Chapter 8
Walter walked into the padded room. Ed sat Indian style on the floor with his head down. "Hello, Ed."
Ed smiled, he slowly raised his head. Walter straightened up slightly when he saw Ed's eyes.
"So, you finally decided to see the freakazoid for yourself," Ed commented as he rose to his feet. His body had broken out in a sweat and his muscles trembled. "What do you think you know, Walter?" Ed sang his words.
Walter stood in the middle of the room as Ed walked erratically around him. "Darien and Hobbes are out trying to find Arnaud," Walter said.
"I hope they find him. I really need it bad you know." Ed stopped behind Walter and whispered in his ear, "Tell me something, Walter. You found Sloan, Tom and me in a Mexican desert using tracking systems, satellites, you know, all that cool spy stuff. Are you using your toys to find Arnaud?"
"We're doing everything we can to help find him."
Ed stood in front of Walter, "Yeah, who's the 'we'? You and your…superior?" There was hate in the way Ed said 'superior'.
Walter exhaled deeply, "Ed, trust me, I'm working on it."
Ed walked away and turned his back on Walter, "Trust you?" Ed scoffed. "You and your superior have plans for me don't you? Or is it the gland she has plans for? And I'm sure the fat man does too." Ed turned around and hissed, "I've been manipulated by you for years, Walter. I won't be your slave."
"That's not what I want."
"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Ed's face contorted in pain and he fell to the floor. Walter was at his side. Ed dry heaved for a few minutes and then it passed as quickly as it came on. Ed lay on his side and stared up at Walter, "I can't take it anymore, please, I need counteragent, give it to me."
"I don't have it yet," Walter said as he looked sadly at Ed.
"Damn it, try harder!" Ed closed his eyes, "It hurts, Walter, it hurts. I just want to die."
The words haunted Walter. His superior had just ordered him to harvest the gland if Darien did not find Arnaud by midnight. A part of him wanted to put Ed out of his misery, but the other part hoped that Darien will get a hold of counteragent. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe marked 'Sodium Pentothol'. It would be the first of three if the situation didn't change. He slid it back in his pocket and held Ed in his arms until the withdrawal seizure ended.
Sloan and Tom watched from the observation room. "Tom, I can't take seeing him like this." Sloan was about to leave when Claire came in.
"How is he?" Claire asked.
"Getting worse, he was dry heaving just a few minutes ago," Sloan said.
Claire looked and saw Walter with him. "Well, I managed to get some methadone rushed over. But it's in pill form; he'll have to swallow it."
"You think he will?" Tom asked.
"I'm not sure." Claire pulled out her tranq gun and handed it to Tom, "Just in case." She looked at Sloan and Tom, she was visibly shaken.
"What's wrong?" Sloan asked.
Claire looked up, "It's Walter, he's been ordered to harvest the gland if Darien can't find Arnaud in time."
"What!?" Sloan asked. "He wouldn't do something like that."
"He's already got it planned it out. He's planning on giving Ed a lethal injection like some murderer on death row," Claire said.
Tom rose to full height and squared his shoulders, "We'll get Ed out of here before that happens. Do you know how much time Ed has?"
"I was hoping you would say that. But I have no idea where to take Ed or when Walter plans on harvesting the gland," Claire said.
"We'll think of somewhere to take Ed, but in the mean time we can't let on to what we're planning. We have to act as if it's business as usual." Sloan said shaking herself from the shock of Claire's news.
"Yeah, right, in the mean time, I'll try and have Ed take this pill. I've got to find a way to come up with counteragent. If we move him, I'm going to need every bit of information I can get before hand. I may not get another chance."
"I'll help you anyway I can," Sloan said as she folded her arms.
"Thanks, I'm going to need it. I'm hoping that some of the components from the old counteragent will work. It might be enough to pull Ed out of the madness long enough so he can help."
"Like in Alaska, when he helped with the vaccine," Sloan sounded hopeful. If Ed was able to bounce back enough to help, maybe he can do it again. Sloan looked over at Ed who seemed to be resting now. "What else can we expect during quicksilver madness?" Sloan asked as she continued to watch Ed.
"With Darien it was unpredictable. Arnaud seems to have developed a new stage of quicksilver madness. The withdrawal pain for Ed seems to come in waves, like labor pains. I'm afraid they may get closer together, eventually becoming one long episode. He may even get to a stage where he doesn't crave the counteragent. That could even be stage 5, but I'm just theorizing right now. I have no intention on finding out if this is true or not, I won't put Ed through that."
"If he doesn't crave the counteragent, what would happen then?" Sloan asked.
"We saw a hint of that when he first arrived earlier. The only thing holding him back is the craving, once that's gone, he could be very dangerous." Claire watched as Walter left. Ed seemed to be resting, although she could see that his body was going through the wringer. "Darien went through nothing like this, although he did bark and growl at me like a dog one time," Claire said as she remembered the time when a quicksilver mad Darien ran into the Keep barking.
"Will he remember any of this?" Tom asked.
"Unfortunately yes, if it's the same as Darien's quicksilver madness. That's what Arnaud designed it for, so that the memory would remain." Claire looked at Ed who was just walking around in circles. "He's going to be so upset at what he's done and said. Please, be forgiving."
Tom watched from the back of the room. He hoped that Darien and Hobbes will find Arnaud and get the medication that Ed needs. He didn't like seeing his friend like this at all. The worst part was that he could sense the pain Ed was going through. This is when his abilities as a dominant are a burden.
Ed lay down on the soft bed. He stared up at the ceiling and wondered what the people behind the glass were doing. He decided that he really didn't care, all he wanted to do was get out of this purgatory they put him in and kill the man who did this to him. He had visions of him snapping Arnaud's neck then ripping his head off his neck. Of course after he got what he wanted, what he craved.
Ed slowly stood up and went up to the glass. He tapped on the window using his head, "Ho sistah, I gotta go shi shi."
"What did he say?" Sloan looked at Claire confused.
"I have no idea." Claire bent down, turned on the microphone and asked Ed, "I didn't understand you, Ed. What did you want?"
Ed laughed, "I gotta go shi shi, you know, I need to take a leak, hon." He looked at the straightjacket and leaned in closer to the window, "But I'll need a little help, if you know what I mean?" Ed smiled seductively.
