Author: Mirrordance

E-mail: mirror_dance@hotmail.com

Title: Eye of the Storm ("Ground Zero")

Type: series, action

Warnings: violence, language

Spoliers: not much that I could think of

Teaser: When Japan gets involved in an unnatural virus outbreak, Kritiker's best team is sent to the United States of America to try and stem the disaster

Keywords: Weiß, action

"Eye of the Storm"

Part 3

a WKff by Mirrordance

don't own anybody…

Beverly Hills, California

      Michael Madden's eyes opened slowly to an expensive-looking, contemporarily-designed apartment.

      "Hi," Omi greeted him.

      "You…" Michael seethed, wanting to wring the boy's neck, only to find that he was bound to a chair.

      "Yes," Omi grinned, "Me.  But we'll discuss that later.  I have questions that need answering, Mick"

      "Bastard!"
      "Yes," agreed Omi, "that's exactly what I am.  But you know what? I'm not the one who's killing all the people just to get even more stinking rich"

      "We know you're framing Darrell," said Ran, "We know you're the one behind the virus.  We know you plan on taking over that company for cheap stocks.  We know you intend to release the cure for an orchestrated outbreak and become even more rich.  All we want from you, Madden, is how you did it and where the cure is"

      "These are all assumptions--!"

      "Save the lies," snapped Omi, "People are dying.  And even more will, if you don't help us end this madness now.  You know what happens when a virus is released, Madden? It only takes awhile before it mutates.  Which means, anytime now, your fake virus can become airborne and turn into the real thing.  Which means we'll have an outbreak on our hands for which your original cure won't work.  You're a businessman, Madden.  But you're no rocket scientist"

      Madden paled noticeably.  "What?"

      "You got family?" Omi continued ruthlessly, "They live in this country? Then I suggest you think about what we're saying really, really hard"

      Madden's face was a mixture of anger and disbelief.  But it was fear that eventually got the best of him.  His head hung low as he began to explain.

      "I got the virus from a man who was fired from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases in Maryland," he began, "He had a falling away with a superior and stole some Level 4 specimens.  Biological Weapons.  He knew I've been trying to acquire Darrell Pharmaceuticals for some time now; it's become an obsession for me, to finally take my old rival down.  He gave me the idea, and I paid him well for it.

      "He's in the Bahamas now or some such place," he continued, "The plan was going well.  I had my people on the brink of a cure, so we began infecting the victims through exposure with needles, just a prick on the street, things they don't even notice.  Then I heard this CDC hotshot Gardener beating me to the punch, trying to get a cure ahead of me using connections even I've never heard of.

      "I decided I should expand the conspiracy," he said, "Looked for a weak link and found it in Satoru, Izumida's jealous assistant.  He took a sample of the good doctor's work, sabotaged the rest and brought the good ones to America to me.  The mutagen… the mutagen was Satoru's personal insult to the doctor"

      "Where's the cure?" asked Ran.

      "It's in my lab," said Madden, "a lab in Dallas"

      Ran nodded and turned to Mabel, who was standing on a corner of the room.  "You got all that?"

      "Yup," she said with a grin, turning off a recorder, "this is going straight to the cops"

      Madden's eyes widened.  "You wouldn't--"

      "People are dead, you fucker," Mabel said, "you're going to pay"

      Omi picked up his cell phone and dialed Race's number.  "Race! Your cure is in Dallas"
      "Bad break, kid," Race said quietly, "It's already gone airborne"

      "What?" Omi exclaimed, looking at Ran with wide eyes.  "When did you find out?"

      "Just a few hours ago," Race replied tiredly, "God.  I've got a whole emergency room quarantined in Hawaii, and no one else is coming in reporting possible infection.  But we've got new cases springing up in Atlanta, so another quarantine"

      "We just got the cure!" Omi whispered, disbelieving that fate would do this to them.

      "I'll have a team pick it up immediately," said Race, "Just in case we get lucky and the antidote works even in the mutated virus.  You never know.  Omi…That's not the worst part," Race said quietly, "I don't want to have to be the one to tell you this, but the second case reported in Atlanta is Ken"

      Omi hung up and looked at Ran's expectant face.

Atlanta, Georgia

      Yoji ran his hands through his hair as he watched Ken from behind the glass windows that separated him from the quarantined ward.  It only held a few occupants: the man from the park, Ken, and a kid who had come too close.

