PART 9

Emma worked as fast as she could. She followed Adam's instructions carefully - adding and mixing the materials, making sure she was using the right dosages - but every time she tried the serum on the sample of infected blood cells she came up with the same result - the virus and the antidote seemed to have started working together, killing every healthy blood cell in their path.

For some reason the antidote only seemed to make matters worse when in contact with the virus...

"Antidote not synchronized with subject's DNA, viral load rising to critical mass, test failure, Antidote ineffective" the metallic voice of the computer announced once again.

To make matters worse, the computer console showed blinking lights indicating security breaches all around Sanctuary. Eckhart has arrived, and he was making every effort to gain access into Sanctuary. She tried peering outside the windows, hoping to see the one intruder she knew was already inside - the woman she saw before - but she couldn't see her. Then again, Emma thought bitterly, she must have been here for a while now, and we didn't notice her before either.

"Ok, focus Emma" she told herself out loud. Her voice seemed strange in the quietness of the room "You have to figure this out...Adam couldn't have been so far off - there must be something you're missing" She dropped back into her chair and looked at her sleeping friends - they were all wearing the same pained expressions, like they were inside some kind of a nightmare they couldn't brake free of.

"I can't sedate them anymore. I'm starting to run low on sedatives and god only knows how long we're going to have to be in here" she told herself out loud again. She sighed and went back to her work, a scary thought gnawing at the back of her mind - maybe she was already infected too. After all - isn't talking to yourself the first sign of dementia?

Shalimar was running through some kind of maze or corridor but she couldn't really tell where she was in her state of panic. She couldn't tell if the ones that were after her were still behind her - which was strange considering that ever since her powers got enhanced she could pretty much see anyone coming behind her for miles away. She went passed a door but didn't even bother trying to open it - she tried that before, and the results have always been the same, the things she saw behind those closed doors were things she never wanted to see again - she preferred running, for the rest of her life even - as long as she never have to see these things again...

Camille knew she had to work quickly - Eckhart was the not the kind of man to wait around for anyone. She did her homework when she first came here - she knew where all the security detectors were and what kind of arming mechanisms they each activated - or at least she thought so... one thing this little delay has taught her was never to take anything for granted when it came to these pesky Mutant X people... especially Adam Kane.

When she failed gaining access to the security system through the computer she knew she only had one shot left - she had to go over and do it manually. She walked over to the main entrance and started working on the metal panel next to the large metal doors - careful come into the range of the motion detector that was positioned right above it. Once she got the panel off she started playing with the wires, ignoring the angry electricity sparks that shot out, connecting two wires each time until she found the right sequence. Once she got the front door open she'd still have to take care of about a million booby-traps and sensors around the place in order to make it safe for Eckhart and his men to move around - but first she just had to let them in! before Eckhart looses his patience.

The doors finally let out a buzz and drew open and she smiled to herself with satisfaction as the sensor above them blinked green to indicate it was now offline. "Mr. Eckhart..." she called on the com link "The doors are open and waiting for you..."

"It's about damn time Miss Dye" the irate voice answered her "We'll be there shortly..."

She nodded to her self and checked her watch - she still had a few minutes to try and deactivate a few other sensors before Eckhart got here. The more access he has into Sanctuary, the more pleased will Eckhart be with her work...

Her curiosity finally got the better of her and Emma drew some of her own blood to check whether or not she'd been infected. "It's not like I was getting anywhere with the antidote!" she told herself bitterly as she waited for the computer to finish analyzing her blood sample, she went over to Adam and took his hand in hers "Oh, Adam, What the hell were you thinking leaving me alone to do this? I'm not a scientist! I don't know anything about viruses and antidotes!"

The computer beeped and a new screen pulled up "Blood sample clean, no indication of viral infection, sample intact" the metallic voice announced and she couldn't help but sigh - why wasn't she infected? She'd been closed in this room with 3 infected people for hours now, she's been in physical contact with them, she's been breathing the same air as they were - why the hell was she still healthy?

She was so tiered, and frustrated, and angry... She was watching the only real family she ever had slowly sleep into a coma- like-state and there was nothing she could do about it... She didn't notice the tears starting to run down her cheeks... Without thinking she grabbed the first thing she laid her hands on and threw it against the wall over the microscope, enjoying the way it smashed and dripped all over the table and equipment, then curled into a ball on the floor and let her sobs completely take over. She couldn't do this alone, she might as well sit here and wait for Eckhart to come take them all away...

"Antidote achieving synchronization with subject DNA" The metallic voice suddenly echoed in the room "test successful, Antidote effective"