Virus

Continued

11. Delirious

          Duo, Trowa and Quatre made their way through the water to the door. A huge wave washed over them, dragging them underwater for a moment. When they got back to the surface they turned around to see what had caused it. At first they thought they saw Wufei and Heero just floating in the air. The light was still on the fritz and the room was temporarily dark. It flickered on suddenly and the tentacles holding the two boys up became visible. Heero was fighting against the slimy things wrapped around his body and Wufei was simply hanging there watching as the seemingly independent vines choked the life out of his former ally.

          "Trowa…" Quatre panted. "Make it stop…please, make it stop!" Duo looked away from Wufei and Heero and glanced at Quatre.

          "I guess that poison's really getting to him…" he mumbled. Trowa remembered the caffeine pills that Heero had given him. He searched his pockets and found nothing. He had left it on the door. There was nothing he could do for Quatre. Nothing… Quatre threw his head back and cried out in pain at the same time Wufei did. Heero had bitten one of the tentacles. The wounded appendage pulled away from Heero freeing his arms. He pulled out a scalpel that he'd snuck out of the chemical lab and stabbed it into another tentacle. Wufei growled as black puddles of his blood formed in the water. The wounds healed quickly but the pain lingered. Sending more snake-like tentacles Heero's way, he spoke. Quatre's head tilted back and his eyes widened. Staring absently forward, he voiced every word that Wufei said.

          "There is no use in fighting. You will die. If you give up now it will be much easier on you. All humans will be killed off eventually." Heero's body was being enveloped in thick gray tentacles. In a last effort to get free he threw the scalpel at Wufei. The blade planted itself in the middle of his forehead. There was frantic splashing behind Trowa as a violent tremor spread through Quatre's body. As he turned his head to examine the shaking boy strapped to his back he missed the trembling that rippled through Wufei's body and all the tentacles right before his eyes rolled back and he went limp. There was a loud splash as he fell into the water. Heero pushed his way through the lifeless vines and over to where the other pilots were.

          "He's not going to be unconscious for long. We better go now." he said.

***

          They continued on their journey through the flooded area of the lab, going through door after door as quickly as they could. After a while their limbs were too fatigued to go on. They stopped to rest in a room that appeared to be red because of the crimson light submerged in the water. It was almost as if they were swimming in a large vat of blood. Quatre lifted his head slowly. It was his first movement since the seizure he'd had. A soft hiss echoed around them. Trowa and Heero tensed immediately. Quatre chuckled lightly.

          "That wasn't Wufei…" Duo said. Heero turned to him.

          "Then who was it?" he demanded.

          "You're not gonna believe this but…it was Quatre…" Heero stared at Duo for a moment, trying to make sense out of what he'd just said. Quatre's voice grabbed his attention.

          "Kill them…kill the humans…kill them all…" He hissed again after saying this. Trowa let himself out of the harness straps and turned Quatre around. His head rolled loosely.

          "Quatre…" Trowa lifted Quatre's head by his chin. He withdrew his hand almost immediately. Glancing down at it, he saw glistening red blood running down his arm. Quatre had bitten his finger. Quatre fell on his back laughing. He licked the blood from around his mouth.

          "Man, he's really losin' it…"

          "Heero, are you sure there's nothing else we can give him?"

          "There are a few snake venom antidotes in the building. But all of them are near the cold storage area. We're almost there. If he can make it there, we can give him some of those." A soft thump caught his attention. He looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. Another thump reached his ears, louder than the one before it.

          "Do you hear that?" Duo and Trowa strained their ears. Yet another, louder thump sounded.

          "What is that?" Duo asked. The next time they heard it, it had a more distinct sound to it. It was more like a clang than a thump. They waited and the sound came again, this time followed by splashing. Finally they realized what was making the sound and they prepared to leave. Trowa tried to flip Quatre over so he could put the harness back on but Quatre wouldn't let him. The clanging and splashing was getting closer; they didn't have much time.

          "Quatre…" Trowa pleaded. Quatre laughed at him and batted his hands away.

"Trowa get him and come on!" Heero growled from across the room. All out of ideas, Trowa simply tilted the piece of wood Quatre had been laying on, dumping him into the water. Before Quatre could swim away, he grabbed the harness and strapped himself in. As he made his way to the next door the one they had previously come through frosted over. Just as he reached Heero and Duo, the door flew off its hinges and landed in the water not too far from them. Ice spread through the doorway and up the walls. Ducking slightly, Wufei walked in, standing on top of the ice. He smirked at them.

