Chapter 10

"So, bro, didn't I promise you a good time?" Darien asked as he drove his old blue car towards the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Ed turned and faced Darien with a roguish smile on his face. "Oh yeah," Ed looked out the window for a moment to watch the scenery rush by. A memory from the past swept through his mind.

He and Sloan sat on plush seats as the jet they were in raced over land to bring them back safely to Pasadena. Unseeingly out of nowhere, Attwood showed up to rescue them in the desert of Oaxaca when they where chased by dominants. Sloan was the first to speak up as Ed tried to sort out his confused thoughts about Walter.

"What the hell is this all about Walter? How did you find us?"

Walter sat on the arm of the chair across from them. "I've been tracking you since you left Van Nuys airport."

Ed, disdainfully, looked at Walter. "Tracking us. In Mexico?"

"Through various means of surveillance, including satellite." Walter knew that the trust between him and his co-workers had become shaky. It would take some work now to regain that trust.

"Courtesy of the University?" Ed replied with a sneer.

"No. I work for the Federal government."

"Federal government?" Sloan asked as Ed turned his head away to avoid looking at Walter.

It came to Ed at this point that even though he had cut out his own monitor out with the installed tracking device, sooner or later, they would be caught. 'This isn't going to work, they'll still find us, if they haven't already,' he thought to himself

"Yeah, I know," Darien replied taking a quick glance at Ed who reacted to Darien's comment by turning his head slowly towards him.

Ed knew that Darien had read his mind. He paused for a moment waiting to see if Darien was going to continue. After a few seconds, Ed broke the heavy silence. "So, what do we do?"

Darien, keeping his focus on the road before him answered, "Kill Lewis, like we planned," he turned and looked at Ed, "Let's just enjoy ourselves while we still have the time." A mischievous smile spread across his face, "What'd you say? You with me?"

Ed thought for a few moments. They had already made their point with the High Council, and he still wanted to get his hands on Lewis. He shook his head to show his intent to join Darien in what ever plans he had. "Yeah…killing Lewis sounds good."

"Word."

Darien and Ed made fists with their hands and then tapped their knuckles together.

Sloan felt out of place and she was basically the support system right now. Now she wished she had majored in another science field too and not just bio-anthropology. She had made a fresh pot of coffee when Walter called her into his office and gave her the news. His words frightened her. Even Walter had said that he would have to go with the Official on harvesting the gland if Tom and Hobbes couldn't find Ed in time. He was just too dangerous and what he and Darien did proved it.

She walked over to where Claire worked steadfast with coffee for her and Tara. How was she going to tell Claire what happened? And ultimately, the fate that awaited Ed if Tom and Hobbes failed. But with the way she had been working these past few hours, she already knew.

With her golden hair pulled back into a ponytail, Claire peered into her microscope trying to concentrate on the job at hand. It was difficult knowing that Ed was out there somewhere and could possibly be permanent by now. But she had to try…just in case Hobbes brings him in. She looked up to see Sloan standing visibly shaken.

"What?" Claire asked nervously, fearing the worse…again.

"Walter got a call from Tom. They reached the High Council…they're all dead."

Tara came over and heard what Sloan said. She sat down slowly. The situation just became worse.

"What about Ed and Darien?" Claire asked.

Sloan shook her head, "They weren't there."

Claire sat silently for a moment and then spoke. "Hobbes will find them…he will…I know he will. I need to get back to work."

Tara and Sloan shot each other a worried glance. They hoped that Claire wasn't setting herself for disappointment. There had been so many close calls that eventually, something terrible would happen and this might be that time.

This was new to Tara…faith and trust. Faith and trust in others around you. Chameleons were trained not to trust or have faith in others. They were on their own and had no one to trust in for back-up. It was just one and only one for each mission. Even as a Chameleon in the science field, it was just her. She decided to try and put faith in the man she loved to do his job.

Sloan saw the papers in Tara's hand. "What are those?"

