Sleep eluded him.
Whenever Samuel closed his eyes, all he saw were Guin's emeralds flashing back at him. The implications of a swift, physical mutation troubled him, but her attitude troubled him more. She seemed less than worried, almost...proud.
He had tested her eyes in all the ways he knew, and they had yet to respond to light or X-ray's, with no indication of a pigment-filled sac to enable rapid color change. No, the color was intrinsic, as though her eyes had absorbed an unknown element on a permanent scale. On Terra, sudden shifts in color resulted from communication or environmental triggers, often a warning to other animals. However, Guin's eyes remained bright, an ever-present warning.
The ansible crackled, but he ignored it.
For the tenth time, he rolled over on the cot. Finally, he hopped up and wandered over to the lab. He knew there'd be zero clarity, especially at this time of night, but he found peace under the bright florescence and antiseptic effusions. A lack of samples mocked him, reminding him he should've insisted on removing one eye, or both. Forster had forbade such precautions, citing morality.
"When we're all seeing the Emerald City, you'll regret it," he'd warned, with no results.
So far, the quarantine had worked, but transmission could occur in so many ways. For all he knew, they could all be infected. Control's AWOL behavior stalled further progress, because Samuel had no experience in dealing with pathogens.
He rested his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes, then stopping. These days, he avoided touching his eyes whenever possible. The occasional lapse in memory freaked him the hell out.
Someone chuckled next to him. "Like it's transferred through touch."
Russ.
Her long brown hair hung down in inviting waves. When she ran her hands through it, as she did now, the action attracted him in ways he couldn't describe.
"All the same, I'm not touching my eyes either."
"Agreed," Samuel said, shifting attention to the bot working at the far end of the room. "What's it up to?"
Russ met the bot halfway, exchanging something. She came back, a cylinder in hand.
"Genly was scanning this for any missed properties, but all tests indicate jack-shit," she said, giving him a cylinder.
Samuel accepted it casually, holding it up and squinting. When realization hit, he quickly set the container down, sliding it away. Inside, an ephemeral green mass danced and shifted.
"Where'd you get that?" He noted the brown pigment of her eyes, and breathed easier.
"Found it in Guin's suit," Russ said.
Samuel arched a brow. "And you didn't mention this to anyone because?"
She shrugged. "Can you figure it out?"
He stared at the volatile container. "If Genly didn't have any luck, I'm not sure I will either."
"Scared?"
"Fuck yeah."