Chapter 11

Hobbes glanced up towards the sky when he heard the familiar rhythmic hum of the motor turning blades in the air. The helicopter was approaching quickly, too quickly for comfort. "This can't be good. Can you tell who's in it?"

"No, not yet." Tom answered worriedly. If it was the other agents that the Official sent then they needed to get Darien and Ed in their custody before they do.

Hobbes studied the mansion, "He can afford something like this?"

"Yes. Lewis has more money than we can ever imagine." Tom, with a curved brow searched the inside of the house. He felt the presence of a dominant and a human. With a slight nod of his head he communicated that Darien and Ed were inside. He motioned for Ray and Hobbes to follow Mark through the front door while he and Shane covered the back.

Ray and Hobbes followed Mark inside wearing the thermal glasses. They searched the first floor following Mark's commands. Ed would easy to sense, but Darien would be a different story.

"Are you picking up any signals?" Hobbes asked as he scanned the area for any green life forms.

"They're here…look," Mark motioned towards the stair case. Hobbes and Ray glanced at the body of a female lying on the floor as they removed the goggles.

"I don't even have to check to know that her neck's broken," Hobbes stated.

"Yeah, I've seen this a lot myself," Ray noted. "And according to the description I got from the bartender, this is the woman that met up with Fawkes."

"Guess he decided to take her out," Hobbes said looking around.

"Or it was Ed," Mark stated. Hobbes and Ray both shook their heads in agreement.

"I think you're right," Hobbes bent down to inspect the area when something caught his eye. He held up more rope, "Any guesses who was tied up here. Looks like they tried to trick Lewis with the same gag..." Hobbes rose to his feet and repositioned the goggles.

Shane and Tom had made it to the back of the house. The helicopter landed and men in combat gear jumped out followed by Walter. Tom yelled back to him, "Give me time, Walter. You owe them that much."

Walter nodded and told the Official's men to stand by. He looked at his watch, "You've got fifteen minutes."

Shane looked at Tom apprehensively, "They're not going to make it are they?"

"Yes, they will, we need to work fast." He motioned to the thermal glasses in Shane's hand, "Put those on, and don't try to take them on by yourself."

Shane shook his head as he put on the glasses. They entered the back of the house with stealth like abilities of lions on the hunt. But the difference this time is they weren't hunting defenseless game. They were looking for an angry pair of lions who were now cornered. And that made for a dangerous mission in itself.

Ed and Darien watched through one of the upstairs windows. "Well, looks like the eagle has landed and it's Walter," Ed commented.

"Yeah, but those are the Official's men." Darien glanced at Ed, "Ready?"

Ed shook his head slightly, "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

Mark walked up to Tom, "We found a body by the stairs. Ray thinks it's the woman that Fawkes was talking to in the bar. Darien and Ed are upstairs. And Darien isn't even bothering to mask himself."

Tom glanced around to the others. "I know, which means at the moment he rather fight like a predator." He let a heavy breath before continuing. "We've got another problem; Walter is here with men from the Agency. We've got fifteen minutes to get Darien and Ed in custody."

"Then let's cut the chit chat and do it." Hobbes said sternly. "Failure is not an option here gentlemen. Those two maybe lunatics right now, but they're our own."

"You heard the man, let's find them," Shane stated.

The men stepped over the body and headed up the stairs. When they had reached halfway up, Tom, Shane and Mark glanced up suddenly. Through the thermals, they saw two green figures rushing at them at lightning speed from the top of the stairs. "Oh crap", Hobbes exclaimed as he was mowed over like a bowling pin and sent tumbling down the stairs. There was a loud popping sound when his shoulder hit a step and forced it out of the socket. The dart gun flew from his hand and tumbled down the steps until it came to rest on the floor. He let out a moan when he finally reached the floor next to the body. His hand immediately went to his right shoulder and he groaned, "Just friggin' great."

Tom had managed to grab onto the railing and prevent himself from falling. He watched as Shane, Mark and Ray met a similar fate as Hobbes did. Mark had managed to stop his fall and slowly rose to his feet. Mark fixed the glasses and watched helplessly as the two green figures ran from the house towards the backyard. "Damn, they're headed towards the back," Mark shouted as he started his pursuit.

"Damnit, Fawkes, you're headed straight for a trap," Hobbes muttered in annoyance at the kid's ability to always run straight into trouble. He got to his feet quickly and grabbed his trang gun with his left hand. "No time for pain, no time for pain," he repeated to himself as a mantra to keep his mind on the job at hand.