"Someone is going to help you," Claire told him.
"You no like come? K, whatevahz!" Ed turned and walked away. He stopped and looked at the mirror, "Dat momona buggah hea?"
"Ed, what are you saying, we don't understand you?" Claire stated confused.
Ed smiled, he sauntered up to the window, "It's Pidgin, Hawaiian slang. I was asking if the fat man was here, guess he loves this scientist turned science experiment. He's probably trying to figure out how much money he can make off of me, once Darien finds the leash of course."
"Ed, he wants to help you," Sloan said.
"Howzit Sloan! How you stay? Wass da scoops?" Ed smiled. "Listen, you don't have to feed me that government bullshit. I can hear the money machine in his head adding up the dollars now. Only Arnaud has the counteragent and I know that Darien has left the building to find that asshole."
Sloan looked at Claire, "He's really bad isn't he?"
"Oh baby, you want bad? I got your bad right here," Ed sneered. "Hey Claire, you can tell Fat Bastard that I won't be a slave to him or anyone else. I told that to Walter, but in just case he doesn't get the message."
Ray had walked in just in time to hear Ed, "So, this is what the dark side of the force is like."
"I've never heard him talk like this before," Sloan remarked sadly.
"Look, you have to understand, this isn't Ed. Once Darien returns with the counteragent, he'll be back to his old self again. I know this is hard, believe me I feel like I'm reliving the first two years with Darien all over again. But you have to separate the real Ed from the quicksilver mad Ed."
Ed banged his head against the window, "Hey! Come on, I gotta piss. You put me in this damn thing, now you gotta give me a hand here."
Claire pursed her lips together and looked at Tom. He raised a brow, "I don't think he wants me to help."
"No, I wasn't thinking of that, I'll do it. But Tom, I want you to stand by with the tranq gun. Okay?"
Tom shook his head.
"Well, I did want to get a urine sample, guess this is my chance." Claire left to get a sterilized cup from the Keep.
~*~
"Okay so the plate on the car that Ed stole matched up to this address. But it was an abandoned building. Let's scratch that one off the list," Darien remarked as he went over the list of possibilities.
"It would have to be some place big and since Ed was able to drive it can't be too far away." Hobbes retorted.
"Yeah, right, like Lewis likes to have big houses. Arnaud did have that big house in Mexico and the one here. He would need a nice size room so he could operate too." Darien scanned down the list.
"Check for anything outside of San Diego," Hobbes said.
"Why's that?"
"There was dust on the car. Ed must have been out in the desert somewhere."
"Oh you're good, my friend." Darien checked the leads they got from Hobbesnet. "Bingo, here's a couple. They're east of Indian Springs. About 27 minutes away from good ol' SD."
"Let's give those a shot. How do we get there?"
"Well, the map says to go East on 94."
"Then that's where we'll go."
Hobbes suddenly looked over at Darien. Darien knew that Hobbes was staring at him, he looked at him, "What?"
"Speaking of the car that Ed stole, how do you suppose he knew how to hot wire it?"
"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't teach him that."
"Hmm…"
"What does 'hmmm' mean?"
"Ed's a nerd to the first degree. You tell me, did Kevin know how to hot wire cars?"
"Are you implying that I'm a bad influence on Ed?"
"I'm not implying anything, I'm just curious."
"Curious? Well, you know what happened to the cat that was curious?"
"Yes, and satisfaction brought him back, my friend."
Darien looked out the window and smirked, "Well, for your information, I did not teach Ed how to hot wire a car. And he's not a nerd to the first degree."
"Alright then, second degree, I'll bring him down a notch since he surfs and doesn't wear a pencil protector in his shirt pocket," Hobbes said as he turned on to CA-94 and headed east.
Darien shook his head, "You have issues don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Hobbes answered.
"You complain, you're mean to people…is this all because your older sister beat you and made you wear your mother's dress?"
"I'm not going to discuss that with you, Fawkes, that's between me and my therapist."
Darien looked out the window as he smiled. "Is that like between you and your hairdresser?"
"Don't go there, Fawkes."
"Go where?"
"The hair thing."
"I wasn't going there."
"Just because my hair follicles are AWOL and yours work overtime doesn't mean anything."
Darien shook his head, "Hobbes, you are making no sense at all."
"Life doesn't make sense, my friend. I learned that on the battle field of life."
"You did take your meds today right?"
"That's affirmative."
"Well, that's comforting."
~*~
At the Agency, Walter was busy at the grim task of following orders. He filled the syringe marked 'Potassium chloride'. He sighed as he put in the box with the other two syringes. He picked up the paper faxed to him by his superior outlining the procedure. She had wanted to send someone else to administer the injections but Walter refused. If Ed was going to die it wouldn't be at the hands of some stranger.
Walter was to restrain Ed to a gurney and hook up an IV. The first injection would be the sodium pentothal. Walter would give Ed enough that by itself, it would be lethal. He wanted to make sure that Ed didn't feel a thing, even if he was quicksilver mad, the real Ed was still inside somewhere. The next injection, Pancuronium bromide, would come about a minute later. This will paralyze Ed's lungs and diaphragm and he would stop breathing anywhere from one to three minutes. The last injection would then be given, Potassium chloride. This would stop Ed's heart. When death was confirmed, Walter would then begin the harvesting procedure.
Walter checked his watch. Time was growing short. He closed the box, locked it and pushed it aside. He rested on his elbows, folded his hands and prayed.
~*~
One of the guards outside opened the door for Claire. Ed heard the mechanical lock open. Claire walked in with Tom behind her and the two guards.
"Its about time, I thought I would have to piss in my pants," Ed rose to his feet. He saw Tom, "Oh, so you live, I didn't squeeze hard enough."
Claire looked at Tom and shook her head, hoping that he would remember that this isn't the real Ed speaking. She turned her attention back to Ed, "I need you to take something first, Ed. It's methadone. It will help with the pain from the withdrawals you seem to be experiencing." Claire held out the pill for Ed.
"Nah, I don't think so," Ed said as he shook his head, "That will knock me out and then the next thing I know your digging in my head. I'll deal with the pain."
"Ed, you can trust me, that's not my intention," Claire said.
Ed thought for a moment, "I don't want a pill, I want counteragent."
"Okay, but I'll keep it handy just in case you change your mind." Claire motioned to the guards that she was ready.
