Chapter 7

Aberdeen, Scotland.

Ed and Hobbes walked down the stairs from the airplane to the waiting car. Ed had on his brown trench coat and scarf. He obviously did not like the cold weather that greeted him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his body shivered in the cold air. Hobbes chuckled, "What's the matter beach boy, can't take the weather here?"

Ed shot him an irritated look, "I'm freezing my toboggans off." Ed rushed down the stairs to the car.

"Well, if you had more meat on you, you wouldn't be so cold." Hobbes followed Ed down the stairs to the waiting car and hopped in beside him. They were amazed at the scenery as they drove by and had wished that their stay would be longer. Walter had told them that this trip was strictly a mission and that meant no sight seeing, which also meant the Whiskey trail tour was not on the to-do list. Ed was ordered to get the samples and as much information he needed then come back as soon as possible.

Once inside the clinic they went to the front desk. "Can I help you, gentlemen," the lady behind the desk asked in a thick Scottish accent. The receptionist eyed Ed deeply. She was obviously attracted to the tall lanky man standing in front of her and it showed. Right away she knew that he wasn't from Scotland and neither was the man that came in with him. Ed was completely oblivious to how attentive the young lady was to him as he and Hobbes took out their badges. The lady looked at them. "I'm Dr. Ed Tate and this is Agent Robert Hobbes, we're from America, we're supposed to meet with Dr. MacKay."

"Ah, yes, the two Americans, he's been expecting you." She pushed the intercom button, "Dr. Mackay?"

"Yes, Terri."

"Dr. Ed Tate and Agent…?"

"Hobbes, Robert Hobbes." Hobbes answered confidently as he leaned down towards the brunette. Ed raised a brow and smirked as he turned away to hide his face.

Terri smiled. "…Agent Robert Hobbes from America are here."

"Wonderful, show them in please."

"Follow me please," the receptionist stood up and motioned for the two men to follow her. She noticed a ring on the cute doctor's finger and frowned. 'The cute ones are either taken or gay,' she said to herself. Hoping her disappointment didn't show on her face, she asked, "How was your trip?"

"It was fine, no problems, just tired from the time difference," Ed replied. He heard a slight chuckle from Hobbes and turned quickly to look at him. Hobbes feigned coughing when he noticed Ed looking at him, "I'm sorry, guess I got something caught in my throat." Ed glanced at him suspiciously not knowing exactly why Hobbes was chuckling and then pretended to cough.

"Agent Hobbes is it?" The receptionist asked.

"Uh…yeah, that's right."

"Can I get you something to drink, perhaps some tea?" She asked looking at Ed hopeful.

Ed glanced down at the floor for a moment as he paused. "Yeah, tea would be great."

Hobbes coughed even louder. Ed patted him on the back, "You okay, Hobbes?"

Hobbes hid the smirk on his face. "Yeah, I will be," he said in jest. The receptionist led them the rest of the way down the hall and she stopped at a door to knock. She opened it up and ushered the two men inside. Dr. MacKay stood up from his chair and came around his desk to greet his overseas visitors. He held his hand out as he introduced himself, "I'm Dr. MacKay."

Ed shook his hand first, "I'm Dr. Ed Tate."

"Delighted."

Hobbes shook the hand of the tall Scottish doctor next, "And I'm Agent Robert Hobbes."

"Gentlemen, please have a seat and is there anything we can get for you?" Dr. MacKay sat down behind his desk.

Ed leaned forward in his seat and looked at Terri still standing at the entrance. "Well, ah…your receptionist offered us some tea."

"Good, Terri, see to that please."

"Yes, doctor." Terri smiled at Ed and closed the door behind her.

"Dr. Walter Attwood and I spoke on the phone about the situation here in Aberdeen, what can I do to help?"

Hobbes looked at Ed. This was the tall scientist's department; he was basically along for the ride. Ed leaned forward again. "Well, what I need to see are the semen samples so I can run some tests and if it's okay, I'll need to look over the patients' medical history."

"All that can be arranged."

"Tell me, Dr. MacKay…"

"Call me Ian, please."

Ed smiled, "Okay, Ian…has there been a rise in women being affected by infertility like the men?"

"No, not at all."

Ed and Hobbes glanced at each other. "Why do you ask?" Ian asked. "Oh, just curious," Ed answered.

