Chapter 7
Ed grunted at the pain and knew what had happened, he stared at Claire in shock, "Damn, my wahine shot me," he fell to the ground as the sedative took effect.
Claire looked at Darien and lowered the tranq gun. Darien turned again and looked at Hobbes who shrugged his shoulders, "I wasn't sure if Claire was going to get the shot off so I fired a warning shot." From the corner of his eye, Darien saw the hole in the wall and rolled his eyes. Sloan sighed in relief.
Ed lay unconscious on the ground. Claire rolled him over and took the dart out of his chest. She stared at Darien with sadness on her face. Claire didn't have to say anything to Darien nor did he have to read her mind. Her eyes alone said enough. He nodded, "I'll take care of him. Tom needs you and I think that other guy over there could use some help too."
Darien paused and with his brow creased, quizzically looked at Claire, "Wahine?"
Claire shook her head as she tried to concentrate on what was going on and Darien's question, "It means 'woman, female or girl'. It's this slang language that Hawaiians speak," she shrugged her shoulders and trembled slightly as she forced a smile.
"He would know that," Darien said with a smirk.
The Official and Eberts came down the hall. "What's all the commotion here and who fired their weapon?" The Official took in the scene before him. Tom on the ground being attended to by Sloan, Claire attending to an unconscious agent and to his surprise, Ed laying on the ground, "What's he doing here?" he said as he pointed to him.
Darien glared at the Official. He turned Ed's head and lifted an eyelid to reveal a very red eye.
The Official gasped, "What happened?"
"I don't know, but he has a gland and all the wonderful benefits that come with it." Darien took Ed in his arms and lifted him up. He glared at the Official, "You know where to find us."
"Darien, take him to the Keep and restrain him, I need to run some tests first," Claire said. Her stomach was all in knots, she could barely thing straight. Darien nodded to let her know that he understood. She would have to keep Ed sedated, but the tests were necessary if she was going to have any chance of helping him.
The Official watched as Darien walked down the hall with Hobbes trailing behind him. He turned to Claire, "Do you know anything about this?"
Claire looked up from attending to the agent, "No."
"He said that he never made it to Atlanta and that Arnaud put the gland in," Sloan added.
Claire looked at her in shock, "What? But I talked to him every night." She got up to check on Tom.
"Doctor, will the old counteragent work?" The Official asked.
"Uhmm, I'm not sure, I could try, but it'll take time to make a batch. I don't even know if I still have all the components." Claire looked at Tom and then at Sloan, "Are you okay, he didn't hurt you did he?"
Sloan looked down, "No, almost, but Tom stopped him. Is he going to be alright?"
"Yes, Tom will be fine," Claire said reassuringly.
"No, Claire, she wants to know if Ed will be alright," Tom said hoarsely.
Claire shot them a worried look. That was enough of an answer for them. Tom struggled to get to his feet. Sloan protested, "Tom, don't get up."
"I'm alright now. He's pretty strong, like a dominant, I didn't expect that kind of strength from him." Tom said as he slowly rose to his feet.
"It's the adrenaline rush while in the stages of quicksilver madness," Claire stated as she went back to the agent.
"Like when someone gets the strength to lift a car off of someone?" Sloan asked.
"Yes, he could have easily killed you, Tom," Claire said.
"He almost did," Tom said looking at Sloan. He was holding back his anger. The instinct in him wanted to take off after Ed and get revenge for what almost happened. But he was able to push that feeling back down inside. This wasn't the only time Ed stood up to him and challenged him. Ed didn't back down the first time either. Tom had wanted to attack Ed for challenging his loyalty. He had seen the look in Ed's eyes, they would have fought right there in the lab if Sloan hadn't been there to stop them.
Sloan saw it in Tom's eyes, "Tom, please, it's not his fault, he didn't know what he was doing…he couldn't control himself."
"Sloan, I know that's something Ed wouldn't do. He cares too much about you, the last thing he would do is hurt you. I'm okay, I won't hurt him. I'm sorry I punched him, but I had to stop him," Tom said as he hugged Sloan.
"It wasn't his fault…it wasn't his fault…" Sloan repeated out loud as she started to cry.
Claire looked up at Eberts, "I need some personnel to take this agent to lab four so I can have a better look at him."
"Yes, doctor," Eberts pulled out his cell phone to contact some more agents. It looked like it would be a long day and night at the Agency, again.
~*~
An hour later, Darien and Hobbes had gone out to look for Arnaud. Tom agreed to stay at the Agency. Ray had come back in to help out. Walter was in his office calling his superior. Claire and Sloan looked at the MRI's and the CT scan taken on Ed using the state of the art equipment that Walter had sent to the Agency. It was a nice perk and Claire enjoyed having it all available at her convenience. But right now, she would have gladly turned it all in to have Ed back. "It's a gland alright," Claire announced sullenly.
"Can you take it out?" Sloan asked.
"No…not without killing him. Like Darien, his body has developed a dependency on the gland and the macroganglias have intertwined with his cerebral cortex." Claire turned and looked at the sedated figure restrained to the dental like chair.
"What about the counteragent that the Official spoke of? Will it work on Ed too?"
"I'm waiting for the blood test results to come back. If the toxin is different then the old counteragent will not be effective. I'm hoping that Ed has some residual counteragent in his system. I might be able to synthesize it if I can break it down..." Claire stared down at the floor as she scratched the back of her head.
A moan from the chair stopped the conversation short. Claire and Sloan shot each other worried looks and Claire quickly walked to the counter to get another sedative ready. Sloan approached Ed cautiously.
