Incursio Part 1: Anathema-5

Deryn and Alek found Ned just sitting outside his cabin (well, his and Emma's) with his palm over the top half of his face. They certainly had never seen him like this.

"Ned?" Deryn asked. "Are you all right?"

"I am so sorry I had to get you two involved in all this," he said sorrowfully. "It was supposed to stay on my world, but even then..."

"You don't have to be sorry," Deryn said in an attempt to reassure him. "This isn't entirely your fault."

Ned removed his hand from his face and looked ap at her. "That's very kind of you, but it is. It's all my fault."

Deryn and Alek both stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond to that. How was it his fault? Was he the one who fabricated a zombie virus, if that's what happened?

"See, this virus came from five generations before Corvallis's time," Ned explained. "It mutated inside a desperate stoner from a smallpox virus. He used a new kind of drug, but it was so harmful to the human body that it damaged his very DNA structure and obviously killed him. Plus, it rewrote the genetic code of the virus he already had, making it far worse than the smallpox you know about."

"But... how does that make it your fault?" Alek asked.

"I went to Corvallis's time using another warp gate. There, I began to explore his home and realized that mankind's most dangerous enemy was there. I left as quickly as I could, but I realized that some of the undead had followed me back." Ned ran his fingers through his hair. "I should've been more careful. That's why it's my fault."

So it was him. Sure, he really should have been more cautious, especially since he ended up bringing a new plague to their world, but still two facts remained.

"You can stop it though, can't you?" Deryn asked. "Besides at least no one outside of your ship is infected."

"Yeah... you're right," Ned said. "Not a single person in this world has been infected. At least, not yet. But still, yes, I can stop that from happening. I just need to keep thinking on it is all."

"It's all right, Ned," Alek said. "We all trust you."

"Well, uh, not all of us," Deryn interjected. "There's already talk of how you're unfit to be here since you killed one of your own men and brought negroes with you."

Ned eyed the bullhorn still attached to his belt. "Oh, that reminds me," he said, "I gotta address these issues."

"Please, everyone, hear him out!" Captain Hobbes ordered and all his men went silent.

Ned spoke into his megaphone and stood on a wooden crate. "Thank you. Now, I know you all have many things to say to me and ask me. Your first question likely is, 'Why did you kill a member of your own crew?' If you want the answer, you'll have to listen silently and not ask questions until I prompt you to. Look, it was very painful to take his life, but it was necessary. He was infected with a virus that not only kills people, but also brings them back to life as mindless killing machines and I could not allow it to spread. There is no cure for it, and there is so far no prevention. So no, there is absolutely no alternative to killing someone who's infected. Any questions on that matter?"

"You're absolutely certain there's no cure?" a man said.

"You got a cure for death? I'd love to hear about it, and I'm not the only one. Any others?"

"Why did you come here in the first place?"

Oh, of course someone was bound to ask that question.

"Because there is no prevention- yet," Ned answered. "The genetic material of a thylacine's blood can be used to make a vaccine for it, but thylacines are extinct in my reality. So I came to this one to find the only other thylacine I know about, which is right here on this ship. Problem is, his blood is tainted by another virus, which thankfully has a cure, and I can't use his blood just yet. Plus, I was completely unaware of a zombie infection getting on my ship, for which I apologize."

"Does this virus target any other species?" a man wearing a bowler hat said. Of course one of those guys would wonder that.

Still, everyone deserved an answer to that one. After all, no one wants to ride in an undead whale, for crying out loud. "No need to worry. This virus is naturally designed to thrive on humans and humans only. None of your fabrications, including the Leviathan, can get infected." With that answer, much of the crew drew a collective sigh of relief.

"Any other questions?" Ned asked for which there was no response. "All right, next subject. My crew will be staying with you for a while until I can fix the problem at hand regarding the Salvation. Don't worry, they're all status clear and very well-behaved. Now, they will have to share cabins with many of you, which you may find problematic since some are black, including my second-in-command. Indeed, this means I regard blacks as equals, as do many in my world. Yes, that's how much the world is about to change. In fact, racism is no longer tolerated by anyone, especially me. Therefore, if I find out that any of my colored crewmembers are being harassed simply because of prejudice, the oppressor will be severely punished. Just remember this code: any private infractions will be dealt with privately while any public infractions will be dealt with publicly. That's all I have to say on the matter. That's right, no questions because when it comes to my crew, my word is law. Now make it a good one."

With that, he stepped down and handed his megaphone to Captain Hobbes. "Take care of this for me would you?" he asked.

On his way back to his cabin, Ned experienced something quite unusual. When he touched a rail, it shocked him- and this wasn't the kind made by static electricity. This one was actually painful.

That's interesting. The only other times he ever felt that happen were when...

Suddenly, proving him right, there was a flash of light down the hall near an intersection. Out of the flash came a young boy, no more than 13, and he seemed to closely resemble Ned.

Ned jumped back in surprise at this. Who could've done that?

When the kid came to, he ran down the left side of the intersection amazingly swiftly.

Ned went running after him. "Whoa, hey wait! Hold up!" he called, but by the time he reached the turn, the kid was nowhere in sight. Ned just stared down the hallway in confusion and amazement.

Geez, that kid could move.