Chapter 07
Sara was sipping from her wine glass in the plush reception area as Nova sampled one of the appetizers. A salmon mousse that was actually quite good if she admitted it. Their two escorts were just ten feet away conversing with two others. Names they hadn't been bothered to remember. No one at the party seemed very familiar and it was all surrounding this Dr. Landvik they also didn't know. He was presenting the findings of a research study.
"It doesn't sound familiar to you?" Nova asked Sara.
"Not really." Sara said. "Actually it sounds very dull." She paused. "There's a reason why I didn't pursue medicine for my degree. I had to do a media and research class but…." She shrugged. "Everyone hated doing it." Sara hiccupped, giving a slight giggle belying her slightly buzzed nature. Nova smiled, sipping from her own wine glass. It was nice to see her friend laugh and given the circumstances, laughter seemed to be a small commodity these days.
"Let's go look at the view." She suggested. They are on a high rise and could see much of the City of London from where they were.
"Okay." Sara agreed easily, passing a table filled with brochures. Landvik Laboratories. She thought, reading from them. Richard Landvik. 'Where life begins anew.' "Life begins anew?" She repeated. "Oh, I'm sure no one has thought of that slogan. What's he selling?"
"The fountain of youth?" Nova muttered, rolling her eyes. "It talks about DNA rejuvenation and…" Her words trailed as a distinct pang of familiarity ran through her. "I have a bad feeling."
At the same moment, the lights dimmed. Dr. Richard Landvik made his way to the center unveiling the machine that was to be the center of his presentation. Sara suddenly had a feeling what this was.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." Dr. Landvik proceeded. "I am Professor Richard Landvik and I'm going to be performing a miracle tonight."
A shadow brushed by, just touching Nova's sleeve. She turned with a gasp only to feel her heart give way to palpitations at the sudden familiarity. The scent. Just the presence of his mind. She knew. The Doctor. It's him. She stumbled back towards the window, pulling Sara with her. In the dark, no one saw her minor mis-steps. No one but….
The very man turned back to discern their presence, hesitating a moment, before reaching his primary objective of the professor in front. She felt Sara gasp at her side. She had seen him too.
"Tonight you will watch and wonder." Dr. Landvik continued. "Tomorrow you will wake to a world that will be changed forever." He entered the machine and blue light started to stream out of it at vast quantities.
Is that….Nova looked in horror. It resembled to some extent the energy Sara emitted. To some extent but not quite. Similar elements with other things added to the mix. It was causing an electro-chemical disturbance. The machine itself was overloading.
"We have to go." Sara seized Nova's hand not thinking once about the supposed contract in place or the agreement they made. If their two protectors were associated with such an individual and then seeing the Doctor here….they had their moment and the public around them were starting to panic. "While we still have time." The darkness allowed for them to enter the elevator bank so far unmolested by the security Mark had instilled. She frantically pushed the button to try to implore the elevator to come at a faster rate.
"Miss Thomas, Miss Morganson. This is not our agreement." John's voice was heard in the background heading towards them. "Stay-"
He sighed. They had changed course and headed for the stairs. He would need to call the security downstairs to meet them.
"Well, hello again, Mr. Altamont."
John turned. At the moment, this wasn't the least bit entertaining. "I'm afraid I'm a little pressed for time."
"Oh, you didn't miss me." His adversary asked sarcastically. "Not the slightest bit?"
Before he could respond, the fire alarm was triggered in their proximity. Water rained down soaking them through as well as his phone, which among its many deficits, wasn't particularly water proof.
He cursed mildly as he ran to the stairs, giving Mark a brief signal that security was being hampered.
"I'll be seeing you." His nameless adversary called after him mockingly. Their meetings were often haphazard at best, although Sara's description of Moriarty seemed a suitable parallel. Perhaps the two girls knew more than what was currently published about the individual. They would certainly need to be questioned.
That is, once we find them. John thought.
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Under an hour later the brothers finally found the girls. They had been slightly…delayed in looking for them when they discovered exactly how insane their scientist had been. Then another five minutes of quiet-yelling from…Mr. Doe for their stupidity in who they hired and to get a better screening process.
Finally, the ambulances were around and treating the injuries of the various people who hadn't been smart enough to run while they could. Fortunately, there wasn't very many.
A call came in from the private security line that the girls had been found. They actually hadn't gone that far away. They were slightly drunk in a bar down the street. Not very, so they couldn't have been drinking much for long. Still, John and Mark exchanged looks of the impending interesting conversation. Why had they run?
An EMT was looking them over at the moment, ensuring that they weren't harmed by any debris that had fallen, their hearing was fine even after the loud screaming shriek from the creature the former scientist had given as it fell from the bell tower, and when it was all done, the EMT just shook his head and handed them both a sealed water bottle and told the brothers that it was to prevent dehydration from the alcohol they had consumed.
