Chapter Eighteen

Edwin quietly closed the door to Billy's room, the medic leaning his forehead on the doorframe for a moment before he released the knob. Glancing to his left and then to the right, he found the hallway empty, despite the earlier voices that he had heard. "C'mon Lifeline," he murmured to himself. "You've got to keep it together..." Pushing away from the doorframe, he started back towards his room. He had gone what he thought was almost halfway when he found himself a bit lost, having been so lost in thoughts he had not really paid attention to where he was going and apparently turned down a wrong corridor. Looking around, he tried to find something that was familiar, but the there was nothing, just an endless string of wooden doors in both directions.

"Damn it..." with a frustrated sigh, the medic turned around back the way he had come hoping to find his way once again. He had not gone very far when he found himself at a junction with two other corridors and a door marked "EXIT". Swearing softly to himself once again, he shook his head. "Just great..."

As he stood there, Lifeline suddenly found a sense of claustrophobia sweeping over him, a feeling of just needing to get outside so he could breathe. Looking around just in case, as the medic didn't think that the STRATCOM people would appreciate him leaving the building, Edwin headed towards the exit door. He paused a moment, his hand on the handle before pushing it down and opening the door, all the while wondering if an alarm of some kind would go off. There was no sound as the door swung outward, the medic passing through it and into the cool night air.

Despite it being evening, the STRATCOM campus was well lit, the door that Lifeline had used opening to a shrub lined sidewalk. Following the cement pathway, the medic soon found himself moving out into a good sized square surrounded on all four sides by buildings. If Edwin had to guess, the area seemed to be a park of some kind with benches, trees, and shrubs with a sidewalk wrapping around it. Placed periodically around the green area were lamp posts, the frosted white globes giving off a pale light that was more than enough to navigate the area. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he closed his eyes for a moment before moving towards one of the benches.

This little park-sized quad area also seemed to be a hub of sorts for the buildings that surrounded it, with four sidewalks that broke the square into even quarters, and so the sound of a door opening, and the sound of shoes on the concrete sidewalk echoed almost too loud in the stillness. Rebecca Chambers was barely aware of the fact as she hurried out of one of the buildings, intent on the door Edwin had used as an exit only moments before.

Seated on the bench, Lifeline looked up at the sound of clicking heels half tempted to scoot down to the other side of the bench where it was a bit more shadowed. Following the sound, the medic saw the slight figure as it moved towards him, a white lab coat showing in the pale light. Judging from the clicking sound and the size of the figure, Edwin quickly concluded that it was a woman, a hunch that was confirmed as the figure passed in front of the lamp closest to him, revealing that it wasn't just any woman, however. The person coming down the walk towards him was Rebecca Chambers.

Rebecca didn't notice the man, or if she did, she gave no sign of it. She was clutching her clipboard to her chest, her expression pensive and clearly tired. As she passed near the center of the quad, a voice hailing her brought her to a halt, and she turned to look at McGivern as he came moving up at a jog. They spoke only briefly, and then the both of them resumed Rebecca's earlier trek.

"R-Rebecca..." Edwin rose to his feet and hailed the young woman before she and the STRATCOM agent had been able to take more than a few steps away from him.

Rebecca's steps slowed and she glanced over her shoulder at the sound. When she realized who was hailing her, however, she turned away from the medic, her steps a little more hurried than before. Bruce blinked in surprise at that, before peering into the gloom to get a better look at Edwin's face. When he recognized the medic, he decided that it would be a good time to make a discreet exit. "I'll catch up with you, Becca," He said, heading for a different door away from the two. "I need to go take care of something first."

Rebecca didn't answer him, but he hadn't really expected her to. After their blow up on the transport plane and the young woman's behavior towards him in the testing lab, he hadn't expected a warm welcome. "Rebecca," he called out once again as he moved to follow her. "Please, Rebecca..."

She almost ignored him again, only slowing as she came within a few paces of the door. There was something in the man's almost pleading tone that got the better of her, however, and she stopped, but didn't look back again. The medic felt a small sense of relief as Rebecca stopped. "Rebecca..." he said her name again as he drew nearer to her, stopping perhaps an arm's length away.

"What is it, Ed--Lifeline?" Rebecca replied, her tone low, not daring to look toward the medic.

