Chapter 21: Painful Losses
Simon sat on the couch watching TV, watching some evening programs. He started to flip through the channels in an absently manner while at the same time pondering what happened earlier in the afternoon. As predicted, Dave grounded him – again for lying and smoking. He was told that he was on a curfew from now on, especially for Friday when he will be going on his first date with Jeanette. Dave also told him that he had to go to school tomorrow, headache or not.
Simon lucked out when Dave announced that he had to go to the studio for a few hours shortly after Alvin and Theodore came home from school. This gave Simon a chance to relax and not receive any lectures for a while. While Alvin was upstairs playing music on his stereo, Theodore was making popcorn in the kitchen.
The one good thing about today was that he received a picture in the mail from Brenda. He lifted it to admire it for the eleventh time. It showed him with his four friends. Brenda's parents took it at the airport when the five teens were saying goodbye to each other. Simon let out a huge sigh before turning his attention back to the TV.
Theodore walked in with a bowl of popcorn and sat in a chair beside the couch. He was about to offer Simon some popcorn, but then remembers that he'd probably refuse it anyway. At this moment, Theodore was happy to see his brother home and grabbed a handful of popcorn and started munching away on them. Simon looked over to his younger brother and smiled at his innocents. If there was one thing Simon marveled most from his childhood was his brother's sweet, nurturing attitude towards life. He then turned back to the television. As Simon kept changing the channels he discovered that he didn't like anything that was on and turned to Theodore who is munching a mouthful of popcorn.
"Is it just me or did television decline rapidly in the past five years?"
Theodore swallowed his food before answering. "No, it pretty much went down hill!"
Both brothers looked at each other and chuckled. Simon then tried one final attempt to find something to watch. As he channel surfed something caught his eye. He quickly went back to the station, turned up the volume, and then dropped the remote in shock. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. Theodore caught his brother's expression and turned to the TV to see what was so startling.
A news reporter started talking about a death that happened to one of the survived kidnapped victims from Founder's Island. The report showed a picture of a male teen chipmunk. Simon recognized it immediately to be Brain's. "…The young chipmunk from Canada went into a corner store with a gun earlier today. He then started to make threats to everyone there. When the cops came in, the young teen attempted to fire the weapon at them. They fired back and shot him dead at the scene. A few cops were injured, but not killed. Friends and families are baffled on what could have caused the young chipmunk to react in such a violent way…"
Simon fell back into the couch, unable to speak or move. He knew why Brian would react that way. His stomach was tied up in knots. How could this happen? Why couldn't he be there for him when he needed his friends the most? His chest hurt so badly that Simon thought it was going to implode. Again he looked down at the picture in his hand and nearly broke out in tears. Nothing was making sense – it's like everything had become a nightmare and why doesn't he wake up soon. But no, it's real – too real.
It was obvious to Theodore that the chipmunk on the TV was one of the friends Simon talked about. He wasn't sure what to say to his now distressed brother. The young pudgy chipmunk thought hard to figure out what Simon could be going through at this moment. He felt pain and sorrow from his older, smarter brother. Theodore was about to say something when the phone rang. Seeing that his brother was not about to move from his spot he answered the phone. The caller is Renee and she's crying as she asked for Simon. Theodore reached over and handed Simon the phone. Slowly, Simon accepted the phone and put it up to his ear. Theodore could tell that Simon was trying so hard to hold back his tears as he began to talk with his upset friend.
"Hello…I know…I'm just seeing it on the news now. …What? …I'll be right there!" Simon quickly hung up the phone, got off the couch, and started heading for the door. "Theodore, I have to go!"
Simon was getting his coat on and putting the picture in one of the inner pockets when Theodore chased after him. "But you can't leave now! Dave will be home soon and we're going to have dinner!"
"I know, but you saw the news report. And I'm afraid Tom is not taking this news too well. I have to go over to him right away before he does something drastic. Tell Dave I'll try to be home before my curfew! Again I'm sorry, this is an emergency!" With that Simon left the house and ran down the street.
