by Devon Shubin
“None of this is typical. It’s some sort of a hybrid I’m afraid. When was the last case?”
Belko explained, “Oh, well we had a female guest last week, she was complaining about stomach pains and went to the medic. Within a few hours, she was unconscious and died here in quarantine.”
The Space Traveler looked over the hundreds of dead beings on tables. He exclaimed, “This is going to need a full investigation. I will call in the eradicators to cremate the bodies per USHA’s guidelines. Expect a call from the Chancellor within the next hour. When the eradicators arrive, bring them through the back entrance, and use the containment room as a funeral pyre. Inform the families and next to kin Belko, you don’t want a scandal on your hands.”
“How do we explain their deaths? I don’t want this to feel like a cover-up.”
The Space Traveler explained, “We will keep it classified until we finish our investigation. USHA will decide on when to let the public know what has taken place.”
“That sounds like vague legal mumbo-jumbo Inspector. The families may become suspicious.”
“Let them, for now. If the news feed gets a hold of this story before the eradicators do their remediation you will have years of bad press, and you don’t want that Belko, I can assure you of that.”
“Thank you, Inspector. I will wait for the Chancellors call.”
The Space Traveler looked back out into the next room and watched the aggressive dlom foam in slow methodical convulsions over its victims. “In all my experience with dlom,” he stated, “I have never experienced dlom eating in this manner. Dlom will feed on itself and release spores in the air, some toxic some not, but never at a condition where it feeds in this way. There is something not right about these recent events. And I am going to get to the bottom of this I can promise you that.”
Belko wondered what he was referring to, “What other events? Has this happened in another city?”
The Space Traveler faced him, “I can’t reveal if it has or has not, what I can say is there is something sinister behind microorganisms eating beings.”
“I agree Inspector. I will keep this under wraps also until USHA’s investigation is complete.”
“I don’t have an official assignment to do this, but its protocol. So, I’m going to need to take an air and swab samples to send to the laboratory.”
Belko replied, “Whatever you need Inspector, I just want my guests to be safe from this dlom problem.”
“Keep the area clear and give me a wristband access to the containment room. I will have my robots set up an external containment room here so there is no cross contamination. One last thing, turn the air conditioning in that room to non-circulate, make it 32 degrees or colder. Heat and humidity allow dlom to stay alive.”
Belko bowed with his four hands at his chest, “As you wish Inspector.”
The Space Traveler headed back to his ship and spoke into his forearm transmitter, “41, come in 41.”
41-A came over his intercom, “Yes Captain.”
“Prepare pre-inspection mode protocol,” he spoke into his intercom as he walked outside onto the tarmac.
41-A could see him through the ships window shield. “Yes Captain.” She wheeled to the back of the ship and started gathering the two bags of inspection equipment.
The ships door now opened and the Space Traveler walked inside. 41-A was facing him with the two bags on each hand. “That was fast 41.”
“I had the equipment already prepared in these two bags. We are ready Captain.”
He shook his head in approval, “Thank you 41, I’m extremely impressed. Call 21-B to help you set up containment while I suite up.”
41-A inquired, “Captain, 21-B and I can handle the sampling if you request.”
He looked behind at her as he was walking toward his room to change. He thought about it for a moment and responded to her, “That would be safer for me 41, but you are not programmed to handle a situation if the dlom is aggressive. It’s best if you stay in the containment area.”
“Captain, it is not in my protocol to argue with you, however, I have downloaded combat techniques from headquarters. I am now fully trained to handle aggressive situations with beings from other worlds.”
He was proud of the little droid. “Ok, let’s give it a shot,” he agreed and then pointed his finger at her, “but at the first sign of trouble you get your shiny tush out of there ok?”
“Yes Captain,” she replied. If she could smile she would, but you know how robots look, they have a mouth that doesn’t move, at least 41-A doesn’t.
After the Space Traveler suited up in his hazmat-like suit, full PPE (proper protective equipment) he opened the door to the ship and walked outside to the sunlight. 41-A and 21-B followed him from behind carrying the testing equipment in bags. Some of the flagman stared curiously at them as they walked across the tarmac. Little did they know, he was there to test the dlom that was killing some of the guests and they could be infected themselves. In his mind, he hoped Belko could keep his employees quiet about the last-minute inspection. The Space Traveler did not want to chit-chat himself with the help, he had bigger fish to fry next on Lordak Pogna.
When they reached the ‘Access Prohibited’ sign to the containment room, 41-A said, “Captain, we can handle it from here.”
“Ok, 41, let’s see what you girls can do.”
He waived his wristband that Belko had provided and the door sunk into the ground. 41-A and 21-B wheeled by him with the equipment bags in hand. He followed them slowly watching their every move as they sat the bags down at the next doorway. He waved his arm up and the door closed behind them upwards into the ceiling. The single light in the circular room was not enough lumens, so 41-A pulled out a small square lamp from the bag and sat it down. She commanded it, “Ignite.” The small lamp powered up and brightened the entire room.
