Dead Space: Outbreak
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Dead Space. This is purely for non-profit, fan fiction based off the Dead Space series.
Jacob fidgeted in his seat trying to pay attention at Doctor Sciarello's press conference. It had been several days since Katie's death and Sciarello felt it was time to address the public. It was not until this afternoon that everyone knew Jeff killed her due to paranoia. No one had officially stated that Jeff's metal issues were due to his recent insomnia but everyone seemed to making the connection. One of the members of P-SEC started the conference with an official account of what happened. As soon as it was mentioned that Katie's death was not entirely an accident there was a lot of mumbling and whispering throughout the crowd. He then continued to assure everyone not to panic and that, even though there were a lot of rumors going around, there was no reason to believe this incident had anything to do with the recent dig find.
During this time Jacob mostly tried to listen to the people around him. There were a lot of ideas and concerns being thrown around and not many people were paying attention. "Jeff did that? I had no idea he that bad!" "So that's what happened. I wonder what else they're hiding." "Do think that had something to do with that rock, that 'Marker' thing?" "There's no way, it's just a rock, right?"
Finally Sciarello got up to speak for himself. Everyone fell silent and turned their attention to him. He seemed very calm and collected despite having just lost his closest nurse so tragically.
"So what's your theory?"
Jacob glanced at the man speaking to him. The man looked back, "Well, what's your theory?" he repeated quietly.
"What do you mean?"
The man shifted slightly before continuing. "Did you know Jeff?"
"Yeah, he was on my dig team."
"Then you know he was perfectly healthy. Not just that but he was strong too. Sure, he was a little opinionated at times, but there's nothing unhealthy about that." He looked around briefly to make sure he wasn't drawing attention. "My question is: what made him crack? If he was healthy why did he flip so bad?"
"I don't know. Other than the insomnia I don't know what was bugging him."
"I bet you it was the insomnia." The man's eyes got wide with excitement. "If you go long enough without sleep your mind starts to do crazy things: you can't think straight and then you start seeing things. It's like your dreaming but you're still awake. I guess, the only thing now is to figure out what caused his insomnia?"
Jacob looked forward pretending to think about the man's question. The truth was that feeling in the back of his mind was telling him the Marker was the cause for the insomnia and essentially, Katie's death.
"I think it's that rock" the man said very quietly. "It's been ever since Jeff and his team pulled up that...wait, you said you were on his dig team, right? So you helped find the thing?"
Jacob nodded subtly.
"Have you been having any problems sleeping or anything else psychological like that?"
"No, not really." Jacob did not feel like telling the man about his dream.
"Lucky, you're one of the few from your team, you know that?"
"Yeah, that's what I've heard."
"By the way my name's Bridges, Matthew Bridges. Call me Matt. What's yours?"
"Jacob Fuller."
"Good to meet you Jake. Well I'm a part of engineering and my shift started a few minutes ago, I just wanted to catch some...what the..."
Jacob turned to see what had caught Matthew's attention. Sciarello had collapsed and was being escorted off stage by two security guards. He had a dazed and fearful look in his eyes. Everyone got halfway out of their seats to see what was going on. Just before Sciarello was escorted behind the stage Jacob could hear him mumble, "...she's alive." Jacob was not sure what Sciarello meant but he knew it was not a good sign.
Early in the afternoon Jacob was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling trying not to think about anything that had happened the past few days. It was not working too well. No matter what he did he could not help thinking about his dream and how it correlated with Katie's death. He had not had any other nightmares since that night but he was afraid every time he tried to sleep. Most nights he slept alright but every now and then he would have a very hard time. On those nights, even when he did finally fall asleep, he kept tossing and turning. Regardless of how he slept he was still extremely tired every morning. Lying on his bed like this was the most at peace he had felt in almost a week; and even now he was somewhat unsettled. One of the things that had been bothering Jacob the most was this odd feeling in the back of his head. He felt it first when he saw the Artifact and it had been growing slightly ever since. It was like an idea had been forcefully implanted into his brain. He did not know exactly what this feeling was, it was still too vague, but he knew it was dark; it was a deep, dark idea. Just as he was about to leave to walk around the colony his door buzzer went off.
"Jake, are you there?"
"Mike? Yeah, hold on."
