Chapter 5 - Breaking the rules
[[Soundtrack for this scene (although the lyrics don't fit that well) Creed "Wash Away Those Years"]]
Cris stood and watched as the afternoon sun bathed the buildings in a golden light. She heard Helena's footstep fall softly behind her. Helena walked slowly towards Cris, "I'm sorry," she said softly. Cris lifted her head and looked out at the buildings, "The pain was so unbearable, It felt as if someone were pounding me on the head with a sledge hammer. Then the voices came. It was like standing in a crowd of a thousand people talking to you all at once, some shouting other whispering. Then you wish for silence and the silence comes but it's so deafening. Then you don't know who you are anymore and you see people stare at you, they seem so strange, unfamiliar. And." she choked, "And then the darkness comes and all of a sudden you realize you either dying or dead. The cold, the loneliness, the silence all starts driving you insane." They stood silent for a long while, just looking out. Then Cris dried her eyes and turned around.
She looked straight at Helena, "I've given her a drug called ribavirin, it has been found effective against the virus. All we can do now is wait, but if Dinah has been infected, we may have a problem. Her being a meta could interfere with the drug. Either the drug won't work or it could have adverse effects." "Like what?" Helena asked. "Because the virus is associated with the inflammation of the brain, it could wreak havoc with Dinah's mental abilities. The drug, as it fights the virus, could assist in destroying those abilities," Cris replied. Helena shook her head, "So what do we do if she is infected?" Cris frowned, "Pray for a miracle."
***
Dinah, Helena and Cris sat in the lab. Dinah had fallen asleep and Helena nodded off every now and then. Cris started at the ceiling as thought ran through her mind. Suddenly she remembered the dart she had picked up at the school. Then her mind sped, What if someone injected the virus into Barbara through the dart? Who is Aaron Scott really and why did he look nervous when he saw the dart in my hand. Cris rolled her head over at Helena. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady.
Cris could only guess how Helena felt. There was a chance she might loose Barbara, who was like her mother to her and if the blood results came through positive she could loose Dinah too. The thought of someone intentionally infecting Barbara angered Cris. What would he have achieved if the virus had broken out? What sick game was he playing?
He thoughts were interrupted by a beep from the computer. Helena opened her eyes and looked at Cris. Dinah had also woken up but stayed seated. Cris took a deep breath in and then typed a few commands in. Dinah and Helena watched her intently with the hope that they were wrong. Cris' shoulder then sagged and she bent her head. She swiveled around and then looked up at Dinah, "I." she then looked down.
Dinah swallowed and then said, "Um. Okay," she tucked a lock oh hair behind her head. She stared at the floor; she didn't know what to feel. Helena walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. She took Dinah's hand and just stayed there.
***
Helena brushed a lock of hair way from Dinah's face. She had fallen asleep and Helena just sat next to her fighting the urge to scream. She didn't want to loose her; Dinah was like a sister to her. Cris words rang in her head. She looked up at the ceiling imagining she was looking up at the heavens, "I don't know how to do this so I'm just gonna try. I know I haven't bent down in prayer to you before; all those times when I could have I instead turned away. I always blamed you for not being there for my mother and I'm sorry," she took a deep breath in, "But now I'm here and." she looked down at Dinah, "I need you now. I need you to keep them alive; you know what Barbara and Dinah means to me. You know I can't go on if they die. Please, God, grant me a miracle and don't let them die." A single tear ran down her cheek.
Cris watched her from the doorway. She had never prayed before but she too hoped that it would work. She looked down at her hands at the mask Alfred had made her. What she was about to do would be totally against the code she and every hero had sworn to. The code to never kill.
***
Aaron whistled as he entered his apartment. He didn't bother switching his light on, as the moonlight had provided enough illumination. He walked slowly past his living room and into his bedroom, unaware of a presence in the shadows watching him. He entered his bathroom and opened the tap, he bent down and splashed the water over his face and the straightened himself. As he looked into the mirror he noticed someone standing behind him.
***
Helena walked silently out of Dinah's room. She needed to get air and talk to Cris. As she walked towards the balcony she noticed a window, still open on the computer screen. On it was a picture of someone named Aaron Scott and an address flashing in red. She frowned as she looked around. She then saw Cris' mask on a table with o note on it. It read, "Gone to get that miracle."
***
Aaron ducked as Cris swung a fist at him. Her hand crashed into the mirror and she screamed though gritted teeth as the glass cut into her right hand. Aaron tried to slip past her but she planted a kick in his ass that sent him flying into the bedroom. She rushed towards him and punched him in the nose with her left hand. Blood erupted from his nose and rushed down his chin. "What do you want?!" he spat out. "Where's the antidote?" Cris asked and picked him up by his collar. "I don't know what you talking about," he sneered. She flung him across the room and he landed with a grunt against the wall. Cris lifted him up again and said, "Wrong answer. Now tell me, where is the antidote?" He spat blood and saliva into her face and said, "Forget it!" Enraged she dragged him to the balcony, threw him onto the ledge and leaned him over. She held onto him by his neck and then asked, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let you go!"
