Headlights landed on the menacing fortress, known for housing some of the highest profile criminals. "Look, I have to explain fast. There aren't many civilians in there, you'll have to keep your guard up, for obvious reasons. It's an all male prison. I'll work with my more trusted inmates to secure you and your son a safer spot in the prison, but I can't promise anything. Are you good at anything? We are nearly fully functioning."

Rose sighed out the window. "I like to cook."

Beyond nibbled on his lower lip before speaking again. "Alright. I'll get you set up with the kitchen staff, I don't think your son will be in any danger… the real weirdos took off when presented with the opportunity."

Rose nodded and took a nervous breath in before questioning. "Why? Why us? Why not Michael and Ariel?"

"I'm a serial killer, not a monster. No child should be left to their own devices… wouldn't want to make another me if he survives." Beyond let out a bitter chuckle. The gate's lights flashed brightly as a small assault of bullets flew into any incoming hungered. The doors slowly opened as the Jeep rolled forwards slowly. "Welcome to Twin Towers."

-x-

"You what!? Beyond, you have to be kidding me! Please! Say you're kidding!" A voice panicked from the garage.

"I'm not. Deal with it. Find them a place to stay and give her a tour of the kitchen." Beyond opened the side door leading from the mechanical garage darting his eyes around at the blank stares, some filled with relief others with anticipation or fear. His eyes landed directly on Quillish who was reading a book to a couple of children. He smirked and leaned into the garage. "Robert, do you like stories?"

"Yes! Yes please!" The small boy ran past the renowned killer and immediately found his place in front of the elder gentleman on a makeshift rug. Quillish looked up from the book and gave a proud smile to the former successor without ever missing a beat in the story.

A redhead with orange goggles stepped up toward Beyond. "Hey, you're okay, glad you made it back. Beyond glanced at Matt with no emotion and patted his shoulder before pressing past him. Another prisoner rounded the cafeteria with a platter of mildly burnt cookies and handed them out to the kids with a warm smile.

L mused as he watched the scene unfold. "A society indeed. Taking precautions for the children even to make them comfortable. It's endearing." Light folded his arms and let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall while Amelia attempted to remain hidden behind the two.

"Ah. My two favorite people in the whole wide world." Both L and Amelia stiffened and looked over to Beyond who had managed to slip towards the stairs leading to the next level. The prisoner jerked his head in motions for them to follow.

L lifted himself from his haunches position on a bench and slowly followed while Amelia trailed behind him with her head hung. As they ascended behind Beyond a door was opened for them and they filed in. Glancing at the surroundings L pinned it to be a medical room of sorts. "Beyond, look."

A hand was raised, successfully silencing anything the detective had to say. "What's done is done. It can't be helped or changed, all we can do at this point is move forward. Doctor, what do you know about this? I received an interesting message from an F.B.I Agent before communications were cut. He said it seemed to be viral, but the virus was an incidental find. What does he mean?"

Amelia flinched before speaking. "I'm not entirely sure. I was running test samples on your blood after the first prisoner went mad before my research was cut off due to potential risks."

The raven nodded knowingly. "I dug through your notes, and I've seen it first hand. It seems to be piggybacking. It itself doesn't seem to be contagious, merely dormant in the bloodstream. I did however meet someone else while I was out, he said the crazed don't chase him. The only thing he and I had in common was a recessive TB strain."

L looked up from the floor. "Was?"

Beyond lifted a clipboard while nodding and speaking nonchalantly. "I killed him." Glancing up in realization, "if the kid I brought asks about his dad just tell him he's lost."

Shifting uncomfortably Amelia shifted her eyes towards L and then back towards Beyond. "So, you didn't collect any other information? Perhaps, there's something else in your chemistry that was similar. TB wouldn't make sense, I would imagine it would mutate to become airborne." She snapped her fingers. "You have Ehlers-Danlos! Maybe it has something to do with it?"

L's eyes flashed up. "Do you have a photo of the specimen in Beyond's blood? I've seen the one the F.B.I had, I can compare them." Beyond silently handed L a file. Speeding over the text and inspecting the slide photo. "Not even close. Also, TB is a bacteria, the specimen the authorities had was a virus. Meaning it's nonspecific."

Quillish stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "It is host jumping somehow. Bacteria and viral make sense as the catalysts, but not together. Apologies," Quillish took a small bow before continuing", I was eavesdropping to ensure L's safety. Perhaps, the good doctor is on to something. Perhaps the infection requires Ehlers-Danlos to attach to and remain dormant. It is after all a disorder that affects skin, joints, and blood vessels and can even affect the vessel walls and connective tissues." Quillish tucked his hands behind his back and gave a gentle smile. "Perhaps the infection is of this caliber. The 'crazed' as everyone has taken to calling them, do move in a specific pattern, one I have not seen since my time in war when a neurological bio weapon was used. It attacked the soldiers' connective tissues. Making them lose control over certain portions of their bodies. Perhaps in an effort to settle into the body it is attempting to replicate the disorder."

Beyond rubbed his chin, departing the possibility. "That makes the symptoms make sense, but how is it transmitted? Ehlers isn't contagious, it's hereditary."

The doctor's face paled as she looked up from notes Beyond had written. "Josephine. JOSEPHINE IS YOUR MOTHER! It worked on her in Riker's!"

Beyond shifted in frustration and snarling out. "That doesn't explain why it's affecting everyone else! It only proves a source of immunity."

L brought his thumb up to his lips. "No. It's piggybacking, like you said Beyond. Everyone here is already infected. Everyone alive already has it who has been in any kind of contact with you or anyone else who has been near it. But in a dormant state. It's waiting for an infection of any nature to break out. The common cold, flu, a bloodborne pathogen to make contact with a healthy individual, such as your former cellmate. Beyond is a walking transmitter."

Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "We can't just off Beyond."

Quillish sighed as he read through the notes. "No one considered that but yourself. A vaccine would be futile, if we could stop certain outbreaks from happening we would have by now. It's also too widespread, the amount of resources we would need to produce vaccination against every possible pathogen is impossible."

"So what you're saying. Not vaccination, but a controlled infection." Beyond stared at his own medical file. "What if we could create a synthesis of immunity? It will at the very minimum slow attacks while prolonging the inevitable.

L watched out the window. "Beyond. What was the last time you had any kind of sickness?"

Narrowing his crimson eyes in thought. "I haven't since getting this treatment."

L released a tiny smile. "The disease is its own cure. If we can properly isolate the strain that Beyond has, it's possible that it would eradicate the need for vaccines. Bypass the protocols of safety that often hang up research. What would we really have to lose? People who are damned anyway?" Everyone shifted a nervous stare between them before looking at L again. "I'm the perfect test subject. We shared a mother. We can test the effects on someone with Ehlers and drive conclusions from that."