A/N: Shorter than the last one but I should be updating a bit faster in the next week or so. Enjoy :)

Chapter 10:

"Any change yet?" Jack asked, the phone propped up against his ear by his shoulder.

"Nothing" Tenenbaum replied, her voice was cold and emotionless. "Hannah is stable but unresponsive. Given the stab wound and collapse of a firey building on top of her the doctors aren't questioning her condition very much. Debbie on the other hand..."

Jack stopped what he was doing "What about Debbie?"

"Ahem, sorry. Debbie's condition is baffling them. Aside a few minor burns and cuts they can find no reason for her deteriorated state". Tenenbaum continued though her voice was some what strained.

"Let me guess, the use of the plasmids?".

"What else is there? Without sufficient ADAM the plasmids strain the bodies resources, and given she... she forced through the chemical inhibitors I placed them all on... the damage was...". Jack heared a stifled sob on the end of the line.

Jack stood up from his desk. "This is not your fault Bridgette. No one could have predicted what happened last night or if the girls could even conciously use their powers".

There was a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry its just that... never mind. Debbie will make a recovery, I guess its one of the benefits of trace stem cells for the slug. How are the other girls?"

Jack sighed. "Marsha keeps saying she could have done something, shouldn't have left them alone in the barn but I think she knows it was out of her hands. Beth is still getting the headaches and hasn't left her bedroom much".

The door opened and Elle walked in with a tray, on it was a few sandwiches and two coke bottles. She smiled grimly and placed it on the desk.

"What about Amanda?"

"She's... I don't know. I think its the idea of others from Rapture tracking us down, and the fact almost half of the girls are sick. Simon's called a couple of times but she hasn't left the house" Jack said. I need to talk to her he thought.

"Well... I'd best get back to the girls. Mary and Susan need their sleep I-I'll send them back now"

"When was the last time you slept?" Jack asked, but he knew what was coming.

"Call you round the same time Jack" Tenenbaum said, completely dimissing his question. There was a click and the line went dead.

"She won't leave them" Elle said, picking up a few photos from the desk. "Not until she is one hundred percent sure that will wake up. And that means they have to wake up".

Jack grabbed one of the sandwiches. "Damn woman doesn't know when to quit sometimes".

Elle raised an eyebrow "Pot calling the kettle black?". She gestured to the mess of photos and newspaper articles on the desk. "We've only seen you around breakfast and dinner before you lock yourself away".

"This thing attacked my family!" Jack snapped. "And if I'm right there's more of them and they've been taking girls from all over the world! Its a miracle that bitch didn't snag Lisa".

Jack looked down at his research. Both he and Tenenbaum had started that night after they left the hospital (though Tenenbaum didn't stay very long at the house). There snap shots of a red light at a harbor or a skinny figure darting from a warehouse. There were clippings of how 6-7 year old girls were mysteriously kidnapped from secure homes. We should have seen this earlier he thought But we didn't want our comfy lives to be ruined.

"It wasn't a miracle" Elle said suddenly, a familiar vacant look in her eyes. "She wanted us there. To see what we were capable of, and I think because she was lonely".

Jack almost choked "Lonely?".

Elle picked up the clearest picture of what all the girls had agreed on seeing. A Sister. "We were family in a way. And we left her in the dark, she was angry and happy at the same time".

I hate to admit, but she has a point Jack thought bitterly. We didn't try to look for more survivors or make any attempt to go back. So what is this then? Revenge? Some crazy delusion of all of us returning and being one happy family?.

She replaced the picture and looked at Jack. "This one in town though... I think she's crossed a line".

"What makes you say that?"

"She could have killed Hannah and Debbie. She nearly did" Elle said. "This one hates us all the more for seeing us as a family, she wants to destroy us".

Jack walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's some insight you've got there."

Elle blinked and suddenly her eyes showed confusion, concern. "Its like... like I can almost see why she thinks that way. There was this pull on the night, something trying to grab my attention."

"Marsha mentioned something like that" Jack said.

"But its not the same!" Elle said, there was a desperate way in which turned back to the door. "Its as if... as if I can feel her. I don't know why this is affecting me more than the others but..."

"Hey" he pulled her back into a hug. "Its ok. When comes to things from Rapture all we have right now is theory and guess work. And the way I see it is that this connection is our path to tracking down this Sister".

"But what then?" Elle asked in a small voice. "We kill her?"

Jack tensed. Is there anything human in there to kill?

Amanda came down the stairs wiping her face. Keep it togther, keep it together she repeated to herself. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get back to her usual self. The attack had changed her whole views and feelings, how could she brush everything aside now?

Simon flashed into her head. I forgave him so easily... am I that desperate to be normal? Amanda knew it was wrong to think about herself during all of this but that incident was now burned into her mind as an example of how stupid she had been. I'm willing to let go of everything from my past to settle for someone like that? What would Debbie say?

She felt a lump in her throat. Its my fault that she was there. I pushed her, I'm why half of us were there and nearly killed! The phone rang all of sudden causing Amanda to jump a little. She went to pick it up when it occured to her it could be Tenenbaum phoning in about the girls. Old resentment came so quickly to her thoughts Amanda was shocked by it.

Shaking her head Amanda picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Amanda? Its Dr Lamb. I was wondering whether or not to show up in person given the event a few days ago and that none of you have turned up in school". Her voice was filled with concern "Is there anything you wish to talk about my dear?"