The atmosphere within the ship now was solemn, a heaviness was just hanging over everyone; not that they all socialised together much anyway, but now there was even more of a rift. Minerva was accompanied back to her room by David, he looked distantly thoughtful. They had been informed that Elizabeth had passed out and was in medical. David was asked to check in on her, he would, once he escorted Minerva back to her room.

"How much of that stuff did you give to Charlie?" Minerva asked, turning into her room and wasting no time in unzipping her suit. She turned, pulling her arms out and rolling it down to her hips.

David stood watching her, she had a simple grey vest on underneath, but as she continued pushing the material down, it seemed all she had on her lower half was underwear. He couldn't help but tilt his head slightly, it was perhaps wrong of him that he was becoming more aware to her, or the fact that he appreciated and liked what he saw. "A speck, the tiniest of droplets."

"And it killed him?" Minerva picked the suit up, she folded it and placed it on the table. David still stood near the door, he turned and looked down at her. "That stuff is potent, David."

"Isn't it just?" He mused, shaking his head he placed a hand against her shoulder. "It is contained though. And for all they know, Doctor Holloway caught something here. If anything, they will all be worrying that something had been in the air all along, secret and hidden."

Minerva frowned, "We don't want mass hysteria, David. People, when they panic and get like that, are a handful. Reasoning won't work. They'll only believe what they want to."

He nodded, she was right, he supposed. "I have to go-"

"Are you waking father up?" Minerva looked at him hopefully.

David smiled slowly, "Not yet, no. I shall come collect you though when I am. I'm going to see how Elizabeth is doing."

"I'll be here waiting then!" She shrugged and happily turned on her heels and shuffled off. She found clean clothes and then headed towards the bathroom. Being dirty didn't affect her like it did humans, but it was still a much nicer feeling not being sticky from that suit.

David watched her go, he looked down at himself. He heard the water start in the bathroom, she was better off staying here while he went to medical. He unzipped his suit and pulled his arms free, he wore his grey t-shirt underneath and walked out the room in search for trousers. Soon being changed, he walked into the room where Elizabeth still laid, silent and sleeping on the table, white hospital gown now on. He tilted his head, she looked so peaceful laying there. He couldn't think how she even felt, seeing her other half get sick so suddenly, and then watching him burn. He could imagine, in a way, how he'd feel if he saw Minerva being hurt, being killed...it would destroy him. And he didn't know how he would react from this hypothetical reasoning.

David did feel a bitterness creeping in, mainly towards the whole act. He wasn't surprise Meredith took it upon herself to put the doctor down. Of course it would be her, it allowed her to have a small ounce of power, where she had very little here really. Glancing at the small glint of gold, David looked at the necklace around the woman's neck. He reached out to take it off, only to have her flinching and suddenly gripping onto his wrists. David paused and looked at her placidly. Elizabeth's eyes were wide with panic, she looked like she had a fever, red cheeked and sweating lightly. It seemed to take her a few moments to clock where she was, and who she was looking at.

David just smiled kindly, he didn't deter her hands still holding on, he just stood patiently until she realised he wasn't posing a threat. He was here to help her, after all. "My deepest condolences," he started, speaking softly as to not rile her up again. Although he watched as her dark eyes slowly started to fill with tears. "I'm going to have to take this, it may be contaminated." His eyes flicked to the cross which his fingers were still lightly holding onto.

"If there's a contagion, we were all exposed." She spoke, her voice a little rushed as she worriedly looked up at him, even her breathing quickened as she seemed to slowly be working herself up. "You need to...we need to run blood work on everyone who set foot in the pyramid." Her breath still rushed out of her as she concernedly looked at him. Her eyes didn't waver as she looked upwards, likewise David still stood slightly leaning over her with a calm expression on his face.

"Yes, of course." He agreed, although he wasn't intending on doing that. But the reply was polite and what Elizabeth needed to hear, to get her to calm down. And it did the job, she seemingly sagged against the table as she loosened her grip on him.

"Yes," she had let him go completely now as she let him unclasp it and take it away. She did side eye him, David was careful with the necklace. Dangling it in his palm before carefully lowering it safely downwards, his fingers curled around it before his hand slipped into his pocket.

