Chapter 6

One month later.

Ed sauntered down the quiet hall to the Keep. He slid his card in and waited for the door to open. He walked in and spotted Claire checking on a beaker full of blue liquid, "Hey, Keep, what's up?" He asked with a smirk. He definitely enjoyed having Claire as his Keeper. The Official had let his tight spending habits kick into gear and decided to save money by having Claire as his permanent Keeper. Not to mention with what had happened with his last Keeper, Walter had refused to let anyone else come onto the project. Walter had also successfully argued the point that there was no reason why Ed couldn't help Claire with her research.

Claire looked up and smiled, "Hi, hon, I'm making progress on that oral counteragent for you."

Ed tilted his head to one side and raised a brow, "Great, with all the needles I've had in the past couple of months I look like a junkie…and feel like one too." Ed strolled over to her with his hands in his pockets. She met him and they embraced. "So, what does it taste like?" Ed said as he broke the hug and picked up the beaker, his first instinct was to smell it and he did. His nose crinkled up a bit at the odor of it, "Man, I hope it tastes better than it smells."

Claire took the beaker out of his hands and put back on the table, "I'm still working on it and besides, it'll be in pill form remember?"

Ed bent down and rested his elbows on the table as he continued to stare at the blue liquid, "So, you think this will work?"

"Yeah, I was working on something similar for Darien…until he broke it," she said with a hint of warning in her voice.

Ed smiled, "Don't worry, I won't break it. It sort of looks like blue Gatorade."

"Darien said it reminded him of Kool-Aid," Claire took a drop to test it. She held up a sample of how big the pill will be.

Ed gawked at the size of the pill. "Damn, Claire, it's bigger than the prenatal pills Darcy is taking!"

"It still has to be strong enough to counter the toxin in your bloodstream. Think of it this way, it's either oral or a suppository…your choice."

"Oral," Ed said immediately. Claire smiled and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "What's so funny?" Ed asked.

"I just had a picture of us holding you down trying to give you counteragent in the form of a suppository while you're quicksilver mad…quite funny actually."

"I don't think that's funny." Ed sat down.

She knew there was something wrong with Ed just by the way he reacted to her joke. Normally he would have joked around, but the way his body language was talking, something was on his mind. "Hon, are you okay? You seem a little tense today." Claire asked as she put her hand on his shoulder.

He played with the buttons on his lab coat. "Yeah…well, I'm just in one of those moods, kinda edgy."

"I'm sorry, are you having a bad day?"

"Nah," he answered solemnly.

"Male PMS then I take it?"

"You might say that…actually..." Ed stood up and took Claire into his arms, "It's all I can do to keep myself from eating right through your clothes right now."

Claire smiled, "Ah, I see, you're in heat?"

Ed looked around slightly embarrassed, "That's an understatement. I've been practically half-hard all day long. I just don't know how long I can take this. You know, most married couples don't have a sex schedule. It's sorta taking the fun out of it you know?" His tone was a mixture of bitterness and despair.

"I'm sorry, hon, but you know you have to be careful with how much counteragent you get. Even with Darien there were times when I had to wait until the last minute because I didn't want to overdose his system. Not to mention the cost." She ran her hand down his shoulder to his hand, "But since you're here, I need to draw some blood so I can run some tests with the oral counteragent."

"Again?" Ed said dishearten.

"Yes, again! You want to be able to use this new counteragent don't you?" Claire was stern in her tone as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side.

Ed put his hand up and crinkled his face in disgust, "Yeah, I know, I know. But I'm going insane here. If only a shower and a bar of soap were allowed…I wouldn't be so damn…" He turned away to hide his embarrassment, "…horny," he finished awkwardly.

"Look, this is hard on me too," Claire protested.

Ed smirked, "Not as hard as it is on me." Ed let out a sigh. "I really hate this gland." He glanced at Claire and met her stern glare, he looked down at the floor defeated, "Oh-kay…lab rat at your service. Do with me what you will." He held his hands out in a manner like he was about to be handcuffed.

