Chapter 17
Claire emerged from Keep and the door closed behind her. The agency was quiet today. Actually it had been quiet since Ed's death. This was Claire's first day back after the funeral in Laguna Beach. The Official had given her time off to mourn. There were times when she hated him and other times completely surprised when he showed compassion. Since that didn't happen often, she took advantage of it and stayed home. Sloan and Gracie had offered to help pack Ed's things up, but she didn't have the heart to do that yet. She wasn't ready to take that final step and finally let him go.
As she started down the hall she glanced up and saw a silhouette of a man standing in front of the glass double doors. She couldn't make out his face very well. He just stood there.
She stopped, "Can I help you?"
"Claire."
The voice sent shivers down her spine. The man started to walk slowly towards her. His gate was familiar, graceful, confident and carefree.
"Ed?" Claire asked in shocked. "It can't be…you're dead."
"To quote a great writer: 'The report of my death was an exaggeration.'" Ed was closer now. He started to run towards Claire. His light blue colored lab coat flapped behind him as he ran. He stretched his arm out towards her and called out to her, "Claire!"
Claire started to run also. But oddly it seemed that the hall became longer. She ran harder calling out, "ED!!!" Neither of them gained any ground, it was as if they were running on a treadmill. She was panting trying to keep up with the hall. When she slowed down the hall slowed down, if she tried to pick up her speed, the hall did also. It was like it was alive and matched whatever she would do. The hall didn't want her to touch Ed.
"ED!!!" She called out again. Hands reached out from the floor and grabbed him. Ed struggled with the hands, "NO!! Don't take me!! Let me go!"
Claire ran harder, "Ed!!!" She seemed to be gaining ground, "Ed! Hold on!!"
Ed reached out with his hand, "Claire! Help me!!!"
Claire was close enough to almost reach his hand. She looked up for a split second and saw the fear in his face, in his eyes. Like a movie playing in slow motion, his necklace slowly fell to the ground as he disappeared into the floor. She had been within inches of his hand.
Claire screamed, "ED!!! Don't leave me!! Please…don't leave me!" She slowly sank to the floor. She picked up his necklace and started crying.
"Claire." A voice said.
"Don't leave me!!" Claire cried out to Ed.
"Claire!"
The voice was more demanding now. Claire even felt herself being shaken.
"Claire! Wake up! You're dreaming."
Claire opened her eyes. Sloan was the one calling her name. She looked at her hand and she was still holding on to the necklace. She swung her arms around Sloan and cried.
~*~
Tara studied the tissue sample of the gland when she sensed someone coming up from behind her. She stopped and turned around, "Dr. Alvarez, what can I do for you?" She asked hiding the disdain for the man behind her tone.
"How are things coming along at your end?" He asked.
She returned her attention back to her work wishing in her mind that he would just go away, "The genetic makeup of the gland is very complex, and who ever originally designed this was a genius."
"Can you clone it?"
"Well, that remains to be seen. Cloning would have to start from birth and since the gland is bio-synthetic only the bio part would have to 'grow' but without the synthetic part, the bio portion may not survive. The gland needs both parts in order to 'live'. So, basically what I'm working on is trying to see if I can duplicate the synthetic part and attach the cloned bio part to it to see if it'll grow that way." Tara proceeded to show Dr. Alvarez the model of her idea on her computer.
"That just might work, Dr. Marsh. I'm glad that you're on our side," he patted her on her shoulder.
It was all she could do to keep herself from leaping up and breaking the man's neck. She forced the temptation down. At that moment, alarms went off again and she glanced over in Ed's direction. He was going through another pain cycle. Dr. Alvarez straightened up, "Keep up the good work and keep me apprised of your findings."
"Sure will," she paused and was going to say something but he was gone and by Ed's side quickly. 'Jerk,' she thought to herself. She watched the men and women in white as they studied the data being collected from Ed. She looked at the gland on her screen and then back to the humans and the one suffering, then back to her computer again. She got up and walked over to the group and waited. When they dispersed, she approached Dr. Alvarez, "You mind if I talk to him, I need some questions answered."
He looked down at Ed and then back to Tara, "I guess I could allow that, he did work closely on the gland, he might have valuable information for you."
"Thank you," she watched as Dr. Alvarez left. She pulled up a chair and sat down.
Ed watched her closely. He moved nervously as she reached up quickly and looked at her worried. "I'm sorry, Dr. Tate, I won't hurt you, I promise," she said reassuringly as reached under his head, "I'm just going to remove this so we can talk, that's all."
Ed shook his head that he understood but the fear was still there. Tara smiled at him. She removed the bite block and set it down on the mayo table next to her. Ed wet his lips with his tongue and swallowed deeply, he turned to her, "Please…help me."
Tara looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry, I can't. That's not up to me."
Ed turned his head away, "How long will they do this to me?"
"I guess when they have all the information they need," Tara said.
Ed looked at her in anger, "That's bullshit and you know it. They have all the information they need. They got it from Arnaud's computer."
Tara looked at him in surprise, "How do you know about that?"
"I've had a lot to time to think…" Ed cringed as another wave of pain cursed through his head. Dr. Alvarez was at his side to watch the data flash on the screen. He and a few of colleagues discussed the results and then walked away to leave. Ed opened his red streaked eyes when the pain subsided. He glared at the people that walked away from him, "Mutha fu…sorry," he said looking away.
"I guess we deserve that, we're not exactly showing you hospitality are we?"
"No, you're not!" Ed snapped back. Tara saw the anger in his eyes and looked away. "If you're not going to help me then ask your damn questions and then you get away from me," he said in an irritated tone.
"Why did you stop working on your serum?"
Ed was taken back; he did not expect that kind of question, "Why do you care?" he paused then looked up at the same old boring ceiling he's stared at for God knows how long, "That doesn't matter anymore anyway, they perfected it."
"I thought that the whole purpose of what you were doing was to destroy dominants," she didn't want him to know that she was one, she was curious to find out what changed his mind.
"Because a lot of them want peace and we are capable of co-existing," Ed looked at her, "When I came up with the serum, I didn't know about this until it was too late. Unfortunately there are people on both sides who don't share the same idea of co-existing and don't want it. Now…oh why the hell I'm I talking to you about it, I'm wasting my breath. If you're not going to ask me about the gland then you might as well put that thing back in my mouth and leave me the hell alone. Just go back to watching me and do your damned experiments."
"You care don't you?"
"Care about what?" Ed asked agitated.
"About dominants."
"I have friends that are dominants and only want peace. Why should that be impossible?" Ed asked.
"Because of natural selection, isn't that evolution?"
"No, not all the time…yes, natural selection is based on survival of the fittest. But natural selection doesn't always mean that one species wipes out another. More often than not, when one species is gone it upsets the balance of nature. There are things that we can learn from each other."
