3. Sludge
"Body has been x-rayed, MRIed, and CTed. Head has severe damaged, multiple brain chunks, skull fragments, and tissue have been expelled due to bullet wound from the Automatic Defense System. Pilot more than likely has ejected during head trauma, will still be proceeding with caution. Arms, legs, head, and genitals show severe frost bite." I say as I examine ice zombie 3478. Cameras are recording us.
I glance at my assistant. Kadri Rebane, pukes into trash cans and has horrible bangs. She came to us from Jagiellonian University in Poland. More than likely promised that she would have debts paid off. The ones who come here for the sake of science and discovery have a different look in their eyes. I want to believe I had that look once.
"If you don't mind me asking, what is a pilot and what is the meat cleaver for?" She asks. "Please keep all talk on the topic of this autopsy." I say, trying not to think about the situation where I'd need it.
"Finger prints unavailable do to severe frost bite. Dental information has been taken and added to database. Despite being seen walking towards the facility yesterday, livor mortis appears to have set in more than 12 hours ago. Scalpel." I say with my hand outstretched to Rebane.
It takes her a moment to come back from the surreal sight of a zombie autopsy, and gave me the scalpel.
The tip of my scalpel sinks into the soap like skin. If it hadn't been for our biohazrd suits the smell would have been unbearable. An old trick is peppermint oil under the nose. I'm not sure if you could smell the zombie without it, but I'm not willing to find out.
Have you ever cut through bread dough after it's puffed up? It's like that, but thicker. The skin and meat even sticks to the blade a little. One line from the left shoulder, another from the right, they meet at the breast bone and I continue to the pubic bone.
Next I pull back everything in the way of the ribcage. Skin, muscle, soft tissue, all peeled. Two cuts to the side of the ribcage to get it loose.
"Table." Rebane brought me a long table on wheels. I cut a bit more tissue to detach the ribcage. I gave it a gentle yet forceful pull then place it on the table. The blood had coagulated in the veins, leaving black lines racing across just about every inch of this guy's insides.
Next, is the harvest. Larynx, esophagus, arteries, ligaments, nothing stays intact. Anything connecting the organs to the spinal cord is severed. The attachments to the bladder and rectum are cut. At this point the entire organ set can be removed as one piece.
"Help me get this out."
Rebane hesiates. Burying your hands under a set of organs is never a delightful experience. Especially when the organs are rotting. But if she throws up in the suit, it's her job to clean it.
We put the organs onto the table. Rebane stared at the pile of decomposing meat. Even with the mask on I could see how pale she was.
"Do you need a minute?" I ask. I can be nice occasionally.
"No... no... I'll be fine." She says. That's all I need to keep going.
"You weigh the organs and take samples. I'll open the stomach."
I occasionally looked over to Rebane to make sure she doesn't pass out. She seems to be doing fine. I don't need to babysit her, she's a grown woman. Even a monkey could take samples.
I cut open the stomach. Nothing. Only stomach acid... and a ring? I use a forcep to fish it out. I'll have to see if anyone got lost on an adventure seeking trip to the pole later. News doesn't get to us fast here unless some other facility made a breakthrough.
Rebane screams.
I turn to see black sludge spreading across her mask.
No time to think.
I tear open the small door to the emergency liquid nitrogen gun.
Rebane is trying to tear the sludge off. I have to get a good shot, I hope she can hear me over the panic.
"Rebane! Look at me!"
I'm not sure if she responded to me or if she's panicking, but I'm able to shoot it.
The sludge quickly freezes over. The now hardened ooze on Rebane's gloves breaks off. Before she can take her headpiece off I yell at her.
"Do not take it off! That is a valuable piece of research material!"
Rebane stops moving, her breathing ragged.
"Okay, what we're going to do now is move. We need to get that thing off you, but it's going to bring your mask with you. C'mon."
I take her hand and guide her to the door out. There's a freezer on the other side. I'll have to be fast.
"Alright, I'm going to take your head piece off-"
"No! Please don't!"
"I'm going to take your head piece off. You are going to get out of this room. The door comes into this room. I'll take your head piece and put it in the freezer. We are going to be calm about it. This thing could melt at any moment. If it gets on your skin it could get into your body and if that happens you will be disected like that corpse. Do you understand?" I say, trying not to freak her out anymore than she probably already was.
"Y-yeah." Rebane weakly says.
"Okay, on the count of three."
I pull the hood of her suit back.
"One."
I undo the straps on her mask.
"Two."
My fingers go under the sides of her mask.
Three!"
I yank the mask off Rebane and take a few steps back, she gets out of the room.
I swallow. If this thing unfreezes and latches itself onto me I wouldn't be able to save myself without drastic measures. These stupid things learn fast. This one had been distracted trying to get into Rebane's suit, but I don't doubt it would be a real pain in the ass to deal with.
I carefully yet quickly walk to the other side of the room, my eyes never leaving the mask.
I think I see some movement under the ice surface.
I move a little faster and grab the meat cleaver. Just in case.
There is definitely movement.
I open the freezer and throw the mask in, only for the sludge to cling to my hand.
Shit.
I reach as far into the freezer as I can.
I then lift the cleaver and bring it down on my own forearm. I pull my body back, slamming the door behind me, my back pushing against it.
Fuck it stings.
"Rebane! Get back in here!" I yell.
Rebane rushes in, her face even paler than when she was collecting samples.
"Hit the button then get out." I say as I try to stop the bleeding. A difficult task with one arm.
Rebane hits the emergency button. Help will be here soon. Just got to stay conscious.
I hear a zipper.
Rebane is taking off her suit.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing?! I order you to put your suit back on!"
Rebane tore one of the long sleeve off her thermal shirt. She grabs the lane tissue forceps and rushes over the me. Using the sleeve and forceps she makes a tourniquet above my stump.
"Put your suit back on! Do you have any idea what you could be exposing yourself to?!" I command, a little weaker this time.
"I'll be fine, I can't just watch you bleed to death!"
"Believe it or not, but I have a long history of losing blood." I squirm in discomfort as the tourniquet is tightened.
"Is that what the cleaver was for?! Is that what you were expecting to happen?! And what the Hell was that thing?!"
"That was a pilot. They're an organism that gets into a body and takes it over. Normally they coat the nervous system. When extremely damaged, such as having part of the head blown off, they escape out the wound, but that idiot burrowed deeper. Got into the organs."
I look at all the blood around me. So much wasted.
Rebane is whispering something to herself. It sounds Slavic. I focus on it, anything but the pain. I thought to bring a cleaver in case of something like this, but I was the dumbest bitch in the facility to not bring painkillers.
I'm taken by surprise when Rebane puts my head to her chest. She cradled my head, gently brushing my hair with her fingers as she says what sounds like, "Kõik saab korda, kõik saab korda,"
When was the last time someone held me like this?
No.
No, this isn't right.
I am her superior.
She can't hold me like I'm some sort of wounded bird!
But... such a situation as a pilot attack is quite stressful. She might be doing this to calm herself. Repetitive motions like this can be quite soothing.
As her superior, I better just endure it.
Just focus on the pain.
The emergency team will be here soon.