"Don't be so dramatic. I just have to draw blood. You make it sound like I'm torturing you." Claire turned to walk over to her mayo table.

"Torture? You have no idea," Ed said under his breath as he took his lab coat off and sat down on the counteragent chair. Just the mere thought of having Claire so close to him drawing his blood was making his blood rush to another part of his body. He shook his head, 'I really need to find a way to cure quicksilver madness or get this gland out of my head before my balls spontaneously combust.' He searched the counter near the chair and found one of Claire's journals. He reached for it and flipped through it as Claire was getting her supplies ready. An article immediately caught Ed's eye. He read the article as Claire drew blood from his arm.

"What has got your mind all wrapped up so quickly?"

"Huh? Oh, this article about a study done at a Scottish fertility clinic. It seems that over a period of time they've noticed a drop in the sperm count of men coming in. They surveyed 7,500 men and found that on average their sperm count has dropped by 29 percent." Ed glanced up at Claire with a worried expression on his face.

"What can cause such a drop in so many men? Are they all in one area?"

"Yeah, Aberdeen in Northern Scotland."

Claire put her hands on her hips. "I know that Scotland was affected by the Chernobyl disaster."

"Yeah, but the effects would have been wide spread over the entire population, and not just the reproductive organs of men. No, this is much more than that." Ed thought for a moment and then continued, "Drugs, drinking, smoking, alcohol, obesity, pesticides, other chemicals all could have an effect on low sperm counts and it would take years for any effects to show. But this is just too many males in one area to link it to anything specific."

"You think it might be dominants?"

"Yeah, I do. I mean, think about it, we know that when they impregnate a human woman the child will be a dominant. This would be another area to attack us in…male infertility. If human males are sterile…"

"Then only dominant males can impregnate women." Claire was alarmed and it was evident in her voice.

"Another way to wipe us out…make sure human males are sterile and use human women to build up their population." Ed got up and grabbed his lab coat along with the magazine, "I need to show this to Walter. I'll see ya later, babe." Ed kissed her lovingly on her lips. He watched as one emotion after another washed over Claire's face. He held her close, "It'll be okay, babe. It may be nothing, and if it is, we'll figure this out."

"I hope so, before it's too late." She gave Ed a gentle squeeze.

~*~

Ed was in Walter's office going over the article. Sloan and Tom were there also. "This looks bad for us, if this is dominant related," Sloan stated with concern in her voice. It had been a long time since they discovered a plan of attack and it was all because of a medical journal.

"Okay, Ed, say your theory is correct. How are they targeting the male population?" Walter asked.

Ed sat on the short file cabinet in the corner of Walter's office. "I don't know, but I'm thinking that it would have to be more widespread then using juice boxes. It would have to be something that would affect most if not all the men in the area."

Like what?" Walter asked folding his hands on top of his desk.

Ed thought for a moment and then it came to him, "Water. Maybe it has something to do with the water supply. It appears to be this one city and it would have to be contained to get the best test results."

"But it would take years for something like this to happen," Sloan added.

"Yeah, but for all we know, dominants started this test years before they even thought of the juice boxes, which brings up another point. This data is based on the males that went to the fertility clinic. This doesn't include the men who don't know they might have a fertility problem or the young boys that have started or about to enter puberty," Ed added.

Sloan covered her mouth, "Oh my God. This could be worse than we think."

"They would have to have dominants at the fertility clinic to monitor the progress or the director of the clinic is involved, like Principle Cook," Tom added. "If we're going to find out, we're going to have to be extra careful on this."

"Agreed." Walter stated.

Walter leaned back and glanced at Ed, "Do you think you can figure it out for sure if this is dominant related?"

"I'll do my best," Ed said. Walter picked up his phone.

"How is the sperm count effected, Ed?" Sloan asked.

"Sloan, do I really have to explain it?"

Sloan blushed, "Testosterone…they're attacking the testosterone."