      Ken was sitting beside the child, whose youth made him even more vulnerable against the assault of the virus.

      From what the doctors deduced, the man Ken had found was already on Day Three of the theoretical Five Days before death from infection.  The child, though just on the first day, fared no better because of his age and younger built.  Of the three, Ken had the greatest chance of survival, being at the very peak of his health.

      "We'll be okay," Ken told the young boy, rubbing his back after a coughing spell, "Told you to back off from the sick man"

      Yoji heard the exchange from behind the glass door, for the room was rightfully monitored.  He stifled a laugh at Ken, scolding a careless child at a time like this.  It was precisely what Yoji wanted to do to a careless Ken.

      "This is all my fault," he said shakily, trying it on for size and felt miserable that it fit well.  "I shouldn't have let that damn troublemaker out of my sight…"

      "What are you mumbling about?" Omi asked tiredly, coming over behind Yoji.

      "Nothing," the blonde replied quickly, "Look, guys! We can watch Ken die… live!"

      "Don't talk that way," Omi said softly, waving into the room.  Ken saw him through the glass and waved back.

      "We got the cure from Madden," said Omi, "It will be here in less than an hour, not that it would do any good.  The cure was for the original strain, but we're not ruling out miracles"

      Yoji nodded, turning away from the window and heading for a chair in the waiting area. 

      "God, what a mess," he mumbled, rubbing his face.

      "You look tired," Omi commented, sitting beside him.  Ran stayed by the glass window to look in on Ken and the child.

      "This is--"

      "All your fault?" filled in Omi irritably, "Maybe the world doesn't revolve around you, Kudo"

      "Now you're being snide," snorted Yoji, but smiled, "We'll get out of this, won't we?"

      "I should think so," said Omi determinedly, "I don't think any of us have exhausted our nine lives yet"

      Race arrived with the antidote to the original strain.  As a precaution, samples have been decimated to all parts of the country to treat whomever may be a late addition to those who have been infected by the original virus.  And, just to see if they got lucky, the medicine was also used to those who have been infected by the new strain in Hawaii and Atlanta.

      But as the day progressed and dusk arrived, the victims in Hawaii were reported to have steadily gotten worse, just as the man in Atlanta who was entering into the fatal stages of Day Four.

      But there was also a multitude of things they could be thankful for: that no other cases have been reported-- meaning, the virus has been contained, at least for the time being, and that the victims of the original strain were on the way to being stable.  Also, that Madden was in the custody of the police, Satoru had also been arrested, and Madden's source of the virus from the Bahamas.  The entire conglomerate was also in very deep investigation over who else is part of the plan.

      The big players were out of the game. 

      But the only battle Weiß was concerned with now, was the small war inside the glass-encased room where their friend was fighting for his life, even as he awaited his death.

      "Useless," Izumida hissed at the cure he had created just days before, "Too late"

      Ran watched the doctor-- human again, now, after working on some chemicals, pace around the portable lab.  He returned to find the doctor back to his old self, when Yoji asked him to check on their hidden little monster.

      "We need a new cure," Ran said, "We need it in three days"

      Ran berated himself for not considering the man in Day Four.  His world had narrowed down to Ken and the kid.  Earlier, when he had first seen his teammate, the only sign that he had been infected was his pale complexion.  Just before leaving the hospital today, Ran found out that Ken was already hemorrhaging under the skin, and that his temperature was rising.

      "I know, I know," Izumida said, "I know the sequence will just come to me.  I know it.  If I can cause a mutation in the antidote too…"

      The words were jumbled in Ran's mind.  A lot of terms he couldn't begin to understand.  All he could do was sit there and hope.

      Ken opened his eyes blearily.

      There were no windows here, save for the one where people peered into his life (or death, whatever, same thing now).

      He remembered certain times in his childhood when he woke up feeling kind of like this too.  As if your body was so heavy.  And it was hot and cold all at once, with sweat all over you.  His head was pounding, he was suddenly acutely aware, and it was noticeably harder to breathe now than it was just yesterday.

      Day Two, he told himself quietly.  It will only get worse…

      With an effort, he turned his head to look at the man who had infected him in the first place.  The bed was gone.  So was the man.

