Chapter 30

The first person to finally answer their urgent page from the switchboard was Rudy. Finally, a human voice that might actually be able to give Steve some answers! ''Rudy, what's going on down there?'' Steve asked anxiously. ''I called your room first and got your cardio -''

''Where are you?'' The normally calm-port-in-a-storm doctor sounded like he was nearing the breaking point. ''Steve, there are 972 kinds of holy hell breaking loose here!''

''Jaime and Becca - are they alright? I couldn't get an answer in the ICU!''

''Jaime and Becca are safe. We've got them both under heavy guard in Jaime's old room on Three. Steve, we need you here! Where are you?''

Steve slipped back into a more rational state of mind. His family was safe; now he could attend to the business at hand. ''We've just taken the Kingsley twins' younger sister into custody,'' Steve explained. ''And we seem to be in possession of a machine she was using to -''

''A machine?'' Rudy repeated. He began to calm down as well, the scientist in him taking over. ''Do you know if she made some sort of new threat or pushed a button as you got to her - anything like that?''

''She was trying to get her hands free from where I had her pinned,'' Steve recalled, ''and she said something about how we'd all find out together how many subjects she had.''

''Alright, listen to me carefully. I need that machine turned off, deactivated, placed out of service immediately. And since I doubt she's got an obvious On/Off switch, you'll just have to smash it.''

''We may need it for evidence,'' Steve countered. ''I've got four of my best guarding it now.''

''Steve, you need to trust me on this,'' Rudy told him. ''Do it under my authority - I'll take the blame - but you need to destroy that thing before we lose Oscar, Russ and Hansen!''

Steve looked out the window to where Michael was being tended to by a pair of penguin suits while they waited for the summoned medevac. The young doctor was sitting on the ground with his head between his knees, from all appearances in agonizing pain. ''Add Michael to that list,'' Steve said grimly.

''He's with you? Steve, don't even try to find any sort of switch or button. Just get rid of that...invention...and call me back! Please!''

''Colonel Austin!'' called an urgent voice from the room with the machine. It had begun emitting sparks from one end and smoke from every corner and cranny. Steve looked at the machine that was likely the source of the majority of his family and friends' suffering for more than a year and suddenly the weight that had made it difficult to even push toward the wall earlier was of no consequence. Out of sheer, unbridled anger, Steve picked up the contraption, carried it outside and threw it toward the end of the driveway, away from the house and away from where Michael was seated in the grass. The resulting fireball was white-hot and burned itself out in mere seconds.

Michael's head rose from his knees and he looked around in confusion, trying to orient himself when he had no clue where he was. He watched Steve run down the driveway to where there seemed to be a lot of smoke. While Steve was stomping out the last of the sparks, he was looking back up the driveway at Michael...wondering. Steve had heard him outside the house, arguing with the men at the door to let him in - and the arguing had ceased at precisely the moment Anna had moved her hand toward what was apparently a hidden switch. From outside, Michael would've had no way of knowing that. And now, with the machine destroyed, the young doctor appeared to be fine. Was it possible that Michael hadn't been faking?

''Stay with him until the medevac gets here and then hold it for me, because I'll be riding it back too,'' Steve instructed his men, before hurrying into the house to call Rudy.

''Steve, whatever you just did, thank you!'' Rudy crowed into the phone. ''Oscar and Jack seem alright now; I think they can safely be examined and tended to. I'll even hazard a guess that Russ is okay, as well.''

''So is Michael,'' Steve told him. ''Rudy, the chopper's here - so I'll see you in 10. Looks like we've all got a lot to talk about.''

Jaime surfaced from the stronger than normal dose of sedation to find herself upstairs, in 'her' room on the Third floor. The first thing she noticed when her vision started to clear was a line of Security men that extended from her bed to the door. She started to panic and turned her head to the other side, where Steve always sat next to her...and Becca was there instead, sound asleep in a porta-crib. Where was her husband...or Mark...and how did she get here?

''Easy now,'' Doctor Corinth soothed, stepping to where Jaime could see him. ''Everything's alright. We needed to move you for a Security drill and -''

''This...doesn't look like a 'drill','' Jaime said slowly. ''Please...where's Steve?''

''He'll be back as soon as he can be, I promise you -''

''Like maybe...now?'' came the voice from the doorway (the only voice Jaime wanted to hear).

''Steve! I...you...what happened?''

Steve nodded to the guards. ''Thank you,'' he told them. ''We've got an All-Clear; you can return to stations.'' Then he rushed to the bed and gently held his wife who cried on his shoulder out of relief and happiness. She didn't understand what had just happened, but sensed that a corner had been turned somehow - and that everything would be alright, after all. From the porta-crib, Becca began to coo and Steve scooped her up and laid her across Jaime's stomach so the little family of three could close ranks in a tender embrace.

END OF EPISODE THREE (to be continued in Episode Four)

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