"Thank you. We will take them home now."
"Keep an eye on them. Just because I can't tell right now doesn't mean there isn't anything wrong."
"Of course." Mark inclined his head. Then gestured for them to climb into the waiting limousine. The girls seemed to be torn between staying in the public light and getting into the vehicle. "Now, what happened?"
To avoid answering, because neither had any desire to do so any time soon and explain some very uncomfortable facts, the girls exchanged looks and opened their bottles. Taking a long swig, Sara gestured with her other hand to her mouth to indicate that she was otherwise occupied.
Nova didn't even bother going that far. She was honestly thirsty. They had drunk so much alcohol – straight Jameson whiskey for her and four shots at that! – that Nova was concerned with how not-drunk they were. It didn't quite make sense. However, she also knew that the best way to prevent a hangover was to drink a lot of water before sleeping. So, since it was in her hand and she really didn't want to answer questions, she set about draining the 20-oz bottle.
Both girls had to physically unseal the bottles, so it never occurred to them that someone could have tampered with the water. They never suspected. Why would anyone do such a thing?
However, not too long after Nova was about ¾ done with her bottle, she began to feel strange. Even stranger than after the ketamine incident. She pulled the water away from her lips, finished swallowing, and her body froze as her mind proceeded to analyze the feeling. It wasn't quite nausea, but it wasn't pain either. Quietly, she voiced a concern. "Something's wrong." The brothers tensed beside them.
The Pain Scale was invented to help doctors understand how much pain a patient was in. However, since pain is subjective, it is not without downsides. A child thinks even a small scrape is enough to cry over. An adult knows better. The Pain Scale goes from zero to ten, with zero being all smiles and no pain, and ten being the worst pain a person has ever experienced in their lifetime.
Nova knew such a scale because of her step-mother. So, as she did every time she began to feel ill, she rated it on the Pain Scale in her mind. The pain was relatively small at first. Just a slight nausea. It didn't stay that way. It escalated in intensity quickly. Her mathematician mind noted absently that it was exponential in nature. That mental notation did not stop her from collapsing to her knees when it got too much, struggling to even pull in air.
"Nova!" Sara cried out, dropping to her knees next to her friend. She too felt strange. But Nova couldn't breathe. All concerns pushed aside, she had to summon her healing ability to help her friend. John had already reacted gripping Nova by the arms, examining her superficially. "It appears to be respiratory distress." He said to Mark. "We need the medical kit from the car. Have the security summon Dr. Freeman."
"Already en route." Mark said, stepping forward. Admittedly, John had more knowledge vesting in this particular area concerning biology and chemistry. His mind focused on business, psychology, mathematics and communication. They each had their strengths and rationalized the information they kept in their minds as to what would be the most efficient in coordination with each other. He took a step closer, deciding not to waste any further time as he quickly analyzed Sara. "Are you able to heal her?" He was well aware of her ability, suspected it previously but it was considerably nice to receive confirmation in the restaurant and at the Bonfire even if the circumstances were not directly under his control.
Sara disregarded semantics, considering the verifiable emergency that was on her hands. "I'm trying but I'm…." She started to gasp, feeling an excruciating chest pain that seemed to crawl up from her arm to her neck and then to her jaw. "I'm…"
"What's wrong?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I can't…" It was the last words Sara was able to manage before she coughed up a vast quantity of blood and then collapsed unconscious on the ground next to Nova.
"Clear the direct vicinity." John ordered to the security. "Shutdown Canary Wharf. Not one vehicle is to leave without our direct permission." He glanced at his brother. "They appear to be throwing a blood clot. Symptoms of pulmonary embolism." He shook his head. "Considering the nature of their biology, this event is unlikely to occur naturally." The security brought the medical kits and he immediately administered oxygen to them both, while gauging their vitals. Their pulse rates were rapid while their skin was clammy.
They still weren't getting enough oxygen. Intubation. John thought. Admittedly, not a strong point. He often was a particular observer of corpses rather than overseeing to the medical care of live people. Still, it was practical he should learn since Michael Freeman wasn't always on sight. Things had the tendency to become hazardous once or twice. He started with Nova whose situation appeared more acute. She had lost consciousness first and already her heartbeat was becoming irregular.
Taking the laryngoscope, he placed it in Nova's mouth to push her tongue aside, while pressing his thumbs against her thyroid for accurate visualization. Carefully he wedged it down past her tonsils and above her voice box. The procedure now complete, he attached the tube to the portable respirator set there for his disposal. He quickly turned to Sara.
"Right, I'm here." Michael's voice interrupted. "Nice to see how royally you two mucked this all up again in less than 24 hours." Sarcasm was radiating from his voice as he gritted his teeth. He wondered if they needed a manual or a page with nice large-printed instructions. Two days rest. Decent meals. Nowhere did it say gallivant them off to a press or media event to help them resolve the conflict these men seemed so ready to commit. Perhaps a list with nice, neat little numbers. One through five. Can't possibly….