Mark and Tom reached the bottom of the stairs and were right behind Hobbes. Ray helped Shane to his feet as he mumbled, "I'm gettin' too old for this."

Hobbes eyed the green figures run along side the pool. He didn't know who was who but it was too late for that. He raised the dart gun, aimed and fired.

POP

A piercing pain raced through Ed's back that caused him to stumble. "Ow…shit…" he stopped running and reached out to hold onto one of the statues for support. The sedative was already working and he could barely stand. Darien stopped and turned to look at his hapless partner in crime. "Run!" Ed shouted as best he could. But Darien was never one to follow orders; he raced back to Ed's side.

He took Ed into his arms and they both sank to the patio. "I'm not leaving you." The quicksilver flaked off of both men. "We go down together," Darien said as he watched Ed fall into unconsciousness. He looked up and saw Tom standing in front of him with the dart gun aimed at him. "Protect him," Darien said. Tom promised by nodding in agreement. He heard the sound of the dart gun and then felt the sting of the dart embedding itself into the muscle just below his shoulder. He glanced down at the sleeping form in his arms, "See ya." His world quickly faded and then turned black. He fell sideways smacking his head against the pebbled deck beside the pool.

"Crap!" Hobbes hollered when he heard the sound. He rushed to Darien's side. "Someone give me a shirt or something!" He commanded urgently. Shane took his jacket off and helped Hobbes put it gently under Darien's head. Hobbes looked at Tom who was already notifying Walter that they not only had Ed and Darien in custody but they may also have an emergency.

Mark and Ray helped pull Ed off to the side. "Damn, for such a thin guy he sure is heavy," Ray complained.

"He is deceptively strong," Mark added remembering the past five years since he's known Ed. He's also seen Ed's agility at work on more than one occasion, which he attributes to the scientist's surfing and rock climbing hobbies.

Tom put his phone away and knelt down across from Hobbes, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, this is nothing." Hobbes glanced at Tom, "I was in Desert Storm you know."

Tom looked at Darien. He knows how close they are and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Darien. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Hobbes reassured Tom. "Besides, the kid's got a hard head."

Walter and the Agency squad showed up with guns drawn towards the two unconscious men. "Hey, holster the heat, we got 'em!" Hobbes looked up at Walter, "You better be here to help them."

Walter pulled out a syringe, "I am."

They all watched as Walter cleaned an injection site and inserted the needle into one of Ed's veins. He pressed down the plunger sending the counteragent rushing through Ed's system. Hobbes gazed at Walter quizzically, "I thought Keepie was going to do that."

Walter glanced over at Hobbes, "We wouldn't have enough time. Claire wasn't sure if this was even going to be enough, but it was the best she could do in a hurry." Walter checked Ed's eyes and nearly fell back. He had never seen Ed this way before.

"I know, it takes some gettin' used to, in fact, I never got used to it." Hobbes noted.

"It didn't work, his eyes are still…"

"…Freaky…yeah I know, it takes some time." Hobbes looked down at Darien, "We better get these two back to the Keep."

"We're not going to the Keep."

"Whoa…hold on a minute here, just where do you plan on taking them?" Hobbes asked angrily. Even with a dislocated shoulder he would fight to protect them.

"Don't worry, Claire is going to meet us at Fort Leavitt Hospital. She feels more comfortable having Ed and Darien there then at the lab. We'll go in the helicopter. We can get there faster. And I'd say that you need some medical assistance too."

A short time later, the helicopter took off with Ed and Darien on board along with Hobbes. Walter and Tom accompanied them back on the helicopter. Tom had made a promise to Darien and he was going to keep his word. But, he would keep his eye on Darien as well. Ray, Mark and Shane stayed behind to search the mansion for anything that Lewis may have left behind even though they seriously doubt it.

Claire, Sloan and Tara waited breathlessly for the helicopter to land. When she heard from Walter she couldn't get out to the landing pad at the hospital quick enough. For minutes she searched the skies and listened. The minutes ticked away like hours. Sloan finally looked at her, "They'll be here. Walter said he gave Ed the counteragent and it had started to work."

With her hand above her eyes to block out the sun, Claire responded, "That's not what I'm concerned about."

For what seemed like an eternity, she finally caught sight of the helicopter. She pointed towards it, "There they are!" They waited until it landed and for the signal from the pilot that it was safe to come near. The doors opened and Tom appeared with Walter behind him. Walter motioned for them to come. Claire took off with orderlies pushing two gurneys behind her.