"Like pity and compassion?" Tara looked at him.
Ed studied her face, and then it hit him, "You're a dominant?"
"Yes."
"Oh this is just great," Ed looked around, "How can you join them?"
Just when Tara was going to answer, Dr. Alvarez came up to them, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short. We have some more tests to run."
Tara stood up and looked down at Ed, "Thank you, Dr. Tate." She turned away and walked back to her computer. She sat down and took a quick glance over at Ed. She couldn't see his face but she could read the emotions. Tara thought for a moment, 'What are we doing? They're trying just as hard to destroy us as we're trying to destroy them. What's the point of all this? Risk thousands of our own just to wipe them out? Why when there's a better way.' Tara paused, 'What am I thinking? I'm a Chameleon, I have my orders.' She looked back over at Ed and sensed the pain. 'He could have found a way to destroy us but he didn't. There are many who believe co-existence can work. What if they're right? What if he's right and we didn't evolve naturally?' She shook her head trying to fight these thoughts but she couldn't, the feelings were too strong. The moans diverted her attention away from her thoughts again, she glanced over at Ed and closed her eyes, 'I'm sorry, father, but I can't do this, I need to learn more.'
~*~
Darien sat on his couch with a beer in his hand. He knew that Darcy was standing behind him, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"I wasn't sleeping anyway," she sat down next to him. "I was thinking about the first time I met Ed," she paused, "It wasn't exactly a pleasant occasion."
Darien looked at her, "That's when Lynch kidnapped you and Kelly, right?"
"Yeah…you know, it was my fault that we ended up in that situation. I had said that we would only catch rides with families. If only I had and not pushed Kelly…she would still be alive."
"I'm sure Kelly forgives you," Darien said as he put his arm around her.
"Ed was so kind to us. When we ran out of the cave he was there and he held us. I felt so safe with him." Darien held her tight. "Did you and Hobbes find out anything on your search tonight?" Darcy asked.
"No, nothing. No one seems to know where Arnaud is and if he's even still alive," he let out a sigh.
"Darien, if we have a boy, can we name him Kevin Edward?"
Darien kissed the top of her head, "Kevin Edward Fawkes…hmmm…has a certain kind of ring to it."
"It's kind of weird though, two scientists, one was your brother and the other was your twin," Darcy said.
Darien was silent for a moment, "Okay, but if it's a girl, please don't ask me to name her Edwina."
Darcy giggled, "Don't worry I won't."
Darien became serious, "Babe, if this bill passes and the Prez signs it, we're gonna run."
Darcy sat up and looked at him, "Where will we go?"
"I don't know that yet, but I'm working on it. I have to do this, I have to protect you and the baby or babies…" Darien paused and stood up, he ran his hand through his hair, "I can't believe this is happening all over again, I mean haven't we learned anything."
Darcy stood up and wrapped her arms around him, she rested her head on his chest, "Looks like we're about to repeat history again."
"Yeah, but instead of just of Europe it'll be world wide," he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I can't sit here and wait for them to come and take us away."
"You think they'll do that?" Darcy asked as she looked up at him. She watched as Darien shook his head. She could sense the fear and uncertainty coming from him.
"Yeah, I do, eventually."
"I don't know what I'd do if they took me away from you," Darcy squeezed Darien like she didn't want to let him go, ever.
"Me neither, babe, I'd go crazy."
"Black eye crazy?"
"Yeah, like I almost did today," he rested his chin on top of her head, "I would've too if you weren't there to slap me out of it."
"Darien."
"Yes, babe."
"Make love to me," Darcy said as she looked up him. "I want to spend every moment I can with you."
Darien held her head in his hands, "I do too, babe." He leaned down and kissed her passionately.
~*~
Claire woke up and reached over to the other side of the bed as she did every morning. But this time, there was no warm body. The spot was cold. She reached over and grabbed Ed's pillow and held it close. She stayed like that for awhile until she heard footsteps come into the room. She turned quickly, "Ed?" Her voice had a hint of hope and her eyes lit up, maybe this had all been a bad dream and Ed had gotten up early. But it was Sloan.
Sloan looked sadly down at the floor, "Claire, I…do you need anything?"
"No, what I want can't be given back," Claire rolled over and turned her back to Sloan.
Sloan's stomach bottomed out at Claire's pain filled words. She understood what Claire was going through, "Claire, I loved him too."
Claire turned over and glared at Sloan, "No, not the way I loved him. You loved him like a best friend. My love was deeper than that, much deeper. A part of my heart has been ripped away and I will never love anyone the same way again." Claire rolled back over.
Sloan knew that Claire was right. The love they had for Ed was different. She didn't realize how much Claire loved Ed until now. "Claire, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. But you're right; I did love Ed like a best friend. But I know what you're going through. One time, I thought that Tom was murdered, and my whole world was crashing down…" Sloan was going finish but decided not to; she started to leave when she heard her name.
"Sloan."
Sloan turned and saw Claire sitting up on the bed with her arms stretched out. Her eyes watered and she went to Claire.
"I'm sorry, Sloan. I'm not the only one hurting here." Claire sobbed.
"It's okay, you're angry, that's to be expected." Sloan held Claire tight.
"Thank you for staying with me," Claire said as she pulled away from Sloan looking for tissues.
Sloan smiled, "If you want, Tom and I have breakfast ready on the porch. You're more than welcome to join us."
"I'm not hungry," Claire said wiping her eyes, "Besides, I look absolutely horrible."
Sloan brushed the hair from Claire's face, "We don't care, and I don't exactly look like a film star either. My eyes are puffy from crying all night, so we'll look alike."
Claire slightly smiled, "I guess we both do look horrible, okay, I'll join you and Tom. It's the least I can do."
"Good, go wash up a bit and I'll you meet downstairs." Sloan patted Claire on her leg and got up.
"Sloan."
Sloan turned and looked back down at Claire again, "Thank you, again for being here."
"That's what friends do for each other in times like this." Sloan smiled and walked out of the room.
Claire slowly rose from the bed. Pavlov was there waiting, he had been sleeping on Ed's side of the bed. Claire saw her purse sitting on her dresser and remembered what was inside. She hadn't told anyone yet; she had wanted to wait for Ed at work so they could both tell everyone their good news. But now it was just something she didn't want to announce, but she knew she would have to sooner or later. She reached for her purse and pulled out the tiny box. She thought back to their walk in Balboa Park and how Ed had found a beautiful spot for both of them to sit. She had turned her head away just for a second and the next thing she knew, Ed was kneeling in front of her with the box in his hand. Claire opened the box and stared at the ring inside. 'Will you marry me?' rang in her ears as she sat on the bed.
