The Zacora Mutation - Chapter 4: Dr. Devlin

CHAPTER 4: Dr. Devlin

Writer’s note: Chapter 4 is a continuation of the original Chapter 3, now divided for easier readability.

In Chapter 3, Both Heinrick and Palmer investigate non-regulation protocol in the morgue. In Chapter 4, Dr. Heinrick fends off aggressive technicians who inform her she’s off the case.

Dr. Heinrick stood frozen, her eyes searching for a way out. Neither one of them moved. Amidst the darkness, she imagined she could perceive the whites of his eyes, and the more she squinted, the more she felt them penetrating through her. To steady herself, she analyzed the form: a tall, pale man in a metallic suit that glinted in the dim light.

An object pressed against her body, a precision laser scalpel she’d forgotten to leave behind after an autopsy the day before. If the situation required, she could use it as a weapon. Moving with stealth determination, she pulled it out and disabled the depth governor, overriding the safety.

Heinrick advanced one step at a time, tracking his frame in the darkness. His invasive stare twisted a knot in her stomach, confirming his malicious intent. The thought caused her to hesitate. He stood still, watching her step closer, then stop again.

She sucked in her breath, her mind spiraled as moving shadows blurred her perception of whether she was the hunter or the hunted.

Screams tore from the shuttle’s entrance.

The sound went through Heinrick like a blade, and she barely saw the figure lunge. He rushed past her, wrenched open a door beyond where she stood, and bolted. She gathered herself and gave chase. He fled into a second room and vanished. She followed—only to find herself in a well-lit space, face to face with four lab technicians. It was the room he had run into, yet he was nowhere in sight.

Two of the men rose from their stations, eyeing her with suspicion. She pocketed her laser. Still shaken, she asked whether they’d seen a man run in, and whether they’d heard the screams. They looked at each other and shrugged. Behind them stood Johnson, the pathologist she recognized. The moment he saw her, he panicked and turned to leave.

“Wait!” she shouted. “I need information!”

Johnson stopped, then turned to face her.

“Identify yourself, please,” a technician demanded.

“I’m Dr. Susan Heinrick.” She studied her interrogator and returned fire. “Who are you?”

“Technicians, to you.”

“I see.” She looked past him. “What’s the latest on the tissue samples?”

Johnson said nothing.

She asked if he knew where the crewmen’s bodies were.

Again, nothing.

Another technician spoke, insisting they had cremated the corpses.

“Cremated? You cremated the astronauts—without my authorization?”

“With Dr. Devlin’s,” another shot back.

“Devlin? Since when does he have authority over my cases—and Dr. Palmer’s?” She stepped past the technicians and addressed Johnson again. “Answer me!”

His lifeless stare sent an icy shiver down her spine.

“Look,” the technician said, stepping into her line of sight. “All I know is that he does.”

“Give me another story!” she shot back.

He growled. “All right. Dr. Devlin wanted to run special tests on the organism that killed the astronauts, so he had the bodies moved to his private lab.” He studied her face, then added, “Everyone knows he takes the utmost precautions.”

“Devlin doesn’t know a damn thing about this organism!”

Another technician stepped forward. “Now look here, Dr. Heinrick—”

She spun around. “—No, you look! Only certain physicians have legal clearance to handle these astronauts—not to mention these bodies could still carry a live organism, one we know almost nothing about!”

“All the more reason to let Dr. Devlin take a little peeksy—right?” another sneered. “He’d figure it out in seconds.”

Dr. Heinrick recoiled. “Who are you people? You can’t be regular staff.” She stared at Johnson, waiting, but he only watched her in silence.

A fourth technician approached from behind. “How clever you are, Doc-tor Heinrick. We’re Dr. Devlin’s staff—if it’s any of your business.”

Heinrick pivoted, her face flushed, hands clenched. “I refuse to stand here and waste my time listening to you idiots,” she shouted, shattering her professional demeanor. But what was she dealing with? She had never experienced such open hostility. There had to be a way to reach Devlin without going through these creeps.

She fled the room and ran toward the platform, pulling the laser from her pocket. One technician followed close behind. Alarmed by his aggressiveness, she stopped, swung around and aimed at his face.

“You think you could match his laboratory?” he taunted, staring through her weapon.

“What?”

“No, I think not! Why do you suppose they gave him his own chambers? Because he’s a moron? No! Because he’s too brilliant to be tainted by mediocrity!”

This was insane, Heinrick thought. Something had gone very wrong down here. Johnson had disappeared, and three other technicians were closing in like wolves. She had to warn Michael and the others. Yet Devlin’s whereabouts remained a mystery.