Lewis sat his desk working on his laptop when he sensed someone coming. He stopped and leaned back in his chair, a smile slowly crept across his face. He looked up and watched Karl Hunter stepped inside the room. "Nice to see you, Karl. What news do you have for me?"

Karl placed a folder on his desk as she spoke, "Here is the monthly report you requested. I'm sure you'll find things going as planned."

"Well, at least one thing is going well," Lewis stated mockingly as he opened the folder. Karl was surprised at the comment and the tone is Lewis' voice. "Don't be so surprised, Karl. We are dealing with clever humans."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Karl added not sure if Lewis' comment was directed towards his mission or to something else.

Lewis didn't look up, he continued to read the report, "That's okay, Karl, it's my concern anyway, not yours. You just keep doing the job that you were assigned to do."

"Yes, sir," Karl answered in a military tone.

"Tell me one thing, have you studied the history of this…facility?" Lewis looked up at Karl.

"Yes, I have and we've taken all the escape attempts into consideration in the new plans. We've even interviewed some of the inmates. They have been very valuable in our preparation." Karl stated sternly as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Very good, Karl. I'm glad to see that you're taking the necessary steps to ensure the success of this mission. Please, don't let anyone find out about your new…updates to the facility."

"Don't worry, sir. What they don't see, they don't know."

"Worry is part of my job, Karl. I expect another report in one month." Lewis went back to reading and smiled as he nodded. Karl half smiled back as he could only assume Lewis accepted what he read so far. Karl turned and left the room leaving Lewis by himself.

Hobbes walked into the lab at the clinic where Ed was doing his research with some coffee. "Here, thought you'd need this," Hobbes said as he put down one of the cups. "Thanks," Ed responded lifting his eyes from the microscope.

"So, ah…anything there strikes you as odd?" Hobbes sat down on a stool next to Ed.

"Yeah, take a look for yourself," Ed removed the slide he had and replaced it with a different one. Hobbes peered into the scope. "Okay, so I see a bunch of 'swimmers'. What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Those are healthy sperm," Ed removed the slide and replaced it with a second slide, "Now, look at this one."

"Whoa…they're not moving very well." Hobbes looked at Ed, "The tails are different, shorter."

"Give that man a doctorate. Here's another one."

Hobbes looked again and slowly raised his head, "They don't look right."

"Yeah, I'm finding that most of these samples are different. The sperm are affected in one way or another."

"Why's that?"

"It's actually brilliant, Hobbes. If all the patients were affected the same way…"

"Then this area would bring attention to itself more than it already has…this would keep scientists guessing and away from the real cause."

"Exactly. Now the question is what is affecting the men here?"

"Where did you get these samples?"

"Oh, these are from some of the patients that came in today and have been under treatment. Here take a look at this one." Ed replaced the slide. Hobbes took another look, "I don't see nothin'."

"That's because this patient is completely sterile, he's not producing sperm at all and according to his records, the epididymis or the vas deferens are not blocked."

"Wha…what are those?"

"The tubules that transport the sperm from the testicle…"

Hobbes put his hands up, "Okay, okay, I get the picture."

"Now, the kicker is, he came in the early nineties to receive treatment. He wasn't sterile then, but he is now. Other then a possible lack of testosterone, he's completely healthy and doesn't smoke or drink heavily."

"So all these samples came from four different men in this area?"

Ed blushed slightly, "Well, not exactly. The first sample I showed you was from someone not around here."

"How'd you manage that?" Hobbes noticed that Ed's face had suddenly started to blush. "Oh…you mean these are…" Hobbes pointed the slide marked 'Healthy'.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I needed a healthy sample to be a comparison and I wanted a sample that I know wouldn't be tampered with in anyway. This isn't exactly my field you know."

"Boy, doc, you really get into your science projects in more ways than one." Hobbes slapped Ed on his back, "Well, at least you don't shoot blanks." Hobbes formed a gun with his hand and acted as if he was shooting with it. He shot Ed a sly wink. Ed partly smiled, "No, that I don't do. Looks like San Diego is not on their hit list. Yet."

Hobbes put the cup up to his mouth and before taking a sip he retorted, "You da man!"

