Hope lay on the exam table, unmoving, as Medic Kaul entered the clinic. She was his most valuable patient. Her blood was immune to the zombie toxins. He had scanned all humans in the dome, not finding another with the same immunity. Hope was their only hope of finding a cure.

He had tested her blood and did his best to find a way to make a vaccine or a cure for the zombies. He was not having any luck, and because of how fragile Hope was, he didn't want to take any more from her than he had already taken.

Medic Kaul pulled a scanner off the shelf. A cursory gaze went to the man in the cage before going back to his patient. Scanning her from head to toe, he looked at the small screen. "Her vitals are good," he told the medic who had been tending to her.

Looking over at the man in the cage, Medic Kaul studied him for a moment, then suddenly realized that he hadn't scanned this particular human before. He didn't even remember seeing him before today. Walking up to the man, he quickly set his scanner for immunity and scanned him.

The scanner beeped a few times before the thin light at the top turned green. Medic Kaul gasped in shock. This prisoner was immune to the zombie toxins as well.

Staring at the man in the cage, Medic Kaul called back to the other medic. "I need an empty injector," he ordered, then turned his attention back to the prisoner.

The medic quickly complied, grabbing an injector from the shelf and handing it to him as Kaul studied the caged man.

Medic Kaul took the injector from the young medic's hand and, after pressing a few buttons and locking the setting, shoved it into the man's arm. The man squirmed and yelled as Kaul pulled the device's plunger to suck blood into the injector and ignored the man's protests. Prisoners did not get the same courtesy as others. The man had no choice in what happened to him.

As Kaul pulled the injector from the man's arm, four guards came into the clinic, preparing to take the man from the cage to take him to the prison.

"No," Medic Kaul told them quickly, before they could do anything further. He didn't want to lose his test subject. The fact that the man was a prisoner told him he could do whatever tests he deemed necessary, regardless of the consequences to the test subject. "I need to keep him here. If Council Leader Vorik asks, tell him I need him here and that I refuse to allow you to take him. I will take full responsibility."

"We need to follow our orders, Medic," one of the guards stated evenly. He was upset that Kaul was being resistant to allowing them to do their duty of taking the prisoner to the cells. They were given an order and determined to follow it. Defying orders could get them demoted or whipped. Neither of the guards wanted to endure either option.

In frustration, Medic Kaul pulled his comm link out and set it to call Council Leader Vorik. It buzzed for a second before the link was opened. "Sir, there are four guards here for the prisoner. I need him to stay. His blood is immune. I need to do tests," he told Council Leader Vorik. He knew that Vorik was interested in him finding a cure. Kaul didn't doubt that Vorik would stop them from taking his test subject because of the need to find a cure.

Council Leader Vorik's voice came through the comm link. "Guards, stay with the prisoner and allow the medic to do his tests," he ordered. "Those tests are too important."

"Yes, sir," the guards answered all at once. That was all they needed. There were no more worries about disobeying orders to take the prisoners to the cells.

The comm link went silent.

Kaul filled the first injector with the man's blood, then pulled a second injector off the shelf to collect more blood. This man was much healthier than Hope. He was not weak from starvation or injury. The injury he had sustained from being hit by the blaster was superficial now that it had been treated. He was taking as much blood as he could as long as it didn't kill the man in the cell. He needed him to live so he could do more tests if necessary. Since the man was a prisoner, it didn't matter what he did to him.

Medic Kaul thought about it a moment, then looked between the unconscious Hope and the man in the cage. He looked at the other medic. "Who stripped this man?" He called behind him to the other medics in the clinic.

A medic in the back of the room came forward. "I did, sir," he stated.

"When he was stripped, did you notice any bite marks?" Medic Kaul asked the other medic.

The medic looked down. "I'm sorry, sir. I did not look thoroughly. I was treating his blaster wound and helping with the man in the back," he explained. Shame filled his features, clearly seen in his black eyes.

Medic Kaul looked at the guards. "I need to strip him."

The guards looked reluctant, but opened the cage anyway. They had to follow orders. Medic Kaul pulled a set of clippers from a drawer and started cutting off the man's clothes as he squirmed and writhed, trying to fight it. His limbs were still attached to the inside of the cage; he couldn't fight what was happening to him. It was impossible with the way the bindings were placed.

Medic Kaul, all business, scanned the man's naked body for bite marks. He did not see any. Sighing, Kaul looked at the guards. "I need to see the back of him."

The guards removed the bars attached to the cage. The bars were attached to the man's limbs, keeping them separated. The guards lifted him out of the cage. Medic Kaul scanned the man from head to heel. He still did not see any bite marks. Nodding to the guards, they put the man back into the cage, re-affixing the bars and locking the cage.

Medic Kaul looked at the man in the cage. "Did you fight zombies and get their blood in your mouth or in an open wound?" he asked the prisoner.

The man kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer Kaul's questions.

Kaul shrugged. "You will get no food and no clothes until you answer my questions."

One of the guards snickered, leaning against the wall next to the cage. The man in the cage looked angry and uncomfortable, with his limbs spread out; his junk hanging out for all to see.

Kaul took the injectors over to a workstation and began testing the blood samples, ignoring the man in the holding cage.

Council Leader Vorik stepped into the clinic, his gaze scanning the naked man in the holding cage before walking up to Medic Kaul.

"Why is the prisoner naked?" he asked. He didn't sound mad, only curious.

One of the guards snickered, causing Vorik to look over at him. The guard lowered his head, trying not to laugh.

Medic Kaul, unphased, started to explain. "He is immune. I needed to see if he had bite marks, as Hope does. I needed to strip him to look for myself. I did not find any. When I asked the man if he had gotten blood from a zombie in his mouth or an open wound, he refused to tell me. I told him he could stay how he was and get no food or clothing until he answered my questions. The fact that he is immune means I need those answers."

Vorik nodded in agreement. "I agree. We also have a group in a holding dorm that you can scan for immunity when you get a chance," he stated. "They escaped Travis, the leader of the militia that is trapped in the barrier outside the dome."

Kaul smiled. "The more, the better. Hope is too fragile to take any of her blood. I prefer to take it from someone else, someone healthier."

"Was Dan immune?" Vorik asked. He remembered that Dan was in the clinic being treated for his wounds, as well.

Medic Kaul got up, taking his scanner with him, and went to Dan, who was sleeping soundly.

Flipping the settings to scan for immunity, he scanned Dan from head to toe, then looked at the small screen. "No, he is not immune."

Council Leader Vorik nodded. "I need to go speak with Julian and get back to the East Gate. The situation has not yet been resolved," he stated, then looked over at the guards. "Follow Medic Kaul's orders. This patient stays where he is."

The guards nodded as Vorik left the clinic to speak with Julian Cooper and go back to the East Gate.

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