Ed nodded, "That's my first guess. If the testosterone levels are low then the testes won't produce sperm or at least strong healthy ones to fertilize an egg."

"Clever way to attack our men." She glanced at Ed and caught his worry expression. "If I know anybody who can figure this out and find a way to stop them it's you."

"I hope so."

"Could it be the nanites again?" Tom asked.

"I have no idea, but I doubt it. This might be more of a chemical reaction. I imagine that the dominants would try to use different means of wiping us out."

"Could the process be reversed?" Tom asked.

"Testosterone can be replaced in many ways. But I'm sure that the dominants knew this and whatever they came up with had that in mind. We may be looking at permanent damage that's irreversible," Ed stated. A million and one things were racing through his mind at the moment. He was already involved with one government research, now it looked like he had another one coming his way. "I can ask a friend of mine, he might know a reproductive endocrinologist."

Sloan looked sharply at Ed, "Just make sure he's human or at least on our side."

Ed smiled and snorted, "Yeah, I hear ya, Sloan."

~*~

Claire found Ed sitting at his desk after his meeting with Walter. He looked downcast as he stared out the window. She sighed sadly. She approached him and he didn't even realize someone was there until she tapped on the door frame. He turned sharply at the sound. "Oh…hi, Claire."

"Need to talk?" She asked as she walked into his office and knelt down in front of him.

"I've got so many things running through my mind that I can't even think straight." He pulled her up and set her down on his lap. "What if all this is true? What else have they been working on that we don't even know about? What will our future hold?"

"Hmmm…I see what you mean. Your mind is going a mile a minute. But, hon, you can't put the weight of the world on your shoulders." Claire traced the side of his face with a gentle hand.

"Someone has to."

"You're not Superman."

"It's not about being a hero…it's about survival." He let out a long cleansing sigh. "If what's happening in Aberdeen is the work of the dominants whose to say that they haven't been doing this experiment somewhere else?" He leaned towards her and rested his head on her bosom.

"Well, we know that you haven't been affected," Claire said seriously but with a hint of humor in her voice.

Ed remembered that day in the lab when she and Sloan had compared Darien and Ed's semen samples. The memory seemed like ages ago. Ed chuckled embarrassed, "You had to remind me of that." She raked her fingers through his soft brown hair. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips, "That feels nice."

"Ed…"

"I know, I know…but this is comforting." Claire smiled and rested her chin on top of his head. She could smell the fragrance of his shampoo and she closed her eyes. Her mind took her back to the day when she moved in with him. She walked into the bathroom and saw the collection of shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments and even skin moisturizers in the room. She shook her head as she laughed. There were very few men that she knew that had more than a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo and stick of deodorant in their bathroom. Being a surfer, Ed knew the importance of taking care of his skin.

A hard rap on the door frame shook her from her memory. They both looked up. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something. Tate, you're wanted in the Fat Man's office." Hobbes winked at the two of them. "Doin' a little extracurricular examination there Keepie?"

Claire got up followed by Ed, "No, Bobby," she said irritated. Ed followed Claire out of his office past Hobbes. He glanced down at Hobbes and before he could ask what the Official needed him for, he felt a nudge to his midsection.

"Still on the Honeymoon, huh?"

"I wish." Ed replied in a downcast tone.

A few moments later they were all in the official's office including Darien and Walter. Hobbes looked around and turned his attention towards the Official, "All accounted for, Chief."

"Thank you, Bobby. Let's get down to it, Dr. Tate you're going to Scotland."

Ed looked around sharply as he exclaimed, "WHAT!?!"

"I'm sorry, Ed, but we can't risk having any samples flown here. I think it'll be best if you go to the source. Now I've made arrangements for Agent Hobbes to accompany you…"

Hobbes looked up sharply, "WHAT?"

"Hobbes!?!" Ed exclaimed. "Why him?" Ed turned and looked at Hobbes, "No offense," he turned his attention back to Walter, "Why not Claire or Sloan? I might need some help with this."

