I'm not a space expert, neither a scientist, and the story is based on a dream (yes, this one too) so there might be some inaccuracies. Do not take what I write here as a scientific fact. I guess this story is to warn you to not touch unknown substances. You can explore the unknown, but there's always some risks you need to be wary of. The best is always knowledge. When we know a lot of things, we are less likely to face the unknown. Be wary of the danger of the unknown!

«I don't really want to go, but I'm the only one qualified enough to do this. We need to evaluate the danger of this thing. Right now, I almost regret having that much Phd's. It's not my fault I love to learn! I love learning about new thing, but I prefer to keep both my feet on the floor.»

Mark Norfolk was about to go in space, because an unknown ship has been discovered in the solar system and was going closer and closer to Earth. He had five Phds and diplomas that could help for the situation. One on microbiology, one on advanced technology, one on advanced sciencance, one on chemistry and physic and the last one on hazardous substances. He wasn't the first one to go see what was up there, the only thing that came back was a message telling Earth that there were no life form on the spaceship, that the air was breathable and that there were gravity somehow. No one heard anything else from them after that. So they thought that there might be some dangerous pathogens up there. That's the reason why Mark was chosen for the next mission.

«There still enough unknown stuff down here, why do I have to go up there?»

He was against it, because he feared space and how we go there. The only reason he decided to go was because he wanted to know what happened to the crew who went there. One of them was his friend and not knowing what happened was killing him. All the physical test before leaving almost got the best of him, but he succeeded them and he couldn't really back down now.

«What's done is done, now I just need to go!»

He put all of his space material on and left for space. He tried to not think about the travel, so he didn't do anything until they reached the spacecraft. Other than him, there were three other persons who came with him. An astronaut named Rory Price, a doctor named Gail West and a soldier named Scott Jenkins. It's the soldier who got in first to make sure the way was clear.

— The way is clear! You can come out.

Mark didn't really want to go, so he let Price and West go first. He was the last one to see inside the spaceship. It wasn't what he expected. The inside was normal for this kind of ship. Since he was the one that needed to be there for his expertise, he unwillingly took the lead.

— The goal is to see what happened to the members of the last mission, if there is still someone here and if there is any threat for us. Sergeant Jenkins, you will lead the way. Even if the last mission told us there wasn't any lifeforms here they might have been wrong. Doctor West, you need to always stay safe, you're the one who'll treat us if we get injured. Price, you will help me with the samples. We will bring them home for analysis. Everyone understood what they need to do?

SGT Jenkins:

—  Yes sir!

Rory Price nodded. West argued.

—  Why can't I help you? I have the qualifications to take samples as well! Is it because I'm a girl and you want to protect me somehow?

Mark Norfolk sighed.

— It's not because you're a woman. I would have said the same thing if you were a man. We need you to be safe. We don't know what we risk and if we might get hurt. As our doctor, you need to stay out of harms way.

She seemed a bit annoyed, but she didn't replied.

«I guess she's the reverse of me. She didn't just wanted to come, she wanted to live the adventure.» 

They started to explore the spacecraft. It was an endless maze with nothing alive. It was almost depressif the way there were only gray walls. In the middle of the researchers, West stopped for a bit. Mark asked her if she was all right.

— Why did you stopped? Are you ok?

She tried to take off her helmet.

— I'm just gonna take off my helmet.

Mark tried to stop her, but she still did it.

— Why? You know as much as me that it's a bad idea.

— We know the air is breathable, why do we still wear them anyway?

«Is she really a doctor?»

— They might be a pathogen in the air, that might be the reason why the others didn't came back.

— Yeah, yeah... I'm willing to take the risk!

The astronaut and the soldier looked at Mark.

— You two better not do like her!

Jenkins:

— Of course sir!

Price:

— My job is kind of not taking it off, so I won't!