Jacob walked over to the door panel and unlocked the door. The doors hissed open and Michael walked inside.
"You're in uniform. Are you on duty?" Jacob asked surprised.
"No, not yet; just on my way. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing."
"Thanks. I'm doing alright I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Michael and Jacob stood there for a moment in silence before Michael spoke again. "Seriously though, there's been a lot going on lately. Quite honestly it's even been a lot for me to handle. You were a part of the dig team that pulled up the artifact; I'm sure you've got stuff you're thinking about. I honestly just wanted to make sure there's nothing you want to talk about. Sometimes bouncing ideas off someone else can help."
"Thanks again. You know what's going on better than anyone else though: the possible implications of being on a dig team with Jeff, the dream and the murder, the insomnia. I don't know, if anything I think I'm just over thinking it."
"Yeah, you could be right" Michael responded with an unnaturally concerned tone. "Have you thought about taking some time off?"
"I have, but they're gonna need me soon. One thing or another is going to happen to this rock. Either we leave it or they're going to order a ship out here to take it away."
Michael bit his lower lip and looked down at his feet.
"What is it?" Jacob asked.
"You've got the right idea" Michael responded darkly.
"What are you talking about?"
"P-SEC just received word today that the Marker is to be moved to the colony in a few days and that a mining vessel, the USG Ishimura, is coming to retrieve it."
Jacob's jaw dropped. "They're bringing it here?"
"That's the order, yeah."
Jacob leaned back against his desk. "I've felt unsure about that thing since we found it but the thought of bringing it here..." Jacob's suddenly felt light headed and he sat down on his bed with his head in his hands.
"Whoa, are you alright?" Michael rushed over beside him.
"I'm no Unitologist but I have a bad feeling about that thing." Jacob's eyes were wide with fear. "If they bring that thing here it's only going to get worse."
"I agree, but you can't go around telling everyone, alright?" Michael commanded urgently. "With everyone being issued a sidearm if you talk to anyone about this there could be a huge mess on our hands and something ugly could happen. Let’s just let Colony Manager Carthusia make the calls for now. He knows the dangers and when not to go overboard."
"I hope you're right" Jacob replied taking deep breaths.
"Come on let’s take you outside for some air."
Michael helped Jacob onto his feet. Just as they were about to walk out the door Rachel's voice came over Jacob's intercom.
"Jake, are you there?"
Michael looked at Jacob with a concerned face. "It's alright," Jacob said, "I'll be fine."
"Alright, I guess I better report in. You take care, ok?" With that Michael walked off. The door closed behind him.
Jacob walked over to the comm. panel and pressed a button. "I'm here, Rachel. What's up?"
"Are you alright?" Rachel responded. "You sound a little winded."
"Yeah, I'm fine. What did you need?"
"Right, I don't know if it's something you would feel up to doing, but Deacon Abbott is planning on going down to see the Marker again around sixteen hundred hours today. I thought if you were feeling alright you could come with us. You may get some answers."
"Thanks for the invite, Rachel. I'll think about it."
"Alright...are you sure you're fine, Jake."
"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks. I'll talk to you later."
Jacob pressed the console again and the light dimmed. Should he go? Rachel was right; he may get some answers if he could see it again. Then again, if he got too close he was not sure what would happen. Just the thought of bringing the artifact to the colony almost dropped Jacob to his knees. However, the more he thought about going to visit the better the idea sounded. It was almost like the feeling in his head was confirming the thought of seeing this Marker. Jacob was not sure if it was a good sign, but he decided to go.
By the time Jacob got down to the entrance to the dig site there was already a crowd of Unitologists standing or kneeling in prayer. One of the P-SEC guards called out to him, "are you here to see it too?"
Jacob replied tentatively, "I'm actually here to see a friend."
The man looked a little relieved and relaxed a little. "Good" he whispered under his breath.
Jacob turned back to the group of people and looked for Rachel. He finally found her standing in the back and walked over next to her.
"So what's going on?" Jacob asked quietly so as not to disturb the others.
Rachel opened her eyes and looked over at him with a grin on her face. "Oh good, I'm glad you came. Those P-SEC guards won't let us past. Er, I should say: Natalia was going to let us through but her partner, Jerry, insisted we stay back. Deacon Abbott finally agreed and told us all to stay back here behind the security cordon and pray."
