A RARE BREED

Chapter Twelve

While Rose watched, Arjunk took some vials out of a drawer and a syringe gun similar to the one that was used to knock them out. He also took out a small device that resembled an Ipad. He walked over to Rose and hit several places on the screen while Rose watched.

"You said you were immunized for Earth diseases?" he asked her.

"Yes."

He read a list of Earth diseases off to her from the Ipad and Rose confirmed she'd been immunized for them. Once he was finished, he laid the device aside and fitted a vial containing a sea green liquid into the top of the gun.

"What's that for?" Rose asked.

"Manfold Crutchtate Disease, it's very deadly. You've never been immunized for it?"

"No. Is it a common disease?"

"Can be depending on what planet you go to," Arjunk said.

Rose looked at the Doctor.

"And was there ever a danger of me being exposed to this disease?" she asked him. "Because I don't recall you ever asking me or anyone else to get vaccinated."

"I was going to do it," the Doctor said sheepishly. "Plus, I was steering you away from planets that had a high prevalence of Manfold Crutchtate Disease."

Rose snorted. She turned her head and watched while Arjunk put the gun against her left arm and put the liquid into her system. The injection was painless and Rose sat and watched while he immunized her against several other diseases. While she watched, Rose had a thought.

"We went to the year five billion," Rose said to Arjunk while he was replacing an empty vial with one containting a brown liquid. "And we went to this hospital where they were treating humans for all these diseases. I told the Doctor that I was surprised there were still diseases in the year five billion but you said humans are a fragile species."

"I studied humans in alien anatomy," Arjunk said, walking over to her. "It was of special concern that we knew about them precisely because you do have fragile bodies. You don't have a long lifespan and you rattled off a long list of diseases on your planet. You, my dear, are very much at risk here. There are hundreds of alien species out there and your immune system will go haywire without vaccines. You mean to tell me that you've been traveling with him to alien worlds without protection from the millions of diseases out there?"

Rose cocked an eyebrow and looked at the Doctor.

"No, it must have slipped his mind," she said dryly while the Doctor gave her a nervous grin.

"I took you to all the safe places," the Doctor said while Arjunk administered the last vaccine.

Arjunk put the syringe gun back on the counter and picked up his Ipad. He walked over to the Doctor.

"Are you immunized?" he asked him as he hit a few buttons on the screen.

"I was immunized for red fever as a child and also Xith Disease and Alumentia."

"And these immunizations hold from life to life? No need for a booster injection?"

"No, they hold from life to life."

Arjunk nodded and walked back over to the counter.

"Red fever?" Rose said while Arjunk disposed of the empty vials.

"Nasty disease. They called it that because just before you died, the blood vessels in your eyes exploded and everything you saw after that was tinted red."

"Ugh," Rose said, making a face.

They watched while Arjunk bent down, opened a drawer and took out two white bodysuits. He laid them on the table at Rose's feet and closed the drawer. He walked to the back while Rose picked up one of the bodysuits and examined it. It was made of a lycra material. The trouser part covered the feet but the top was sleeveless. She noticed a little patch on the right side above the lung. She pulled it open and saw a small square indentation in the suit. The patch used Velcro to stay on the suit so she put the patch back and put the suit down in front of her while Arjunk came back with two thin plastic collars. One was red and one was green. He also laid a gun similar to the syringe gun on top of the outfits.

"These outfits are hypoallergenic," Arjunk said to them. "Just a little more added protection while you're quarantined. The collars aren't shock collars, I don't believe in that crap. But they're for identification. Red means a fragile immune system and green means an endangered species. I'm sure Darius doesn't care but I want these on you in case any other staff comes into contact with you. I don't know if they'd treat you with respect, Rose. But most people think twice before harming an endangered species and getting on the Shadow Proclamation's bad side. Hopefully, you and Rose will be left alone. Now…I do have to tattoo an ident number on your arm but there are two kinds of tattoo ink, permanent and temporary. I'm going to use the temporary kind that fades after sixty days. That way I'm obeying Darius but if you get out of here, you won't have them forever. No worries, it's painless. First thing though, into the bodysuit."

Rose took off the lab coat while the Doctor looked the other way and Darius helped her get into the body suit.

"What's this space under the patch?" Rose said, tapping it.

"That's for an ident chip. And I will be giving you one. It's another way to indentify you. The chip snaps into the hole and you just wear it with the clothes."

He finished helping Rose get dressed and then took the red collar and put it around her neck. Rose held up her hair while he fitted it loosely and used a snap to secure it. He put a finger in between it and Rose's neck, making sure she could breathe before he picked up the syringe gun. He put it against Rose's left arm and pulled the trigger. Rose saw a hint of blue light coming out of the nozzle of the gun and when he took it away, 4345 was tattooed on her arm. Rose looked at it while Arjunk grabbed the bodysuit and collar and moved over to the Doctor. Rose looked away when he got undressed and Arjunk helped him get in the bodysuit.

"One question, have you and her ever had sexual relations before?" Arjunk asked the Doctor while he helped guide his foot into the leg of the bodysuit.

"No."

"Well, just strictly speaking in case you do…because you are capable of intercourse with her but I suggest you or both of you use protection so she doesn't get pregnant."

"I will if that ever happens," the Doctor said.

"I gather you care deeply for her and I'm sure if you move to the next stage and do become sexual active, you'll want her to be healthy and not risk death or a deformed child."

The Doctor nodded and thanked him for the warning. Arjunk put the green collar around his neck, snapped it and made sure it was comfortable before using the gun on his arm. Rose looked at it when he was finished and saw 1223 on his arm. The Doctor examined his arm while Arjunk took the gun back to the counter.

"Can I ask you something, Arjunk?" Rose said while Arjunk put both guns back in the cabinet.

"You can ask me anything you want, Rose," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Well, if…when the Doctor and I get outta here, we want you to come with us," Rose said while the Doctor nodded in agreement. "And if we do and you set up your practice somewhere, can I be your patient? You're friendlier than my doctor ever was. I mean, you treated us both respect and you've been so honest with us and I'd love to have you as my doctor."

"I would welcome that and yes, you can," Arjunk said. "But one warning, I would plan your…our escape and not just run pell mell out of here because this place is heavily secured."

"We will," the Doctor said.

"Having said that, I need to take you to the quarantine room now. Now…I don't want to restrain you and I won't stop you if you make a break for it but again…I'd think up a plan."

"We won't run," the Doctor said. "I want this place closed down permanently as well so we need to come up with a way to do that."

"I'm all for that," Arjunk said. "Believe me, you lot are lucky to get me as your doctor because some of the doctors in here are highly sadistic towards the populace here. Makes me sick. But everyone except me have had lost patients because they torture their charges. Happily, I haven't because I don't do that."

"Which is why you need to come with us," the Doctor said. "You don't belong here."

"Don't I know it!" Arjunk said. "But like I said earlier, I'm a prisoner as well so I have no choice at the moment. All I can do is make sure you are treated humanly and have a chance at fulfilling your goals. Now all that's left is to put your information on the computer chips, put them on your clothes and I can show you the quarantine room.

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