Claire thought back to the following morning, she had left for work before he did. If only she had waited and went with him, but she needed to be there earlier than he did. He sat at the table with his magazine in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. They had kissed and he spoke his last words to her, 'See you later, babe. Drive safe. I love you.' They were supposed to go back to the jeweler so the ring could be sized that afternoon. Ed had told her that he had wanted to propose to her that night and not wait for the jeweler to fix the ring, besides the fact he really didn't know her ring size. He didn't want to waste anytime in telling her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The joy she had felt was painfully torn away from her in less than twelve hours. Her sudden realization was that Ed had spent the rest of his life with her after all.
She got up, went over to the glass doors and stepped out on the balcony. The sun was shinning brightly on another cloudless day in San Diego. Sea gulls flew over the water searching for food. She noticed some people were already in the water swimming. A man jogged along the shoreline like Ed had done so many times before.
"Life does go on doesn't it?" Claire asked out loud. She looked over the ocean and towards the horizon, "If there's surfing in heaven you're probably doing that right now aren't you?" The thought made her chuckle a little and then she stopped, with tear filled eyes she looked over the horizon once more, "I love you, Ed Tate, I always will." She closed the box and went back inside.
~*~
Ed felt a hand on his face, gently rubbing his cheek. He heard a soft voice call his name.
"Ed, wake up."
A dream, this had all been one long bad dream. Just like on "Dallas" when Pam Ewing dreamed that Bobby Ewing had been killed, but she found him in the shower. Was life imitating art but in reverse? Would he wake up in his own bed and find Claire in the shower? He pried his heavy eyes opened. He hoped to see his room. He didn't. He groaned. It was a dream after all. He could hear the steady beeping of a machine close to him. The cuff around his arm inflated to read his blood pressure. His head swam in a pool of pain and fear. What had they done to him? His eyes squeezed shut at the sudden onslaught of bright lights flickering in his eyes again. He groaned again and tried to lift his arm to push the invading light away, but remembered that he was restrained.
"Dr. Tate, I need to check to see how you're doing."
"Leave me alone," his hoarse voice pleaded. Ed felt betrayed and alone. He remembered what they were doing to him. They had let him go into stage three again and then gave him the fixed counteragent. "Please, don't do this anymore," he was tired, very tired and he didn't know if he could last much longer.
"Are you in pain?"
"Can't you sense my pain?" Ed said harshly.
"I'm sorry," Tara said as she looked at him through distraught eyes. He was a pawn in a deadly game being played out by both sides and she realized that maybe she was a pawn too. She was sent in to act as a traitor towards her own species. Her job was to find out any information she could about the Lady and then kill her. Little did she know that a human would send her mission spiraling out of control. She had important information to report to her father concerning a one Dr. Ed Tate, but did she want to? Something inside was happening to her. She started to have second thoughts about what she was doing, and what her species was doing. "Are you thirsty?"
"Yes," Ed said with a shaky voice. "And I have to use the bathroom," Ed said awkwardly.
Tara looked around, "I'll get a nurse, and she'll help you."
"I was afraid of that," Ed watched as she got up to find a nurse. Ed wondered how much longer they were going to do this to him. In fact he didn't even know how long he had been there. It didn't matter anyway, to the people he loved, he was dead. 'At least, I got the chance to tell Claire how much she means to me…' Ed couldn't finish his thought as another sudden painful attack hit. His eyes squeezed shut. There was no darkness, just white flashes of pain. It hurt so bad that he could almost hear the pain popping in his ear, like when someone pops the plastic packaging with the tiny bubbles.
When the pain subsided he saw that the scientists gathered around the machines and him. He spotted Tara with the nurse standing off to the side waiting for the others to finish. He closed his eyes slowly and pictured Claire in his mind.
~*~
Claire sat on the porch with Sloan and Tom and had showed them the ring. Sloan became even more heart broken for Claire. Claire heard them talking but their words were far off. She looked around at the scenery and all she could do was think of Ed. She got up and started to walk inside. She caught the glances from Tom and Sloan, they were both worried about her and it showed in their faces. "I'm going to call Irene, to see how she's doing and I guess I should tell her that Ed and I are…were…" Claire didn't finish her sentence; she couldn't say that she and Ed were engaged. It was too painful to admit it was in the past now and not the present. She paused and then went inside without saying another word.
She felt bad that she hadn't spoken to his mom since the accident. They first met in the hospital after they had brought Ed back from Mexico. They had hit it off and became friends immediately. Ed's mom was glad that her son had finally found someone. Talking to her at this time would be helpful to her, to both of them and Claire would tell her the news.
Sloan watched as Claire got another cup of coffee and sat down to talk on the phone. She looked over at Tom and grabbed his hand, "I love you, Tom."
"I love you too, Sloan," he squeezed her hand.
"I should have told Ed more often what he meant to me," she paused and looked at Claire, "We don't realize the time we waste until something like this happens."
Tom shook his head, "Dominants don't show their feelings like humans do. But I understand what you mean. Ed was a good man and will be missed." Tom paused, "Sloan, we should have had a child."
"Tom?" Sloan said his name quizzically, "Why? I mean, we talked about his already. We both agreed it would be too dangerous for us to have a child."
"I think we were wrong about that, it might be what the world needs to see that co-existence can happen. I should have married you a long time ago. Let's do it, let's get married and have a family."
"Tom, is spontaneity a dominant trait?"
"No, not really, but I want to do this before…anything happens."
Sloan hugged Tom, "I do too." Tom suddenly looked up, "Darien, Darcy and Hobbes are here."
Sloan smiled and shook her head, "I'll go let them in." She went inside and passed by Claire who apparently was talking to Ed's mother. She opened the door just as Hobbes was about to knock.
"Whoa, how did you know we were here?" Hobbes asked.
Sloan smiled, "Tom told me."
Hobbes shot Darien and Darcy a quick glance of annoyance, "You know, this psychic thing you people have is making me crazy."
"Too late for that, Hobbes," Darien said as he walked passed him. He gave Sloan a hug. Darcy came in next followed by Hobbes as he shook his head.
"How was she last night, you know, after we left?" Darien asked.
"She had a bad dream and it was about Ed. She kept calling his name." Sloan said.
Darien watched her talk on the phone. He could sense the sorrow in her; it was strong at the moment. "Who's she talking with?"
"Irene," Sloan patted Darien on the back, "You want anything? Tom and I made breakfast and there are plenty of pancakes left. Oh how did it go last night? Did you find Arnaud?"
"No, we didn't find the weasel and no one seems to know where he's at or if he's still breathin'," Hobbes answered as he made his way to the kitchen.
Darien walked over to Claire and kissed the top of her head. He jerked away suddenly and stared at her in shock. Tom stood in the door way and he nodded slightly when Darien stared at him. He understood immediately what Darien saw. Darien gazed back down on Claire. She smiled when she looked up at him. Darien motioned that he was going to be outside. She shook her head and continued to talk to Ed's mother.
