the nurse walked softly over to Alec, more concerned about waking Max up
than him. She was in the same position she had been in for the last couple
of hours, sitting on a chair, her head resting on the bed beside Alec, her
hand on his.
The nurse shook her head, momentarily wishing that she had someone in her
life, some guy who would sit by her bedside if she got hurt. she gently
touched Alec's cheek, to check his temperature. His skin felt hot, but not
as bad as it had been earlier. The medical supplies they had acquired were
useful, but random. They had IV's, blood transfusion kits, but no
thermometers. Overall though, she would rather improvise a thermometer than
a transfusion kit. Her gaze moved down to Alec's chest, noting the
bloodstained bandage, and considering briefly whether to change it. She
decided against it. Doing that would just cause him more pain, and despite
his high threshold for pain, that was something that she didn't really want
to do. She moved around the bed, and touched Max on the shoulder.
Max jerked awake instantly.
"Sorry" the nurse whispered. "I just need to check his IV."
Max nodded, her eyes moving back to his face, checking for any sign of
movement.
"He's still out" the nurse told her. "Neil loaded him with a lot of painkillers, and the IV is pumping more into him. we need to keep him asleep for now, give his body time to heal." She nodded, touching Alec on his uninjured shoulder gently, the closest she could come to doing what she really wanted to do- wrap her arms around him and pull his body down on top of hers.
Alec groaned, and they both looked over to him. his breathing quickened, and he moved his head to one side. "Alec?" Max asked quickly, even as the nurse moved to the other side of the bed. She gently put her hands on either side of Alec's head, holding him in place. He groaned again. "Max, I need you to go find Neil, okay?"
"Why? What's wrong?" the nurse ignored her, keeping one hand on Alec's neck as she reached for a syringe with the other.
Max touched Alec's hand briefly, then turned away from him. Neil was sitting on the floor, talking quietly to Mole. Storm was staring at a wall. When she opened the door, they all looked up. Neil was on his feet instantly, seeing the look on her face, and he disappeared into the room.
"What happened?" Mole asked. Storm stood up and left the building. "I don't know." she sat down beside him, sighing. The room was white. Completely and utterly white. It had hurt his eyes at first, but now it seemed his senses had been dulled by it. It was now just normal. He looked down. He liked looking at his hands. They were different colours, different shades of white. Tanned, and slightly dark in some places, where bruising was beginning to show. And when he clenched his fists, then opened them, a little bit of white in the room went away. He closed his eyes and the white blazed through his eyelids. Pain jolted into his body, and he doubled over, collapsing onto the ground, breathing hard. Fine. He got the picture. They didn't like it when he closed his eyes. He would keep them open, if he could.
He let his mind drift, remembering colours. The parking lot, for one. It was grey, but there were bits of green around, tufts of grass. There was a car too, at one side of the lot. Broken glass, a nice clear colour. The car was red, a deep red. NO. not that colour. Any colour was better than that one. He didn't like it. He focussed his eyes, concentrating on the whiteness, allowing it to take over his vision.
A door opened, and a man dressed in black entered. He jerked away from the man, not liking the dark colour. It was too different from what he was used to. The man walked into the room and stared at him. "Enjoying your accommodation?" the man asked. He jerked away, the voice tearing through him.
The man laughed, and left the room, turning back once to see the boy huddled in one corner. This was going to be so much fun.
Alec groaned again, and tried to move. Something stopped him, a weight on his chest, and he raised his hand to shove it aside. His hand wouldn't move either. Sighing, and feeling like he was in some kind of weird dream, he forced his eyes open on the theory that if he could wake up, he could move again. "Take it easy" it was a voice he recognised, and he struggled to get his eyes to focus. They wouldn't, and he jerked his head to one side in frustration. He had played that game already, being blind. He had done that. He didn't want to do this again.
"Alec, relax. Open your eyes slowly."
"Neil?" he muttered, finally recognising the person in front of him. his voice, however, was unrecognisable to him. it sounded strange, rough, and he forced himself to swallow, before trying again.
"If you keep pushing yourself, I am going to sedate you again. Now, Max will probably be pissed at me, but I think she'll probably be more pissed at you. That's the way it tends to work, right?"
Max? Alec relaxed instantly. Then she was okay. He couldn't remember. Thank God, the mission must have succeeded. He breathed slowly, then opened his eyes again.
"Good" Neil commented.
"Max?" he whispered.