A guard came on either side of him and grabbed him by his arms. "Oh, so I get an audience, don't be too jealous fellas, I've worn boxers for years so I hang lower. Isn't that right, honey?"
Claire blushed and looked away quickly. Ed was led out of the padded room and down the hall towards the bathroom. Claire trailed behind them with Tom next to her.
"This quicksilver madness is interesting," Tom said.
"I'm glad you think so," Claire said as she looked at Tom oddly.
"Are Darien and Ed the only two that have experienced this?"
"No, actually, Hobbes and I both went through quicksilver madness, oh and the Official too. But Hobbes experienced stage 5 madness."
"You'll have to tell me how that happened."
Ed grunted and his whole body went stiff. Claire ran to him, she looked at the guards as she held Ed's head in her hands, "Let him go until this passes."
Ed curled up in a ball and moaned. His eyes squeezed shut and his face twisted in pain. Claire didn't know what to say to comfort him. She rubbed his shoulder and spoke softly, "Ed please, take the pill."
"No," Ed said through gritted teeth.
Claire looked up Tom and then back at Ed who rocked back and forth on floor. They waited for the episode to pass. Claire had been timing them and they were getting closer together and lasted longer as she feared. She began to believe that this was how stage 4 is characterized now, with withdrawals. All Claire could do was to hold him.
Ed soon relaxed and the guards had him back on his feet. Claire and Tom followed the guards into the bathroom. Claire motioned for the guards to wait by the door and Claire took Ed to the far end of the bathroom for some privacy. Tom stood behind Ed with the tranq gun ready.
"He's not going to shoot me in the ass is he, cause I'd really hate that."
"Don't worry, if you behave yourself, he won't have to shoot you at all," Claire untied Ed's scrub pants and pulled the front down slightly. Claire gave Tom a quick glance and rolled her eyes. Tom looked down at the floor.
"Okay, I'm going to go ahead and take a sample," she took the lid off the cup and put it on top of the shelf above the urinal. She put a pair of gloves on.
"Is that the only sample you need?" Ed said as he wiggled his brow.
"Yes," Claire answered somewhat annoyed.
"Damn."
Claire pulled down Ed's boxers and reached her hand inside. "Oh yeah, baby…that's it…oh, feels so good…stroke it!" Ed started to pant.
Claire stopped and looked at Ed disgusted.
"What? I was kidding, okay, I'm serious now."
"Stop with the jokes and lets get this over with. I need to catch you in mid stream." Claire glared at Ed, "And no jokes or else I'm going to put you back in the padded room and let you urinate in your pants!"
"Ohh…I like it when you're so demanding. So, what's next my mistress, tie me up?" Ed looked down at his arms, "Oh, silly me, you've done that already."
Claire pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, "Ed, will you knock it off," she said in a hard tone. Ed turned his head and shot Tom a smile. She tried again and this time Ed was cooperative. She finally got the sample she needed.
"Don't forget to shake me."
"Oh bloody hell, Ed!" She shook Ed and fixed him back up. She motioned for the guards to come and take him back to the padded room.
They left the bathroom and Tom followed the guards while Claire went to the Keep to run some tests. Ed had another episode before reaching the padded room. Tom timed it for Claire and would let her know. Once inside the room, Ed had another withdrawal episode a few minutes later. Claire was right; they were coming closer together now. Ed only had a few minutes in between each one. He was getting close to the peek, but how long it lasted, no one knew. Sloan went to the Keep to help Claire. Tom stayed to watch Ed and make sure Walter didn't make his move.
~*~
Darien and Hobbes approached a gas station. They stopped and decided to go inside and ask some questions.
The man behind the counter looked at Darien oddly. Darien turned to Hobbes, "I think we found the right place."
"He recognized you…I mean he sees the resemblance."
Darien pulled out his badge, "I need to ask you some questions."
"Okay."
"Yeah, uhmm…do you recognize this man?" Darien held out the picture of Ed.
The man looked at Darien and the picture and back to Darien again, "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Ah…no sir, the federal government doesn't joke," Hobbes replied.
"You could have fooled me," Darien retorted under his breath.
"We just need to know if this man was in here earlier today," Hobbes said as he glared at Darien.
The man behind the counter was still staring at Darien, "Yeah, he was, he wanted to know where he was and how to get to San Diego." The man paused and then asked, "Are you two like twins or something like that?"
"Yeah, something like that," Darien answered.
"Can you tell me which direction he came from?" Hobbes asked.
"Yeah, sure, came in here speeding from the east. First he went to the phone booth and then looked like he freaked out or something. Then he came running in here asking where he was and all. I thought he was drunk or on drugs on the account of his eyes being bloodshot."
"That was Ed alright," Darien said.
"Is he wanted by the FBI or the CIA or something? If he is do I get a reward?"
"No, sorry, he's not wanted. We just needed to know if he was in here," Hobbes said.
"Oh I know, he's got that virus and you're tracking down where he's been," the man had a worried look on his face, "Oh that mean's we're all gonna get it."
Hobbes snickered as he spoke, "No, no, he's fine. He's not contagious."
"Thankfully," Darien retorted as he looked around. He grabbed Hobbes by his shirt, "Thanks for your help and you have nothing to worry about."
They ran back to the van and got in. Hobbes started the van up and they raced out of the parking lot and headed east on Lyons Valley Road.
"Well, so far, this tip you got is panning out. Ed did come this way. But from where?" Darien asked as he looked around.
"This is where your trick comes in handy, my friend. Let me know if you sense anything."
~*~
The Lady sat in her car and waited for a report. Walter had called her and told her about Ed's condition and it angered her. That was not part of the plan but then again, she had a fully functioning gland now. Arnaud's double cross may turn out better than she thought. She provided Darien and Hobbes with the tip in the hopes they would find Arnaud. She knew the location, and with Darien's dominant abilities, he would be able to locate Arnaud easily. This was the perfect set-up. Neither of them would suspect it and Arnaud needed to be punished for his actions.
The team was ready to move in as soon as they received confirmation that Darien found Arnaud. She wanted all the information they could get from Arnaud's computers and she really didn't care if he and or Darien were killed, to her, Darien was just another dominant. Ed had a gland now and that's all she cared about. After she got the information she wanted from Arnaud, then she would go for what's in Ed's head. He would just be another casualty in the war for survival, but he would have given his life in service of his country and his species.