          "Well…I have to admit that you had me a little worried, Yui. For a minute I didn't think I'd survive that one."  The water was freezing quickly; they had to move or they would be stuck. Heero opened the door and started to go through but something caught him and pulled him back. He pulled and scratched at the tentacle around his throat.

          "Heero! Hang on I'll -!" Duo began. Heero cut him off.

          "No! You have to keep going!" The appendage tightened, silencing any further words. He felt the slimy things wrap around his legs and soon he found himself hanging upside down in front of Wufei.

          "You know what's funny, Heero?" Wufei asked. The tentacle around Heero's neck moved away. "I can breathe underwater. But you can't." Without warning Heero's head was dunked into the water. Unwittingly he swallowed a good deal of it. He gasped for air as he was lifted out again.

          "Refreshing, isn't it? Here, have some more." Once again Heero dropped into the water and this time he was pulled back and forth. More water disappeared down his throat. This time he came up choking. Duo realized that Heero couldn't do anything to get free and took action. He fumbled around in Heero's pack until his hand closed on what felt like a gun. He pulled it out and examined it.

          "What's this? A waterproof flare gun? I didn't know they made these…" He unscrewed the cap that was over the open end of the barrel and took aim. 'Here goes…' He pulled the trigger and the flare zoomed toward its target. It seemed as though the flare might actually hit but a slick and rapid tentacle caught it and dunked it into the water, putting it out. Duo cursed under his breath. Wufei turned to glare in his direction and while he was distracted his tentacles loosened enough for Heero to pull free. Heero dove as deep as he could so Wufei wouldn't be able to see him. Tentacles chased him almost to the bottom of the flooded room. He swam to the door. As he neared it he could see the other pilots slipping through into the next room. Too late Wufei realized what had happened and sent a swarm of rope like appendages after them. Trowa and Duo slammed the door closed on a couple of them, cutting the tips off. They watched the things melt and slide back through the crack below the door. On the other side a furious roar erupted. Duo swam over to Heero.

          "Are you okay?" he asked. Heero glared at him then pushed his head underwater. Trowa watched Duo resurface, looking a little shaken and angry, then turned his gaze toward Heero who was moving in the direction of a small staircase. It was then that he realized they weren't in another room but a large hallway instead. The stairs were mostly below water but the very top ones were still dry. They followed Heero up the stairs down them again, as they didn't stop on a floor, they just descended again. They found themselves in a brightly lit room. Everywhere there were cold storage tanks and huge glass containers that appeared to have a blue glow about them. A sign near the door read, 'Cold Storage, SE, 4B'.

***

          Wufei tilted his head upward as the last of his new tentacles disappeared into his back. He sat down on the ice to think of a way to kill the other pilots. Sucking on a fang he sifted through various painful methods of killing people. His stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts. 'I need to eat...' Dr. J crossed his mind. He had instinctively put Dr. J near where he would 'hatch' specifically so he could eat him when he did. But Dr. J was old and only had one arm, technically. That wasn't even the worst thing about him…no, he wouldn't be a suitable meal. But that wouldn't stop him from killing the old man. 'All humans must die…' Wufei answered the voice that had been guiding him.
          "Yes, that's right, all humans must die."

          "Show no mercy…"

          "No, I won't show any mercy."

          "They didn't show your wife any mercy…"

          "That's right and that's why they have to die." He sat there for a long while just answering a voice that no one but him could hear. Even though it was the creature inhabiting his body trying to manipulate him, he was convinced that it was all just his own thoughts, that he had complete control. He had re-taken control of his body but his mind was still following the alien's instructions. After a moment he got up and walked over to a frosted wall.

          "They have to be killed now." he said as he started to climb up the frozen surface of the wall.

          In the cold storage room the search for Wufei's blood had begun. Duo opened a cabinet and stuck his head inside.

          "HEY!" he exclaimed. He reached in and pulled out a full bottle of brandy. "Look what I found!" The others glanced over. "I guess Dr. J isn't as boring as we thought."

