The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The characters belong to CBS Productions, Top Kick Productions, etc., but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
"Quarantined" Chapter 4
by Lorrie
"What time is it?" Walker asked as he reached for the phone
"It's 4:00 a.m. Walker, they're running out of time."
"I know. I'm going to check with Dr. Hathaway and see if she's had any luck."
Dr. Hathaway answered the phone and spoke with Walker briefly. "I'm afraid not Ranger Walker. We can get an antidote that's about 70% effective, but we're having trouble isolating the last few properties of the disease. Have you had any luck on finding the existing antidote?"
"Not yet." Walker paused. "Doctor, how are they?"
"They're both resting right now. Ranger Cooke's temperature is increasing. She needs the antidote soon if she's going to make it."
Dr. Hathaway signed a couple of papers as she talked. "Ranger Gage has had a couple of dizzy spells, so far no fever but I'm not sure how much longer his body can hold off the full effects. He's not 100% immune. I'm afraid it's going to hit him hard when it does hit."
"Thank you doctor. We have a lead now and with any luck, we'll have the antidote to you within the next couple of hours." Walker hung up the phone.
"What did she say?" Trivette asked.
"They're not doing very well."
*****
Gage opened his eyes and slowly closed them again to stop the room from spinning. He lay still for a few minutes waiting for the dizziness to pass, then he got up from his cot and sat down on the edge of Sydney's. "Hey Syd. How are you doing baby?"
"Umm."
Gage smiled slightly. "You keep fighting this, OK? I need you Sydney." He turned to cough.
*****
Walker and Trivette arrived at DFW at 5:30 a.m. and were met by Chief Gray. "Martin." Walker shook the police chief's hand. "Is everything ready?"
"I have two sharp shooters in place." Walker nodded.
"OK. Trivette and I will get into position. We're looking for Dr. Andrew Addison from Camden Labs. As best as I can tell, he's behind this whole mess."
Walker, Trivette and Chief Gray positioned themselves on the roof above the private jet and waited. They didn't have to wait long. At 6:00 a.m., Dr. Andrew Addison and two other men approached the loading are for the jet.
Dr. Addison stopped briefly outside of the plane as he began to board. He had a small, blue shoulder bag with him, which contained the antidote so desperately needed by Sydney and Gage. The other two men were behind Dr. Addison waiting to board.
Chief Gray spoke into his 2-way radio. "Go, go, go." Suddenly two shots rang out, quickly finding Dr. Addison's two accomplices as their marks. Dr. Addison crouched low and pulled his .45 from his coat pocket. He looked around the rooftops, but saw nothing.
Walker poised himself above Dr. Addison and in a single leap landed on top of him, sending the blue shoulder bag crashing to the pavement beneath them. Dr. Addison quickly recovered and threw two quick punches into Walker's chest. Walker retaliated with a punch to Dr. Addison's jaw, then a spin kick, which propelled him to the ground. The Dallas PD retrieved Dr. Addison and read him his rights.
Trivette recovered the blue shoulder bag and opened it. "Walker, one of the vials is broken." He said with a frightened look on his face.
"Oh no. Let's get the other vial over to Dr. Hathaway and pray that it's enough." Walker and Trivette jumped into the RAM and sped off towards Camden Labs. It was now 7:30 a.m.
*****
Gage had sat with Sydney until daybreak when Dr. Hathaway and her associates entered the lab to draw more blood and take their vitals once again.
"Good morning." She announced as she crossed the room towards Gage.
"Good morning," Gage replied, somewhat weakly as he moved over to his cot to begin the standard exam.
"Here, let's see what your temperature is this morning." Dr. Hathaway stuck a thermometer in his mouth. When she took it out, the look on her face told Gage that his luck had ran out.
"How bad is it?" Gage asked.
"102.7 F."
"How's Syd?"
"Her temperature is holding at 104.2 F. She needs the antidote now." Dr. Hathaway got up. "I'll check on you again in 30 minutes. You rest, OK?"
"OK." Gage lie on his cot and soon fell into a fitful sleep.
*****
Walker and Trivette met Dr. Hathaway as she exited the lab.
"Please tell me you've got it." Dr. Hathaway announced as Walker and Trivette came through the door.
"We've got it, but only one vial. The other was broken when Dr. Addison threw the case to the ground." Walker explained.
Dr. Hathaway carefully opened the shoulder bag and extracted the unbroken vial. "It's not much, but it'll have to do. Tanya, get me two syringes." Tanya passed the syringes to Dr. Hathaway. "Take the broken vial and salvage as much as you can. We'll need to study its properties and see if we can make more. I know this isn't going to be enough for both of them."
Walker and Trivette stared at Dr. Hathaway. "How are they?" Walker asked.
"Ranger Cooke needs this now or she won't make it."
