Orbital Strain: A Sci-fi Suspense Thriller by Russell D. Jones

Author:Russell D. Jones [Jones, Russell D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Beth stopped and looked down at the screen. A woman in her twenties, with short dark hair and sharp eyes, gazed back at her with panic painted across her face. Beth started the vid again.

“We were getting such valuable data, but I warned them it was dangerous. After the first patient almost escaped and infected others, I told the director it was a bad idea to observe them in an awakened state. This was too dangerous, with too many unknowns to go to human trials. She agreed, and yet we continued anyway. I think orders are coming from the Admins directly or even the Ortelius corp back on the homeworld. They don’t give a fuck about us!

“I wish my intuition had been wrong. Things were going fine, and I looked like the overly cautious fool, but then the wave hit. No one could have predicted the chaos that followed. My friend in the Astrophysics department didn’t expect it either. She was freaking out, while the rest of her colleagues seemed blinded by the discoveries. Is everyone on this ship insane? I know the recruitment called for ‘result-oriented individuals,’ but doesn’t that describe every scientist? What they meant was ‘results-at-any-cost individuals.’

“It may not matter soon. The wave unleashed those things. They infected more crew members. Oh, stars…” The woman looked away from the camera. When she turned back, tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

“The med lab is utterly trashed. Security has been battling them like it’s some kind of zombie infestation. People have suggested some of them got past security and are loose in other parts of the ship. If that’s true, then we are done for. This thing jumps hosts too easily. Our immune systems are pathetically easy to fool. Wait, they’re making an announcement over the ship-wide com. I need to hear this. I don’t know what’s going to happen… If someone finds this, it probably means we’re all dead.”

The image cut out, and the recording ended. Down the hallway, Beth spotted the cat sitting on a clean part of the floor.

“Hey… There you are, Kitty. How did you get down here?” Beth asked, a little surprised to see the creature after so long and so far from where they’d last parted.

The cat looked at her, then tilted its head curiously to the side. As she approached, it casually stood and walked the opposite way. Beth followed.

She passed through a door to someone’s quarters caved inward as if forced open by horrific means. Inside, water dripped from above and pooled in various low places of the room. Beth eyed the clear liquid.

I hope that’s water. Above, she spotted a hole in the ceiling about half the size of an airlock door. The fluid ran in a thin stream out of it. The cat hopped across several pieces of furniture, avoiding the larger pools, jumped up on top of a cupboard, and disappeared up the hole. Beth splashed clumsily after it.

This cat always appears just in time to show me a way forward.

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