Title: Trapped
Summary: While a virus infects NIH headquarters, Eva is stuck in Australia while Natalie and Stephen fight for their lives after a mountaineering accident. (Nathen)
Spoilers: Nothing so far.
Notes: My first MI fic, going to be Nathen. I figured since I live far away from the actual place this show is set, I'd bring it to me! Hehe, enjoy!
Terms you might not know…
CSIRO- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
SES- State Emergency Services
Flashes of colour we're the only thing he saw as the rope above him snapped, sending him and the woman behind him flying backwards, the wind burning his skin as he plummeted several meters down a long chasm. Pain exploded through his body as his flesh hit solid rock, before darkness engulfed his vision and Stephen Conner lost all grip on reality.
FIFTEEN HOURS EARLIER
Natalie Durant sighed, stretching out her tired muscles as she watched the man beside her shuffle through his papers, slightly irritably. It was how they all felt at the moment, Stephen had called them early, soon after midnight, informing them all to report into headquarters, another fresh case on their doorstep. So, grouchy and tetchy, the team had pulled themselves from their beds, climbed into their cars and driven through the pouring rain. Miles sniffled slightly beside her, his nose red from a common head-cold, as Eva and Frank slowly shuffled into the room, almost falling into their seats.
Looking at each of them in turn, Natalie asked the question that was plaguing her mind, causing the irritation that was currently coursing through her veins.
"Does anyone know why Stephen called us here?" Eva glanced at Miles shaking her head, while Miles in turn, looked up at Natalie and sneezed.
"No idea." He said quickly, voice high and strained. Frank shook his head.
"He didn't tell me anything. Where is he anyway?"
Natalie shrugged, but her question was quickly answered, as Stephen walked into the room, walking past them with a smile and standing at the head of the room.
"Okay, we have an unknown contagion," He said quickly, sticking three photo's on the board in quick succession, one of a woman, her red hair and toothy smile giving her a carefree expression, the second of a man looking business like, in a sharp black suit and tie, his brown hair balding as he looked at the camera, a cold expression written into aging his features, the third picture had to be the most disturbing, a young boy, only eighteen or nineteen, looking at the camera from his hospital bed, his face covered in a red rash that was more like boils, his eyes expressionless. Stephen looked at each of the photo's quickly, before turning back to waiting group, who now looked well awake and alert.
"The virus presents itself as a rash with blood filled boils, it quickly develops into respiratory failure, while the throat swells up with infection."
Natalie winced.
"Are we looking at an airborne contagion?"
Stephen nodded.
"It's a possibility we have to consider. Regardless, we've been ordered to wear protective suits when around the infected."
Frank nodded.
"Any visible connection between victims?"
Stephen looked back at the pictures before answering.
"A big one. They all belong to the same mountaineering group."
Miles looked up sharply.
"Mountaineering? I can't mountaineer."
Conner nodded, smiling slightly,
"I know, that's one of the reasons your not going. Your staying here with Frank and doing analysis on any bodies that we send down. Eva, Natalie and I will be going to investigate."
Natalie looked at Stephen, disbelief written on her features.
"I can't mountaineer!"
"I know. But with Miles sick, I need Frank to stay here to perform autopsies, while investigating one of the victims residence. She lived here in New York City."
Natalie looked slightly downcast, but nodded none the less.
"So, where we going?" Eva asked, breaking the silence that had descended, each person lost in their own thoughts.
Stephen smiled.
"Australia."
Eva and Natalie shared a quick, shocked look.
"Stephen," Eva said timidly, "Isn't that a little out of our jurisdiction?"
Conner stared at her for a second before replying.
"With the rate with thing is spreading, the CSIRO are keeping tight lipped, but because we have the experience, we've been recruited to help contain the outbreak."
"How many victims are we talking about?" Eva asked, narrowing her eyes.
Stephen stopped and sighed.
"I can only imagine. We've only been given access to these three victims because they we're only holidaying in Australia. All three we're originally from New York. But as for that, we're walking in blind."
Eva sighed.
"Press?"
"None," Stephen said quickly, "This operation has to be top priority, but secret. The press can't get a hold of this story at all costs." Eva nodded, mouth dry.
"When do we leave?" She asked, as Stephen picked on his coat. She noticed the smile flash along his features.
"Plane leaves in an hour." He said grinning, walking from the room and leaving them to silence.
A little over five hours later, the three members of NIH we're standing under the bright blue sky of Australia, city all around as they climbed from a taxi and looked at the large hospital in front of them.
"This is where out patients are being held for the moment," Conner said, paying the driver and walking forward to the large rotating doors, "Our liaison with the health commission is one Doctor. Sandford. He'll be meeting us inside."
