When Karania first woke up in the infirmary, she looked around at her surroundings and began to wonder where the heck she was.
Maxie from where he was watching her, saw that she was finally awake and said, "I see that you're finally awake."
Karania turned her head in the direction that Maxie's voice came from.
"Where…..? Who?" Karania asked, sounding confused.
"Come on now, you know who I am." Maxie said.
"Maxie?" Karania asked uneasily.
"That's right you got it." Maxie told her.
"Oh, dear god. Not you again…." Karania said, after learning that Maxie had her once again.
Maxie laughed and said, "Yes, it's me….. Did you really think that you could escape from me? I don't think so. For as long as you have something I want from you, we will continue to go after you until we get it."
Now Karania asked, "Where am I?"
Maxie replied, "My dear, you're in our infirmary at our base."
Karania looked terrified.
Maxie saw her terrified expression on her face because he said, "I'll bet that you want to know, what I plan to do with you."
He leered at Karania, waiting for her to reply.
Then when she didn't he continued, "I plan to ransom you, and also keep you from dying as much as we possibly can."
After Maxie told Karania of the plans he had for her, he took out a length of strong cord and tied her wrists together, before he tied the other end to the side of the bed.
Karania now looked at Maxie and asked, "But, what good will that do you? I'm sick."
Maxie chuckled slightly at what Karania had said.
Then he replied, "My dear, you may be sick, but you're still incredibly useful to have around."
Now Karania said, "You won't get away with this Maxie. My friends will come rescue me!"
Maxie looked at Karania for a moment before he said, "I think not, my dear."
Now he went on, "I plan to use you to make a certain someone do as I ask to save you."
Karania now asked, "I see, and who exactly is this person?"
Maxie grinned evilly at Karania, which gave her an uneasy, sinking feeling that he had some sort of plan up his sleeve that involved her.
Then Maxie said to Karania, "I want you to meet someone."
Maxie now stood up, and turned to the door and said, "Mal, bring in the brat!"
The door opened, and Mal entered with Edgar right beside her.
"Edgar! They got you too?" Karania exclaimed.
Edgar looked at the floor and didn't answer.
"Edgar! What have you done with him, Maxie!?" Karania asked.
Maxie replied, "Don't worry about the boy. You should be concerned about what I have in store for you."
Then Maxie said, "As you can see, boy…. I have Karania too, and she will be the one who suffers if you don't do as I say."
Edgar looked up after Maxie said that and exclaimed, "Please, don't hurt her!"
Maxie laughed, and pulled Edgar out of earshot from Karania.
Before he asked, "Why do you care for her so much?"
Edgar softly replied, "She's like a sister to me."
Karania didn't know what was going on. Since she couldn't see exactly what they were doing, or hear what they were saying from the bed she was laying on. They now moved back within earshot of Karania.
Maxie glanced over at Karania and then looked back at Edgar before he continued, "I'll tell you what…. I won't hurt Karania, if you join Team Magma."
From behind Maxie, Karania shook her head.
Edgar got the message she was trying to send him because he said, "There's no way, that I would even consider joining you!"
In which case Maxie replied, "Very well….. Then Karania pays the price."
Karania looked scared. Maxie now walked over to a shelf. Once there, he got a needle and filled it with a sleeping fluid. Before he came back over to Karania. Maxie didn't give Edgar a chance to change his mind because he stuck Karania in the arm with it. Karania fought to stay awake, but that attempt was useless. The drug soon overpowered her, and lulled her into a deep sleep. Once Karania was asleep, Maxie grabbed Edgar, and pulled him close so that they were now face to face.
Maxie now said, "I'll give you one more chance…."
Edgar gulped.
Maxie now growled, "You will do as I say, if you value your so called sister's life….."
Maxie allowed Edgar to think for a moment, while he went to get one of the doctors. In a few minutes, Maxie returned with the doctor. The doctor saw Karania, and began trying to determine what was wrong with her.
As the doctor was doing that, Maxie turned back to Edgar and asked, "So, what will it be?"