Heinrick drew a shaky breath and lowered her laser, knowing she could eviscerate at this range in a single, swift motion.

A ghost of a smile brushed her lips.

“You’re right,” she responded as the technicians surrounded her. “I could never match the great Dr. Devlin’s intellect.”

Her eyes fluttered in disgust as they all nodded in approval.

“So, it would be an honor to know where I could find him and his distinguished laboratory.”

“Top secret!” one declared.

“Oh, I know. But you see, I’m quite an admirer of Dr. Devlin’s work.” Heinrick smiled and placed a hand on her chest, adding, “He’s wonderful!”

The technicians traded vacant stares.

One snarled. “Why the sudden change in your voice?”

“Well, no one’s perfect—except Dr. Devlin, of course.” She shrugged. “I was wrong about him.”

“You wouldn’t tell anyone about the lab?” another asked, crossing his arms.

Heinrick swung her hand in a dramatic arc, startling all of them. “Why, no! Of course not! That would be a disgrace!”

“You wouldn’t touch anything?”

“I wouldn’t dream of soiling his lab!”

One of them finally bought it. “Well, all right. You promised.”

His childlike phrasing caused her eyes to flash, yet she was ready for the answer.

“It’s in Sector One,” the technician revealed, his eyes sliding away from hers. Then, out of nowhere, he beamed. “He’s great, you know.”

She tilted her head—their affect and fierce loyalty baffled her.

“Oh, I know. He’s brilliant. Now, where might I find Sector One?”

She must have said it too eagerly—their eyes darted amongst each other.

“Oh no you don’t!” one snapped. “We know what you’re up to! You want all the glory for yourself!”

Another cornered her, tightening his lips. “The man has it all, so why don’t you let him worry about this disease? Knowing the other doc-tors, they’d get their filthy hands on it and spread it around. The sooner we’re rid of it, the better. Burn the bodies, I say!”

Now she was dealing with something far more dangerous than she had imagined and needed to handle this carefully.

“Gentlemen,”—it turned her stomach to say it—“I understand the emotions here. As I said before, only certain physicians can handle the bodies.” She held her breath.

“He is one of those physicians, Dr. Heinrick,” Johnson said, appearing from nowhere. “The only one.”

Finally, he speaks! She turned to mount a defense. “What do you mean by ‘the only one’?”

His glare radiated a contempt that chilled her to the bone. This was not the man Michael described. Why all the hostility? Before she could press him, more technicians entered the area, and the anger rose to a new pitch.

One of them strode forward. “You’re off the case,” he scoffed. “Now it’s our turn.”

Another threw a microchip in her face. It fell on the floor. “There! There’s your proof.”

Heinrick maintained eye contact as she picked up the item. She passed the chip over the induction port on her bio-suit. A report unfolded as a private retinal overlay, a clever way to allow a single read of classified material. There, on an official document, were the names of the Phyllus II astronauts and Dr. Devlin’s, listed as chief research scientist and physician. No other names appeared—except that of ISC administrator Martin Stewart. Someone logged the order eleven days ago.

“What the—?” she whispered. “This can’t be right.” After reading the last entry, the data expired. She looked up and found the morgue deserted.

Someone emerged from behind, and a shockwave of adrenaline hit her body. She twisted and fired her laser. The inert chip skittered across the floor.

“Susan!”

A scorched bloom smoldered on the panel behind Dr. Palmer.

She lowered the instrument and let out a tremendous sigh. “Thank God it’s you!” She grabbed his arm.

“Holy hell!” Palmer shouted, his voice cracking. “Be careful with that thing!”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You don’t know what I’ve just been through.”

“I could say the same.” He looked her over. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. But I could have used that rescue team down here.” She surveyed the area. “I don’t know where they ran off to, but the technicians down here were threatening me.” She saw the shuttle. Then it all made sense.

“The screams.”

“What?”

“Oh, my God.” She turned to him. “The team never made it down.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“After you left, a man stalked me in the dark. Then I heard screams from the shuttle. He must have heard them too, because he ran. Michael, did you hear them? They sounded trapped.”

Palmer shook his head. “No. I didn’t hear a thing.”

She scanned the room for the technicians. “Oh, God. They must have them.”

“Who?”

“Devlin—and his assistants.”

“The Dr. Devlin?”

“Yes, the Dr. Devlin,” she said, mocking his reverence. “I don’t give a damn about his notoriety.” She stepped closer. “Remember everything I just told you? He’s behind it.”