His hands started to move in the restraints and another moan came out of him. Ed's eyes opened. "Ed," Sloan called him in a soft tone.
Ed lifted his head and glared at her. "Let me go," he commanded, his nostrils flared as he breathed heavily through them.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Ed struggled in the restraints, "Damn it! I said…let me go."
The intercom blared and Sloan turned her head. Ed took advantage of the distraction and froze the restraints. They broke with ease and he grabbed Sloan by her throat, "Got'cha."
Claire turned around at the same moment Ed broke free. He slid off the reclined chair with Sloan still in his grip. Claire hid the syringe behind her. "Ed, let her go."
"And then what, Claire, have her run like a baby to Tom or Darien. No, I don't think so. The three of us are….auughhh!" Ed bent over in pain and fell to his knees. Sloan and Claire looked at him and then at each other.
Sloan kept her distance. Claire grabbed the syringe and took timid steps towards Ed. He rocked back and forth on his knees moaning as he clutched his head. "Augghh, make it stop," Ed moaned.
Claire touched his back and he looked up at her. The anger in his eyes was replaced with pain. "What's wrong, Ed?"
"God, I need it so bad," Ed grabbed Claire, glared at her and snarled, "Give it to me."
"Okay," Claire plunged the syringe into his arm and pressed on the plunger. Ed slapped her, "Bitch! That wasn't counteragent." He tried to get up, but the sedative took effect quickly and he fell over onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned over him. She rocked him like a mother with a sleeping baby in her arms.
Sloan went over to intercom and asked for assistance. She came back, kneeled down next to Claire and rubbed her back.
Only a few seconds passed by until Ray and Tom rushed into the Keep. "What happened?" Ray asked.
"Ed broke free," Sloan replied.
"I should have been here," Tom said as he helped Sloan to her feet.
"It's okay, Tom, he didn't hurt us. We really didn't think he'd wake up so soon."
"I won't leave you ladies alone with him again." Tom bent down and helped Ray pick up Ed.
"For such a skinny guy, he sure is heavy," Ray retorted as they placed Ed back on the chair. "You might want to think about getting stronger restraints." Ray noticed the mark on Claire's face, "You want some ice for that?"
She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine," Claire sat down the chair. "That was odd."
"What? That he broke free?" Ray asked.
"No, at one point he fell over in pain and acted like a junkie who craved a drug. He was actually exhibiting withdrawal symptoms."
"Didn't Darien do that?" Sloan asked.
"No, not really, not to the extreme level like Ed did," she glanced at Sloan sorrowfully, "We're looking at a new form of quicksilver madness. I don't think the old counteragent will work. We're going to have to wait for Darien and Bobby."
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Ray asked.
Claire looked at Ed, "We'll have to put him in the padded room. There's nothing more I can do." Claire knew that she had to separate her feelings for him and do what was best for him and their safety. Claire walked over to the intercom and asked for agents to help with taking Ed to the padded room.
Sloan could hear the despair in Claire's voice and knew that she had made a hard decision. Tom walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "You made the right choice. You know it's what he would want."
Claire shook her head, "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier."
~*~
Darien and Hobbes returned a short time later with no luck. They headed straight for the Keep and found it empty. Hobbes noticed that the restraints had been broken. A look of panic spread quickly across his face, he pulled out his gun. Darien put his hand on it and pushed it down, "It's okay, Hobbes, he's not in here."
"Where is everyone?"
"Hobbes, don't you think you're over reacting here? They've probably taken him to the padded cell…er…room."
"But what about the restraints?"
Darien looked at them, "Okay, so maybe you've got a point."
They got halfway down the hall and Darien rolled his eyes, "Put the gun away, Hobbes, everyone's safe. Ed is in the white comfy room."
Hobbes put his gun back in his holster, "I hope you're right." They walked into the observation room and saw Claire and Sloan as they went over test results. Tom stood near the window as he watched Ed sleep.
Claire looked up, her eyes wide with hope, "Did you find him?"
Darien and Hobbes looked at Claire, "No," they said in unison.
"What happened?"
"Did he hit you?" Hobbes asked in an angry tone.
Darien grabbed his hand, "Don't shoot him."
"I wasn't going to." Hobbes shrugged Darien's hand away.
Claire looked down at the floor, "Yes, he did."
Hobbes turned in a huff and started for the door when Darien stopped him, "Now, I'm gonna shoot him."
"No, you're not," Darien stood in between the door and an angry tiger, "You know about this, what it does, how it makes him act."
"But he hit Claire," Hobbes glared at Darien, "Move, Fawkes."
"Yeah, well guess what, I hit Claire one time too," Darien confessed.
Hobbes cocked his head to one side, "You…you did?"
"Yes, I did, so if you're going to shoot Ed, then I guess you'll have to shoot me too."
Claire walked up to Hobbes and put her hand on his shoulder, "It's not his fault, Bobby, and you know it. If you hurt him because of this, I'll never forgive you."
Hobbes relaxed and turned to face Claire, "I'm sorry, you know how I feel and how I get."
Claire smiled, "Always the protective one," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
Hobbes turned to look at Darien, "Hey, I'm sorry, I lost control there."
"It's cool," Darien gave Hobbes a low-five and turned to walk out.
"Where you goin'?" Hobbes asked.
Darien glanced around the room, "To talk with the other fat man." Darien left the room and headed towards Walter's office.
"Was there any counteragent residue in Ed?" Sloan asked to change the atmosphere.