      His eyes welled, but he kept himself together.

      He turned his head the other way.

      The kid was still there.  Good.

      My friends will find a cure for us, he vowed.

      Omi looked away from the observation window to look at Race Gardner, who went straight to the hospital after cleaning up the situation.

      "It's contained," he said with a tired smile, "thank God for small blessings"

      "Of course," Omi nodded, "He's in Day Two, Race.  What am I looking at?"
      "Rise to high temperatures and beginning of internal bleeding in vital organs," said Race, "but not lethal yet.  Tomorrow… tomorrow you start to worry.  For now, we find a cure, okay?"

      "Okay"

      Ran looked through the glass at Ken, who was again sitting by the sick boy.  The kid's condition had worsened considerably, and he was noticeably weaker and could no longer breathe on his own.

      Ken, knowing Ran was watching, looked up at the redhead with sorrowful eyes.  The kid wasn't going to last…

      Omi had taken over keeping Izumida company.  Yoji was taking a nap on a nearby couch. 

      Ran's fists clenched as he watched Ken hunch over and unsuccessfully try to stifle a coughing spell.  Blood spattered on his hands and on the white sheets and on the white floor.

      Ken wasn't going to last either…

      Day Three.

      Ken opened his eyes.  It felt like a Herculean task.  Everything hurt.  Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad after all.

      Someone was leaning over him.  It was Yoji, underneath that puffy biohazard suit that made him look like an astronaut.

      "Yoj…" he croaked, grinning.  This was the nearest he's been to any of his friends in days.

      "Hey, Kenken," Yoji said, his voice, though filtered and automated-sounding, was a blessing to Ken's ears.

      "How's everyone?"
      "Worrying about you"

      Ken snorted, then curled over and started to cough.  Yoji hesitantly rubbed him on the back.

      This is pathetic, the older man thought bitterly.  The game was over and won.  But no…Ken had to go sink his nose into trouble. 

      "I'm sorry," Yoji said softly.

      "Why?" Ken asked with a grin, wiping blood and drool from his chin with the back of his hand, "Am I dead yet?"
      Yoji laughed half-heartedly. 

      The two men fell into a comfortable silence, Yoji just looking at Ken with fondness and worry.  More worry, of course.  He looked absolutely gray in the parts where his skin wasn't either red or broken, bleeding into the white covers.  He was enveloped in a cold sweat where his flesh didn't burn in a fever.  His arms looked like a mess, a map of bruises and trails of needles where they started to attach him into IV's yesterday.  It was a relief that his respiratory functions were still going strong, though the coughing had worsened and his breathing was getting heavier.

      What he had said just days ago, We can watch Ken die… LIVE! Seemed not so unrealistic now, as he was made a spectator to his friend's gradual and horrid demise.

      "I want to sit up," Ken grunted, irritated that he would have to strain to look up at Yoji.

      The older man nodded and pressed a button that had the bed raising slowly, then stopped it when they met relatively eye-to-eye.

      "What's the situation?" Ken asked, huffing a little at the minor exertion.

      "The virus is contained," Yoji answered, "The only problem now is to look for a cure to the naughty people who can't keep their hands to themselves"

      "Oh, funny"

      Yoji smirked at him.

      "That's good," Ken said quietly, sincerely.  "The rest of the kids who were with us?"

      "They're absolutely fine," Yoji said, a little edgily, "But just in case, I think the good doctor will be coming up with a vaccine after he finds the cure"

      "If he finds a cure," pointed out Ken.

      "After," insisted Yoji quickly, then decided to change the subject, "He's human again, thank God.  Anyway, loose ends have been tied, the culprits caught.  Now it's just you"

      "And the child--" Ken said, then cut himself off when he looked to the other side of his bed, where the kid was supposed to be, and found it empty.

      He turned his horrified gaze to Yoji.

      "He succumbed early this morning," Yoji said softly, "They tried to revive him, but…"

      "I didn't even know…" said Ken shakily.

      "You couldn't have," said Yoji, "You were in a deep sleep"

      "I should have been there for him," Ken's eyes watered, as his chest heaved in suppressed sobs.  His weakened body protested, bringing an onslaught of a coughing spell that made Yoji's blood turn cold.

      "Ken…"

      The younger man covered his eyes with his hands, as he cried and coughed and struggled to breathe.

