A/N Thank you everyone who is continuing read, review and this to an alert it is very much appreciated.

Thank you to Zoe for being you.

All mistakes are mine and spellcheckers (Zoe's when she lets them sneak past her) but they do escape a lot so I apologise if they do. I Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer thing: I don't own any of the Grey's characters or any film/TV program that I will borrow. I promise to put them back when I'm done.

Chapter 15 All we are is dust in the wind

"Son of a bitch!" Derek's voice startled his wife as she had been sleepily resting her head on his desk in listlessness. Hours of looking at endless data on a tiny little computer screen had done nothing for the migraine building in her temple, burying pain deep within her skull causing sharp pain whenever she tried to move her head.

Meredith watched as Derek energetically swung the computer screen around tapping on the part he was trying to get his wife to look at.

"And that would be a whole lot of…what?" Meredith managed to mutter as she looked to Derek, who in turn was looking like an over enthusiastic kid on a sugar high, the pain in her head wasn't letting her enjoy the passive enthusiasm on display from her husband.

"SON OF A BITCH! It's been there all along, it wasn't hidden…well it was hidden in plain sight. It's just…everyone is made up differently right? It's like you taking those meds for your headaches…they don't work for me, but they work perfectly for you…which by the way there's some in my drawer over there." Derek pointed to where he was meaning as he saw the pain in his wife's eyes. He watched as Meredith tried to follow his hand motion but he could tell how bad the pain was. He got up and retrieved them himself before fetching her a glass of water and giving her one of his caring smiles as he set the glass down gently in front of her before continuing.

"Or when you're told you can't take medication A while you're using medication B, for example because it might interfere with the effectiveness of A...this is what's happened, Meredith!" Derek stood in front of his wife looking at her as though she should have followed all this and had the same epiphany that just hit him like a sledge hammer. When Meredith continued to stare at him opened mouthed and looking like she was about to stutter the words 'duuuuhhhhhhhh!' Derek threw his hands in the air and continued on excitedly.

"The bastard did it Meredith…he found a way of controlling people. Burkes doctors, they just didn't manage to make it human proof. It worked brilliantly on some but had no effect on others and in cases like the Major when he started using his heart medication it interfered with the effectiveness and he started to see things clearer. Even with just some people thinking the sun shined out his ass, it was enough to keep him in power and people just accepted their wasn't much they could do. Looking at everyone's history it all ties back too an anti-viral drug, you see it's the only common factor in everyone's medical history…shit Mer!" Derek stood back and held his hand over his mouth as he watched Meredith look to him for the answers.

"What is it Derek?"

"Its…it looks as though, wait a minute…" Derek quickly whipped the screen back away from Meredith's view, she watched as his brows furrowed while he furiously tapped keys on the computer's keyboard.

"DEREK WHAT IS IT!" Meredith was not in the mood, things that normally would make her melt at the cuteness of her husband's determined manner, she just wanted answers.

"It's the XZn12 anti-viral, that's the one that this all ties back too…" Derek paused as Meredith's eyes widened in realisation.

"That was the last project Mum said my Dad was working on before he disappeared. You mean he wasn't working on the anti-viral... he was working on a mind control for Burke?" Meredith watched Derek agree with her and she paused for a moment, letting the information that her father was involved sink in before she forced herself from her seat.

"Let's see what information we can bring up about where, when and how…come on. Derek what are you waiting for?" Derek watched as Meredith nudged him out the way and started typing into the computer herself, one thing on her mind…What did her Dad do and was he still alive?

Flashback September 2013…

"The growing numbers of people who have died or have been taken gravely unwell by the XZn12 virus has doubled today leaving widespread panic, the government has stepped up their efforts to control the situation and have their best scientist working on an anti-viral. President Burke is asking that once the anti-viral is made available everyone make their way down to their nearest clinic where the drug will be administered free from prescription or charge. In a statement from the President himself he states "There needs to be recognition that the whole world is affected by this pandemic and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We have seen how XZn12 has taken hold in Central Belt and in the Southern hemisphere. We have been given fair warning and must act soon, that is why I am making this available for EVERY SINGLE man, woman and child regardless of social standing, wealth and nationality. We shall grow stronger from this and we shall thrive." The government says it still has no idea where this virus started from and efforts to contain it have failed…" 'CLICK' the only thing left from the news report on screen was the little dot of white light as the picture left the TV and the sound disappeared from earshot, the silence was only seconds long as the argument from the other room that had been drowned out before, started to fill her ears again as she replaced the remote on the countertop and continued trying to work on her bright and colourful picture of her imagined happy family.