Claire merely nodded her head, "No, Ed hasn't been injected with any counteragent yet."
Sloan looked Claire in shock, "He hadn't received any yet? And he's acting like a junkie?"
"Yes, which means that once he does receives counteragent, the next time could be worse," Claire looked away
"What can we do?" Sloan said as she rubbed her hands across her arms.
"As much as I hate to say this, only Arnaud can help Ed."
Sloan let out a sigh and looked at Ed through the window, "Hang in there, Ed, please."
~*~
Darien stormed into Walter's office, "You stonewalled me before. Now I think I need to know. What do you know about Arnaud?"
Walter leaned back in his chair and tapped his pencil on his desk, "Okay, the current situation with Ed warrants that I tell you. I was sent to Whitney University to watch a young geneticist who might fit the requirements for the Quicksilver Project."
"Let me guess, a young geneticist surfer by the name of Ed Tate?" Darien said.
"Yes," Walter answered with a slight smile. He suddenly remembered when he saw the young man for the first time. Not what you would call a typical scientist, dressed in khaki pants, hiking boots, a white t-shirt underneath a Hawaiian style print shirt and long hair. Walter had to double check the ID on the young man to make sure he was talking with Dr. Tate. He quickly realized that the casual dress fit the personality of Ed. If this scientist was as brilliant as he had heard, he would be a breath of fresh air at the desert compound.
Walter continued his story, "I had watched him for two years and others like him,"
"Arnaud?" Darien asked.
"I didn't know him, Darien. I only knew of him. Kevin is the one that knew him. He's the one that ultimately recommended Arnaud for the project. I was only supposed to recommend a geneticist," Walter added.
"So, why didn't you recommend Ed? What he wasn't that brilliant?"
"No, not at all, I did recommend him," Walter said.
"So, what happened?"
"Ann Coulter was murdered and Sloan discovered the new species. My involvement in the Project changed and I rescinded my recommendation, I wanted…needed Ed on my team." Walter leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. He looked at Darien's expression.
"Ed would have been at the compound," Darien remembered the massacre, "He would have been killed."
"Yes," Walter said.
"Okay, that would have been weird to have my twin there and I can only imagine how Kevin would have reacted to Ed," Darien said with a smile. "But you still haven't explained Arnaud."
"With the dominant situation, I was no longer involved with the Project. The files on Arnaud de Thiel did cross my desk, but he was already accepted on the team. What else could I do, I put my stamp of approval on it."
"What? How could you?" Darien asked.
"The background check was done by Interpol. I had no idea who he really was. Kevin had highly recommended him and he was basically in charge of the project. I just went with Kevin on him. Darien, you have to understand, if I had known," Walter paused.
"Well, it doesn't sound like the appropriate people did their research," Darien walked around and then continued, "Wait, I don't understand, you needed two years to watch Ed?"
"I'm sure you know that the Project was very sensitive. We weren't about to ask just any scientist. During those two years, the field for a geneticist was narrowed down to Ed and Dr. Hartnell."
Darien remembered the name, "Wait, he was at the compound."
"Yes, Ed was accepted by the board overseeing the Project. But as I said before things changed. Dr. Hartnell was sent in Ed's place."
"Oh crap," Darien rubbed the back of his neck, "You never told Ed did you?"
"There was no reason to."
"So, you knew about me?" Darien asked.
"Of course," Walter smiled, "Don't take this wrong, but I was against having you brought on the Project."
"No offense taken," Darien smiled. "I take it then you saw my file?"
"Yes, and I saw the similarity between you and Ed. It was quite amazing at first," Walter paused, "If you're wondering if I know where Arnaud is, I don't. I'm sorry, Darien. How is Ed doing?"
"Flying over the cuckoo's nest first class," Darien started to leave when Walter spoke.
"Where are you going to look for Arnaud?"
"I don't know. I didn't have any luck before, I hope it changes." Darien walked out and went back to the observation room.
Walter sighed and picked up his phone.
~*~
Ed hated the straightjacket. He hated the feeling of confinement, it meant that he had no control and this irritated him the most. He struggled against the worn straps, rotating his shoulders in circles desperately seeking the slack he desired. But it was no use; he stopped the struggle and glared around the room panting from his exertion.
He remembered the fight, his hands gripped tightly around Tom's neck. A smile spread across his face, he was so close to killing him, but Claire had to show up with her tranq gun and ruin the party. The dart had found its way into his body and released its black magic in him. He awoke in purgatory, the white padded cell with its soft walls and floors.
The smile disappeared as he remembered who shot him, Claire. He then remembered the Keep and how he begged for counteragent, but Claire had tricked him…again. How could she do this to him? Ed leaned up against the wall to test the thickness of the padding. He walked around keeping his face close to the wall as he tried to feel for any weaknesses.
"What's he doing?" Sloan asked looking at Darien.
"What? Why you asking me? I never did anything like that," Darien said in defense of himself, "Just because I've gone cuckoo for coca puffs doesn't mean he'll do the same wacko things I did."
Sloan shook her head, "No, I meant can you read his mind?"
"Oh…" Darien looked at Ed for a moment, "Actually I'm having a hard time, like earlier when I thought I had him under control but didn't. I can only sense his emotions."
Sloan thought for a moment. "Must be different impulses or something is blocking you from reading his mind."
"It might be the toxin that's causing quicksilver madness. It's masking him somehow from Darien," Tom added.
"Interesting," Sloan said as she smiled at Tom.
