I looked at my chapters and realized there were thirty four. That bugged me. So I made it thirty five. ^^

Thank you Amazing Bluie, the title is perfect. ;) You truly are AMAZING.

Boxed In

"I feel deprived," I sighed, tapping at the oddly glowing glass surrounding me. It had been a little while since I'd tried to blast out of this thing, only to have my attacks rebound and somehow manage to bite me, but I was still tempted to try again.

The speaker crackled to life above me with a silky voice I'd grown to hate, repeating, for the millionth time, "This won't take long."

I slammed my head against the glass behind me, wincing upon impact. "Stop spying on me, it's disconcerting."

A low chuckle. "You should be used to this by now. Spying is how I get my information."

"Stalker," I breathed, not nearly happy with how weak my voice sounded just then.

A hot sting of electricity fired to life from the glass, rippling through my body and causing an unbidden scream to echo around my soundproof box. When it stopped, I was left completely without energy, and feeling like someone had just applied a battering ram to my skull.

"I was waiting for the right moment," The speaker laughed. "Thank you for the opening."

"Ow," I hissed, biting my lower lip. "Why'd you do that?"

"Just another test," he replied, all business. "Your nerves seemed to have some sort of reaction to that…"

"You think?" I snapped.

There was a frustrated growl, and for a moment I thought I'd gotten to him. But his words clarified that he was merely unhappy with my results. "Your virus cells did nothing. No slowing in their multiplication—which, by the way, has quickened over the past hour—and absolutely no reaction to the electric shock. Maybe if I turned up the voltage…?"

"Hey!" I hit my fist, hard, on the glass, "The goal is to heal me, not kill me!"

"You have no say in what I'm doing," he glowered in response.

I glared at the little speaker above me, willing him to see my facial expression, "Never had a say in you kidnapping me and sticking me in a stupid box, either, but that doesn't keep me from complaining."

"You were infected and refused treatment!" he defended, clearly short with me.

I sneered bitterly, "I'm sorry I wasn't very akin to the idea of torture."

There was a pause, a noise I assumed to be fingers tapping across a desk, and finally a complicated drawn-out groan. "I don't know how else to fix it…" He trailed.

My ears pricked, "Don't tell me this is the alternative you mentioned earlier? The one you didn't want to have to try?"

"Mmm. It'll likely kill you." He sounded so casual; I almost had to do a double take to comprehend what he meant.

I ran a hand through my hair; despise one another as we may, death was never something either of us would take lightly about the other. "That bad, huh?"

"This virus could kill the entire human population," he reminded, a sort of sorrow coating his tone. "If we don't fully remove it from your system, you won't only die, but take down all living civilization as you go."

I rolled onto my back, aching muscles slowly feeling better, "What kind of idiot creates a virus that gets airborne when you die?"

"I thought it was rather ingenious," he mumbled.

I closed my eyes, "Just tell me what you're going to do."

"I'm mixing a lot of substances—I'm sure you wouldn't recognize most of these compounds, so I won't bother listing them—and infusing them with a level of antiplasm and then doing the same to a group of chemicals that will be combined with ectoplasm to create a double—"

"Never mind," I cut him off, rolling my eyes. Nothing I'd understand. Got it. "What do you need me to do?"

…

"Stay alive, Badger."

Glad to be rid of this plot bunny - I have been freed of its evil clutches!

~Catalyst

p.s. Sorry if any of you thought the title meant a Box Ghost fic...come to think of it, the BG needs more love. I challenge thee~! Go write about the Box Ghost! And spread my challenge around...