10 year old Meredith sat at the kitchen table etching the ear to ear smiles onto her finished masterpiece. Her teacher had asked the class to draw a picture of their family. Even at 10 year old Meredith realised that it was better to draw the happy family scene that was in her head rather than the angry shouting match that her parents had constantly on a daily basis.

"What do you mean you're leaving…You think I don't have a career, how am I supposed to get time off at the hospital? You know I can't take time off work to look after her Thatcher?"

"I'm done Ellis, I can't take this constant…I just can't take it anymore, Burkes offered me a position…and you don't love me, I'm sick of being your punching bag. I'm better off being somewhere I'm actually wanted."

"Oh that's right you snivelling waste of human skin…run away, when things get tough, when you get lazy and can't be bothered looking after YOUR daughter…RUN AWAY…Poor Thatcher, you're a worthless excuse of a husband and father anyway…just go, go fuck your tart and have a happy life leaving me with looking after your failure…" Meredith looked up as she heard her father raise his voice and cut her mother off. She couldn't see them but as always she could see in her head the hatred on their faces.

"Once I have things settled I'm coming back for her, Meredith will come with me and you…you can get what you want…your career because we both know you have no soul and she's better off with me. I will be back for MY daughter Ellis."

There was a loud noise as the front door was slammed shut. She physically relaxed as the silence filled the air once again. When she heard the noise from her mother's heels clip the tiled floor as she made her way into the kitchen, Meredith looked up at her mother who ignored she was there.

"Ma'am is Dad coming back?" Meredith caught her mother's eye when she asked timidly; she could see her mother didn't want to be there, but she somehow knew that her mother did care for her but couldn't show it.

"Your father's going a way for a bit to work…I'm late, I don't know when I'll be home but Mrs Carson will be here shortly. Have a good day at school and I'll see you tomorrow." Ellis moved over to Meredith and gave the child a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving the room to finish getting herself ready.

Meredith watched her mother leave before looking back down at her drawing of a smiling young girl holding her father's hand and her mother separate from the family but holding a bag. Meredith picked up the red crayon and continued to scratch the red plus sign on the side her mother's bag.

"How did Hahn get Webber, Oh my God…he was at the compound, we left him at the compound…he was trying to set up his damn church when we left. Why…who, what…Oh God I'm gonna…" Callie couldn't control anything in her head and the jumble of thoughts were creating a storm thrashing throughout, she wasn't sure she could keep herself upright. Eventually everything came rushing forward and overloaded her senses and the limited stomach contents left her just as Arizona entered the room.

"Oh Callie, baby what happened?" Arizona ran to meet her girlfriend and replaced Teddy holding her tightly. Moving the hair from Callie's brow Arizona saw how white and shaken the woman had become. Callie looked into the sad blue eyes and broke down again trying to form words but she couldn't get them out.

"Hahn, she got hold of Webber somehow and…Arizona she killed him in front of us, she managed to get our signal and she knows exactly where we're going, she's fricken crazy. You should have seen the glint in her eyes, she's hell bent on making Callie suffer." When Arizona had taken over from her, Teddy quickly went over to the control panel and had started typing commands into the computer pausing when she finished she stood looking at the crumpled mess that Callie Torres had become in a matter of seconds.

"Triangulating co-ordinates of last video call broadcast, also trying to patch through to Major Robbins signal but he's like a ninja in the dark!" Zoe's voice cracked from the intercom.

"Callie, come on I'll take you to your room." Arizona watched as Callie managed to shake her head and held up her hand in a 'give me a minute' gesture before trying to get herself to her feet.