      "Ken…" Yoji said again, starting to panic.  Where are those goddamn doctors?!

      "Take it easy," Yoji said softly as he reached out to envelop his friend into a hug, trying to reassure both of them. 

      He felt Ken shake against him, crying and convulsing in his matched anguish of soul and body.

      Yoji hated the suit that separated them.  He hated the world that separated them.  He hated the parallel battles that they fought, and he hated his helplessness in aiding his young teammate.

      The only reason the doctors were lax in his insistence to visit Ken (as civilians weren't usually allowed into biohazard suits and be next to their ailing loved-ones), was the loss of the child.  They had, as Yoji did, a solid knowledge that Ken would need someone nearby when he found out.

      "Calm down," Yoji said soothingly, "you'll make yourself even more sick, Kenken.  I'm here.  I'm here.  We'll get out of this.  We'll find your cure.  Everything will be okay"

      A distinct pause hung in the air, misplaced and tense.

      Ken pulled away from Yoji and looked him deep in the eye.  "Funny," he said tiredly, sinking back into bed, "That's exactly what I told that kid.  And now he's dead"

      Day Four.

      The countdown continues.

      Ran touched the glass that separated him and Ken, who was now the only patient left in the room.

      People from the hospital looked in on him with sorry little glances, as if he was dead already.  They were no longer counting on finding a cure in time.  It irritated the hell out of Ran.  He didn't need nor want that kind of useless sympathy.

      "They've placed him on life support, now," Yoji said, coming up beside him.  It had been Yoji who refused to leave the hospital premises, Ran noted, just as it had been Yoji who had been the only one to sweet-talk his way into actually getting inside the room.

      "I can see," Ran said sternly.

      "The cure?" asked Yoji.

      "Coming along slowly," Ran winced.

      "If it's anymore slow we wouldn't need it anymore, now would we?" Yoji snapped, running his hands through his hair, "Shit"

      "Izumida says," Ran informed, "That there's something missing, he just couldn't put his finger on it"

      "I have an idea what's missing"

      Ran and Yoji looked to Race, who was just approaching them.

      "What's missing?" asked Ran.

      "I think the doctor needs an assistant," said Race, "Worked before.  What have we got to lose?"
      "What have we got to lose?" seethed Yoji, "Satoru, if he's the one you'll be suggesting and I'm pretty sure that's the case because we both know the doctor is paranoid and not-so trusting nor understanding of Westerners, only SABOTAGED the last cure!"

      Ran looked at Race's stern face, studying the reasons backing the suggestion with those intent eyes.

      "Scientists are interesting people," pointed out Race, "A lot of them are motivated by challenge.  Izumida is used to working with an assistant.  An assistant who will be eager to lend his expertise, because he will be flattered that we think he can help-- and, if you recall, his weakness had been pride and jealousy in the first place.  And besides, if the ultimatum is aid or imprisonment… well, he'll hear us out"

      "Would Izumida want to work with him?" pointed out Yoji.

      "A wise man gets help where he can," said Ran, "I accept this option.  It's better than standing around and doing nothing"

      "Great," said Race, "We break him out of prison tonight"

      Yoji and Ran turned to him with disbelieving expressions.

      "Okay, just kidding," he said quickly, "It was a hyperbole.  I meant to say we can requisition his services tonight"

      Ran nodded, then looked at Yoji intently.  "Someone has to remain here with Ken.  Omi's with Izumida.  And since you're the only one who is allowed inside…"

      "I'll stay," Yoji said at once.  He wanted to say so before, but it seems Ran's knowledge of him is already pretty acute, "It's my fault anyway--"
      "Don't be a fool," Ran snapped as he started to walk away, side by side with Gardner purposefully.


Dallas

      It was a small cell, because Satoru was yet to be moved to the bigger prisons, pending a trial as well as talks with the Japanese Ambassador on the situation.

      Race and Ran were led inside the sparsely furnished area, and the entrance was shut behind them.  Satoru Ogawa looked at the two men defiantly.  He was young, Ran noted, and at this point, very rebellious and uncooperative.

      "You've been busted," Race said flatly.  On the plane here, he and Ran had discussed that nothing would be more effective than a blunt negotiation.