Darien grabbed Tom's arm and led him outside, "Tom, is Claire holding what I think she's holding?"
"Yes, she finally told us that Ed had proposed to her the night before."
Darien looked back at Claire who was still talking on the phone. He let out a sigh.
~*~
Later on in the day, Darien, Darcy, Tom, Hobbes and Ray, watched the afternoon news. Sloan had given Claire a sedative to help her sleep. When she came back downstairs, she rejoined the others in the living room. The station cut to a news report out of Washington. A crowd of people stood around a podium and waited for Senator Allen to speak. The reporter went on with her report.
"Earlier today the bill requiring all dominants to come forward was debated heavily on the floor of the Senate this morning." The report cuts to the Senate floor where various Senators are shown making statements about the bill. There are mixed opinions from the Senators.
Darien put his arm around Darcy and held her tight as they listen to the various opinions. Everyone in the room was silent. Sloan looked at Tom in fear; he raised a brow as he watched intently.
The next Senator the report showed was Senator Allen. He stood defiantly at the podium as he addressed his fellow Congressmen. "Yesterday in California, a young scientist who was instrumental in discovering and stopping some of the plans to annihilate us humans was killed by the dominants."
"What?" Sloan asked shocked.
"We don't know that," Hobbes said.
He continued, "Dr. Ed Tate, a geneticist from Whitney University was killed because he was doing what he could to prevent our own extinction at the hands of these so-called evolved homo-dominants. He discovered and came up with a way to stop the dominants from destroying the immune system of our children!" There were rumblings from the Senators. "Yes, that's right, the dominants have no problem attacking our children and killing them. In fact, because of him and other brave scientists, they discovered that if a dominant and a human produce a child, the child will be a dominant. They can rape and impregnate human women and they will have dominant babies!"
"I can't believe this guy is trying to use Ed as a martyr," Ray said.
"Propaganda, my friend," Hobbes retorted.
The report then showed the Senator as he held up papers. "The dominants have also successfully altered the DNA of two humans and turned them into dominants. We have documented proof, but these are only two that we know of. There could very well be more cases. There are many more things that the dominants have done and this scientist was able to stop them. You see, this is why we must know who they are. They're killers, like Randall Lynch, with no regard for human life. They can't be trusted, they have no remorse and no compassion. In fact, we've learned that they are incapable of compassion and pity. These are the very virtues that help us to be civilized. We can't let Dr. Tate's sacrifice be in vain!"
"Civilize my ass," Hobbes retorted.
The station then showed the reporter as she stood in front of the podium. "We've just learned that the voting is finished and Senator Allen is going to give us the results personally. I can see him coming towards us and he appears to be smiling. This may be a sign of how voting went earlier today in the Senate."
Darcy looked up at Darien, "Darien?"
Darien held her tight; he ran his hand across her cheek, "I love you."
"I love you too." Darcy gazed at the TV.
Senator Allen stood at the podium smiling at all the reporters gathered around him. There were secret service agents all over the place. He placed his hand on both sides of the podium and began to speak, "Today is another historic chapter in the history of this fine nation. Today, my bill to force the new species to register has passed in the Senate." Cameras clicked at a frantic pace as the Senator made his announcement.
Darcy closed her eyes. Sloan looked at Tom teary eyed. Hobbes rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips, "Those morons."
The Senator continued his press conference. "This bill however must now go on to the House where it's expected to pass as well. We should not have to be forced to live our lives in fear of these dominants. They are the new terrorist in our world and they must be dealt with. I'm proud of my fellow Senators today. We have spoken up for our right to live in this world. Knowing now that we will have records on the identities and where these dominants are, this bill will help us to live without fear for ourselves and our children. Dr. Ed Tate's sacrifice and his brave actions in his own fight for our survival will not be in vain. Thank you and God Bless America!" He stepped away from the podium as the reporters bombarded him with questions.
"What do we do now?" Sloan asked as she turned off the TV.
"Well, the bill still has to go through the House. If it passes then it goes to the President and he decides whether to veto it or sign it into law," Darcy said.
"We can't wait for all that. You heard this man, he's using Ed's death as a battle cry." Sloan said.
"Yeah, the 21st Century version of 'Remember the Alamo'," Hobbes retorted.
"You know something, this is all starting to make sense now," Ray said. Everyone looked at him strangely. "I don't think Arnaud killed Ed, we were meant to believe he did. But he didn't do it."
Darien paused and thought about what Ray said, "Remember what we talked about the other day? What if Ed wasn't supposed to have the gland implanted but only get close to it? Arnaud must have been collaborating with someone and he pulled his usual doublecross…wait, Lewis said that the gland could be cloned…what would they need to clone the gland?"
Sloan thought for a moment, "Hmm…maybe just a tissue sample of the bio part, the synthetic part would be another story. We already know it can be duplicated. It's just a matter of growing the bio part of the gland that would have to be worked out. You think that Lewis had something to do with Ed's death?"
Darien shook his head, "No, Lewis wanted Ed alive and I doubt that he knew about Ed."
"Okay, so what we got here is someone set up Ed, but Arnaud changes the deal. Ed is killed for the gland and we're supposed to think it was Arnaud so we go out and kill him if he isn't dead already," Hobbes said.
"Tie up any loose ends," Darien said.
"More like silence loose tongues," Ray said.
Darien pointed to Ray, "Yeah, that too, my friend."
"And now Ed's death is being used to promote this Senator's bill," Darcy said. "Someone got a two for one deal or this was all planned from the very beginning."
"This is only going to worse," Tom said ominously, "Dominants won't tolerate being rounded up like cattle and forced to register. They will fight instead and in all cases, to the death if need be."
They all looked at each other. "Darcy, when does the bill go to the House?" Darien asked.
She shook her head, "A week, if that, they may vote on it sooner because of all the pressure. I can call Mark and find out, if he's still in Washington. Why?"
"I just need to know how much time we have left. If you reach Mark, find out how long it may take for the President to sign it too," Darien said as he grabbed his jacket.
Darcy walked up to him, "Where are you going?"
Darien looked around the room, "I'm gonna find out who killed Ed. If we can prove it wasn't dominants…" Darien paused and then sat down, he looked at the faces staring at him, "…it won't help much would it?"
Darcy sat down next to him, "Darien, I know that you're trying, but we have to be realistic here."
"Look, anything you need me to do, I'll do it, I won't bail on you and let those mooks take you without a fight," Hobbes said. He put his hand out and Darien looked at him.
"Thanks man," Darien gave Hobbes a low five.
"But, we're still on an investigation, right? We're still gonna find out who killed Ed, we owe him that much," Hobbes said.
"Right," Darien stood up, "Let's get back to work."
Sloan and Darcy watched as the men left. They looked at each other; both were frightened of what the future may hold for them and the world.
