Chapter 17: We are Infected.

Millie's POV

 "Tell me the truth, Millie! Either you didn't know and assume that we had Hazmat suits on but found out we became infected..." Jenny approached me with an icy glare on her face. "Or you did you know about it but failed to tell us after we destroyed the AI?" she asked me.

"I'll say it one more time." I glared back at her. "I had assumed you have followed protocols, Ms. Morzaditine-"

"Jenny." she corrected me.

"... Jenny, I did not know until the AI pointed out earlier. As I spoke with Mark, Skip, and Sakura, they are now infected with the virus." I said plainly.

The others, horrified upon learning that they become infected by an unknown virus that can turn them into the monsters they faced. I can see why the AI has stuck to her role in eliminating the trespassers and infected individuals: The virus can enter the bloodstream by biting, scratching, inject something into you or being exposed to the air can enter your bodies, without a hazmat suit or a vaccine, you might as well blow your brains out than to become one of the infected. A.D.P.E.N...

"You don't have to d-d-d-do this, Millie. I can just go up there and get some supplies faster. I know what to look for, to make the Anti-virus." he told me, begging me not to risk my life. "It-it-it Dangerous. Please?"

"Boyek... You know I gotta head up there and I am no stranger to things trying to kill me. I got my hazmat suit and a gun." I pointed to my holster. "You need to stay here in the labs, we will need you here." I gave him a hug which he flinched at first but he welcomed it.

"Make it back soon as you can, Millie. W-We can- can- can't do it without you." he welcomed me.

"Don't forget to take your medicine and should anything happen to me..." I reminded him

"Carry on the work and not take any unnecessary risk, r-r-right?" he said despite his stammer.

I kissed him on the cheek. He widened his eyes at me, "M-m-m-ma'am? I'm not into women, you know this.." he reminded me not to be teasing him.

"Oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that. I'll be back soon alright!" I said before heading up to the elevator with the drone escorting me there.

"You sure that is a logical choice, Dr. Stone?" A.D.P.E.N asked me, "The infection has been down to 4%, I would suggest that you wait until its near 1% or lower."

"I am only getting a few things on the 1st floor, A.D.P.E.N: Food, Medicine, maybe some card games, chemicals, and compounds while I am it!" I told her. "I don't plan on staying up there for a long time."

"I have restricted access to the floors 3 & 4, Basement levels 1, 3 & 4 to curve the development of the virus that is spreading in the area." she told me, "Make the trip worthwhile, afterward I would have to lock down the entire station until a rescue crew arrives."

"Then I would have waited until our 'Heroes' save us, providing the infected our security drones done turn them into Swiss cheese."

"I make them with granitate steel-plate armoring and a powerful laser and missile system. They also work tirelessly to eliminate intruders. Surely you-"

"Let me get this done already!" I said to get her to shut up.

"Guys, however, I have a way to help your predicament!" I said.

"No dice, lady!" Mark said, still angry about holding me responsible for them getting infected and nearly being killed an AI. "After that AI fiasco, I don't trust you or your research team besides I rather shoot my head off than to work with you again."

"Go ahead and then what?! Can you make an Anti-virus all by yourself which it can prevent your ass from becoming one of the infected that we encountered?" I get closer to him. "Unless you got a scientist on your team..." I looked around for any of them that possessed scientific knowledge...

"Yo, you don't have to look far. I know some biology, chemistry, physics, and all that good shit that I would know that you are talking about." Joe said, surprising me on the spot.

"Okay, what is the first thing when you make a vaccine?" I asked, testing his knowledge.

Joe takes a deep breath.

"You take the tissue sample, one of those dead things that you collected, I know you got that. Then you need to study that D.N.A, the DNA of your grandpa and grandma to learn their traits and points in your body. Then study that to make a hemagglutinin or the Antigen, you will need it to target the infected cells inside of the body or you'll kill off your body cells before it can even touch the infected ones."

"That is correct, you will need the DNA first to learn how to make the hemagglutinin, the Antigen if you call it to have it target the infected cell inside of the body."

"Take it, you are familiar with a baculovirus, the other part that you'll need for the vaccine?" he said.

"Yes, that would-"

"Hey lady, you losing us here with all of this science mumbo jumbo piece of shit. Can you speak plain English here?" Mark said, aspirated by our talk.

"Yo man, shut the fuck up! We are working on a way to save our asses from becoming one of the living dead!" he shouted back at his boss.

"Oh, I'm sorry that you are working with Mrs. who-nearly gotten-us-killed with that homicidal bitch!!" he shouted back.

Without a word, I walked up to Mark and punched him hard in the face where it drips some blood from his nose.

"Call her a homicidal bitch, one more time..." I quietly warned him. "Unless you can suddenly come up with a cure for a deadly virus inside your body..." I walked closer to his face. "You can either trust me or shut the fuck and find someone else who won't get your sorry ass killed?" I asked. "Which is it? Because I will not make a vaccine if you are going to try to kill me again. Distrust me all you want, but you have a teammate who knows his science."

"Thank you!" he said, which I've narrowed my eyes at him. "My bad."