"Or it could be the quicksilver in his brain tissue that's causing…" Claire was interrupted by a sudden movement in the padded room.
As they talked, Ed needed to be free to get what he wanted. Counteragent. He backed himself to the far wall and took a charging run at the window.
"Look out!" Hobbes yelled.
Ed hit the glass head first. For this grand effort, he received a nice cut on his forehead and promptly knocked himself out.
"Oh my God!" Claire exclaimed as she ran from the room. Sloan followed quickly behind her with Tom hot on her heels.
"Well that's something you don't see everyday," Hobbes said as he looked at the blood on the glass.
"I did, once, when I worked the streets. Damn drunks do the strangest things. Had one run full speed into the wall, thought he was Superman." Ray said.
"You know, I've seen stuff like that," Hobbes added.
Darien rolled his eyes and tapped Hobbes on his shoulder, "Come on, let's see if we can't find that Swiss Miss mutha…" Darien dragged Hobbes out of the room. They went to their office to put Hobbesnet to work. Darien would check on Ed later.
~*~
Again he awoke. Ed didn't know how long he was out. He felt something wrapped around his head. He suspected that the good doctor had come in and put in a few stitches, bandaged him up and quickly left the room.
"Miss Blondie was here, hmm…" he felt the bandage on his head and smiled, "Too bad I was out, I could have paid for her services with something special."
His head hurt, but he didn't care, in fact it felt good.
He sauntered up to the glass and yelled, "GET THIS DAMN THING OFF!"
He growled in frustration as he continued to struggle with the restraints.
"Well, I guess a concussion is out of the question so far." Sloan stated.
"It looks that way." Claire didn't know how long she had watched him. Time seemed to stand still for her and the others in the observation room. They watched him through the one way mirror.
"What stage is he in, doctor?" The Official asked coldly.
Claire didn't even bother to look at him when she answered, "I would guess at the tail end of stage three and going into stage four."
Hobbes stood next to Claire and watched "What can be done for him?"
"Well, since the old counteragent won't work, we have to wait and hope," Claire stopped when she noticed that two very bright ruby colored eyes stared right into her.
"Hey, Claire, I know you're in there. I can hear your heart beating." He put his forehead to the glass and a malevolent smile came across his face, "Thump-thump, thump-thump."
Darien put his hand on Claire's shoulder to console her, "What can we do to help him?"
Claire regained her composure and looked at Darien with tears in her eyes, "We uhmm, have to wait and hope that you can find Arnaud and get counteragent for Ed."
"Hey, Claire, baby."
Claire turned and looked into the crimson colored eyes; she missed the soft brown eyes. "Yes, I'm here," Claire said into the microphone.
"I have an itch that needs scratchin'," Ed got real close to the window and wiggled his brow, "If you're too busy you can send in Sloan." He started to laugh.
"Okay," Hobbes turned to Darien, "Let's go find Arnaud; this is way more than what I want to hear."
Darien looked at Claire, "I'll find him."
"Please," Claire said frantically. "I can't stand seeing him like this."
"I'm not thrilled with seeing the dark side of Ed either," Darien said as he looked at Ed through the glass. It was all too eerily familiar.
Sloan watched the two leave. She turned her attention to Claire who had turned off the microphone. Ed was on the floor again, writhing and crying out in pain. His withdrawal episodes were coming closer together and more intense each time. Claire felt so helpless.
"Can we give him methadone to help with the withdrawals?" Sloan asked.
"This is so different from what Darien experienced." Claire looked at Sloan, "I'll have to get some, I don't keep that around." She turned and left the Keep. Claire was halfway down the hall when she leaned up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
Walter came around the corner and saw her. He went up to her, "I take it Ed isn't doing well."
Claire looked up, "I don't know what to do for him." Walter held out his hand and she took it, she stood up and leaned up against the wall again, but this time for support. "This is so different, Walter. He's going through withdrawals like an addict and he hasn't even had counteragent yet. If he goes quicksilver mad again, I have no idea how he'll react once he's had a taste of counteragent."
Walter looked at Claire and sighed, "Provided that Darien can find Arnaud and get the counteragent to Ed in time."
Claire glared at Walter, "He will find Arnaud, I have to believe that." Claire studied Walter for a moment, his words sunk in, "No, no you wouldn't!"
"Claire, I'm sorry, I've been ordered, just like Mr. Borden has his orders. If Darien does not find Arnaud, the gland must be removed."
Claire stood back in shock, "How could you even think of doing such a thing? The Official I can understand, but you, you worked along side Ed for all these years. How could you betray him like this?"
"It's not betrayal, Claire. You have to remove the feelings you have for him. Do you think that Ed would want to stay like this? You know as well as I do that he will come to a stage that counteragent won't work."
"We don't know that!" Claire yelled, "I won't let you kill him!"
"Is this what Ed would want, to live like he is now?"
Claire stared down the hall towards the padded room. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Walter put his hands on her shoulders, "I'm prepared to spare him from this. Are you?"
Claire looked into Walter's eyes, "You've been ordered to do the harvesting procedure haven't you?"
"Yes," Walter answered sadly.
"Answer this for me."
Walter nodded, "If you want to know if I would do it humanely then yes. Ed won't be alive when I harvest the gland."
"You'd give him a lethal injection first," Claire stated more as a comment.
"It's the least I could do for him."
"Bastard! You don't care do you? It's all about the gland. You've already decided on how to kill him instead of trying to figure out how to save him!" Claire ran down the hall and away from Walter.
"The saving part is up to Darien." Walter continued his journey to the padded room.
