Author's Note: I had a bit of writer's block on this part, which was odd. Even when I do get it, it normally doesn't effect me for very long. I've been writing since I got bored in an english class in sixth grade and have developed many interesting ways of getting around it. This part was stubborn, but I eventually decided to have more of both Will's and Magnus' POV's, since I'm sure that there are many things she feels that she doesn't articulate. Then it got too long, so I broke it in two. Here is the first.

On a quick side note: Melissa, hope your dad gets feeling better. Mine just had a quintuple bypass, so I know how that can feel.

Disclaimer: I do not lay claim to anything from the show, only my own work and creations. Mostly just Dr. Telares, Dr. Gering, Dr. Marks and the accolo-nexum. Oh, and the Oolues, and the Serpiente insecto, which don't actually exist, even in myth.

Survival of the Fittest

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Part Five: Things Shown

Will wasn't sure what to think. Three hours after his heart and thoughts had seemed to stop in their tracks, he still stood at the glass, staring in at the habitat on the other side. Laying in the center of a pile of sleeping accolo-nexum, Dr. Helen Magnus looked out of place. Her dark brunette hair was tangled over one shoulder in a braid, her knees curled upward near her head. One hand lay underneath her but rested around her stomach. The other was thrown over the shoulder of the large male she had called Montague.

He had heard and he knew what it might mean, that name. John Druitt's first name. It spoke of a level of bonding that made him feel uncomfortable. Mostly for her safety. However, he had never in his time working at the Sanctuary heard anyone, even Magnus, refer to John Druitt by his first name. Maybe it meant something completely different than his first impression. Maybe it meant a vague but significant difference between the man he knew and the man she had known. Maybe it meant she wanted the accolo-nexum to be different. Either that, or his first impression was right and he needed to keep her as far away from the abnormal as possible.

Watching the woman sleep, he shifted a little uncomfortably. There was no misinterpreting the accolo-nexum or Montague's behavior. The whole group clearly saw Magnus as a part of the family, at least while one of their own was inside her, while Montague clearly saw her as a mate or at least the equivalent. Perhaps as a parent to both Magnus and the little one inside her. It showed in the protective bearing. The wariness the male kept glancing toward the glass. He had read about something like it before, where a animal gets so attached to a human it's around, it starts seeing that human as a pack mate or a kind of spouse. So much so, that they could shun contact with their own kind or try to make the human do the same. They lay claim to the human. Will seriously wondered if he would lose a hand if he went in there and tried to get close to her. The group was protective of Magnus, that much was clear. And Montague? He seemed to be living up to his namesake, as he raised his large head and fixed his green eyes on Will. The warning was almost palpable.

Will turned to Dr. Telares, who was still writing furiously in her notebook after the events that morning. He couldn't imagine what she was sill writing, not a single thing had really happened in there for hours. "You're sure we shouldn't forcibly extract her?"

"I don't think Helen would respond well to that. Nor the accolo-nexum. Seems she was right. They won't hurt her, not so long as she carries their young. Afterward, I have no idea how she would be received, but I don't think we need to worry for now. That male seems quite attached to her as it is."

"You mean Montague?"

The doctor eyed him. "Montague?"

He shrugged. "Magnus' name for him, not mine."

"Hmm... she's taken to naming them has she?" Dr. Telares bent to continue writing.

Will gave her a good-natured frown and turned back. There was still no movement from Magnus or the others but a bit of shifting in sleep and the steady rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. "I've got to get back to the Sanctuary. With Magnus out of commission, there's a lot that needs handling and I've already stayed for too long." He rubbed at his face tiredly. "Never realize just how much she does until she's not doing it. Does the work of five people in one day what it would take them to do in three." He turned to Dr. Telares. "You'll let me know if there's any changes?"

"Of course. Dr. Gering will be watching over her closely. You don't need to fear for her, Dr. Zimmerman." She smiled at him but looked quickly back at the habitat, as though afraid she had already missed something.

"Alright." Will nodded, trying to convince himself. He really didn't want to leave her, but he also really needed to get back. His departure was slow, with many glances back over his shoulder.