Hobbes hopped off with his arm wrapped tightly against his chest. Claire rushed to his side, "Let me see that."

"Its okay, one of the other docs is going to look at me. You need to help Fawkes and Tate." Hobbes reassured her that he was fine and walked off with an orderly.

Claire checked Ed and his eyes had already returned to normal. But because of the sedative he was still unconscious. His pulse and breathing appeared to be normal. She checked Darien's head wound and found that it wasn't serious but she would still keep her eye on him for a possible concussion.

Ed and Darien were loaded onto the gurneys and rushed inside. Ed was taken to one room while Darien was taken to a more secure location. The Official was standing outside the room and ordered Darien to be restrained. Claire shot him a glare but understood. Until he wakes up he would have to be considered dangerous.

She turned to Tara, "Under the circumstances, if Darien wakes up I'd rather have you in the room running scans on him. Oh and have Darcy on stand-by. If Sloan was able to bring Tom back, we may need her to do the same for Darien. She's his only hope right now. I'm going to run tests on Ed…"

"I can't have you do that doctor and you know it," The Official stated in his usual gruff manner.

Claire stood toe to toe with him. "You know I'm the only with the necessary clearance. So, don't get in my way." She stormed off before the Official could say anything more. Deep down he knew that she was right. He would barely let the doctor do an exam on Darien on he caught that flu from Arnaud. This time, he would have to let her do what she does best. He turned and looked at Walter.

"You know, you play the bad cop well," Walter stated.

"Someone has to." The Official turned and walked away.

An hour later, Claire continued to go over results at a maddening pace. She was like a blonde tornado zipping around between two rooms. For the past twenty minutes or so, Ed had been trying to fight off the effects of the sedative. His eyes moved but he just couldn't get the lids opened. Every time Claire would encourage him to open his eyes, he would let out a soft groan.

Claire dashed back into Ed's room after checking on Darien. She walked quickly to his side carrying some more printouts when he moved. "Hey, sweetheart, can you open your eyes for me?"

Ed groaned.

"That's not the answer I'm looking for. I know you can do it." She watched his eyes flutter and then open slightly. "That's it, hon, you can do it…try harder."

He could hear her calling to him, but her voice sounded so far away. It was more like the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore when he holds a shell up to his ears. He tried with all his might to open his eyes but he just couldn't. Like that state when he's stuck between sleep and awake. What do they call that anyway? He was tired…so tired…but from what? He heard her calling to her again. This time instead of opening his eyes, he called back.

"Claire?" His voice was raspy from being in such a deep sleep. Between the time zone difference flying to and from Scotland, all the trouble he went through there and now this, she was amazed that he was even trying to wake up at all.

"Yes, hon, it's me. I'm here." She squeezed his hand and found it to be cold…too cold for Ed. She checked his forehead for the temperature strip and it showed that his body temp was a little low. She got up and reached for another blanket. Hospitals are notorious for being cold and a military one is no different. She placed the blanket on him and sat back down again. "Are you going to show me those beautiful brown eyes of yours?"

Ed groaned and again his eyes lids fluttered. His eyes opened and he blinked wildly at the bright lights, he shut them quickly. Claire patted his hand, "You rest some more and I'll be back." She left his side and continued to look over the results. So far, all seemed well with the gland and with him as well. She let out a sigh, "We'll stay here for 24 hours just to make sure." She left to go back and check on Darien.

Darien meanwhile had not woken up at all or even attempted it. This was a concern to Claire as she checked his vitals. "Hmmm…your vitals are strong so why aren't you waking up?" She turned to Darcy, "Do you sense anything?"

"He's just having weird dreams, but I don't know what they are."

Claire glanced back at Darien, "Well, that's not unusual for him."

"How's Ed?"

"He's trying to wake up, but he's so tired. The trip, being QSM and the sedative has really taken a lot of him. But so far the gland appears to be doing well. I'm going to keep him here for another 24 hours for observation." She paused as she studied the unconscious lanky form on the bed, "But Darien, I'm worried. He should have at least tried to wake up by now."

Another hour had passed, Ed had finally had been able to open his eyes and keep them open for more than three seconds. Claire asked him a battery of questions. "Do you remember what happened?"