He looked at both the girls and swallowed before removing the second intubation kit for Sara. "Right." He said as he started to perform the same procedure that John had performed on Nova. "I'm making do with what I have so you are now a medic. I need an IV line in both. And blood samples." Checking for toxicity of any kind was his first step but a complicated one. He had to compare the blood samples taken with the ones he obtained last night to detect a differential. While John worked on that task, Michael searched the bag for accessible thrombolytics. At this point, he wasn't particular. He just needed to stabilize them for transport and the pulmonary embolism was occurring in rapid succession.
He was fearful they were at risk for a cerebral embolism. The very worst case scenario and if they lost them, the contract they exercised with 'Mr. Doe'…he swallowed, working frantically finding the vials he needed just as John finished the last IV line into Sara.
"Perhaps you should contact Mr. Doe for assistance." Michael suggested.
"That wouldn't be advisable. He was very well mal-tempered today and could see this incident as precedent for a breach of contract. The girls would be taken and our planet left out of his protection."
"You should have considered that before you took them on this media circus after I told you twice they should stay under observation for two days!" He barked at them as he blew air out of the needle he was holding. "For such intelligent men, you two behave like complete and utter idiots. If you two were actually related, I would assume it to be a family trait!"
"I'm sorry." John said, putting his most grave tone into the apology as Michael finished injecting the thrombolytics into the IV's for both girls. He held his breath briefly, looking at the portable screen monitoring both their vitals. Blowing out his breath, he was alleviated to some degree as they started to respond to the emergency clot dissolver.
"You're just saying that. Perhaps Sara was right. Too many false apologies for one night."
"I am indeed sorry about the turn of events. If I could have prevented the cause by altering our decision to come here, I would." John voiced. He wasn't lying. One recrimination already tonight with his now former colleague. The next, the two girls being moved to stretchers in front of him. Neither he nor his brother thought this was an ideal resolution to the evening's events.
"Their stable for now." Michael said wearily but they both need to go to the Clinic. "For my sanity and their protection." The Clinic was a privately funded underground research and medical center, all state of the art for which only the three men and very select staff working there knew about. The singular amount of contracts each nurse and doctor working for that small facility signed was staggering. Technology was also used to assure their compliance via a strongly implanted posthypnotic suggestion. A metal implant simply called a neuristor was placed at the very base of their skulls monitoring the status of the imposed commands. Acquired during a previous small scale alien invasion, the technology had been adapted from its rudimentary purposes of simply resisting the hypnotic force put forth by what those the girls had titled 'Cybermen'. An adequate description. Mark thought. It was different than the imposed serial number system he was often versatile in using.
"Of course, I was about to suggest the very same solution." Mark said as the two brothers followed behind Michael and the girls. He was increasingly concerned. He knew the Michael Freeman would exercise all options to find a solution to remedy his patients but was there indeed a solution? Considering that these girls had been highly resistant, given their previous medical history, or lack thereof, to various viruses or epidemics, what would be causing the irregularity now?
A better question…Mark thought of Mr. Doe. Whatever was causing such a reaction would likely have the same result with Mr. Doe. Considering that this very person chose not to admit this pivotal weakness, well….Mark briefly raised his eyebrows. Both parties were contractually obligated but that didn't mean Mr. Doe trusted them. Oh no. Not fully and certainly not with this. Such information could be used to exploit the other.
Interesting….Mark briefly mused as he stepped into the car.
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Michael rubbed his eyes as he compared both blood samples and read through the analysis. "It's bizarre." He said finally.
"To what end?" John asked.
"They're emitting this hormone that regulates some of their major systems. Respiratory, nervous system, circulatory….the hormone, considering it's derived near the thyroid, I named it HPT-1, hypothalamic, pituitary, thyroid…" He repeated the acronym quickly. "However something is inhibiting the hormone receptor intermediaries and stopping platelet aggregation."
"And that something?" Mark asked. "What about their chemical panel?"
"Nothing unusual although you said both girls were consuming high amounts of alcohol."
"We presume." John said dryly. "Considering we found them in a bar having one shot after another of whiskey."
"Well, that is strange since the percentage of ethanol in their blood stream was very minute. Nova's was hardly detectable and…" He frowned.
"And?" Mark asked.
"Both their DNA seem to be in a state in genetic flux. When I last checked Nova, however, the amount of alien DNA replication was steady at twenty five percent but now it's….it's increasing."
"Increasing?" John repeated. He looked at Michael. "You believe there was a precipitating event to trigger her sudden mutation."
Michael winced at the word, looking down at the results. "Yes, I believe so. Likely recent in nature." He sighed.