TBC…
Ed grunted at the pain and knew what had happened, he stared at Claire in shock, "Damn, my wahine shot me," he fell to the ground as the sedative took effect.
Claire looked at Darien and lowered the tranq gun. Darien turned again and looked at Hobbes who shrugged his shoulders, "I wasn't sure if Claire was going to get the shot off so I fired a warning shot." From the corner of his eye, Darien saw the hole in the wall and rolled his eyes. Sloan sighed in relief.
Ed lay unconscious on the ground. Claire rolled him over and took the dart out of his chest. She stared at Darien with sadness on her face. Claire didn't have to say anything to Darien nor did he have to read her mind. Her eyes alone said enough. He nodded, "I'll take care of him. Tom needs you and I think that other guy over there could use some help too."
Darien paused and with his brow creased, quizzically looked at Claire, "Wahine?"
Claire shook her head as she tried to concentrate on what was going on and Darien's question, "It means 'woman, female or girl'. It's this slang language that Hawaiians speak," she shrugged her shoulders and trembled slightly as she forced a smile.
"He would know that," Darien said with a smirk.
The Official and Eberts came down the hall. "What's all the commotion here and who fired their weapon?" The Official took in the scene before him. Tom on the ground being attended to by Sloan, Claire attending to an unconscious agent and to his surprise, Ed laying on the ground, "What's he doing here?" he said as he pointed to him.
Darien glared at the Official. He turned Ed's head and lifted an eyelid to reveal a very red eye.
The Official gasped, "What happened?"
"I don't know, but he has a gland and all the wonderful benefits that come with it." Darien took Ed in his arms and lifted him up. He glared at the Official, "You know where to find us."
"Darien, take him to the Keep and restrain him, I need to run some tests first," Claire said. Her stomach was all in knots, she could barely thing straight. Darien nodded to let her know that he understood. She would have to keep Ed sedated, but the tests were necessary if she was going to have any chance of helping him.
The Official watched as Darien walked down the hall with Hobbes trailing behind him. He turned to Claire, "Do you know anything about this?"
Claire looked up from attending to the agent, "No."
"He said that he never made it to Atlanta and that Arnaud put the gland in," Sloan added.
Claire looked at her in shock, "What? But I talked to him every night." She got up to check on Tom.
"Doctor, will the old counteragent work?" The Official asked.
"Uhmm, I'm not sure, I could try, but it'll take time to make a batch. I don't even know if I still have all the components." Claire looked at Tom and then at Sloan, "Are you okay, he didn't hurt you did he?"
Sloan looked down, "No, almost, but Tom stopped him. Is he going to be alright?"
"Yes, Tom will be fine," Claire said reassuringly.
"No, Claire, she wants to know if Ed will be alright," Tom said hoarsely.
Claire shot them a worried look. That was enough of an answer for them. Tom struggled to get to his feet. Sloan protested, "Tom, don't get up."
"I'm alright now. He's pretty strong, like a dominant, I didn't expect that kind of strength from him." Tom said as he slowly rose to his feet.
"It's the adrenaline rush while in the stages of quicksilver madness," Claire stated as she went back to the agent.
"Like when someone gets the strength to lift a car off of someone?" Sloan asked.
"Yes, he could have easily killed you, Tom," Claire said.
"He almost did," Tom said looking at Sloan. He was holding back his anger. The instinct in him wanted to take off after Ed and get revenge for what almost happened. But he was able to push that feeling back down inside. This wasn't the only time Ed stood up to him and challenged him. Ed didn't back down the first time either. Tom had wanted to attack Ed for challenging his loyalty. He had seen the look in Ed's eyes, they would have fought right there in the lab if Sloan hadn't been there to stop them.
Sloan saw it in Tom's eyes, "Tom, please, it's not his fault, he didn't know what he was doing…he couldn't control himself."
"Sloan, I know that's something Ed wouldn't do. He cares too much about you, the last thing he would do is hurt you. I'm okay, I won't hurt him. I'm sorry I punched him, but I had to stop him," Tom said as he hugged Sloan.
"It wasn't his fault…it wasn't his fault…" Sloan repeated out loud as she started to cry.
Claire looked up at Eberts, "I need some personnel to take this agent to lab four so I can have a better look at him."
"Yes, doctor," Eberts pulled out his cell phone to contact some more agents. It looked like it would be a long day and night at the Agency, again.
~*~
An hour later, Darien and Hobbes had gone out to look for Arnaud. Tom agreed to stay at the Agency. Ray had come back in to help out. Walter was in his office calling his superior. Claire and Sloan looked at the MRI's and the CT scan taken on Ed using the state of the art equipment that Walter had sent to the Agency. It was a nice perk and Claire enjoyed having it all available at her convenience. But right now, she would have gladly turned it all in to have Ed back. "It's a gland alright," Claire announced sullenly.
"Can you take it out?" Sloan asked.
"No…not without killing him. Like Darien, his body has developed a dependency on the gland and the macroganglias have intertwined with his cerebral cortex." Claire turned and looked at the sedated figure restrained to the dental like chair.
"What about the counteragent that the Official spoke of? Will it work on Ed too?"
"I'm waiting for the blood test results to come back. If the toxin is different then the old counteragent will not be effective. I'm hoping that Ed has some residual counteragent in his system. I might be able to synthesize it if I can break it down..." Claire stared down at the floor as she scratched the back of her head.
A moan from the chair stopped the conversation short. Claire and Sloan shot each other worried looks and Claire quickly walked to the counter to get another sedative ready. Sloan approached Ed cautiously.
