Episode 6: A Matter of Chemistry Pt3

As Stiles and Lydia slipped back into the school it was clear the place was descending into panic. It was now obvious to all that Isaac was not an isolated case. The principal had done the right thing and called the CDC in. It allowed John to be on site as Sheriff with a valid reason.

It was a good thing in a catastrophic situation. Stiles was well aware that panic and fear would be the guiding emotions for most humans right now. Stiles was glad his nose wasn't sensitive to people's emotions like the betas. Derek had explained how it was quite an acrid smell. He hoped the pups were okay.

John knew Lydia and Stiles were here on site again. He knew they were searching for an assassin and looking for the pack. A small part of him wished they had stayed with Danny at the hospital looking after Isaac. John knew it was a forlorn hope. As Stiles often told him - he'd raised Stiles too well. John could understand the need to keep the pack safe. The pack was Stiles' family and having had so little of it in the past - Stiles would kill to keep it now. John knew he would look after the rest of the students whilst Stiles took care of his pack. He raised his radio and flicked the frequency to one he'd agreed with Stiles.

"Kiddo speak to me."

Stiles voice crackled over the radio, "Basement is a great place you know. All my friends are down here."

John relaxed hearing the pack were out of sight. The school was grim and there was a lot of fear and panic in this place. He wouldn't have to worry about anyone overreacting to something like an accidental shift. "Stay out of trouble."

Stiles heard what his Dad said. He did. He respected him a great deal but his pack were sick so all bets were off. It was because some sick bastard wanted to make a profit off their deaths. Only he or she was too much of a coward to come straight at them. That was the bit Stiles hated. If you wanted to kill him then be straight up about it. He hated cowardice and bigotry more than anything in this world.

Allison looked so relieved to see her friends. She was not unaffected as even she was coughing, "Thank god you are here. They are getting so sick."

Lydia and Stiles shared a look of worry as the pack who were in school were sick and here. The mates were curling up around each other. Allison bless her soul, was splitting herself between caring for Scott and Malia. She asked her returning friends the most important question. "What is going on?"

Stiles didn't want to alarm the pack until he knew more. "Well Grandma is working on stopping the bounties. Derek is hunting any assassins in town and your Dad's are helping. Lydia and I are here to help you guys and stop the coward in the school."

Coward was a much better title for the assassin in town.

"We couldn't get a phone to work not even Jackson's fancy Sat phone." Erica said, but it cost her. As it started another coughing fit.

Stiles picked up some water to help her. He never liked seeing Erica struggling with her health. It was telling how bad Boyd was as he couldn't even get up to help her.

Lydia knew why and it was frustrating. They needed to be able to contact Deaton. "If the CDC are here they would have cut phone signals to stop a mass panic."

Erica choked out, "What about our panic?"

Stiles was sad to see the pack looking so sick. The worst one for him was Erica, she had been so sick before her bite. It was a horrific thing to see her brought low by this. "Don't worry Catwoman."

The pack watched as Stiles opened up his own cellphone. He winked as he started to dial a familiar number, "This works between realms ... I bet I can get a signal out."

He was never so glad to hear Deaton's voice.

Deaton's morning had been slow. The booked routine procedures were over and now he was waiting for any emergencies. He wouldn't wish for any and chose to work on some paperwork. There was always paperwork to keep him from getting bored after a fashion.

He'd sat down at his desk when he heard shouting outside his 'alternate' entrance. He sighed knowing that any chance of a quiet afternoon had disappeared. His shock was seeing Satomi seeking his aid. He had nothing against helping the Alpha but she was more isolationist in her ways. Right now, she looked frantic, "I need your help!"

Deaton didn't disagree with the statement. The beta in her arms was in a bad way. The beta was shivering and his eyes and face were fever bright. The most damning part was how the beta couldn't keep control of his shift. This was bad on so many levels. Deaton would do his best for the werewolf but he feared there may be nothing he could do.

"Get him up on the table."

Satomi lifted the werewolf like he weighed nothing. It was the most jarring example of her supernatural strength. It was a good job that there was no one else on his practice - He would have a difficult time explaining it.

"Can you stop my wolves from dying?"

Deaton gave her an honest answer, "I will do my best. We need to work quick as this is affecting the high school also."

She shrugged as she had not heard about it there. Her wolves went to the other school which didn't care for details over yearly fees. "I moved us further into the woods but it did us no good."

Deaton sighed, "The boy needs a hospital not a wood."

She gave him a flat look, "The hospitals don't cater for my people. I can imagine how easy it will be to describe no control over their shifts."

Deaton knew the Alpha had a point. Still Beacon General did have Melissa McCall working there, meaning it wouldn't be hopeless. "If it comes to it ... I know someone who may be able to help."

She nods. "I remember this disease from before. It gutted the pack when I was a child ... only a few survived."

Deaton's mind was racing, "Tell me what happens. I need to know how the infection progresses."

If she was being honest, she had tried to forget. She had been a young pup and it was a scary week. The infection had ripped through their pack. She remembered that it hadn't taken long from the first signs of infection to death.

"It started slow, just a fever like the human flu. It develops from there to uncontrollable shifts, including unwilling full shifts."

Deaton always liked Satomi but she was brave. She had just as much admitted that Alpha's were not safe from the virus. She would accept no such comment so he just motioned for her to carry on with her explanation.

"The shift issue then switched to the infected not being able to stand ... After that blindness is the last stage before they die." She took a deep breath pushing back the painful memories of her father. "From blindness to death is less than five minutes."

Deaton pursed his lips but the phone disturbed him. He knew the disease sounded like canine distemper. If it was a form of it then someone had done something nasty to it. The disease killed about forty percent of the animals infected. In werewolves it seemed to be way more deadly.

