Lucya winked at Grau, and he nodded reassuringly. He swabbed the girl’s arm with an alcohol solution, then sprayed it with a tiny aerosol.

“Ooh, that’s weird!” Erica giggled. “I can’t feel my arm, it’s like before I get pins and needles!”

“Erica, look, out the window, I think I see a seagull.” Lucya pointed at the small square porthole. With her attention distracted, Grau pushed the tip of the needle through her pale skin. Dark red blood filled the syringe.

“Where? Are you sure? I don’t see any seagulls! Daddy said there aren’t any birds left, that they all got on the asteroid and flew off into space.” She started to turn round, but Grau wasn’t done.

“Look! There it is again!”

“I still can’t see it, it’s not fair!”

Grau extracted the instrument and wiped away the tiny bubble of blood that escaped from the puncture with a little cotton wool. Erica turned back.

“I think you’re making it up. You want me to not be scared about the needle.”

“The needle? That’s already done, look.” Grau showed the girl her own blood.

“How did you do that? I never felt it!”

“See? I told you he had magic needles,” Lucya said grinning.

A knock at the door, and Jake entered.

“Oh, that’s our cue to leave. Come on, Erica. If Doctor Lister is finished then I think we should go and find you some dinner.” Lucya got to her feet, took the girl’s hand, and led her outside.

“Bye, Doctor Lister. Say hi to Daddy when he wakes up.”

Grau smiled and nodded. Lucya left, touching Jake’s shoulder on her way past.

“Captain Noah, I imagine your crew have informed you of the latest news?”

“You think the virus is airborne and that I’ve just infected the whole of the Ambush, right?”

“That is, sadly, the gist of it. Now we must hope that this sample of blood contains the key to beating this strange and terrible illness.”

“You think Erica is immune?”

“She should be suffering at least as much as Kiera by now.”

“What about you, Grau? You treated Scott after Kiera brought him in, and you’re not affected.”

Grau sighed heavily. “I had begun to hope that was the case, but alas, since arriving in this cabin with that delightful child, I have lost all feeling in my feet and lower legs.”

Jake approached the doctor and sat on the edge of the bed where Erica had been moments ago. Grau was in a chair opposite him, staring at the floor. “Grau, I’m so sorry. Does Lucya know?”

“No.”

“Have you called the nurse? What can I do to help?”

“There is nothing to be done for me. The nurse has enough to deal with. I am capable of looking after myself. But there is one thing you can do. This blood sample, take it to Vardy. He has newer equipment, perhaps he can offer a more precise diagnosis. Since the infection is likely already on the submarine, it will not be adding greatly to the risk of their continued health by having you go back over there. But before you go, you must get a blood sample from Scott’s body. Janice has prepared one, it is ready to go.”

“I’ll do it now, Grau. Get some rest, and don’t lose hope. Coote is convinced the naval base will be intact, and who knows what they have there in the way of medical facilities?”

“That is a nice thought to hang on to, thank you, Jake.”

“I will see you later, Grau.” Jake got up to leave, turned to say something, but thought better of it.

The temporary morgue was only two flights of stairs down from the crew cabins on deck three, and he was there in minutes.

“Captain Noah, you have come for this I presume?” Janice held out a vial of blood. It was considerably darker than that of Erica. She poked it through the door, which she had not opened fully. Jake could guess why, and he was glad of her discretion; he had no desire to see a post-mortem in progress.

“Janice, I think you should know, Grau is infected.”

She laughed, a reaction which took him by surprise. “Captain, surely you understand that we’re most likely all infected by now? The only difference is that Grau has moved on to the next stage. The virus is paralysing him. For the rest of us it’s just a matter of time. Don’t look so shocked, we’re not dead yet. Where there’s life, there’s hope, right? I suggest you get over to that submarine before your own legs abandon you. Make the most of your mobility, Captain!” Janice gave a lopsided smile and closed the door on him.

Thirteen

“G OOD EVENING , LADIES and gentlemen, this is Captain Noah. I am speaking to you on behalf of the committee, who have just finished an extraordinary meeting following the events that have unfolded throughout the course of the day. I know that there are rumours circulating about what is happening on deck eight, and it is my intention to tell you the truth. The committee is committed to transparency, and everyone on this ship has the right to know our situation.

“There has been an outbreak of a rare virus on board the Spirit of Arcadia. We believe this began somewhere on deck eight, and those on that level are the most at risk of becoming infected. Many have already been taken ill. Our medical team are working around the clock to treat everyone affected. Unfortunately some of the team have, in the course of their duties, also contracted the virus. The committee is in the process of contacting everyone on board with medical knowledge or experience, but it would save an enormous amount of time and be beneficial to the community as a whole if those people could make themselves known by reporting to the bridge, located on deck ten.

“Our knowledge of this virus is limited. I can tell you that it appears to be airborne, probably infecting others through coughs and sneezes. Deck eight has been quarantined as a precaution, and nobody other than the medical team should enter or leave. It is, I must tell you, entirely possible that this virus has already spread to other areas of the ship, or will do so soon. In order to provide the best protection to the community, we would urge everyone to stay in their cabins as much as possible. The less contact there is between people, the less opportunity the virus will have to spread.

“If you believe you yourself may be infected, please return to your cabin and call the medical team on 711; someone will come to you. Early symptoms of the virus include paralysis of the lower legs and feet. If you are suffering symptoms other than these, you probably do not have the virus and we would ask that you do not contact medical unless your symptoms are severe.

“At this time we do not know precisely how serious a threat this virus is to our health. I must stress that the measures we have put in place in terms of restrictions of movement are purely precautionary, and whilst caution and concern are normal and to be encouraged, there is no reason to panic or believe that—as some rumours are suggesting—we are all going to die from this illness.

“Our medical team, along with Surgeon Lieutenant Vardy from HMS Ambush, are confident that we will have a full diagnosis soon, and that we will be able to eradicate the virus completely.

“We have, as many of you will have seen, now entered the Firth of Clyde. By morning we will reach a naval base at Faslane. There, we have reason to hope we will find additional medical supplies.

“In the meantime, please try and restrict your movements about the ship as much as possible. I, or another representative of the committee will keep you informed of developments as they occur. Thank you for listening, and I wish everyone aboard a safe and pleasant night.”

• • •