Edgar glanced over at Karania, where the doctor was now taking a small sample of her blood to run an analysis on. Then the doctor left the room to run the analysis on the sample he had obtained from Karania.
Before replying, "Ok, fine. I'll join…. Just don't hurt her."
"Now, that's a good boy." Maxie said, while petting Edgar on the head.
Then Maxie said, "Now, you do exactly as I tell you. I is that clear, child?:
"Yes." Edgar replied.
"Yes, what?" Maxie asked him.
"I mean…. Yes, sir….." Edgar replied.
Now Maxie said, "Now that's more like it."
Now Maxie turned to Mal and said, "Mal, go get a boys uniform for Edgar."
"As you wish, dad." Mal replied.
Mal now left the room.
When Mal left, Edgar turned to Maxie and said, "Promise me, that you won't harm Karania."
"I won't harm her, if you do exactly as you're told." Maxie told him.
Now Mal entered with the uniform, and gave it to Edgar.
Then Maxie said, "This will be your uniform from now on. You are part of the family now, the Team Magma family."
Now Mal and Maxie laughed.
"I'll wear it, but it makes me sick to even think of wearing it!" Edgar said.
Mal now spoke up and said, "You will wear it, and you will do as you're told. Got it?"
Edgar then replied, "Yes, ma'am."
Maxie then said, "Child, duck behind that curtain behind you, and change into your new uniform."
Edgar did as he was instructed, and then came back out a few minutes later carrying his old clothes in his arms.
"Now, fold your clothes, and place them under Karania's bed. Then come with me." Mal said.
Once again, Edgar did as he was told.
Before he left the room with Mal, Maxie said, "If you try to escape, it will be your fault that Karania dies."
Then Edgar left the infirmary with Mal.
The doctor now returned with the results of the analysis.
"So doctor, how is she?" Maxie asked.
"Not too good, I'm afraid." The doctor replied.
"That's not good." Maxie said grimly.
"She's very weak. If we don't get some fluids in her, I'm afraid that we're going to lose her." The doctor relied.
"Do it. She still has the IV in her arm from when she was in the hospital. Use it to save her life." Maxie said.
"Okay, I will. Now I need to get a new IV bag ready for her. Since the one she's one won't last much longer." The doctor said.
"You do that." Maxie said.
The doctor then left the room, and began preparing the IV bag for Karania. Maxie was thinking about how it would be a pity if Karania died, when a loud beeping noise jarred him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw at once that her IV bag was now empty. Maxie was about to get the doctor, when the doctor returned with a new IV bag.
"Good timing. Her other bag is now empty." Maxie said.
"So it is. Then I need to switch them out." The doctor said.
Then he walked over to her IV stand, removed the empty bag, and put the new one in its place.
"There. That should do it, for now at least." The doctor said.
"Good." Maxie said.
Now her new doctor turned to Maxie and asked, "How did she get this sick?"
"When she was our captive a week ago, I used some drugs on her to render her defenseless. I didn't know that they would affect her this much." Maxie said.
"Okay, so she fell sick because of the drugs you used on her. Can I ask which drugs you used on her?" Her doctor asked.
Maxie replied, "I used one to put her to sleep, one that would disable her psychic powers, and also one that would sap her energy."
"Hmm….. It's my bet that some of those drugs reacted with each other, thus making her sick." Her doctor said.
Now Maxie asked, "Can you save her?"
"I'll do what I can for her." The doctor replied.
"Then try to keep her stable." Maxie said.
"I'll do that." Her doctor said.
Maxie and the doctor watched her sleep for a bit. Then her doctor went to prepare a shot that would help her to regain her strength so that she could combat her illness. After the doctor left, Maxie took his hand and ran his it over her face in a gesture of slight concern.
"Sorry, I had to do this to you, Little One, but I had no choice if I wanted Edgar to do as I said."
Maxie watched her sleep for a few more minutes before getting up, and leaving the infirmary with the idea that he would go back to his office, and write the ransom letter for both Edgar and Karania.