Same ol' disclaimer
A/N: I'm still working on VS3, but I ahd a tie to write this so I'm posting it without beta. Hope you like it and continue to read this fic. I'll try to update it sooner, but I can't promise you anything. I xacn only say that I'm not abandoning this fic and will continue to write it. Please don't forget to read and review.
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EP3 CHAPTER 5: SHAKIN' LOSE
JOSHUA'S PLACE
Cyd ran up to Logan and called, "Logan! I need help!" She stopped right in front of Logan who has bolted from his chair.
"Wha… What is it?" Cyd did not wait for Logan but ran back to her computer terminal as Logan followed after her.
Cyd indicated her monitor, which was blinking with a "CONNECTION TERMINATED" in the middle of it. "I was talking with Max, next thing I knew she was down, seizing!" She tried to reconnect with Terminal City, but it kept logging her off. Finally, she hit the monitor, but it still turned out nothing.
"Oh God!" Logan motioned that he wanted to be the one to connect with Terminal City and Cyd pushed herself from the keyboard. As Logan was typing, he could not help the beads of sweat forming around his face as he thought of what might have happened to Max.
Cyd was blabbing, "I know about tryptophan, but I don't know if they still had any left."
Logan swore in exasperation, "Dammit!" He could not connect with Terminal City. He turned towards Cyd and said, "I'm going over there. Think you can muster me some of those liquid tryptophan and syringe I have in my bathroom closet?" He turned, but saw that Cyd was already gone. He stood, ran up the stairs two at a time. Despite the detour, Cyd still arrived in front of the car before Logan, but didn't open the doors. They both got in the Aztec silently as Logan drove into Terminal City.
AMES WHITE'S OFFICE
Agent White was talking over the phone. "Yes… I see… the police got them? Yes… your office only need to call the precinct and I'm pretty sure they'll give them to me when I show up… I was thinking CIA… Yes. I'll show up as NSA, then. Fenos 'Tol." He quickly closed his phone.
He stood up and went out of his office telling Otto as he walked towards the car, "I need you to ensure those all tryptophan are shipped out of Seattle. I want each bottle, if not each tablet accounted for. Call me as soon as the shipment to San Francisco arrives."
Otto frowned, "Shouldn't I be - ?"
Agent White shook his head, Otto had seen enough. He could not risk him knowing his every move. "No. I can handle this for now."
Otto merely nodded as Agent White entered the back of a black Sedan while two others sat in front and they drove towards the precinct.
A few minutes after Agent White and his men left, Otto decided to go into the office. He still didn't know how Agent White knew about the tryptophan and he intended to find out. He walked over White's desk and lifted some papers, but those were simple, direct papers concerning the NSA's take on their job. He shuffled through the papers on the desk some more. Something caught his eye and he took it out from under the stacks of papers.
The folder had a "CONFIDENTIAL" in front of it. Opening the folder, Otto saw that it was 452's file. He knew about 452's file. He had seen it. His eyebrows met in concentration and confusion as he wondered why this was separate from the one that he had seen. It had a complete DNA structure break down of 452 - some chemical formulas and scientific language that he knew little about. One thing is for sure, this is 452's file, but none of them have seen it. It had a complete report on 452's DNA composition it's uses and chemical breakdown. Since the file was thick, he looked under and saw the profiles of different transgenics about the same age as Max. They all had some alias on them. a red mark encircled one phrase in those files – "seizures".
Otto put down the file, the file. However, he left it open on Max's file. It did not take a genius to know that 452's DNA was perfect – no junk DNA. He carefully closed the folder and went out of White's office with his brows meeting in consternation.
AZTEC
Logan was coursing under his breath thinking how stupid he was to even try to connect with Terminal City. He wasted several seconds when he should have left to bring his stash of tryptophan to Max.
Cyd glanced worriedly on at Logan noting his hands gripping hard on the wheels and the vein at his temple moving rapidly. He could hear Logan's harsh intake of breath as Logan tried to control his emotions. She had to do something… even if it would not be of much help.
So she tried to reassure Logan although she realized it was fruitless. "She'll be okay, Logan."
Logan nodded not wanting Cyd to know he's panicking.
"I know she will."
TERMINAL CITY
At the main head quarters, Joshua arrived seeing Max huddled on the floor. Luke was about to carry Max out of the HQ, but he bent a little awkwardly – not sure whether he should do so or not. The other transgenics looked helplessly on Max's shaking form knowing that with tryptophan gone, nothing would help such a severe seizure. Joshua stepped towards Luke, parting the sea of bodies huddled around Max and bent to tap Luke on the shoulder
"Joshua will do it."
He bent, took Max in his arms and carried her out of the head quarters as the transgenics looked on silently watching their leader.
A FEW NAUTICAL MILES FROM TERMINAL CITY
Dix grabbed one of the guards by the neck and twisted it just enough to make the guard unconscious. At the far end of the ship, Alec looked inside and only saw container-full of strips of cloth. Dalton tapped another guard by the shoulder and then twisted his head in the same manner as Dix making sure that he cuts off the air passage just long enough to make the guard unconscious. Ten other guards received the same treatment from Dalton and another X-series while Alec looked in on the cargo.