At the Sanctuary, Will found himself buried under a mountain of paperwork taller than he was, and decided to never again complain about all the work he had to do because Magnus had him beat hands down. Then again, he made that decision every time he took over for even a little while. At this point, after weeks of no Magnus, he was so far behind he wondered if he wouldn't soon become entombed in the papers.

Big Guy came in, and he filled him in on what Magnus' condition had been when he had left, though it was the Big Guy Dr. Gering had been calling to update. A short while after the Sasquatch left, Henry came in and he had to do it over again. Kate followed, so by then he was very weary of saying the same things over and over again. Why couldn't they just all ask him at once?

Magnus' computer began beeping ominously.

He rubbed his temples. Just what he needed.

/\

/\ 38 hours later-

"What do you mean "he got away"?" Will wasn't capable of keeping his voice down. "You had the guy cornered!"

"He's a slippery little sucker." Kate said defensively. "Literally."

"It's not like we let him go Will." Henry added. "The guy shocked us. I can still smell the burnt ends of my own hair. Not pleasant."

Will rolled his eyes. "You guys said you could handle him so that the Big Guy and I could deal with the Serpiente insecto we found in a crate in New City. That's why I let you go."

"Well, it's not our fault he got away, okay? While you guys were dealing with tiny little snake bugs, we were lying unconscious on the ground."

"We'll catch him. We just need to know where to look."

"And this time you'll wear the protective suits." Will answered sternly.

"Oh, come on." Kate whined. "I can't move in those things."

"They make us look like giant rodents." Henry added distastefully.

"I really don't care. Just do it, all right?" He said, not unkindly. "I've got enough on my plate without getting another call that you guys need treatment for minor electrical burns. I've got a meeting with some guys who ended up buying the wrong parcel. Something about a poisonous wood eating beetle."

The pair sighed in joint defeat.

Not wanting to be late, Will hurried away without really acknowledging their pouts. Why did he feel like he was always running a marathon?

Right in the middle of his meeting, he got an alert on his cell. He peeked at it quickly, then did a double-take. Reluctantly, he put it back in his pocket and tried to concentrate on the rest meeting, though he wasn't very successful. Once it was done, he hurried from the room so fast, his guests were left wondering what was on fire.

He had received regular updates on Magnus' well being over the interim days via the Big Guy, but had felt his anxiety level slowly rise as those days passed, apparently without a single sign of his boss waking. Now, he got a message on his cell that told him there was a change in Magnus' status. It took him all of thirty minutes to drive to Dr. Telares' lab. He ran to the observation room to find the scientist conversing in low tones with Dr. Gering. "Your message said it wasn't urgent, I got here as fast as I could. What happened?"

For an answer, Dr. Telares gestured at the glass.

His eyes shot to it quickly and relief washed over him.

Helen Magnus was on the other side, sitting up and no longer asleep but otherwise unmoved from her previous position. Her color had returned and she looked much better than she had in months. The accolo-nexum surrounded her, awake as well, but much as they had been before. They were emitting a low hum that made even his head buzz.

"Magnus, are you alright?" He called.

She nodded. "Quite. Just... hungry and a little sore."

"Have a look." Dr. Telares said, gesturing this time at a computer monitor to one side.

He frowned at it. It looked like a video feed of the habitat, but with strange colors superimposed over it. Underneath the monitor was another screen that had several squiggly lines jumping up and down on it. "What am I looking at?" He asked.

"The top is an altered look at the habitat. You'll have to ask Mr. Foss for an explanation."

"Henry's here?"

"Dr. Gering called the hairy one and he contacted Mr. Foss. As your associates had concluded their retrieval of the... eel-man they were after, he came here directly. He is currently modifying the other cameras with sensors for instantaneous data retrieval."

"From what I understand, the bottom screen is showing the both audible and inaudible portions of sound emanating from the abnormals." Dr. Gering added.

Henry entered the room and crossed to the monitor, hooking his computer into one of the inputs.

