*sniffles* I'm feeling so... *sniff* happy right now... *blows nose* I'm over 200 reviews (YAY Purplefox135!) and this fic...has the most reviews of any GR fic... *starts sobbing* This story has become my baby... To see it become so popular... I LOVE YOU GUYS! ^_^ Okay, enough with the sentimental stuff. Time to get cracking! Want some Noah? Check! Want some Wolfgang? Check! Want some Lisa? Check! Skalamander? Checkity check check! Let's go! Chapter 21 HO! Oh, before I forget: I forgot to tell you what the poem from the last chapter was. It was A Passing Glimpse by Robert Frost. Anyway, enjoy!

NOAH'S POV

"Hey Noah?"

Noah suppressed a groan as Lisa piped up for the thirty seventh time. If it were any other kid, he would have told them to be quiet by this point. The only thing holding him back was what Holiday had said:

"Increased communication is encouraged. She's had a rough time. She needs to heal mentally."

And there was the fact that Lisa was...kinda cute. In a creepy, annoying way. Oh, why deny it? He was sucked in completely. The kid seemed to have chosen him to be the "older brother" figure, and he had taken her under his wing without a second thought. Still, despite how much he liked her, he was beginning to wonder how bad it was for people who grew up having a chatty younger sibling.

"Yes, Lisa?" 'Please don't ask what the meaning of life is again...My throat still hurts from trying to explain it yesterday...' He took a sip of the Wild Berry V8 he was sipping.

"Do you like Circe?"

Noah nearly choked on his drink. He sputtered, dribbling a big red stain over his tee-shirt. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he blinked bemusedly at Lisa. "Wha...?"

"I'll take that as a maybe." Lisa nodded her head, as if satisfied with Noah's response, before turning back to her strawberry milk.

Noah was still gaping at the blonde girl. "What makes you think that?"

"You visit her every day."

"So do Rex and Breach." Noah protested.

"Yeah but they already like each other." Lisa said calmly, as if she was simply talking about the weather.

"You think?"

Lisa gave Noah a withering look. "Even I noticed, and I'm only seven!" She paused, her gray eyes becoming unfocused. "Or am I eight...?"

Noah frowned. Every kid should know how old she is! Being obsessed with age is one of the key characteristics of childhood! "When's your birthday?"

"Don't know..." Lisa's expression became sober as she took another sip of pink milk. "I don't remember much. Breach said she found me when I was very little. I had become an Evo at a very young age and my parents abandoned me. She raised me in her special place."

Noah was stunned. No wonder this girl was so messed up! He was just opening his mouth to comfort her when she snapped her head back toward him, her thoughtful look gone.

"But don't change the subject! Do you like Circe, or don't you?"

"I barely know her!" Noah mumbled, turning away.

"That's not what I asked!" Lisa persisted. "Do you think she's nice?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"Uh..."

"Did you hold her hand at all?"

"I...er..."

"Did you kiss her?"

"No!" Noah said immediately, his face turning bright red.

"Do you want to kiss her?"

"Are you done with that milk?"

…...

SKALAMANDER'S POV

A pinprick of light is visible in the darkness. He groans, reaching up for it. His hand feels human this time. Normal. Small. Nice. He reaches. The light touches his hand and it immediately becomes green and scaly again. 'No...' He recoils from the light. He doesn't want it to shine on him, doesn't want to see himself for real again!

The light is becoming brighter... It has found him! "No..." He groans. "Go away...Stop..."

"Skalamander!" A soft, familiar voice drifts into his head. He stops running from the light. He won't run now. She is there! "Skalamander!"

"Breach..." He groans. He feels his hand flex. "Rex..."

"He's here, Skalamander!" Her voice sounds choked, as if she's crying. He tries to lift a hand to comfort her, but he can't control his muscles. He can't move. He's fine though. Breach is there. Rex is there. "Want...talk...Rex..."

"I'm here..." Yes. That's Rex's voice... He sounds confused, scared almost. That's odd... He wasn't scared of him before. Skalamander blinks. He can see the blurred outlines of Breach and Rex.

'So they are together...' The thought makes him both happy and sad. "I..." No! The darkness is closing in again! He needs to ask now! While he's in the light! Quickly! His tongue is working sluggishly. He screws up his concentration, trying to get the words out. "Kuh...Kay...Curah!" He sputters. "Cure...me..."

The darkness engulfs him. He knows no more.

…...

SIX'S POV

Six walked into the room and was met immediately by Holiday. Her olive eyes were narrowed and thoughtful. 'That can't be good... She's probably going to want me to-'

"I need to talk to you."

'Talk...dangit...' Still, like every other time this has happened, he followed her without a word of protest. Hopefully, she wanted to update him on the condition of Skalamander and Circe and not go into the psychology surrounding Rex's condition again. He nearly fell asleep last time... She led him into her deserted office and turned toward him.

"Skalamander showed signs of recovery today." She stated, frowning slightly.

"That's good." Six nodded his head calmly. 'Then why doesn't she look happy?' He wondered to himself, noting the slight furrow in Holiday's brows. 'Well, I'm probably about to find out.'

"I hadn't been able to revive him before now." She muttered, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Then, this morning, White had some new supplies delivered. The newer medicine was what brought Skalamander back."