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EARLY FRIDAY MORNING,
AT THE MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
Detectives McCormick and Costar wait in an office, they managed to get a meeting with the Senior Doctor of the medical research team. The staff is going over the cure for the children that would survive from Founder's Island. Costar begins to tap his finger on the arm of his chair as he becomes more and more annoyed at the fact that it has been over fifteen minutes and the doctor still hasn't shown up yet. McCormick, trying so hard not to let the tapping of Costars finger affected her, meditates in order to stay calm. She was really getting torn apart with all the losses that were tied to the 'Founder's Island' case.
"Where is he?" Costar finally snapped.
"He'll be here." McCormick said after taking a deep relaxing meditated breath.
Costar looks at his partner worriedly. He knew she was doing her best to stay calm. "How are you holding up?" Costar finally asked.
"I'll be alright." She lied as she opened up her eyes to look up at Costar.
Costar had to smile at her, though. She has shown great courage and strength against all odds. He remembered the first day he was partnered with her. The Captain called him to the office and said that he would be partnered with a female chipmunk fresh from the academe. Costar almost started rolling on the floor laughing. Who'd thought such a creature, half his size, would be able to handle herself in a heroically manner, and against the most dangerous situations. Their first case had been difficult, but not as intensely involved as this one.
She had certainly proven herself to be quite the partner to him. They've been working together for over six years, a whole year before they were put on the 'Founders Island' case. At first thought it was thought that it would just be a random children's kidnapping case, until they found connections around the world. It really gotten suspicious when they found a child's body all torn up then suddenly shortly after they were 'let off' the case. That didn't stop these two, they were determined to solve the mystery. They still are now, and with the help of the surviving children from the island, it would make the case easier to solve – they hoped.
Just then the doctor finally comes through the door. "Thank you for waiting." He said as he walked past the detectives to sits down in his chair behind his desk. "I was just finishing up a meeting we had this morning." As soon as he is sat comfortably in his seat he places his hands on his desk and folds them neatly together. "So, what can I do for you two?"
"Well," Costar began to say. "An update on the cure would be nice."
"I'm afraid such information is classified." The doctor announced suspiciously.
"Classified?" McCormick screeched – her calmness completely gone. "Are you nuts? We are talking about children's lives here! I mean we already lost one of the chipmunk survivors yesterday…"
"Two…" Costar sorely admitted.
"What?" McCormick turns in shock to her partner. "When?"
"The Captain called me in the early hours of the morning and told me. The one we dropped off in England jumped off a cliff six hours after the one in Canada had gone crazy and tried to shoot everyone with a gun. I was going to tell you after our business here."
McCormick didn't know whom she should be shocked at more, the doctor for his lack of concern in this situation, or her partner that had kept important information from her. She turned to the doctor and said. "I certainly hope that you are proud of yourself. How dare you let innocent children die like this? Are you going to just sit there and let the rest die off too?"
"Detectives, I assure you that I'm doing all I can in my power to work as fast as 'humanly' possible. You did say that 'kids' came up with this cerium, so we are not sure if it will be appropriate to take any risks with it." The doctor said in an almost cold attitude.
"We are talking about kids that died to bring us this cure! And you are so ignorant that you will not trust that these children are in fact quite smart and achieved something that you and your 'team' couldn't in years!" McCormick snapped. She looked as if she was going to reach over the desk and strangle the incompetent doctor.
"Look, doctor! We just ask you to speed things up a bit, before anymore of these children end up dead." Costar said placing a hand on McCormick's shoulder in order to calm her down.
"Tell you what. We will try to finish our examination of this cure by the middle of next week." The doctor announced.
"Try sooner! Like, before the weekend!" Costar growled as he then guided his partner out of the room. He was becoming quite disgusted with looking at the doctor.