      "Obviously," Satoru said sarcastically, motioning vaguely to his surroundings, "But apparently, I have some wild cards too.  What do you want with me?"
      "You know the virus has mutated," said Ran, "you know that the original cure won't work on it.  You know that Dr. Izumida is searching for another"

      "Yeah, so?"

      "We think," said Race, "that you have the perfect credentials to speed up this search by aiding him"

      --

      Satoru's jaws hit the floor.

      "Excuse me?"
      "We think," Race said again patiently, "that you have the--"

      "I know, I know, I heard!" said Satoru, "What I mean to say is that… Me? Look at me, for crying out loud, I'm in jail.  I sold out, I sabotaged.  I couldn't possibly--!"

      "You can't?" asked Ran, "Or you won't?"
      "Doesn't matter!" said Satoru, "I'm not… I'm not…"

      "Everyone deserves a second chance, kid," said Race, "If this succeeds, we can't promise you amnesty.  But we can promise… retribution.  All you have to say, is Yes."

Atlanta, Georgia

      "NO!" hollered the Doctor, upon setting eyes on Satoru Ogawa for the first time since leaving Japan.  The younger scientist cringed in embarrassment and fury.  He stood defiantly in between Race and Ran, who had ditched their escort outside, as if the scrawny younger man could hold a candle to the trained men.

      "How are you progressing, Doctor?" asked Race wryly, "I'd say, swallow it and get help where you can"

      Izumida glared at Race, then at Ran, then at Omi who stood by innocently, and finally settling on Satoru. 

      "Will you sabotage me again?" he asked.

      "Not unless you tempt me," said the stubborn, high-prided youth.

      The doctor snorted, then started giving him rapid-fire instructions, which he immediately followed.

      Yoji felt miserable as his eyes locked into Ken's bleary, unfocused gaze.  The crusty eyes just opened, and seemed to seek his own.  Yoji made it a point to always be awake whenever Ken drifted to consciousness.

      "Day five," Ken whispered, "Few more…hours"

      "Don't give up," Yoji urged from his biohazard suit, "They're progressing really, really well"

      "So am I," Ken chuckled, coughing weakly.  Blood sputtered from his cracked lips, and Yoji wiped at them with his glove.  "It'll be… okay," he sighed, "Eventually"

      In either death, or recovery, Yoji surmised.  He prayed it would be the latter.

      Ken's eyes rolled back, and he started to shudder, then convulse.

      "Ken!" Yoji yelled, hands flailing, not knowing what the hell he was supposed to do.  The heart monitor was erratic.  The machines around him erupted in frantic sounds that suddenly had suit-encased crew pushing him aside as they took over the room.

      "Don't die!" Yoji begged from his obscure corner, "Don't die!"

      Omi, Race and Ran were outside the portable lab, leaving the doctor, Satoru, and one inconspicuous guard behind inside, to prevent possible trouble between the two doctors, who hardly needed him around.  Omi, Race and Ran stepped out of the lab because they were only getting in the way of the well-synchronized duo.

      The fact that they disliked each other was a null factor-- they had a mutual fascination for science, and undoubted skill.  The search for a cure was looking more and more promising.

      Which was just as well, since it was already Day Five.  Ken was the only living man who had been infected with the mutated virus left.  Everyone else had died out.  His survival was relevant, not only in that he was Weiß and he had friends in high places, but also because the antibodies he creates would be vital in creating a vaccine.

      None of the three men outside, or their trained escorts slept.  The moment that cure comes out, the hospital was the next stop, and they needed a clear, traffic-less path getting there.

      Omi dialed Yoji's number to get an update on Ken, but no one was answering his phone.  Omi hung up and turned to Race and Ran, who were looking at him.

      "He'd call if anything was wrong, right?" asked Omi.

      Ran just nodded.  He'd give a lot to be next to Ken right now.  But none of those included the fact that he would be much more useful here, in delivering the cure the moment it is discovered.

      Please hurry, Ran thought silently.  It hadn't been a prayer, but as close to one as he'd ever had in years.

      They've succeeded in stabilizing him.

      The doctors and nurses settled Ken in, and exited the room only after turning to Yoji, who was shaking with relief at the close call, and fear at others that would be coming in the near future.

      He breathed heavily, cowering in his corner as he looked at Ken's deathly face.  He stepped forward as Ken's eyes opened slowly.