"Then administer more tomorrow." Six said. That seemed simple enough...

Holiday shook her head. "Only enough for one dosage was delivered, Six!"

"Request more." 'Honestly, it isn't rocket science...'

"Already did. White denied any more medication 'until further notice'." Holiday snarled, her eyes blazing. "Do you understand what that means, Six?"

'Until further notice...' "He shouldn't be allowed to do that..." Six murmured, half to himself. "Treatment isn't supposed to be withheld without reason."

"Well he is withholding treatment!" Holiday growled. "And Skalamander won't last much longer. Even with the medicine, all I'll be able to do will be to make sure he's able to say goodbye before he-" Holiday stopped suddenly and closed her eyes. Six could see the look of concentration on her face, like she was trying to keep from crying.

"Holiday..." 'Please don't start crying...' Well, there was no turning back now. It was time to say those deadly words: "What can I do?"

Holiday looked up at him and a small smile came to her face. Six ignored the melting sensation in his chest. She drew a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "I'm going to need to keep constant watch on Skalamander, so his condition doesn't get worse. This is the medicine. I need you to look around for it. As much as you can get. I want to give Skalamander one last dosage. Hopefully, it'll be enough to bring him back fully just once. Just long enough to get some last words in..."

"I'll see what I can do." Six promised, pocketing the paper.

"Thank you, Six." Holiday placed a hand on his arm as she passed. "I can always count on you."

Six watched her as she exited the office. The spot on his arm where Holiday's hand had been was still warm...

"Hey, S-dawg?" Rex's voice came from the doorway. Six rolled his eyes and turned toward the teen.

"Okay, Rex. Who told you it was okay to call me-?" He paused when he noticed the look on Rex's face. "What is it?"

Rex walked over and looked up at Six. His eyes were wide and he had a helpless look on his face. Six hated that look. That wasn't the look Rex was supposed to have...

"It's Skalamander, Six. He asked me to cure him. I don't remember how to cure Evos! How can I cure him if I don't remember how to-"

"Slow down, Rex." Six put a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Did you say Skalamander asked you to cure him?"

"Yeah!" Rex threw his hands in the air. "And I can't!"

"Rex...I wouldn't worry about that." Six took his hand off of Rex's shoulder. "Has Holiday told you about his problem?"

"No."

"He has a large shard of metal wedged in his heart. It can't be taken out without risking killing him. Do you know what's keeping him alive right now?"

Rex shook his head. "Not sure... Holiday said he has a strong will."

"That's only half of it. Skalamander is strong, both mentally and physically. His Evo body gives him much more strength than most humans. That's what's been keeping him alive and able to withstand all of this pain and medications."

"What are you getting at?"

"If you cure him, Rex... If you turn him back into a normal creature... He'll die within minutes."

…...

WOLFGANG'S POV

Wolfgang gasped in pain as he felt his hard skull crack against a boulder. Quickly, he righted himself and stood up straight, claws flashing. With a snarl, he launched himself forward and slashed at Beta's exposed ribcage. The fiery wolf roared in anger and grabbed at Wolfgang's wrist, flipping him over onto his back. Wolfgang's muscles went limp.

"Nice try, pup!" Beta's earth-moving voice growled in Wolfgang's ear. "But we need stronger dogs than you for what we're planning." He let go of Wolfgang and took a step back. "Go home."

Wolfgang groaned as he got back to his feet. 'He's strong...' He looked up at the wolf's hollow black eyes.

"Theta will escort you out." Beta turned away and curled up once more at the base of the large tree.

Wolfgang turned to see the slender, muscular red-brown jackal gazing up at him. Her crystal blue eyes were glimmering sympathetically. "Come on. Let's go."

Wolfgang nodded mutely before turning to follow Theta toward the forest entrance. Neither one of them said a word as they walked. Wolfgang was staring at the ground. He had never felt so low. Beta had tossed him around like a ragdoll. 'Now what'll I do?' He thought to himself mournfully. 'Maybe if I give the location of this place, White will still treat Skalamander.' His ears perked up at the thought but his heart sank. He glanced at Theta out of the corner of his eye. 'No...there's something more to this place...'

"Don't feel too bad." Theta piped up. "It's not easy to beat Beta in a fight. Personally, I think the bar has been raised a little too high. I doubt any Evo could land a scratch on Beta while he's awake."

'It wouldn't be right to just eliminate them... If I found out their purpose and was able to think of something... Maybe I can get them to leave and tell White that they're dead. Or maybe-" "What did you say?" He suddenly said, turning his head toward Theta.

"I said we're almost there."

"No, before that!" Wolfgang stopped walking. "What did you say about Beta?"

"I said that he's really hard to beat."

"You said...that he's hard to beat when he's awake..." Wolfgang turned back toward the forest and felt a light coming to his eyes. "Do you mind if we take a little detour, Theta?"

Sorry this chapter was shorter than the last one. But hey, chapters come in all shapes and sizes and it's the content that matters. I can't wait until next week! Van Kleiss will be featured and that means that BREACH will be there! Apparently, the Providence base is gonna be infested with black goo... At least Kleiss doesn't have the Pedo Claw so he can't do too much... Then again...you never know... Anyway, gimme shiny reviews! It makes Breach happy! Solora out! ^_^