Within minutes as they entered the white sterile hospital, it became apparent the hospital had had become home for hundreds of sick patients.
"This looks worse then we originally thought." Natalie said concerned, as they walked past several rooms, packed with patients.
"Looks like it's spreading faster then we originally thought." Eva said, her eyebrows rising.
Stephen nodded, concern etched into his face.
"Let's find our source and find a cure for this thing quickly."
Eva and Natalie nodded quickly, as the three noticed a young man walking towards them, his white coat prominent against the patients, the metallic glint of his stethoscope shining in their direction as he walked toward them.
"The members from NIH I presume?" He asked, holding out his hand to Stephen, who shook it.
"Yeah. Doctor Sandford?"
"That's me. I'm grateful you guys came. We've managed to keep public panic down to a bare minimum, but we need to find the source of this thing quickly. It's hectic here. We're so far in we can't even see the surface anymore."
Stephen smiled slightly at the metaphor.
"Well we're here to serve as a lifeboat. I'm Doctor Stephen Conner, this is Doctor Natalie Durant and Eva Rossi." Sandford nodded and shook hands with each of them, before handing a file to Conner's.
"This is all the information we have so far. There's a helicopter waiting on the roof to take you to where the first victims we're mountaineering. We have a GP office set up there for your base of operations." He smiled slightly, "I hope you guys can help is beat this thing."
Stephen shook the Doctor's hand once more.
"You have our word."
The helicopter ride took a long while, as Stephen, Natalie and Eva sat reading the file, soaking in the limited amount of information they had been given. But before long, the trio were standing in the middle of the desert, standing in the shadow of a landmark they all knew.
"When they said mountain," Eva said quietly, "I didn't think they meant the famous Uluru."
Natalie shook her head.
"It's not even a mountain! It's a rock!" Conner beckoned them as the climbed back into the jeep and further down the dusty road they we're following to a small town, stopping outside a small Doctor's office.
The door of the office opened quickly on it's hinges, a small balding man standing on the threshold looking at them in urgency.
"Hi, I'm doctor Conner's, this is-" Stephen was quickly cut off.
"Yes, Yes, I was told of your arrival. Doctor Sanford sent a message through, a small group of hikers have fallen ill while climbing Uluru illegally. He has asked that you set off immediately to try and reach them. All SES crews are unavailable with outbreaks spread out over the entire state."
Conner glanced at Eva and Natalie.
"Oh. Right."
"I have the equipment ready…and I can organize a guide if you need it."
Conner sighed.
"No, I have some experience." He turned to the others, "Eva, you stay here and hold down the fort. Call Miles and Frank, see if they've made progress. Also get in touch with the councils around here, we need perimeters set up." Eva nodded and disappeared inside. "Looks like we're going climbing." He said, half jokingly to Natalie, who nodded.
They had begun to climb at the co-ordinates given to them, Natalie had been quietly surprised to learn Stephen could mountaineer, but not so much that she was to learn she was mildly afraid of heights.
They had begun to climb, and were well more then half way when a loud ripping sound brought the pair from their thoughts.
"Eva, How's it going?" Conner said into the radio, not registering the noise. The ripping continued. Natalie began looked in around for the source as Eva's voice replied quickly.
"I talked to Miles, he said they discovered some toxins that may be accountable for the symptoms."
"Good."
"I also contacted Doctor Sandford, he sent over some of the dead for autopsies at the NIH. And as for the perimeters, the best I've been able to do is stop some of the tours for the afternoon."
It was then, in that heart stopping moment that Natalie realised the ripping sound, was indeed her own rope. Fear began pumping through her veins.
"STEPHEN!" Her scream cut Conner off from talking to Eva as he spun around in time to grab her hand as Natalie's rope finally gave way. Now dangling only from Conner's hand, Eva's concerned yelling coming through the radio, after she had heard the scream, both came aware at the same moment that Conner's rope had begun to fray and unravel, unable to hold both sets of weight.
"Oh god, Stephen!" She said worriedly, hyperventilating slightly.
"It's going to be okay, Nat. Just hold on!" But it wasn't going to be okay. With a final ripping, the rope broke. Flashes of colour we're the only thing he saw as the rope above him snapped, sending him and the woman behind him flying backwards, the wind burning his skin as he plummeted several meters down a long chasm. Pain exploded through his body as his flesh hit solid rock, before darkness engulfed his vision and Stephen Conner lost all grip on reality.
The only sound heard was the radio, which was still falling past the rocky ledge where the two friends had landed, a voice filtering clearly through.
"Stephen! Natalie! Where are you? What's wrong? Hello?"
Before it smashed against the rock face, breaking into a thousand irreparable pieces.
To be continued!