The Space Traveler looked back out into the next room where the green and black dlom organism was pulsating on each victim. The poor elderly guests came to the resort for a resurrection of their, and now ended up dead lying on tables with greenish black dlom covering them. It made him sick to his stomach, he hated dlom, and it was his mission in the universe to eradicate it forever. Could that become reality? Maybe, keep reading and the answer may surprise you.
41-A and 21-B worked side by side expanding the clear plastic bubble that encapsulated them inside the doorway to the next room. This was the containment room prior to entering the affected area. “Captain,” 41-A said, “We are ready to enter the next room.”
He shook his head yes and waved the wristband that activated the door to the next room. The door lowered into the floor. He could see the back draft of cold air hit his robots and the force wind blew against the walls of the bubble containment room. The two robots then entered the affected room. He moved to the other side of the bubble up to the large window that exposed the entire room or dead bodies. He watched as the two robots removed the tripod and air pump from the bag and powered it up. 21-B took a swab stick from her bag and approached a body near her. She was fearless, for a droid that is. She reached her skinny metal left arm out, touched the swab to the dlom and swiped it. The mass began convulsing after she had finished. She took the containment tube with her right hand, then placed the swab stick inside the tube and closed the lid. She turned around and began wheeling toward her bag, but she was knocked down to the ground.
The Space Traveler placed both of his hands to the glass and looked closely at what appeared to be a greenish black tentacle holding onto her back. Her wheel was spinning around, it could not touch the ground. This caught 41-A’s attention and she wheeled away from her air sample pump to investigate 21-B.
“41!’ he yelled at her through the glass, “No! Get back!”
41-A turned her head to look at him and that’s when another large tentacle came from another dead body on the table and wrapped around her arm. She squealed.
“No!” he yelled out. She looked at h
im and then the dlom’s tentacle-like arm. In her programming of combat training her memory reacted and she sliced down at the dlom cutting the tentacle off her arm. She wheeled backwards and looked at her upper arm where some of the tentacle was still hanging on to her. She grabbed it and tossed it out toward the bodies on tables.
21-B was rocking on her belly, trying to free herself from the dlom tentacle. 41-A went into combat survival mode again and wheeled toward her friend, but it was too late. A large tentacle came crashing down on her like a tidal wave crushing the robot. Only her arms were exposed from under the large greenish black tentacle. 41-A hit her brakes and looked at the Space Traveler who was pushed up against the glass on the other side of the room. He shook his head no, “It’s too late for her 41, get outta’ there!”
41-A was not about to have an unsuccessful dlom inspection and so she did what her programming trained her to do. She wheeled around toward 21-B and grabbed the swab tube screeching across the metal floor and then headed for the door. As she approached the bags and air pump that was sucking air in the room, another tentacle from a dead body table swung out at her but missed as she dogged it skidding up against the glass window. She continued wheeling toward the air pump and grabbed it as she said to the Space Traveler, “Captain, door please.”
The Space Traveler waved his arm and the door retracted from the ceiling into the floor and she entered the bubble containment room. He waved the door again and the door raised up into the ceiling. Too late, a large tentacle reached over the closing door and grabbed the robots head snapping it off and pulling it inside the room just as the door closed into the ceiling.
He stood there, shocked. He just lost both of his robot assistants in one inspection. ‘An inspection from double H hockey sticks’ he thought.
Belko watched from his security camera room and said out loud, “that is not good.” The engineers in the room covered their mouths gasping. Belko knew that if that creature escaped, the resort would be gone for good.
“Turn the temperature in the room to subzero, lets freeze it!” Belko commanded his engineers and they quickly responded.
Back inside the safe room, the Space Traveler looked out into the containment room where the tentacle had 41-A’s head. It retracted back into the table it came from and absorbed it into the body it was hosting. The nausea left him and anger now set in. He spoke into his forearm, “Computer, contact headquarters, get me the Chancellor.”
“Transmitting now, Captain.”
He then looked away from the horror in the contained room and placed his eyes into the bubble containment room. 41-A’s body was laying on the ground. She was holding in her left hand the swab tube and in her right hand was the air sample.
“Faithful to the very end,” he said and then hit the transparent button at the top of the zipper door and the door opened. He reached in the containment room and took both samples from her hands. “I won’t forget you 41.” He looked back into the next room. “Or you 21.” He pushed the button and the zipper door closed the containment room. With both swab and air samples in hand, he then looked up to the security camera.
In the security room Belko was watching him from the monitor screen. He hit the intercom and said, “Inspector, I am sorry for your loss.”
The Space Traveler replied, “I am too.”
“I will meet you in my office Inspector with your recruit.”
Inside Director Belko’s office the Space Traveler paced back and forth across the brown carpet. Belko watched him with his hands on his chin resting on his desk. “I know you had loss today Inspector, but what your team did was heroic and necessary. And my team and I will do everything to make sure that is recognized with the Chancellor.”
“Listen, Belko, you have a serious problem in that room. The eradicators are on their way now and I am going to send these samples to the laboratory when I get back on my ship. But, it’s not going to tell us why or who is manipulating the organism. You are going to need to have an internal investigation of your food, water and your staff. I don’t believe a guest would have brought the dlom in the resort with them, but, it’s worth the effort to screen everyone here.”
