Earth's Last Days: The Invasion-Chapter 198: Day 4 of 5

Fleet Commander Lerian stood in the council chamber in the main dome with Council Leader Vorik. He had scoured the fleet for any evidence of the white-eyed male, finding nothing. He had no idea who the female had been, nor her son. There was no one that anyone ever knew of besides Ver, who had white eyes.

Council Leader Vorik paced the room in agitation. He was tense out of frustration. "Nothing. There is nothing. I searched all the domes, and there was nothing. There is no information whatsoever about anyone other than Ver, who has white eyes. No one even remembers ever seeing anyone with white eyes," he hissed. Tension rolled off of him in waves. "If we can’t find a cure or help her heal them, we may lose all of them. If she doesn’t know how to heal, then it might not work. She has to take down the plasma barrier, which will lift the mist that is keeping them in stasis. They will be in stasis when she tries it, and there will not be enough time to re-establish it before they die. there won’t be enough time."

"What has the clinic come up with?" Fleet Commander Lerian asked. "Are they at least close to finding a way to remove the toxin safely?"

Council Leader Vorik shook his head. His jaw was tight. He didn’t stop his pacing. He was too agitated. He was too tense to stop. "No. They found no way. No Neutralizer, no repellent. Nothing. They can’t find any way to remove the toxin without it binding to their tissue and killing them. We are at a loss."

Fleet Commander Lerian hung his head. A deep sigh passed his lips. "Then there is nothing that we can do. Nothing to save those five humans and Ver. They will all perish tomorrow night when she attempts to heal them."

"We can’t give up," Council Leader Vorik hissed. "We still have more time. We have to keep trying until there is nothing else we can do. We have to keep looking."

*** *** ***

The five beds in the stasis room sat quietly in their silent row. They were like corpses waiting for their fate. The green mist that surrounded them shimmered in the light of the clinic as those inside the beds lay stiffly, oblivious of what was happening outside their slumber.

Guard Commander Drevick, Trei, Gate Commander Seeran, and Orik all remained silent. All four males sat beside their mates. Their eyes focused on the one they loved, praying that something could be done to save them without harming another in doing so.

Ver was on the blanket on the floor with the infants. Her eyes kept going to the five beds. They had tried to come up with ideas to save all of them. All five of those who were in stasis, as well as Ver. There was nothing. There was nothing at all that they could come up with to remove the toxin from the five humans in their suspended animation before the following night, when Ver was going to attempt it herself.

At the panel, the sound of beeping echoed through the room. Everyone turned to the panel where Medic Renn and Miles were standing. Both looked upset, indicating that there was another test that resulted in a failure.

"What’s wrong? What happened?" Guard Commander Drevick asked before anyone else could.

Medic Renn turned to the guard commander. Medic Renn scanned the group before speaking. "The test has been completed. This toxin can’t be neutralized or repelled. The only thing that has even remotely worked was adjusting the tension on the siphon to remove the toxin. It can’t adjust it low enough, though, to save them. Unless we can find something that attracts the toxin to make it willingly go to the siphon, there is nothing we can do," he said tensely.

"Wait! Attract it? That’s a new idea. What if we can find something that attracts it toward the siphon? Like a magnet. There would be no resistance. It would be drawn to it. It won’t bind if it attracts it; it would move toward it on its own!" Miles shot out excitedly. They had never thought of that. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Medic Renn turned quickly around and typed the new instructions into the computer. The bio threads appeared and began to run tests. The only problem was that it would take one more day than they had. They needed to find a way before Ver tried to cure them. It was not lost on anyone in the room that it would need one extra day to run through the substances again. Each time, it took two days. They didn’t have two; they only had one and a partial day.

The four mates, Miles and Medic Renn, all watched with interest. The bio threads glowed green. One would suddenly flash red, and then it would be replaced by another. It appeared that it ran through the tests and checked the substance more quickly than the other two types of tests that had been tested through the testing panel. They all hoped that it was fast enough to be complete before Ver tried herself.

*** *** ***

Mikiel sat with Verion in the tavern. It was a nightly thing. They both enjoyed it. They always ordered a different kind of pizza along with their strong beverage. Today, it was something called ’Hawaiian.’

"Tomorrow, Ver tries, doesn’t she?" Verion asked Mikiel. "They haven’t found anything yet, have they?"

Mikiel, now used to Verion’s questions, nodded. "They came up with an idea that they’re checking, but they don’t know if the tests will be complete before Ver goes in there to try to heal them. Each time they go through the tests, it takes two full days. They started it early in the afternoon, so they don’t think they will be finished in time. He did say that the computer seems to be running through the tests faster, though, so there still is a chance. They just don’t know for sure."

Verion nodded. "So, there is still time," he said more to himself.

Mikiel nodded, thinking it was a statement for him.

The doors of the tavern slid open. Verion watched as Ver entered the tavern with Miles. They sat down in a dark booth. The server came up to them and took their order, then quickly left. This time, they were close enough to the couple to hear what was being said.

Miles, her mate, was upset, begging for extra time. He wanted her to at least wait until after the tests were complete. It was only one more day, he was saying to her. It was more of a desperate pleading.

"When we go to work in the clinic in the morning, we can find out how much longer the tests need to run. I’ll decide then. If it’s too late, then I’m going to try anyway," Ver told him. "You see them every day just like I do. They look nearly dead already, lying there in those beds. I can’t leave them there like that. It’s not right."

Verion’s ears perked up. This was new information. He didn’t know they spent their days with the five patients in stasis. He had been wondering where they were being kept. He smiled. All he had to do now was to see which clinic. He wanted to keep an eye on Ver and make sure she didn’t try to save them yet. He needed to find a way to help her.

"I’m going back to the clinic to see how far the tests have run. I need to find a way to save those people before you try. I think it’s too dangerous. You don’t know what to do yet, even to attempt to save them," Miles complained, getting up from the booth.

He rushed out of the tavern. Ver got up, making a soft growling sound, and followed him.

"I’ll be right back," Verion told Mikiel. "I’ll hurry. Don’t leave without me."

Mikiel nodded, picked up his cup, and drank some of the strong liquid. Verion rushed out of the tavern. He wanted to see which clinic they were going to. He had to be there tomorrow night to make sure she didn’t try healing them. He needed to find a way to help her survive. She knew she had no idea what to do.

Verion followed Ver and Miles toward the prison structure. He smiled when he watched them enter the clinic closest to the prison. Stepping forward to get a good look, he watched as they walked through the clinic and into the back room. He smiled. "That must be where the five in stasis are being held," he said to himself, then rushed off toward the tavern. He saw what he needed to see. Now, he could enjoy his pizza and strong beverage with Mikiel. He had all day the following day to find a way to save her or find a way to stop her from making a terrible mistake.