TBC…
Claire emerged from Keep and the door closed behind her. The agency was quiet today. Actually it had been quiet since Ed's death. This was Claire's first day back after the funeral in Laguna Beach. The Official had given her time off to mourn. There were times when she hated him and other times completely surprised when he showed compassion. Since that didn't happen often, she took advantage of it and stayed home. Sloan and Gracie had offered to help pack Ed's things up, but she didn't have the heart to do that yet. She wasn't ready to take that final step and finally let him go.
As she started down the hall she glanced up and saw a silhouette of a man standing in front of the glass double doors. She couldn't make out his face very well. He just stood there.
She stopped, "Can I help you?"
"Claire."
The voice sent shivers down her spine. The man started to walk slowly towards her. His gate was familiar, graceful, confident and carefree.
"Ed?" Claire asked in shocked. "It can't be…you're dead."
"To quote a great writer: 'The report of my death was an exaggeration.'" Ed was closer now. He started to run towards Claire. His light blue colored lab coat flapped behind him as he ran. He stretched his arm out towards her and called out to her, "Claire!"
Claire started to run also. But oddly it seemed that the hall became longer. She ran harder calling out, "ED!!!" Neither of them gained any ground, it was as if they were running on a treadmill. She was panting trying to keep up with the hall. When she slowed down the hall slowed down, if she tried to pick up her speed, the hall did also. It was like it was alive and matched whatever she would do. The hall didn't want her to touch Ed.
"ED!!!" She called out again. Hands reached out from the floor and grabbed him. Ed struggled with the hands, "NO!! Don't take me!! Let me go!"
Claire ran harder, "Ed!!!" She seemed to be gaining ground, "Ed! Hold on!!"
Ed reached out with his hand, "Claire! Help me!!!"
Claire was close enough to almost reach his hand. She looked up for a split second and saw the fear in his face, in his eyes. Like a movie playing in slow motion, his necklace slowly fell to the ground as he disappeared into the floor. She had been within inches of his hand.
Claire screamed, "ED!!! Don't leave me!! Please…don't leave me!" She slowly sank to the floor. She picked up his necklace and started crying.
"Claire." A voice said.
"Don't leave me!!" Claire cried out to Ed.
"Claire!"
The voice was more demanding now. Claire even felt herself being shaken.
"Claire! Wake up! You're dreaming."
Claire opened her eyes. Sloan was the one calling her name. She looked at her hand and she was still holding on to the necklace. She swung her arms around Sloan and cried.
~*~
Tara studied the tissue sample of the gland when she sensed someone coming up from behind her. She stopped and turned around, "Dr. Alvarez, what can I do for you?" She asked hiding the disdain for the man behind her tone.
"How are things coming along at your end?" He asked.
She returned her attention back to her work wishing in her mind that he would just go away, "The genetic makeup of the gland is very complex, and who ever originally designed this was a genius."
"Can you clone it?"
"Well, that remains to be seen. Cloning would have to start from birth and since the gland is bio-synthetic only the bio part would have to 'grow' but without the synthetic part, the bio portion may not survive. The gland needs both parts in order to 'live'. So, basically what I'm working on is trying to see if I can duplicate the synthetic part and attach the cloned bio part to it to see if it'll grow that way." Tara proceeded to show Dr. Alvarez the model of her idea on her computer.
"That just might work, Dr. Marsh. I'm glad that you're on our side," he patted her on her shoulder.
It was all she could do to keep herself from leaping up and breaking the man's neck. She forced the temptation down. At that moment, alarms went off again and she glanced over in Ed's direction. He was going through another pain cycle. Dr. Alvarez straightened up, "Keep up the good work and keep me apprised of your findings."
"Sure will," she paused and was going to say something but he was gone and by Ed's side quickly. 'Jerk,' she thought to herself. She watched the men and women in white as they studied the data being collected from Ed. She looked at the gland on her screen and then back to the humans and the one suffering, then back to her computer again. She got up and walked over to the group and waited. When they dispersed, she approached Dr. Alvarez, "You mind if I talk to him, I need some questions answered."
He looked down at Ed and then back to Tara, "I guess I could allow that, he did work closely on the gland, he might have valuable information for you."
"Thank you," she watched as Dr. Alvarez left. She pulled up a chair and sat down.
Ed watched her closely. He moved nervously as she reached up quickly and looked at her worried. "I'm sorry, Dr. Tate, I won't hurt you, I promise," she said reassuringly as reached under his head, "I'm just going to remove this so we can talk, that's all."
Ed shook his head that he understood but the fear was still there. Tara smiled at him. She removed the bite block and set it down on the mayo table next to her. Ed wet his lips with his tongue and swallowed deeply, he turned to her, "Please…help me."
Tara looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry, I can't. That's not up to me."
Ed turned his head away, "How long will they do this to me?"
"I guess when they have all the information they need," Tara said.
Ed looked at her in anger, "That's bullshit and you know it. They have all the information they need. They got it from Arnaud's computer."
Tara looked at him in surprise, "How do you know about that?"
"I've had a lot to time to think…" Ed cringed as another wave of pain cursed through his head. Dr. Alvarez was at his side to watch the data flash on the screen. He and a few of colleagues discussed the results and then walked away to leave. Ed opened his red streaked eyes when the pain subsided. He glared at the people that walked away from him, "Mutha fu…sorry," he said looking away.
"I guess we deserve that, we're not exactly showing you hospitality are we?"
"No, you're not!" Ed snapped back. Tara saw the anger in his eyes and looked away. "If you're not going to help me then ask your damn questions and then you get away from me," he said in an irritated tone.
"Why did you stop working on your serum?"
Ed was taken back; he did not expect that kind of question, "Why do you care?" he paused then looked up at the same old boring ceiling he's stared at for God knows how long, "That doesn't matter anymore anyway, they perfected it."
"I thought that the whole purpose of what you were doing was to destroy dominants," she didn't want him to know that she was one, she was curious to find out what changed his mind.
"Because a lot of them want peace and we are capable of co-existing," Ed looked at her, "When I came up with the serum, I didn't know about this until it was too late. Unfortunately there are people on both sides who don't share the same idea of co-existing and don't want it. Now…oh why the hell I'm I talking to you about it, I'm wasting my breath. If you're not going to ask me about the gland then you might as well put that thing back in my mouth and leave me the hell alone. Just go back to watching me and do your damned experiments."
"You care don't you?"
"Care about what?" Ed asked agitated.
"About dominants."
"I have friends that are dominants and only want peace. Why should that be impossible?" Ed asked.
"Because of natural selection, isn't that evolution?"
"No, not all the time…yes, natural selection is based on survival of the fittest. But natural selection doesn't always mean that one species wipes out another. More often than not, when one species is gone it upsets the balance of nature. There are things that we can learn from each other."