“That sounds like all good suggestions Inspector. And what about you? Is there anything I can do for you?”
The Space Traveler shook his head now and answered him, “no, that’s much appreciated. But, well, just bring in the new recruit, will you?”
“Of course, I know you have the Lordak Pogna assignment and I’m sure this has delayed you.” Belko spoke into his computer that lay flat on his desk, “send in Fretch.”
The door to his office retracted inside the walls and a short, fat, pig-like being entered the office. The doors closed behind him and he snorted. The Inspector thought to himself after hearing that snort, ‘ah, that won’t drive me nuts.’
“Inspector, this is Fretch. Fretch, your new boss.” Belko introduced them with a gracious hand extending.
The Space Traveler sized Fretch up and could see the top of his basically bald head, a few strands of unwashed hair were protruding. Quite ugly he thought. “How tall can you stretch yourself?”
Fretch looked him in his eye and answered, “over nine feet. My width is just under one foot in diameter when I do so.”
He shook his head in approval. “That’s good, real good. I believe you, but I would like to see that for myself.”
Fretch shrugged his shoulder and said, “No problem.” He reached his arms above his head, snorted, and expanded his body, face, limbs to almost ten feet high. His face was smashed up against the celling. He snorted again. “Satisfied?”
The Space Traveler chuckled, “Yeah, you can come back down Fretch. I like what I see. I think you will be very useful on my next assignment.”
“Good,” Belko said as he rose from the chair behind his desk, “All of the accommodations are set for you Fretch. I want to personally thank you for your service here at our resort and you are welcome back anytime.”
Fretch snorted, “Thanks Belko.”
They left Belko’s office and began walking down the hallway to the outside tarmac. The Space Traveler inquired, “What was your job here?”
Fretch answered him, “I changed the ceiling light bulbs.”
The Space Traveler looked over at his new assistant as they continued toward his ship, “That makes sense.”
When he was back into the ship, the Space Traveler stripped off his suite and placed it into an air lock. The box compressed and the digital voice spoke, “Decontamination process beginning.” He walked out of his small room and into the cockpit where his new assistant was sitting in the co-pilot chair. The pig-like man snorted.
“I’m having a rough day, so, don’t mind me if I’m moody alright?”
“Why, what happened?” Fretch inquired.
The Space Traveler looked at his new trainee and bit his tongue. He was angry and sad. 41-A and 21-B had been his robotic assistants for many years. Now, they were gone. “I lost two friends today,” he revealed as he hit some keys on the console preparing the ship for space travel.
“That’s too bad. Is there anything I can do?”
“Well, thanks for asking but, just watch me and learn. This is a job Fretch, if you treat it like one, you’ll have less disappointments when things go sour.”
“Ha,” Fletch laughed, “Funny you say that, I only eat sour things. Matter a fact, you got any somens?” Somens are lemon-like fruit and are native to Hibot’s.
The Space Traveler ignored him and pulled back on the controls. The ship ascended into the sky and off they sped toward Hibot’s orbit where his star ship waited them. He did not know how he would feel walking on board without his ‘two girls.’ That is what he would typically refer them as. Even though they were made of metal, mechanic parts and digital hardware, they were a team. Every inspection he performed they would assist him with. They were the muscle and he was the brains.
Thinking back to one time, on Underlay Lask (a planet o
f 95 percent water) they were spelunking through caverns that had enough oxygen at the top preventing water from filing. 41-A wheeled along where she could and when the soft ground became impassible, she would fire a grap-hook at the ceiling and swing over the obstacles. Once, a rock gave way and she fell, hitting the ground. He did not see it, but he heard her. Rushing over to her side he helped her up. Later, he repaired her bent axle so she could move again. Now, she was gone and so was her sister. Fretch would be a compromise, one he would have to live with for his next assignment.
Travel 4 – Rebellion of Lordak Pogna
The planet of Lordak Pogna is a celestial body with purple water that glows bright from space. This illusion transcends to the single moon that spins around the equator of the planet. Because of this gravitational pull, the seas rise and fall within hours and beach life is extremely impossible to enjoy unless you are a Boda, the indigenous beings who live on this planet. Let me explain what they look like before we go any further.
Their bodies are wide and broad, the size of a rhino. They have eight arm/legs, a large long neck, the face of a dragon with a chin made of a spear, teeth like large swords and two hairy pointed ears. Anyways, the Bodas love the oceans and when the tides retract, its hunting time. They gobble up the sea creatures, fish and squid aliens that live there. By appearance, you would think the Bodas are mean, tough beings not to be trifled with. You would be wrong. The Boda people are the most friendly and gentle beings in the seven known habitable systems. One of the reasons the Universal Space Treaty was formed hundreds of years ago, was because they were being attacked by the Huffrans during the great war. But the Huffrans lost their planet during the great war, but that is for another story. They have since refuged to Hibot’s and have changed some of their ways. They are still jerks, but that’s for another story also.