"What treatment course are you proposing to use given the situation at hand?" Mark said. Indeed, Nova's case was a curiosity but they had an urgent situation at hand.
"Anticoagulants and I'm also giving them a course of triglycerides." He said. "It's a theory but I have seen results in using a complex mixture of individual triglycerides to combat anti-platelet effects in some late stage leukemia patients." He grimaced. "We'll simply have to wait and see." He detested waiting and he was the medical professional. He only fathomed by their expressions that both John and Mark loathed it more than he did. But at the moment, their feelings weren't his primary concern. He proceeded out of the office to check both of his patients in the room they were being monitored in.
Before he completely left the room, he looked over at the two. "Get me the bottle of alcohol they were drinking from. I'll run it through the mass-spec and see if there is anything unusual."
"What are you saying, doctor?"
"that either something was introduced to their system by themselves, or they were drugged unknowingly. Liquid is usually a fast reactionary device." Michael left again.
The two gave each other glances, both of their minds on exactly the same thing. And it wasn't the alcohol. Mark pulled out his phone and began to give strict orders to the security force.
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Michael looked up as John handed him three containers. One was a whiskey bottle, almost gone. The other two were generic water bottles. One of them was almost full, the other almost empty. Someone had put masking tape on each bottle, drawing a 'N' on the almost-empty and a 'S' on the almost-full. "Put these through the G.C. Mass Spectrometer, Dr. Freeman. The compound that has done this will hopefully show up within."
As the good doctor began to do just that, he voiced his thoughts. "You wouldn't have given the girls water that hadn't been sealed."
"Nor did we. They received the bottles through an EMT at the scene. He has already been picked up. Based on what you tell me will indicate which questions to ask him. However, it is not too difficult to unseal the bottle, strip it of the cap, insert what is desired, and then simply cap it with a new lid." John recited. He had tried it himself less than half an hour previous, just to see if it was possible. He was almost frightened at how simple it really was.
"Should be done in a few minutes." Michael said quietly. A very tense, very quiet 2.13 minutes later, the mass-spec beeped and the doctor brought the results up on the computer terminal. He blinked at it several times. "What?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. That's the problem. The alcohol is perfectly normal barley-based whiskey. The water bottles though…they both have a concentration of 1.5% of acetylsalicylic acid." Michael said in disbelief.
John blinked at him. "Aspirin? Aspirin did this to them?!" The disbelief and shock was clear on his face. He pulled out his mobile and spoke to his brother the situation.
Michael was close enough to hear the response. First was the same reaction as John's, then a contemplative silence. "It is no wonder Mr. Doe never told us of such a weakness. That substance has been around for over a thousand years and is profoundly common. If such a concentration makes the girls, who are not even half of his cellular processes, react so negatively… We barely were able to react in time to save their lives."
"there is something else to consider," Michael said gravely. John blinked at him and pushed the button for speaker-phone. He nodded for the doctor to go ahead. "What if this wasn't just a prank? Someone thinking that aspirin in the water would help with their hangover?"
"There is no doubt that it was deliberate."
"That's not what I mean. What if they…whoever 'they' are…did this deliberately, trying to find out just how much alike the girls are too Mr. Doe?" Michael expressed with a gesture of his hands. "The bonfire incident exposed Ms. Thomas' healing ability. This gives the culprits a very specific weakness they both carry. Someone, and I don't think it's whoever made the girls for those people would already know about this rather large biological failing, is trying to see how much the girls are biologically similar to Mr. Doe."
"They would already need to know about this weakness Mr. Doe has in such a case."
"True. So the list should be short." Michael nodded. "Who would make that list?"
"Some of his former companions perhaps. But he never takes any that are not trustworthy. His screening process is even better than ours at finding such individuals. They would never tell if they knew." John suggested thoughtfully.
"Sladen and Barrowman live in the area. I'll have them picked up" Mark intoned.
"It could still be a coincidence." Michael was thinking aloud at this point. "The bonfire incident caused by a completely different group. The girls seemed very sure that those were after the two of you and not them. They were simply convenient. However, the bonfire alerted whomever is behind the aspirin of the possibility, and this was their confirmation."
"If they already know about such a large vulnerability…then what do they want the girls for?" That rather frightening unknown burrowed into their minds. It was extremely difficult to protect their charges if they didn't know from whom they were protecting them, but also for an unknown reason. It didn't make sense.
"The girls must have something else that this character wants. Some information or ability they are looking for."
"Then how would the allergy help them confirm this?"
"Unknown. I'll call back after I've…spoken with the EMT, Barrowman, and Sladen. Hopefully, we will have answers soon." Mark intoned and the phone disconnected.
Michael heaved himself up. "I'll go check on the girls."
John watched the man leave, wondering how bad this situation truly was, and how much trouble they would be in with Mr. Doe when the off-worlder found out.
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