Men In Uniform

Layton read all kinds of books, from astronomy manuals to scientific treatises, from fantasy novels to the great classics of the literature of the past.

On his handheld, which was the advanced version of smartphones that were used hundreds of years earlier on Earth, he could access all this content without limit, buying books regularly or illegally downloading them through unreliable sites.

But in addition to them, he had brought with him a slew of paperbacks and books from his house and continued to read them over and over again, even after concluding and appreciated them.

After lying on the bed and pulling the bookmark that opened 'Space in the New Millennium' on page 464, he became inebriated for the umpteenth time by the smell of printed paper and the sound of the pages being turned one after the other, brittle and slightly dusty.

His taste for old music and books, which had become a thing of the past, had been another factor that did not allow him to familiarize with other crew members: his peers used their free time to play video games or bet with crypto-currencies on all kinds of sports, gathering in Voyager's meeting places during the evening and communicating among them using senseless gestures and screams, more like animals rather than humans.

Not being able to share his 'particular' passions, Layton knew that that empty room, which would be filled with people after dinner, in that small time frame, was like a refuge, a kind of cave far from everything and everyone, a place where he could focus on his thoughts and imagination, thus elevating his ego and personal knowledge.

The book he was reading for the second time, was a heavy scientific manual, which reported the experience of some astronauts of the 2100s, during the last decade in which books were printed on paper, before the total digitization, that would have prevented the human race from tearing down huge forests and decimating entire plant ecosystems.

With an alarm clock set at 8:15 p.m., about five minutes before dinner time, Layton stood with his eyes glued to the book, reading with amazement that logbook chapter, in which the astronauts recounted the creation of their second base of operations on Mars, one of the farthest planets in which man had set foot at the time.

*beep-beep*beep-beep*

When the clock began to vibrate and make a shrill sound, the young dreamer closed the book, carefully slightly leaning the bookmark on the designated page and putting it back in its place, inside the locker containing all his private items.

Snorting, as usual, he walked out the door of the room and turned right, heading to the lunchroom and starting to think about what he would eat, always having limited choices.

As he was immersed in his thoughts, a group of men in official uniform walked out of one of the meeting rooms and began to walk in the same direction.

The four men wore the typical black uniform that soldiers and engineers who were allowed to go outside the Voyager wore under the astronaut's tracksuit and whispered something between them.

Noting that a certain aura of mystery surrounded those men, Layton, without being discovered, slightly accelerated the pace, so that he could eavesdrop on their words.

"Did you hear what happened to poor Phil?"

"Yes, more or less... I have a friend who works in Sector C who told me everything in detail..."

"Really? Tell me what you know, curiosity is killing me!"

"You really didn't know yet? For a few weeks, Phil had not felt very well and had obtained a permit not to work and heal, helped by his medical colleagues. Apparently, after being in contact with a patient who died a few days later of sudden degenerative disease, he contracted this same illness and his condition worsened a lot..."

"Oh fuck... Phil? He's one of the best doctors I've ever known, it's impossible that he got trapped like that!"

"At the moment they have quarantined his room and only very few people can enter it, dressed in safety suits, to avoid contagion. Remember, better that this thing stays between us, who knows what would be the reaction of all the workers in that sector and in the others!"

After those words, one of the men who had spoken just before turned around, hearing the sound of Layton's footsteps on the metal floor.

A second before he was spotted, Layton approached the wall and grabbed the strings of his shoe, pretending to bend over to fasten it and preventing the stranger from becoming suspicious.

When the men walked away, he got up and started walking again.

"What the hell were they talking about? A possible contagion? How is that possible? No one has contact with the outside and the inside of the ship is sanitized and sterilized every day since we left! Besides, every crew member has undergone thorough medical tests to ward off any kind of illness and dysfunction, it can't be!" Layton thought, frightened by what he had been able to hear silently, knowing that that information was certainly reserved for a small group of people.

Just as his gaze was facing down, one hand touched his shoulder from behind, causing him to jump in fear.

"Aaargh! Fuck!" he yelled, drawing the attention of some passers-by.

"Hey, calm down! I didn't think I was that terrifying!" Faith said, who after seeing her new friend walking alone down the hallway had run about ten yards to accompany him to the cafeteria.

"N... no, I'm sorry... I was lost in thought and I didn't hear you coming. Did you talk to Sam?" he asked, trying to deflect the conversation and trying to be nice to her.

"Yes, all right. He gave me an assignment similar to yours, I'm going to clean the meeting room down this corridor and a lab on the other side, in the hallway that runs along with Sector A" she answered and as she spoke, she studied In detail Layton's expression, which seemed shaken.

"Okay, well... I'm glad you're happy you've changed area. Shell we get something to eat?" he continued, making the conversation increasingly weird to her ears.