Edwin closed his eyes for a moment. "Please Rebecca..." he started. "I...I... I want to apologize to you." the medic finally stammered out, his voice soft. "Please...I'm sorry."

"...I thought you knew me well enough," She replied after a moment, "to know that I would never, ever do anything to hurt Billy."

"I – I know..." the brunette man said. "I just..." he squeezed his eyes closed again. "Why didn't you say anything?" Lifeline asked as he opened his eyes and looked at the young woman's back.

Rebecca did turn then, just enough to look him in the eye. "Honestly? Because you're a lousy damn liar," She replied. The medic dropped his eyes from Rebecca's gaze. "If Duke asked you if you were aware of what I was doing, I wanted you to be able to honestly tell him no. Both for your sake, and Billy's."

The medic gave a barely imperceptible nod of his dark head. "I'm sorry," he said once again, chancing a glance back up at the young woman. "I should've trusted you," he said quietly. "All you ever tried to do since you first came to headquarters was help Billy..."

Rebecca sighed. "I...wanted to tell you...tried to warn you...I thought maybe you'd catch on..." she murmured, meeting Edwin's eyes still.

"I think you're giving me too much credit."

"Apparently so," Rebecca said, then shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. You know the truth..."

"I'm sorry, Rebecca." Edwin said, his dark eyes glistening behind the lenses of his glasses. "I don't know what else I can say. I – I misjudged you and I'm sorry...I just...I just can't think straight anymore when it comes to him..."

"Edwin..." Rebecca's anger dissolved at the look on the medic's face. "...I forgive you," she finally said.

The medic took the few steps that separated them and moved to embrace the young woman. "I'm sorry..." he whispered.

Rebecca's eyes closed, her arms sliding around the medic. "Me, too," she whispered. "Edwin, I'm sorry...I just wanted to do what I thought was right..."

"I know," Lifeline said softly. "I should have trusted you, believed in you..."

"Do you trust me now?" Rebecca asked, biting her bottom lip.

"I do," came the whispered reply. "With my life and his."

Rebecca pulled away a little then, and looked up at Edwin. "Then...we need to have a talk," She said softly. Lifeline nodded in agreement as he looked down at the young woman, his hands resting on her lithe upper arms.

For the first time since they had left the base, Rebecca offered Lifeline a faint, tentative smile.

Swallowing, Edwin managed to muster up the ghost of a small smile for Rebecca in return, although it slid away almost as quickly as it appeared. Hers wasn't far behind, and Rebecca took a step back, beckoning for Edwin to follow as she headed into the building. The medic's hands slid away and he moved to follow the young woman back inside the building.

Rebecca's expression was pensive as she stepped into the room that housed the IMRT machine. After the pretesting earlier that day, the machine hadn't been touched, the technicians dismissed early to rest, so that they would all be in top form the next day.

Edwin followed Rebecca, his dark eyes sweeping over the equipment much as it had earlier in the day when he had accompanied Billy to the lab. Once again the medic couldn't help the small feeling of wonder that came over him at the state of the art facility.

"Based on what little information Leon was able to give us," Rebecca said softly. "We decided that an IMRT treatment would be the best shot we'd have at dealing with other parasites. Apparently whoever designed the Trojan Horse had a similar idea...This was the only thing listed under the potential treatments for Billy's condition..." She said, mostly to herself. She knew Edwin had seen the file, and had seen the same notation as she.

Lifeline turned his attention to Rebecca as she spoke, nodding his head when she finished. "I did some online research after you left that day. Controlled x-ray accelerators delivered with pin point accuracy. A very intense high concentration of radiation focused on a specific target area."

Rebecca nodded, clearly pleased Edwin knew a little about the procedure. "The only problem is, it has to be extremely precise...if it's off by even a fraction of an inch, we could do serious damage..."

"You end up frying the tissue around the target area instead."

"Exactly," Rebecca murmured. "Can you see the problem with this is, considering our patient?"

"Lieutenant I-Guess-I-Should-Have-Mentioned-I-Have-Claustrophobia Coen?"

Rebecca chuckled softly. "Got it in one."

Edwin eyed the IMRT machine again. "It's not completely enclosed but still..." he made a slow circuite around it. "It's still going to be a problem though..."

"It wouldn't be so bad if we could sedate him or something..."