"I'm okay, I'm okay…I just need to tell Bailey. Oh God, I don't want to tell Bailey." Callie sucked as much air into her lungs as she could, she felt as though someone was continually kicking her in the gut and winding her. "Zoe can you tell Bailey to come here and hurry up finding out where the Major is, I want answers."

Arizona recoiled back slightly when Callie straightened abruptly and shook her off, the venom in Callie's voice when she mentioned her father was just like poison working its way throughout her body, she could see the determination in her stance. Callie was looking for someone she could vent her anger at and since Hahn was unavailable for now, the Major was the next best thing considering he kept being involved in the death of her loved ones. After 5 minutes of leaving Callie be, Arizona realised allowing Callie to have the internal battle with herself wasn't helping.

"Baby, I know your hurting and I know he's my father and you'll think I'm sticking up for him but I'm sure there is a good reason…I only knew Webber for such a short time but he's a man that had his own determination when he had an idea in his head, I can see where you got it from." Arizona grabbed Callie's shoulders and made the woman look into blue loving eyes, the anger that was apparent in the dark eyes lightened as she left go of her emotions she was trying to bottle up.

"He raised me since I was 14, he kept me safe. He went against everything he had believed and did what he needed to keep me safe Arizona and I failed him…I never kept him safe, he's dead because I never kept him safe. I got my father killed, he has been my father for 12 years and I failed him. I may as well have pulled the trigger myself." Arizona felt the tears roll down her back as Callie got lost in the comfort of her shoulder.

"Callie? What's happened…Who killed Webber?" Bailey stood in the door way she had overheard the last part of the conversation.

"Hahn, she got him somehow. Zoe's trying to get the Major, I want to know how Hahn got anywhere near him." Callie was trying to keep her emotions in check but watching Bailey's composure break down she could feel the wave of nausea about to hit her again.

"You stupid old fool! You stupid, stupid…stupid man. Callie, I'm so sorry I thought I'd talked him out of it. He was talking about leaving the compound and travelling to the next town to recruit…He said he'd be discreet, that he was too old to join the fight again but he'd help find people to take his place. Stubborn man, you know he does what he wants to Callie. There was no way the Major could have stopped him once he had an idea in his head you should know that." Bailey came over and held Callie as the tears escaped her. "Come on we have a few hours before we're at the co-ordinates we have for the compound lets go down tell the rest of the crew and raise a glass. That's all we can do at the moment, as he would say 'Suck it up Torres!'" Bailey felt Callie nod at the side of her head.

"Can you two go down? We'll follow in a minute." Arizona asked.

Once Bailey and Teddy left them alone Arizona took Callie by the hand and made her sit down. Kissing the sobbing woman's forehead she continued to rub her back soothingly, calming her down.

"I know what you're thinking remember…this was not your fault he was going to do what he was going to do and we will make Hahn pay. I won't let her take anything else from you, I promise…I love you so much Callie."

"I love you too, now let's get this over with." Callie managed to kiss Arizona through her broken sobs, pulling back she took a deep breath and then exhaled trying to dispel the last of her sorrow before managing a slight smile toward Arizona as she pulled the woman up with her.

By the time the couple made it down, much to Callie's relief Bailey had already told the group what had happened. The problem was as soon as Callie made it through the door, silence enveloped the room and she felt all eyes on her. They waited a couple of minutes and before the awkwardness consumed them they began to make their way toward her to pass on their condolences. Before Callie lost control of the little grip she had on her emotions she managed to speak up.

"I know how I feel, I want revenge…I want to crawl up into a ball and cry…I want to curse and swear and find someone to blame…But I know what Webber would be telling me right now. We have all lost people through this cause, but it's a cause that these people believed in. The Old Man may not have been our blood but he was a father to us all, his guidance, his wisdom, his respect and his love…he shared it with everyone he met. I know from the many talks we shared he would not want us to cry over him, he would tell us to rejoice in everything the person was and not what had been taken. We were privileged to have him in our lives and I was privileged to call him father." Callie made her way to the sofa at the back of the room after she finished talking and sat down as she watched the rest of the group start to share stories of the man who became their surrogate father.