"And Gage?" Trivette asked.
"He's beginning to show symptoms. His temperature was 102.7 F about 20 minutes ago." Dr. Hathaway put on her suit. "I've got to get this in there now."
*****
Dr. Hathaway entered the lab. "Ranger Gage, are you awake?"
"Yeah." Gage replied quietly.
"Let's see what your temperature is now." She stuck the thermometer in his mouth again and stepped over to Sydney's cot with one of the syringes. "Tanya, go ahead and give this one to her." She looked in Sydney's direction. Gage watched as Tanya injected Sydney with the antidote. Dr. Hathaway removed the thermometer. "102.9 F. It's rising, but slowly. Here, let's get this into your system." Dr. Hathaway prepared Gage's arm for the injection and was ready to insert the needle.
"Doctor! She's having a reaction." Sydney began to convulse.
"I was afraid of this. She needs a full injection."
"Give it to her!" Gage shouted and jerked his arm away from Dr. Hathaway.
"If I give it to her, there won't be any for you and I don't know if there's time to make more. You'll possibly be signing your own death warrant."
"You said it yourself, I'm holding my own. She's not. Give it to her, please!" Gage pleaded. Dr. Hathaway nodded and gave Sydney the contents of the syringe she was holding.
As soon as the antidote hit her blood stream, Sydney's convulsions subsided. "Ranger Gage, you rest. We'll continue to work on creating more antidote." Dr. Hathaway and Tanya left the lab. When they reached the outer lab, Walker and Trivette were waiting.
"Well?" Trivette asked.
"Ranger Gage's temperature is up to 102.9 F. The half dose of the antidote wasn't enough for Ranger Cooke, she began to convulse after being injected with the half dose. Ranger Gage insisted that she have the other half dose as he is currently holding his own. Once Ranger Cooke received the remaining antidote, the convulsions subsided. She's resting peacefully and now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to work if we're going to save Ranger Gage."
*****
Dr. Hathaway worked for hours on formulas and test solutions trying to find the exact measurements of ingredients for the antidote.
"How's it coming?" Tanya asked.
"I don't know. I feel like I'm not any closer than I was yesterday." Dr. Hathaway removed her latest attempt from the petri dish and turned to Tanya.
"Check with Dr. Tazzy and see if he's had any luck."
Tanya returned momentarily with Dr. Tazzy in tow. "Dr. Hathaway, I'm not sure if we'll be able to create a new antidote."
"Why is that Dr. Tazzy?"
"Well, it appears that the disease is mutating. There are new strands attached to the latest cells we removed from Ranger Gage's blood. The disease is unstable."
Walker pushed open the door that had been left ajar. "What do you mean the disease is unstable?"
"Gentlemen, we'll need to talk elsewhere. There is much work to be done in here and my associates do not need the distraction." Dr. Hathaway pushed Walker and Dr. Tazzy towards a nearby conference room.
"Now, Dr. Tazzy, suppose you explain to Ranger Walker and myself exactly what you're talking about."
"Well," Dr. Tazzy began. "'Tazzy 2210' was designed as a biological weapon. It does contain known diseases; Scarlet Fever, German measles and Small Pox among them, but it also has 'unknown' properties. These 'unknown' properties are mutating themselves into new strands by leaps and bounds." Dr. Tazzy was getting excited. "It's incredible the rate at which the cells are changing." Dr. Tazzy smiled.
"Yeah, really incredible. You'll excuse us if we don't share in your enthusiasm. Ranger Gage is in that lab and is showing symptoms of 'Tazzy 2210' exposure. He gave up his share of the antidote to save Ranger Cooke's life. Now you're practically gloating at the prospect that this disease can't be stopped. I'm trying my best to hold my anger, but Dr. Tazzy if you don't produce some results soon, I'm not sure I can."
"Calm down Ranger Walker." Dr. Hathaway turned to Dr. Tazzy. "I need the complete breakdown of 'Tazzy 2210' as you created it and I need it now."
"I'm on it. I have the notes on my laptop." Dr. Tazzy left the conference room and ran to his office. He retrieved the information and gave it to Dr. Hathaway.
"Now, you will join my associates in Lab B and assist in anyway possible, understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
Dr. Hathaway turned to Walker. "He's a brilliant scientist, but when it comes to common sense, I'm afraid he has none." She turned away and left the conference room for the lab.
*****
"Gage?" Sydney began to stir. She slowly lifted her head up and turned towards Gage's cot. Gage lay drenched in sweat, breathing heavy and moaning slightly.
"Gage, can you hear me?" Sydney said quietly. There was no response. She tried to lift herself from her cot, but didn't have the energy. "Gage," she said softly and passed out.
*****
"Dr. Hathaway, do you want to go check on Ranger Gage and Ranger Cooke, or should I?"
