Chapter 12

They were in the black wind tunnel again. Joe felt his grip on someone (Will? Bataar?) slip and frantically helped himself to a bigger handful of fabric. Then they hit the floor of the Sanctuary's entryway in a tangle of limbs, hard enough to take the breath from him.

The Cabal operatives squirmed free and darted for the door, but crumpled before they made it. One had been hit by a tranquilizer-round from Will. The other, by one from the waiting Steve, who Joe would probably never stop thinking of as 'the lizard-guy in the bathrobe' even though he was currently wearing scrubs. No one paid the slightest attention to the fallen Cabal members, too busy dealing with their own casualties.

Will was alternately checking over Druitt and whispering to Bataar. Steve saftied his gun, tucked it into his pocket, and hurried to Ashley, emptying a syringe into her arm. Magnus was struggling with Henry, human again and stark naked, as he cradled a computer-tablet in his broken arm and frantically tapped away with his good hand. He had stashed the tablet in the entryway before they left so he could get security under control the second they got back because, one way or the other, they were going to need it.

"Damn it, Henry, let me help you!" Magnus ordered, expression frantic.

He shook his head, letting out a labored puff of air and leaning away from her hands. "Level… One Lockdown… Worldwide, initiated," he told her in a series of pained rattle-gasps that told Joe the guy had a punctured lung. "Emails, texts… automated… phone-calls!" he ground out.

"Henry, the system will handle everything automatically at this point," Magnus told him gently, grasping his shoulder. "Now let me help you, dear."

He nodded weakly and the tablet clattered to the floor. "Hurts, Doc."

"I know, Henry, but I'll take care of you," she promised, squeezing his shoulder and helping him stretch out on the floor so she could give him a once-over.

Joe started to go see if he could help her -- Steve had already transferred Ashley onto a waiting gurney and was strapping her down. He stopped when he realized how frantic Will was looking himself. He had sent Bataar to the infirmary but was still working on Druitt, trying to get a response from him. Joe dropped into a crouch next to him.

"What's going on, man?"

"I'm pretty sure he just put himself into a coma with all that effort," Will whispered, shaking his head. "And the odds are good he caused himself some brain-damage."

Joe winced. "Can you help him?"

Will nodded. "Acetylcholine should at least help bring him out of the coma eventually. It's not really indicated, but Druitt's never been wired like a regular human."

"And the brain-damage?"

He shook his head. "I'm more worried about the coma than the brain-damage to be quite honest. We know from experience that ECT should clear that right up. Look, I've got Druitt; you go help Magnus."

"You've got it," Joe agreed, moving to her side. "What do you need?"

"As many strong bodies as I can get to transfer him onto the backboard smoothly. I don't think there's spinal damage, but I'm not comfortable ruling it out without imaging."

Joe nodded and helped Magnus, Steve, and Will shift Henry onto the board. The man groaned but otherwise took it in silence.

"You okay, Henry?" Will asked, grasping Henry's good shoulder as Magnus and Steve strapped him down.

Henry shot him a 'could you ask a dumber question, you fucking idiot?' look.

"Sorry," Will said, coloring and looking away.

The werewolf caught his hand. "Ash 'k?" he gasped.

"Pulse and respiration are stable. She'll be out for awhile, but she'll be just fine."

"Take care… her… f' me."

"Always," Will promised, patting his shoulder and falling back as Joe and Steve lifted the backboard onto a stretcher. "I'll be down in a few minutes to talk, okay?"

Henry nodded and closed his eyes.

Will locked eyes with Magnus. "Just like we discussed with the Inderal. Bataar, too, just to be safe."

"I'll see to it," she promised. "And the dosage-schedule for John is in his chart. Call me if you have questions."

Joe watched her wheel Henry away. Since Steve had already taken Ashley away and Bataar had already left, that just left Druitt and the two Cabal operatives to deal with. Not that the Cabal operatives were their problem, apparently. Other Sanctuary members had started to appear, mostly human-looking but led by a guy who looked a lot like Steve except with more of an orange tinge to his scales.

"You got them covered, Ben?" Will asked.

"Under control, Will," the lizard-man agreed with a nod. "Holding ccccellss all ready."

"Excellent." Will nodded sharply.

"Everything happen assss planned?"

"Pretty much," Will assured him, returning his attention to Druitt.

"You actually planned for all this?" he asked Will, frowning. "Henry? Druitt?"

"Expect the best; prepare for the worst. Druitt and Henry volunteered. It would have been great if we could have gotten Ashley to come quietly, but that wasn't going to happen and we all knew it." Will sighed. "Look, can you help me get him up on a stretcher?"

"I can't believe you actually agreed to that plan." Joe shook his head, grabbing Druitt by the ankles. "On three."

"Not like other options were lining up to present themselves. One, two."

"Three," Joe sighed. "Damn, this guy weight a ton!" he grunted.

"I hear he's pretty athletic."

"You hear?"

"Only met him a few days ago. Haven't exactly had time to challenge him to a game of racquetball." Will started to strap him down.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because if he did do himself any brain-damage, we don't want him able to move once he wakes up," Will informed him, tightening the straps.

Joe frowned. "Would this be related to his threat to enjoy gutting those Cabal types?"

"He's a decent guy when he's not brain-damaged. The details are between him and Magnus, not you and me."

"I know who he is, Will."

"Then you know why we need to be careful. Now come on."

0101010

Everything became a swirl of activity after that with Magnus scrambling to help Henry and Will scrambling to help Druitt. It quickly became clear that Henry was going to need surgery and, while Magnus was prepping him, Will announced that Druitt was stable but unlikely to regain consciousness any time soon. Stopping only long enough to wash his hands, Will went to help Magnus with Henry.

Steve helped Joe get Ashley secured in a cell which apparently had some kind of special shield erected around it to prevent her from teleporting out. It didn't stop Steve from insisting that the girl be securely strapped down.

"You've never sseen her fight before," he said simply when Joe expressed questions over whether further restraint was actually necessary. "Come. Our other guessstss should be awake by now."

They were awake, and clearly livid. The male was pacing his cell looking distraught, the woman screaming obscenities and pouncing on the Plexiglas with her fists. The lizard-man named Ben watched her, laughing and occasionally tapping his claws against the clear surface.

"And the moccassssin iss on the other foot," he told her as Joe and Steve approached.

"Don't, Ben," Steve suggested, shaking his head. "Helen wouldn't approve. They're captivess, not animalsss."

"An argument could be made that they're both," Ben answered, turning and giving Steve a toothy grin. "Can I watch Will quesstion them?"

"I'll find out." Steve grasped his shoulder for a moment, then patted it. "Let everyone know everything that hass happened."

"Sssee you after work, lover."

"Can't wait." Steve gave him another toothy grin, then turned his attention back to the prisoners.

Not just giant lizard-men but giant gay lizard-men? Why not? Shrugging, Joe turned to look at the Cabal operatives.

"What will you do with them?"

"For now, nothing. Will and Helen will decccide later. Other thingss are more important right now. Don't worry. We'll hande it."

"That's actually what worries me."

Steve laughed, smacking Joe on the shoulder. "Have faith in uss. Everything'll be fine."

"Right," Joe agreed, ignoring the woman who was now accusing him of being a race-traitor at the top of her lungs. The man, on the other hand, was huddled in the far corner of his cell sobbing like a frightened child. "I almost feel sorry for him."

"He sshould be pitied, Joe. Both of them. They know not what they do. Come. Helen or Will may need help."

"Right," he sighed, following Steve from the holding area.