His hands started to move in the restraints and another moan came out of him. Ed's eyes opened. "Ed," Sloan called him in a soft tone.
Ed lifted his head and glared at her. "Let me go," he commanded, his nostrils flared as he breathed heavily through them.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Ed struggled in the restraints, "Damn it! I said…let me go."
The intercom blared and Sloan turned her head. Ed took advantage of the distraction and froze the restraints. They broke with ease and he grabbed Sloan by her throat, "Got'cha."
Claire turned around at the same moment Ed broke free. He slid off the reclined chair with Sloan still in his grip. Claire hid the syringe behind her. "Ed, let her go."
"And then what, Claire, have her run like a baby to Tom or Darien. No, I don't think so. The three of us are….auughhh!" Ed bent over in pain and fell to his knees. Sloan and Claire looked at him and then at each other.
Sloan kept her distance. Claire grabbed the syringe and took timid steps towards Ed. He rocked back and forth on his knees moaning as he clutched his head. "Augghh, make it stop," Ed moaned.
Claire touched his back and he looked up at her. The anger in his eyes was replaced with pain. "What's wrong, Ed?"
"God, I need it so bad," Ed grabbed Claire, glared at her and snarled, "Give it to me."
"Okay," Claire plunged the syringe into his arm and pressed on the plunger. Ed slapped her, "Bitch! That wasn't counteragent." He tried to get up, but the sedative took effect quickly and he fell over onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned over him. She rocked him like a mother with a sleeping baby in her arms.
Sloan went over to intercom and asked for assistance. She came back, kneeled down next to Claire and rubbed her back.
Only a few seconds passed by until Ray and Tom rushed into the Keep. "What happened?" Ray asked.
"Ed broke free," Sloan replied.
"I should have been here," Tom said as he helped Sloan to her feet.
"It's okay, Tom, he didn't hurt us. We really didn't think he'd wake up so soon."
"I won't leave you ladies alone with him again." Tom bent down and helped Ray pick up Ed.
"For such a skinny guy, he sure is heavy," Ray retorted as they placed Ed back on the chair. "You might want to think about getting stronger restraints." Ray noticed the mark on Claire's face, "You want some ice for that?"
She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine," Claire sat down the chair. "That was odd."
"What? That he broke free?" Ray asked.
"No, at one point he fell over in pain and acted like a junkie who craved a drug. He was actually exhibiting withdrawal symptoms."
"Didn't Darien do that?" Sloan asked.
"No, not really, not to the extreme level like Ed did," she glanced at Sloan sorrowfully, "We're looking at a new form of quicksilver madness. I don't think the old counteragent will work. We're going to have to wait for Darien and Bobby."
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Ray asked.
Claire looked at Ed, "We'll have to put him in the padded room. There's nothing more I can do." Claire knew that she had to separate her feelings for him and do what was best for him and their safety. Claire walked over to the intercom and asked for agents to help with taking Ed to the padded room.
Sloan could hear the despair in Claire's voice and knew that she had made a hard decision. Tom walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "You made the right choice. You know it's what he would want."
Claire shook her head, "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier."
~*~
Darien and Hobbes returned a short time later with no luck. They headed straight for the Keep and found it empty. Hobbes noticed that the restraints had been broken. A look of panic spread quickly across his face, he pulled out his gun. Darien put his hand on it and pushed it down, "It's okay, Hobbes, he's not in here."
"Where is everyone?"
"Hobbes, don't you think you're over reacting here? They've probably taken him to the padded cell…er…room."
"But what about the restraints?"
Darien looked at them, "Okay, so maybe you've got a point."
They got halfway down the hall and Darien rolled his eyes, "Put the gun away, Hobbes, everyone's safe. Ed is in the white comfy room."
Hobbes put his gun back in his holster, "I hope you're right." They walked into the observation room and saw Claire and Sloan as they went over test results. Tom stood near the window as he watched Ed sleep.
Claire looked up, her eyes wide with hope, "Did you find him?"
Darien and Hobbes looked at Claire, "No," they said in unison.
"What happened?"
"Did he hit you?" Hobbes asked in an angry tone.
Darien grabbed his hand, "Don't shoot him."
"I wasn't going to." Hobbes shrugged Darien's hand away.
Claire looked down at the floor, "Yes, he did."
Hobbes turned in a huff and started for the door when Darien stopped him, "Now, I'm gonna shoot him."
"No, you're not," Darien stood in between the door and an angry tiger, "You know about this, what it does, how it makes him act."
"But he hit Claire," Hobbes glared at Darien, "Move, Fawkes."
"Yeah, well guess what, I hit Claire one time too," Darien confessed.
Hobbes cocked his head to one side, "You…you did?"
"Yes, I did, so if you're going to shoot Ed, then I guess you'll have to shoot me too."
Claire walked up to Hobbes and put her hand on his shoulder, "It's not his fault, Bobby, and you know it. If you hurt him because of this, I'll never forgive you."
Hobbes relaxed and turned to face Claire, "I'm sorry, you know how I feel and how I get."
Claire smiled, "Always the protective one," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
Hobbes turned to look at Darien, "Hey, I'm sorry, I lost control there."
"It's cool," Darien gave Hobbes a low-five and turned to walk out.
"Where you goin'?" Hobbes asked.
Darien glanced around the room, "To talk with the other fat man." Darien left the room and headed towards Walter's office.
"Was there any counteragent residue in Ed?" Sloan asked to change the atmosphere.