      "Sorry 'bout that," Ken said, so softly Yoji had to lean close.

      "It's okay," Yoji said lightly, "As long as you don't do it again, you asshole"

      But he didn't laugh, as Yoji had hoped he would.

      Ken's voice was raspy, almost soundlessly weak by now, almost just mouthed.

      "Don't think I could," he said, eyelids starting to close.

      Yoji's chest tightened in fear, "Ken… Ken!"

      "So tired," he murmured.

      "No…" Yoji said, his voice rising, "You are not doing this to me! Ken! Ken, damn it!"

      In his frustration, he started to unzip his suit, started to remove his mask.  The sounds caught Ken's wavering attention.  His eyes opened as wide as his strength allowed.

      "What are you doing?" he asked shakily, his frail hand reaching for Yoji's in a vain effort to try and stop him.

      "There!" Yoji said triumphantly, tossing the mask to the floor, quickly followed by the gloves.  Flesh to flesh now, after to long, he held Ken's hand.

      "What did you do…?" Ken said weakly, anguished as tears cascaded down his cheeks, "What did you do…"
      "Nothing," Yoji said lightly, feeling liberated not only from the oppressive suit, but also in that Ken was wide awake now, and would definitely stay that way as long as he was near.

      Yoji's hand tightened against Ken's.  The younger man's free one reached, aching to touch his face.

      "They'll find the cure, Ken," said Yoji, and watched as the other man smiled a little at his unfiltered voice, "See how confident I am? I took off the protection because I know they'll find the cure in time.  I'm absolutely sure of it"

      "You're a good liar," Ken said, his hand dropping down on the bed, "Always have been"

      "I wouldn't lie about this," said Yoji with a rakish grin.

      Actually, he would.  But not this time.

      He wouldn't allow it to be a lie.

      The car stopped right on the rotunda of the hospital, escorted in front and at the back by policemen who had cleared a path through traffic to get the cure to the hospital as quickly as possible.

      Omi had tried to call Yoji on the phone to say they were on their way, but apparently, the blonde was busy and probably with Ken in a suit, so he was unable to answer. 

      Omi, Race, Ran, Izumida and Satoru ditched their police escorts on the ground floor, to be replaced by doctors and nurses.

      The entire group headed for the quarantined area…

      "YOJI!" Omi said in a scolding tone that was so loud the blonde actually heard it from beyond the glass.

      He grinned sheepishly at the arriving group.

      The doctors and nurses who were on standby and had witnessed Yoji's actions looked at the group with relief and exasperation.

      Ran just shook his head in dismay, as Izumida and some doctors went into the anteroom to don the protective suits before going into the negatively pressurized room.

      He, Race, Omi and Satoru stood by the observation area to look at the proceedings.

      "What's happening?" Ken murmured, but Yoji just squeezed his hand in reply, as he was pulled aside gently, to stand in yet another corner as the group surrounded Ken's bed.

      The cure was in a clear plastic bag that they had connected to the IV drip, to course through Ken's veins and do its magic.

      Yoji breathed in relief.  It seemed to be acting quickly and surely, because by the time the doctors backed away from Ken and focused their irritated attention to him, Yoji had a fleeting glance at the peacefully sleeping brunette.

      Yoji was attached to the drip for five hours before he was cleared of the disease, as well as immunized by his exposure to it.  Ken, who was still immersed in a deep, healing sleep, was set for two or three more doses before complete recovery.

      This was why, probably out of some form of Vengeance, the samples that would be used to create the immediate vaccines were taken from Yoji instead.

      These vaccines were proven effective in a few hours time, and quickly made use of by his friends, as well as the hospital and sanitation personnel.  Soon, he knew, the vaccine would make its way around the world.

      Ken was no longer alone in the quarantine area.  Yoji's bed was moved in, though at the moment he was sitting on a chair by Ken's bed.  There was no longer need for protective clothing.  Ran and Omi were in the room, as were Race, Izumida and Satoru who had stayed to overlook their handiwork.

      At last, after a seeming eternity of waiting, Ken opened his eyes. And looked straight up at Yoji's beaming face.

      "You're okay now," Yoji told him softly, and Ken watched as other welcome faces hovered over his.