After the detectives left, the doctor forward eyebrows and made a small, evil smirk in the corner of his mouth. "There shall be no survivors, I'm afraid." He hissed quietly
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The Detectives storm out of the Medical Research Center, and they head straight for their car. "How could this be happening?" McCormick whined when she stopped near the side of the car. She looked up at Costar as he stopped beside her.
"I don't know." Costar said, not looking at her.
"So many young lives. Just taken before they could really appreciate life. It's just not fair! Why were we so naive to just hand them the cure in the first place? I knew we should have kept it hidden till we had the chipmunks off the Island first. Then we could have given it to them before they were taken to their homes." McCormick said as she mentally punished herself.
"I know." Costar says as he bows his head for all the lost lives.
McCormick looked up at Costar then asked. "What about that one boy that they found in an ally of Seattle's streets? The one they brought in while we were questioning the girl, Mary. Any update on his condition?"
"As far as I know…he's still in a coma." Costar then shook his head and looks at his partner again. "It doesn't look good for him, I'm afraid."
"I feel so helpless." McCormick admitted.
"We can only do our best. I mean we have done more then any other detectives on this case already. All we can do is keep pushing the doctors to move faster and to give up the cure before its too late."
"You're right." McCormick nodded in agreement.
"Come on, I'll buy you a herbal tea and we can head back to the station. Maybe we can talk to the Captain about getting a warrant so we can just take the cure off these doctors hands and give it to the children that desperately need it ourselves."
"Ok." The female chipmunk says as she then opens the door and gets into the passenger side of the car.
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FRIDAY, MID-MORNING,
EDISON HIGH
Simon opened his locker to pick up some books for his next class. He just closed the locker when a newspaper clipping was slammed on the door in front of his face. He suddenly becomes shocked at what he was reading. The title read 'Kidnapped Survivor from London commits suicide'. It had a picture of Brenda beside the story.
He looks over to who was holding the paper and it was Tom. Simon could tell that he was taking this news as bad, if not worse then when they found out about Brian's death. It seemed that when any of their friends die a part of him dies too. 'He's been crying,' Simon estimated when he looked in his friend's eyes.
"'She couldn't live without him.' 'She felt bad that she couldn't be there for him before he went crazy'." Tom said as he quoted a few sentences from the report based on a note she left before jumping off the cliff. "She always wanted to fly…" He then said, not really trying to joke about the situation. Looking again at the clipping in his hand – the tears were threatening to fall from his eyes again.
"Does Renee know?" Simon asked when he finally found his voice.
Without saying a word Tom nodded his head 'yes'. His face showed such grief and despair. "I'm really worried, Simon. Renee is getting worse with all the drugs she's been taking. I had to walk her home this morning because she was so high she could barely walk. I hate to say it, but were dropping like flies." Tom stopped to wipe away tears that had been forming in his eyes. "It's just like that saying 'United we stand, divided we fall!' I mean, first Brian, than Brenda, who's next! I can't take it anymore!" He pauses for a moment and looked at Simon right in the eyes. "You know we have to leave! We have to go back to the Island. We need to go this weekend, no more delaying."
Simon looked at him in shock.
"Think about it if we stay here we will die! At least on the Island we could survive on the 'slop' at least until we could create a cure ourselves!" Tom again paused for a moment then added. "The Founders were right! We cannot survive outside of the island. We have no choice. Simon, I can't bare to lose another friend."
Simon gave it some thought. What Tom said made sense, but he didn't want to leave his family, especially now that he and Jeanette were beginning to really hit it off. His feelings for her were becoming stronger every moment he is with her. How could this be happening? He was going to go on his first one on one date with her tonight. Simon looked up at his friend that obviously looked stressed about the whole thing. Simon let out a sigh and shook his head.
"I'll think about it!" He finally said and reluctantly heads to his next class.
Tom watched his friend walk away and looked down at the news clipping still in his hand. "Who will be next? Huh?" He yelled out to Simon. Then after slamming one of the lockers with his fist, he walked out of the school to do some deep thinking.