With as many terrorists' organizations out there, they would have trouble finding who was behind the attack. Even the dominants could be blamed, especially if Darien was killed.
~*~
Sloan came into the Keep and saw Claire busy running tests and checking her computer. "What can I do?" Sloan asked rubbing her hands together like she was trying to warm them up.
Claire glanced at Sloan quickly and then went back to work, "How is he?"
"Well, Tom said that he had another episode on his way back and then he had another one a few minutes after he was put back in the padded room," Sloan said as she walked towards Claire.
Claire thought for a moment and then continued, "Hmmm…Okay, this is what I'm trying to do and what I think will happen to Ed. I think he's in what would normally be called stage 4 madness. I'm trying to figure out a way to get him back into at least stage 1. I'm not sure I can pull him out completely, but if I can at least pull him back into stage 1 he can help us. I hate for him to go through all that again, but it's worth it, I think anyway."
"How are you going to do that?" Sloan asked.
"Well, before Darien started to build up immunity to the counteragent, I was working on a new one. The only problem is it pushed him straight into stage 5 madness," Claire carefully took out a vial from the gavitron she got from Ed's lab.
"But won't that be a bad thing?"
"Not if I can make it have the opposite effect," Claire looked at Sloan.
"Okay, what you need me to do?" Sloan said as she put on a lab coat.
"I've got a batch almost ready; I started it after I spoke with Walter. My tests will be rushed and not very conclusive. I may end up having to test it on Ed," Claire looked at Sloan.
"Where have I been in this position before?" Sloan smiled.
"Here is a sample of Ed's quicksilver with the toxin in it," Claire held up a syringe, "I extracted straight from the gland while he was sedated. I'm going to inject it into the blood stream of this rat. Tom gave me the idea actually. He had asked if any of us had experienced quicksilver madness, three of us have. With the Official and myself it was through bacterial exposure," Claire noticed Sloan's expression, "I'll explain that one later. Hobbes experience was from skin contact with quicksilver tainted with the toxin and the new counteragent. It absorbed through his skin and he immediately went into stage 5 madness. I'm hoping the same will happen with this rat."
Claire injected the rat and waited. The rat began to show signs of madness. Sloan and Claire smiled at each other. "Okay, so that worked. Now lets take a blood sample," Claire said as she handed the syringe to Sloan, "I'll check on the counteragent while do that."
"So, what's this little guy's name?" Sloan asked.
Claire smiled, "Well, normally I give them all names starting with LR for 'lab rat' and then a number," Claire held up the vial as she put a needle inside to draw out the contents, "Darien wasn't to impressed so I named the rat Darien. I named another rat Hobbes."
"So, now I take it this one is Ed?" Sloan smiled as she drew the blood from the rat.
Claire chuckled, "Yeah, I guess that would be appropriate."
Sloan marked the vial, "Well, I guess it fits now doesn't it?" She said despondently.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Claire said as she put the syringe down by the cage. "Okay, I'm going to inject the rat with this counteragent and then we'll draw some more blood and compare the two." Claire injected the rat and Sloan prepared to draw some blood.
Claire and Sloan studied the rat and it started to shake. Sloan looked nervously at Claire. "Don't worry, that happens," Claire said reassuringly.
The rat fell over on it's side and stayed still for a moment. "Is it sleeping?" Sloan asked.
"Yeah, that's the effect counteragent has. It should only last a few minutes than the subject wakes up. Each time it's different, I think it has to do with the amount of toxin in the system." Claire saw the rat move, "There see, he's coming around. Okay, you get the blood sample and I'll prepare the first blood sample."
"Sorry, Ed the rat, but you're really getting poked today aren't you?" Sloan said as she carefully drew the blood. She prepared the slide with the new sample and handed it to Claire. "Do you see anything yet?"
"Here, let me show you," Claire slid over to the monitor, "Here is the first sample, you can see the toxin in the blood stream clearly and that's quicksilver." Claire slid back over and inserted the new sample. She sighed.
"What?"
Claire slid back over to the monitor and changed the screen so that it would show both slides. Sloan sighed, "This is like trying to treat a viral infection like a bacterial infection."
"Exactly, Arnaud once accused me of playing remedy roulette on Darien, now I feel like I'm playing counteragent roulette on Ed." Claire sat back in her chair. "Let's try again. I won't give up. I think I'm on the right track though, let me try some components used in the counteragent for stage 5. This maybe a process of elimination, but I can't keep injecting the same rat with counteragent."
Sloan thought for a moment, "I'll be right back." She rushed out of the Keep to find Ray.
~*~
Tom and Ray watched Ed rock back and forth on the floor. Walter walked in. Ray and Tom looked at him cautiously. Tom walked over and stood between the glass and Walter, "All I ask, is that give them time. Darien will find Arnaud and if he doesn't, I'm sure Sloan and Claire can come up with something."
Walter sighed, "I told Claire what my orders are for a reason. You have until 11:45 tonight. What you do in fifteen minutes is up to you. That's all I can give you, sorry." Walter started to turn away, "Oh and Tom, Ray, this conversation never happened."
Tom nodded, "I understand."
"Loud and clear," Ray responded.
Walter caught a glimpse of Ed and it saddened his heart. He carried a heavy burden on his shoulders. He left the observation room and went inside the padded room. He sat on the bed and listened to Ed moan, he was chanting something inaudible as he rocked on the floor. Walter figured that Ed was trying to refocus his mind, like a woman in labor thinking of the ocean waves as they roll in or a swing. Ed was obviously at the peek of his withdrawals.
Walter looked at the glass window and knew that Tom and Ray watched him carefully. He tilted his down and watched Ed.
Ray checked his watch, "We still have four hours."
Tom looked at Ray, "You stay here and watch Ed. I'm going to look for a place where we can take him."
"They found you, Sloan and Ed in the desert. They even found Darien and Ed in the desert. Where are you going to go?" Ray said.
Tom let out a sigh, "I don't know, but I can't let them kill Ed."
Ray watched as Tom left the room. He glanced back at Ed and Walter. "Here I go again, never a dull moment with these people." Ray pulled out his phone to call Gracie and let her know that he was going to be late…again.