          "Baka, that's surgical brandy. They use that for small surgeries when anesthesia would be too strong. "

          "What's the difference?" Duo unscrewed the cap. "I don't want any lectures about under age drinking or hangovers." After stating that he tilted his head back and lifted the bottle. Heero thought about what Duo had said for a moment. Hangovers…those were caused by dehydration. Alcohol evaporates water in the brain and body when consumed. What was it about that fact that was bothering him? Something…his mind was trying to think of something… 'Wait, could that be it?'

          "Stop." Heero ordered. Duo looked over at Heero, the bottle just inches away from his face.

          "I already told you I don't want any lectures."

          "Remember how Wufei drank so much water?"

          "Yes. What about it?" It finally dawned on Heero.

          "That thing inside of him is water based." He said. Duo lowered the bottle.

          "What does that have to do with me and my drink? Because I still don't see any reason I shouldn't have it." Heero ignored Duo briefly. 'That has to be the reason Wufei is craving so much water. Humans are over 60% water but that must not be enough for it to survive on. If there was even less water…it would probably die…It wouldn't let itself just die it would…'

          "…it would want to get out." Heero mumbled.

          "What was that?" Duo asked. Without warning Heero snatched the bottle and cap from Duo. "Hey, give it back!"

          "We can use this to get the organism out of Wufei." Heero told him. Before Duo could argue further, Trowa spoke up.

          "I found it." he said. Duo and Heero walked over to where he was standing. Quatre looked in their direction from the chair he was tied to, not really understanding the importance of what Trowa had said but just wondering why they were all gathering. Duo let his eyes wander from the vial labeled Chang, Wufei to the other vials in the drawer-like freezer until he came across one that said Maxwell, Duo.

          "Hey, he has my blood too!" He reached in and grabbed it. Heero picked up a vile labeled Yui, Heero. He unconsciously narrowed his eyes slightly. It wasn't labeled with his real name…

          "He has blood from all of us." Trowa stated. He showed Duo his own vial of blood then pulled out Quatre's. Duo frowned.

          "If we get outta this I'm gonna have a long talk with him. How could he possibly have blood from all of us!?!" Trowa shrugged then closed the freezer as soon as the other vials were replaced. Heero held up the blood and examined it. It was still frozen. He had no idea how to unfreeze it properly. That and getting it back into Wufei would have to be a task left up to Dr. J. But at least they knew there was hope of restoring Wufei to himself. They had the cure and they had the poison to get the organism out of his body. Now…

          "We need some kinda plan." Duo said. Quatre spoke up from his chair.

          "Heero…you said that thing wasn't a virus…you said it was a living creature…" he panted. "You were wrong…it is a virus. It came to survive and reproduce by wiping out another species…isn't that what viruses do? Well isn't that what they do!?!" The other three boys stared at Quatre in shock as he slumped over, unconscious.

          With great effort Wufei pulled himself onto the next floor. He collapsed, panting.

          "Thirsty…" His telepathic voice bounced off of the walls around him as he wondered why he was so thirsty. He pulled his arm up and reached out to drag himself forward. It fell again before he had even gotten it past his head. Determined to get to the other four pilots, he let out his tentacles and used them to pick himself up onto his feet. Immediately afterwards he stumbled back a few steps. He lifted his hand to his face and tried to produce some more of the slime. A thin layer came out then was sucked back in. So he had found the cause of his problem. He had been using all his bodily fluids to create the slime and had now run out. Letting out an impatient growl he started forward dizzily, in search of a water source.

          "But why do I have to be the bait?!" Duo demanded. Heero simply glared at the angry American. He had no intention of explaining but the reason was that Wufei would suspect something if either he or Trowa were found just wandering somewhere. It would be the same if they just left Quatre somewhere; he was wounded so there was no way they'd just leave him behind. Of course, having Duo just wander aimlessly would arouse some suspicion but they were hoping that Wufei would just figure Duo got separated from the group while messing around. So they had formed a plan and were ready to put it into action. All Duo had to do was lure Wufei to the area they needed him in and distract him long enough for them to jump on him and force him to drink the brandy. After that they would need to tranquilize him and tie him down in the room they had set up. That was the hard part. The easy part would be retrieving Dr. J and getting him to replace the blood. Or so they hoped…

          "Alright, alright, I'm going…" Duo glanced at his watch. It was 11:22pm. He stepped out into the dark hallway and tripped over a pile of rubbish that he hadn't seen. On the floor directly above him Wufei froze and strained his ears to catch another sound. Duo stood as still as a statue. After a minute he started to move again, wincing every time his foot caught on something and dragged it across the floor. Finally he made it clear of all the debris and continued down the hall.