"Huh…oh these," Tara looked at the papers and stood up. "We already know that Ed is right about the connection between the toxin and the Limbic system." She walked over to Claire and sat down next to her. She spread out the papers. "We know that while he was at the lab every time he went into madness his dopamine levels went up from the increase of the toxin in his bloodstream. The toxin has the same kind of effect like cocaine or an amphetamine has on the dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Now, with my father's serum…it works in a similar way…it affects the frontal lobe area just like the toxin, but with a more controlled aggressive behavior and not like the violent tendencies of quicksilver madness. Dominants who have been injected with this serum don't remember anything from before, only what they've been trained to do. It's like programming a one-track mind assassin. It's supposed to suppress love, compassion and pity so that the Chameleon can succeed in his or her mission without the inner conflict that these human emotions bring. It also blocks certain functions of the brain like memory, like an amnesiac. Unfortunately, there are just some components in the serum that I'm not aware of, only my father knows what they are."

"Okay, so…what are we talking about here?" Sloan asked.

"A possible chemical overload that can happen at anytime or some type of reaction in the brain, especially if Ed quicksilvers and dumps more toxin into his system. Claire, even the counteragent might have an affect on the serum."

"I know…it's going to be like playing Russian roulette. There's just no way of telling how this will affect Ed in the short term or even the long term. I'll have to take my chances…with Ed's life."

There was a heavy silence in the lab. They all knew that what they were attempting to find out was impossible. Claire would be taking a chance in giving Ed counteragent, but if she didn't, he would die anyway. She had no choice but to take the chance.

Sloan decided it was time to keep the conversation going hoping to spark an idea on what they could come up with to save both men. "When Tom was injected with the serum I brought him back by reminding him of who he had become and that he loved me…was that some kind of dopamine reaction?" Sloan asked.

"Yes, apparently my father didn't expect the tegmental area of the Limbic system to fire off the pleasure response to your love for him that he felt. This helped him remember the enjoyment he had when he was with you…I can certainly identify with that." Tara looked at Claire distressed, "I'm sorry, Claire, I just don't know how this will affect Ed. There's no way of telling and we're short on time."

"I know, but I've got to figure out something…" Claire thought for a moment. "Okay, since we won't know how this affects Ed…" She paused again with a hint of despair on her face, "I can't even reproduce this scenario using one of Ed's monkeys or my lab rat because I don't even have a sample of his quicksilver to inject or the toxin…not to mention that we can't even reproduce the serum without knowing all the components…" She looked at the two women staring at her, "What do I do?"

"The only thing you can do…give Ed the counteragent and hope for the best." Tara said.

"As a scientist…that's not good enough," Claire stated strongly and went back to work even if it may appear to be unsuccessful.

Lewis stood at his window overlooking the massive swimming pool where Romanesque statues of half naked women stood guard over the crystal blue water that sparkled in the sunlight. He had heard from Darien earlier and so far things were going as planned. Darien was bringing him a gift…Dr. Ed Tate. He smiled as he held up the syringe containing the dominant changing DNA serum. This time, there would be no more delay, no more elaborate scheming, this time he would just do what he should have done a long time ago. He would inject Ed with the serum and alter his DNA. It was risky, not all conversions were successful, but now it was beyond taking a risk. One way or another, Ed would either be turned or die.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tabitha came running in. "You have to leave! Now!"

He turned to glance at her puzzled, "What?"

"It's Darien…he killed the High Council and is on his way here." Tabitha was out of breath as she spoke.

"What? How do you know?"

"James, he had visited the High Council and saw Tom with Darien's partner…"

"Wait…did you say Darien's partner…Agent Hobbes…" Lewis froze for a moment. This news was not good at all. An irritated look spread across his face. "If Tom was with Agent Hobbes then Darien did not give Tom the serum." Lewis moved from the window to the center of the room where Tabitha stood, "He must have given the serum to someone else. I doubt even he could have assassinated the entire Council by himself."

"He does have abilities even greater then the progenies."

Lewis was silent for a moment. Tabitha could be right; Darien was different even from the progenies. "Did James say if he saw Darien?"

"No, only that he saw Tom leave with Agent Hobbes and three other men."

"I'm sure one of them is Mark Ward." He paused in heavy thought and after a moment of silence, he came to his decision. "Okay, I'll go."

"Good, I'll stay and find out what's going on. If Darien is after you he won't hurt me."