TBC….
Walter walked into the padded room. Ed sat Indian style on the floor with his head down. "Hello, Ed."
Ed smiled, he slowly raised his head. Walter straightened up slightly when he saw Ed's eyes.
"So, you finally decided to see the freakazoid for yourself," Ed commented as he rose to his feet. His body had broken out in a sweat and his muscles trembled. "What do you think you know, Walter?" Ed sang his words.
Walter stood in the middle of the room as Ed walked erratically around him. "Darien and Hobbes are out trying to find Arnaud," Walter said.
"I hope they find him. I really need it bad you know." Ed stopped behind Walter and whispered in his ear, "Tell me something, Walter. You found Sloan, Tom and me in a Mexican desert using tracking systems, satellites, you know, all that cool spy stuff. Are you using your toys to find Arnaud?"
"We're doing everything we can to help find him."
Ed stood in front of Walter, "Yeah, who's the 'we'? You and your…superior?" There was hate in the way Ed said 'superior'.
Walter exhaled deeply, "Ed, trust me, I'm working on it."
Ed walked away and turned his back on Walter, "Trust you?" Ed scoffed. "You and your superior have plans for me don't you? Or is it the gland she has plans for? And I'm sure the fat man does too." Ed turned around and hissed, "I've been manipulated by you for years, Walter. I won't be your slave."
"That's not what I want."
"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Ed's face contorted in pain and he fell to the floor. Walter was at his side. Ed dry heaved for a few minutes and then it passed as quickly as it came on. Ed lay on his side and stared up at Walter, "I can't take it anymore, please, I need counteragent, give it to me."
"I don't have it yet," Walter said as he looked sadly at Ed.
"Damn it, try harder!" Ed closed his eyes, "It hurts, Walter, it hurts. I just want to die."
The words haunted Walter. His superior had just ordered him to harvest the gland if Darien did not find Arnaud by midnight. A part of him wanted to put Ed out of his misery, but the other part hoped that Darien will get a hold of counteragent. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe marked 'Sodium Pentothol'. It would be the first of three if the situation didn't change. He slid it back in his pocket and held Ed in his arms until the withdrawal seizure ended.
Sloan and Tom watched from the observation room. "Tom, I can't take seeing him like this." Sloan was about to leave when Claire came in.
"How is he?" Claire asked.
"Getting worse, he was dry heaving just a few minutes ago," Sloan said.
Claire looked and saw Walter with him. "Well, I managed to get some methadone rushed over. But it's in pill form; he'll have to swallow it."
"You think he will?" Tom asked.
"I'm not sure." Claire pulled out her tranq gun and handed it to Tom, "Just in case." She looked at Sloan and Tom, she was visibly shaken.
"What's wrong?" Sloan asked.
Claire looked up, "It's Walter, he's been ordered to harvest the gland if Darien can't find Arnaud in time."
"What!?" Sloan asked. "He wouldn't do something like that."
"He's already got it planned it out. He's planning on giving Ed a lethal injection like some murderer on death row," Claire said.
Tom rose to full height and squared his shoulders, "We'll get Ed out of here before that happens. Do you know how much time Ed has?"
"I was hoping you would say that. But I have no idea where to take Ed or when Walter plans on harvesting the gland," Claire said.
"We'll think of somewhere to take Ed, but in the mean time we can't let on to what we're planning. We have to act as if it's business as usual." Sloan said shaking herself from the shock of Claire's news.
"Yeah, right, in the mean time, I'll try and have Ed take this pill. I've got to find a way to come up with counteragent. If we move him, I'm going to need every bit of information I can get before hand. I may not get another chance."
"I'll help you anyway I can," Sloan said as she folded her arms.
"Thanks, I'm going to need it. I'm hoping that some of the components from the old counteragent will work. It might be enough to pull Ed out of the madness long enough so he can help."
"Like in Alaska, when he helped with the vaccine," Sloan sounded hopeful. If Ed was able to bounce back enough to help, maybe he can do it again. Sloan looked over at Ed who seemed to be resting now. "What else can we expect during quicksilver madness?" Sloan asked as she continued to watch Ed.
"With Darien it was unpredictable. Arnaud seems to have developed a new stage of quicksilver madness. The withdrawal pain for Ed seems to come in waves, like labor pains. I'm afraid they may get closer together, eventually becoming one long episode. He may even get to a stage where he doesn't crave the counteragent. That could even be stage 5, but I'm just theorizing right now. I have no intention on finding out if this is true or not, I won't put Ed through that."
"If he doesn't crave the counteragent, what would happen then?" Sloan asked.
"We saw a hint of that when he first arrived earlier. The only thing holding him back is the craving, once that's gone, he could be very dangerous." Claire watched as Walter left. Ed seemed to be resting, although she could see that his body was going through the wringer. "Darien went through nothing like this, although he did bark and growl at me like a dog one time," Claire said as she remembered the time when a quicksilver mad Darien ran into the Keep barking.
"Will he remember any of this?" Tom asked.
"Unfortunately yes, if it's the same as Darien's quicksilver madness. That's what Arnaud designed it for, so that the memory would remain." Claire looked at Ed who was just walking around in circles. "He's going to be so upset at what he's done and said. Please, be forgiving."
Tom watched from the back of the room. He hoped that Darien and Hobbes will find Arnaud and get the medication that Ed needs. He didn't like seeing his friend like this at all. The worst part was that he could sense the pain Ed was going through. This is when his abilities as a dominant are a burden.
Ed lay down on the soft bed. He stared up at the ceiling and wondered what the people behind the glass were doing. He decided that he really didn't care, all he wanted to do was get out of this purgatory they put him in and kill the man who did this to him. He had visions of him snapping Arnaud's neck then ripping his head off his neck. Of course after he got what he wanted, what he craved.
Ed slowly stood up and went up to the glass. He tapped on the window using his head, "Ho sistah, I gotta go shi shi."
"What did he say?" Sloan looked at Claire confused.
"I have no idea." Claire bent down, turned on the microphone and asked Ed, "I didn't understand you, Ed. What did you want?"
Ed laughed, "I gotta go shi shi, you know, I need to take a leak, hon." He looked at the straightjacket and leaned in closer to the window, "But I'll need a little help, if you know what I mean?" Ed smiled seductively.