"Where's the whiskey? That's what Webber would be saying right now." Hunt laughed as he pulled a large bottle out of the cupboard, when Karev saw he couldn't hide the grin as he made a bee line for the cups.

"You know it's exactly what he'd do, and it's just the one…To Webber!" Hunt reasoned with Callie when he caught the look on the brunettes face.

Arizona sat beside Callie holding her hand she was worried about how Callie was taking it, she could feel how much pain Callie was in through her thoughts. Callie's thoughts up until now had been a jumble of revenge, panic and grief it was hard to pick anything out, but as she watched her love look at something in her hand her mind calmed and Arizona could hear exactly what was going through Callie's mind while the boisterous celebration of Webber went on around her. Arizona could make out Callie singing in her head.

I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moments gone.

All my dream's, pass before my eyes a curiosity

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea

All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see.

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.

Arizona watched as Callie looked up, her watered brown eyes nearly made Arizona burst into tears herself as Callie gave her the tear covered picture she had been holding. The picture showed a young Callie being lifted by two men, one Webber and the other one her father, she knew this from the picture Callie kept above her bunk.

"He told me he wanted that song played at his funeral…this is the best I can do right now." Arizona wiped the escaped tears away from Callie's cheek.

"We'll remember him properly once all this is over…we'll remember everyone." Arizona kissed Callie gently as the room was filled with very loud music when Cristina plugged her mp3 player in and told Zoe to raise the roof. Callie smiled as Webber's favourite song blasted out the speakers…they would get through this.

"Your love lifting me higher

Than I've ever been lifted before

So keep it up

Higher!

Higher and Higher oooooh"

Arizona looked on at her new family. It brought a smile to her face as she relaxed into Callie's embrace watching as everyone sang along to the song as loud as they could with Karev and Yang dancing like maniacs.

The sky was black and the rain looked pissed as it mixed furiously with the wind's swirling dust and sand creating a thick almost cement like paste that stuck to anything and everything in its path. Judging by the time, the sun would be just about setting, it should still be light…not blinding light by any stretch of the imagination but light enough that you could still see your feet one in front of the other as you walked, not the wall of black that she was confronted with as she looked at the screen. The tiny little wiper working over time trying to keep the camera clear of the mush was almost hypnotic. Looking at the picture on Bambi's control monitor, Callie got that 'No-one can hear your screams' vibe as she physically shuddered, that mock rapturous internal laugh that they had managed to be consumed in one of the Deadlands specials just at the correct fucking time, slap in the face number… more like kick to the nether regions, fuck she had lost count how many times she found herself in a sucky situation, thinking about it she must have really pissed off some higher power at one point.

She wouldn't let on to anyone that the thought of going into that compound scared the living daylights out of her, who knows what they would find in there or who! They just had to locate it first.

"I am currently running radar over the co-ordinates given…Who loses a building, seriously if you can guess where the fucker is it's a good as mine!" Zoe's voice filled the void breaking Callie from her thoughts.

Originally the compound looked like a one level building, what the mass public never realised was that another six levels buried themselves into the ground away from prying eyes.

"We really need to find the compound soon, the more time spent looking for the stupid thing the less time we have before the psycho bitch gets here, and trust me she gets all my attention!" Callie added as she turned and watched Cristina in amusement playing with her new toy.

"Scarecrow's right! How the hell did the Alliance lose something the size of this?" Yang added mesmerised by the floating hologram projection of the compounds layout. "I love Teddy, she helps me build the best toys." Smiling goofily at her friend she returned her gaze to the electric blue flickering hologram as she spun it and stepping back with her arms held out in a 'ta-da' motion proving how awesome it was.

"Scarecrow?" Callie couldn't stop her mouth, her brain was screaming just to ignore her but the switch was flicked before the connection not to ask was made.

"As in Oz, wizard of…If I only had a brain!" Cristina sung the line before continuing. "That's what Zoe is, a big floating angry green head hence why I made her Scottish…they just sound angry all the time. There's a world of wisdom in there dumbed down for you mere mortals. You can't all be blessed with my brilliance." Cristina stated as a matter of fact, Callie just rolled her eyes at her friend and her attention was taken quickly by the presence of Mark, Tim and Bailey who entered the room.

