Piper, Paige, and Amy sat in one of the rooms in the infirmary talking with Phoebe. It had been three days since they had defeated the super demon. In that time they had searched every inch of the complex. No sign of the demons could be found.
Phoebe had finally regained consciousness. Dr. Memphis told them that at almost the precise moment they had vanquished the super demon, she had suddenly begun to recover rapidly. Almost all the demonic DNA had disappeared from her body. In another day or two she should be back to normal.
"So," asked Phoebe, "just how did you finally stop that thing? You couldn't use the spell I wrote with me in a coma."
"We healed it to death," joked Paige.
"Actually," said Piper, "Leo and Philip used their healing powers to stimulate the White Lighter DNA in the demon. It kind of went into overdrive and excised the demonic DNA. It's a good thing Philip was here. Leo said one White Lighter couldn't have stimulated the DNA enough to do it."
"Probably the first time a White Lighters healing power was ever used as a weapon," said Leo from the doorway.
Marcus and James Crawford stood next to Leo. They walked into the room and stood next to Phoebe's bed.
"How are you doing?" asked Marcus.
"Okay, all things considered," said Phoebe. "I understand I have James to thank for that."
"All I did was donate blood," said Crawford. "The doctors did all the work."
"Well, to be honest," said Memphis, coming into the room, "we didn't do anything. The blood did all the work. We still don't know how, but I think I know why.
"Men have an X and a Y chromosome in their genetic code. Women have two Y chromosomes. It's what determines if you'll be male or female. In some rare cases, some men are born with an extra Y chromosome. We really don't know why this happens.
"James has this extra Y chromosome. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for his immunity to the genetic code change in the demonic DNA. And that was passed onto Phoebe through the transfusion, though it was only temporary. But it was transferred long enough to counter the foreign DNA in her system."
"Aren't men with this extra Y chromosome more prone to violent behavior?" asked Amy.
"As a rule, yes," said Memphis. "But that's not always the case. And the interesting thing is that almost all of the demonic DNA we've tested over the years seem to be made up of two Y chromosomes, no X chromosomes."
"How is that possible?" asked Marcus.
"We have no idea," said Memphis. "I believe that hundreds or thousands of years ago, demons mated with humans. This produced the XYY chromosome pattern that occasionally shows up in some men. There doesn't seem to be any other logical reason for the extra Y chromosome.
"But I think that extra Y chromosome acted like an antibody to the demonic DNA. Literally destroying it. And your own body's natural immune system replaced the destroyed DNA with healthy DNA of its own. Philips' healing power helped to stimulate the reproduction of healthy tissue."
"So there won't be any lasting effects from this?" asked Piper.
"Not as far as I can tell," said Memphis. "We'd like to keep Phoebe here a couple of more days for observation and to run a few tests just to make sure. But I think the crisis over."
"What about those lower demons?" asked Phoebe.
"All gone," said Marcus. "Apparently the lesser demons were dependent upon the main one. When Leo and Philip destroyed the main demon, the lower ones couldn't survive. We finally finished our count. Forty-seven employees are unaccounted for. Since they couldn't get out of the complex without us knowing it, the only explanation is that they were converted. And destroyed when the main demon was vanquished."
"I hope that's the only one of those things around," said Paige. "One was more than enough for me."
"I don't think there are any more of them," said Marcus. "The resources needed to produce this one were incredible. It's doubtful there were enough resources for a second project."
"When can I get out of here?" asked Phoebe. "After this, working at the paper is going to seem like a vacation."
"As I said," said Memphis, "we want to keep you around here for couple of days yet. But after that you should be free to go. Until then, you need some rest. So I want everyone out of here now for at least the next eight hours."
"He's the only one here who can give me orders," joked Marcus.
"When it comes to medical situations, I have the last say so," said Memphis. "Now, everyone out. And don't make me post a guard outside the door to make sure you stay out."
"Aye, aye, sir," mocked Marcus, saluting the doctor. "Phoebe, we'll see you in eight hours, then."
They all said their goodbyes to Phoebe as a nurse came in to check her vital signs. Then they filed back to the conference room.