"I'll do it Tanya. See if you can prod these guys along a little."
Dr. Hathaway stepped into the lab again and upon seeing Gage drenched in sweat ran to his cot. "Ranger Gage! Ranger Gage, can you hear me?"
She pulled out her thermometer and forced it under his tongue. While waiting for his temperature to register, she checked his heart and his breathing. When she removed the thermometer, she opened her mouth slightly. "104.5 F." She said aloud. "I've got to get this fever down." She ran to the door and yelled for one of the assistants nearby. "I need an oxygen tank & mask and a crash cart in here."
"Is he crashing?" One of the assistants said alarmed.
"Not yet, but his temperature is 104.5 F." She looked back in time to see Gage begin to convulse. "Tom, get me some ice water, lots of it!" Tom ran in with a basin of ice water and Dr. Hathaway began to bath Gage in it in an attempt to bring down his fever.
*****
"I've got it." Dr. Tazzy said quietly. "I've got it." He repeated louder.
"You've got what?" Tanya asked.
"The antidote. I've got it. If the disease hasn't mutated any further than the last blood samples drawn, I've got the antidote right here." Dr. Tazzy held up a small beaker with a pinkish colored liquid.
"Here." Tanya passed Dr. Tazzy a syringe. He drew the liquid into the syringe and headed toward the lab.
*****
"Tom, he's crashing. I need help in here!" Dr. Hathaway yelled. Tom quickly put on his protective suit and ran to assist Dr. Hathaway who was conducting CPR on Gage. "One, Two, Three, breath. One, Two Three, breathe. Charge the paddles," she said between compressions.
"Charging." The crash cart hummed, then beeped a steady beep, letting them know that the charge had been set. Dr. Hathaway took the paddles from Tom and placed them on Gage's chest. She hit the button, causing a shock to travel through Gage's motionless body. She glanced hopefully at the monitor, which still showed a straight line and hummed a steady "B-e-e-e-p."
"Again, Tom, again." Tom reset the charge and Dr. Hathaway repeated the process. The monitor still showed a straight line. "Again."
"Dr. Hathaway, you've done all you can do."
"Tom, charge it again!" Tom complied.
Dr. Hathaway placed the paddles on Gage's chest once more. When she withdrew the paddles, she stared up at the monitor and noticed a slight rhythm. The beeping was now broken and grew steady. "Come on Ranger Gage, pick up the pace." Soon Gage's heart rate was near normal.
Dr. Tazzy had been standing in the doorway, witnessing first hand the possible destruction 'Tazzy 2210' could do. "I had no idea." He hung his head, almost ashamed of the weapon he had created.
"Dr. Tazzy, please tell me that that's an antidote."
"Yes. Yes, it is." He handed the syringe to Dr. Hathaway who immediately plunged it into Gage's vein. "Is there anything else I can do?" Dr. Tazzy asked.
"Pray, Dr. Tazzy. Pray that this works, because if it doesn't, he's going to die."
*****
"Tom, can you and Tanya brief Rangers Walker and Trivette? I promised I would keep them apprised of any changes, but I don't feel like I can leave him at the moment." She glanced down at Gage as she wiped his forehead with a cool cloth.
"Yes Dr. Hathaway." Tom left the lab and found Tanya. They located Walker and Trivette and all four entered the conference room.
"Range Gage crashed. Dr. Hathaway got him back after three attempts with the crash cart." Tom explained.
"Dr. Tazzy was able to create an antidote and as long as the disease hasn't mutated any further than it had in the last blood sample, it should work."
"How about Ranger Cooke?" Trivette asked.
"She's doing much better. She's asleep right now." Tom replied.
*****
Hours later, Dr. Hathaway was still in the lab with Gage and Sydney. She moved from one cot to the other, wiping their foreheads and taking their vitals. Sydney opened her eyes as she touched her with the cool cloth.
"Gage?" She said quietly.
"Ranger Cooke, you're awake." Dr. Hathaway smiled. Sydney tried to lift herself up. "Take it easy. You've been through a lot within the past 24 hours."
"Where's Gage?"
"He's right over here." Dr Hathaway moved aside so Sydney could see Gage in the cot beside of her.
"Is he OK?"
"I think he will be. He gave us quite a scare a few hours ago." Dr. Hathaway looked at Gage. Sydney had a very questioning look on her face.
"His heart stopped. We almost lost him."
"Why? What happened? I thought he was doing so well. He should have been fine if he received the antidote when I did."
Dr. Hathaway smiled at Sydney. "That's just it, he didn't receive the antidote when you did. You were so far gone, your body needed a full dose of the antidote. You had convulsions at a half dose and Ranger Gage insisted that his share be given to you, to keep you alive."
