

“You failed to mention you would be testing it on a god damn person.” Hal finishes with a panicked look on his face.

 

“Wait wait ya big baby. It’s a cadaver. That’s one of the amazing properties of the Z virus. Curing this will bring us to the threshold of reanimating the dead. Finding this virus is a scientist’s wet dream.” Once finished the doctor looks surprised at his own momentary zeal, careful to avoid being too excited he quickly relapsed into innocence, hiding his dark scowl. Go get some rest and in a few days, we’re heroes.

 

“This is the easiest extra credit I’ve ever had, thanks Doc.” Hal said as he spun around and left, all the while laughing out loud and shaking his head.

 

A shadowed silhouette flicks a syringe, dispensing air bubbles. Behind the transparent cylinder, lips twist into a private smile.

 

Time: 05:06

 

 A blast of sound, more loud than thought came barreling unceremoniously into Hals semi conscience mind. A grunt followed by a huff and he’s on his feet looking out of the nearest window; he notices escape pods accelerating lazily through space. Checking his side arm he exits the room. Figures move in the distant hall like camp fire shadows, strange and illusive. Hal proceeds towards them, no doubt curious for answers. Once within clear eye site Hals own personal emergency alarm goes off, these people weren’t acting like people at all. Their movements were lightening fast and drunkenly so, as if in the height of primal rage. He halts, staring at three former cadets who are tearing hungrily at pieces of a morbidly grotesque mound of human flesh. The position of the bodies telling the story of a trio of infected men falling on a group of crew members. He grasped for his side arm in a movement so practiced it looked to have always been drawn and ready. The three ravenous cadets froze in sated lust, their red eyes trained on Halinon Colfax. A second later, they were off somehow deciding to move as one towards this new, fresh meal. Three pops issue from Hals 9mm Colt Blue Ray. White shards of light issued from the hand cannon in a deadly cocktail of radiation and steel. A second later three thuds issued from the hallway floor of sector G. Grapefruit sized black holes now lay visible where the monsters faces once were. Hal carefully weaved into progression and towards the good doctor’s laboratory. Blood smears lay visible upon the once neutral toned interior in terrible crimson stripes. Dismembered body parts lay strewn throughout the ship as if tossed aside for more appealing prizes. As Hal rounds the corner to Fredrickstein’s office he notices a sign half hazardly stuck to the door, upon which reads. If you’re still alive meet me in the south-east docking bay. He exits right, sprinting down the hallway, occasionally changing his mind to avoid a new threat by ducking into another hall way. A moment later he’s sprinting up a stare well, firing occasionally and leaping to one side or the other; dodging grisly obstacles. Bold blue letters appear above one door; South-East Terra.

Swoosh a doorway comes into being. Once through Hal notices the rarity of blood he had grown so accustomed to everywhere else on the ship. His smile twists slightly, enjoying the excitement. Several swoosh’s later Hal is finally standing before a large, metallic, oval shaped vessel. Dark Matter Space Co. Escape Pod 349 lay visible and square like a stamped envelope. A door erupts from its smooth surface, the erect portion folding into stairs. On which the small form of the doc stood.

 

“Thank god you made it, I have no idea how this happened the virus never left my lab I swear!” He said through fits of sobbing hysteria.

 “I know.” Hal spoke; his mouth twisting into a private smile as his words tapered off. A pop precedes a thud. The doc lies dead on the docking bay floor, his face a black smoking crater. Hal begins touching the keypad displayed on his left forearm, the screen reads: Mission accomplished; Rogue outfit Dark Matter Space Co. neutralized. Cover:  Z virus outbreak. Seconds later a separate pattern of letters appears on the screen: Proceed to rally point alpha. Nice work. 

Halinon Colfax jogs unhurriedly up the stairs before disappearing into the vessel. Moments later the rear window of the oval ship grows smaller as it plunges into space, a streak of red suddenly swathes its pristine canvas. A second later Escape Pod 349 is gone.

 

Reviews

[Michael Crow]

Good story. I disagree with Melvin, there are lots of reasons a virus could be "lost" yet "uncurable". For instance, it could be that when an outbreak happens they just abandon the planet or destroy it. It all depends on the tech level.

I agree with Karen, there should be some detail as to why reanimating the dead is suck a big deal other than just making a dead guy walk again. Perhaps through reanimation they can find out the key neuropathways that could help people with neurolgical diseases? Something of that order.

[Karen Ingram]

I disagree with Mhk Melvin's assumption that old viruses are "not that bad or important." Polio and the Spanish Flu are two very good examples of diseases that have not bothered us in a long time but could very easily make life difficult if (when?) they reared their ugly heads again.

I do agree that there should be some kind of explanation as to why the doc is so interested, though. "Curing this will bring us to the threshold of reanimating the dead. Finding this virus is a scientist's wet dream." - Why?? Why should we care about reanimating the dead? Give your readers solid proof. Remember it's us you have to convince - not yourself.

That being said, this was an entertaining read, and I look forward to seeing what you do in the future. More zombie stuff is always welcome. :o)

[Bluelaser]

The virus has been "lost" as in, no one could find it and he has stumbled upon it. His motivations are three fold: To get scientific acclaim, to cure something that has been previously labeled as incurable and to bring the scientific community closer to doing the impossible. The good doctors name is dangerously close to Frankenstein which is meant to bring forth the, Reanimation of dead human tissue, obsession. And in no way does finding a cure suggest his motivation of reanimating human tissue will be void, we don't know what the side effects of a cure will be or whether or not he will choose to stop at just a cure. In additional the plausibility of the Z virus showing up now after being "lost" is clarified when Hal turns out to be the Antagonist and that the Z virus wasn't lost at all but stolen and is now being used as a weapon, but can we control such a force? The last sentence reveals the answer. Oh and the initial punctuation error was a left over from a rewrite, and unfortunately I don't know how to edit the story now that it has been posted.

I appreciate your comments, but I'm afraid you missed some important aspects in the story which lead you to think the plot was in error. It is however my fault, I guess I should have made things a little more clear so the reader wouldn't come to such a conclusion. In any event, I'm just glad you read it.

[Rainbow Rider]

This works well fro a stand alone story, or for a chapter in a book if you were so inclined to expand on the character of Hal.

A couple of techno points; Your usage of the quotes " " in the wrong places, or not where they should be.

Then a story line plausibility: You have the doc telling us that the Z-virus is an old virus that has been forgotten about for 300 plus years, which tells the reader that it couldn't be that bad or important, if no one has even been thinking about it for that long, or dieing from it, and if everyone has forgotten about it, why is this doctor trying to find a cure? He needs more of a back story for the reason he wants to cure the Z-virus, and just what the virus does/did that warrants a cure, especially since no one seems to have cared about the virus for 300 years, except the doc.

And here:

"Wait wait ya big baby. It's a cadaver. That's one of the amazing properties of the Z virus. Curing this will bring us to the threshold of reanimating the dead. Finding this virus is a scientist's wet dream." Once finished the doctor looks surprised at his own momentary zeal, careful to avoid being too excited he quickly relapsed into innocence, hiding his dark scowl. Go get some rest and in a few days, we're heroes.

Did the Doc use the Z-virus to reanimate the cadaver? If so, trying to cure or nutralize the Z-virus would put a stop to reanimation, wouldn't it?

An excellent story, except for those two points. They stand out quite clearly to the reader as plot line errors. Would love to read more of this though if you had thought about it being a book and not just a story.