Alec looked up at the sound of someone approaching from above the Deck. He crouched behind one of the containers making the sure the guard does not see him. Going down the stairs, the guard checked up on the containers making sure everything was okay. Just as he was walking towards Alec's direction, he looked down and saw a crushed cigarette butt on the floor. He remembered throwing the butt on the floor before he walked up onto the Deck. However, he does not remember stepping on it. He looked cautiously around, holding his machine gun higher. He walked ready to pounce on any intruder, pointing the gun towards the crevices he passes by. He slid his body against the container where Alec is and slowly went towards the edge, pointing the gun towards Alec as he does so and found nothing. He looked up and felt more than saw the breath come out of his body as Alec twisted his neck to induce sleep.
Just then, Dix went in from the opposite corner where Alec and the guard entered and his gaze locked onto Alec.
"They're out cold."
With a nod, Alec went from one container to the other. "Get the barges beside this dig and let's dump our packages and head for our crew."
A few minutes later, huge sacks of cloth bags containing all the tryptophan aboard the ship were dumped into the two 2 barges without the captain knowing anything that's happening in the ship and all the security guards were out cold.
Alec signaled for the team to separate from the ship as they brought home their prize.
TERMINAL CITY
Max was crouched on her bed with Joshua sitting beside her on the some leather pillow. Max smiled as Joshua trying to reassure him that everything's gonna be alright. He seizures are coming one after the other and there's nothing she cold do to stop it.
Just then, the door towards the secluded part of the warehouse Max was staying in was opened. Gem looked into the room defined by four soundproofed cream-colored walls. She saw what used to be a conference table good for 6 people with its own chairs at the left side, a sink and makeshift kitchen on the right side. She dropped her backpack on the table, took out a carton of milk and passed by the kitchen to get a glass. Behind the dining room, which she assumed it to be, was a group of sliding door with a smoked-screen fiberglass. She walked towards it careful to close that warehouse door. At the other side of the room covered with fiberglass, there was a worn out sofa and a stand where a TV was held in place. Gem entered the bedroom and saw another door, which would be leading into a bathroom. At the far end was the bunk Max was staying in. It looked more like a bed without the framing as its lower end touched the once concrete floor now covered with a thin carpet Original Cindy was able to salvage from Sketchy's friends placed over the plywood, which covered the concrete ground it used to have. This would have been a contractor's or a lab researcher's private quarters back before the spill.
The walked near Max's shaking form and sat down in front of Joshua.
"I got you some milk from our supplies." She tried to smile at max as she poured the milk on the glass and Joshua helped Max sit up since the latter has been shaking uncontrollably for all of 10 minutes.
Max reached for the milk and smiled gratefully towards Gem, "Thanks." She tried to bring the glass to her lips, but her hands were shaking to much making her spill most of it on her hand. Gem immediately got a piece of cloth near the bed and wiped max's hands before any drop spilt on the bed and got the glass from her shaking hands.
"I'll do it."
Joshua, knowing Gem's intention all but crawled to where Gem is as Gem went to his place and held the glass against Max's lips so she could have her drink.
"Gem's baby?"
Gem appreciated the light conversation Joshua was trying to pull, whether he knew it or not, "I left her with one of the X-series who knew I was getting Max some milk. She'll be fine."
"Like Max." This made Max smile as she took a break from drinking her milk.
"Yes Joshua, just like Max will be when Alec arrives." Max finished off the carton, but was still shaking uncontrollably. Knowing there's nothing else they could do unless magic was something Manticore gave when they spliced their jeans, she decided to lie down and try to ease everyone's attention by sleeping it out – if she could sleep through the seizures at all. Her energy was sapped, but her seizures are not permitting her any rest. For the first time in her life, she was in the middle of being out cold due to tiredness and not getting any sleep due to seizures. It almost felt like she was hallucinating.
A few minutes more, the door to her quarters opened once again.
"Max!" It was Logan with Cyd on his heels.
Logan saw Joshua on the sofa and run towards Max's bedroom. He saw Gem crouched beside Max's seizing form, felt more than saw gem move away from Max to give him access. He bent and checked on Max's eyes, he saw a hint of a smile cross her face.
"Logan." She said faintly as finally, Max turned out cold. Cyd immediately handed Logan the 2nd to the last shot of tryptophan he has on the box, which Logan immediately injected on Max's arm. Since seizures still rocked Max's sleeping form, Logan held out his hand for another shot and Cyd hesitantly handed the last one to him. Still not satisfied due to the intensity of Max's seizures, he held out his hand for another one. This time Cyd spoke up.
"Max's seizure will be over in a minute. We can watch her as it dissipates."
Logan just shook his head. He's never seen Max suffer a seizure this strong before, "Just give me whatever's left Cyd."
"I mean… Well… there's nothing more."
Logan turned his head in a whiplash and looked at Cyd.
The child did not know what to do so she just stared back, "Sorry."
A few minutes later, Logan was on the floor sweating and breathing hard looking intensely at Max's seizing form as Cyd cried, "Joshua! Gem!"