"Someone is going to help you," Claire told him.
"You no like come? K, whatevahz!" Ed turned and walked away. He stopped and looked at the mirror, "Dat momona buggah hea?"
"Ed, what are you saying, we don't understand you?" Claire stated confused.
Ed smiled, he sauntered up to the window, "It's Pidgin, Hawaiian slang. I was asking if the fat man was here, guess he loves this scientist turned science experiment. He's probably trying to figure out how much money he can make off of me, once Darien finds the leash of course."
"Ed, he wants to help you," Sloan said.
"Howzit Sloan! How you stay? Wass da scoops?" Ed smiled. "Listen, you don't have to feed me that government bullshit. I can hear the money machine in his head adding up the dollars now. Only Arnaud has the counteragent and I know that Darien has left the building to find that asshole."
Sloan looked at Claire, "He's really bad isn't he?"
"Oh baby, you want bad? I got your bad right here," Ed sneered. "Hey Claire, you can tell Fat Bastard that I won't be a slave to him or anyone else. I told that to Walter, but in just case he doesn't get the message."
Ray had walked in just in time to hear Ed, "So, this is what the dark side of the force is like."
"I've never heard him talk like this before," Sloan remarked sadly.
"Look, you have to understand, this isn't Ed. Once Darien returns with the counteragent, he'll be back to his old self again. I know this is hard, believe me I feel like I'm reliving the first two years with Darien all over again. But you have to separate the real Ed from the quicksilver mad Ed."
Ed banged his head against the window, "Hey! Come on, I gotta piss. You put me in this damn thing, now you gotta give me a hand here."
Claire pursed her lips together and looked at Tom. He raised a brow, "I don't think he wants me to help."
"No, I wasn't thinking of that, I'll do it. But Tom, I want you to stand by with the tranq gun. Okay?"
Tom shook his head.
"Well, I did want to get a urine sample, guess this is my chance." Claire left to get a sterilized cup from the Keep.
~*~
"Okay so the plate on the car that Ed stole matched up to this address. But it was an abandoned building. Let's scratch that one off the list," Darien remarked as he went over the list of possibilities.
"It would have to be some place big and since Ed was able to drive it can't be too far away." Hobbes retorted.
"Yeah, right, like Lewis likes to have big houses. Arnaud did have that big house in Mexico and the one here. He would need a nice size room so he could operate too." Darien scanned down the list.
"Check for anything outside of San Diego," Hobbes said.
"Why's that?"
"There was dust on the car. Ed must have been out in the desert somewhere."
"Oh you're good, my friend." Darien checked the leads they got from Hobbesnet. "Bingo, here's a couple. They're east of Indian Springs. About 27 minutes away from good ol' SD."
"Let's give those a shot. How do we get there?"
"Well, the map says to go East on 94."
"Then that's where we'll go."
Hobbes suddenly looked over at Darien. Darien knew that Hobbes was staring at him, he looked at him, "What?"
"Speaking of the car that Ed stole, how do you suppose he knew how to hot wire it?"
"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't teach him that."
"Hmm…"
"What does 'hmmm' mean?"
"Ed's a nerd to the first degree. You tell me, did Kevin know how to hot wire cars?"
"Are you implying that I'm a bad influence on Ed?"
"I'm not implying anything, I'm just curious."
"Curious? Well, you know what happened to the cat that was curious?"
"Yes, and satisfaction brought him back, my friend."
Darien looked out the window and smirked, "Well, for your information, I did not teach Ed how to hot wire a car. And he's not a nerd to the first degree."
"Alright then, second degree, I'll bring him down a notch since he surfs and doesn't wear a pencil protector in his shirt pocket," Hobbes said as he turned on to CA-94 and headed east.
Darien shook his head, "You have issues don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Hobbes answered.
"You complain, you're mean to people…is this all because your older sister beat you and made you wear your mother's dress?"
"I'm not going to discuss that with you, Fawkes, that's between me and my therapist."
Darien looked out the window as he smiled. "Is that like between you and your hairdresser?"
"Don't go there, Fawkes."
"Go where?"
"The hair thing."
"I wasn't going there."
"Just because my hair follicles are AWOL and yours work overtime doesn't mean anything."
Darien shook his head, "Hobbes, you are making no sense at all."
"Life doesn't make sense, my friend. I learned that on the battle field of life."
"You did take your meds today right?"
"That's affirmative."
"Well, that's comforting."
~*~
At the Agency, Walter was busy at the grim task of following orders. He filled the syringe marked 'Potassium chloride'. He sighed as he put in the box with the other two syringes. He picked up the paper faxed to him by his superior outlining the procedure. She had wanted to send someone else to administer the injections but Walter refused. If Ed was going to die it wouldn't be at the hands of some stranger.
Walter was to restrain Ed to a gurney and hook up an IV. The first injection would be the sodium pentothal. Walter would give Ed enough that by itself, it would be lethal. He wanted to make sure that Ed didn't feel a thing, even if he was quicksilver mad, the real Ed was still inside somewhere. The next injection, Pancuronium bromide, would come about a minute later. This will paralyze Ed's lungs and diaphragm and he would stop breathing anywhere from one to three minutes. The last injection would then be given, Potassium chloride. This would stop Ed's heart. When death was confirmed, Walter would then begin the harvesting procedure.
Walter checked his watch. Time was growing short. He closed the box, locked it and pushed it aside. He rested on his elbows, folded his hands and prayed.
~*~
One of the guards outside opened the door for Claire. Ed heard the mechanical lock open. Claire walked in with Tom behind her and the two guards.
"Its about time, I thought I would have to piss in my pants," Ed rose to his feet. He saw Tom, "Oh, so you live, I didn't squeeze hard enough."
Claire looked at Tom and shook her head, hoping that he would remember that this isn't the real Ed speaking. She turned her attention back to Ed, "I need you to take something first, Ed. It's methadone. It will help with the pain from the withdrawals you seem to be experiencing." Claire held out the pill for Ed.
"Nah, I don't think so," Ed said as he shook his head, "That will knock me out and then the next thing I know your digging in my head. I'll deal with the pain."
"Ed, you can trust me, that's not my intention," Claire said.
Ed thought for a moment, "I don't want a pill, I want counteragent."
"Okay, but I'll keep it handy just in case you change your mind." Claire motioned to the guards that she was ready.
