Chapter 6

The drive was long and boring. After a night of Todd waking both Farah and Dirk every hour, they were all overtired and grouchy. Bart, Ken, and Rapunzel road in the front of the sedan, while Dirk, Farah, and Todd road in the back. It was so tight in the back that everyone's hips were smashed together. Clearly, this car was not meant to have three adults in the back at once.

Todd had taken his pill as soon as he got in, and it knocked him out fast. They had put him in the middle since he would be sleeping anyway and not really needing to look out the window for either tactical information or boredom. But whenever Bart made a sharp turn, which was often, he would flop over onto either Dirk or Farah. Ken suggested laying Todd across the back on their laps, but after the accident, Farah was opposed to anyone going without a seatbelt. Especially with Bart driving.

They made it to the town, and Bart even helped Farah steal a car. They got a motel room and parted ways with the holistic assassin and her assisfriend. Farah began planning their next move and Dirk paced the room in boredom. Eventually, Todd woke up.

"What's the plan?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"We have no leads." Said Farah with unhidden frustration.

"We need inspiration!" said Dirk. "Let's get pizza!"

After a lengthy argument over whether it should be delivered or picked up, Dirk insisted he should be the one to get it. As much as Farah's instincts and training fought against the idea, she relented and gave Dirk the money and let him go.

The trip to the pizza parlor was disappointingly dull. Not a single strange happening, coincidence, or pull from the universe. He wondered how on earth they would know what to do next. He walked as slowly as he could to give Todd and Farah as much alone time as possible. He wasn't sure how much they had talked out, but they seemed to be back to their old selves with each other. He even saw Todd take Farah's hand as they were talking. Maybe they'd finally have a little break from all the craziness to have a little romantic interlude. Preferably one that didn't end with Todd almost dying.

He entered the room and didn't see them. That was odd. Then he looked down and saw Todd's clothes on the floor.

"Oh." He said as he started to back out of the room. His cheeks were red with embarrassment of what he'd nearly walked in on.

"Dirk!" It was Farah's voice, and it was coming from the bathroom.

"Yes. Sorry. I'll leave."

"Get in here! Now!"

Dirk put down the pizzas and walked cautiously into the bathroom. Todd was in the tub. He'd been stripped to his underwear and the water was up to his mid chest. His head was leaning back on a towel that supported him like a pillow. He did not look well.

"What's happened?" Dirk asked.

"He's having at attack." Said Farah "He's roasting. I can't get his temperature down." She put on her coat. "Stay with him. Make sure his head stays above the water. I'll be right back."

She left, and Dirk knelt next to the tub. Todd's eyes were glassy and unseeing. His face was covered in sweat. His skin was flushed, and he looked miserable.

"Oh Todd." Dirk said as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Dirk was shocked at how hot his skin felt. He couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel to be trapped in that skin. Todd's head turned lethargically to face Dirk. His expression looked confused as his eyes struggled to see what was in front of him.

"Dirk?" he asked weakly.

"That's right. I'm here."

Todd's eyes faded out of focus again. Dirk fought a fearful tug in his gut.

Farah came back in with a wastebasket full of snow from outside. She began scooping it into the bath. Dirk got a wet cloth and put it on Todd's forehead.

"Where are his pills?" Dirk asked.

"He's already had a dose. It's not working."

She took out the ear thermometer from the first aid kit and checked Todd's temperature again. When it beeped, she looked at the number and swore.

"What?" said Dirk.

"His temp is still climbing. If this keeps up, he's going to seizure."

Todd groaned. His eyes had drifted closed.

Farah took the cloth from Dirk and ran more cold water over it before gently using it on Todd's face and neck.

"Hang in there, alright. Just hang in there. Dirk and I are here. We've got you. Hold on a little longer."

Eventually, Dirk brought Farah a piece of pizza.

"You should eat something." He said.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You can't help him if you don't keep your own strength up." He said as he pushed a slice of supreme towards here.

She sighed and took it.

"What happened?" Dirk asked. "Was it triggered by… you know… again?"

Farah shook her head. "Of course he told you about that."

"Sorry!" Said Dirk quickly. "I didn't realize…"

"No, it's fine. You're best friends and I guess that's what best friends talk about."

