(Oh jeez, it can't be a good thing when people start calling upon my ranting powers... -coughMoonCatcough- XD
But seriously, people-- if you don't like the story, then don't fucking read it. You have the freedom to choose what to read; use that freedom! Seriously!
On a side note, I have officially fallen in love with Markus. I don't love him more than Sidney... but damn. He's so dreamy. XD Okay, ITB, stop fangirling!
Before I forget; fennessey, there is no GUILT in the main storyline of New Blood. It only gets mentioned once... maybe twice. But Markus and Val are helping Derek and Angie do their research because at the end of Second Opinion, there was that whole epilogue screen where it was like "OMG LYKE GUILT RESEARCH LOLZ", only the words they used were bigger. :D
A word of warning to readers of "Life of Secrets"...it's on a bit of of a temporary hiatus. Not like the one that my Gorillaz fanfic is on... oh jeez no. But... oneshot ideas for New Blood have been pouring into my head, and I, having the short attention span that I do, want to write them up before I forget.
I guess this means I like New Blood more now than I did when I first got it. XD
Okay; chapter time!
Markus, Valerie, Derek, Angie © Nintendo
GUILT © Nintendo
Stigma © Nintendo
Starbucks © Starbucks)
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Caught Unaware
Chapter Two- Stubborn
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A bright chirping sound from Markus' coat pocket jolted the dark-haired surgeon out of his slumber. Groaning, he rolled off the sofa, slowly stumbling over to his jacket by the door and pulling his cell phone out of the pocket.
"Hello...?"
"Don't tell me you were still sleeping, Markus... despite your slacker attitude, I know you never sleep past nine!"
Val's words made Markus glance at his watch...
Nine twenty-three?!
"...well, you know, it takes a lot of energy to eat my food as well as yours," Markus smiled, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Especially when what you've ordered could feed the entire state of Wyo--"
A sharp pain flared up in his chest.
He doubled over in agony, his hand flying over his heart; a strangled groan escaped through Markus' clenched teeth...
"...Markus? Is something wrong?"
Almost as soon as Valerie's voice reached Markus' ears, the pain vanished; he carefully stood upright, wondering if maybe he had just... imagined the anguish... it wouldn't have been the first time.
"...yeah, I'm fine. Just... heartburn, is all."
Val chuckled briefly, her concern subsiding.
"So then, I guess you don't want to go out for coffee today? Starbucks has its Christmas blends now... my treat."
Markus' eyes lit up.
"I'll meet you there in thirty minutes."
He hung up, quickly hurrying to the bathroom.
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"Did you catch a cold, Markus?"
Markus looked up from his peppermint mocha to see Valerie staring at him, frowning, her dark eyes filled with concern.
"What makes you think that?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he re-wrapped his blood-red scarf loosely around his neck to trap in the warmth. "It's pretty chilly today, isn't it...?"
"It is," Val agreed, rubbing her arms briefly. "Markus, you're a lot more distracted than usual, and you look kind of pale... are you warm? Here, let me feel your forehead."
"What the-- Val, I'm fine- get that hand away from me!"
Markus pushed away the hand that was quickly approaching his forehead.
"Val, do you really think that I wouldn't say anything if something was wrong?"
Valerie sighed, letting her hand drift back to her eggnog latte.
"...right..."
A small smile played at her lips.
"...you'd be complaining nonstop about how miserable you feel, anyways."
Markus groaned, hanging his head as Val began giggling uncontrollably. When he picked up his head once again, a feeble smirk had set itself on his lips, remaining there even as he sipped his coffee.
"...we come here so often; do you think they'll make us members soon?" he joked, his dark brown eyes sparkling with amusement.
"The other regulars here probably think this is a part of our dating ritual," Val nodded, chuckling softly.
Of course, that wasn't the case at all... Markus and Val were as single as people could get.
But she could dream.
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"Dr. Vaughn, is there something wrong?"
Markus glanced up, the scalpel in his hand about to be replaced by a syringe, his surgical mask fluttering with each breath. Derek was looking directly at him; his face, too, was obscured by a mask, but the younger surgeon could faintly make out a concerned frown on the elder surgeon's face.
"No, I'm fine; why do you ask?"
That wasn't entirely true; Markus' chest had begun to burn with a stinging pain, making it difficult to concentrate. However, he simply brushed it off; it didn't stop him from properly doing his work, so why should he worry about it? That was his motto...
"...say something if you don't feel right," Derek replied. "Tetarti is extremely infectious; the last thing we want is for someone to get infected and let it progress to an advanced stage."
