Chapter 2 - Stage One
[[For soundtrack effects add Aimee Allen's "Come away with me" for this scene]]
Cris rested her head on Matthew's shoulder as they danced slowly to the music. She closed her eyes, feeling as they both stood close together, moving slowly side-to-side. His touch was so gentle and he held her hand as if it was so precious and would break easily. "What are you thinking about?" Matthew asked softly. Cris lifted her head and looked into his eyes. He eye always seemed so on fire with passion. She smiled and place her hand gently on the side of his face, "Just about how wonderful you are," she replied. He smiled and leaned in. Their lips touched and the kiss lingered for a long while. Cris closed her eyes, as her head and body flooded with emotions she wanted to last for a long time. As they slowly pulled away she rested her head on his shoulders again. [[End music]]
***
As the limo pulled up to the clocktower Dinah thanked Cris and Matthew and jumped out. She entered the elevator a pressed a button. As the lift sped up towards the top Dinah's thought wondered back to the party. Vernon had been so sweet to her. He was so amazing and funny. He even taught her how to dance a slow dance. The elevator stopped as she stepped out of the elevator. "Barbara! I'm back!" she yelled as she headed towards the stairs. No one answered back. "She must have eventually gone to bed," Dinah thought to herself, ascending the stairs. She didn't see Barbara's still body lying near the lab entrance.
***
The night had only been riddled with petty break-ins and a few muggings. Huntress hadn't even worked up a sweat yet. "I wonder how Barbara's doing," she thought to her self as she landed on the rooftop of an up market apartment building. Barbara didn't look too good when Huntress left. "Looked like one bad ass headache," she said to herself. She looked down at her watch, it read '1:45' am. "Maybe I should just go check on her, of course she might be sleeping, but just to be sure," she thought and then headed towards the clocktower.
Huntress walked quietly through the apartment. Dinah was sound asleep in her bed. She closed the door and then went downstairs. Something caught her eye and she moved closer. "Oh my. Babara!" she shouted.
***
The sweet silence in Matthew's apartment was shattered as a cell phone rang. Cris lifted her head from the pillow and opened her eyes. She groaned and asked, "Is that yours?" Matthew opened his eyes, "No, mine's more annoying." Cris rolled over and reached for her cell phone that lay next to the bed on a side table. She cleared her throat and then answered it, "Hello?" ::Cris! It's Dinah! You've gotta come, something's happened to Barbara!:: Dinah said between sobs. Suddenly very awake, Cris shot up, "What happened?" ::I don't know, Huntress found her on the floor, she. Cris she looked.:: Dinah started sobbing again. "Where is she," Cris asked as she started climbing back into her clothes. ::In the lab, she woke up and told us not to take us to the hospital, then she passed out:: Huntress replied, she had taken the phone over. She sounded scared and really worried. "Okay, I'm on my way!" Cris replied and cancelled the call. She hopped around as she put the last show on. "What's going on?" Matthew asked sitting up. "Oh shit! Matthew, I'm so sorry, an emergency has just come up. Have to go," She replied looking at hi. "No problem, go. I'll have my driver drop you off, hope everything's okay." he said groggily. She smiled, "I hope so too."
***
Helena looked at Barbara's face. It seemed so disturbed, so different. She hated not knowing what was wrong with her and she still couldn't understand why Barbara didn't want them to take her to the hospital. She looked up at Dinah, another person she was worried about. Dinah's face was pale, her eyes burning with worry as she stared at Barbara. Helena stamped her foot and hit the wall, "Damn it!" "How is she?" Cris asked as she stormed into the lab. "She's sleeping, I think," Helena replied. Cris walked up to Barbara's right hand side, next to Helena. She wiped a lock of hair away from Barbara's cheek. Her skin felt cold and wet. She noticed a bit of foam on the side of her lip. She looked up at Helena and asked, "Has Barbara ever suffered seizures or epileptic fits?" Helena looked at her frowning, "No, why?" She looked back at Barbara. Something didn't seem right, Barbara refusing to go to the hospital and foam at her mouth. She frowned as her mind sped through possibilities. Suddenly the image of Barbara rubbing her neck flashed in front of her. She turned to Helena and said, "Help me roll her to her left side." Helena nodded and stepped around to Barbara's left. They both rolled her gently to her side. Cris lifted Barbara's red hair away from her neck. "Oh my." her voice trailed off. On her neck was what looked like a huge boil of sorts. It was red and bled a little, but what startled her more was thin, blue branch like trails leading away from the sore and then vanishing. She looked up at Helena, "Okay, I need your help again. I need to take a blood sample. I don't know for sure but I think I know what's wrong and I hope I'm wrong." Dinah looked at her even more worried. Helena nodded and rolled Barbara back. Cris grabbed a rubber band, and a empty syringe. She handed the band to Helena and said, "Roll her sleeves up and tie this above her elbow, not too tight." Helena nodded, while she did this Cris prepared the syringe needle. She then walked over to Barbara; she tapped the inside of her elbow until an artery was visible. She inserted the needle and then drew some blood. She placed a cotton wool over the needle and pulled the needle out. "Here, keep this pressed against her arm a few seconds," she said to Helena and then walked to the microscope. She squirted the blood into a vial and places a spot of blood on a chip and slid it into the microscope.
She looked through the lenses. Her whole body went cold. She lifted her head, "Oh no!"