"Hey Doc ... We have a massive problem. Well more than one. We're working on it but the pack are sick and in a bad way. The CDC are poking around and the pups are hiding in the basement."

Deaton frowned, "How are you calling? The phone signals were blocked by the CDC."

Stiles snorted, "Magic trumps technology Doc. My grandmother has never been one to accept something just is."

Deaton having met Queen Mab knew there was an absolute truth right there. He chose to get back to the situation at hand. He needed symptoms if he was going to diagnose, or, confirm his suspicions. "Tell me their symptoms Mr Stilinski."

"The pack have all caught it. All seem sick human, werewolf and even Lydia and I caught a low dose. We've shook it off the others have not. It starts like a severe flu. The betas couldn't control their shifts. Allison managed to get them down to the basement but now they are having trouble standing."

Satomi and Deaton shared a look. Deaton spoke up, "Take me off speaker."

Stiles knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. He did think it futile as the werewolves had great hearing. If this was bad news then he hoped their sickness stopped them hearing whatever he was about to hear.

Stiles spoke softer, "Say it."

Deaton said it softer but that didn't stop it packing a punch. "When blindness sets in get anyone they love out of the room."

"Why?" Stiles could guess the answer but he needed it confirmed.

Deaton puffed out a breath as he said it a loud. "Because they're gonna die."

Stiles took a deep breath and considered the problem in hand. "Okay so what the hell is this thing and how do we kill it? I knew it is a virus bit there must be something ... Magic? Plant? ... anything?"

Stiles was not ready to concede defeat just yet. He wasn't built this way. He heard a huff over the phone. "Who else is there?"

"Hello Alpha Stilinski."

"Alpha Satomi. Did I spark an idea?" Stiles asked, hoping beyond hope that perhaps he had.

She shrugged, not that he would see it. "There was this tea I drank as a child. It didn't taste well but only my momma and I drank it. We were the only two to survive."

Stiles was willing to try anything to save his pack. The idea had merit at least, "What was it?"

"Wild Purple Reishi ... my mother swore by it."

Stiles cocked his head to the side considering what he knew about it. He looked back at the pack and the worried looks Lydia and Allison were sharing. What had he learnt about it in his plant lesson with his Grandpa's tutor?

"Huh. That might just work it is old school medicine." He meant that in the truest sense of the word. The Japanese used to use it way back in the day before Jesus was a thing. "It was used as a cure all. I think along with my magick as a boost it should work."

Deaton thought about it and it was a solid plan. There was nothing he could think to offer as an alternative. "It was used as a way to offer immune support, wasn't it?"

Stiles was liking the idea more and more. They need action not words. He wanted to move things along, "Something our guys need ... tell me where there is some and I will zap and get it."

Stiles knew the assassin would be looking for the pack. The virus had done its job and weakened his pack so now they would be looking to finish the job. It would happen over Stiles's dead body. He'd got the tea into the betas and the humans too. Allison looked a lot better but the worry was not helping.

He hated playing defence - it was about time to go on the attack. He looked to Ally, "I need to borrow your weapon."

She didn't play coy. In fact there was a glint of approval as she handed it over. "Make them pay ... We will keep them safe."

Stiles kissed both Lydia and Allison on the cheek. The sad fact was that as much as he wanted to stay here. He needed to protect more, "I know you will. Good luck."

Stiles had thought about letting his Dad know about the plan. He decided to forgo the lecture until afterwards when everyone was safe. His Dad was working with Jordan to coordinate the medical response.

Stiles was in the locker room when he heard a chuckle behind him. "You know I just don't get the 75 million bounty for you."

So he had been right. The assassin was the teacher brought into deliver the PSAT test. "Well I was smart enough to have already past your stupid test." Stiles just had to reply.

The assassin sneered, "You are just a human running with Wolves."

Oh goodie. So the idiot had no clue. Stiles would not lead him towards the pack who were hiding in the basement. He had hoped to distract the assassin and stop him from ever reaching the pack.

The snarky comment and the click of a barrel behind him - told him his wait was over. He turned around slow and calm, not wanting to provoke the idiot into anything rash.

Stiles saw the barrel of the gun pointed at him. He knew that any normal human beings would start to plead and beg. It was a natural response in the face of overwhelming fear. Thank god he was a Fae - he looked at the assassin. He couldn't wait to share the joke with the idiot.

Stiles smiled, doing his best impression of an airhead. It worked. He threw the assassin off his game. He needed a few seconds more for his magick to work. He could kill the guy outright but he wanted to send a message too. This one would have a small amount of poetic justice too.

"You know I can't wait to see how they report your death." Stiles said still smiling. The calm way he said it made it sound even more menacing.

"You mean your death?" The assassin's response, was dripping with disdain.

Stiles smirked, "You know the gunpowder in your gun is quite excitable ... One might even say liable to explode."

As he said it, the gun exploded in his hand. Stiles was not taking any chances so despite taking a moment to treasure the look on the idiot's face. He sent a blast of wind at him that he slammed against the wall with enough force to crack his skull. It was a quicker death than Stiles would have liked but he was now no longer threat. In the long run that mattered more.

He was mindful of who might be listening on the radio frequency. "Er Dad ... I have your killer. You know it's the damndest thing. He went to kill me and his gun exploded on him. He didn't clean his gun./ by the look of it. Amateur."

"Where are you son?" The relief was clear in his Dad's voice.

"Locker room Dad." He slumped back against the door. He was glad he was not dead and if the cure worked for the pack he would be over the moon. Things were starting to look up or at least he hoped it was. He didn't want to say anything lest he jinx it.

He hoped Derek and Chris were having the same amount of success as he was.

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