"She's outside. I'll get her in a second. Headache?"
"Yeah" Alec admitted. He could have lied, but it was just too much of a hassle. And, Neil would know anyway. He may as well start picking his battles.
"Okay, this should help." Alec felt a small prick in his neck, and he tensed against it, then relaxed.
"Good boy" Neil commented, walking away
"Max" Neil spoke softly. She looked up, her face expressionless. "He's okay" he spoke quickly, and laughed as her face lit up in a relieved smile. "He's awake." Her grin grew wider, and she stood up.
"Same rules, Max. no yelling. And keep it short."
Ames White sat in his office, a file opened in front of him. His mind somewhere else, he skimmed the material on DNA sequencing. It would have been fascinating if his mind was not somewhere else. It would probably be a lot more interesting tomorrow. He threw the file across the room and stood up, walking out of the room and down a corridor. He knocked lightly on a door, and opened it. Ray stood by a window, staring out it at the Seattle skyline.
"Hey, big man." White greeted him, and Ray turned around to see his father. He walked over to his bed, and sat down, looking up at him. White moved over to sit beside him, turning slightly to face his son. "The doctors say you're going to be fine, that you weren't hurt at all" Ray shrugged. "I told you I was okay."
"Ray, son, I need to talk to you about something, okay? I need you to listen to me carefully, and answer my questions. Can you do that?" White reached out and put his arm around Ray. Ray looked back at him. he wasn't an idiot, and it was a long time since he had been treated like one. He didn't like it. White took his silence as an agreement.
"I need to know why you were at the ceremony. What made you go there?"
"Alec said we had to" Ray responded carefully.
"Why did he say that?"
Because he had a dream. Because they all had had dreams. Because they knew that that was where they were meant to be. 'I don't know. he just told us to go"
White looked at him. it made no sense. He tried a different approach. "Why did he tell you to go? You and another young kid. Why did he want the two of you to go?"
"He never said. He told us to go, and we went. And the other kid's name, it's Tim."
"He just told you to go? Alec, not Max?" he asked, stumbling over the names. 494 and 452 were more familiar to him.
"Yeah."
"He do that a lot? Tell people to do stuff?"
"Yeah. And they always do it."
"Hey" she spoke softly as she entered the room. Alec slowly moved his head in her direction. She saw his lips move, as if he was saying something, but she couldn't hear a word he said. It didn't matter, it was enough that he was awake. She sat down beside the bed again, and took his hand lightly.
"How are you?" she whispered He grinned, then winced in pain. "Is everyone okay?" he whispered, struggling for breath
Max squeezed his hand tighter "Yeah" she lied easily. Alec looked at her for a second, then closed his eyes. "Christ" he commented, knowing that she was lying to him
"He's still out" the nurse told her. "Neil loaded him with a lot of painkillers, and the IV is pumping more into him. we need to keep him asleep for now, give his body time to heal." She nodded, touching Alec on his uninjured shoulder gently, the closest she could come to doing what she really wanted to do- wrap her arms around him and pull his body down on top of hers.
Alec groaned, and they both looked over to him. his breathing quickened, and he moved his head to one side. "Alec?" Max asked quickly, even as the nurse moved to the other side of the bed. She gently put her hands on either side of Alec's head, holding him in place. He groaned again. "Max, I need you to go find Neil, okay?"
"Why? What's wrong?" the nurse ignored her, keeping one hand on Alec's neck as she reached for a syringe with the other.
Max touched Alec's hand briefly, then turned away from him. Neil was sitting on the floor, talking quietly to Mole. Storm was staring at a wall. When she opened the door, they all looked up. Neil was on his feet instantly, seeing the look on her face, and he disappeared into the room.
"What happened?" Mole asked. Storm stood up and left the building. "I don't know." she sat down beside him, sighing. The room was white. Completely and utterly white. It had hurt his eyes at first, but now it seemed his senses had been dulled by it. It was now just normal. He looked down. He liked looking at his hands. They were different colours, different shades of white. Tanned, and slightly dark in some places, where bruising was beginning to show. And when he clenched his fists, then opened them, a little bit of white in the room went away. He closed his eyes and the white blazed through his eyelids. Pain jolted into his body, and he doubled over, collapsing onto the ground, breathing hard. Fine. He got the picture. They didn't like it when he closed his eyes. He would keep them open, if he could.