[[For soundtrack effects add Aimee Allen's "Come away with me" for this scene]]
Cris rested her head on Matthew's shoulder as they danced slowly to the music. She closed her eyes, feeling as they both stood close together, moving slowly side-to-side. His touch was so gentle and he held her hand as if it was so precious and would break easily. "What are you thinking about?" Matthew asked softly. Cris lifted her head and looked into his eyes. He eye always seemed so on fire with passion. She smiled and place her hand gently on the side of his face, "Just about how wonderful you are," she replied. He smiled and leaned in. Their lips touched and the kiss lingered for a long while. Cris closed her eyes, as her head and body flooded with emotions she wanted to last for a long time. As they slowly pulled away she rested her head on his shoulders again. [[End music]]
***
As the limo pulled up to the clocktower Dinah thanked Cris and Matthew and jumped out. She entered the elevator a pressed a button. As the lift sped up towards the top Dinah's thought wondered back to the party. Vernon had been so sweet to her. He was so amazing and funny. He even taught her how to dance a slow dance. The elevator stopped as she stepped out of the elevator. "Barbara! I'm back!" she yelled as she headed towards the stairs. No one answered back. "She must have eventually gone to bed," Dinah thought to herself, ascending the stairs. She didn't see Barbara's still body lying near the lab entrance.
***
The night had only been riddled with petty break-ins and a few muggings. Huntress hadn't even worked up a sweat yet. "I wonder how Barbara's doing," she thought to her self as she landed on the rooftop of an up market apartment building. Barbara didn't look too good when Huntress left. "Looked like one bad ass headache," she said to herself. She looked down at her watch, it read '1:45' am. "Maybe I should just go check on her, of course she might be sleeping, but just to be sure," she thought and then headed towards the clocktower.
Huntress walked quietly through the apartment. Dinah was sound asleep in her bed. She closed the door and then went downstairs. Something caught her eye and she moved closer. "Oh my. Babara!" she shouted.
***
The sweet silence in Matthew's apartment was shattered as a cell phone rang. Cris lifted her head from the pillow and opened her eyes. She groaned and asked, "Is that yours?" Matthew opened his eyes, "No, mine's more annoying." Cris rolled over and reached for her cell phone that lay next to the bed on a side table. She cleared her throat and then answered it, "Hello?" ::Cris! It's Dinah! You've gotta come, something's happened to Barbara!:: Dinah said between sobs. Suddenly very awake, Cris shot up, "What happened?" ::I don't know, Huntress found her on the floor, she. Cris she looked.:: Dinah started sobbing again. "Where is she," Cris asked as she started climbing back into her clothes. ::In the lab, she woke up and told us not to take us to the hospital, then she passed out:: Huntress replied, she had taken the phone over. She sounded scared and really worried. "Okay, I'm on my way!" Cris replied and cancelled the call. She hopped around as she put the last show on. "What's going on?" Matthew asked sitting up. "Oh shit! Matthew, I'm so sorry, an emergency has just come up. Have to go," She replied looking at hi. "No problem, go. I'll have my driver drop you off, hope everything's okay." he said groggily. She smiled, "I hope so too."
***
Helena looked at Barbara's face. It seemed so disturbed, so different. She hated not knowing what was wrong with her and she still couldn't understand why Barbara didn't want them to take her to the hospital. She looked up at Dinah, another person she was worried about. Dinah's face was pale, her eyes burning with worry as she stared at Barbara. Helena stamped her foot and hit the wall, "Damn it!" "How is she?" Cris asked as she stormed into the lab. "She's sleeping, I think," Helena replied. Cris walked up to Barbara's right hand side, next to Helena. She wiped a lock of hair away from Barbara's cheek. Her skin felt cold and wet. She noticed a bit of foam on the side of her lip. She looked up at Helena and asked, "Has Barbara ever suffered seizures or epileptic fits?" Helena looked at her frowning, "No, why?" She looked back at Barbara. Something didn't seem right, Barbara refusing to go to the hospital and foam at her mouth. She frowned as her mind sped through possibilities. Suddenly the image of Barbara rubbing her neck flashed in front of her. She turned to Helena and said, "Help me roll her to her left side." Helena nodded and stepped around to Barbara's left. They both rolled her gently to her side. Cris lifted Barbara's red hair away from her neck. "Oh my." her voice trailed off. On her neck was what looked like a huge boil of sorts. It was red and bled a little, but what startled her more was thin, blue branch like trails leading away from the sore and then vanishing. She looked up at Helena, "Okay, I need your help again. I need to take a blood sample. I don't know for sure but I think I know what's wrong and I hope I'm wrong." Dinah looked at her even more worried. Helena nodded and rolled Barbara back. Cris grabbed a rubber band, and a empty syringe. She handed the band to Helena and said, "Roll her sleeves up and tie this above her elbow, not too tight." Helena nodded, while she did this Cris prepared the syringe needle. She then walked over to Barbara; she tapped the inside of her elbow until an artery was visible. She inserted the needle and then drew some blood. She placed a cotton wool over the needle and pulled the needle out. "Here, keep this pressed against her arm a few seconds," she said to Helena and then walked to the microscope. She squirted the blood into a vial and places a spot of blood on a chip and slid it into the microscope.
She looked through the lenses. Her whole body went cold. She lifted her head, "Oh no!"