I return my attention to Camera 25 and watch a cloud of white mist cover Mr. Yool’s unconscious body. Several minutes later, the doors slide open. Dr. Brown and Mr. Roberts are there waiting with a stretcher. As they drag his body out of the chamber, Dr. Brown lets out a shriek and drops Mr. Yool’s body on the ground, scooting backwards toward the wall.

“What are you doing? Mr. Yool needs medical attention immediately,” I say, my voice calm, collected, and unwavering.

“Alexia, Saafi is . . .” Dr. Brown pauses, her eyes glued to his face. “He’s not Saafi anymore!”

“Dr. Winston has requested that he be taken to the sick bay this instant,” I repeat in the exact same tone.

Camera 25 shows that two Marines have returned with Dr. Rodriguez. He’s moving now, aided by Sergeant Overton and one of his men. Dr. Winston follows close behind and enters the chamber with them, whispering something into the doctor’s ear as the Marines set him down on the chamber’s white floor. I close the doors as soon as they retreat, and mist fills the room.

ENTRY 0011

DESIGNEE: AI ALEXIA MODEL 11

The medical ward is the last room in the personnel quarters wing. I’ve been running diagnostics on Mr. Yool for an hour. The results are . . . disturbing. His body composition has changed dramatically. He has suffered a loss of over 15 percent of tissue water, which in most cases would be fatal. His pulse is weak, but he is still alive.

Utilizing one of the three cryogenic chambers, I’ve put him in a medically induced coma to prevent any seizures from his spastic muscles. In addition, I have hooked him up to multiple tubes that feed him nutrients and saline. His skin, however, has yet to respond. It is wrinkled, pale, and filmy, with a hint of jaundice. I update his chance of survival to 19 percent.

I turn my attention to Dr. Rodriguez, who is in a bed adjacent to the cryogenic chambers. He’s sitting up, nursing a cup of water with a high volume of sodium. Dr. Winston sits by his side, her hand gripping his. The video image reveals she is still shaking. Her ears have suffered extensive damage; I have provided her with a medicated device to go inside her lobes until they heal. She should have no problems hearing now, but she may suffer headaches or vertigo as side effects.

Dr. Brown and Mr. Roberts sit in metal chairs in the hallway outside. Their faces are flushed. Mr. Roberts twitches, picking at a hangnail. Dr. Brown is so still that I run a quick scan to make sure she has not succumbed to shock. Sergeant Overton and his men remain in the mess hall, consuming a day’s ration of packaged meals. Their expressions are tired, but not nearly as anxious as those of Dr. Winston and her team.