[[Soundtrack for this scene (although the lyrics don't fit that well) Creed "Wash Away Those Years"]]
Cris stood and watched as the afternoon sun bathed the buildings in a golden light. She heard Helena's footstep fall softly behind her. Helena walked slowly towards Cris, "I'm sorry," she said softly. Cris lifted her head and looked out at the buildings, "The pain was so unbearable, It felt as if someone were pounding me on the head with a sledge hammer. Then the voices came. It was like standing in a crowd of a thousand people talking to you all at once, some shouting other whispering. Then you wish for silence and the silence comes but it's so deafening. Then you don't know who you are anymore and you see people stare at you, they seem so strange, unfamiliar. And." she choked, "And then the darkness comes and all of a sudden you realize you either dying or dead. The cold, the loneliness, the silence all starts driving you insane." They stood silent for a long while, just looking out. Then Cris dried her eyes and turned around.
She looked straight at Helena, "I've given her a drug called ribavirin, it has been found effective against the virus. All we can do now is wait, but if Dinah has been infected, we may have a problem. Her being a meta could interfere with the drug. Either the drug won't work or it could have adverse effects." "Like what?" Helena asked. "Because the virus is associated with the inflammation of the brain, it could wreak havoc with Dinah's mental abilities. The drug, as it fights the virus, could assist in destroying those abilities," Cris replied. Helena shook her head, "So what do we do if she is infected?" Cris frowned, "Pray for a miracle."
***
Dinah, Helena and Cris sat in the lab. Dinah had fallen asleep and Helena nodded off every now and then. Cris started at the ceiling as thought ran through her mind. Suddenly she remembered the dart she had picked up at the school. Then her mind sped, What if someone injected the virus into Barbara through the dart? Who is Aaron Scott really and why did he look nervous when he saw the dart in my hand. Cris rolled her head over at Helena. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady.
Cris could only guess how Helena felt. There was a chance she might loose Barbara, who was like her mother to her and if the blood results came through positive she could loose Dinah too. The thought of someone intentionally infecting Barbara angered Cris. What would he have achieved if the virus had broken out? What sick game was he playing?
He thoughts were interrupted by a beep from the computer. Helena opened her eyes and looked at Cris. Dinah had also woken up but stayed seated. Cris took a deep breath in and then typed a few commands in. Dinah and Helena watched her intently with the hope that they were wrong. Cris' shoulder then sagged and she bent her head. She swiveled around and then looked up at Dinah, "I." she then looked down.
Dinah swallowed and then said, "Um. Okay," she tucked a lock oh hair behind her head. She stared at the floor; she didn't know what to feel. Helena walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. She took Dinah's hand and just stayed there.
***
Helena brushed a lock of hair way from Dinah's face. She had fallen asleep and Helena just sat next to her fighting the urge to scream. She didn't want to loose her; Dinah was like a sister to her. Cris words rang in her head. She looked up at the ceiling imagining she was looking up at the heavens, "I don't know how to do this so I'm just gonna try. I know I haven't bent down in prayer to you before; all those times when I could have I instead turned away. I always blamed you for not being there for my mother and I'm sorry," she took a deep breath in, "But now I'm here and." she looked down at Dinah, "I need you now. I need you to keep them alive; you know what Barbara and Dinah means to me. You know I can't go on if they die. Please, God, grant me a miracle and don't let them die." A single tear ran down her cheek.
Cris watched her from the doorway. She had never prayed before but she too hoped that it would work. She looked down at her hands at the mask Alfred had made her. What she was about to do would be totally against the code she and every hero had sworn to. The code to never kill.
***
Aaron whistled as he entered his apartment. He didn't bother switching his light on, as the moonlight had provided enough illumination. He walked slowly past his living room and into his bedroom, unaware of a presence in the shadows watching him. He entered his bathroom and opened the tap, he bent down and splashed the water over his face and the straightened himself. As he looked into the mirror he noticed someone standing behind him.
***
Helena walked silently out of Dinah's room. She needed to get air and talk to Cris. As she walked towards the balcony she noticed a window, still open on the computer screen. On it was a picture of someone named Aaron Scott and an address flashing in red. She frowned as she looked around. She then saw Cris' mask on a table with o note on it. It read, "Gone to get that miracle."
***
Aaron ducked as Cris swung a fist at him. Her hand crashed into the mirror and she screamed though gritted teeth as the glass cut into her right hand. Aaron tried to slip past her but she planted a kick in his ass that sent him flying into the bedroom. She rushed towards him and punched him in the nose with her left hand. Blood erupted from his nose and rushed down his chin. "What do you want?!" he spat out. "Where's the antidote?" Cris asked and picked him up by his collar. "I don't know what you talking about," he sneered. She flung him across the room and he landed with a grunt against the wall. Cris lifted him up again and said, "Wrong answer. Now tell me, where is the antidote?" He spat blood and saliva into her face and said, "Forget it!" Enraged she dragged him to the balcony, threw him onto the ledge and leaned him over. She held onto him by his neck and then asked, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let you go!"