Claire merely nodded her head, "No, Ed hasn't been injected with any counteragent yet."
Sloan looked Claire in shock, "He hadn't received any yet? And he's acting like a junkie?"
"Yes, which means that once he does receives counteragent, the next time could be worse," Claire looked away
"What can we do?" Sloan said as she rubbed her hands across her arms.
"As much as I hate to say this, only Arnaud can help Ed."
Sloan let out a sigh and looked at Ed through the window, "Hang in there, Ed, please."
~*~
Darien stormed into Walter's office, "You stonewalled me before. Now I think I need to know. What do you know about Arnaud?"
Walter leaned back in his chair and tapped his pencil on his desk, "Okay, the current situation with Ed warrants that I tell you. I was sent to Whitney University to watch a young geneticist who might fit the requirements for the Quicksilver Project."
"Let me guess, a young geneticist surfer by the name of Ed Tate?" Darien said.
"Yes," Walter answered with a slight smile. He suddenly remembered when he saw the young man for the first time. Not what you would call a typical scientist, dressed in khaki pants, hiking boots, a white t-shirt underneath a Hawaiian style print shirt and long hair. Walter had to double check the ID on the young man to make sure he was talking with Dr. Tate. He quickly realized that the casual dress fit the personality of Ed. If this scientist was as brilliant as he had heard, he would be a breath of fresh air at the desert compound.
Walter continued his story, "I had watched him for two years and others like him,"
"Arnaud?" Darien asked.
"I didn't know him, Darien. I only knew of him. Kevin is the one that knew him. He's the one that ultimately recommended Arnaud for the project. I was only supposed to recommend a geneticist," Walter added.
"So, why didn't you recommend Ed? What he wasn't that brilliant?"
"No, not at all, I did recommend him," Walter said.
"So, what happened?"
"Ann Coulter was murdered and Sloan discovered the new species. My involvement in the Project changed and I rescinded my recommendation, I wanted…needed Ed on my team." Walter leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. He looked at Darien's expression.
"Ed would have been at the compound," Darien remembered the massacre, "He would have been killed."
"Yes," Walter said.
"Okay, that would have been weird to have my twin there and I can only imagine how Kevin would have reacted to Ed," Darien said with a smile. "But you still haven't explained Arnaud."
"With the dominant situation, I was no longer involved with the Project. The files on Arnaud de Thiel did cross my desk, but he was already accepted on the team. What else could I do, I put my stamp of approval on it."
"What? How could you?" Darien asked.
"The background check was done by Interpol. I had no idea who he really was. Kevin had highly recommended him and he was basically in charge of the project. I just went with Kevin on him. Darien, you have to understand, if I had known," Walter paused.
"Well, it doesn't sound like the appropriate people did their research," Darien walked around and then continued, "Wait, I don't understand, you needed two years to watch Ed?"
"I'm sure you know that the Project was very sensitive. We weren't about to ask just any scientist. During those two years, the field for a geneticist was narrowed down to Ed and Dr. Hartnell."
Darien remembered the name, "Wait, he was at the compound."
"Yes, Ed was accepted by the board overseeing the Project. But as I said before things changed. Dr. Hartnell was sent in Ed's place."
"Oh crap," Darien rubbed the back of his neck, "You never told Ed did you?"
"There was no reason to."
"So, you knew about me?" Darien asked.
"Of course," Walter smiled, "Don't take this wrong, but I was against having you brought on the Project."
"No offense taken," Darien smiled. "I take it then you saw my file?"
"Yes, and I saw the similarity between you and Ed. It was quite amazing at first," Walter paused, "If you're wondering if I know where Arnaud is, I don't. I'm sorry, Darien. How is Ed doing?"
"Flying over the cuckoo's nest first class," Darien started to leave when Walter spoke.
"Where are you going to look for Arnaud?"
"I don't know. I didn't have any luck before, I hope it changes." Darien walked out and went back to the observation room.
Walter sighed and picked up his phone.
~*~
Ed hated the straightjacket. He hated the feeling of confinement, it meant that he had no control and this irritated him the most. He struggled against the worn straps, rotating his shoulders in circles desperately seeking the slack he desired. But it was no use; he stopped the struggle and glared around the room panting from his exertion.
He remembered the fight, his hands gripped tightly around Tom's neck. A smile spread across his face, he was so close to killing him, but Claire had to show up with her tranq gun and ruin the party. The dart had found its way into his body and released its black magic in him. He awoke in purgatory, the white padded cell with its soft walls and floors.
The smile disappeared as he remembered who shot him, Claire. He then remembered the Keep and how he begged for counteragent, but Claire had tricked him…again. How could she do this to him? Ed leaned up against the wall to test the thickness of the padding. He walked around keeping his face close to the wall as he tried to feel for any weaknesses.
"What's he doing?" Sloan asked looking at Darien.
"What? Why you asking me? I never did anything like that," Darien said in defense of himself, "Just because I've gone cuckoo for coca puffs doesn't mean he'll do the same wacko things I did."
Sloan shook her head, "No, I meant can you read his mind?"
"Oh…" Darien looked at Ed for a moment, "Actually I'm having a hard time, like earlier when I thought I had him under control but didn't. I can only sense his emotions."
Sloan thought for a moment. "Must be different impulses or something is blocking you from reading his mind."
"It might be the toxin that's causing quicksilver madness. It's masking him somehow from Darien," Tom added.
"Interesting," Sloan said as she smiled at Tom.
"Or it could be the quicksilver in his brain tissue that's causing…" Claire was interrupted by a sudden movement in the padded room.