"Of course, Dr. Stiles."
Valerie and Angie watched from a short distance away, both clad in protective gear, as Markus carefully injected the serum into the diverticula that had formed on the test subject's stomach.
"Does he ever admit when something's wrong?" Angie asked in hushed tones.
"Admit? Oh, he does more than that; he brings it up over and over again," Val replied, smiling faintly. "It makes you want to punch him sometimes."
Angie chuckled softly.
Markus had just finished applying the final synthetic membrane. A quick splash with the antibiotic gel fused the membrane to the organ; he waited patiently for the Tetarti bodies to appear, like Derek had said they would...
A wave of pain suddenly overtook the young surgeon. His breath became stuck in his throat; white flashes danced in front of Markus' eyes, even when he shut them tightly to try to block out the agony that coursed through his body...
"Dr. Vaughn--"
The voice seemed so distant... but it was enough to pull him back into reality.
Markus opened his eyes; the spots had disappeared.
"...sorry. I'm fine now... let's continue..."
Derek would not be so easily convinced.
"Markus, you're not fine-- sit down and relax, I'll take care of the procedure--"
Markus was far too stubborn to admit defeat.
"The Tetarti bodies are appearing... I'm going after the purple one first."
"No, you're not--"
The hand that reached for the syringe in Dr. Vaughn's slightly tremulous hand was impatiently swatted away.
"For God's sake, Dr. Stiles, do you want me to learn how to treat this or don't you?"
Derek reluctantly grew silent as Markus injected the violet serum into the appropriate Tetarti body. It froze, then began writhing uncontrollably- a sure sign that he had injected the right one. Smiling grimly, the younger surgeon quickly drew up a syringe of yellow antitoxin...
The first wave of Tetarti had been swiftly eradicated...
Markus' breathing grew more labored.
"...Dr. Vaughn, I don't care what you say, something isn't right. Give me the--"
"The Tetarti is returning... I'm going after the yellow one first this time."
"Markus, let Dr. Stiles take over--"
"Val, I'm fine," Markus snapped, trying to focus through the pain clawing at his heart. "You said yourself that I'd be whining nonstop if something was wrong, didn't you?"
Valerie grew quiet as Markus took care of the second wave of Tetarti.
"...one more round and we'll be able to extract the Tetarti from the-- Dr. Vaughn!"
The syringe fell from Markus' hand, clattering on the table as his hand flew to his chest; his breaths came in strained gasps as bright flares blocked his vision...
"Markus, give me the syringe-- you're done here!" Derek ordered, reaching for the fallen syringe--
"I'm fine!"
The cerulean star flashed in front of Markus' eyes, making itself seen amongst the white bursts of light...
He snatched the syringe off of the table, filling it with the purple serum, his Healing Touch granting him supernatural speed. As soon as the Tetarti bodies appeared, he injected the serum into the violet Tetarti body...
Markus could see Derek, in slow motion, whip his head around and say something to Angie. The blonde woman dashed out of the room...
His dark brown eyes burned as he filled the syringe with the pale yellow serum...
No! Markus growled to himself, the pain trying to break him as the second Tetarti body fell to the antitoxin. Just one more...!
With unsteady hands, he injected the green fluid into the final GUILT body. Wasting no time, the brunette surgeon seized the forceps, lifting each immobile Tetarti body and placing them in a small glass case...
Markus' concentration finally broke as the final GUILT fell to the bottom of the container.
His body was free of pain.
"...Dr. Vaughn, are you alright?" Derek asked hesitantly, immediately suspicious of the sudden disappearance of Markus' symptoms. "You looked like you were about to collapse for a minute, there..."
"Well, I'm fine now," Markus nodded, amazed at how easy it had become to breathe. "Looks like it was a false ala--"
The next sound to escape his lips was a strangled gasp of shock and pain; Markus' hands flew to his chest, his legs beginning to quake beneath him as he struggled for breath...
"Markus!"
Val rushed to his side, her hands carefully grasping Markus' jerking shoulders, her brown eyes wide with fright and worry.
"Markus, answer me, what's wrong?!"
"Valerie, back away!" Derek barked, hurrying to Markus' side. "He might be--!"
"...don't f-feel... so... g-good...--"
The last thing Markus could see before everything faded to black was Angie rushing in, a machine clutched in her hands as she hurried to the fallen surgeon's side.
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(End chapter two.
Dear me, what's happened to Markus?
Well, you'll find out soon.
Please review!)