“How do you know?”

“I just had a friendly little chat with his assistants.”

“Why would he do such a thing?”

Heinrick shook her head. “All I know is that the bodies are missing from the morgue, and Devlin has taken them to his private lab.”

“What?” Palmer clenched his jaw until it ached.

“I know this sounds crazy, Michael. I checked their so-called records. It says Devlin heads this entire mission—including the medical end. The order is eleven days old.”

Palmer’s head drew back. “That’s absurd. Stewart Johnson assigned me the autopsies this morning.”

“Then Stewart assigned you to a case that was already someone else’s. His name is on the order, Michael. Right under Devlin’s.”

Palmer walked around in a small circle, stroking his chin, then exploded. “Damn them all!”

Heinrick leapt forward. “Shhh!”

He gripped her shoulders. “Listen, Susan, we have very little time. I had to delay the briefing. We can’t let this out—not now. Or, we’ll have a major panic.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Lena. She’s contracted something I’ve never seen before.”

“You don’t think it’s—?” Heinrick stopped herself. She didn’t want to consider it.

“That’s what worries me. Lena’s showing the same early signs as the Phyllus II crew. And there’s more—two of the other nurses who were in that room have reported the same symptoms.” He raked his hair. “This disease? Organism? Hell, we don’t know what it is.”

“Oh my God. What are we going to do?”

Palmer rubbed his mouth. His thumb found the rim of the empty cigarette tube in his suit pocket. So much had gone unsaid.

“Susan,” he began, “I need to tell you…”

“Go ahead.”

“…about this anomaly.”

The ominous tone in his voice wrenched her gut, yet she listened, stifling her tears and yearning for this nightmare to end.

“Before Lieutenant Anderson died, he told us each bright green star contained a pod that vaporized once aboard the ship, which the crew inhaled.” He paused, clearing his throat. “And now I think Lena contracted it by secondary means.”

“Meaning...?”

“It passed through solid material. Isolation suits. Filters.”

“From what? A dead host—to us?”

“Possibly.”

“Through the skin?”

“Skin, lungs. Any means.”

She blinked, took a moment to process, then glared at him.

“I would have told you in the briefing, Susan. I didn’t know the morgue was going to turn into a clusterfuck.” He stopped. “It’s too quiet. Something’s not right.”

Both of them listened. Nothing.

“The building’s under quarantine,” Palmer added. “We need everyone to stay calm while we figure out the mechanics of this thing.”

“What about Devlin?”

“I don’t know. Someone up there must know how to find him. Let’s go!”

They proceeded to the platform.

“Wait.” She stopped. “When I came down here, not one of those technicians was wearing an isolation suit. If Devlin’s so superior, why would his staff be that careless?”

Palmer kept walking, shaking his head. “That’s exactly why we have to get this under control now!”

“But—don’t you think it’s strange?” She caught his arm. “Why didn’t they take precautions?”

“I don’t know! That’s what we’re going to find out!”

“No—Michael! Wait!” From behind, she grabbed both his arms. “Listen!”

He stopped and turned around. She hesitated, seeing a fear in him she’d not seen in a long time. Her eyes softened. “You can’t save Lena unless we know what’s going on down here.”

She closed the distance and took his shoulders. “We have to find Devlin. Now, before it’s too late.”

“How?” he stammered. “You know he’s an eccentric, private man. That’s why his lab is isolated. Someone up there has to know where it is.” He shrugged her off and continued toward the platform, motioning for her to follow. “Come on, let’s go!”

“And risk infecting others?”

“What?” Dr. Palmer whirled around.

“What makes you so certain we don’t already have it?”

“Come on, we’ve been through this. We all used the decontamination chamber, you know that.”

“But I didn’t.”

Palmer closed his eyes briefly, his lips pressed together, and he shook his head. Heinrick continued.

“What makes you think that chamber sterilized an unknown pathogen? Who knows how it reacted? Face it, Michael—you, Lena, and the others may have contracted it up there no matter what precautions you took.” She drew a breath. “And now it’s possible I have it too.”

He shook his head, denying scientific logic. “Be realistic. Do we feel any different? Is our skin peeling off?”

“Not yet. That’s the outcome. We know the early symptoms are violence and paranoia. We don’t know what the catalyst is. What triggers it? Fear? Psychosis? Both?”

“What does it matter if we’re infected already?”

“It doesn’t. That’s exactly my point. It’s all academic from here until it hits us.”

“Until what hits us?”

“The psychosis.”