David moved over to the equipment in the corner once the necklace was safely deposited. He sat down on the stool, and started typing on the keyboard, starting the machinery up. Turning, he looked at her, "I understand how inappropriate this is, given the circumstances. But, as you ordered quarantine fail-safes, it's my responsibility to ask, have you and Doctor Holloway had any intimate contact recently? Since you and he were so close, I just want to be as thorough as possible." David spoke rather simply while Elizabeth looked a little shocked that he even asked, or bought the topic of sex up so bluntly. It honestly wasn't a conversation she was expecting to ever have with a synthetic.

David sighed quietly to himself, humans got embarrassed over the oddest things. Regardless of the silence he received, David commenced the scan of her body. He thought it was a simple yes or no question, but then the question itself led his mind down a path which hadn't even been ventured down. David was built to mimic the human body, in a way, which meant that he did have the ability, like most human males, to do exactly as they did. Frowning curiously, he looked at the screen, he was quite easily doing and musing two different things. Yes, he was looking at the output scans, but mentally he was thinking what that feeling was like. To be so intimately close to someone who you knew fully, who trusted you completely; having them underneath, or on top, whichever the preference, and just enjoying each other's bodies.

With a sigh, David raised an eyebrow and looked at the screen. He couldn't help but tilt his mouth upwards slightly in a smile, "You're pregnant." He said, he tried to sound shocked, tried being the word. He seemed to succeed in it as Elizabeth tilted her head to look at him and looked utterly shocked.

"What?" She opened and shut her mouth, trying hard to figure this out. But her mind was just going around in circles, unable to piece this together as David placed his hands on his knees and turned to her on the stool.

"From the look of it, three months or so." Nodding slowly he tried to dumb down the results of what he was seeing as best as he could. He doubted much information would stick. Elizabeth had been through a lot in the past couple of hours. Her mind probably wouldn't retain much of what he said here.

"No, that's impossible. I can't get pregnant." She was adamant on this as she shook her head quickly. It was physically impossible for her to get pregnant, she couldn't have children.

"Did you have intercourse with Doctor Holloway?" David asked as simply as he could, he thought his earlier words were self-explanatory enough, clearly not, so he tried again. The look on her face was one of blank shock. David fidgeted in the stool and looked back at the screen. The form he was looking at was strange, but it was very much there.

"Yes, but ten hours ago. There's no bloody way I'm three months pregnant." Elizabeth said in a shocked, yet rational tone as she frowned over to David and where he sat.

He smiled in return, he excused her harsh tone, she was confused and in shock. "Well, Doctor. It's not exactly a traditional foetus." That it wasn't. David didn't quite know how to describe it. Curled up, smooth looking, yet what seemed to be limbs were more like tentacles, that's the only thing he could relate them to. It really wasn't human.

Elizabeth laid silent for a few moments before her dark eyes shot and looked at him suddenly with clarity. "I want to see it."

David winced a little and looked at her sympathetically. He shook his head, he smiled, and he switched the screen off while moving over to her side. "I don't think that's a good idea." It would only distress her, and wasn't she already distressed enough?

"David, I want to see it." Elizabeth's tone didn't change and she seemed as adamant as she was a moment ago. Despite clearly being in pain, she pushed herself up and leaned back against one hand while the other placed itself against her stomach.

David tilted his head, regardless of what she just said, and the denial of not carrying a child, she still seemed to instantly protect her stomach. He smiled and shook his head, he calmly stood by, "Now, Doctor," he tried to reassure her to lay back down without having to physically do it himself, Elizabeth had other ideas.

By now she had shakily swung her legs over the bed. She sat, breathing deeply for a few moments, hyping herself up before slipping downwards. She gritted her teeth, a pained noise coming from her as she struggled. David reached out and steadied her, "I want to see it. I want it out of me." She said while managing to get to the equipment, she commenced pushing buttons and basically slamming on controls to get the image back up. But it wasn't happening, she just let out a pained and infuriated sound.

"I'm afraid we don't have the personnel to perform a procedure like that. Our best option-"

"I want it out." She repeated, regardless of what David was saying.