Bailey handed Callie all her equipment needed for going out. They had decided when the weather hit that they would go out in small groups because the rain and sand creates pockets of quicksand and going would be easier if there were people there to help if they found themselves in trouble while looking for an entrance.

Quicksand, there was nothing quick about it. It was weird how they happened, small pockets here and there, never enough to swallow a transporter, hell even a small vehicle but a person…step into one of them and you found yourself slowly being pulled in and the more you fought the harder it was to escape. The common misconception was that you eventually got pulled under to your death but the reality of it was you only ever got to about waste deep, passing out from tiredness then waking to find that you've set into what is mostly concrete and then it's all down-hill from there. A slow and torturous death awaited if the heat didn't kill you first the creatures that graced the Deadlands will. Callie and the gang had seen their fair share of skeleton art on their routes, this was the first time they had been so far into the Deadlands , with the risk of the Death walker's some jobs just weren't worth it, some were.

"Ya dancer! I got the bastard, it's over there…and I know you can't see where I'm pointing coz I don't have fucking arms, haw'd on a minute!" the group were startled as Zoe's very loud voice filled their ears. Callie couldn't stop the smile appear when a big white circle appeared on the monitor with the word FUCKER with an arrow drawn pointing the way.

"Okay lets earphone up, and get started we need to find a way in. If we can't then I'm quite sure Karev will like making 'boom' noises." Callie attached her weapons and made sure her oxygen was all in use before slinging arms into her leather jacket.

As Callie, Mark, Tim and Bailey left Cristina continued to survey the hologram making it bigger following routes trying to get an idea of what they were doing once they got in.

The material was starting to stick to her, she was drenched and it was only getting more uncomfortable as the rain started to seep through the material of the suit she was wearing. Her own clothes underneath started to feel heavy and damp as the sand and water mix began to soak through. Callie wiped mud from her mask's visor, for what had seemed like the hundredth time in what had only been 10 minutes. She looked to the rest of the group who looked as though they were having just as much fun.

They had just finished circling the area for a third time with no sign of an entrance. She could start to feel the gritty water run down her back as it managed to finally break the barrier and seep into her suit. So much for it keeping sand out of places sand should not be, she thought to herself as she looked up and caught the unimpressed look on Bailey's face as the woman flicked mud off her visor, visibly pissed off.

"Hey Karev looks like you get to play your favourite game once Cristina tells us where to go 'boom'" Bailey shook her head as she watch the rest of the group smile when Karev's hyper giggle came through their earpieces.

"LET'S PLAY Bitches, We'll be out in two!" Karev quickly ran to his stash in his room. Callie had told him time and again that he wasn't to have his explosives in there. She swore that one day he was going to blow himself up one drunken night and she wasn't cleaning up the pieces. By the time Karev came back into the room Arizona, Teddy, Addison and Hunt where already getting into their suits. When he looked at Cristina and motioned at her suit she just smiled through gritted teeth.

"If you think I'm stupid enough to go out there while you 'play' you're sorely mistaken, I'm rather fond of all my body parts thankyouverymuchly! X marks the spot. Dummy proof, it will let you know when you're on the area where you can lay the charge." Cristina threw the thin small computer screen toward Teddy who caught it and thanked her.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Karev giggled as he gave the skin tight navy blue outfit Arizona was wearing the once over pausing slightly at her ass before moving back up and staring at her chest, she was already feeling awkward about the wardrobe choice that Teddy had picked so that was not helping.

She had complained about how awkward her clothing restrictions had been when they were back at the Resistance's camp. It amazed her, what little projects Teddy had going. She had told her that she had been working on a material that could resist a blade or a bullet and she could make a suit out of it for Arizona. When Teddy had pulled it out of her bag of tricks, Arizona had commented, "Oh way to go for equal rights and all, why does the woman always end up in the figure hugging suit." Teddy had just explained that the tight material would move with her body and she would be able to flow a lot better in her movement. Plus is you have it, flaunt it.