“Jesus, you’re scaring me with this talk.”

“I’m doing my best to think rationally. You said the technicians who confronted me down here were nothing like the people you knew from the lab.”

“So what are you saying—they’re infected too?”

“Yes. And they have been for some time. How long? Who can say—except Devlin?”

“All right, let’s find that son of a bitch.” He wiped sweat from his forehead. “I’ve seen him before.”

Heinrick’s head jerked back. Neither she nor anyone she knew had ever seen the renowned, mysterious Dr. Devlin in person.

Palmer smirked, watching her eyes widen. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught a glimpse of him walking down one of the morgue’s corridors. I heard someone call out his name and always wondered where his lab was, so I followed him. He darted into a room. I went through the same entrance, only to find he’d disappeared. Vanished, just like that. I imagined him laughing at me somewhere behind a secret door. Anyway, I know what he looks like. We’ll find him.”

“Maybe.” She recalled the man in the dark who vanished just as Michael described. “Do you know anything about Sector One?”

Palmer shook his head.

“I squeezed that much out of one technician. It has to be down here somewhere. They acted like it was around the corner.” Then she understood. “The shuttle’s computer refused my access to Sector One. ‘No such sector.’ No access. It’s here, Michael.”

Palmer scanned the area. “Then it’s behind the seal at the end of the west corridor. I’ve walked past that door a hundred times. I always assumed it was cold storage.”

Heinrick pointed. “This way!”

They ventured down the narrowing, dim corridors of the underground morgue. They reached a passageway labeled UG-2, Sector 2.

Heinrick’s eyes widened. It dawned on her they intentionally mislabeled it. “Oh my God, Michael! This is it!”

“Shhh!”

The peculiar pathologist rounded a bend and walked in front of them. Unnoticed, both doctors ducked behind an entryway and peered around the corner, watching him stop and cock his head. They flattened themselves against the wall and stood silent. The man turned, shielding his eyes from the lights to see down the darkened hallway where he’d sensed movement.

“He knows we’re here,” Palmer whispered, his heart beating faster.

“Quiet!” she breathed.

The technician drew a small instrument from his pocket. A tiny red light pulsed on what looked like a gun. Both doctors held their breath as he aimed toward their corner. A beam of green light swept the area, bouncing off objects and throwing ominous shadows on the ceiling. It passed over the entire opening and back. Then darkness swallowed the corridor again. Neither dared to peek at the silhouette at the end, standing still, silent, listening. They stayed pressed against the wall. Around the corner, they heard advancing footsteps.

When Heinrick worked up the courage to look, she saw the pathologist and two technicians muttering among themselves. She had a better view down the hall now. At the end stood a huge, riveted black doorway marked Sector 1. On either side, entryways branched off to form the top of a T. She strained to decipher the conversation and couldn’t. Her colleague finally glimpsed over her shoulder.

“That’s not Seth,” he whispered.

“Shhh! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“What are they doing?”

“I don’t know. But I think we’ve found the right place. Look.”

She didn’t have to point. There, barely hidden behind the technicians, lay the body of Lieutenant Anderson, the iso-protective shell wide open, and the bag exposed, revealing a dried, brown contorted heap.

“Good Christ,” the doctor breathed, recognizing the capsule he and the others had sealed. “Why the hell do they have it open?”

They watched a technician leaned in and touch the corpse with his bare hands. Heinrick’s jaw dropped.

“My God, Michael. They don’t know how powerful it is.”

“Maybe they do,” he answered.

“I don’t know what to think.” She watched them cover the body again.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Palmer admitted. “What if Devlin’s being as careful as everyone says? Maybe we should trust him.”

His colleague twisted towards him. “Are you out of your mind?”

“What if he’s found a breakthrough—something we never thought of?”

The muttering stopped, catching both doctors off guard. All three figures peered down the hall, listening. Another pass with the green light revealed nothing. Satisfied, they resumed talking. Dr. Palmer whispered on.

“We have to find out what he’s done. They’ve discovered something—I know it.” He then remarked, with a jealous edge, “Maybe he’s already found a cure. We can’t dismiss the possibility of his genius.”

She shook her head in utter disgust. Hearing admiration in her colleague’s voice sent a revulsion through her body that settled deep in her bones.

They watched in silence as all three figures receded into the side hallway, wheeling the lieutenant’s body with them. Puzzled by a new sensation, she whispered, “They seem to have no feelings at all.”

“What?” Palmer roused from a deep thought. “Who?”

“The technicians. Come to think of it, the pathologist too. Look at them—the way they stand, the gestures. I never noticed it before.”