"He what?" Sydney almost cried. Dr. Hathaway drew a vial of blood from Sydney's arm, then one from Gage's.
"He must really care for you a great deal." Dr. Hathaway smiled again as she turned her focus towards Gage.
"Umm." Gage moaned slightly as Dr. Hathaway touched his neck with the cloth. She picked up a small cup of water and gently lifted Gage's head so he could sip the cool water from the cup. "Thanks." He said hoarsely.
"You're welcome." Dr. Hathaway put the cup down and stood up. "Ranger Cooke, do you think the two of you will be OK for a couple of minutes if I go stretch my legs?"
Sydney nodded. "Thank you doctor." She smiled as she left the lab.
*****
"Ranger Walker." Dr. Hathaway spotted Walker in the hallway.
"What is it Dr. Hathaway?" Walker asked worriedly.
"I think they're going to be fine. I'm going to run this last blood sample from each of them, but they're both conscious and their fevers are coming down. If these blood test show no sign of the disease, I'm going to make arrangements to have them transferred to Methodist Hospital."
Walker shook Dr. Hathaway's hand. "Thank you so much doctor for everything. I'll let Ranger Trivette know the good news. We'll stick around until you get the final results, then we have an appointment with Dr. Addison at the county lock up. I want to know his motive behind this whole mess."
*****
"They're clean Ranger Walker. The ambulance should be here within the hour to transport them to Methodist. Then HazMat will go into the lab and complete the clean up." Dr. Hathaway reported.
Walker and Trivette both went as close to the lab as they were allowed. Trivette's mouth opened and he shook his head when the paramedics brought Sydney out. They noticed all of the small red splotches on her neck and arms. Then when Gage was brought out, Trivette and Walker both noted how pale he still looked, covered in sweat, obviously still slightly feverish. Dr. Hathaway had left the heart monitor attached to him, not knowing for certain if his heart had regained its strength.
As the paramedics pushed Gage by Walker, he slowly lifted his thumb up to let Walker and Trivette know that he was going to be OK. Trivette and Walker looked at each other and smiled.
"OK Trivette, let's get over to the jail. I want to know why Dr. Addison did this." They left for the jailhouse.
*****
"Walker, how are your two Rangers?" Chief Gray asked as Walker and Trivette entered the jail.
"It looks like they're going to be OK."
"I'll get Addison into interrogation three. His lawyer was called about an hour ago, but we haven't seen him yet."
Walker and Trivette entered the interrogation room and moments later Dr. Andrew Addison was brought in.
Walker stared at him. He wasn't a very big man, but he was muscular. Walker guessed him to be in his mid-late forties.
"Dr. Addison, can you tell us the whole story from the beginning?" Walker asked.
"I want to cut a deal."
"We have to know what happened before a deal can even be considered." Trivette stated as he produced his tape recorder.
"OK. I'm a gambler. I can't resist betting on most anything. As of late, my luck hasn't been so good. I got into tremendous debt with this guy, Mr. Montel. I owed him well over a quarter of a million dollars.
I checked with some of my close friends who honestly do despise the use of biological warfare. I let them know that Camden Labs had accepted three Federal Governmental contracts for the production of biological weapons.
I knew that 'Tazzy 2210' was the only one that had actually been created and I also knew that it was unstable." Dr. Addison lowered his head. "I never intended for anyone to get hurt. I just needed the money. The plan was to demand that the labs handling governmental contracts be shut down and since I was in charge of Camden Labs, I wouldn't comply. Then my friends planned to blow up the lab. The insurance money alone would have more than covered my debts."
"Well, I would think so. Don't most policies for laboratories cover lost expected income as well as tangible property?" Trivette asked.
"Yes. With Camden having three current governmental contracts, the collection would have been tremendous." Dr. Addison once again lowered his head. "How are the two Rangers who were exposed?"
"They're going to live." Trivette answered. Dr. Addison looked surprised.
"Don't look so disappointed." Walker chimed in as he and Trivette prepared to leave. "By the way, I don't think we have anything here to cut a deal with. You're going down for two counts of attempted murder of an officer of the law."
*****
Sydney was released from the hospital two days after she and Gage had been admitted. She nervously approached his door and gently knocked on it. "Gage?"
She said as she entered.
"Hey, Syd." Gage smiled and held his arms open wide. She obligingly melted into them. "I've missed holding you."
"Me too." She rose up and lovingly kissed his lips. "Why did you do that?"
She hit at his arm.
"Owww. Do what?" Gage asked.
Sydney pursed her lips and tried to fight back the tears that were close to escaping. "Why did you give up your share of the antidote? You almost died."
Gage looked down. "I couldn't take it and lay there and watch you die, Syd. When you started convulsing, I knew I was losing you and it hurt too much to bear."
"I love you, Gage."