Ed leaned back on the stood and was about to drink from the cup when he looked at it suspiciously. He then turned his attention to Hobbes. "I wonder…back at the agency I had mentioned that maybe whatever was affecting the men might be in the water supply."

Hobbes spit out his coffee, "Great! Now you tell me!"

"Sorry, but don't worry, I doubt this happens over night. It has to be over a prolonged period of exposure. Again, they wouldn't want to draw attention too quickly, like the nanites in the kids back in Orange Grove." Ed looked at Hobbes in deep thought.

"What?"

"Huh…oh…I was ah…thinking." Ed paused again trying to put his thoughts in order.

Hobbes waited for him to continue but he didn't. Ed sat in silence again and Hobbes became somewhat impatient. "And?"

"And what?"

Hobbes rolled his eyes, "You gonna tell me what's goin' through that 'Double D' mind of yours or are you gonna just sit there?"

"I was just thinking back to the juice boxes in Orange Grove. We might be looking at the same thing here but on a grander scale." Ed swiveled on the seat and started to type into his laptop. "On the flight over here I looked up the zoning layout for the North of Scotland Water Authority…" Ed waited for the map to appear on the screen, "Okay, this is it, as you can see there are several zones. If it is in the water we'll need to narrow down to which plant…then again it could be all of them, but somehow I doubt it."

"Too many hands in the pot spoil the brew," Hobbes commented.

"Exactly. The information about the sudden rise in infertility was not supposed to leak out…like the elementary school in Orange Grove." Ed scratched his head as he thought of a way to narrow down which plant they need to target.

"What about putting in the addresses of the patients? If it's contained in one area, that should give us an idea of where to start looking."

Ed looked up at Hobbes. "You're smart…" Ed started to type on the keyboard as he spoke, "…you are smart…" Ed had been given access to the clinics records earlier and he started to map out all the addresses. "Okay, the water zones are in blue, the addresses of the affected men should appear in red. This may take a few moments. I just hope no one notices what I'm doing." Glancing around the room quickly and seeing that no one was actually watching him, he minimized the screen.

"Well, then I suggest we look busy doing something else," Hobbes retorted as he looked around trying to figure out how he could look busy.

"Get me a water sample from the fountain," Ed said tossing a sterile cup to Hobbes.

"That'll work," Hobbes left the room and Ed continued to do his testing as the program started to map out the infected area.

Darien and Tom scouted an area where they received a tip that the killer they're looking for likes to hang out. It was one of those bars on the outskirts of the city where your local blue collar worker or as they're now known, frayed-collar workers. They're the ones having trouble making ends meet and they frequently gather at this bar after work to drown the day away. It was a small place and a perfect one to track a victim. Most of these people were from lower income families, not high-profile people. They didn't have the kind of money that would get them on the front page but just another slight mention in the obituaries.

Darien and Tom waited with the patience of a Chameleon on the trial of its prey. Darien sat at the bar while Tom sat at one of the tables in the back, but never lost visual contact with each other. Before the door opened their attention was focused on the person about to enter, a dominant male. Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days blared on the juke box as the door opened. A man of medium height and build walked in. He wore blue jeans, work boots, a dirty blue shirt and had a short hair cut. If he wanted to blend in with the crowd he certainly knew how to dress.

Tom slowly made his way around the bar to keep out of sight. He had so far been able to mask himself and sense he felt no emotional change in the target, Darien was successfully masking himself as well. All they had to do was wait for their suspect to make his move.

The dominant killer sat at the far end of the bar. This was his perch. He could see most of the people from this spot and keep an eye on the door for any other potential victims. Tonight, he felt good and smiled at the hapless humans. He felt like a lion overlooking a herd of zebras. All he had to do was find the right one and go for the kill. But first he would enjoy a few rounds, he was in no hurry. Like the humans are so found of saying, patience is a virtue.

The program showed that nearly all the affected men were in one area. The clinic was right in the middle of the infected zone. Ed figured that was the case since the men would seek help. If they were out of the zone, the men would go somewhere else and they wouldn't be able to observe the results as closely. Ed had also noticed that when he was going over some of his results with Ian, the tiny refrigerator in Ian's office was stocked with bottle water. The Scottish doctor had offered Ed a drink and opened it up to reveal his private stash. Ed pretended that he hadn't noticed and quickly looked down at his results as he spoke to Ian.