"I know," the medic agreed. "But the parasite would neutralize it before he was even finished being prepped"

Rebecca nodded. "He did okay through the scanning and letting us mark him and everything else...and the machine is open, but I know medical equipment makes him squeamish at the best of times..." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's not leaving me with many options, and I'm not liking the few I've got left..."

Edwin moved to stand next to Rebecca. "I can't help but think," he said as he looked down at her. "that if this thing is as sentient as we seem to think it is, won't it manifest itself again if it realizes what we're trying to do?"

Rebecca blinked, drawn from her thoughts. "Huh?"

"The parasite." the medic reiterated. "It'll feel threatened."

With a nod, Rebecca looked toward Edwin. "We're hoping that it won't realize what's happening until it's too late. It's why we really didn't explain to Billy what was going to happen..."

"And probably why no one would really talk to me earlier, so I couldn't say anything to him either..." Edwin added.

"I know it would probably set his mind at ease, at least a little...but we need that element of surprise..." Rebecca frowned a little. "But that still leaves us with the problem of how to keep him still..."

"What options are left?"

"Hypnosis, which I'm not too sure about...or restraining him..."

Lifeline shook his head. "I don't think he's a candidate for hypnosis," he said. "Now if it were me, I'd say start swinging the watch..."

"I didn't think he was a candidate for it, either," Rebecca said softly. "But on the other hand, I don't want to tie him down, either."

The medic sighed. "The proverbial rock and a hard place."

"Yeah," She said with a nod.

The pair fell into silence for a few moments. "I wouldn't do it without at least telling him," Edwin said at length, his hand settling on the edge of IMRT bed. "Explain what will happen if he can't stay completely immobile. Give him the choice."

"...Okay, that sounds like a plan."

Lifeline nodded his head as he turned to look at the IMRT once again, silently praying that the piece of space age looking equipment would indeed turn out to be his lover's savior.

Billy hadn't been a religious man since he had been slated for execution, almost eight years ago. There was something about betrayal by your comrades and country that just left a mark on a man. He had never been much for prayer even before that. Since his quarantine, though, he had been doing a lot of praying, and he couldn't help but shake the feeling that whatever happened today would tell him for sure whether or not there was a higher power looking out for him. While nurses and orderlies bustled around him, Rebecca and Edwin had explained to him the necessity that he remain absolutely still, and what the consequences would be if he so much as twitched at the wrong time. The alternative, they explained, would be to restrain him so that he couldn't move. The choice, however, fell to him.

It wasn't an easy one to make.

As he had been the day before, Edwin had once again been relegated to the role of bystander by the STRATCOM personnel. The only difference being that Rebecca wasn't ignoring him anymore, the young woman once again treating him as a peer even as she bustled around the lab directing the personnel as both the IMRT and Billy were prepped. With nothing really to do, Edwin had chosen to stay close by Billy's side, hoping that having a familiar face nearby would help the Marine to relax a bit before the acutal procedure started.

While they prepped the machine, Billy looked up at Edwin. "...What do you think?" he finally asked softly. The medic looked down at the blue eyed man, his brow raising a bit in question. "...about the restraints..." Billy's tone dropped a little more.

"It's up to you," Lifeline replied. "But if you honestly want my opinion, then I'd say yes. I'd rather not have this thing melt your lungs into a puddle of goo because you twitched for half a second."

Billy shuddered. "...I trust you," he said. "If...if you really think it's best...then we'll do it."

The medic nodded his head slightly as he reached out to give his lover's upper arm a quick squeeze, the only sign of affection that he could allow himself to show in the midst of the busy lab. Billy fell silent again, although he did his best to muster a weak smile for his lover at the affectionate gesture.

Edwin's hand slippped away as he looked from Billy and around the room, his brown eyes searching out Rebecca. The young woman was in the computer control room, separated from the lab where the IMRT was by a thick piece of safety glass, apparently conferring with the console operator. The medic had accompanied the Marine as he had been brought into the lab where Rebecca had met them. The lab staff had immediately seized upon Billy, hurrying the Marine off to be prepped for the procedure.

The staff was both extremely efficient and equally compassionate as they got Billy set up, re-marking the faded ink pen that would serve as a guide for their targeting. When there was nothing left to do but restrain Billy, Rebecca was brought out from the control room, walking over to the two men and smiling a little. "So far, so good," she said, "Everything's running like it should." She reached over and patted one of Billy's arms. "How's our guest of honor?"

