Cryochamber 3

JP with Omni, Jaxx, redsword_7, Kudzu, and CS

After about 5 min, some of the surviving members of the Cronus crew started to slowly return to the Cryosleep chamber donning EVA suits. One of the women approached the comms and called over. Her voice was hoarse and tired and she tried to clear her throat several times.

“I’m... Second Officer... Valarie Reyes... mmm mmm... Can you tell us... ahem... what the heck is going on here? Something must have malfunctioned with the stasis pods... because none of us can remember much... and we are all feeling like shit... well… worse than normal… you know Cryosleep. Where is Captain Miller?”

"I'm Bruce Jensen, corporate liaison from the USSS Montero. We've come aboard and things are going to shit. Can you tell us what happened on this ship? We need details because some mutant white THING just attacked us!"

“White thing?" she paused. "It felt like a dream... a nightmare... I can’t remember exactly... my memories seem to be on a sort of time release like they are still thawing out...”, Reyes said shaking her head, trying to recall her memories. “Oh God, Something awful happened.”

She stepped back for a moment, confused and pained. She held her hands against her helmet and went over to a pod to sit down. Clearly exhausted, she shook her head and one of the men was trying to talk to her. Most of them were displaying signs of advanced cryosickness. The Montero crew could all relate to the normal signs of cryosickness and these guys have been out a long time. They were going to need medical aid.

“I have some Hydr8tion, we need to get them out of here. We ALL need to get out of here. But how the hell are we supposed to quarantine everyone?”, Roku asked.

The bearded guy came to the comms, he was now wearing a pair of glasses. “Hey, I’m Dr. Daniel Cooper. Listen, we’ve got a couple of dead crew in here. We also have a child... she isn’t waking... and we don’t have a compression suit for her... there are more... some smaller sized... in the Vestibule on B Deck... We can try to fit her into an adult size but someone is going to have to carry her if we are leaving the ship. None of us are in any shape to do it for long. Officer Johns collapsed in the back room and nearly dropped her on her head... What do you need us to do?”

"Put her in a suit. I have a plan. We will belt carry her. It will work.", said Roberts.
Dr Cooper turned, nearly stumbling over in the process. He disappeared again through the aft door.

"Hey, I need the straps from the bed back there." Roberts said to Cooper.

Jensen turned to the crew and said, "What are we going to do? How can we get them back on the Montero? They could have been infected from before... and we saw them come out of cyro without suits, so they've breathed in whatever is in the air. We bring them onto the ship, we could all look like stretch armstrong or whatever the shit that white thing is. Now before anyone gets upset, I know it's difficult and I'm not saying we abandon them. I'm just saying we can't bring them straight in. I think the Captain will actually agree with me here."

"Use the right protocols. Decon in the airlock for 24 hours. Not fun but if something goes wrong, just open the other door." Roberts said.

"And we watch them all turn into mutants and kill each other or worse. I'm not sure. This may actually be beyond protocols and you know how much I love my protocols." Jensen replied.

"It is the best I can do. I am not letting them on the ship until we are sure.," said Roberts. He paused. "...and yes I can make that call... because people were murdered. That puts this in to my area as Marshal"

Capt. Kenny, "Somehow the words 'I told you so' just won't cut, eh, Jensen? Since this is a military situation Roberts is 2nd in command. If you all want to survive, follow his instructions and stop acting recklessly. I want everyone to live through this but I won't tolerate anyone endangering my crew or my ship."

Just as the Captain said the words, a ping came from Paddy’s terminal. “Cpt. We got something coming in pretty fast from behind.”, Lohan said.

"From the same direction?" Roberts said, pointing his shotgun at the window.

"No." Paddy replied. "From behind the Montero, 300 meters."

Kenny replied, "Oh s#it! Paddy do what you must!"

“It’s gone again. Looked like a ship from the speed. Goddamn sensors. Doesn’t anything fucking work?”, Paddy cursed.

“Cap, we can’t do anything if we are tethered to the Cronus.” he said excitedly.
"Tell me it's the Marines. I hope?", commented Roberts.

Jensen leaned close to Roberts "Marshal, I'm not trying to supersede your command. I'm just saying, think of four of those things, running around on Montero. You think anything there can hold them? Now I admit I've made mistakes, god knows and so do all of you. We bring them into the Montero, maybe they are fine, maybe we all end up like stretch or worse. Think about it, that's all I'm saying."

Capt. Kenny replied, "Jensen I believe it was a similar conversation we had on your part that led us to this situation. Just follow Roberts before things get worse."
Dr Cooper returned with the straps. He pressed the comm button.

“Can we open the door? Also, what comms channel are you on? We need to be able to communicate with you through these suits.”