"You and Dr. Keeply are the only physicians this agency has; I can't risk having the both of you out of the country." The Official stated leaning back on his chair.

Ed got up, walked over to the Official and leaned on the desk glaring down at him, "I see, when it matters to you, I'm valuable. But you made it damn clear that you didn't want me doing any kind of research on the gland and you had no problem wanting the gland ripped out of my head," Ed caught the glare from the Official and turned his rage on Walter, "Oh wait, that was you wasn't it?"

"Ed, I didn't want that and you know it. I was under orders."

Ed straightened to his full height, "Yeah, that's right, you had orders…from your boss."

"Ed…please, I had warned Claire and the others…" Walter was interrupted abruptly.

Ed's face was nearly red now, "You just don't know when to quit do you? When will you stop trying to manipulate me?"

"I'm not manipulating you. I've always considered you a valuable member of the team, that's why I denied you…" Walter stopped.

Ed looked at Walter sharply, "What? Denied me? What are you talking about?"

Hobbes leaned over to Darien and whispered, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Shh…" Darien responded quickly.

Walter took a deep breath, "The QS9300 Project."

"The QS9300 Project…Walter, what are you trying to tell me?"

"You wanted to know why I was at the lab. I was there because I was helping to find a geneticist for the invisible man project. I was looking at you, Ed."

"Me? I'm a bio-anthropologist, not a geneticist."

"You are a brilliant geneticist, Ed. Your immunology background at NIAD was also valuable and the fact that you're an M.D. was a plus as well. I had recommended you and you were accepted."

Ed looked at Darien, "You knew?"

"Yeah, I did, but it wasn't my place to tell you. Besides it's all mute now. Had you gone you would have been murdered."

Ed shook his head and turned his attention to Walter again, "What other secrets are you keeping from me?"

"None. And like Darien said, it's all mute. When Ann Coulter was murdered I needed you on my team and I rescinded my recommendation."

"That's not the point, Walter. You lied to me, to Sloan…all these years. You kept us out of the loop for so long…" Ed paused, "I need to know that I can trust you."

"You can, Ed. I promise."

Ed nodded, "I'll be the judge of that."

Walter glanced at the Official and continued, "Look, Ed, with the information that Tom, Hobbes and Darien got, they are close to finding this serial killer. We believe that Tom and Darien can handle this together and are best for the job. Hobbes is a seasoned agent who can take care of…"

"The gland?" Ed said to finish Walter's sentence.

"Welcome to my world, bro." Darien quipped.

"Ed, you know…"

"C'mon, Walter," Ed paused and gave in to the situation. It was no use to fight Walter or the Official on this. Actually he knew that they were right. He let out a sigh, "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," the Official stated.

"Crap, there goes our poker night," Darien hissed under his breath.

"Yeah, I was looking forward to getting my revenge on brainiac for last week." Hobbes retorted as he leaned closer to Darien. The guys had started to meet once a week for poker night after their trip to the casino. They would sit around a large round table at Ed's house, smoke cigars, drink beer and eat pizza as they played. Even Tom, Mark and Shane had joined them in the weekly male bonding ritual. And in return, the ladies had their night out.

Ed rolled his eyes as he spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Geesh, Walter, you're not one for giving a lot of notice are you?"

"I decided that it was best for you to go as soon as possible. You and Hobbes will be taking the jet…"

"Nice," Hobbes said as he wiggled on his seat raising a hand. "Ah…one question."

"Yes, Hobbes." Walter said as he held folders in his hand.

"Will there be a flight attendant on the flight?"

Darien stared at Hobbes in amazement. He saw the look on Darien's face, "What?"

"You just did not ask that did you?"

"Yeah, I think it's a legit question. It's a long flight, Fawkes."

"No, there is no flight attendant, Hobbes. You'll be making a refueling stop at JFK Airport in New York and then from there you'll go on to Aberdeen. There will be somebody there to drive you to the hotel and then to the fertility clinic in question." Walter said as he handed Hobbes and Ed a folder detailing their mission and all the contact information.