Jacob took a good look at the Marker for the first time since the initial dig. Almost instantly the weird feeling in his head went away and for a moment he felt somewhat at ease. The red markings on the artifact seemed almost more warm and inviting than menacing. Jacob was just starting to really relax when everything in his mind flipped completely opposite. Suddenly the feeling came back and completely enveloped his mind in blood red terror. He saw visions of people from the colony running around committing suicide and homicide. He saw dismembered murder victims. He saw the dead waking and killing the living. He saw people he knew cutting off their own limbs with plasma cutters. A member of P-SEC was in the corner stabbing himself repeatedly in the chest. Jacob turned and saw Rachel holding hands with a blood splattered Katie. Rachel raised a pistol to her head as Katie activated a plasma cutter. All of a sudden Jake heard a deafening high pitched shriek and then...nothing. Everything vanished and he was back at the dig site next to Rachel. It took Jacob a minute to gather his thoughts but when he finally did he realized there was a loud argument going on.
Jacob looked up and saw Neumann arguing with his partner, Cortez, and Deacon Abbott.
"What's going on here?" Jacob shakily leaned over and whispered to Rachel.
"Did you blank out or something? Neumann and Doctor Sciarello came down from the colony to run some tests on the Marker. When they got here Neumann saw Cortez and they started arguing. Were you really not paying attention?" Rachel looked at Jacob a little worried.
"Yeah, like you said I just...spaced out."
Just as Jacob started listening in to the heated conversation Natalia stepped in and ordered Neumann and Sciarello to leave for disrupting the prayer group. Neumann looked extremely upset but consented. Sciarello however looked pale and very disturbed. Soon after they left Jacob decided to leave as well.
"I think I'm going to head back to my room now" he told Rachel under his breath.
"Oh, I'll come with you." Rachel volunteered. "I've been meaning to talk to you."
Rachel walked over to Abbott and they exchanged a few words. With a smile on her face Rachel walked back over to Jacob and the two returned to the lounge for an early dinner. It was some time as they walked back before either of them said anything. Jacob was the first to break the silence.
"Why?" he whispered half to himself and half to Rachel.
"Did you say something?"
"Yeah, why Unitology? What does it do for you?"
"I don't think I understand, Jake. I mean, it's faith. It gives us hope of an afterlife and meaning in this life."
"How? I don't get it, Rachel. Ever since we found that thing there have been huge psychological problems all over the colony. The strongest and worst of those problems have been from my team. Whenever I get close to that thing it starts..."
"Marker" Rachel interrupted. She did not make eye contact. "Please call it a Marker, even if it's just for me."
"Fine. Well this Marker is messing with my head. I keep seeing horrific images of gore and violence. And having just come from there I can't help but think that this...Marker is the reason for it all."
"You just need to believe" Rachel responded coolly.
"What are you talking about?"
Rachel set her fork down and looked at Jacob. Her eyes were caring but they had rigidness to them that Jacob found unfamiliar. "The Marker is a blessing to its own and a curse to others. Neumann was upset with Cortez because she called in sick for the day. Deacon Abbott suggested that she come down to see the Marker because it would help. When she got there she said she instantly felt better. She had her energy back and her headaches and nausea were gone. It's the opposite for you because you don't believe." Rachel picked up her fork and continued eating.
Jacob was stunned at the sudden harsh response. It had been a long time since she had talked to him like that. "I'm sorry. I knew this was important to you and I just stepped all over it. That's what got us into a mess last time, huh?" He glanced at Rachel but she did not respond. "Look, I know it sounds selfish to question your faith like that. To be honest it's not just me I'm worried about...I'm worried about you Rachel." Rachel paused for a moment but continued eating. "It's just...I see all this stuff happening and can't help but think, 'she's in on this.' And from anything I can tell it doesn't look good."
Jacob got up from the table and turned to walk away. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder at Rachel. "I know I don't admit this much but, I'm scared... especially for you and I guess I just didn't know how to react." He then leaned down and kissed Rachel on the top of the head. "I'm sorry" he whispered. With that he turned away and walked off.
"You blew it again...stupid!" he whispered to himself cursing under his breath.
Meanwhile back at the table Rachel had stopped eating. She was sitting there slump shouldered staring at her meal. A tear rolled down her cheek.