Lewis put his hand to her cheek, "Just be careful. Darien, unfortunately, has proved to be more than we can handle. I may need to call on someone special who can eliminate him, a progeny to defeat a progeny."

"Well, what did he say?" Hobbes questioned as he drove his beat up tan van towards Lewis' newest hideout.

Tom turned his attention to Hobbes, "Walter said that according to satellite images, Darien's car is near the house. We're about thirty minutes away."

"Thirty minutes too far," Hobbes noted in a tone marked with gravity.

Tom had taken the time to explain the complex nature of the situation that Darien and Ed had put them in. Not that it was their fault, but clearly Lewis had intended on using Darien in some way to gain control of the High Council. Tom suspected that Lewis didn't realize that Darien would not respond positively to the serum. Without a doubt Lewis' plan had back fired in a major way.

Tom was now in a position where he had to step up in a leadership role or else his people may fall into chaos or worse…civil war. It was time for the Council of the Chosen to form. Maybe that's what Kewley's Comet was supposed to represent. Not a catastrophe like they had originally thought, but a calling, a calling of the Chosen to come together. But why didn't it happen? Was it because of him and his so called betrayal? He would have to find out and maybe if they could get to Lewis in time, he could find the answer.

Darien stopped the car and glanced over at Ed, "You're ready for your next performance?"

"Yeah." A chuckle escaped Ed's lips, "You know, I used to think that kids who took drama in High School were just taking the easy way out and now look at me. Guess it all comes back at you in one way or another."

"I know what you mean."

Ed glanced at the house and a feeling of urgency came over him. He returned his attention back to Darien, "We better hurry; I have a bad feeling that they're close."

Darien nodded in agreement, "I do too." The two men stepped from the car. Darien grabbed Ed by his shirt and pulled him to the door. At the moment he was about to open the door he paused.

"What's wrong? We've got the wrong house?" Ed asked as he felt the pressure of Darien's grip release.

"No, it's the right house alright. Someone's home…but…" Darien glanced at Ed, "…it's not Lewis."

"Are you sure, I mean, maybe he's masking himself."

"Could be, but why? We're on the same side…or so he thinks. C'mon, let's see who's here and maybe we can find where Lewis is before the guys in white coats come to take us away."

Darien opened the door and they stepped inside. Italian tile graced the floor of the empty mansion. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the sparse room. A staircase wove its way around the room and finishing off the look were sunburst style windows. Darien and Ed both whistled. "Man, this dude sure does love spacious mansions doesn't he?" Darien quipped.

"I wonder where he gets all the money to put down a cash payment for only six months," Ed said shaking his head. Their voices echoed in the room. "Well, who ever is here knows we're here now."

"They knew before we even stepped foot in the Clampett House." Darien turned to Ed, "Okay, I'm gonna go look for Lewis. So what I'm gonna do is tie you up to the staircase, don't worry, the ropes will be loose. I'll put a blindfold on you again to hide your eyes. I can't leave you here just standin' around, so we need to make this look good." Darien paused and looked at Ed. He really didn't want to leave him so vulnerable even if the ropes weren't that tight. "Maybe I should go take care of that other dominant first."

"No, it's okay, I can handle the dominant, just find Lewis and leave a piece for me."

"You got it, bro." Darien proceeded to tie Ed to the banister. His arms were pulled up over his head and then his feet were tied together. For the finishing touch, Darien ripped off a piece of Ed's shirt and wrapped the fabric around his eyes. "Okay, now look beaten, like at the High Council." Darien watched as Ed lowered his head so his chin nearly touched his chest. He breathed deeply through his mouth and slouched as much as he could. Darien smiled, "Man, you should be an actor too, you're good at this."

"Just don't take too long, my arms will get tired."

"Don't worry, I'll be quick." Darien hurried up the stairs to start investigating the rooms.

Tabitha came around the corner when she sensed that the human was left alone. So, Darien hadn't given the serum to Tom. Did he give it to the human? She needed to find out if this was a set up or not. From the signature of the human, she knew it was Ed Tate. And when she saw him tied to the staircase, a playful smile spread across her face. "Aww…Lewis left me a birthday present. I've always wanted a male human pet."

