Warning and Disclaimer in Chapter 1
A/N: This story is written on the basis that 'Money for Nothing' parts 1 and 2 never happened.
Arnaud looked over the test results from his lab techs. According to the animal testing the cure for the virus worked. "Using this virus to blackmail all of the world powers will be far more profitable than selling quicksilver glands with the counteragent." He looked across the table and picked up a vial of counteragent. "Speaking of which, Darien is going to need a shot."
Darien pulled himself, with an effort, up to a seated position and tucked his chin to his chest. He wanted to sleep, but every time he got near to it thoughts crowded to the front of his mind like jostling, impatient children.
Slowly, again, he began to drift off ...A spear of pain lodged itself with an insistant jolt of agony in the back of his head. 'Quicksilver Madness,' he thought wearily. 'I'll sleep it off. Yeah, right.'
Arnaud opened the door to the padded room Darien was in. Darien was sitting with his back to the door. Arnaud filled the syringe with the counteragent and walked over to Dairen. "I'm sorry about that interruption earlier. I was needed in my lab, but now that's all been taken care of I can focus my attention on you again."
"Oh, that's all right," Darien said softly, coolly. "Perfectly okay." He didn't turn to face Arnaud. The persistent throbbing in the back of his head had subsided as he'd let the madness take control and it was only a dull ache now.
Arnaud sat next to Darien on the bed. "Very good then. I have a shot of counteragent for you," Arnaud swabbed Dairen's neck with an alcohol wipe. "Just a little prick and you'll be feeling good as new."
Darien whipped around, sweeping the syringe out of Arnaud's hand in a smooth motion. He smiled. "No thanks," he said sweetly.
Then, turning back to the point on the wall he'd been staring at, he murmured, "I'd suggest you leave now."
Arnaud retrieved the syringe and went back over to Darien. "Really monsieur, you'll feel much better after I give you this." Arnaud grasped Darien's shoulders firmly and pinned him down underneath him.
Darien rolled his crimson eyes. "That's what they all say." He twisted, trying to throw Arnaud off him. "And I say I--really--don't--want it!"
Arnaud laughed softly and increased his grip. He pushed the needle in and depressed the plunger letting the cool blue liquid enter Darien's body. He maintained his hold until Darien's body went limp underneath him.
He ran his fingers though Darien's hair and massaged his shoulders gently. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I won't let that happen again," he soothed cradling Darien in his arms. He leaned in and brushed his lips over Darien's softly.
Darien's brown eyes flickered. "Huh?" he muttered, without opening his eyes. "Oh. Um, yeah." With an effort he pushed his eyelids open. "Listen...I'm really tired...is there like...a pillow or something I can have? I mean, I know I'm whining but I'm really, really tired. I haven't slept well lately. Had a fight..." his voice trailed off as he began to doze.
"Of course, Darien," Arnaud laid Darien back down onto the bed gently. He left the room and re-entered a few minutes later with a pillow and a blanket. Darien was already asleep. Arnaud placed the pillow under Darien's head and covered him. He kissed Darien again and then left the room realizing that he was also very tired.
---
Hobbes searched the lab site frantically looking for clues. The longer it took the more frustrated he became. He left Claire in the van so she could talk to Eberts and possibly find out who had accessed the files on Adam. "Darien... come on partner... show me something... ANYthing that will tells me where you are."
Claire hung up the phone, sighed, and walked in to the lab to Bobby. "Eberts got all of the IP's decoded but two. And all the others besides those two were authorized personnel...Alex, myself, Eberts, the Official..." she sighed.
"The other two he said he had no idea on."
Claire bit her lip. "I--it's just not really working..." She crumpled a the paper she'd been taking notes on in her hand. "I--I mean...have you found anything?"
"Nothing. Damnit!" Hobbes ran his hand over his head. "There's gotta be something," he went down the hallway to the room where the pod had been. His eyes caught something on the floor. It was a small dart, like the one in Claire's tranquelizer gun. He rushed out to Claire. "I found this," and he showed it to her. "It couldn't have been Chrysalis because they don't use the dart guns."