"Stop staring at my boobs Karev!" Arizona hissed out as Teddy and Addison giggled like a pair of school girls in the background.

"What! They're nice boobs, and that just pushes up, oh sooo nicely…yeah has Torres seen you in this yet…Fuck she's gonna Frrreeeeaaak! Bow-chicka-wowow!" Karev knew he was risking a rattle about the head but he was enjoying watching the red blush rise up the blondes face.

Karev's luck was in as Callie's voice cracked in their ears "Guy's come on, time is against us…Zoe, how long until we have company?" The rest quickly grabbed the rest of their stuff and moved toward the hold to join the others.

"You have two hours thirty two minutes and twelve seconds…eleven seconds…ten seconds…nine…"

"THANK YOU ZOE! Can you just give us 30 minute updates until I say otherwise?" Callie closed her eyes in annoyance.

"Aye can dae that boss!"

When she was a little girl she hated the dark, bad things can happen in the dark that was what her father always told her yet here she was now, lying in the darkness high above the floor, her only safety. Sprawled face first looking down through the almost darkness, she played with strap on her rifle. The emergency lights left an eerie red glow up here, they had originally managed to get the lights back on but she ended up smashing the majority of them and turning them back off. When the light was on she could see exactly what was around her and she really didn't want to see that.

She was pretty sure that the metal wire would leave a mark on her check but the cold metal had kept her mind still for once. It's amazing what your senses can adjust to when the need is there. How your eyes can adjust to the lack of light, how you're sense of smell just gets used to it, the rotten corpses had stopped making her gag years ago. To be honest, they had kept home quite well and the bottom three levels were all hers, so she just hid behind her walls when she needed to happy the dumb bastards hadn't figured out how to get in. They had attempted a few times throughout the years but now that it she was the only one left, she was just as quiet as the rats that lived up top.

She was doing her rounds, every now and again one would be on their own and she could take them out one fucker at a time, there was less chance of her getting seen that way. She still hadn't found out how they were getting in though, it was one thing that had puzzled them many of them in the past had died trying to follow them. So they had just become resigned to the fact that this was home, Food and water wasn't an issue, they had stock holds of it even if she were to live into her eighties…the food would definitely outlive her.

She was just about to head back into the vent when she thought she heard voices, then the ground shook and part of the ceiling caved in on the far side. She watched as a little bit of outside light came in followed by water and mud and the sound of very loud men's voices. Resting the butt of the rifle against her shoulder she gently placed her finger on the trigger watching the two male intruders who jumped down, through the cross hairs as she heard a female voice shout trying to get the bickering men's attention.

"How does it look?" Callie shouted down to Karev and Sloan who were trying to push each other in further.

"Looks clear." Karev shouted back up to the group as Sloan stepped forward something scuttled by them just out of view but startling them enough that they both fell back on their asses, looking up at the amused faces above them they both tried to clamber up each other to get to their feet first.

"You said it was clear!" Sloan rubbed his ass as he question Karev.

"I said it looked clear."

"Well, how does it look now?" Mark tried to get his eyes to focus in the dark as Callie shouted down again.

"Looks clear!"

The rest of the group dropped down into the hole, taking in their surroundings, they took in the bodies. There were bone remains and also very freshly dead remains as they moved further in the stench was horrid.

"Is anyone else having trouble breathing in here?" Bailey asked.

"Yeah, I feel one lung short." Tim agreed as he covered his nose.

"Cristina, better get your ass in here now we are about to go further in and you wouldn't want to be playing catch up." Callie contacted the transporter.

"Is there anyone left?" Cristina's voice crackled through the earpieces.

"Erm, lots of halves sure we can make one person, but I think…Yep, they'd all be dead!" Karev just received a snort from Cristina as she said she'd be over in a few.

While the group stayed in areas where they could see what was around them, Arizona moved through the dark areas with ease. She was moving toward a panel on the wall as when she felt the panic and the thought 'please don't come any closer' as she realised where it was coming from he looked up just in time to see the flash from the bullet leaving the rifle.