Dirk tried not to smile when she called him Todd's best friend.

"No." she said "That wasn't what triggered it. He was just feeling like the room was too warm for a while and by the time we figured out what was happening, it was pretty far into the attack. The ones that start slow can be tricky that way. That could be why the pill didn't work." She took out the thermometer and checked his temperature again.

"Any change?" Dirk asked.

"He's come down half a degree."

"That's good!" Dirk exclaimed.

"It could be a fluke." Said Farah.

"How will we know?" he asked.

"If it keeps dropping, we'll know."

Todd lost all sense of time as he sat baking in an oven. He was sometimes aware of Dirk and Farah's presence, but his poor, cooked brain couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Then, at last, he opened his eyes and saw the motel bathroom. Farah and Dirk were staring at him.

Todd blinked. "What's going on?"

"We've been trying to cool you off for nearly an hour." Said Farah.

"An hour? The pills didn't work?"

"Not this time." Said Farah "But we'll try them again. This may have just been a bad one. And we were really late getting the medicine in you."

Todd realized he was in the tub.

"I had to find a way to bring down your temperature. I thought a cold bath would be best." Said Farah.

"Makes sense. Looks like it worked."

"Not as fast as I would have liked, but at least you're alright now." She checked his temperature. "Much better. You're almost back down to normal."

"Want to get out?" asked Dirk. "I suspect you're quite pruney by now."

"Yeah." Said Todd. "That would be…"

Todd heard a strange, cracking sound. He looked and saw the water was turning to ice.

"No!" he cried. His breath caused a cloud to form in front of his face.

Farah grabbed his shoulder. "Todd, what's happening?"

The water began rapidly freezing over, trapping the majority of his body underneath.

"C… cold…" he sputtered as the frigid temperature knocked the breath out of him.

"Get him out!" Farah ordered as she and Dirk pulled him out of the tub. The ice shattered as they lifted him, but he felt no less cold as he shivered on the floor.

"Dry him off!"

Todd was shivering so hard that they practically had to wrestle him down with the towels. His teeth were chattering with such force that he was sure they would break. He could feel his toes freezing solid. The sensation began to travel up his feet and legs.

"Stop!" he cried as if he could tell it what to do.

"What's happening?!" asked Farah as she rubbed his arm to get the circulation going.

"M… my legs! Fr… fro… frozen solid!"

"Todd, Todd just listen. Stay calm. This has happened before. Remember? Just stay as calm as you can. Close your eyes so that they don't dry out and relax as much as possible. We'll be here. We'll watch over you. You're safe."

Farah's voice was amazingly composed. She was so often his anchor that kept him centered during the chaos of his disease. Especially times like this. He took a deep breath as he felt the sensation reach the bottom of his ribcage. He forced his arms to lay at his sides. Farah stroked his hair while he tried to ignore the pounding of his heart and began the relaxation breathing that Farah taught him. His chest and arms froze.

"I've got you." She said gently. "I've got you."

"Th… thank… thank you." He got the words out just before his face froze over.

Farah's voice was calm, but her mind was terrified. Just as one attack was under control, the next popped up. Compound attacks were a very bad sign.

"Todd, can you hear me?" asked Dirk.

"He can't. He's frozen solid. At least his body thinks it is."

She checked the pulse on his neck. It was strong and steady, though a bit fast. He was scared.

"It's alright." Said Farah to him as she stroked his hair.

"I thought he couldn't hear us." Said Dirk.

"I know. But just in case. Or maybe it just lets me feel like I'm doing something when I can't do anything."

Dirk nodded. He stood and took a blanket from the bed and the two of them tucked it around Todd. Farah took his temperature.

"At least that's fine." She said.

"How is that possible?" asked Dirk "He's frozen solid."

"He's not really frozen." Said Farah.

"He wasn't really boiling alive before either, but it still gave him a nearly fatal fever."

"I don't know." She admitted. "Nothing about this disease makes sense. His temp didn't drop the last time he froze either."

"So, this has happened before. When?"

"About two months ago. His muscles locked into a really uncomfortable position. He's laying flat this time. Should be a lot better. The good news is this type of attack doesn't last very long. He should be fine soon."

She checked his pulse again and found it was a little slower. She let out a sigh of relief. He was calming down. The pain must not be too bad.