"Like pity and compassion?" Tara looked at him.
Ed studied her face, and then it hit him, "You're a dominant?"
"Yes."
"Oh this is just great," Ed looked around, "How can you join them?"
Just when Tara was going to answer, Dr. Alvarez came up to them, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short. We have some more tests to run."
Tara stood up and looked down at Ed, "Thank you, Dr. Tate." She turned away and walked back to her computer. She sat down and took a quick glance over at Ed. She couldn't see his face but she could read the emotions. Tara thought for a moment, 'What are we doing? They're trying just as hard to destroy us as we're trying to destroy them. What's the point of all this? Risk thousands of our own just to wipe them out? Why when there's a better way.' Tara paused, 'What am I thinking? I'm a Chameleon, I have my orders.' She looked back over at Ed and sensed the pain. 'He could have found a way to destroy us but he didn't. There are many who believe co-existence can work. What if they're right? What if he's right and we didn't evolve naturally?' She shook her head trying to fight these thoughts but she couldn't, the feelings were too strong. The moans diverted her attention away from her thoughts again, she glanced over at Ed and closed her eyes, 'I'm sorry, father, but I can't do this, I need to learn more.'
~*~
Darien sat on his couch with a beer in his hand. He knew that Darcy was standing behind him, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"I wasn't sleeping anyway," she sat down next to him. "I was thinking about the first time I met Ed," she paused, "It wasn't exactly a pleasant occasion."
Darien looked at her, "That's when Lynch kidnapped you and Kelly, right?"
"Yeah…you know, it was my fault that we ended up in that situation. I had said that we would only catch rides with families. If only I had and not pushed Kelly…she would still be alive."
"I'm sure Kelly forgives you," Darien said as he put his arm around her.
"Ed was so kind to us. When we ran out of the cave he was there and he held us. I felt so safe with him." Darien held her tight. "Did you and Hobbes find out anything on your search tonight?" Darcy asked.
"No, nothing. No one seems to know where Arnaud is and if he's even still alive," he let out a sigh.
"Darien, if we have a boy, can we name him Kevin Edward?"
Darien kissed the top of her head, "Kevin Edward Fawkes…hmmm…has a certain kind of ring to it."
"It's kind of weird though, two scientists, one was your brother and the other was your twin," Darcy said.
Darien was silent for a moment, "Okay, but if it's a girl, please don't ask me to name her Edwina."
Darcy giggled, "Don't worry I won't."
Darien became serious, "Babe, if this bill passes and the Prez signs it, we're gonna run."
Darcy sat up and looked at him, "Where will we go?"
"I don't know that yet, but I'm working on it. I have to do this, I have to protect you and the baby or babies…" Darien paused and stood up, he ran his hand through his hair, "I can't believe this is happening all over again, I mean haven't we learned anything."
Darcy stood up and wrapped her arms around him, she rested her head on his chest, "Looks like we're about to repeat history again."
"Yeah, but instead of just of Europe it'll be world wide," he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I can't sit here and wait for them to come and take us away."
"You think they'll do that?" Darcy asked as she looked up at him. She watched as Darien shook his head. She could sense the fear and uncertainty coming from him.
"Yeah, I do, eventually."
"I don't know what I'd do if they took me away from you," Darcy squeezed Darien like she didn't want to let him go, ever.
"Me neither, babe, I'd go crazy."
"Black eye crazy?"
"Yeah, like I almost did today," he rested his chin on top of her head, "I would've too if you weren't there to slap me out of it."
"Darien."
"Yes, babe."
"Make love to me," Darcy said as she looked up him. "I want to spend every moment I can with you."
Darien held her head in his hands, "I do too, babe." He leaned down and kissed her passionately.
~*~
Claire woke up and reached over to the other side of the bed as she did every morning. But this time, there was no warm body. The spot was cold. She reached over and grabbed Ed's pillow and held it close. She stayed like that for awhile until she heard footsteps come into the room. She turned quickly, "Ed?" Her voice had a hint of hope and her eyes lit up, maybe this had all been a bad dream and Ed had gotten up early. But it was Sloan.
Sloan looked sadly down at the floor, "Claire, I…do you need anything?"
"No, what I want can't be given back," Claire rolled over and turned her back to Sloan.
Sloan's stomach bottomed out at Claire's pain filled words. She understood what Claire was going through, "Claire, I loved him too."
Claire turned over and glared at Sloan, "No, not the way I loved him. You loved him like a best friend. My love was deeper than that, much deeper. A part of my heart has been ripped away and I will never love anyone the same way again." Claire rolled back over.
Sloan knew that Claire was right. The love they had for Ed was different. She didn't realize how much Claire loved Ed until now. "Claire, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. But you're right; I did love Ed like a best friend. But I know what you're going through. One time, I thought that Tom was murdered, and my whole world was crashing down…" Sloan was going finish but decided not to; she started to leave when she heard her name.
"Sloan."
Sloan turned and saw Claire sitting up on the bed with her arms stretched out. Her eyes watered and she went to Claire.
"I'm sorry, Sloan. I'm not the only one hurting here." Claire sobbed.
"It's okay, you're angry, that's to be expected." Sloan held Claire tight.
"Thank you for staying with me," Claire said as she pulled away from Sloan looking for tissues.
Sloan smiled, "If you want, Tom and I have breakfast ready on the porch. You're more than welcome to join us."
"I'm not hungry," Claire said wiping her eyes, "Besides, I look absolutely horrible."
Sloan brushed the hair from Claire's face, "We don't care, and I don't exactly look like a film star either. My eyes are puffy from crying all night, so we'll look alike."
Claire slightly smiled, "I guess we both do look horrible, okay, I'll join you and Tom. It's the least I can do."
"Good, go wash up a bit and I'll you meet downstairs." Sloan patted Claire on her leg and got up.
"Sloan."
Sloan turned and looked back down at Claire again, "Thank you, again for being here."
"That's what friends do for each other in times like this." Sloan smiled and walked out of the room.
Claire slowly rose from the bed. Pavlov was there waiting, he had been sleeping on Ed's side of the bed. Claire saw her purse sitting on her dresser and remembered what was inside. She hadn't told anyone yet; she had wanted to wait for Ed at work so they could both tell everyone their good news. But now it was just something she didn't want to announce, but she knew she would have to sooner or later. She reached for her purse and pulled out the tiny box. She thought back to their walk in Balboa Park and how Ed had found a beautiful spot for both of them to sit. She had turned her head away just for a second and the next thing she knew, Ed was kneeling in front of her with the box in his hand. Claire opened the box and stared at the ring inside. 'Will you marry me?' rang in her ears as she sat on the bed.