"Henry?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there." The man continued to fiddle with the equipment. Will turned back to Magnus. She was rubbing her abdomen unconsciously, her other hand resting on the broad shoulders of the Montague accolo-nexum. Her thin arm reminded him painfully of just how unwell she still was despite her recent improvement. His eyes cut back to Henry as the Hap cleared his throat. "Okay, Will, the Big Guy sent me over, and Dr. Telares said she'd call you while I got to work and this is what I found." He pointed to the screen.

"What is it? And what made you call in the first place, Dr. Gering?"

"That was because of me Will." Magnus called from behind the glass. "When I finally woke up, the accolo-nexum started in with this humming and I started to feel a bit odd."

"We were curious and a little concerned so we started running tests we could perform remotely. When we got strange readings we were at a loss to interpret them. This," Dr. Gering gestured at the monitors, "-is definitely not our area of expertise. Dr. Telares suggested we contact the Sanctuary."

"And this-" Henry recaptured their attention. "-is a video feed modified to show fluxes in EM fields." He pointed to the accolo-nexum on the screen, the swirling colors making it hard to focus on individuals. "Seeing the spikes in the fields? They are directly corespondent with the changes in the Doc's."

"Wait." Will held up a forestalling hand. "Are you saying that the abnormals are directly effecting Magnus' natural EM field? How is that even possible?"

Henry's face sagged in a 'dude-really?' look. "We've seen abnormals that can effect the earth's tectonic plates to cause earthquakes and tsunamis. We even know a guy who can transform himself into energized particles to teleporte any given distance and your shocked over a bit of EM field manipulation?"

"I am as shocked as you are Dr. Zimmerman." Dr. Telares said. "I had no idea my accolo-nexum were capable of such things, but it might make sense of some of the things Helen has been feeling."

"How so?"

"Well, you told me about her naming the accolo-nexum. It could be that the growth of the young one within her is dependent on the field fluctuations. Due to this, Helen's body is flooding her with increased natural chemicals that call for contact, much like a human baby depends on physical contact with another, or human beings in general desire the same."

"You mean she has to stay in there with them?"

"Not necessarily. I believe as long as it is done regularly, there should be no harm in Helen leaving for several days. In the wild, a pack cannot be in contact twenty-four-seven. It would be an unreasonable requirement."

"What's the other thing for?" Will asked Henry, gesturing at the squiggly lines. "You said it was the audio from the accolo-nexum?"

"I would venture to say that it might have something to do with their abilities as well." Dr. Gering responded. "The connection. Helen's health continues to improve. Certain sounds have been shown to have positive and negative affects on health."

"So their singing to her is making her better." Will knew his voice was unnecessarily incredulous, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Is that so hard to believe Will?" Magnus called, sounding amused. "I find certain types of music as soothing as the next person."

"You said this humming was making you feel odd. Odd how?" He asked.

At that, Magnus shrugged. "It's difficult to be definitive. I feel-" She hesitated, seeming to grasp for an explanation. Finally she sighed. "I'm extremely hungry. My body is sore and it feels like I'm using far too much energy just sitting up and speaking with you, but I also feel the need to move. Edgy, almost."

"Have you thrown up at all? Fever, dizziness?"

"A little vertigo, but no vomiting or fever."

Dr. Gering nodded in confirmation.

"So, what should we do?" He asked the room at large.

"First, we need to get Helen out of there to run more tests and also so she can eat." Dr. Gering answered.

"How? Open the door and hope the accolo-nexum don't try to keep Magnus from leaving?" Will asked, trying to convey his skepticism for that plan.

"Feed the accolo-nexum." Magnus suggested. "If you're so concerned, distract them with food. I'll slip out while they aren't paying attention." She patted the creature next to her. "Even this one will ignore me for food."

"You mean Montague?" Will said, his tone edging between snide and teasing.

Stubbornly holding his gaze, Magnus flushed just slightly.

Will felt a little triumphant. It wasn't everyday that he got to take the great Dr. Helen Magnus out of her comfort zone and he relished the reaction.

"Yes. I'm sure even Zim's curiosity will be satiated by a full stomach." She shot back, trying for a tone of innocence.

He snorted, shaking his head. "All right. I guess we should give it a shot as long as no one else has a better idea." He looked around hopefully, but no one came forward.