Ed searched his thoughts for a moment as if trying to get his bearings in his own mind. "Ahh…I remember being dropped off at the Agency…going up stairs to the lab…and a ringing sound…like a telephone…" he looked at Claire with tired eyes, "…that's all I can remember. What happened?"

"Well, uhm…"

"Claire, please…just tell me."

"Somehow Darien was injected with Lewis' mind control serum. He came after us…but he didn't hurt us. He tricked you and gave you an injection that was meant for Tom."

Ed turned his gaze away. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Claire continued. "For some reason it sent you straight into stage five madness…"

"What?" Ed exclaimed in shock.

"You were in stage five madness. You cut your monitor out and you and Darien went to…" she stopped. She wasn't sure if she should continue.

Ed glared at her, "Claire, tell me…what did we do?"

"The High Council…Ed…you and Darien killed them."

Ed's face turned pale. "Honey?" Claire asked as he sat in a trance like state. What she had told him was sinking in.

"I don't remember…" he looked at her, "I don't remember any of it."

"That might be because of the amnesia causing components of the serum."

"Well, that's good news…I guess." Ed leaned back on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

"Sweetheart, I want to keep you here over night. To make sure the gland is okay."

He shot his head up instantly, "What do you mean, to make sure the gland is okay?"

"Well, we're not really sure how the serum would react in a human mind let alone one with a gland. It's just a precaution." Claire held his hand. She watched him settle back down.

"How's Darien?"

"He hasn't woken up yet."

"Can I see him?"

"Do you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, for some reason I need to check on him. I don't know why…maybe because…oh this is going to sound stupid…"

"Try me," Claire answered with a smile.

"I think he was calling me…while I was asleep…" he noted the odd look on her face, "I told you it was stupid."

She patted his hand, "He might have been, I can't tell you if he was or not." She stood up, "Let's go see Darien. I don't know, maybe if he hears your voice he'll wake up."

"Look, Claire, if he doesn't wake up for Darcy, he won't wake up for me."

"He might need to know that you're okay, from what I understand he was worried about you. He asked Tom to protect you. He may think you're dead and is keeping himself in a self imposed coma of some kind no matter how many times Darcy may tell him you're fine. He may need to hear your voice. Look, we both don't understand how a dominant mind completely works let alone one that was once human."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Let me get you a wheelchair."

Ed's face turned sour, "Do you have to?"

"Hospital rules. Besides, you've been through a lot."

A few moments later, Claire wheeled Ed into Darien's room. He was strapped down and this caused a frown to appear on Ed face. It bothered him to see Darien like this. He hoped that Darcy could help him once he wakes up. Claire stopped and Ed got up to walk on his own. His legs wobbled a bit, but he made it. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "Hey, Darien…" he shook his head. For some reason he felt silly, but he continued anyway. "…just thought I'd let you know that I'm okay. You can wake up now…Darcy is here and she's waiting for you." Ed sat silent for a few moments. He glanced at Claire and Darcy as he shrugged his shoulders. They encouraged him to keep talking.

"I don't remember anything that happened or what we did…and I don't blame you. You didn't know what you were doing. So…" Ed glanced down at the floor and tried to think of something else to say and then it dawned on him. "You know, you have to wake up so we can have our weekly poker night. It won't be the same without you." Ed let out a soft chuckle, "I'm sure it's hard for you to keep yourself from reading our minds…but you, Tom, Mark and Shane definitely have an advantage over Hobbes, Ray and me."

A soft moan escaped Darien's lips.

"He's coming around," Ed said in a satisfied tone. Claire wore a relieved expression as she and Darcy walked over. Darien opened his eyes and stared at first as his eyes tried to focus. He had a confused expression on his face.

"Darien, you're okay…" Ed said trying to comfort Darien. "…you just got a bump on your head."

"Huh? Me? Darien? No, you're Darien…And what happened to your hair?"

Ed looked at Claire concerned, "Maybe he does have a concussion or a bolt loose." He turned his attention back to Darien, "Ah no, I'm Ed, remember?"

"Wait, you can't be Darien…I'm...." Darien stopped realizing that even he was confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Ed asked.

"I was writing a note to Darien after I gave myself the peptide shot…"

Claire's eyes widened, "Oh bloody hell!" she exclaimed.

"What am I doing back?" Darien asked as he tried to move. "And why am I restrained?"

"Okay, did I just enter the twilight zone?" Ed asked.

Claire covered her head with her hand as she wore an exasperated expression on her face, "No, Ed, this is Kevin, Darien's older brother."