Doctor Alexander didn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Both he and Lily followed Miri to the lab, and both peered through the microscope. Alexander looked a second time, for a long moment that was heavy with silence. When he pulled away, his face was drawn and white. "Miri, are you certain this is your blood sample?"
"Of course," Miri said, her irritation showing. Ever since these new ConFleet officers had arrived, it seemed that her abilities were being questioned. "I cataloged the samples myself."
"Have you drawn a new sample and had it looked at?"
Miri shook her head.
"That was going to be my next step," said Byrin, deciding not to comment that Miri had left too quickly for him to get a sample.
"But I don't feel any of the symptoms," Miri protested.
"Yes, and this blood sample says you should be almost dead. I'd like to find out why." Alexander looked to Lily. "Find a hypo and draw some blood from her."
Lily left without so much as an acknowledging nod.
"We should draw some more samples," Byrin said. "And have the storage unit checked, to see if it's malfunctioned or been tampered with in any way."
"Why would anyone do such a thing?" Miri asked. Such things were unheard of on this world.
"I'll make sure those things are done," Alexander said to Byrin. He turned to Miri. "Miri, darling, in times of crisis, people do the most desperate things, no matter how illogical."
"Why would someone tamper with the control samples?" argued Miri.
Byrin shrugged. "It'd be a great way to lower morale around here."
"Or mislead our research." Alexander scowled as he looked out the lab door, waiting for Lily to return.
"Doctor..."
"No, not another word. Have you found out who the other two control donor's were?" Two white, almost bushy, eyebrow climbed his forehead.
"Not yet," answered Miri.
"As soon as Lily draws a new sample from you, that is your first order of duty."
Lily returned then, hypo in hand. In silence she drew a sample of blood from Miri. Automatically closing the top off, she handed it to Doctor Alexander.
"All right, Miri. Go ahead now. We'll tell you what we know when you return with those other two names."
"And what their present medical status is," added Byrin.
The young woman made a very disgusted sound, and left the room.
Lily smiled and almost chuckled. "Not exactly afraid to voice her thoughts and feelings is she?"
Alexander answered even as he and Byrin prepared to look at her blood. "Colony world children are like that, I believe. They haven't grown up with the Treaty of Conglomerance. Especially those from America, whose ancestors had the Declaration of Independence."
"I never thought of it that way," Lily admitted.
There was silence after that, as the three split a small portion of Miri's blood and viewed the first one. They each viewed it, then viewed it again.
Byrin voiced what they had all seen...and still had trouble processing... "There's no sign of the virus. She's healthy."
Unspoken was the phrase, 'for now.'
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