"Put you back in cryostasis." David finished his sentence off, casual as anything as if he hadn't just been cut off. He looked downwards at the smaller woman, she had taken to frantically shaking her head as she turned and looked at him with fearful teary eyes.

"Please, get it out of me. Get it out of me! Please!" She went to step forwards, only to let out a scream as she doubled over herself.

"It must be very painful. Here, let me give you something." David said while grabbing and injecting her with a syringe. It was quick, her muscles already slackened as she seemed to lose the power to stand as she started to fall. David steadied her, she sagged against him as he easily picked her up. She was actually quite light as he placed her back down. She laid there, her eyes slowly going distant as she looked up at him. "That's it. There, there." He said quietly, soothingly as she seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open. "Someone will be along shortly to bring you back to cryotech." The painkiller in her system was slowly taking over, and David tilted his head watching her. "It must feel like your God abandoned you." He looked at her sympathetically, he did sympathise, and pitied a little. She had so much faith in something that she couldn't see, or feel, and look where it had landed her? People, humans were such bittersweet creatures, David had come to realise.

"What?" Her voice was distant and quiet as she looked up at him.

"To lose Doctor Holloway, after your father died under such similar circumstances. What was it that killed him? Ebola." David sounded thoughtful while speaking, but his eyes briefly looked upwards only to look back down at her firmly.

"How...how do you know that?" Elizabeth looked shocked, she looked pained, her tone was truly confused as she stared at him.

David leaned against the table slightly. "I watched your dreams." David said simply while watching as she looked panicked for a few moments more, before her eyes finally shut and she passed out.

There was a lot here to muse about, he left the room and paced his way back to Minerva's. He'd leave someone else from the team to find Elizabeth and take her back. He had to go see Weyland, well, he was waiting to be called to see to him once he had been woken. Or were they expecting him to wake him now? David didn't know, instead, he dragged this moment out for a bit. After all, what was the real rush? There was still time for him to just return to Minerva, tell her what happened with Elizabeth, then go to Weyland's room.

Opening the door, he looked in, Minerva stood near the window looking outside. David quietly walked over, it wasn't until his arms wrapped around her waist did she realise he was there. She jumped, David looked over her shoulder with an apologetic smile. Minerva just looked at him pointedly before smiling and leaning back against him. David leaned his chin on top of her head, before he felt her shifting. He looked downwards as she leaned back and lifted an arm up, her hand went to his hair and she gently pushed his head down to kiss him softly.

David smiled, "Because you wanted to?" He asked, watching as she chuckled quietly and shook her head. "No? Oh, fine, be like that." David went to retreat, all jokingly of course. But Minerva turned and gripped onto him, bringing him back against herself.

She kept a hold of his sides while peering up at him from his chest. "You looked like you needed something comforting. You were glaring...what is it?"

"If you were pregnant, would you terminate that life?" David asked, Minerva's eyes widened and she backed off from him, she moved around him and moved to her bed. David turned and followed, he knelt in front of her and placed his hands gently on her knees.

"It would depend..." Minerva said slowly, David looked confused, yet curious to her answer. "If there was something wrong with it; if its quality of life would be poor, it wouldn't be fair...but it all comes to ethical thinking and processes, David. I can't have children, where's this coming from?"

"Elizabeth is pregnant, and she wants to terminate it." David said, Minerva looked shocked. "I think you'd make a brilliant mother, just so you know." He smiled honestly up at her, she slowly smiled in return. It was the truth, she could be firm, yet fair. She cared, more than anyone he had ever met.

"You're just saying that..."

David shook his head, "You would."

Minerva twiddled her fingers for a moment before looking at him with a small frown. "Is there something wrong with her child?"

David blinked and looked to the side, thinking for a moment, his eyes flickered back to hers. "It is not human."

Minerva's eyes widened, "At all?"

"No."

"But...how?" Minerva frowned, truly confused for the moment as she looked to him for answers.