Claire made a small inquisitive noise and took the dart. "I'm not sure if...can we tell whose gun it came from at all, Hobbes? I mean, I'm not so great at weaponry identification...have you dusted for fingerprints?"
She realized, abruptly, that she was dumping far too much responsibility on Bobby. "You know what, I'm just going to go get the kit from the van and do it myself." Claire gave Bobby a sweet smile, handed him the dart, and patted him on the shoulder before jogging towards the van.
Hobbes sighed and waited for Claire to come back. He tried to think of who else would benefit by kidnapping Adam and Darien. His blood ran cold as his mind gave him the likely suspect. "Arnaud..."
Claire rummaged through the veritable assortment of equipment in the back of the van and came up with the small fingerprint-dusting kit and then dashed back to the lab.
Hobbes was standing with the dart but he looked frozen and his brown eyes were slightly wide and glazed.
"Bobby?" she called, rushing towards him, "Bobby! Are you all right?"
"Arnaud," he repeated. Hobbes' skin paled. "He's the only one who would take Darien, and Adam," his whole body trembled as he feared for Darien's life. He loved Darien and did not want to loose him, and especially not at the hands of that bastard.
"Bobby, everything will be all right!" Claire exclaimed, although she was not at all so confident that was true. "If Arnaud has him we can find his home and then organize a team and go and get Adam and Darien! Or something like that." she rolled her eyes. "Remember, Bobby, I'm here for you. I'll be here for you. Do you want to talk to me?" Her blue eyes were concerned.
Hobbes closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Claire. I'll be all right. Let's get back to the Agency so we can track down Arnaud," he exhaled and went towards the van.
---
He stood, slowly, and walked over the wispy, blowing virgin white, thinking about Alex Monroe. He knew, faintly, in the back of his mind, that there were others, too, more important than her, and it frustrated him slightly when he could not find them. Frustration was hard to come upon, however, in the cool breezes of Eden.
Was there another rose out in the wild white paradise? He looked down but all he could see was the snow. All snow. He looked about himself as the winds increased and blinded him, turning his vision into that of pure, cotton ivory. He might have screamed but it was lost in the whirl.
TBC...
A/N: This story is written on the basis that 'Money for Nothing' parts 1 and 2 never happened.
Arnaud looked over the test results from his lab techs. According to the animal testing the cure for the virus worked. "Using this virus to blackmail all of the world powers will be far more profitable than selling quicksilver glands with the counteragent." He looked across the table and picked up a vial of counteragent. "Speaking of which, Darien is going to need a shot."
Darien pulled himself, with an effort, up to a seated position and tucked his chin to his chest. He wanted to sleep, but every time he got near to it thoughts crowded to the front of his mind like jostling, impatient children.
Slowly, again, he began to drift off ...A spear of pain lodged itself with an insistant jolt of agony in the back of his head. 'Quicksilver Madness,' he thought wearily. 'I'll sleep it off. Yeah, right.'
Arnaud opened the door to the padded room Darien was in. Darien was sitting with his back to the door. Arnaud filled the syringe with the counteragent and walked over to Dairen. "I'm sorry about that interruption earlier. I was needed in my lab, but now that's all been taken care of I can focus my attention on you again."
"Oh, that's all right," Darien said softly, coolly. "Perfectly okay." He didn't turn to face Arnaud. The persistent throbbing in the back of his head had subsided as he'd let the madness take control and it was only a dull ache now.
Arnaud sat next to Darien on the bed. "Very good then. I have a shot of counteragent for you," Arnaud swabbed Dairen's neck with an alcohol wipe. "Just a little prick and you'll be feeling good as new."
Darien whipped around, sweeping the syringe out of Arnaud's hand in a smooth motion. He smiled. "No thanks," he said sweetly.
Then, turning back to the point on the wall he'd been staring at, he murmured, "I'd suggest you leave now."
Arnaud retrieved the syringe and went back over to Darien. "Really monsieur, you'll feel much better after I give you this." Arnaud grasped Darien's shoulders firmly and pinned him down underneath him.
Darien rolled his crimson eyes. "That's what they all say." He twisted, trying to throw Arnaud off him. "And I say I--really--don't--want it!"