"You also nearly choked me to death and if you failed to get the vaccine?" I get closer. "Time runs out and you die?" Mark glare at me. "Your son suddenly pukes up blood and you have no way to save him." I saw Mark clench his teeth and puts a gun to my head. "Kill me and you better hope you can find a recipe that states 'Do not die of a bacterial virus' Hmm?!" I continue to goad him. "Or you going to have Jenny use Reality manipulation hoping to create an Anti-virus and I hope it doesn't turn into you a drooling vegetable and have you bleeding from the eyes and nose?"

"Bitch... You are pushing your luck here…" he sternly warned me, with his words dripping with venom. "Shut up."

"Or you'll what?" I didn't look away when he pointed an gun at me. "Kill me? Do your worst!" I wasn't afraid of dying. Many times I knew Mark still distrusted scientists, and not to mention he tried to kill me earlier.

"Boss, enough! She has helped us out many times, even had every opportunity to leave us to fend for ourselves. You kill her, we'll all die, is that what you want?!" Jenny stood in front of him.

"Stay out of it, Jenny. That is an order!" he barked.

"She has been through the thick and thin with us! She also has a point. You fire that gun now and she dies..." she stands between me and him now. "How are we going to cure ourselves?" she said.

"You can warp realty or use magic to purge the virus outside of our bodies, we can use that!" he said.

"One, warping realty can be unpredictable and dangerous." She counts her points using her fingers. "Two, even if I do they would be a good chance that I can accidentally mutate the virus further which it would kill you or worse, distort you beyond the point of recognition."

"And Three?" he asked. Which she stood in front of Mark with a gun pointed at her.

"Three, you must kill me, too. I rather die than use my powers to purge the virus out of us." she said, "All because you can't trust a scientist?"

"I agree with her, Dad." Skip chimes. "You're supposed to be our leader, not someone that would fly off the handle, the minute someone screws you over. I know Ms. Stone for years, she is not that kind of person who would get people killed for scientific glory or wealth."

"Oh, you're her cheerleader now?!" Mark walks up to his son, while Skip surges with electrical voltage in case his father tries something. "Gonna try to fry your old man again?!" Mark surges with PSI energy. "Huh? Take your best shot, you little bitch!" he bellowed at Skip.

"ENOUGH! Both of you, stop!" a glacier blocked the two... Victor.

"We are struggling together, Boss! She is not the enemy, she will help us." he walked up to Mark.

"If she has wanted us dead, she wouldn't have volunteered her aid and we would not learn of our infection." he said while turning to Skip "Or the AI would have killed us already which it would have been mercy than be infected. She also gave the program to your son WHO saved the day!" he shouted, which surprised Mark. If I know Victor, he is usually the strong & silent type, but in this case, he has a point."

"She's right, man! We should get the cure made instead of blaming each other because we nearly got killed by an AI." Joe said. "Are you our leader or not?"

Sakura also claimed: We stare death in the face and she is also part of the team now, whatever you like it or not, Mister! So act like the leader we need or I'll crush your skull, Senpai. Because I will not continue to restrain you anymore.

"Huh... I guess the team considers one of you now..." he said to me, but I went straight to his face.

"Can we make the Anti-Virus now or do I have to assume you have a problem with that?" I asked.

He takes a deep breath and rubs his forehead

"Alright, tell us what you need to make the damn thing?" he asked me.

I went back to Joe and began planning to make the anti-virus in order for it to be effective.

How to make a Vaccine- Don't try at home

Here is how it would go:

Me and Joe take the sample of each of the team and use the sample from one of the infected. We isolate the DNA within the sample, produce an Antigen from it, using a baculovirus to recreate it. Then we placed the injection into Jenny since her body can very produce the Antibodies we need. To not take any chances that the serum will be damaged or misplaced, I've made 2 vials of the serum.

He also pointed out that Anti-Virus won't work because Jenny's antibodies are constantly adapting and are strong enough to rewrite the entire DNA we needed, making it unstable. The Fire & Cold method will strengthen and stabilize the formula.

He pointed out that you need to warm it up first after inputting Orpilus qualate, Nanoite beads, Plant Mutate and Restoration Agent by doing it would stabilize to a point where it can be useful. Then it needs to cool before drinking it; attempt to consume it while it's hot, would cause a horrific death on our hands.

We have been doing calculations, testing the theories, and ensuring it would be ready for consumption. We have the base formula ready, we just need the ingredients.

I've explained to the team that we only need 5 things before we can complete the formula.

Chemicals A, C, V, E, I- They are mutagens that we need to ensure that they will be no genetic damage. We can find it at Scilab (4th floor), Cryolab (3rd Floor), or Basement lab at level 2

Orpilus qualate- This will allow the Antigen to attack the infected cells and speed up the growth of stronger and more potent cells in the body.

Nanotite Beads- It will also aid the anti-virus to combat the infected cells and will replenish and strengthen bodily functions- They can only find at Basement Level 1

We also need another Plant sample from one of the infected or its biomass, it would target the cells based on that. Basement level 2 is where we would be more likely to find it but it is swarming with infected.

And the Rejuvenating Agent, this is to ensure that the formula will not break down too quickly and stabilize to where it would last for months, perhaps years. It would be at the Botanical Garden outside of the station.

Then afterward, we can head to either Scilab, Basement Lab, or the Cryolab. I had Joe take the notes and instructions on what to do in case if he needs to do it without me.