Except air samples and the samples of the material making the starship there wasn't that much other samples they could make. They saw no sign of what happened to the last team. The sergeant Jenkins saw something when they was about to give up. It was a big room of two hundred meters from the top to the bottom, one hundred meters from right to left and fifty meters in front of them. In the bottom of it there were a weird shining orange-yellowish liquid. The liquid was oozing out of the walls. Jenkins touched it. Mrak, exasperated:

— Don't touch it!

Jenkins:

— Sorry, sir!

It's at this moment that the ship has been hit by turbulences. The soldier and Mark was close enough from the wall to grab it. West fell on the floor. Rory Price wasn't so lucky, he fell in the liquid. The turbulences stopped and the ones who didn't fell in the room. The turbulences stopped and the ones who didn't fell in the weird room went to see what happened to him.They saw Price trying to get out, while struggling his space suit was starting to disintegrate on him. They heard him yelling and calling for help. They couldn't do anything, he was way to low and no one had any climbing equipment on them. His face started being deformed and it looked like it was melting. He stopped yelling and disappeared in the depth of the orange liquid. Everyone was in shocked. Sergeant Jenkins shook his hand to make sure there wasn't anything left on it. Gail West puked in disgust. Without really thinking about it Mark Norfolk said the first thing that came to his mind.

— Are you really sure you're a doctor?

Doctor West wiped her mouth.

— Of course I am! But I never saw someone literally melt right in front of me.

— Me neither, but I didn't throw up. At least you didn't have your helmet on.

She put her helmet back on. She justified herself.

— If that happen when you fell in it what will happen if some of it goes in your lungs?

The soldier:

— I don't even want to imagine it.

The scientist:

— If you did breath some of it you're probably already screwed. And you probably did.

The doctor:

— I won't take any more chances.

Mark changed the subject.

— I'll take samples of it. We might find a cure or something useful to do with it. Look there! There's a ladder. I'll take samples of the liquid down there, it might not be the same of the one up here. 

Gail West:

— Do you really want to do that?

Mr. Norfolk:

— I don't! But I don't have any other choice, do I? Everyday, this ship is getting closer and closer to Earth. It might just get close, but it also might hit it. If it does, and we don't have enough information on this liquid, humanity will most likely die. 

Sergeant Jenkins:

— Sir, I won't let you down without a rope.

Mark:

— You have one?

— In my backpack.

— Why didn't you use it?

— I didn't thought about it and it wouldn't have been of any use by what I seen.

— I guess you're right. Sorry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed by all this.

— It's ok sir, I understand.

— Then, let's do this!

Jenkins tied the rope around Mark and Mark started climbing down the ladder. The more he went down, the more he felt the heat of the liquid. He almost thought that it was lava, but it wasn't. He took the sample and went back up. Then, they all got back to their ship. On the way home, West had more and more difficulty to breath, Jenkins didn't feel that well and Mark skin was itching. Jenkins and West lost consciousness before making their way back to Earth. Mark was the first one to get out of the ship. He called for help, he said medical assistance was needed. The people there came running to his help, but there, some kind of reptile got out of the ship. People started screaming and a military took it down. Later on, it was confirmed that the lizard was in fact Jenkins. The liquid had some mutagenic effects. When we were exposed too much, like Price, our body can't support it and we die. When we were only exposed a bit, like Jenkins, our DNA mutate and we become some kind of monsters. When, like West, some of it (a really small part of it) goes in your lungs, you have difficulty to breath and won't be able to breathe all by yourself in the end. The liquid also emits some kind of mutagenic radiations. When you're exposed to a little amount of it for a long period of time or to a big amount of it for a short period of time, your body partially mutates. That's why short after, Mark's skin started to look like scales. His health also deteriorated. He was seen as a monsters by people he met, and constantly fear that he might get attacked or die due to his health. Mark's sacrifices wasn't in vain. With the samples he had collected, science and medicine could evolve and they could find a way to protect themselves from the liquid, now called NC-Price-Lavak-West-Nor-Kins (or NC-PLWNK or just Lavak), but not how to reverses its effects.

In this story, there were two survivors. One who couldn't breathe by her own anymore and couldn't speak either. The other one who was consider as a monster even if he should be considered as a hero.