As they talked, Ed needed to be free to get what he wanted. Counteragent. He backed himself to the far wall and took a charging run at the window.
"Look out!" Hobbes yelled.
Ed hit the glass head first. For this grand effort, he received a nice cut on his forehead and promptly knocked himself out.
"Oh my God!" Claire exclaimed as she ran from the room. Sloan followed quickly behind her with Tom hot on her heels.
"Well that's something you don't see everyday," Hobbes said as he looked at the blood on the glass.
"I did, once, when I worked the streets. Damn drunks do the strangest things. Had one run full speed into the wall, thought he was Superman." Ray said.
"You know, I've seen stuff like that," Hobbes added.
Darien rolled his eyes and tapped Hobbes on his shoulder, "Come on, let's see if we can't find that Swiss Miss mutha…" Darien dragged Hobbes out of the room. They went to their office to put Hobbesnet to work. Darien would check on Ed later.
~*~
Again he awoke. Ed didn't know how long he was out. He felt something wrapped around his head. He suspected that the good doctor had come in and put in a few stitches, bandaged him up and quickly left the room.
"Miss Blondie was here, hmm…" he felt the bandage on his head and smiled, "Too bad I was out, I could have paid for her services with something special."
His head hurt, but he didn't care, in fact it felt good.
He sauntered up to the glass and yelled, "GET THIS DAMN THING OFF!"
He growled in frustration as he continued to struggle with the restraints.
"Well, I guess a concussion is out of the question so far." Sloan stated.
"It looks that way." Claire didn't know how long she had watched him. Time seemed to stand still for her and the others in the observation room. They watched him through the one way mirror.
"What stage is he in, doctor?" The Official asked coldly.
Claire didn't even bother to look at him when she answered, "I would guess at the tail end of stage three and going into stage four."
Hobbes stood next to Claire and watched "What can be done for him?"
"Well, since the old counteragent won't work, we have to wait and hope," Claire stopped when she noticed that two very bright ruby colored eyes stared right into her.
"Hey, Claire, I know you're in there. I can hear your heart beating." He put his forehead to the glass and a malevolent smile came across his face, "Thump-thump, thump-thump."
Darien put his hand on Claire's shoulder to console her, "What can we do to help him?"
Claire regained her composure and looked at Darien with tears in her eyes, "We uhmm, have to wait and hope that you can find Arnaud and get counteragent for Ed."
"Hey, Claire, baby."
Claire turned and looked into the crimson colored eyes; she missed the soft brown eyes. "Yes, I'm here," Claire said into the microphone.
"I have an itch that needs scratchin'," Ed got real close to the window and wiggled his brow, "If you're too busy you can send in Sloan." He started to laugh.
"Okay," Hobbes turned to Darien, "Let's go find Arnaud; this is way more than what I want to hear."
Darien looked at Claire, "I'll find him."
"Please," Claire said frantically. "I can't stand seeing him like this."
"I'm not thrilled with seeing the dark side of Ed either," Darien said as he looked at Ed through the glass. It was all too eerily familiar.
Sloan watched the two leave. She turned her attention to Claire who had turned off the microphone. Ed was on the floor again, writhing and crying out in pain. His withdrawal episodes were coming closer together and more intense each time. Claire felt so helpless.
"Can we give him methadone to help with the withdrawals?" Sloan asked.
"This is so different from what Darien experienced." Claire looked at Sloan, "I'll have to get some, I don't keep that around." She turned and left the Keep. Claire was halfway down the hall when she leaned up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
Walter came around the corner and saw her. He went up to her, "I take it Ed isn't doing well."
Claire looked up, "I don't know what to do for him." Walter held out his hand and she took it, she stood up and leaned up against the wall again, but this time for support. "This is so different, Walter. He's going through withdrawals like an addict and he hasn't even had counteragent yet. If he goes quicksilver mad again, I have no idea how he'll react once he's had a taste of counteragent."
Walter looked at Claire and sighed, "Provided that Darien can find Arnaud and get the counteragent to Ed in time."
Claire glared at Walter, "He will find Arnaud, I have to believe that." Claire studied Walter for a moment, his words sunk in, "No, no you wouldn't!"
"Claire, I'm sorry, I've been ordered, just like Mr. Borden has his orders. If Darien does not find Arnaud, the gland must be removed."
Claire stood back in shock, "How could you even think of doing such a thing? The Official I can understand, but you, you worked along side Ed for all these years. How could you betray him like this?"
"It's not betrayal, Claire. You have to remove the feelings you have for him. Do you think that Ed would want to stay like this? You know as well as I do that he will come to a stage that counteragent won't work."
"We don't know that!" Claire yelled, "I won't let you kill him!"
"Is this what Ed would want, to live like he is now?"
Claire stared down the hall towards the padded room. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Walter put his hands on her shoulders, "I'm prepared to spare him from this. Are you?"
Claire looked into Walter's eyes, "You've been ordered to do the harvesting procedure haven't you?"
"Yes," Walter answered sadly.
"Answer this for me."
Walter nodded, "If you want to know if I would do it humanely then yes. Ed won't be alive when I harvest the gland."
"You'd give him a lethal injection first," Claire stated more as a comment.
"It's the least I could do for him."
"Bastard! You don't care do you? It's all about the gland. You've already decided on how to kill him instead of trying to figure out how to save him!" Claire ran down the hall and away from Walter.
"The saving part is up to Darien." Walter continued his journey to the padded room.
TBC…