"So you think they can't reactivate them?" the girl asked again, hoping that her interlocutor's response would be negative.
"I'm not sure, but we'll find out soon" the young janitor replied, making a gesture with his hand and advising Faith to remain silent and continue to eavesdrop on the private conversation between Lucius' men and the doctor.
...
"And what about this place? What do we do with Sector C? We can't keep it closed for a long time without providing a valid justification for the crew generals!" Lucius exclaimed, blocking Tyler's safe walk, which turned toward him, looking at him with his terrifying black eyes, which with the scant light of the corridors looked like those of a hungry shark.
"We will continue to use the excuse of disinfestation, saying that one of the samples processed in the research laboratory released a toxic substance for us humans and that the best solution is to keep the whole sector closed to completely eliminate this kind of chemical. We're going to get rid of the body after the autopsy and I'll check on Phillip's condition, hoping he will be fully healed" Tyler replied superficially as if he wanted to wash his hands of the matter to get out of that contaminated place immediately.
"Get rid of the corpse?! Can't we talk to the rest of the crew and ask if they have any ideas? Why do we all have to keep this stupid secret? I'm sure with more minds working on it, it will be easier..."
"The uncertain information we have will not come out of this place. We cannot compromise a mission that lasted more than 180 days just for a simple guess. I'm going to figure out what pathology Dr. Klein contracted, and I'm going to cure him with the technology and the medicines we have at our disposal, I just need a few days. I'd like you to support me, Lucius, and stop asking these useless questions, which are only good to waste more time. Come on now, show me Hudson!" Dr. Tyler exclaimed again, hanging his gas mask on some sort of coat hanger not far from Klein's room, and proceeding at a decisive pace to the large sliding door.
The soldier and Colonel Lucius followed him without saying a word, leaving the other protective mask next to Tyler's.
Layton and Faith, still facing the porthole of the ship's first doctor's private office, hoped with all their might that none of those people would notice the lights off of the two cameras, made all the more evident by the darkness that reigned in those empty and silent corridors.
Fortunately, the torches on the soldiers' weapons, illuminating the area in front of the doctor and their commander, were pointed at the door and the sensor next to it, drawing everyone's attention in that direction.
While the two janitors hidden as thieves could only wait silently for everyone to come out and could not watch what was happening, as the soldiers came out of the porthole's field of view, the noise of the sensor opening the main door of sector C made its usual sound.
After the 'beep', the metal sliding doors moved sideways and all the men involved in the investigation returned to sector A, as planned.
When the door closed back, Layton and Faith finally began breathing normally again.
"Oh, fuck! That was close! How could they not notice the cameras?!" the girl exclaimed, speaking in a normal voice, without holding back.
"I don't know, but we did it. We're alone in sector C now. However, I am very worried..." Layton said, who had his gaze pointed towards the void, plunged into his thoughts.
"You're thinking back to what we just heard, right?" the girl answered, looking back at the window and trying to look down.
"I didn't think somebody was already dead... and those bloodstains... they said they came from the research lab, exactly where they found the body, but... where do they lead?" Layton continued, reasoning aloud and trying to peer at the floor from the window, unable to see anything because of the darkness.
"It looks like they're coming into Klein's room... There's only one way to find out, Lay... you already know what I'm talking about" Faith said, pressing the light button next to the door and turning on the big LED on the ceiling of the room.
With the environment illuminated, the eyes of the two janitors took a few seconds to disaccustom to the darkness in which they had remained hidden for about an hour, but finally, the room around them took shape.
The office completely changed its appearance, which was confirmed as welcoming and old-fashioned.
Layon looked at the locked drawer of that desk one last time, rethinking that he might contain something really important to their investigation, but Faith's voice echoed between the walls of the room, interrupting his thinking.
"Dr. Tyler and that guard left the two gas masks near the door of Klein's room... what do we do?" the girl asked, trying to be brave, already knowing what Layton would say.
"Come on, you're right... there is no more time to waste, we do not know if the security men and the doctor will return before tomorrow morning" Layton confirmed, approaching the door and lowering the handle, opening it.
After turning off the light and leaving the room, the two young Voyager workers found themselves in the dark corridor in which they had walked a few minutes earlier.
*click*
Faith lit the torchlight, suggesting Layton to avoid turning on the general lights in the hallways, knowing that if someone suddenly remotely reactivated the cameras, their faces would immediately be recognized and would certainly get into trouble, risking ruining everything they had worked for until then.
Once they passed the door, they turned right, along the 'U' shaped curve of sector C.
A very strong stink soaked the air and both covered their noses, failing to bear the stench, which seemed to come from their right.