          "Hello?!" he yelled as part of the rouse. "Can anybody hear me?! Hey, you guys, where are you?!" Wufei turned slowly as he zeroed in on Duo's location. His forked tongue lashed out briefly as he smiled. At least now if he had to be thirsty, he wouldn't be hungry.

          Duo rounded a corner and came to an area without a ceiling. There were a few stairs leading down into the water which had obviously destroyed the ceiling. 'Well, I'm already wet I might as well…' He walked down into the water and splashed around a little.

          "Geez, you'd think he would've found me by now…" With a shrug he turned to get back out of the water.

          "Yes, you would think so, wouldn't you?" Wufei grinned at Duo. His fangs glinted in the bluish light of the water. In a flurry of water Duo scrambled back and out of the water. Without wasting a moment he took off around the edge of the water and back down the hall he'd come from. As soon as he entered said hallway however, he was stopped by a sharp yank on his head. His feet flew out from under him and he fell. The impact winded him slightly. Wufei stood over him, holding the end of his braid.

          "The good thing about humans," he began, picking Duo up by his shirt front. "…is that they're really slow…"

          "HELP!!" Duo screamed. Wufei spun him around and seized him by the throat.

          "You and I both know that no one can hear you." Grasping desperately at Wufei's hand Duo tried to think of a way to get free. He did the only thing he could think of. His leg swung forward and it hit its mark. Wufei didn't even glance down. His smile only grew. Duo found it impossible that Wufei hadn't doubled over in pain. But due to the drug like chemical imbalance in Wufei's brain, pain no longer registered the correct way. So he decided to just knock Wufei over. He lashed out with his foot again, this time catching Wufei in his stomach. Wufei chuckled lightly. 'Oh come on, this isn't fair!' Duo thought. He pushed against Wufei with his foot again and again but didn't even manage to make him lean back. Wufei's tongue flicked out, almost grazing Duo's face.

          "This is the end for you, human." Wufei's tongue flicked out a second time. Duo seized it.

          "Cat's got your tongue!!" he cried as Wufei released him in surprise. He pulled it out further then let it go. As it snapped back into Wufei's mouth he bolted down the hallway. Wufei roared in anger. Just as Duo reached the corner he heard a sickening crunch. 'I know I'm gonna regret this but I have to see…' Hesitantly he turned to see the cause of the noise. Wufei was bent over slightly and every where there would have been a vertebra on his back a slimy black spike was protruding from his shirt. They all curved downward but he could clearly see their sharp points.

          "Oh no way…there is no way…" Duo backed away, shaking his head.

          "Now you're finished!" With another loud crunching sound Wufei's spine extended into a tail. The bone was quickly wrapped with flesh and tissue. Duo watched in fear as Wufei began to grow. Tentacles spread all around his changing body. As his skin began to take on a slick texture and a gray color Duo decided it was time to run which he promptly did. Wufei's head and back grazed the ceiling which was actually pretty high up. In the area Wufei's ears would have been there were flaps resembling bat wings. They opened upward, not to the sides as might be expected as he saw Duo running. Near transparent flaps of skin dropped over Wufei's eyes and disappeared again within a split second. A thick forked tongue whipped out of his snake like muzzle as he followed the retreating boy. Debris made by the dragging of his spines through the ceiling marked his path. Annoyed by this, Wufei dropped to all fours and resumed chasing Duo. 'You're mine, human.'

          Heero and Trowa raised their guns instantly as Duo burst through the door. He slammed it behind him and leaned against it, panting. Upon recognizing Duo the two soldiers lowered their weapons.

          "Where's Wufei?" Heero demanded.

          "He's uh...he's coming…" Duo gasped.

          "Alright, let's get ready." A loud roar rumbled through the hallway. Duo shook his head at Heero.

          "Nothing can get us ready for this." He went flying as Wufei crashed right through the wall.

          "And now it's time to die!!"

*So it's Yuy, not Yui, big deal you know what I mean. I'm not reposting everything for that. Okay Jefcat, the anti ff.net is something I didn't start, someone else started it. It's not a campaign to shut down the site or anything like that. All it is is a group of people starting an new fan fiction site which they hope will provide better services. If it bothers you that much, I'll take it off. *