The a few days later Jacob was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands trying to sort out everything in his head. The door buzzer went off and Jacob could hear Michael's voice. "Jake, you there?"
"It's opened" Jacob shouted tiredly.
The door slid open and Michael walked through with a worried look on his face. "What's going on? I called three or four times."
"Oh, sorry. I've just been thinking about a lot. I guess I just spaced out."
"Well what's on your mind?" Michael grabbed a seat and slid it next to Jacob's bed.
"Rachel and I had a discussion similar to the one we had before we broke up a year ago."
"Ah, yeah that'll do it. What was it about? ...If you don't mind my asking."
"We went down to see the Marker the other day and ended up talked about its legitimacy. I keep having bad feelings about it but she says it's only doing good to believers. I want to protect her from it but she's so sure there's no danger. I just don't know what to think."
Jacob raised his head out of his hands and looked at Michael who was looking back with a very bewildered look. "What is it?" Jacob asked.
"You called it 'the Marker'. You haven't done that before. It's always been 'rock' or just 'it' or something like that. Are you alright?"
Jacob leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "You see? This is what I'm telling you. I don't even know what I think anymore." Jacob took a deep breath and looked at Michael. "Anyway, did you have something you came to talk about?"
"Ah...no. Don't worry about it."
"No. Come on, let's talk about it. I need to change subjects."
"I really don't think you want to hear it. It's more news about the 'Marker,' as you call it."
Jacob paused before asking, "Alright...what is it?"
"It's only a theory at this point," Michael started quietly, "but one of the scientists thinks there’s meaning behind the carvings on the sides of the Artifact."
"You mean all those little red marks?"
"Exactly. Scientists, linguists, and Unitologists have been trying for almost two hundred years to figure out what the first Artifact back on Earth said. Funny thing is though, this scientist, Marla, thinks she's starting to figure it out."
"What does it say?" Jacob was becoming very interested.
"Hold on Jake, I told you it's only a theory. Besides all she's going off of right now is what she thinks is a pattern. She's far from understanding it. However, she's thinking that the markings are related to some kind of higher mathematics. She doesn't know what it's for, but that's what she's starting to suspect."
"Why would anyone put some kind of...math equation on a giant rock and leave it out in space?"
"I don't know. But you know how all those psychological issues the colony seem to be tied to the artifact? Well, on Doctor Sciarello's official report he said he scanned that thing for everything in the book and it all came back negative."
"What are you saying, Mike?"
"I'm saying that, scientifically speaking, it's just a rock. A giant, dead rock."
Both Jacob and Michael leaned back and sat in silence. It was quite a few minutes before either of them spoke. Jacob was trying to understand what he had just heard. "There's no way it's just a rock, there's just no way" he thought to himself. "So far all the colonies problems have been somehow tied to the Marker. How could all the scans show there's nothing wrong with it? And what about the symbols...why mathematics? It's got to be a message or something. What does it all mean?" Jacob had noticed the dark feeling in his mind had grown a little stronger and more defined since his last encounter with the Marker. He could not tell specifically what it was doing to him but it was definitely more irritating. He knew now that whatever it was, it was ominous. It had something to say and Jacob was pretty sure he did not want to hear it. It was starting to become oppressive; almost heavy. It seemed evil.
When Jacob came to Michael was listening intently to his comm. with a horrified face.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked?
"Someone just killed a P-SEC officer down by the artifact...she's been subdued by other officers in the area...it was Natalia! I don't understand. She's been down there for days and hasn't shown any signs of paranoia and all of a sudden she flips! Sorry Jake but I gotta go. I need to make sure this is all under control."
With that Michael ran out the door and left Jacob sitting by himself in the room. The door slid shut slowly leaving Jacob alone with his new thoughts.
"There's no way it's a coincidence" he said out loud. "She's been down there next to that thing for days. It was only a matter of time before she cracked. That Marker is definitely having some kind of psychological effect on the colony." The dark idea in Jacob's mind was beginning to form. He knew now there was a message trying to take shape in his mind. There were specific ideas, even words. He could not yet tell what they were but he definitely knew he did not want to. That being said he did know he was going to find out one way or another. This dark thought was from the Marker and it had a will of its own.