Arnaud laughed softly and increased his grip. He pushed the needle in and depressed the plunger letting the cool blue liquid enter Darien's body. He maintained his hold until Darien's body went limp underneath him.
He ran his fingers though Darien's hair and massaged his shoulders gently. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I won't let that happen again," he soothed cradling Darien in his arms. He leaned in and brushed his lips over Darien's softly.
Darien's brown eyes flickered. "Huh?" he muttered, without opening his eyes. "Oh. Um, yeah." With an effort he pushed his eyelids open. "Listen...I'm really tired...is there like...a pillow or something I can have? I mean, I know I'm whining but I'm really, really tired. I haven't slept well lately. Had a fight..." his voice trailed off as he began to doze.
"Of course, Darien," Arnaud laid Darien back down onto the bed gently. He left the room and re-entered a few minutes later with a pillow and a blanket. Darien was already asleep. Arnaud placed the pillow under Darien's head and covered him. He kissed Darien again and then left the room realizing that he was also very tired.
---
Hobbes searched the lab site frantically looking for clues. The longer it took the more frustrated he became. He left Claire in the van so she could talk to Eberts and possibly find out who had accessed the files on Adam. "Darien... come on partner... show me something... ANYthing that will tells me where you are."
Claire hung up the phone, sighed, and walked in to the lab to Bobby. "Eberts got all of the IP's decoded but two. And all the others besides those two were authorized personnel...Alex, myself, Eberts, the Official..." she sighed.
"The other two he said he had no idea on."
Claire bit her lip. "I--it's just not really working..." She crumpled a the paper she'd been taking notes on in her hand. "I--I mean...have you found anything?"
"Nothing. Damnit!" Hobbes ran his hand over his head. "There's gotta be something," he went down the hallway to the room where the pod had been. His eyes caught something on the floor. It was a small dart, like the one in Claire's tranquelizer gun. He rushed out to Claire. "I found this," and he showed it to her. "It couldn't have been Chrysalis because they don't use the dart guns."
Claire made a small inquisitive noise and took the dart. "I'm not sure if...can we tell whose gun it came from at all, Hobbes? I mean, I'm not so great at weaponry identification...have you dusted for fingerprints?"
She realized, abruptly, that she was dumping far too much responsibility on Bobby. "You know what, I'm just going to go get the kit from the van and do it myself." Claire gave Bobby a sweet smile, handed him the dart, and patted him on the shoulder before jogging towards the van.
Hobbes sighed and waited for Claire to come back. He tried to think of who else would benefit by kidnapping Adam and Darien. His blood ran cold as his mind gave him the likely suspect. "Arnaud..."
Claire rummaged through the veritable assortment of equipment in the back of the van and came up with the small fingerprint-dusting kit and then dashed back to the lab.
Hobbes was standing with the dart but he looked frozen and his brown eyes were slightly wide and glazed.
"Bobby?" she called, rushing towards him, "Bobby! Are you all right?"
"Arnaud," he repeated. Hobbes' skin paled. "He's the only one who would take Darien, and Adam," his whole body trembled as he feared for Darien's life. He loved Darien and did not want to loose him, and especially not at the hands of that bastard.
"Bobby, everything will be all right!" Claire exclaimed, although she was not at all so confident that was true. "If Arnaud has him we can find his home and then organize a team and go and get Adam and Darien! Or something like that." she rolled her eyes. "Remember, Bobby, I'm here for you. I'll be here for you. Do you want to talk to me?" Her blue eyes were concerned.
Hobbes closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Claire. I'll be all right. Let's get back to the Agency so we can track down Arnaud," he exhaled and went towards the van.
---
He stood, slowly, and walked over the wispy, blowing virgin white, thinking about Alex Monroe. He knew, faintly, in the back of his mind, that there were others, too, more important than her, and it frustrated him slightly when he could not find them. Frustration was hard to come upon, however, in the cool breezes of Eden.
Was there another rose out in the wild white paradise? He looked down but all he could see was the snow. All snow. He looked about himself as the winds increased and blinded him, turning his vision into that of pure, cotton ivory. He might have screamed but it was lost in the whirl.
TBC...