"Open the door to the Cryo 3 so I can set up the girl. Asahi, you are packing her." said Roberts.

“Aye sir.”, Ogai said with respect. He liked the Marshal much more than the Captain.
"Flamer, watch the outer door window if something shows kill it.", Roberts ordered.
Vera nodded in agreement.

"Shit here we go then.", Jensen cursed.

"Ok, everyone, back up into Cryo bay 3. Except myself and Kirby. We open the outer door, myself and Kirby clear the hall. Behind me will be Doc and Jensen, for doors. Good luck everyone."

Jensen pulled out his pistol again and looked at it. He wonders if it would even tickle one of those white monster things. He questioned his life choices for the thousandth time. What brought him to this deserted ship way out in god knows where, fighting for his life and trying to save people who might already be dead? Was it for the money? It hardly seemed worth it right now. Was the Captain right? Had the corporation sent them out to die here for some sick research plan? It wouldn't be the first time he'd heard of something like that. He checked his pistol again, there was a round in the chamber and the safety was on. He was as ready as he would ever be...

Someone in Cryo 3 opened the door and everyone backed in except Jensen,Vera and the Marshal. Jensen unlocked the door to the corridor and let Roberts and Vera out. They checked the hall but there was no sign of the white creature so they fell back into the corridor and locked the door again.

Roku helped strap Tsuki onto Ogai’s back while he got the Cronus crew situated on the same comms channel.

Two of the cryopods were filled with the bodies of desiccated corpses, mummified by decades of dry air. Every one of the Cronus crew members is breathing heavily just trying to stand there.

"I... can't...", said one of the men as he coughed. He sat down on a cryopod.

"They are going to need some time... and medical aid..." Roku urged her team. "Believe me." She started retrieving the packs of Hydr8tion from her pockets. "I'm sorry guys, I know you are anxious to get the hell out of here and maybe you should. At least to resupply oxygen, but I'm staying. There is just no way they are going to survive like this in a contained airlock for 24 hours, they might not even make it to the Montero."

"She's right... -cough- ..God, I can barely stand...", said Security Officer Johns.
Roku, handed out the tubes of Hydr8tion. "All of you, please take one of these."

"What is this stuff? I've never even heard of it before.", asked Johns.

"It is an advanced hydrating medicinal health supplement and it is going to alleviate a lot of your fatigue. It is used for rapid rehydration. Tsuki may have to take the Hydr8tion and nutrients through an IV if you are equipped with one, otherwise, she will have to go aboard the Montero."

"How do you know Tsuki?", asked Johns.

"...You have all been in Cryosleep for 73 years. Take your time.", Roku said somberly.

"What the fuck? Are you serious? 73 years?", came the British female's voice.

"It's no joke. I was one of you. Tsuki is my sister.", Roku replied.

The crew of the Cronus looked around at each other and at the Montero rescue team.
"Bullshit.", said the British woman as she nearly fell. She caught herself on the wall and sat against it breathing heavily.

"Now I don't like saying I told you so, but clearly we can't get these people back to the Montero. But we can't leave just Roku to look after them. We can't forget about our white friend." said Jensen.

The Cronus medic, a man in his late 20s with brown hair and a mustache, spoke uncertainly, "There was an infection... we were inoculated." He tried to remember.

"If Tsuki is your sister... you're Hikki. Little Hikari? Johns asked.

Roku nodded with a small smile, "Yes... It's me, Big Al. Do you know what happened to Papa?"

"Jesus...", Johns swore. "No, I... we were protecting the cryochambers from something... ...Hideo... ...your dad, he... he left Tsuki with us and went to find you and the others... ...Baby girl Hikki... ...I don't believe it..."

Ogai looks at Roku and then at the people, "So, what's the suggestions for getting all of these guys back safely? Cause I have like no clue what is happening or what to do, so let's make an idea quick so we can move. And take your water and drink it, be good."

“I can run them some extra Air Supply tanks, Cap. It’ll give our guys some more time to get them ready... I’m gettin’ ancy here. Need some action.”, said Paddy Lohan.

“MUTHUR, can you give us live feedback now on the movement inside the Cronus?”

“Affirmative... Overriding emergency systems to probe for active movement. Feedback will be directed to all Montero crew HUDs.”, MUTHUR responded.

The lights aboard the Cronus dim and return to how they were upon boarding. The Cryochambers are bathed in pale blue light.

The Montero crew sees A Deck movement pinging on the HUDs inside their helmets.
The Captain can see all Decks.

A Deck > Cryochamber 3
Several pings (both crews)
B Deck > Mess Hall corridor
1 ping (unknown)
C Deck > C2 Junction
1 ping (unknown)
Air Scrubber Shaft
1 ping (seems to glitch from one position to the next)