"Leo, move," shouted Paige.
Leo stepped away from the module and pulled the other man away. Paige held out her hand and called for the module. Suddenly, the module orbed out of the machine and appeared in Paige's palm. The lights and alarms stopped.
"How . . . how did you do that?" asked the startled stranger.
Suddenly a demon stepped out of the shadows and racked Paige's back with a clawed hand. Paige fell to the floor dropping the module. The stranger picked up the fire axe and hit the demon full force with it, sending the beast back a few steps. As it turned to attack, a Dark Lighters' bolt stopped the demon in its tracks.
"Come on," said Leo, picking up the module. "Let's get out of here. Let's get back to the conference room."
With Paige injured, Leo had to orb them all out. The man they had discovered in the lab picked up Paige and held her as Leo orbed them all out of the lab.
"You're lucky it was a claw attack," said Dr. Memphis as Leo healed Paige. "If that thing had bitten you, you'd be in the same shape as your sister. The infection is passed through the demons saliva."
"That's a neat trick," said the man from the lab. He rolled up one sleeve to expose a large makeshift bandage. He pulled the bandage off to expose a nasty wound that had obviously already begun to heal. "Think you can do anything with this?"
"Hold on," said Dr. Memphis, examining the wound. "Those look like teeth marks."
"Yeah," said the man. "One of those things bit me about three days ago. I think it might be infected."
"Bit you?" questioned Memphis. "Other than this wound, and you're right, it is infected, you don't seem any different."
"I'm not," said the man. "But it hurts like hell. Got anything for the pain, doc?"
"Go on," Memphis said to Leo. "This is amazing. He was bitten three days ago and hasn't undergone any transformation."
"What does that mean?" asked Piper.
"It implies some sort of resistance to the infection," said Memphis. "If I can isolate that resistance, it might be able to produce a vaccine against the demon bites."
"Who are you?" Marcus asked the man. "What were you doing on the sixth level?"
"My name is James Crawford," said the man. "I work maintenance and was assigned to the sixth level. When those things first appeared, the level was sealed. I couldn't get out. I've been hiding down there ever since. I don't know who these people are but they saved my butt."
"Lucky for us he was there," said Leo. "He already had started the shut down procedure when we got there. Without him, I'm not sure we would have had enough time to do it."
Thanks," said Crawford after Leo finished healing him. "There's not even any pain. I appreciate it."
"You'll be find now," said Leo. "As good as new."
"I'll have the cook make you something," Marcus said to Crawford. "You're probably hungry."
"Yes, I am," said Crawford. "The only food down there were the vending machines and they didn't last long."
"What about this immunity?" asked Piper. "Can it be used to cure Phoebe?"
"Piper, it's not that simple," said Marcus. "It could take months, even years, to isolate the immunity. Even then, there's no telling how long it will take to produce a vaccine."
"Maybe not," said Memphis. "Whatever's producing this immunity should be in Mr. Crawford's blood. A simple transfusion should at least partially transfer some of that immunity to Phoebe. At the very least, it should slow the progression of the infection. Assuming that Mr. Crawford is willing to agree to a transfusion."
"You got me out of that hell hole," said Crawford to Piper. "I guess a transfusion is the least I can do."
"Good," said Memphis. "We should get started right away."
"Okay," said Crawford. "While we're doing that, you can explain to me exactly what's going on. And how someone can heal me with a simple touch."
"Go ahead, Doctor," said Marcus. "I think we can trust James with the truth."
"Very well," said Memphis. "Come along, Mr. Crawford. I have a strange but fascinating story to tell you."
"We still have that container on the fourth level to contend with," said Marcus after Crawford and Memphis had left.
"And now we don't have the Power of Three," said Piper. "With Phoebe out, her spell is useless."
"Honey," said Marcus to Amy, "you're a witch. Can't you fill in for Phoebe? Complete this Power of Three?"
"It doesn't work that way," said Amy. "The Power of Three is not simply the combined power of three witches. It's the combined power of these three particular witches. It's their blood relation that makes them the Charmed Ones. No one else can replace any of them."
"Maybe we still have an advantage," said Paige. "When those converted demons saw Leo, they acted like they were afraid of him."
"She's right," said Piper. "They couldn't get back into the elevator shaft fast enough."
"The original was created using White Lighter DNA," said Marcus. "Theoretically, I suppose, there's some sort of instinct in those converted demons that allows them to recognize a White Lighter. And maybe see them as superior. There are examples of that in nature."
"How do you know so much about this stuff?" asked Piper. "You don't seem like a typical administrator."
"I wasn't always," said Marcus. "I'm a molecular biologist by trade. Another reason I was put in charge here. The doctors here can explain things to me and I can understand them no matter how complicated it gets."
"So these demons would be genetically predisposed to seeing Leo as a sort of boss?" asked Amy.
"It's certainly possible," said Marcus.
"Demons do rule by fear and intimidation," said Leo. "If they see me as superior because I'm a White Lighter, they might also see me as their master."
"Philip," Amy called into the air. "Philip, I need to see you."
Another White Lighter suddenly orbed into the conference room.
"This is Philip Crown, my White Lighter," explained Amy. "I figure two White Lighters just might give us a bigger edge than one. And with the self-destruct deactivated, there's not much chance of either of them setting it off."
"Edge over what?" asked Philip. "Amy, you told me never to come here. What's going on?"
"It's complicated, Philip," said Leo. "Come on. Marcus and I will fill you in."