"I love you too Syd."
THE END
"Quarantined" Chapter 4
by Lorrie
"What time is it?" Walker asked as he reached for the phone
"It's 4:00 a.m. Walker, they're running out of time."
"I know. I'm going to check with Dr. Hathaway and see if she's had any luck."
Dr. Hathaway answered the phone and spoke with Walker briefly. "I'm afraid not Ranger Walker. We can get an antidote that's about 70% effective, but we're having trouble isolating the last few properties of the disease. Have you had any luck on finding the existing antidote?"
"Not yet." Walker paused. "Doctor, how are they?"
"They're both resting right now. Ranger Cooke's temperature is increasing. She needs the antidote soon if she's going to make it."
Dr. Hathaway signed a couple of papers as she talked. "Ranger Gage has had a couple of dizzy spells, so far no fever but I'm not sure how much longer his body can hold off the full effects. He's not 100% immune. I'm afraid it's going to hit him hard when it does hit."
"Thank you doctor. We have a lead now and with any luck, we'll have the antidote to you within the next couple of hours." Walker hung up the phone.
"What did she say?" Trivette asked.
"They're not doing very well."
*****
Gage opened his eyes and slowly closed them again to stop the room from spinning. He lay still for a few minutes waiting for the dizziness to pass, then he got up from his cot and sat down on the edge of Sydney's. "Hey Syd. How are you doing baby?"
"Umm."
Gage smiled slightly. "You keep fighting this, OK? I need you Sydney." He turned to cough.
*****
Walker and Trivette arrived at DFW at 5:30 a.m. and were met by Chief Gray. "Martin." Walker shook the police chief's hand. "Is everything ready?"
"I have two sharp shooters in place." Walker nodded.
"OK. Trivette and I will get into position. We're looking for Dr. Andrew Addison from Camden Labs. As best as I can tell, he's behind this whole mess."
Walker, Trivette and Chief Gray positioned themselves on the roof above the private jet and waited. They didn't have to wait long. At 6:00 a.m., Dr. Andrew Addison and two other men approached the loading are for the jet.
Dr. Addison stopped briefly outside of the plane as he began to board. He had a small, blue shoulder bag with him, which contained the antidote so desperately needed by Sydney and Gage. The other two men were behind Dr. Addison waiting to board.
Chief Gray spoke into his 2-way radio. "Go, go, go." Suddenly two shots rang out, quickly finding Dr. Addison's two accomplices as their marks. Dr. Addison crouched low and pulled his .45 from his coat pocket. He looked around the rooftops, but saw nothing.
Walker poised himself above Dr. Addison and in a single leap landed on top of him, sending the blue shoulder bag crashing to the pavement beneath them. Dr. Addison quickly recovered and threw two quick punches into Walker's chest. Walker retaliated with a punch to Dr. Addison's jaw, then a spin kick, which propelled him to the ground. The Dallas PD retrieved Dr. Addison and read him his rights.
Trivette recovered the blue shoulder bag and opened it. "Walker, one of the vials is broken." He said with a frightened look on his face.
"Oh no. Let's get the other vial over to Dr. Hathaway and pray that it's enough." Walker and Trivette jumped into the RAM and sped off towards Camden Labs. It was now 7:30 a.m.
*****
Gage had sat with Sydney until daybreak when Dr. Hathaway and her associates entered the lab to draw more blood and take their vitals once again.
"Good morning." She announced as she crossed the room towards Gage.
"Good morning," Gage replied, somewhat weakly as he moved over to his cot to begin the standard exam.
"Here, let's see what your temperature is this morning." Dr. Hathaway stuck a thermometer in his mouth. When she took it out, the look on her face told Gage that his luck had ran out.
"How bad is it?" Gage asked.
"102.7 F."
"How's Syd?"
"Her temperature is holding at 104.2 F. She needs the antidote now." Dr. Hathaway got up. "I'll check on you again in 30 minutes. You rest, OK?"
"OK." Gage lie on his cot and soon fell into a fitful sleep.
*****
Walker and Trivette met Dr. Hathaway as she exited the lab.
"Please tell me you've got it." Dr. Hathaway announced as Walker and Trivette came through the door.
"We've got it, but only one vial. The other was broken when Dr. Addison threw the case to the ground." Walker explained.
Dr. Hathaway carefully opened the shoulder bag and extracted the unbroken vial. "It's not much, but it'll have to do. Tanya, get me two syringes." Tanya passed the syringes to Dr. Hathaway. "Take the broken vial and salvage as much as you can. We'll need to study its properties and see if we can make more. I know this isn't going to be enough for both of them."
Walker and Trivette stared at Dr. Hathaway. "How are they?" Walker asked.
"Ranger Cooke needs this now or she won't make it."
"And Gage?" Trivette asked.