After getting their revelation, Ed and Hobbes decided they should leave and headed straight to the plane. Since the dominant situation began, a part of the plane had been converted into a mini-lab. The backs of the chairs leaned all the way back so they could be used as beds. Ed and Hobbes decided it best to use the plane as their hotel room and a safe refuge. "So, you think what's ever causing this could be in the water?" Hobbes stated as he paced around.

"Yeah, that's my first guess. It could be anti-sperm agents." Ed paused and then continued, "I need to get some samples from the water plant also."

"So, I guess that means we'll be paying a visit to the water plant tonight?"

Ed glanced at Hobbes, "Yeah. I need to pay a visit to Ian's office first. I have an idea on how I can find who his contact is at the plant." He paused looking at the cup of water Hobbes got for him at the clinic, "Guess this gland is going to be useful after all."

Later on, Ed entered the office, not really knowing what to expect. He went in as quietly as he could. Thankfully it was empty and Ed made his way over to the computer. The chair squeaked as he sat down. The quicksilver flaked off. "Hmm, have to admit, this invisibility thing sure does come in handy." He hoped he could hack into the files or else this was going to be a short mission. As Ed typed he started to sing.

"There's a man who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes another chance he takes
Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow

Secret agent man, secret agent man
They've given you a number and taken away your name"

Hobbes voice interrupted his singing, "Tiger to Dexter, what's your sit rep?"

"My what?" Ed answered back quizzically.

Hobbes rolled his eyes, 'I gotta remember he's a greenhorn,' he commented annoyingly to himself and then continued in a semi-aggravated tone, "Your location."

"Oh, I'm in MacKay's office and I'm accessing the files." Ed replied as he adjusted the earpiece.

"How's the ol' ticker doin'?" Hobbes asked.

Ed took a peek at his tattoo, "Okay, four are red."

"Yeah and I'm sure two of those were from your extracurricular activity today. Go easy on the silver stuff, okay."

"Yeah, no problem, just make sure you have the counteragent handy just in case." Ed typed for a few more moments and something caught his eye. "Whoa…hey, I found something."

"What?"

"I accessed his banking account."

A shocked expression appeared on Hobbes face suddenly, "You can do that?"

Ed smiled, he thought back to the time when Sloan asked him to hack into the phone company records. "Hobbes, there's a lot of things I can do. I am an only child you know. Anyway, it appears that our friend here received a few kickbacks."

"Interesting."

"And they're from a man named Henry Clements…I'm checking something here…" Ed paused he typed and a list of names appeared on the screen, "…and…boom…there he is. Oh crap…Hobbes…he works for the North of Scotland Water Authority, he's in charge of this zone. I bet he's been getting some kickbacks himself."

"That wouldn't surprise me. What else can you find?"

"Let me check the phone records."

Hobbes shook his head, "He looks and talks like Fawkes but acts like Ebes at times," he noted under his breath so Ed wouldn't hear him. "Is hacking a part of medical studies these days?"

Ed chuckled, "No, it's not. My college roommate was a hacker and he taught me everything I know."

"And what does he do for a living?"

"He's a doctor."

Hobbes rolled his eyes. After a few moments, Ed's voice was heard, "Okay, I'm in. He's called this Clements guy a few times…and…oh…I see Walter's number and another one right after he hung up?"

"Yeah, who did he call?"

"There's no name, but it's a US number…it has a Los Angeles area code."

Hobbes leaned forward in his chair, a look of apprehension appeared. In an anxious tone, he said, "Okay, kid get out of there, you've done enough."

"But, Hobbes…"

"But nothin', I'm in charge of this field trip, now get out!" Hobbes was nervous, not for him but for Ed. He had a pretty good idea who Ian called and if he's right, Ed was in danger…they both were.

Ed shut down the computer but he managed to get some more information. He let the quicksilver flow and left the office. Quietly he walked down the hall and out of the building. Once outside the clinic he took off running towards the car. He hopped in and Hobbes drove off. When they were safely away, he dropped the quicksilver and stared at Hobbes, "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad feeling that's all."

"Hobbes, tell me, we're partners remember."

"I think I have an idea on who Ian called," Hobbes looked at Ed, "I think it might have been Lewis…don't ask me how I know, but just go with me on this."