Now it became obvious. Even as they walked farther away, Heinrick could see a small wire, about two inches long, hanging from behind one of the technician’s ankles, poking out from under his scrubs.

“Michael, they’re not human!”

“You’re quite right, Dr. Heinrick,” a voice announced behind them.

Both doctors nearly leapt out of their skin as they spun to face a tall, scruffy, bearded man in his late sixties with thinning gray hair. Palmer recognized him at once. The man greeted them warmly, as if they were old friends.

“Dr. Heinrick, Dr. Palmer. I was told you were looking for me. I’m Dr. Devlin. But you can call me Thomas.” He smiled and extended his hand.

Heinrick remained still, reading past the warmth. Palmer, still rattled, was the first to shake it. “It’s Michael,” he said. “You gave us quite a start.”

“My apologies,” Devlin replied with an ill-placed chuckle. “I was walking down the corridor and came across the two of you standing here.” His eyes gravitated towards Dr. Heinrick. “Not the most desirable place to meet anyone,” he added, revealing jagged, stained teeth. He reached for her hand, and she mindlessly raised it. Before he could bring her fingers to his lips, she shook it firmly, then pulled away, breaking the spell.

“Delighted,” she replied, feigning a smile. “Please. Call me Susan.”

Devlin grinned, his eyes narrowing. He sensed her wariness and strategized a different approach.

“Good, Susan. I like a first-name basis. More personal that way.”

Palmer stepped closer to steer the conversation his way, but Devlin ignored him. “You’ll have to excuse my reclusive tendencies. I’m sure you understand.”

“Oh, I do,” she replied. “What I don’t understand is why you’ve shut us out of the studies here.”

“Shut out? Why no! We’re all a team!” he insisted, spreading his arms.

Palmer raised his voice. “That’s contrary to everything we’ve experienced down here, and we deserve answers.”

“Oh, please don’t be cross! It is I who should be ashamed of the way my staff has treated you. We’re all so protective of our work.”

He turned to Dr. Heinrick. “You’re right, Susan. Those were androids you spoke with earlier. But I prefer to call them ‘mates’. ‘Droids’ or ‘automatons’—they both sound so cold. They’re sort of my watchdogs.” He chuckled again. “Oh yes! I’m sure they made you feel most unwelcome—oh dear!”

Heinrick fought the urge to roll her eyes. This guy.

He continued to snicker as Heinrick and Palmer exchanged uneasy glances. Then his laughter faded.

Heinrick folded her arms. “We saw the bodies exposed. What are you doing down here?”

Devlin raised his hands as if he were being held up in a Western. “I know the astronauts were your patients. They still are.” His voice rose an octave. “So much has happened since you last saw them. I’m sure you have many questions. Come—let me show you.”

Dr. Heinrick maintained her stance. “I’m not going anywhere until we get answers from you.”

“Answers! Yes, yes. I’ll tell you everything! Come!” The scientist turned and walked away, motioning for them to follow.

The two doctors swapped glances again while Devlin ushered them toward the huge black door marked Sector 1. They trailed behind, widening the gap between them and the eager scientist.

Tired of games, Heinrick shouted, “Look, Dr. Devlin—”

“Thomas! Please, call me Thomas.”

“All right. Thomas, I’ll get to the point. You’re evading our questions, and you don’t have all the facts. I’ve searched everywhere for those bodies, and now I find your rude ‘mates’ wheeling a breached capsule into—.”

“Yes, Doctor! I know how upset you must be. It was necessary that I take the bodies right away. But please, Susan, let me show you the lab. I can explain everything far better there.”

Palmer interrupted. “She’s right, Thomas. There’s something you should know about the organism. We may all be in danger.”

Devlin turned around mid-stride and continued walking. “Yes, yes. The one from Phyllus II? I know everything there is to know about it. Now, shall we proceed?”

“The communicability is questionable,” Palmer said, glancing at Heinrick. “We may have contracted it.”

“Nonsense! Believe me. You have not succumbed to the Jupiter parasite. I didn’t reach my position by chance. Allow me to show you Sector One.”

His offer intrigued Heinrick. What if this nut-job actually found a cure in his lab? He seemed to know something they didn’t, and she wanted to find out.

The Jupiter parasite. He had a name for it.

Nobody upstairs had a name for it.

Thank you for reading Chapters 3 & 4 in their updated versions. In Chapter 5, Heinrick and Palmer enter Dr. Devlin’s mysterious lab and discover hidden horrors.

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