      "Thought so," he said, licking his dry lips, "But you all look like shit…"

      "It's because of you--" Yoji was saying, but Ken had already fallen asleep again.

      Outside the decontamination chamber, Race and Ran stood with Izumida, Satoru and some police officers who have come to take him back.

      "Great work, doctors," Race said, as he and Ran shook the men's hands jovially.

      Izumida nodded, but his eyes were focused on Satoru, who was being handcuffed.

      "You're very good," he told his assistant tightly.

      The praise had been… rare, at best.  It made the younger man's eyes brighten, and his cheeks flush.

      But instead, he said, "Now you're telling me," wryly.

      The doctor barked a laugh, "When you get out, look for me"

      "I just might take you up on that," said Satoru with a wink, as he was escorted out of the premises.

      Omi looked at his bags miserably.

      He will definitely be coming home to Japan with more than he had when he left.  Like all journeys.

      The airport was bound to charge for the extra weight, but he could hardly leave anything behind.  He had, like any normal human being, amassed a whole lot of things after spending more than a whole month in America.

      When the virus was finally purged out of his system, Ken spent weeks recuperating in the hospital, receiving much-needed treatment for his damaged organs.  His outlook, according to the doctors, was excellent, but he needed time.  Tissue regeneration could not be rushed, no matter how stubborn the patient… and Ken was a handful.

      With their friend out of danger, Race Gardner took them around, showed them the sights.  Omi guiltily thought that it felt like a vacation.  A month-long vacation.

      Ken was up and about now, though not quite up-to-par with his old physique.  He was noticeably thinner, somewhat slower still.  But he was well enough to be allowed transfer to a hospital in Tokyo, closer to home.  And in his face was a liveliness that could not be denied.

      "Ready?" Ran asked, stopping by Omi's door.

      The younger man nodded, and accepted Ran's silent offer of help.  The only sign that he disapproved of how much Omi had packed was a grunt of effort.

      Race was nowhere to be seen, and had said he was going to be in Africa.  Ran thought it was an interesting and hectic job, but more than anything, he saw that the other man was hesitant over goodbye's.

      "See 'ya around," Race had said, "You can use my house as long as you like, just leave the keys under my pot of poison ivy.  Tell Manx I said Hi"

      He left with a handshake.  Ran wondered if their paths would ever cross again.

      Ran and Omi piled into the car, which Cass was driving.  Mabel and Janine were also there, and the trio from Coffee Paradiso had left their shop closed to bring the Japanese to the airport.

      "Here we go," said Cass, heading for the hospital where Ken, Yoji and Izumida would be waiting for their ride home.

      Ken was sitting on a wheelchair by the rotunda, with Yoji standing over him and a multitude of bags.  Izumida was with them also, as the trio awaited for the car that would take them to the airport.

      "Remember," Ken's doctor said, "NO heavy physical activities.  Absolutely nothing.  When you get to the airport, request for a wheelchair, for crying out loud, don't even try to walk around there, all right?"
      "Got it," Ken said, genuinely chipper over going home, "Thanks doc.  I'll behave, I promise"

      The doctor looked at him skeptically, then sighed in resignation.  To Ken's consternation, his head was patted, as if he were a naughty little boy, before the doctor walked away.

      "I don't blame him," Yoji said good-naturedly.

      Ken smiled, shook his head in amusement before he changed the topic.  "Yoji…"

      "What?"
      "You took of your mask to keep me awake"

      "Yeah, so?"
      "There hadn't been a cure yet," said Ken tightly, "but you were willing to risk…"

      "It was nothing"

      "It meant everything to me," Ken said, "At the time"

      --

      "So it did"

      "What I wanted to say," Ken continued, "is thank you.  Baka"

      Yoji chuckled, and barely suppressed the same urge to ruffle Ken's hair.

      The minivan pulled over in front of them.

      "We're going home," Ken said brightly.  Yoji had to physically restrain him from getting up on his own.

THE END

April 12, 2001

NOTES:

If the fic should seem familiar, it had once been called "Ground Zero," before 9/11.  It pretty much means where a storm hits the hardest, so I used "Eye of the Storm" as its new title (which, in opposite, is actually where a storm is most calm).  I changed the title because I didn't feel like my story merited any association with the events of 9/11, with all of its tragedies and its great heroes from the ashes.