JULY 5351: DERRICK

 

Derrick looked out the large glass windows of the Lily Pad, located on the marshy planet Trillnix. Strange gases from the murky waters made the sky shift between a deep crimson and an emerald, depending on the time of day. Yellow clouds dotted the sky as he looked out the glass ceiling of the walkway on the outer edge of the base. While he was leaving the expedition training center, he had seen something strange. He replayed the scenario repeatedly in his head. He paused and looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows: the sun was setting, painting the sky a vivid swirl of brilliant colors.

Derrick took a deep breath and tried to steady his shaking hands. He worked in the Amphibian and Reptile Lab with his girlfriend, Jerricho. What did I see? he wondered as he walked toward the lab. Had I imagined it? He played it over in his head again. He had walked into the locker room as Perry, one of the other scientists, was changing, and Derrick swore he'd seen a flash of iridescent blue. Then, in a blink, the color was gone, and he was staring blankly at Perry, fully clothed in a button-down shirt, jeans, and a lab coat. Perry looked at him and smiled as if nothing odd had happened. He was one of the lead researchers in the chemistry lab; Derrick had talked to him a few times when ordering tests on the alien amphibians’ toxins. After Perry left the locker room, Derrick messaged his sister, Aster, who worked in the training and development department, about what he’d seen.

He was waiting for an answer as he walked slowly down the curved hallway. He felt his com buzz, a message from Aster: Probably just your imagination since AJ talked to you about the Origin. He put his com away. Maybe, but I know what I saw, he thought as he stopped walking and began the process of unlocking the lab doors. It needed a retinal scan and a voice sample. He was thankful this lab did not require a DNA sample to unlock the door.

“Frogger,” he said slowly and clearly. He heard the latch click and he pushed the door open. There was a rush of air from the purifier above the door, and he donned a respirator and lightweight, tear-resistant gloves. He looked around the lab: three of the four walls were covered in different-sized glass tanks that could slide in and out. They were connected to a computer system that allowed the researchers to unlock the specific tank they needed. There were strange reptile and amphibian-like creatures in each one, organized by type and danger level. The ones closest to the door were harmless, the ones toward the wall opposite the entrance were the most dangerous. To his right was the metallic lab bench. He saw that Jerricho, wearing full protective gear—mask, respirator, disposable coat, and heavy gloves—was examining a frog-like creature the size of a small dog. It was green with red stripes, and he jumped back when it croaked. Instead of the mouth being where he assumed it would be, it was on the creature's back.

“Wasn’t expecting that,” Derrick said, leaning in and examining the creature. He tried not to get too close; he still needed the mask and coat, which he quickly grabbed from near the door before returning and truly examining the creature.

“It is so cool!” Jerricho exclaimed. “You wouldn’t have guessed that!” She looked up and smiled at him. She was shorter than he was with bright pink hair. He liked the way her nose scrunched when she was excited, and he could see the faint wrinkles through her mask. Her face sparkled with excitement as he looked at her.

“It’s cool,” he said. “Also, I saw something today,” he started, his tone more serious. Jerricho looked up at him, concerned by his change in demeanor. “Or, at least, I think I saw something today.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She smiled at him and placed a gloved hand on his. The connection made him feel more confident.

Derrick swallowed. “I think there are some aliens from the Origin here. I’m pretty sure I saw one.” He looked down at the ground. “And with what AJ told me, there could be spies on the base.” He glanced at the large frog in the tank.

“You really think so?” Jerricho asked. “We need to tell the commander; she’ll know what to do.”

Derrick nodded. “Good idea. We’ll start there. We need to be careful though, we could be targets now.”

Jerricho stepped over to him and put her arms around him. “We’ll figure it out, Derrick,” she said sweetly. Derrick looked into her eyes and smiled. They always made him feel safe.

“What if you told AJ?” Jerricho asked. “Isn’t she still on the Station?”

Derrick’s face lit up. “That could work!” he said excitedly. “We’ll need to code the message though. You can never be too careful.”

“Leave that to me.” Jerricho winked. She put the cover on the frog’s tank and put it back in the opening on the wall of reptiles. She then proceeded to the computer and punched in a combination and the tank slid into place. It was currently in the “uncategorized” section. Jerricho verbally locked her research computer and walked toward the lab door.

Once they were out of the lab, Jerricho took Derrick by the hand and led him quickly up to her room. The Lily Pad was buzzing, all the screens lining the halls showing Intergalactic News reports on the tragedy that occurred on Shrendder-X9. Extra security protocols were being taken on missions, and several had been called back so scans could be completed. The news about what had happened on Shrendder had just reached them and people were glued to the news. Everyone had their own theory: a bad virus, incompetent leadership, the list went on and on. I know what really happened, Derrick thought as he followed Jerricho.

Derrick enjoyed being in Jerricho’s room. It smelled like lavender and honey and had a peaceful feel to it. There were drawings she had made on the walls, pictures of giant mushrooms and tiny frogs, interesting alien sculptures, and everything was very colorful. She ran to her computer and logged on; her background was a picture of the two of them holding a large snake-like creature. He smiled at the memory—that snake was longer than three of him tall, well over seven meters. Derrick watched as Jerricho opened a secure network and then hit a combination of buttons that he didn’t recognize.

“Okay. Hurry,” she said. “You have one minute to type and send the message.” Jerricho moved her chair out of the way so that Derrick could type.

Origin here. Not Safe. Alert High Admiral. Derrick.