"He's beginning to show symptoms. His temperature was 102.7 F about 20 minutes ago." Dr. Hathaway put on her suit. "I've got to get this in there now."
*****
Dr. Hathaway entered the lab. "Ranger Gage, are you awake?"
"Yeah." Gage replied quietly.
"Let's see what your temperature is now." She stuck the thermometer in his mouth again and stepped over to Sydney's cot with one of the syringes. "Tanya, go ahead and give this one to her." She looked in Sydney's direction. Gage watched as Tanya injected Sydney with the antidote. Dr. Hathaway removed the thermometer. "102.9 F. It's rising, but slowly. Here, let's get this into your system." Dr. Hathaway prepared Gage's arm for the injection and was ready to insert the needle.
"Doctor! She's having a reaction." Sydney began to convulse.
"I was afraid of this. She needs a full injection."
"Give it to her!" Gage shouted and jerked his arm away from Dr. Hathaway.
"If I give it to her, there won't be any for you and I don't know if there's time to make more. You'll possibly be signing your own death warrant."
"You said it yourself, I'm holding my own. She's not. Give it to her, please!" Gage pleaded. Dr. Hathaway nodded and gave Sydney the contents of the syringe she was holding.
As soon as the antidote hit her blood stream, Sydney's convulsions subsided. "Ranger Gage, you rest. We'll continue to work on creating more antidote." Dr. Hathaway and Tanya left the lab. When they reached the outer lab, Walker and Trivette were waiting.
"Well?" Trivette asked.
"Ranger Gage's temperature is up to 102.9 F. The half dose of the antidote wasn't enough for Ranger Cooke, she began to convulse after being injected with the half dose. Ranger Gage insisted that she have the other half dose as he is currently holding his own. Once Ranger Cooke received the remaining antidote, the convulsions subsided. She's resting peacefully and now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to work if we're going to save Ranger Gage."
*****
Dr. Hathaway worked for hours on formulas and test solutions trying to find the exact measurements of ingredients for the antidote.
"How's it coming?" Tanya asked.
"I don't know. I feel like I'm not any closer than I was yesterday." Dr. Hathaway removed her latest attempt from the petri dish and turned to Tanya.
"Check with Dr. Tazzy and see if he's had any luck."
Tanya returned momentarily with Dr. Tazzy in tow. "Dr. Hathaway, I'm not sure if we'll be able to create a new antidote."
"Why is that Dr. Tazzy?"
"Well, it appears that the disease is mutating. There are new strands attached to the latest cells we removed from Ranger Gage's blood. The disease is unstable."
Walker pushed open the door that had been left ajar. "What do you mean the disease is unstable?"
"Gentlemen, we'll need to talk elsewhere. There is much work to be done in here and my associates do not need the distraction." Dr. Hathaway pushed Walker and Dr. Tazzy towards a nearby conference room.
"Now, Dr. Tazzy, suppose you explain to Ranger Walker and myself exactly what you're talking about."
"Well," Dr. Tazzy began. "'Tazzy 2210' was designed as a biological weapon. It does contain known diseases; Scarlet Fever, German measles and Small Pox among them, but it also has 'unknown' properties. These 'unknown' properties are mutating themselves into new strands by leaps and bounds." Dr. Tazzy was getting excited. "It's incredible the rate at which the cells are changing." Dr. Tazzy smiled.
"Yeah, really incredible. You'll excuse us if we don't share in your enthusiasm. Ranger Gage is in that lab and is showing symptoms of 'Tazzy 2210' exposure. He gave up his share of the antidote to save Ranger Cooke's life. Now you're practically gloating at the prospect that this disease can't be stopped. I'm trying my best to hold my anger, but Dr. Tazzy if you don't produce some results soon, I'm not sure I can."
"Calm down Ranger Walker." Dr. Hathaway turned to Dr. Tazzy. "I need the complete breakdown of 'Tazzy 2210' as you created it and I need it now."
"I'm on it. I have the notes on my laptop." Dr. Tazzy left the conference room and ran to his office. He retrieved the information and gave it to Dr. Hathaway.
"Now, you will join my associates in Lab B and assist in anyway possible, understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
Dr. Hathaway turned to Walker. "He's a brilliant scientist, but when it comes to common sense, I'm afraid he has none." She turned away and left the conference room for the lab.
*****
"Gage?" Sydney began to stir. She slowly lifted her head up and turned towards Gage's cot. Gage lay drenched in sweat, breathing heavy and moaning slightly.
"Gage, can you hear me?" Sydney said quietly. There was no response. She tried to lift herself from her cot, but didn't have the energy. "Gage," she said softly and passed out.
*****
"Dr. Hathaway, do you want to go check on Ranger Gage and Ranger Cooke, or should I?"