Ed looked out the window as Hobbes drove, "I was able to find who Ian called at the plant, his name is Allen Stewart."

"Then I guess that's our next stop. Get your water sample and get out ASAP. I'm the only back up you've got."

They had been at the bar for some time now. Darien had left the bar to go shoot some pool as Tom watched their suspect. He was a very patient killer. Tom had almost suspected some Chameleon like training in him. The dominant just sat there not really doing anything but just watching.

People had come and gone for the last couple of hours without the killer even giving them a look. Tom began to suspect that he was waiting for someone in particular. Darien glanced up from his game and shot Tom a glance. Their attention immediately turned to the door. A few seconds later it opened and a woman walked in.

"A dominant?" Tom said to himself as he looked at her with raised brows. He turned to check on the suspect and he had shifted positions on the bar stool.

Darien watched her as she seemed to make eye contact with him. She smiled at him and strolled over to the jukebox. She made her selection and walked towards him. Tom and the killer watched her closely. Darien looked around to see if she was actually going to go to someone else. Darien didn't even notice the song that had started to play, Invisible Touch by Genesis.

She walked right up to Darien. "Mind if I play?"

Darien held the cue stick in his hands. "Uh…sure." As she walked by he gave Tom a quizzical look. He also noticed that their suspect had moved. He gestured to Tom to where the killer had moved. It appeared that the female dominant was his target, but why?

The woman returned with a cue stick in her hands. She looked at Darien and smiled, "Are you going to rack the balls or do you want me to do that?"

"Huh? Oh, my bad, I'm sorry. I'll rack 'em up." He put his hand out embarrassed, "I'm Darien."

She reached out her hand and shook it gently, "I'm Tabitha, nice to meet you, Darien."

Ed raced out of the plant as quickly as possible. He had to use more quicksilver than at the clinic. The differences between the two were a small matter called guards. Hobbes was ready for him. Through the goggles he could see the green image staggering from the building. "C'mon, Tate, you can do it," Hobbes said through the ear piece. He couldn't risk running to his aid now, security would certainly see him from the cameras as Ed was still too close to the water plant.

"C'mon, kid, don't let it take control. You're almost there," Hobbes said. Ed had been groaning for about five minutes now and it was close…too close. All he could to do was wait for Ed to get pass the main gate and he could give him the counteragent. Then a thought hit Hobbes, "Keepie should make a counteragent dart. It would be so easy, just aim, fire and bam, counteragent delivered from a distance."

Ed stumbled just as he reached the gate. Hobbes could tell that he was clutching the back of his head. By the sounds of his grunts and the way he was panting heavily, Ed was probably in stage two. Hobbes had started to take a step towards him and risk being seen by the guard at the gate, but stopped when Ed got to his feet.

Ed could feel it coming and he was determined not to let it happen. He had heard Hobbes over the earpiece encouraging him and he was not about to fail. He quickly and quietly made it through the gate. The guard had looked up from the magazine at one moment, but shook his head and went back to reading. Ed took in a deep breath and ran for Hobbes.

Another wave of pain ripped through Ed's head and he collapsed on the ground just yards away from Hobbes. He had to risk it now. Hobbes took off in Ed's direction. He found the man writhing in pain. The quicksilver flaked off and Hobbes lifted him up and laid him across his shoulders in a fireman's carry. As best he could, Hobbes ran for the rental car. Ed groaned and fought back the madness with all the strength he had. "This reminds of a joke. A man walked into a bar with an anthropologist on his back. The bartender said, 'Why do you have an anthropologist on your back?'"

"Hobbes," Ed grunted more than slightly annoyed that he decided at this moment to tell him a joke.

Once they reached the car, Hobbes put Ed down on the ground and pulled out the counteragent. He leaned Ed forward as he continued telling his joke, "Let me finish. Anyway, the man said, 'An anthropologist? I thought I had a monkey on my back.' You get it…monkey…anthropology…c'mon, you know it was funny." Hobbes injected the counteragent into the tall man's system. The chemical worked quickly as Ed grunted one last time before his body relaxed in unconsciousness. Hobbes caught him and held him in his arms and waited until he came around. He checked Ed's tattoo and all segments were green, "You did good, doc, real good."

TBC…