Claire thought back to the following morning, she had left for work before he did. If only she had waited and went with him, but she needed to be there earlier than he did. He sat at the table with his magazine in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. They had kissed and he spoke his last words to her, 'See you later, babe. Drive safe. I love you.' They were supposed to go back to the jeweler so the ring could be sized that afternoon. Ed had told her that he had wanted to propose to her that night and not wait for the jeweler to fix the ring, besides the fact he really didn't know her ring size. He didn't want to waste anytime in telling her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The joy she had felt was painfully torn away from her in less than twelve hours. Her sudden realization was that Ed had spent the rest of his life with her after all.
She got up, went over to the glass doors and stepped out on the balcony. The sun was shinning brightly on another cloudless day in San Diego. Sea gulls flew over the water searching for food. She noticed some people were already in the water swimming. A man jogged along the shoreline like Ed had done so many times before.
"Life does go on doesn't it?" Claire asked out loud. She looked over the ocean and towards the horizon, "If there's surfing in heaven you're probably doing that right now aren't you?" The thought made her chuckle a little and then she stopped, with tear filled eyes she looked over the horizon once more, "I love you, Ed Tate, I always will." She closed the box and went back inside.
~*~
Ed felt a hand on his face, gently rubbing his cheek. He heard a soft voice call his name.
"Ed, wake up."
A dream, this had all been one long bad dream. Just like on "Dallas" when Pam Ewing dreamed that Bobby Ewing had been killed, but she found him in the shower. Was life imitating art but in reverse? Would he wake up in his own bed and find Claire in the shower? He pried his heavy eyes opened. He hoped to see his room. He didn't. He groaned. It was a dream after all. He could hear the steady beeping of a machine close to him. The cuff around his arm inflated to read his blood pressure. His head swam in a pool of pain and fear. What had they done to him? His eyes squeezed shut at the sudden onslaught of bright lights flickering in his eyes again. He groaned again and tried to lift his arm to push the invading light away, but remembered that he was restrained.
"Dr. Tate, I need to check to see how you're doing."
"Leave me alone," his hoarse voice pleaded. Ed felt betrayed and alone. He remembered what they were doing to him. They had let him go into stage three again and then gave him the fixed counteragent. "Please, don't do this anymore," he was tired, very tired and he didn't know if he could last much longer.
"Are you in pain?"
"Can't you sense my pain?" Ed said harshly.
"I'm sorry," Tara said as she looked at him through distraught eyes. He was a pawn in a deadly game being played out by both sides and she realized that maybe she was a pawn too. She was sent in to act as a traitor towards her own species. Her job was to find out any information she could about the Lady and then kill her. Little did she know that a human would send her mission spiraling out of control. She had important information to report to her father concerning a one Dr. Ed Tate, but did she want to? Something inside was happening to her. She started to have second thoughts about what she was doing, and what her species was doing. "Are you thirsty?"
"Yes," Ed said with a shaky voice. "And I have to use the bathroom," Ed said awkwardly.
Tara looked around, "I'll get a nurse, and she'll help you."
"I was afraid of that," Ed watched as she got up to find a nurse. Ed wondered how much longer they were going to do this to him. In fact he didn't even know how long he had been there. It didn't matter anyway, to the people he loved, he was dead. 'At least, I got the chance to tell Claire how much she means to me…' Ed couldn't finish his thought as another sudden painful attack hit. His eyes squeezed shut. There was no darkness, just white flashes of pain. It hurt so bad that he could almost hear the pain popping in his ear, like when someone pops the plastic packaging with the tiny bubbles.
When the pain subsided he saw that the scientists gathered around the machines and him. He spotted Tara with the nurse standing off to the side waiting for the others to finish. He closed his eyes slowly and pictured Claire in his mind.
~*~
Claire sat on the porch with Sloan and Tom and had showed them the ring. Sloan became even more heart broken for Claire. Claire heard them talking but their words were far off. She looked around at the scenery and all she could do was think of Ed. She got up and started to walk inside. She caught the glances from Tom and Sloan, they were both worried about her and it showed in their faces. "I'm going to call Irene, to see how she's doing and I guess I should tell her that Ed and I are…were…" Claire didn't finish her sentence; she couldn't say that she and Ed were engaged. It was too painful to admit it was in the past now and not the present. She paused and then went inside without saying another word.
She felt bad that she hadn't spoken to his mom since the accident. They first met in the hospital after they had brought Ed back from Mexico. They had hit it off and became friends immediately. Ed's mom was glad that her son had finally found someone. Talking to her at this time would be helpful to her, to both of them and Claire would tell her the news.
Sloan watched as Claire got another cup of coffee and sat down to talk on the phone. She looked over at Tom and grabbed his hand, "I love you, Tom."
"I love you too, Sloan," he squeezed her hand.
"I should have told Ed more often what he meant to me," she paused and looked at Claire, "We don't realize the time we waste until something like this happens."
Tom shook his head, "Dominants don't show their feelings like humans do. But I understand what you mean. Ed was a good man and will be missed." Tom paused, "Sloan, we should have had a child."
"Tom?" Sloan said his name quizzically, "Why? I mean, we talked about his already. We both agreed it would be too dangerous for us to have a child."
"I think we were wrong about that, it might be what the world needs to see that co-existence can happen. I should have married you a long time ago. Let's do it, let's get married and have a family."
"Tom, is spontaneity a dominant trait?"
"No, not really, but I want to do this before…anything happens."
Sloan hugged Tom, "I do too." Tom suddenly looked up, "Darien, Darcy and Hobbes are here."
Sloan smiled and shook her head, "I'll go let them in." She went inside and passed by Claire who apparently was talking to Ed's mother. She opened the door just as Hobbes was about to knock.
"Whoa, how did you know we were here?" Hobbes asked.
Sloan smiled, "Tom told me."
Hobbes shot Darien and Darcy a quick glance of annoyance, "You know, this psychic thing you people have is making me crazy."
"Too late for that, Hobbes," Darien said as he walked passed him. He gave Sloan a hug. Darcy came in next followed by Hobbes as he shook his head.
"How was she last night, you know, after we left?" Darien asked.
"She had a bad dream and it was about Ed. She kept calling his name." Sloan said.
Darien watched her talk on the phone. He could sense the sorrow in her; it was strong at the moment. "Who's she talking with?"
"Irene," Sloan patted Darien on the back, "You want anything? Tom and I made breakfast and there are plenty of pancakes left. Oh how did it go last night? Did you find Arnaud?"
"No, we didn't find the weasel and no one seems to know where he's at or if he's still breathin'," Hobbes answered as he made his way to the kitchen.
Darien walked over to Claire and kissed the top of her head. He jerked away suddenly and stared at her in shock. Tom stood in the door way and he nodded slightly when Darien stared at him. He understood immediately what Darien saw. Darien gazed back down on Claire. She smiled when she looked up at him. Darien motioned that he was going to be outside. She shook her head and continued to talk to Ed's mother.