"I'll do it Tanya. See if you can prod these guys along a little."
Dr. Hathaway stepped into the lab again and upon seeing Gage drenched in sweat ran to his cot. "Ranger Gage! Ranger Gage, can you hear me?"
She pulled out her thermometer and forced it under his tongue. While waiting for his temperature to register, she checked his heart and his breathing. When she removed the thermometer, she opened her mouth slightly. "104.5 F." She said aloud. "I've got to get this fever down." She ran to the door and yelled for one of the assistants nearby. "I need an oxygen tank & mask and a crash cart in here."
"Is he crashing?" One of the assistants said alarmed.
"Not yet, but his temperature is 104.5 F." She looked back in time to see Gage begin to convulse. "Tom, get me some ice water, lots of it!" Tom ran in with a basin of ice water and Dr. Hathaway began to bath Gage in it in an attempt to bring down his fever.
*****
"I've got it." Dr. Tazzy said quietly. "I've got it." He repeated louder.
"You've got what?" Tanya asked.
"The antidote. I've got it. If the disease hasn't mutated any further than the last blood samples drawn, I've got the antidote right here." Dr. Tazzy held up a small beaker with a pinkish colored liquid.
"Here." Tanya passed Dr. Tazzy a syringe. He drew the liquid into the syringe and headed toward the lab.
*****
"Tom, he's crashing. I need help in here!" Dr. Hathaway yelled. Tom quickly put on his protective suit and ran to assist Dr. Hathaway who was conducting CPR on Gage. "One, Two, Three, breath. One, Two Three, breathe. Charge the paddles," she said between compressions.
"Charging." The crash cart hummed, then beeped a steady beep, letting them know that the charge had been set. Dr. Hathaway took the paddles from Tom and placed them on Gage's chest. She hit the button, causing a shock to travel through Gage's motionless body. She glanced hopefully at the monitor, which still showed a straight line and hummed a steady "B-e-e-e-p."
"Again, Tom, again." Tom reset the charge and Dr. Hathaway repeated the process. The monitor still showed a straight line. "Again."
"Dr. Hathaway, you've done all you can do."
"Tom, charge it again!" Tom complied.
Dr. Hathaway placed the paddles on Gage's chest once more. When she withdrew the paddles, she stared up at the monitor and noticed a slight rhythm. The beeping was now broken and grew steady. "Come on Ranger Gage, pick up the pace." Soon Gage's heart rate was near normal.
Dr. Tazzy had been standing in the doorway, witnessing first hand the possible destruction 'Tazzy 2210' could do. "I had no idea." He hung his head, almost ashamed of the weapon he had created.
"Dr. Tazzy, please tell me that that's an antidote."
"Yes. Yes, it is." He handed the syringe to Dr. Hathaway who immediately plunged it into Gage's vein. "Is there anything else I can do?" Dr. Tazzy asked.
"Pray, Dr. Tazzy. Pray that this works, because if it doesn't, he's going to die."
*****
"Tom, can you and Tanya brief Rangers Walker and Trivette? I promised I would keep them apprised of any changes, but I don't feel like I can leave him at the moment." She glanced down at Gage as she wiped his forehead with a cool cloth.
"Yes Dr. Hathaway." Tom left the lab and found Tanya. They located Walker and Trivette and all four entered the conference room.
"Range Gage crashed. Dr. Hathaway got him back after three attempts with the crash cart." Tom explained.
"Dr. Tazzy was able to create an antidote and as long as the disease hasn't mutated any further than it had in the last blood sample, it should work."
"How about Ranger Cooke?" Trivette asked.
"She's doing much better. She's asleep right now." Tom replied.
*****
Hours later, Dr. Hathaway was still in the lab with Gage and Sydney. She moved from one cot to the other, wiping their foreheads and taking their vitals. Sydney opened her eyes as she touched her with the cool cloth.
"Gage?" She said quietly.
"Ranger Cooke, you're awake." Dr. Hathaway smiled. Sydney tried to lift herself up. "Take it easy. You've been through a lot within the past 24 hours."
"Where's Gage?"
"He's right over here." Dr Hathaway moved aside so Sydney could see Gage in the cot beside of her.
"Is he OK?"
"I think he will be. He gave us quite a scare a few hours ago." Dr. Hathaway looked at Gage. Sydney had a very questioning look on her face.
"His heart stopped. We almost lost him."
"Why? What happened? I thought he was doing so well. He should have been fine if he received the antidote when I did."
Dr. Hathaway smiled at Sydney. "That's just it, he didn't receive the antidote when you did. You were so far gone, your body needed a full dose of the antidote. You had convulsions at a half dose and Ranger Gage insisted that his share be given to you, to keep you alive."