He let his mind drift, remembering colours. The parking lot, for one. It was grey, but there were bits of green around, tufts of grass. There was a car too, at one side of the lot. Broken glass, a nice clear colour. The car was red, a deep red. NO. not that colour. Any colour was better than that one. He didn't like it. He focussed his eyes, concentrating on the whiteness, allowing it to take over his vision.
A door opened, and a man dressed in black entered. He jerked away from the man, not liking the dark colour. It was too different from what he was used to. The man walked into the room and stared at him. "Enjoying your accommodation?" the man asked. He jerked away, the voice tearing through him.
The man laughed, and left the room, turning back once to see the boy huddled in one corner. This was going to be so much fun.
Alec groaned again, and tried to move. Something stopped him, a weight on his chest, and he raised his hand to shove it aside. His hand wouldn't move either. Sighing, and feeling like he was in some kind of weird dream, he forced his eyes open on the theory that if he could wake up, he could move again. "Take it easy" it was a voice he recognised, and he struggled to get his eyes to focus. They wouldn't, and he jerked his head to one side in frustration. He had played that game already, being blind. He had done that. He didn't want to do this again.
"Alec, relax. Open your eyes slowly."
"Neil?" he muttered, finally recognising the person in front of him. his voice, however, was unrecognisable to him. it sounded strange, rough, and he forced himself to swallow, before trying again.
"If you keep pushing yourself, I am going to sedate you again. Now, Max will probably be pissed at me, but I think she'll probably be more pissed at you. That's the way it tends to work, right?"
Max? Alec relaxed instantly. Then she was okay. He couldn't remember. Thank God, the mission must have succeeded. He breathed slowly, then opened his eyes again.
"Good" Neil commented.
"Max?" he whispered.
"She's outside. I'll get her in a second. Headache?"
"Yeah" Alec admitted. He could have lied, but it was just too much of a hassle. And, Neil would know anyway. He may as well start picking his battles.
"Okay, this should help." Alec felt a small prick in his neck, and he tensed against it, then relaxed.
"Good boy" Neil commented, walking away
"Max" Neil spoke softly. She looked up, her face expressionless. "He's okay" he spoke quickly, and laughed as her face lit up in a relieved smile. "He's awake." Her grin grew wider, and she stood up.
"Same rules, Max. no yelling. And keep it short."
Ames White sat in his office, a file opened in front of him. His mind somewhere else, he skimmed the material on DNA sequencing. It would have been fascinating if his mind was not somewhere else. It would probably be a lot more interesting tomorrow. He threw the file across the room and stood up, walking out of the room and down a corridor. He knocked lightly on a door, and opened it. Ray stood by a window, staring out it at the Seattle skyline.
"Hey, big man." White greeted him, and Ray turned around to see his father. He walked over to his bed, and sat down, looking up at him. White moved over to sit beside him, turning slightly to face his son. "The doctors say you're going to be fine, that you weren't hurt at all" Ray shrugged. "I told you I was okay."
"Ray, son, I need to talk to you about something, okay? I need you to listen to me carefully, and answer my questions. Can you do that?" White reached out and put his arm around Ray. Ray looked back at him. he wasn't an idiot, and it was a long time since he had been treated like one. He didn't like it. White took his silence as an agreement.
"I need to know why you were at the ceremony. What made you go there?"
"Alec said we had to" Ray responded carefully.
"Why did he say that?"
Because he had a dream. Because they all had had dreams. Because they knew that that was where they were meant to be. 'I don't know. he just told us to go"
White looked at him. it made no sense. He tried a different approach. "Why did he tell you to go? You and another young kid. Why did he want the two of you to go?"
"He never said. He told us to go, and we went. And the other kid's name, it's Tim."
"He just told you to go? Alec, not Max?" he asked, stumbling over the names. 494 and 452 were more familiar to him.
"Yeah."
"He do that a lot? Tell people to do stuff?"
"Yeah. And they always do it."
"Hey" she spoke softly as she entered the room. Alec slowly moved his head in her direction. She saw his lips move, as if he was saying something, but she couldn't hear a word he said. It didn't matter, it was enough that he was awake. She sat down beside the bed again, and took his hand lightly.
"How are you?" she whispered He grinned, then winced in pain. "Is everyone okay?" he whispered, struggling for breath
Max squeezed his hand tighter "Yeah" she lied easily. Alec looked at her for a second, then closed his eyes. "Christ" he commented, knowing that she was lying to him