Darien grabbed Tom's arm and led him outside, "Tom, is Claire holding what I think she's holding?"
"Yes, she finally told us that Ed had proposed to her the night before."
Darien looked back at Claire who was still talking on the phone. He let out a sigh.
~*~
Later on in the day, Darien, Darcy, Tom, Hobbes and Ray, watched the afternoon news. Sloan had given Claire a sedative to help her sleep. When she came back downstairs, she rejoined the others in the living room. The station cut to a news report out of Washington. A crowd of people stood around a podium and waited for Senator Allen to speak. The reporter went on with her report.
"Earlier today the bill requiring all dominants to come forward was debated heavily on the floor of the Senate this morning." The report cuts to the Senate floor where various Senators are shown making statements about the bill. There are mixed opinions from the Senators.
Darien put his arm around Darcy and held her tight as they listen to the various opinions. Everyone in the room was silent. Sloan looked at Tom in fear; he raised a brow as he watched intently.
The next Senator the report showed was Senator Allen. He stood defiantly at the podium as he addressed his fellow Congressmen. "Yesterday in California, a young scientist who was instrumental in discovering and stopping some of the plans to annihilate us humans was killed by the dominants."
"What?" Sloan asked shocked.
"We don't know that," Hobbes said.
He continued, "Dr. Ed Tate, a geneticist from Whitney University was killed because he was doing what he could to prevent our own extinction at the hands of these so-called evolved homo-dominants. He discovered and came up with a way to stop the dominants from destroying the immune system of our children!" There were rumblings from the Senators. "Yes, that's right, the dominants have no problem attacking our children and killing them. In fact, because of him and other brave scientists, they discovered that if a dominant and a human produce a child, the child will be a dominant. They can rape and impregnate human women and they will have dominant babies!"
"I can't believe this guy is trying to use Ed as a martyr," Ray said.
"Propaganda, my friend," Hobbes retorted.
The report then showed the Senator as he held up papers. "The dominants have also successfully altered the DNA of two humans and turned them into dominants. We have documented proof, but these are only two that we know of. There could very well be more cases. There are many more things that the dominants have done and this scientist was able to stop them. You see, this is why we must know who they are. They're killers, like Randall Lynch, with no regard for human life. They can't be trusted, they have no remorse and no compassion. In fact, we've learned that they are incapable of compassion and pity. These are the very virtues that help us to be civilized. We can't let Dr. Tate's sacrifice be in vain!"
"Civilize my ass," Hobbes retorted.
The station then showed the reporter as she stood in front of the podium. "We've just learned that the voting is finished and Senator Allen is going to give us the results personally. I can see him coming towards us and he appears to be smiling. This may be a sign of how voting went earlier today in the Senate."
Darcy looked up at Darien, "Darien?"
Darien held her tight; he ran his hand across her cheek, "I love you."
"I love you too." Darcy gazed at the TV.
Senator Allen stood at the podium smiling at all the reporters gathered around him. There were secret service agents all over the place. He placed his hand on both sides of the podium and began to speak, "Today is another historic chapter in the history of this fine nation. Today, my bill to force the new species to register has passed in the Senate." Cameras clicked at a frantic pace as the Senator made his announcement.
Darcy closed her eyes. Sloan looked at Tom teary eyed. Hobbes rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips, "Those morons."
The Senator continued his press conference. "This bill however must now go on to the House where it's expected to pass as well. We should not have to be forced to live our lives in fear of these dominants. They are the new terrorist in our world and they must be dealt with. I'm proud of my fellow Senators today. We have spoken up for our right to live in this world. Knowing now that we will have records on the identities and where these dominants are, this bill will help us to live without fear for ourselves and our children. Dr. Ed Tate's sacrifice and his brave actions in his own fight for our survival will not be in vain. Thank you and God Bless America!" He stepped away from the podium as the reporters bombarded him with questions.
"What do we do now?" Sloan asked as she turned off the TV.
"Well, the bill still has to go through the House. If it passes then it goes to the President and he decides whether to veto it or sign it into law," Darcy said.
"We can't wait for all that. You heard this man, he's using Ed's death as a battle cry." Sloan said.
"Yeah, the 21st Century version of 'Remember the Alamo'," Hobbes retorted.
"You know something, this is all starting to make sense now," Ray said. Everyone looked at him strangely. "I don't think Arnaud killed Ed, we were meant to believe he did. But he didn't do it."
Darien paused and thought about what Ray said, "Remember what we talked about the other day? What if Ed wasn't supposed to have the gland implanted but only get close to it? Arnaud must have been collaborating with someone and he pulled his usual doublecross…wait, Lewis said that the gland could be cloned…what would they need to clone the gland?"
Sloan thought for a moment, "Hmm…maybe just a tissue sample of the bio part, the synthetic part would be another story. We already know it can be duplicated. It's just a matter of growing the bio part of the gland that would have to be worked out. You think that Lewis had something to do with Ed's death?"
Darien shook his head, "No, Lewis wanted Ed alive and I doubt that he knew about Ed."
"Okay, so what we got here is someone set up Ed, but Arnaud changes the deal. Ed is killed for the gland and we're supposed to think it was Arnaud so we go out and kill him if he isn't dead already," Hobbes said.
"Tie up any loose ends," Darien said.
"More like silence loose tongues," Ray said.
Darien pointed to Ray, "Yeah, that too, my friend."
"And now Ed's death is being used to promote this Senator's bill," Darcy said. "Someone got a two for one deal or this was all planned from the very beginning."
"This is only going to worse," Tom said ominously, "Dominants won't tolerate being rounded up like cattle and forced to register. They will fight instead and in all cases, to the death if need be."
They all looked at each other. "Darcy, when does the bill go to the House?" Darien asked.
She shook her head, "A week, if that, they may vote on it sooner because of all the pressure. I can call Mark and find out, if he's still in Washington. Why?"
"I just need to know how much time we have left. If you reach Mark, find out how long it may take for the President to sign it too," Darien said as he grabbed his jacket.
Darcy walked up to him, "Where are you going?"
Darien looked around the room, "I'm gonna find out who killed Ed. If we can prove it wasn't dominants…" Darien paused and then sat down, he looked at the faces staring at him, "…it won't help much would it?"
Darcy sat down next to him, "Darien, I know that you're trying, but we have to be realistic here."
"Look, anything you need me to do, I'll do it, I won't bail on you and let those mooks take you without a fight," Hobbes said. He put his hand out and Darien looked at him.
"Thanks man," Darien gave Hobbes a low five.
"But, we're still on an investigation, right? We're still gonna find out who killed Ed, we owe him that much," Hobbes said.
"Right," Darien stood up, "Let's get back to work."
Sloan and Darcy watched as the men left. They looked at each other; both were frightened of what the future may hold for them and the world.
TBC…