"How can they come like this?" asked Dirk. "One right after the other."

"It's a compound attack. They're rare but…" she trailed off.

Dirk mouthed the words. "He's getting worse."

Farah nodded. Dirk looked like he was going to burst into tears.

"You're doing great, Todd!" Dirk said loudly and with an unnecessary smile. "Just in case you can hear me, just know I believe in you!"

Farah held onto Todd's stiff hand as they sat in silence. Then Todd's breathing changed. He opened his eyes.

"Here we go." Said Farah. "Told you it wouldn't be long."

Todd groaned.

"How are you feeling?" asked Dirk.

"I'm… ok I guess."

"Was it a bad one?" asked Dirk as he tried to offer Todd a slice of cold pizza.

"Actually, it was… weird."

"Weird how?" asked Farah.

"Weird like I think I know where to go to find Amanda."

Todd felt uncomfortable taking point on their new lead. A weak lead at that, but it was the only one they had. When the attack started the day before, he was roasting alive and was lost in the confusion and fever dreams. But he felt something. A pull. And he kept seeing something. A woman and a mountain and a crystal. After a while, he realized the woman was Amanda. He could hear her too, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He thought it was just from the fever, but then it kept going when he froze. He was only vaguely aware of Farah and Dirk's presence, but Amanda felt so close that he was sure he could reach out and touch her. She was calling to him. Asking him to help her. Pulling him towards her.

I need your help.

He could feel something tugging inside him. Pulling him somewhere. He kept seeing the clearing. The mountain. Then he realized he couldn't just see it, he could feel it.

Help me.

The minivan Farah was driving was equipped with a DVD player. Dirk found a copy of Bambi under the seat and couldn't wait to see the classic movie for the first time. It was keeping him quietly transfixed in the back of the car.

"Which way?" Farah asked as they approached a fork in the road.

Todd closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he concentrated on the pull.

"Left. Go left."

She nodded and turned the wheel. "Still pretty strong then?" she asked.

"Stronger. It almost hurts it's so strong. Like a magnet pulling me. I think we're close."

"Why are you feeling it and not Dirk? This doesn't make sense."

"Nothing makes sense anymore. We lost our last vehicle because a freaky pyramid sprung out of the ground and hit us."

"Speaking of which…" said Farah as she pulled over.

"What is it?" asked Todd as Farah unbuckled.

"Do you see it?" she asked as she exited the car.

Todd raced after her. It didn't take him long to see what she meant. There, integrated in the snow covered forest, was a blue tree. It was twisted and metallic looking. There were deep purple leaves hanging on the branches. All the trees around it were stripped of their leaves for winter, but this one stood in defiance with its full plumage of jewel tone leaves.

Todd groaned.

Farah spun around to face him. "Are you ok?"

Todd nodded. "Yes. But the pull… This isn't the right way and I can feel it. I don't know how to explain it."

The two of them went back to the car. Dirk was sobbing in the backseat.

"What is wrong with you Americans?! This is supposed to be for children! Children!"

Todd tried hard not to laugh as he handed back a box of tissues. "You'll survive the trauma. We all do."

"You're all mad!" Dirk cried as he blew his nose.

Nearly three hours later, they were still driving. At some point the pull got so strong that it crossed the threshold into painful. Todd had his arms wrapped around himself and was trying not to cry. He hoped they were almost there, because he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"Stop here." He said.

"What's wrong?" asked Farah.

"The road goes the wrong way." He said. "We have to walk."

Farah drew her gun and Dirk walked close to Todd. It hurt for Todd to walk towards it, but it hurt more to pull away. He needed to follow it like he needed air. It became an almost desperate feeling as he moved towards it.

"We're close." He muttered. "We're close."

It was cold, and the snow was over their shoes, but they kept moving. Todd saw it. The mountain. Exactly like in his vision.

"We have to get over this hill. The clearing is below it. That's where we need to be. At the base of that mountain up ahead."

Dirk and Farah had to help him climb, but they made it to the top and gasped at what they saw. In the middle of the clearing was a large, orange crystal that was pulsing with light. Two figures stood near it. One male, one female. The female figured turned and looked at them.

"What are you doing here?" asked Amanda.