Claire jumped when her phone rang. Frantic, she answered. "Bobby?"
"No, it's me." Darien's voice sounded strained.
"Darien? I thought the phone was dead." She was at a near run behind Jamie, who somehow found enough energy to sprint headlong down the halls carrying at least fifty pounds of rescue equipment.
"It is, almost. Look, Keep, we're both in bad shape here, Hobbes is fading fast and I'm fighting QSM." Darien looked at Bobby, who made a small, desperate gesture with his hand, his lips moving silently. "What? Hobbes?"
"Phone," Hobbes rasped, his eyes pleading. Darien wordlessly handed it over. "Claire…"
"Bobby! Don't talk, you have to stay calm and quiet, I think you have internal bleeding." They had reached the mangled double doors Bobby had described to them earlier, and Claire rose on tiptoe to try and see through the spiderwebbed safety glass.
"No. Claire, I have to… have to tell you something." His breathing was labored and harsh, even through the phone, and Claire thought her heart was going to break.
"No Bobby, you don't. We're almost there, just a minute longer." Jamie's hand on her shoulder pulled her away from the doors.
"Claire, I…"
"I know, Bobby. Give the phone back to Darien."
"Claire…"
"Bobby, please- just give the phone back to Darien." Hobbes dropped the phone to the floor with a clatter, eyes closing, fingers limp. Furious, Darien snatched the phone up.
"Why didn't you let him tell you?"
"Darien, calm down, you need to stay calm for as long as possible, Bobby needs you."
"Dammit Claire! Stop being a doctor and be a HUMAN BEING for once!" Darien felt the last strands of control slipping, his anger snapping the slender threads of sanity. The quicksilver madness broke free and surged up, overriding everything, drowning his concern for his partner in a blind rage at the Keeper's callous behavior. The phone beeped and Darien ground his teeth together, a furious inhuman growl escaping from between his lips as Jamie swung the axe at the damaged door.
"Darien, please, you have to stay focused, Bobby needs you…" Claire listened to Darien's rough breathing as the phone beeped one last time and died. With a howl of rage Darien flung the phone at the door.
His eyes closing, Bobby let out a small sigh of breath and seemed to shrink into himself.
Jamie paused, his breathing suddenly rough and uneven, and he looked at Claire with horror all over his face. She took a step back. "Jamie? Are you okay?"
"Oh my God," he wheezed, face pale. "I can feel him. Darien. I know it's him but it feels like he's drowning…" He looked at Claire, expression horrified. "What's been done to him?"
"I can't explain right now, we just have to get to him!" Claire urged. "Please Jamie- I'll explain it later." Shaken, Jamie heaved the axe over his head, and brought it down on the lock again with no effect. Squaring his shoulders, Jamie swung the axe again and the door burst open and crashed to the floor, raising a cloud of concrete dust. Claire and Jamie coughed, struggling to see, and everything was silent- then a quiet, wicked chuckle emanated from the gloom.
"Just who I wanted to see." Darien stepped out of the dust, eyes bloodshot and unblinking. He grinned maniacally at Claire. "How ya doin', Keep?" he drawled- then launched himself across the floor like a cat.
Claire shrieked and stumbled back as Darien's hands closed around her shoulders, then suddenly someone was between them.
Jamie's icy blue eyes met Darien's mad bloodshot sable. "Let go," he growled. Darien smiled.
"Okay." Darien released Claire, who scurried around him to Bobby. Jamie's eyes never left Darien's, and the two men circled each other warily. "Didja bring a shot, Keep?" Darien said softly over his shoulder.
"The last batch was finishing up in the lab and wasn't ready when we left; we have to get you back to the Agency," she replied distractedly, taking Bobby's pulse. She looked up. "We don't have much time. He's weakening."
"You ran out of time already," Darien murmured. "If you hadn't noticed." Without warning he lunged for Jamie. Jamie didn't flinch, just let Darien's fingers close around his throat. Claire let out of helpless cry as Darien began to squeeze.
"Jamie! Try to calm him down!" Claire's voice echoed in the corridor, bouncing off the floor and ricocheting off the walls as she frantically checked as many of Hobbes' vitals as she could. With an inhuman effort Jamie managed to twist under Darien and the pair rolled over, locked together. The finally came to rest a few feet away, positions reversed with Jamie now on top and Darien on the floor.
"Sure thing," he grunted, "Get right on it." Darien thrashed and twisted beneath Jamie like a snake, and Jamie was finding it as difficult to get a grip on his mind as it was on his body. Somehow Darien's knee got beneath Jamie and with a grunt he sent the shorter man flying.
Jamie hit the wall hard and slumped. Darien was on him immediately, his throat in his hands, and he began to squeeze. Claire leaped to her feet, hands bunched in fists, helpless. "Darien! Let him go! Darien! Listen to me, godammit!"
Darien froze and turned his crimson eyes to Claire. "Now why in the world would I listen to you?" he said softly, almost sweetly, rising to his feet and leaving Jamie in a gasping heap on the floor. He took a step toward Claire, and she stepped back, bumping into Bobby. "When it's your fault this damn thing is STILL IN MY HEAD?"
Darien lunged.
Claire jumped.
Darien stumbled, tried to catch himself, started to straighten- but out of nowhere Jamie's hand shot out and hooked Darien's ankle. Darien crashed to the floor in a tangled mess of arms and legs, roaring in surprise and frustration as Jamie hauled him bodily away from Claire and Bobby. Darien writhed and fought, kicking and punching, finally catching Jamie on the cheekbone with a well-placed heel. Growling in pain, Jamie let go and both men scrambled to their feet, but this time Jamie's shorter stature served to his advantage. He stabilized quicker and launched himself at the still-rising Darien, catching Darien's face fast between his hands. The two men locked eyes and both froze. The quiet was startling. Jamie's expression twisted slightly, almost painfully, his teeth baring, breath hissing between them. Darien tried to pull away but Jamie's fingers were fused into his skull, burning, Jamie's eyes all he could see…
Claire stepped closer to the pair, wondering. Darien suddenly stiffened and began to quicksilver starting at his feet. Claire watched in fascination as the band of quicksilver moved up his body in a wave about a foot wide, flaking off as it progressed. The band moved up Darien's torso, engulfed his shoulders and head, shattered and moved across Jamie's arms and did the same in reverse, ending at Jamie's feet.