David sighed gently, he reached out and stopped her twiddling her fingers together. Her smaller fingers curled against his, he smiled at the feeling and stroked his thumbs against her skin. "She had slept with Doctor Holloway, in the evening before venturing out to find Fifield and Millburn." David explained, looking back to her, Minerva nodded. She was following so far, she got how intercourse happened. "The droplet from that vial would've been in Doctor Holloway's system by then. I am going to presume that it fastened the fertilisation process up, because that foetus is three months old, Minnie." He looked at her seriously here, "Elizabeth cannot have children, she told me that herself. Yet this thing, this liquid has made the impossible, possible. Because it is not human, does it mean it cannot be allowed to live?" David asked, his thumbs ceasing in stroking her skin as he looked to her, waiting her answer.

"The unplanned organism is a question asked by Nature, and answered by death. You are a different kind of question, with a different kind of answer." David blinked and tilted his head, Minerva got her hands free, she cupped his face and stroked his cheeks. "That's from a video game called Deus Ex, David. All about one man's conflict with corporations and people in charge with their secret motives. There's also a deadly disease wiping out people, making their race struggle to survive." She explained, he looked slightly less confused. She inhaled slowly, "Only time can tell whether what has been bought to life, has the right to live, or not. It is not up to you, me, or Elizabeth. If it is not human, how can one tell whether it'll be so easily killed? She can try to kill the child, but wouldn't it be more interesting to see it and learn from it?"

David's eyes widened, he fidgeted a little in his knelt position and drummed his fingers on her knees as she just cupped his face. "You really would make a good mother," he repeated while staring at her with clear blue eyes, she smiled and shook her head. "You are wise, and more knowledgable than I think the people here give you credit for." He said, she just shrugged loosely, not knowing whether to agree there or not. "You think it should live?"

"Don't you? As things which aren't human, because we aren't, does that mean we're not allowed to live either? To experience what every other living being does? To live, to laugh, to love," she stroked a hand through his hair and ruffled it childishly. He frowned a little yet reached up to flatten his hair back down. Minerva smiled and placed her hands over his on her knees. "Why should it only be humans that have this right? Everything deserves to live, regardless of its inhuman appearance."

David looked her over, "I do not think Elizabeth will share your outlook."

"But I'm not talking to her, am I? I'm talking to you, and you asked for my opinion, and I gave it."

"And I share it," David said, he got his hands out from underneath hers and rested them against the bed. He leaned up and smiled, minutely aware to the fact that she had to part her legs to let him lean up close to her. "Do you think that we were made for each other?" David asked offhandedly out of nowhere. Minerva looked at him startled that this even came up. "Two soulless beings, destined to spend eternity together, to share bad times, conquer lonely times, to experience and live together until a possible end comes."

"I was made to live, you were made to serve." Minerva said, David's eyes darkened a little. She smiled, "But that doesn't mean I won't live for you, and you for I. It is only fair we live for each other, and serve no one."

David looked over her features, she just smiled at him softly. "Despite not having one, I strongly believe you are my soul mate."

Minerva let out an embarrassed giggle as she pushed at his shoulders, not that he budged. "Stop it!"

"What?" David smiled, "Tell the truth?"

She nodded her head quickly and fidgeted on the bed. "Is it the truth?"

"Of course," David leaned forwards and rested his forehead against hers. "I wouldn't lie about that."

Minerva leaned away from him after a few moments, David's eyes opened and he glanced at her. "How long is there until you have to wake my father up?"

"Why?" David asked curiously.

Minerva scooted backwards and patted the bed. "Lay with me, it was comfortable laying here with you."

David stood and sat, he looked at her. He looked troubled, which caused her to look up at him worriedly. He knelt looking down at her perplexed for a moment before leaning downwards and pressing his lips against hers. Minerva let out a content sigh before David felt her hands on his neck, gently keeping him in place. He pulled away, yet stayed hovering close, Minerva's eyes looked up into his. David braced himself against his palms as he looked over her features. "We are doing as you said, living, loving, experiencing things humans do. But, human couples, their affectionate ways-"

"You want to have sexual intercourse with me?" Minerva cut him off, sounding rather polite, curt and proper on the matter.

David's face turned to an expressionless mask for a moment before a smirk slowly appeared. He nodded his head slowly, Minerva's lips tilted into a gentle smile. David couldn't help but dwell on this thought, it had been lingering for a while. But there was also the lingering fact of: what if something happened to them? Could either live knowing that they never got to know each other fully before, if, whatever it was happened and possibly took them down?

——

Edited: 17/June/2021