"You're going to be meeting with Dr. Ian MacKay, he runs the fertility clinic. He's expecting the both of you and has offered complete cooperation in our investigation. In fact, he welcomes it."

Ed looked at him in surprise, "Really?"

"Does that surprise you?" The Official interjected.

"Well, in a way, some places don't want outside help especially foreign help. They usually have all the specialists they need to find the answers."

"They're well aware of the situation and the work our lab has done concerning the new species. They want answers too, Ed," Walter interjected.

"Yeah, well, that maybe true Walter, but I don't trust too many people named Ian. Did it ever occur to you that they might know we're on to them now and you could be sending us into a trap?"

"Yes, and that's why we're sending Hobbes with you."

Ed turned a worried glance at Darien and then at Hobbes. Walter continued to talk, "Look, Ed, I know you're concerned, but you're the best person for this job. Sloan doesn't have the medical background that you do. I need you on this one."

"Ed, I know that Hobbes can get on your nerves at times, but I also know that when your back is up against the wall, he's your man," Darien stated supportively.

"Why, thank you, Fawkes."

"You're welcome." The two gave each other a low five.

Ed let out a long deep sigh. "Well, then I guess I better tell Claire to whip up a couple batches of counteragent…" he started to turn to head out of the office. The Official was about to protest, but Ed cut him off, "…like Hobbes once said, I'm not a trained agent so I might get myself in a situation where I'll need to use *the gland*." Ed turned and gave the Official a menacing glare, "I'm sure you wouldn't want me going quicksilver mad in Scotland now don't you?" Ed left the office slamming the door behind him.

Darien stood up, "He's right you know. By alerting them you've just set him up. That gland could get him and maybe even Hobbes out of trouble."

"You know how I feel about…" The Official was cut off in mid sentence by Darien.

"Cut the crap, Charlie."

"Charlie?" The Official looked at Darien like he just committed a grave sin.

"Yeah, Charlie…don't use him like you used me. Don't send him across the ocean without enough counteragent. Let him do his job…with what ever he needs, no matter what the cost."

"Darien's right. The cost to make extra counteragent is covered." Walter stated sternly, "He is on *my* team."

Darien glared at him, "Then maybe you should start acting like it. I swear the both of you went to the same school on how to use people." Darien walked out of the office with Hobbes following right behind him, "I'll go home and pack…"

Darien pulled Hobbes out the office and the glass door closed behind them. Walter let out a sigh. This meeting didn't go as he planned.

"You do realize that every time Dr. Tate needs counteragent it costs three thousand dollars."

He turned sharply and shot an angry glance at the Official. "Let me tell you something, Charlie. When the dominants do wipe us out, no one is going to care. I want Ed to do his job no matter what the cost is because frankly, our survival depends on it. It's time you understand what's at stake here. Our existence as a species is on the line and tomorrow or the next day could be the last this planet sees of homo-sapiens. The only thing standing between the dominants and our extinction is this group. I'm sure even to you that's worth spending an extra three thousand dollars on." Walter walked out of the Official's office in a huff.

~*~

Lewis stormed into the room as Tabitha worked out. She stopped when she picked up on his emotional state. "What's wrong?"

"It's Tate, looks like he figured it out." His body language gave his anger away as he paced back and forth. Confused, she put down the weights and walked towards him, "Figured what out?"

"The Aberdeen Project. He read an article about the low sperm count in men in a medical journal." Lewis rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"How?"

"That's what I'm wondering. There must be someone on the inside that leaked the test results to someone on the outside. He promised that he would keep a lid on it. After the Orange Groove debacle, you think they would have learned."

"Co-existance?"

"Maybe. All I know is that someone was careless." He rubbed the side of her face with hand, "I don't forgive carelessness."

"What do we do now?" Tabitha stated as she looked at Lewis.

He glanced at her pausing for a moment. It was time to change plans. "It seems that your meeting with Darien Fawkes will happen sooner than I anticipated. Come, my dear, we have work to do."

TBC…