Billy gave the young woman a strained smile. "Just fuckin' peachy, thanks."

"That wonderfully eloquent demeanor hasn't dimmed any," Lifeline said to Rebecca as he looked down at the Marine.

Rebecca grinned a little. "I've always said he's okay, as long as he's still swearing."

"It's a Marine thing," Billy replied.

Edwin couldn't help the faint smile that came to his lips. "Sounds like she's got your number, soldier boy."

Keeping her hand settled on the Marine's arm, she looked from Billy to Edwin. "So have we come to a decision, gentlemen?" She finally asked. "If...we're going to use restraints, we need to get them in place now."

The medic cocked his eyebrow slightly as he looked at his lover in the off chance that Billy might have reconsidered. The Marine averted his gaze slightly, but nodded. "I think we'd better," he said softly.

Rebecca's expression softened and she gave Billy's arm a squeeze. "If you're sure." Again, Billy nodded. Edwin gave the other man what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Okay," Rebecca said and looked up, nodding to one of the techs, who nodded back. Then she looked at Edwin. "Go ahead and stick with him until they're done securing him down," She said softly. "Then come join me in the control room, okay?"

The medic nodded his assent as he looked up at the young woman. As Rebecca passed, heading for the control room herself, she gave Edwin's arm a reassuring touch, and then she was gone. Lifeline's brown eyes returned to Billy, hoping that the butterflies that were beginning to fill his stomach weren't evident on his face. His gaze rested on the other man for a few moments before he stepped back to let the waiting techs get on with their job.

Billy's eyes stayed on his lover, his own nervousness easy to see. The young woman who had come over to restrain him was sweet enough, keeping up a soft litany she knew neither man was listening to as she fitted the restraints down, only pausing in her ramble to occasionally ensure that the straps weren't too tight. Edwin alternated between glancing at the young woman as she worked and Billy's face, the Marine looking a bit paler then when they had first arrived in the lab. "Are you all right, Sir?" The young woman asked.

Billy gave her as reassuring a smile as he can muster. "Nope," he said, "but I will be soon."

"That's the spirit," she said, returning the smile with a warm one of her own. Edwin watched as the young woman finished securing Billy before giving the restraints a final check and stepping back. "All right, Sir," she said, smiling a bit. "You're all set, and we'll be getting started in just a few moments."

"Can you, uh, give us a minute or two?" Lifeline asked as he stepped back up to Billy's side, his chocolate brown gaze turning to the young woman.

"Of course," she said. "Don't be too long." And with that, she turned around and headed back into the Control Room.

Once the tech was out of earshot, Edwin looked back down at Billy, the medic swallowing slightly. The two of them were alone in the treatment room, Rebecca and the rest of her staff in the main control/observation room running the final checks before the IMRT procedure started. Heedless of whether or not anyone was watching, the medic reached out and covered Billy's hand with his.

"...Hey, Edwin?" Billy said softly.

"Hmm?"

"...When we get home, I think I'm celebrating with a bottle of Jack...wanna join me?"

Lifeline smiled a bit. "Gladly," he said quietly.

"Cool..."

The medic held onto his smile as he stood there quietly for a few moments, his eyes on Billy's face, committing every line, scar and nuance to memory, not that he really needed to. Billy's gaze finally met his, and the Marine smiled a bit. "You'd better get going," he murmured softly. Edwin nodded his dark head although he made no move to do so. There were things that he wanted to say, things that he was afraid he would never get a chance to say yet he still couldn't find the voice to do so. "...Edwin?"

"Billy..." Lifeline started hesitantly. "I..." he swallowed. "What – whatever happens, I just...I want you to know," the medic quickly glanced up at the observation window before his eyes returned to the Marine. "I – I love you." The words were barely more than a whisper.

Billy's eyes widened a little at the admission, and the Marine would swear later that his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. When he finally found his voice again, and remembered he was capable of speaking himself, Billy murmured just as softly. "I love you, too, Edwin..." His voice, though hushed, was thoroughly sincere.

Edwin squeezed the Marine's hand before letting it go. "Be a good boy," he said. "I'll see you on the other side."