Starcrossed

Chapter 17

 Luna

 Luna was practically overflowing with all the things she wanted to tell Carson. She had been so excited when he'd come to see her- this time she would have some important information for a change!- but then he'd left without giving her a chance to tell him what she'd discovered.

 Granted, Luna didn't even know exactly what she'd discovered. However, she had absolutely no doubt that it was something huge. At the same time, Luna felt a twinge of disappointment at the fact that Carson seemed to be doing all the work when it came to trying to figure out a solution to the problem. She was the one locked away in a quarantine facility. Shouldn't she be the one working on an escape plan?

 But she wasn't. She was just sitting in this room, awaiting her next meal. Awaiting Carson's next visit. Awaiting whatever it was that he was planning. She felt ashamed of herself. She had never made any effort to escape, never even considered it until Carson came along. Was she really that much of a follower that she was willing to just go along with all of this and sit in a locked room for four years getting tested? And now, here she was, with this valuable information, doing absolutely nothing about it. Pathetic. 

 Despite all this, however, Luna could think of nothing that she could actually do to help. Being locked in a room most of the time didn't give you many options. And with the new machinery that had been incorporated into her room, she would most likely be leaving the room less than ever- if she even did at all. Luna sighed. She felt so useless here, while Carson was off doing who knew what and possibly even putting himself in danger. She shuddered at the thought.

 Luna continued to worry about the situation until the time when Nurse Ada brought her dinner. The nurse smiled when she entered the room like she was visiting an old friend, and for just a moment, Luna felt a pang of remorse for thinking of leaving this place and leaving the friendly mother-figure nurse behind.

 But only for a moment.

 Luna tried to explain that she wasn't hungry- the stress of it all was making her lose her appetite- but Nurse Ada insisted. Of course she did. Had to keep Dr. Elm's precious lab rat perfectly healthy, right? Like anyone could rightly be called perfectly healthy with a deadly disease coursing through their bloodstream.

 While Nurse Ada was preoccupied with placing down Luna's tray, Luna was focused on the commotion that had started just outside her door. She could make out Dr. Elm's voice, and another man's voice that she didn't quite recognize. They were arguing, and she strained to hear what it was that they were saying.

 "-have everything you need, dear?"

 Luna whipped her head around to face the nurse. "Sorry, what?" she blurted. "I didn't realize you were saying anything."

 Nurse Ada smiled at her. "It's alright," she said sweetly. "I was just making sure that you have everything you needed is all."

 "Oh," Luna said awkwardly. "Yes, thank you, I'm fine." She offered an unconvincing smile.

 "Alright then," replied the nurse, turning and making her way towards the door. As she put her hand on the knob, however, the door swung outwards. Nurse Ada jolted back as Dr. Elm stormed through the doorway.

 "But Doctor!" the unfamiliar man's voice rang out, and a man Luna had never seen before pushed through her doorway. "I understand you are in charge, but you really must think this through!"

 Dr. Elm whirled around, fury evident on his face that this man, whoever he was, dare challenge him. "This is a last resort, don't you understand that?" he yelled back, his voice rising louder. "How many more years are we going to let go by like this? How many others are we going to lose before someone puts a stop to it? We can't keep doing this, Dr. McAllister! The time for passive is over. We take action now."