Ed slowly raised his head. "I'm no pet," Ed hissed through his teeth.

"Ah, but you see, we are the dominant species and sooner or later, humans will have to submit." Tabitha sauntered over to him. She wanted to have some fun with him.

"I don't know what games you like to play in your private life, but BDSM isn't my thing…cause frankly, I'm not the submissive type."

"You never know until you try." She knelt down next to him on one of the steps.

Ed shook his head, "You're really demented you know that?"

"C'mon, you might enjoy it, you're already tied up so you're halfway there. Besides, I'm sure you'll enjoy having me as your owner after all, we've had fun before."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me remove your blindfold so you can see better."

Ed's brows curved, now it was his turn to have some fun. "That would be nice. I always like looking into peoples' eyes when I talk to them."

Tabitha leaned over and removed the blindfold. Ed opened his eyes and she gasped. "Not what you were expecting is it?"

"NO…ah…" she paused and searched him deeply. "You're different somehow…like Darien…" She thought back to Darien's signature and it dawned on her. "You have a gland," she said with a smile.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure that out. I guess it does have something to do with the female pheromones."

"Yeah, I can sense it…how peculiar."

"Yeah, well, it's not so great; it does have a tendency to attract the wrong gender." Ed commented by tilting his head to one side.

"I can see where that would be a problem especially with dominant males. So, I take it then your eyes are that way because of the gland?"

"You got it, pretty cool huh?"

"How did you get one? I thought Darien was the only one who had a gland."

"Well, he was and how I got one is a rather long story."

"You're not afraid are you?" She sensed no fear in Ed.

"Hell no, I feel great." A puzzled look came across Ed's face. He gazed at her studying her face. She did look familiar to him, but from where? "Do I know you?"

"That's not the right thing to say to someone you slept with. But since it was a long time ago, I'll forgive you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Just before their lips met, she whispered, "Perhaps I can help you remember." Their lips met in a passionate kiss. After a few moments they broke the kiss to get some air. Tabitha twirled the curls on the back of Ed's neck with her fingers. "Now do you remember the first time we met?"

Ed paused as he searched his mind for the memory. As he started to remember his lips curved upward slowly. She saw it and purred into his ear, "So, you do remember me?"

"Yeah…" Ed said as he smiled in a predatory way. He remembered the first time they met. He had just completed his two years at NIAD with Dr. Copeland and was on his way to Whitney University to get his Ph.D. in bio-anthropology. Much to the dismay of Dr. Copeland who as it turned out wanted to keep his eye on this brilliant young doctor soon to be scientist. He had tried in vein to change Ed's mind fearful that someday somehow, Ed might find out the truth. He was half right; it would be Ed's colleague, Dr. Sloan Parker, who would eventually find out about the new species.

Ed decided to go surfing one day with his friends to relax before heading off to continue his studies. They surfed for sometime before deciding to head back to shore. And that's when he noticed her on the beach. Their eyes had met as he walked by and he couldn't keep his eyes off the well tanned, toned body that lay on the towel. As he walked by he heard her say, "Very nice."

One of Ed's friends nudged him, "Hey, man, that wahine digs you. You should go over there and ask her out or something."

Ed placed his board up against the palm tree as he stared her. She was obviously very interested in him as she had kept her eye on him too. He turned to face Tony, "Wish me luck."

"No luck needed, bro. She wants you." Tony remarked as they slapped their hands and then grasped their fingers together to shake.

Tabitha saw the smile on Ed's face and knew that he was revisiting the memory in his mind. She ran her hands down his chest and stopped at his pectoral muscles, "Hmmm…and I see you're still keeping yourself in shape. I wonder if the rest of you is still the same."

"What was I to you?" Ed asked as he stared at the brunette.

Tabitha smiled as she straddled his hips, "You were a mission."

"A mission? You were supposed to kill me or something?"

"No, just keep an eye on you."

"Ah…so you were spying on me in my own bed."

"Yes," her hands trailed down to the hem of his shirt. Her hands snaked underneath and with delicate fingers she traced the lines of his abs. "Hmmm…just like I remembered." With seductive eyes she looked at him, "Dr. Copeland had said you could be useful to us, that maybe with his prodding that he might turn you into a collaborator." Her hands slowly moved up to his chest.