A guard came on either side of him and grabbed him by his arms. "Oh, so I get an audience, don't be too jealous fellas, I've worn boxers for years so I hang lower. Isn't that right, honey?"
Claire blushed and looked away quickly. Ed was led out of the padded room and down the hall towards the bathroom. Claire trailed behind them with Tom next to her.
"This quicksilver madness is interesting," Tom said.
"I'm glad you think so," Claire said as she looked at Tom oddly.
"Are Darien and Ed the only two that have experienced this?"
"No, actually, Hobbes and I both went through quicksilver madness, oh and the Official too. But Hobbes experienced stage 5 madness."
"You'll have to tell me how that happened."
Ed grunted and his whole body went stiff. Claire ran to him, she looked at the guards as she held Ed's head in her hands, "Let him go until this passes."
Ed curled up in a ball and moaned. His eyes squeezed shut and his face twisted in pain. Claire didn't know what to say to comfort him. She rubbed his shoulder and spoke softly, "Ed please, take the pill."
"No," Ed said through gritted teeth.
Claire looked up Tom and then back at Ed who rocked back and forth on floor. They waited for the episode to pass. Claire had been timing them and they were getting closer together and lasted longer as she feared. She began to believe that this was how stage 4 is characterized now, with withdrawals. All Claire could do was to hold him.
Ed soon relaxed and the guards had him back on his feet. Claire and Tom followed the guards into the bathroom. Claire motioned for the guards to wait by the door and Claire took Ed to the far end of the bathroom for some privacy. Tom stood behind Ed with the tranq gun ready.
"He's not going to shoot me in the ass is he, cause I'd really hate that."
"Don't worry, if you behave yourself, he won't have to shoot you at all," Claire untied Ed's scrub pants and pulled the front down slightly. Claire gave Tom a quick glance and rolled her eyes. Tom looked down at the floor.
"Okay, I'm going to go ahead and take a sample," she took the lid off the cup and put it on top of the shelf above the urinal. She put a pair of gloves on.
"Is that the only sample you need?" Ed said as he wiggled his brow.
"Yes," Claire answered somewhat annoyed.
"Damn."
Claire pulled down Ed's boxers and reached her hand inside. "Oh yeah, baby…that's it…oh, feels so good…stroke it!" Ed started to pant.
Claire stopped and looked at Ed disgusted.
"What? I was kidding, okay, I'm serious now."
"Stop with the jokes and lets get this over with. I need to catch you in mid stream." Claire glared at Ed, "And no jokes or else I'm going to put you back in the padded room and let you urinate in your pants!"
"Ohh…I like it when you're so demanding. So, what's next my mistress, tie me up?" Ed looked down at his arms, "Oh, silly me, you've done that already."
Claire pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, "Ed, will you knock it off," she said in a hard tone. Ed turned his head and shot Tom a smile. She tried again and this time Ed was cooperative. She finally got the sample she needed.
"Don't forget to shake me."
"Oh bloody hell, Ed!" She shook Ed and fixed him back up. She motioned for the guards to come and take him back to the padded room.
They left the bathroom and Tom followed the guards while Claire went to the Keep to run some tests. Ed had another episode before reaching the padded room. Tom timed it for Claire and would let her know. Once inside the room, Ed had another withdrawal episode a few minutes later. Claire was right; they were coming closer together now. Ed only had a few minutes in between each one. He was getting close to the peek, but how long it lasted, no one knew. Sloan went to the Keep to help Claire. Tom stayed to watch Ed and make sure Walter didn't make his move.
~*~
Darien and Hobbes approached a gas station. They stopped and decided to go inside and ask some questions.
The man behind the counter looked at Darien oddly. Darien turned to Hobbes, "I think we found the right place."
"He recognized you…I mean he sees the resemblance."
Darien pulled out his badge, "I need to ask you some questions."
"Okay."
"Yeah, uhmm…do you recognize this man?" Darien held out the picture of Ed.
The man looked at Darien and the picture and back to Darien again, "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Ah…no sir, the federal government doesn't joke," Hobbes replied.
"You could have fooled me," Darien retorted under his breath.
"We just need to know if this man was in here earlier today," Hobbes said as he glared at Darien.
The man behind the counter was still staring at Darien, "Yeah, he was, he wanted to know where he was and how to get to San Diego." The man paused and then asked, "Are you two like twins or something like that?"
"Yeah, something like that," Darien answered.
"Can you tell me which direction he came from?" Hobbes asked.
"Yeah, sure, came in here speeding from the east. First he went to the phone booth and then looked like he freaked out or something. Then he came running in here asking where he was and all. I thought he was drunk or on drugs on the account of his eyes being bloodshot."
"That was Ed alright," Darien said.
"Is he wanted by the FBI or the CIA or something? If he is do I get a reward?"
"No, sorry, he's not wanted. We just needed to know if he was in here," Hobbes said.
"Oh I know, he's got that virus and you're tracking down where he's been," the man had a worried look on his face, "Oh that mean's we're all gonna get it."
Hobbes snickered as he spoke, "No, no, he's fine. He's not contagious."
"Thankfully," Darien retorted as he looked around. He grabbed Hobbes by his shirt, "Thanks for your help and you have nothing to worry about."
They ran back to the van and got in. Hobbes started the van up and they raced out of the parking lot and headed east on Lyons Valley Road.
"Well, so far, this tip you got is panning out. Ed did come this way. But from where?" Darien asked as he looked around.
"This is where your trick comes in handy, my friend. Let me know if you sense anything."
~*~
The Lady sat in her car and waited for a report. Walter had called her and told her about Ed's condition and it angered her. That was not part of the plan but then again, she had a fully functioning gland now. Arnaud's double cross may turn out better than she thought. She provided Darien and Hobbes with the tip in the hopes they would find Arnaud. She knew the location, and with Darien's dominant abilities, he would be able to locate Arnaud easily. This was the perfect set-up. Neither of them would suspect it and Arnaud needed to be punished for his actions.
The team was ready to move in as soon as they received confirmation that Darien found Arnaud. She wanted all the information they could get from Arnaud's computers and she really didn't care if he and or Darien were killed, to her, Darien was just another dominant. Ed had a gland now and that's all she cared about. After she got the information she wanted from Arnaud, then she would go for what's in Ed's head. He would just be another casualty in the war for survival, but he would have given his life in service of his country and his species.