"He what?" Sydney almost cried. Dr. Hathaway drew a vial of blood from Sydney's arm, then one from Gage's.
"He must really care for you a great deal." Dr. Hathaway smiled again as she turned her focus towards Gage.
"Umm." Gage moaned slightly as Dr. Hathaway touched his neck with the cloth. She picked up a small cup of water and gently lifted Gage's head so he could sip the cool water from the cup. "Thanks." He said hoarsely.
"You're welcome." Dr. Hathaway put the cup down and stood up. "Ranger Cooke, do you think the two of you will be OK for a couple of minutes if I go stretch my legs?"
Sydney nodded. "Thank you doctor." She smiled as she left the lab.
*****
"Ranger Walker." Dr. Hathaway spotted Walker in the hallway.
"What is it Dr. Hathaway?" Walker asked worriedly.
"I think they're going to be fine. I'm going to run this last blood sample from each of them, but they're both conscious and their fevers are coming down. If these blood test show no sign of the disease, I'm going to make arrangements to have them transferred to Methodist Hospital."
Walker shook Dr. Hathaway's hand. "Thank you so much doctor for everything. I'll let Ranger Trivette know the good news. We'll stick around until you get the final results, then we have an appointment with Dr. Addison at the county lock up. I want to know his motive behind this whole mess."
*****
"They're clean Ranger Walker. The ambulance should be here within the hour to transport them to Methodist. Then HazMat will go into the lab and complete the clean up." Dr. Hathaway reported.
Walker and Trivette both went as close to the lab as they were allowed. Trivette's mouth opened and he shook his head when the paramedics brought Sydney out. They noticed all of the small red splotches on her neck and arms. Then when Gage was brought out, Trivette and Walker both noted how pale he still looked, covered in sweat, obviously still slightly feverish. Dr. Hathaway had left the heart monitor attached to him, not knowing for certain if his heart had regained its strength.
As the paramedics pushed Gage by Walker, he slowly lifted his thumb up to let Walker and Trivette know that he was going to be OK. Trivette and Walker looked at each other and smiled.
"OK Trivette, let's get over to the jail. I want to know why Dr. Addison did this." They left for the jailhouse.
*****
"Walker, how are your two Rangers?" Chief Gray asked as Walker and Trivette entered the jail.
"It looks like they're going to be OK."
"I'll get Addison into interrogation three. His lawyer was called about an hour ago, but we haven't seen him yet."
Walker and Trivette entered the interrogation room and moments later Dr. Andrew Addison was brought in.
Walker stared at him. He wasn't a very big man, but he was muscular. Walker guessed him to be in his mid-late forties.
"Dr. Addison, can you tell us the whole story from the beginning?" Walker asked.
"I want to cut a deal."
"We have to know what happened before a deal can even be considered." Trivette stated as he produced his tape recorder.
"OK. I'm a gambler. I can't resist betting on most anything. As of late, my luck hasn't been so good. I got into tremendous debt with this guy, Mr. Montel. I owed him well over a quarter of a million dollars.
I checked with some of my close friends who honestly do despise the use of biological warfare. I let them know that Camden Labs had accepted three Federal Governmental contracts for the production of biological weapons.
I knew that 'Tazzy 2210' was the only one that had actually been created and I also knew that it was unstable." Dr. Addison lowered his head. "I never intended for anyone to get hurt. I just needed the money. The plan was to demand that the labs handling governmental contracts be shut down and since I was in charge of Camden Labs, I wouldn't comply. Then my friends planned to blow up the lab. The insurance money alone would have more than covered my debts."
"Well, I would think so. Don't most policies for laboratories cover lost expected income as well as tangible property?" Trivette asked.
"Yes. With Camden having three current governmental contracts, the collection would have been tremendous." Dr. Addison once again lowered his head. "How are the two Rangers who were exposed?"
"They're going to live." Trivette answered. Dr. Addison looked surprised.
"Don't look so disappointed." Walker chimed in as he and Trivette prepared to leave. "By the way, I don't think we have anything here to cut a deal with. You're going down for two counts of attempted murder of an officer of the law."
*****
Sydney was released from the hospital two days after she and Gage had been admitted. She nervously approached his door and gently knocked on it. "Gage?"
She said as she entered.
"Hey, Syd." Gage smiled and held his arms open wide. She obligingly melted into them. "I've missed holding you."
"Me too." She rose up and lovingly kissed his lips. "Why did you do that?"
She hit at his arm.
"Owww. Do what?" Gage asked.
Sydney pursed her lips and tried to fight back the tears that were close to escaping. "Why did you give up your share of the antidote? You almost died."
Gage looked down. "I couldn't take it and lay there and watch you die, Syd. When you started convulsing, I knew I was losing you and it hurt too much to bear."
"I love you, Gage."
"I love you too Syd."
THE END