"So, why did you leave?"

"My mission was over. We got what we needed and you would be watched from a distance."

"I see…like Sloan was Tom's mission, I was your mission…nothing more."

"Yeah, but the difference was, Tom was supposed to kill Sloan. I was supposed to come back into your life and try to persuade you to join us. But things moved to fast, Dr. Copeland took you to Alaska and the plan fell apart from there. We knew then that you would not betray your species. You made that clear to Dr. Copeland. Lewis tried on many occasions to get you to join us." Tabitha ran her hands across his pectorals, "You would make him so angry. He's never failed so many times before as he had with you. He wanted to know what it was about you that he couldn't beat." Her fingers traced over his nipples causing him to release a deep groan from his throat.

Ed regained his composure. "Like when a team loses to the same team year after year. It's comforting to know that I caused Lewis such great headaches."

"You did more than you know." She leaned against his body as she purposely moved her hips in circles over his groin, "Do you remember when we made love? How our bodies moved together?"

As her words echoed in his mind, there was only person he was thinking about underneath his body. In his mind he could feel how her body surrounded him as she straddled his hips when they shifted positions. He pictured his hands on her hips helping her to move up and down as he thrust his hips upwards, meeting her downward movements in an erotic dance of love making. He thought about how her hair felt as he ran his fingers through the golden hair that cascaded around her shoulders. The thoughts of making love to the one woman deep down inside he still loved sent a burning desire to his groin. Not even in the deep clutches of quicksilver madness was his love for Claire taken away.

Tabitha could feel Ed reacting to her words. "I knew you would remember."

Ed quicksilvered the ropes and broke them easily. He wrapped his arms her. Tabitha jumped at the sudden sensation of his tight grip. "Next time, use stronger ropes."

"I'll make a note of that."

Ed stood with her in his arms and he turned her around so she was facing the wall. He held her close to his body. She leaned her head back as he nuzzled her neck. His left hand crossed in front of her to grip her right shoulder and his right hand crossed his left arm to grip the left side of her head as her chin rested in the crook of his arm. With him kissing her neck delicately she didn't realize what he was about to do until it was too late. "Not this time sweetheart." With one strong twist, her neck was broken. He let her go and watched her body fall to the floor, "It wasn't you I was thinking of."

Darien walked in and smirked, "I couldn't have done that better myself." He also sensed the strong sexual desire in Ed and it wasn't for Tabitha. 'He could have all the women he wants but he still wants Keepie,' he thought to himself as he strode confidently across the room.

Completely ignoring the growing need that had started to build in one particular area of his body, Ed turned his head and looked at Darien, "Did you find him?"

"Nah, the bastard took off. He must have found out what we did to the High Council." Darien motioned to Tabitha's body lying in heap on the floor by Ed's feet, "Somehow she knew and warned him."

"Damn, I killed her too soon, we could've found out where he's hiding," Ed said smacking himself mentally.

"It wouldn't have mattered; she didn't know, she was a decoy so that he could have enough time to get a head start." Darien suddenly motioned to the front door with a quick glance of surprise.

"What is it?"

"They're here."

Ed looked at Darien for guidance and Darien shook his head, "We don't have the element of surprise. If I know they're here, they know we're here and they'll have thermals." He could sense Tom, Shane and Mark along with Hobbes and Ray. This time it would be different than with the High Council.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Fight till the last man is standing."

The sound of a helicopter made both men look up towards the ceiling. Ed had a worried look on his face, "It just keeps getting worse, looks like the Calvary is here too."

"Yeah, and the question is which Fat Man sent them," Darien noted.

"A helicopter? I'd put my money on Walter." Ed glanced at Darien. "Is he in it?"

"We'll soon find out. You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, I know this is going to sound corny and all, but for all it's worth, this has been one hell of a ride."

Ed smiled and chuckled, "We sure did raise some hell."

"Yep, couldn't have done it without ya…" he shook Ed's hand, "See you on the other side, bro."

"Which ever side that might be," Ed commented as he let the quicksilver flow.

TBC…