With as many terrorists' organizations out there, they would have trouble finding who was behind the attack. Even the dominants could be blamed, especially if Darien was killed.
~*~
Sloan came into the Keep and saw Claire busy running tests and checking her computer. "What can I do?" Sloan asked rubbing her hands together like she was trying to warm them up.
Claire glanced at Sloan quickly and then went back to work, "How is he?"
"Well, Tom said that he had another episode on his way back and then he had another one a few minutes after he was put back in the padded room," Sloan said as she walked towards Claire.
Claire thought for a moment and then continued, "Hmmm…Okay, this is what I'm trying to do and what I think will happen to Ed. I think he's in what would normally be called stage 4 madness. I'm trying to figure out a way to get him back into at least stage 1. I'm not sure I can pull him out completely, but if I can at least pull him back into stage 1 he can help us. I hate for him to go through all that again, but it's worth it, I think anyway."
"How are you going to do that?" Sloan asked.
"Well, before Darien started to build up immunity to the counteragent, I was working on a new one. The only problem is it pushed him straight into stage 5 madness," Claire carefully took out a vial from the gavitron she got from Ed's lab.
"But won't that be a bad thing?"
"Not if I can make it have the opposite effect," Claire looked at Sloan.
"Okay, what you need me to do?" Sloan said as she put on a lab coat.
"I've got a batch almost ready; I started it after I spoke with Walter. My tests will be rushed and not very conclusive. I may end up having to test it on Ed," Claire looked at Sloan.
"Where have I been in this position before?" Sloan smiled.
"Here is a sample of Ed's quicksilver with the toxin in it," Claire held up a syringe, "I extracted straight from the gland while he was sedated. I'm going to inject it into the blood stream of this rat. Tom gave me the idea actually. He had asked if any of us had experienced quicksilver madness, three of us have. With the Official and myself it was through bacterial exposure," Claire noticed Sloan's expression, "I'll explain that one later. Hobbes experience was from skin contact with quicksilver tainted with the toxin and the new counteragent. It absorbed through his skin and he immediately went into stage 5 madness. I'm hoping the same will happen with this rat."
Claire injected the rat and waited. The rat began to show signs of madness. Sloan and Claire smiled at each other. "Okay, so that worked. Now lets take a blood sample," Claire said as she handed the syringe to Sloan, "I'll check on the counteragent while do that."
"So, what's this little guy's name?" Sloan asked.
Claire smiled, "Well, normally I give them all names starting with LR for 'lab rat' and then a number," Claire held up the vial as she put a needle inside to draw out the contents, "Darien wasn't to impressed so I named the rat Darien. I named another rat Hobbes."
"So, now I take it this one is Ed?" Sloan smiled as she drew the blood from the rat.
Claire chuckled, "Yeah, I guess that would be appropriate."
Sloan marked the vial, "Well, I guess it fits now doesn't it?" She said despondently.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Claire said as she put the syringe down by the cage. "Okay, I'm going to inject the rat with this counteragent and then we'll draw some more blood and compare the two." Claire injected the rat and Sloan prepared to draw some blood.
Claire and Sloan studied the rat and it started to shake. Sloan looked nervously at Claire. "Don't worry, that happens," Claire said reassuringly.
The rat fell over on it's side and stayed still for a moment. "Is it sleeping?" Sloan asked.
"Yeah, that's the effect counteragent has. It should only last a few minutes than the subject wakes up. Each time it's different, I think it has to do with the amount of toxin in the system." Claire saw the rat move, "There see, he's coming around. Okay, you get the blood sample and I'll prepare the first blood sample."
"Sorry, Ed the rat, but you're really getting poked today aren't you?" Sloan said as she carefully drew the blood. She prepared the slide with the new sample and handed it to Claire. "Do you see anything yet?"
"Here, let me show you," Claire slid over to the monitor, "Here is the first sample, you can see the toxin in the blood stream clearly and that's quicksilver." Claire slid back over and inserted the new sample. She sighed.
"What?"
Claire slid back over to the monitor and changed the screen so that it would show both slides. Sloan sighed, "This is like trying to treat a viral infection like a bacterial infection."
"Exactly, Arnaud once accused me of playing remedy roulette on Darien, now I feel like I'm playing counteragent roulette on Ed." Claire sat back in her chair. "Let's try again. I won't give up. I think I'm on the right track though, let me try some components used in the counteragent for stage 5. This maybe a process of elimination, but I can't keep injecting the same rat with counteragent."
Sloan thought for a moment, "I'll be right back." She rushed out of the Keep to find Ray.
~*~
Tom and Ray watched Ed rock back and forth on the floor. Walter walked in. Ray and Tom looked at him cautiously. Tom walked over and stood between the glass and Walter, "All I ask, is that give them time. Darien will find Arnaud and if he doesn't, I'm sure Sloan and Claire can come up with something."
Walter sighed, "I told Claire what my orders are for a reason. You have until 11:45 tonight. What you do in fifteen minutes is up to you. That's all I can give you, sorry." Walter started to turn away, "Oh and Tom, Ray, this conversation never happened."
Tom nodded, "I understand."
"Loud and clear," Ray responded.
Walter caught a glimpse of Ed and it saddened his heart. He carried a heavy burden on his shoulders. He left the observation room and went inside the padded room. He sat on the bed and listened to Ed moan, he was chanting something inaudible as he rocked on the floor. Walter figured that Ed was trying to refocus his mind, like a woman in labor thinking of the ocean waves as they roll in or a swing. Ed was obviously at the peek of his withdrawals.
Walter looked at the glass window and knew that Tom and Ray watched him carefully. He tilted his down and watched Ed.
Ray checked his watch, "We still have four hours."
Tom looked at Ray, "You stay here and watch Ed. I'm going to look for a place where we can take him."
"They found you, Sloan and Ed in the desert. They even found Darien and Ed in the desert. Where are you going to go?" Ray said.
Tom let out a sigh, "I don't know, but I can't let them kill Ed."
Ray watched as Tom left the room. He glanced back at Ed and Walter. "Here I go again, never a dull moment with these people." Ray pulled out his phone to call Gracie and let her know that he was going to be late…again.
TBC….